Wake Forest students identify what makes them unique at the Unique Deac event sponsored by Athletics and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion on Manchester Plaza last fall.
The following is a guest post from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion – Diversity Education has launched #UniqueDeac at Wake Forest in celebration of its 10-year anniversary. The initiative is designed to provide the campus community with educational programming and events that help students, faculty and staff to see, understand and value the unique differences of our community.
“It’s not just a slogan or one program, it’s a platform that every Deacon can embrace to share their unique story and celebrate others’,” said Shannon Ashford, associate director of diversity education. “It’s about affirming the strength in our differences.”
In October, Diversity Education and Wake Forest Athletics hosted “#UniqueDeac Day” on the Mag Quad, inviting passersby to share an identity about themselves that influences their life perspective and how they contribute to the world. More than 200 Wake Foresters participated in the photo project.
Photos and stories collected from #UniqueDeac Day will be on display in the Benson Center Rotunda during the week of Martin Luther King Day, from Jan. 21-24.
This was the first collaborative event with a campus partner under the #UniqueDeac platform. Other Diversity Education sponsored #UniqueDeac programs include tailored workshops and a seven-week immersive intercultural competence development program.
“The goal of this platform is to empower every member of our community to champion diversity and inclusion, and we invite other departments and campus organizations to join us in championing the message of #UniqueDeac,” said Ashford.
Contact Shannon Ashford at ashforsk@nullwfu.edu for more details and to partner with the initiative.
Categories: Events, Inside WFU
The Wake Forest Committee on Student Life is inviting faculty, staff and students to nominate candidates for the position of Student Trustee on the 2020 – 2021 Wake Forest Board of Trustees. Nominations must be received by 5 p.m. on Monday, February 3. Nomination forms are available here.
The student trustee position is open to rising full-time junior and senior students at Wake Forest. When identifying candidates, the Student Life Committee considers many factors including:
The selection process will take place this spring semester. The new student trustee will be finalized at the Board of Trustees’ April meeting.
The committee also welcomes students to apply for the position, directly. Applications are available here.
Please go to The Student Trustee Position webpage for more information.Nomina
Categories: Inside WFU, University Announcement
The following is a guest post from Cherise James, associate director of orientation and lower division programming:
The Wake Forest University community is invited to an evening of theatre, engagement, and dialogue through The Defamation Experience on Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Wait Chapel. A riveting courtroom drama, written by award-winning playwright Todd Logan, will unfold under your eyes — and you will deliberate and vote on the verdict! After the votes are tallied, a facilitated post-show discussion will explore a dialogue of race, class, religion, gender, and the law that promises to stimulate critical discussions and challenge preconceived notions.
To learn more, please visit: go.wfu.edu/defamationexperience. The cost is free to all Wake Forest University students, faculty and staff.
Special thanks to the following offices and departments for their contributions and support: The Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, the Dean of the College, the School of Business, the School of Divinity, the School of Law, the Department of Education, the Philosophy Department, the Office of Residence Life and Housing, the Politics and International Affairs Department, the Theatre and Dance Department.
Categories: Events, Inside WFU
President Hatch emailed this message to students, faculty and staff on January 15:
Happy New Year! Welcome to the beginning of 2020 and a new semester.
As we begin this year, I offer all of us a single challenge: Be present. Even as you juggle the many demands on your time, permit yourself to be engaged. Honor those around you by offering them your full attention. Allow the fear of missing out to be replaced by the pleasure of your present situation. Wherever you are, whatever you find yourself doing, be all there.
Last semester, our presence together produced some good results. We celebrated members of our community through the collaborative arts in “From the Ground Up.” We saw environmental science approved as a major course of study. We celebrated the victories of our athletic teams. And we launched our Wake West program, where students will learn, study and live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Some of the work we started as a community last semester will once again require our full attention. As you know, the President’s Commission on Race, Equity and Community was charged with assessing the current realities of our community and the present condition of our institutional policies and practices to develop specific and actionable recommendations that will cultivate a more diverse, equitable and welcoming learning community. While the Commission made great progress in the last few months, the important work continues this semester. The best place to stay apprised of the current work and next steps is the Commission’s website.
Additionally, the Slavery, Race and Memory Project continues to guide the research, preservation and communication of an accurate depiction of the University’s relationship to slavery and its implications across our history. To keep updated on the progress of this group, including the many plans for this year, visit the Project’s website.
I am grateful to the many members of these groups who have made this critical work a priority. The progress is encouraging, and I look forward to hearing their recommendations to make Wake Forest a place where all feel a keen sense of belonging.
As this community focuses on topics surrounding race and inequity, we will also welcome various voices to our conversation. Among the many guests invited to campus are professor and author Ibram X. Kendi on January 20; NBA All-Star Kyle Korver on January 29; and author and public intellectual Cornel West on March 20. I hope you plan to join us in the ongoing conversation.
The commitment to focusing on the present is part of being a hospitable community. It conveys that the people and projects in front of us, asking for our time and attention, are important. May this semester be one where we find each other — wherever it may be — fully present.
Sincerely,
President Nathan O. Hatch
Categories: Inside WFU, University Announcement
Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University are partnering again this year to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with events during the holiday weekend. The collaboration on the keynote speaker is in its 20th year, marking the longest-running partnership between Wake Forest and WSSU.
On Monday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. in Wait Chapel, Ibram X. Kendi will deliver the keynote speech. This year’s theme is “On Common Ground: Lifting As We Climb” and highlights a commitment to create a society that provides resources and representation to every individual through a constant pursuit of justice and equity.
The event is free and open to the public.
Kendi is a professor of history and international relations and the founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University.
More information is available here.
Categories: Events, Inside WFU
