October 7 community update

This message was sent by President Susan R. Wente and Provost Michele Gillespie.

Dear members of the Wake Forest community: 

We write to update you on several events planned for Monday, October 7. 

We recognize that this date is significant for many reasons and to many different members of our community, our country, and people around the world. We empathize with the emotions felt by many Wake Foresters as the date approaches, including those who lost friends, family members and colleagues on October 7, 2023. 

As a university community, there are many ways that we could choose to recognize this day. At Wake Forest, we will emphasize our ability to come together to support one another, holding space for our many different perspectives and experiences. As such, we invite you to join us for several university-sponsored events. 

Interfaith Prayers for Peace will take place from 11 a.m.-1 p.m on the Manchester Quad. A Community Reflection Event will be held at 4:45 p.m. on the front steps of Wait Chapel. At both events, students, faculty and staff are invited to pause, reflect, and write a prayer or light a candle for peace. At the Community Reflection event, members of the Wake Forest community will offer prayers and readings for peace. 

We have also made the conscious decision not to host events on this day that are inherently contentious and stand to stoke division in our campus community. Thus, we have informed the academic units sponsoring Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi’s campus lecture on October 7 that it cannot take place. 

We are living in complex times, and yet we remain hopeful about the future because of this caring community and our shared mission to serve humanity.  

Sincerely, 

Susan R. Wente 
President 

Michele Gillespie 
Provost