A message from Vice President Rue regarding 2019 Novel Coronavirus
The following message was emailed on Feb. 7 to students, faculty and staff on behalf of Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue by Wake Forest Communications and External Relations:
To the Wake Forest Community,
In recent weeks, worldwide attention has focused on an illness that, until recently, was unknown to us—the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Despite all that we have read or heard about it, the virus and how it may affect our daily lives may not be entirely clear. Unfortunately, that can lead to unsettling levels of fear and anxiety. With that in mind, I send this message with thoughts of care for all in our Wake Forest community.
University departments are actively monitoring the situation, including the Student Health Service, the Center for Global Programs and Studies, the Incident Management Team, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of the Dean of the College, University Police, Emergency Service, and more. The ongoing concern of all involved is for the health and safety of Wake Forest students, faculty, and staff.
On occasion, the University may e-mail an update to the campus community. All are encouraged to visit a new Wake Forest website focused on providing the latest information about 2019-nCoV. The site provides links to excellent sources of information, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For instance, students, faculty, and staff who will be traveling outside of the United States should review this website for important information regarding the University’s travel-related policies and procedures.
Wake Forest is aware that 2019-nCoV has increased in scope and intensity internationally. As of today, February 7, there are no cases in North Carolina. Nationally, a small number of cases have been reported. The risk to the Wake Forest community is low.
As the University monitors 2019-nCoV, we will continue to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
At Wake Forest, we are keenly aware that misinformation can emerge, spread and create considerable unrest in our campus community. It has been widely reported that fear of the virus has already sparked biased sentiment against Chinese people. On campus, our own students who have travelled here from China to study are aware of this unsettling and unacceptable development in countries around the world, including the United States. We encourage members of the university community to report any incidents of bias through the bias reporting system; we are here to support any member of our community if they experience acts of bias.
Wake Forest stands ready to offer support to students, faculty, and staff who may be experiencing stress, fear, or worry. Resources available include:
- Office of Diversity and Inclusion
- Intercultural Center
- University Counseling Center
- Office of the Chaplain
- CARE Team
- University Police
International students may also choose to speak with staff in Global Programs and Studies. All encouraged to take advantage of these caring resources, if needed.
Meanwhile, the University encourages students, faculty, and staff to stay informed about 2019-nCoV.
Penny Rue, PhD
Vice President, Campus Life
Categories: Inside WFU, University Announcement
Follow up to malicious emails
The following message was sent to students, faculty and staff on Sept. 28:
Dear Wake Forest community,
Three weeks ago, seven individuals and five offices on our Reynolda Campus received vile, anonymous emails, spreading messages of white supremacy and hate. Recipients of the emails felt threatened, and concern for the wellbeing and safety of our community continues to spread with each retelling of what our campus has experienced. We continue efforts to protect the campus community, comfort those who were targeted and to support all of you who feel the trauma of these toxic words.
Three questions continue to arise—from some of you, as well as your family members and Wake Forest alumni.
Do we know the emails’ source? Our own cybersecurity team worked swiftly to determine the source, and contracted with an expert national cybersecurity firm to assist in that effort. The emails’ sender—as all too often with hate-speech trolls—is untraceable. Other universities have been targeted with similar emails over the past year and all have proven difficult to track.
Is our campus under threat? Immediately following these emails’ arrival, Wake Forest police chief Regina Lawson contacted local, state, and federal law enforcement specialists—including the FBI’s hate crimes division and the domestic terrorism division that specailizes in white nationalists —to review the emails and conduct a thorough threat assessment.
As Chief Lawson communicated to faculty and staff after this review, and as indicated in the email to campus on September 19, while none of the emails contained actionable threats or detailed a specific attack on our campus, they still elicited the fear the sender likely intended.
Given lingering campus concerns, the University retained a separate, third-party threat assessment firm to provide an additional level of scrutiny, and to determine if any further security measures were appropriate. The firm delivered its findings on Friday, which underscored the initial law enforcement conclusion that the campus remains safe. Specifically, the assessment concluded, “nothing in the emails indicates an immediate, ongoing, or likely threat of physical violence.”
How can I help? The latest threat-assessment report offered helpful suggestions to empower us all to be better stewards of our community’s safety. The experts recommend:
- Maintaining situational awareness; noticing undue focus or interest in activities, relationships or patterns of behavior
- Noting and confronting inappropriate behavior in a timely and respectful way
- Reporting concerns about the behavior of individuals that is disruptive, disrespectful or harmful to members of the campus community
The mantra that we are all familiar with from traveling through airports, train stations and other public areas, “if you see something, say something,” holds true for our campus. Looking out for one another and caring for those who feel unsafe is a vital step we can take to restore a sense of security in our community. If you see something of concern, please contact the University Police Department at 336-758-5911.
Finally, the threat assessment by the contracted third-party experts suggests the more public attention drawn to the emails, the greater the gratification for the author. However, we understand the importance of assuring our community that we are taking all prudent steps to keep you safe and that our conversations around the vital topics of equity, privilege, race, gender and empowerment will not be silenced.
For those who feel unsettled or uncomfortable, we ask that you seek support from these helpful resources: The University Counseling Center (336-758-5273), the Chaplain’s Office (336-758-5210) and the Employee Assistance Program (336-716-5493). These dedicated and talented professionals in our community are eager to provide care to those in need.
We strive to be one community and one Wake Forest. Please seek to see the good in others, and to extend your hand of understanding and friendship first. Our community is not perfect, but we can make it better each day with our own actions toward one another. As Dr. Maya Angelou used to affirm to her Wake Forest students: “Change happens at the speed of trust.” Our trust is in each of you, as we build paths to inclusion and belonging by walking them together.
Sincerely,
Nathan Hatch, President
Rogan Kersh, Provost
Jane Aiken, Dean of the School of Law
Michele Gillespie, Dean of the College
Charles Iacovou, Dean of the School of Business
Penny Rue, Vice President for Campus Life
José Villalba, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Jonathan L. Walton, Dean of the School of Divinity
Categories: University Announcement
2018 Thrive Dimension Champion Awards to be presented
This is a guest post from the Office of Wellbeing:
We cordially invited faculty and staff to your colleagues and the Office of Wellbeing for the 2018 THRIVE Dimension Champion Awards Celebration.
The event will be held at 3 p.m. April 10 in Reynolda Hall’s Green Room.
President Nathan Hatch and Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue will speak at the start of the event.
Please RSVP for the celebration.
Categories: Inside WFU
Vice President Rue chairs board of NASPA
Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue on March 6 became board chair of NASPA, the leading association for student affairs professionals, at the organization’s annual meeting in Philadelphia.
Rue has been a NASPA member and volunteer leader since 1977. She has served on NASPA’s board of directors since 2015.
She joined Wake Forest’s administration in 2013.
Categories: Staff News
President Hatch: Update on troubling video on social media
President Hatch emailed this message to students, faculty and staff tonight, January 21:
Dear Wake Forest Students, Faculty and Staff,
Over the weekend, students made Wake Forest University leaders aware of a deeply troubling video on social media of a student admitting to using a racial slur when referring to a resident adviser.
In a message to the campus community Saturday morning, Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue stated, and I affirm, racist and discriminatory acts are not tolerated at Wake Forest. We are committed to building a welcoming community in which all members are supported, and in which dialogue and understanding prevail.
University leaders took this matter very seriously. Staff in the Division of Campus Life immediately began an investigation and offered additional support services to students.
As of today, the student who appeared in the video is no longer enrolled at Wake Forest. Due to Federal privacy laws, we will not be able to share further information about this matter.
I would like to thank the students who called the video to our attention through the bias reporting system. I encourage each of us to redouble our efforts in the days ahead to support those who are hurting acutely and take every opportunity to make our community better.
Sincerely,
Nathan O. Hatch
President
Categories: Inside WFU, University Announcement
