Dr. Warrenetta Mann named director of the University Counseling Center
Following a national search, Dr. Warrenetta Mann has been named director of the Wake Forest University Counseling Center. A licensed psychologist, Dr. Mann comes to Wake Forest from the University of South Carolina, where she was the director of Counseling and Psychiatry.
Mann is a leader in the field of collegiate mental health, previously serving as director of counseling at the College of William and Mary, multicultural coordinator and staff psychologist at the University of Virginia, and as coordinator of clinical services and coordinator of multi-ethnic/cross-cultural services and women’s services at the University of Cincinnati Counseling Center. She is also an active member of the Governing Board of the Association of University and College Counseling Directors (AUCCCD).
“Dr. Mann officially joined the Wake Forest community on April 19 and has made an immediate impact on the student community, her staff and university colleagues,” said Associate Vice President for Health and Wellbeing Dr. James Raper. “Along with her 30-years of experience in the mental health field, Warrenetta’s current service on the Governing Board of the AUCCCD allows her to stay connected with the most current thinking around best practices in collegiate mental health. I look forward to supporting her as she helps the University Counseling Center evolve in response to our community’s needs.”
Mann brings a wealth of clinical and professional expertise and service to Wake Forest, with experience teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels and consulting at a wide range of colleges and universities. She is a small business owner and co-founder of Cuts and Conversations, an initiative that brings together Black men for in-depth discussions around mental health and wellbeing.
“I am excited to become a part of a community that has wholeheartedly taken on the challenge of integrating wellbeing into every aspect of campus life with a goal of lifting the humanity in all of us,” Mann said.
Categories: Inside WFU, Staff News
Timely Warning: Sexual Assault Reported
This announcement was emailed to students, faculty and staff on March 5 by Wake Forest Communications and External Relations:
In order to promote safety on the Wake Forest University campus, the University is issuing this notification concerning a possible threat to the community.
The Wake Forest Title IX Office is investigating a student’s report of being sexually assaulted by a student in South Residence Hall early in the morning on March 1, 2020. The student made the report to the Title IX Office on March 5.
If you have any information that might be helpful in this investigation, contact the University Police at (336) 758- 5911 or the Title IX Office at 336-758-7258 or titleixcoordinator@wfu.edu. If you wish to provide information anonymously, do so through “Silent Witness.”
Wake Forest is providing resources to assist the individuals involved in this incident, and will continue to take actions to maintain the safety and security of the campus community.
It is important for all of us to focus on the things that we can all do to keep ourselves and others safe.
- Call 911: If you feel uneasy or unsafe, go to a safe location and call a friend or the police at 911. When your safety is at risk or you need a safe escort on campus, contact University Police, available 24 hours at 336-758-5911.
- Download Live Safe Mobile App
- Ask a friend who may be in a potentially dangerous situation if they want to leave and then make sure that they get home safely.
If you have experienced a sexual offense, we encourage you to seek support. If you or a friend has questions or concerns about sexual offenses, you can contact the following resources for confidential information and support:
Safe Office: [Confidential]
Helpline 24/7: 336-758-5285, Reynolds Gym, B104-107 (next to Student Health Service)
Student Health Service: [Confidential]
336-758-5218, Lower Level of Reynolds Gymnasium
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center [Confidential]
Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27157
University Counseling Center: [Confidential]
336-758-5273, Reynolda Hall, Room 117
Office of the Chaplain: [Confidential]
336-758-5017, Reynolda Hall, Suite 8
Categories: Inside WFU, University Announcement
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
A message from President Hatch
President Nathan Hatch emailed this message to students, faculty and staff on April 22.
Dear Wake Forest students, faculty and staff,
On Easter Sunday morning, as Christians around the globe gathered to celebrate their holiest of days, we once again were faced with the news of unimaginable tragedy. In Sri Lanka, during a series of eight bombings, at least three targeting churches, 290 people were killed and nearly 500 were injured. My thoughts and prayers go out to all who lost family members and friends in these horrendous attacks. To all Christian believers on campus and around the world, I offer my deepest condolences. What was to be a day of celebration was suddenly transformed into a day of mourning.
Regardless of religion or creed, we are all affected by attacks like this. In the past several months, we have witnessed people of various faiths suffer at the hands of those who profess hatred and practice violence. Let us not become immune to the horror of these events. Instead, let us redouble our efforts to reach out to others, seek to understand one another and work to build bridges with open and compassionate hearts and minds.
Please be conscientious about your personal wellbeing, and that of your friends, in the aftermath of this tragedy. Wake Forest offers support and counseling services for all students, faculty and staff who are struggling or just want to talk. The University Counseling Center may be reached at 336-758-5273 and the Office of the Chaplain may be contacted at 336-758-5210. The Employee Assistance Program is available to faculty and staff at 336-716-5493. We encourage anyone having a difficult time to seek support.
Sincerely,
Nathan O. Hatch
President
Categories: Inside WFU, University Announcement
