Stories this week at WFU

WAKE FOREST PRESENTS FIRST OPERA – Wake Forest’s department of music will unveil its first fully-staged, all-student opera, “Dido and Aeneas,” Oct. 24 and Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. in Brendle Recital Hall in Scales Fine Arts Center. The story, taken from Virgil’s “Aeneid,” revolves around the love story of Queen Dido and Aeneas, the Trojan prince, and the conflict of her vow of chastity and his faithfulness. Tickets are available at the Wake Forest Theatre box office for $5 for students and $10 for faculty, staff and the general public. To arrange interviews, contact the News Service at 336-758-5237.

AHOY! ALL MEDIA ON DECK FOR PROJECT “PIRATE” PUMPKIN – Wake Forest University will host its 15th Project Pumpkin Oct. 30 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. by inviting nearly 2,000 children from 37 different community agencies to campus for safe Halloween fun. This year’s theme is “Pirates.” Costumed student volunteers will escort children through residence halls for “trick-or-treating,” and student organizations and academic departments will sponsor games, events, haunted houses and other entertainment on University Plaza (Quad). More than 1,500 Wake Forest students will help with Project Pumpkin. The media is invited, but the event is not open to the general public. Event set up begins at 6 a.m. Student volunteers and agency representatives will be available for interviews. To arrange coverage, contact Pam Barrett at barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

AFTER THE BOOM AND BUST…WHAT NOW? RENOWNED INVESTMENT GURU TELLS ALL AT WAKE FOREST – John C. Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group and president of the Bogle Financial Markets Research Center, will lecture at Wake Forest Oct. 30 at 4:30 p.m. His lecture titled, “After the Boom and Bust, What Lies Ahead for Financial Markets,” is part of the Calloway School of Business and Accountancy’s annual Joseph A. Jones Finance Lecture Series. Bogle will discuss how a passive management approach and its lower fees and expenses can provide investors with much higher return. Bogle is available for interviews the day of the event. To arrange coverage or an interview, contact Pam Barrett at barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

CUBAN ART AND ‘CONTAMINATED’ DANCE AT WAKE FOREST – With art, dance and authentic cuisine, the Wake Forest University Charlotte and Philip Hanes Gallery will celebrate the opening of “Inside/Outside: Contemporary Cuban Art” Oct. 24 from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. The exhibit features the work of artists born or educated in Cuba and a “contaminated” performance incorporating song, theater and dance by internationally known dancer/choreographer Marianela Boán. Authentic Cuban cuisine, including empanadas, tamales and mojitos will be served. The event is free and open to the public. To arrange coverage, contact Pam Barrett at barretpm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

WFU TO HOST NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN SYMPOSIUM – Wake Forest will host the daylong event “Native American Indian Sovereignty: An Interdisciplinary and Cross-Cultural Symposium” on Nov. 6. The symposium is the post-convention event for the 2003 National Indian Education Association convention, scheduled for Nov. 1 to Nov. 5 in Greensboro. The free, public event is part of the university’s ongoing celebration of the 2003-2004 theme “Fostering Dialogue” and starts at 8:30 a.m. in Wake Forest’s Benson University Center. Members of several American Indian tribal nations from across the country, as well as a representative of native Hawaii and the indigenous peoples of Mexico, will explore topics like “Native American Indian Sovereignty in North Carolina: Past, Present, Future” and “Federal Recognition for State Recognized Tribes.” A full schedule of events is available online at www.wfu.edu/symposium. To arrange coverage, contact Jacob McConnico at mcconnjn@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.