Stories this week at WFU

FRESHMAN ASSIGNMENT: PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION — Many colleges and universities ask incoming freshmen to read a selected book during the summer to prepare for discussions during orientation. Instead of a reading assignment, Wake Forest wants incoming students to closely follow the 2004 presidential race. Politics will be the focus of a panel discussion at 3 p.m. Aug. 21 and a discussion following students’ dinner meetings with their academic advisors that evening. The program, “Speaking of Politics…,” is designed to teach students that college is a place to think about important issues and to demonstrate to incoming students that politics can be discussed without conflict or argument, said Katy Harriger, professor of political science and an organizer of the program. “We are finding that lots of students care about the problems of the world, but this generation is much more inclined to think that the solution is in service,” Harriger said. Harriger has been working with Jill McMillan, a Wake Forest communication professor, on Democracy Fellows, a research project that looks at the effects of public deliberation on college students. For more information, contact Jacob McConnico at mcconnjn@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

FRESHMEN TO MAKE COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS — Thirty-six freshmen will check into residence halls four days early to put into action the university motto, Pro Humanitate. The students will volunteer in several community agencies as part of SPARC (Students Promoting Responsibility and Action to the Community), a program designed by the Office of Volunteer Services to show new Wake Forest students first-hand the important role community service plays in the life of the university. From Aug. 14-18, the freshmen and 11 returning student leaders will volunteer at AIDS Care Service, Goodwill Thrift Stores, Second Harvest Food Bank, Habitat ReStore and Forsyth Humane Society. To arrange coverage at one of the agencies or an interview with the student coordinator, contact Cheryl Walker at walkercv@wfu.edu or 758-5237.

THINKPAD DISTRIBUTION — ThinkPad and printer pickup for first-year and transfer students will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 18 in the Information Systems Building, Room 224 and 225. A shuttle service will carry students from residence halls to the IS building. Students will receive the IBM R51 ThinkPad. To arrange coverage, contact the News Service.

NEW STUDENT CONVOCATION — New students and their families will gather in Wait Chapel for the New Student Convocation at 1 p.m. Aug. 19. Wake Forest President Thomas K. Hearn Jr. will welcome new students to campus. To arrange coverage, contact the News Service.

HIGH-TECH HOUSING — Nine Wake Forest students will live in a house this academic year that has been equipped by the university’s Information Systems (IS) department with a variety of cutting-edge technology, including Lutron light dimmers, motorized window shades, high-speed wireless Internet connectivity and a Sony 61-inch projection television that can be connected to a variety of multimedia equipment, including DVD players, VCRs, various gaming consoles and the students’ laptop computers. Students living in the Technology Quarters house will test software and hardware being considered for campus use. In addition to the equipment in the house, students will be given Cisco IP 7960 phones that connect to the Internet and display Web pages on a small screen, and Cisco IP SoftPhone software. The program will run throughout the 2004-2005 academic year. For more information on Technology Quarters, contact Jacob McConnico at mcconnjn@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

WAKE FOREST UNPLUGGED — From the comfort of residence hall bedrooms to the bustle of the campus coffee shop or the Benson University Center, Wake Forest students will be able to surf the Internet, IM friends and send their professors an e-mail from nearly anywhere on campus when they return for fall classes. Wake Forest completed installation of its most efficient wireless network to date during the summer. The network, named Next Generation Network, runs at 54 megabits per second and places Wake Forest among a small group of colleges and universities that offer high-speed wireless Internet access in every campus building. For more information, contact Cheryl Walker at walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

WAKE FOREST HELPS PARENTS DEAL WITH EMPTY NEST — The transition to college often can be harder for the parents than the student. Helping parents understand the changes their freshman will experience while encouraging them to focus on their own relationship can help, says Johnne Armentrout, assistant director of Wake Forest’s counseling center. She and her husband lead Wake Forest’s “College Transition” program for parents of freshmen each fall. This year’s program will be Aug. 19 -20. To arrange coverage of the program or an interview with Armentrout, contact the News Service.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IMPORTANT FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SUCCESS — Much of a student’s success in elementary school depends on parental involvement, says Donna Henderson, associate professor of counselor education at Wake Forest University. A former teacher and school counselor for 12 years, she suggests parents get to know their child’s teacher early in the school year to open the lines of communication. “Don’t wait for a problem to talk to the teacher,” she says. “Parents should communicate with the teacher to discuss the student’s needs and the teacher’s expectations before there is a chance for misunderstanding.” To arrange an interview with Henderson, contact Cheryl Walker at walkercv@wfu.edu or 336-758-5237.

UNDERGRADUATE CLASSES START AUG. 25 — All undergraduates enrolled at Wake Forest and students enrolled in the Graduate School, Calloway School and Divinity School will start classes Aug. 25. The Wake Forest School of Law and full-time students in the Babcock Graduate School of Management begin classes Aug. 23.