WFU in the news: May 27-June 2, 2024

FEATURED NEWS

How can Costco sell gas so much cheaper than other stations?
By Melissa Leonard Hall | Winston-Salem Journal
Economics professor Todd McFall explains how Costco can afford to charge less than other gas stations. “All Costco purchases, from gasoline to granola bars to grapes, fall under what’s known as a two-part tariff. Part One is the membership. Part Two is where the customer decides to what extent they want to go to incorporate Costco wares into their lives. The more they buy, the lower the per purchase price of the membership becomes.” – 6/02/2024

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Latest news, videos & tickets from Broadway
BroadwayWorld
The NC Black Repertory Company, in conjunction with the School of Divinity and Wake the Arts, have announced dates for the world premieres of two plays whose playwrights, JuCoby Johnson and Eljon Wardally, each won a $10,000 commission announced in September 2022. “Finding Holy Ground” is funded by a $250,000 grant received by Wake Forest from the Henry Luce Foundation. – 5/28/2024

Competitive eating in Serengeti
By Gilbert Nakweya | Nature
A study led by biology professor Michael Anderson used data from a camera-trap survey, GPS-collared herbivores and fecal DNA to analyze the timing, arrival order and interactions among the animals in the park. “Our study provides a glimpse of what terrestrial ecosystems across Australia, Eurasia and the Americas, might have looked like when communities of large herbivorous mammals roamed freely across these continents,” Anderson said. – 5/29/2024

Why people are leaving their Black Greek organizations
By Ernie Suggs | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Law professor Gregory Parks, the editor of “The Law of Fraternities and Sororities, said people making their grand exits are both renouncing and denouncing Black Greek organizations. “One tension comes with swearing an oath to one’s fraternity or sorority, which some Divine Nine members of faith see as a religious conflict.” Parks added that Divine Nine organizations, for better or worse, can also be “greedy,” or demanding of a person’s time. – 5/30/2024

Unpacking gun culture In America
Mirage News
In a Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2023, 72% of U.S. gun owners say protection is a major reason they own a gun. That far surpasses the number of gun owners who cite other reasons including hunting and sport shooting. Wake Forest University Professor of Sociology David Yamane, an internationally recognized authority on gun ownership in the United States, offers insights about the nearly 100 million American civilians who own firearms. – 5/30/2024

Brown appointed Chancellor at Winston-Salem State University
By Johnny Jackson | Diverse: Issues In Higher Education
Bonita J. Brown has been named Chancellor of Winston-Salem State University. “It is a true honor and a privilege to return home to lead this great institution,” said Brown. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Wake Forest University and a juris doctor degree from Wake Forest University School of Law. – 5/30/2024

REGIONAL & TRADE

Some pardon applicants in NC wait years. Experts point to broken system.
By Ryan Oehrli | The Charlotte Observer
“There’s no procedure, so there’s no due process,” said law professor Mark Rabil, who directs the school’s Innocence and Justice Clinic. – 5/29/2024

LOCAL

Wake professor has a different take on gun debate
By Scott Sexton | Winston-Salem Journal
“Average Americans, I think, have a broad and deep middle ground where people can respect the right to keep and bear arms while recognizing that there are some constitutional limits that can be set. Where that line is … that’s the hard part,” said sociology professor and U.S. gun culture expert David Yamane. His most recent book, “Gun Curious” published on June 1. – 5/31/2024

New name, new excitement: International Black Theatre Festival debuts
By Lynn Felder | Winston-Salem Journal
This year’s newly christened International Black Theatre Festival, set for July 29-Aug. 3, will provide an introduction to the company’s first-ever managing director, India Mack; roll out a new theater award; present “Finding Holy Ground,” a partnership with Wake Forest University; and provide programming to invite the entire Winston-Salem community to enjoy Black theater. – 5/31/2024