University Activity Space to reopen

Wake Forest will continue operating the University Activity Space (UAS) for student organization and student-facing events in the fall 2022 semester, after piloting the process last spring. Kicking off with a Silent Disco hosted by the Intercultural Center and Office of Student Engagement on Saturday, September 3rd, the space will be available for student events via an application process.

The UAS, a facility formerly referred to as ‘The Barn’ at the eastern end of Carroll Weathers Drive, was opened for University events on a pilot basis last spring. “The plans for the fall semester are sequenced to allow for an intentional reopening of the space that prioritizes events for students and allows Wake Forest to finalize all details before coming back fully online for the entire campus,” said Associate Vice-President for Campus Life and Dean of Students Adam Goldstein.

Some aspects being coordinated to assist with the full opening include enhancing the space, including new furniture, enhanced audio-visual capabilities, and the hiring of an operations manager to oversee the space.

Senior Associate Dean of Students Tim Wilkinson emphasized that student input will continue to be a critical component to further refining event planning and management efforts. “We were able to host three events during the 2021-22 academic year, which provided us key insight on reopening the facility,” said Wilkinson. “We expect each new event will give us continued insight.”

During the fall semester, reserving the UAS for events will continue to be an application process, with priority given to student organizations and student-focused events. Organizations and units or departments that are interested in utilizing the space for student-facing events can go to https://studentengagement.wfu.edu/university-activity-space/. The University will make the venue available for a broader range of events during the spring 2023 semester.