First Week Greetings from Dr. Shea
Dear Deacs,
As you end your first week of classes, I hope you are getting settled in on campus and in Winston-Salem! Like our current third-year students, my junior year has begun, and I could not be more excited. From welcoming our newest Deacs to the community to the return of our continuing students, the last few weeks have been filled with excitement. I especially enjoyed bumping into many of you on the Quad, running out of Milkshakes in 11 minutes, adding pep to your step at Wake Up Wednesday, and cheering on our Deacs with you last night at Wake the Demons. I look forward to seeing you in Deactown for opening night as the Demon Deacons take on the Aggies!
Wherever you are in your Wake Forest journey (including the more than 700 undergraduates who are abroad), academic life can be stressful. I want you to know that you are not alone, and our faculty and staff are dedicated to your success. As you consider your coursework, navigating your co-curricular activities, and your high expectations of yourself, this can be hard to remember.
Our community is invested in your wellbeing and cares deeply about you. Last year, we introduced the We Are Wake initiative, which is a comprehensive approach to normalizing conversations and support connected to mental health. During its inaugural year, we learned a lot, and one of the most striking lessons for me was that “friends” are the likeliest place you will seek support. Think about that for a moment. How powerful is it that each of you is the key to creating a caring community? With that in mind, I hope you’ll learn more about We Are Wake, and when you are concerned about yourself or another Deac, you will reach out to 336.758.CARE (2273) or message care@wfu.edu.
Another important topic that is top of mind is related to civic and community engagement. The majority of our undergraduates will have the opportunity to vote in their first presidential election! As you try to quiet the noise of the news cycle, I hope you’ll be attuned to the many opportunities to engage on our campus. Deacs Decide is a nonpartisan initiative dedicated to engaging you on various topics connected to local, state, and national elections. In the spirit of our motto, Pro Humanitate, I ask you to consider: how will we live out our values here on campus during these times? We are all better when we lean into dialogue, especially when it challenges our deeply held views.
While there will be many ways to get involved, I want to bring attention to September 17, National Voter Registration Day. For more information, visit the Office of Civic and Community Engagement’s election engagement resource page. We can navigate the hard things, and we’ll be a stronger community when we embrace one another and the various views we hold. As I shared with the first-year and our new transfer students at convocation, this season reminds me of how important it is for each of us to be curious and live in the questions:
- How will we be the same or different upon graduation?
- How can we call one another in instead of calling each other out?
- How can we disagree without dehumanizing?
- In other words…how will we SHOW Humanitate?
This campus teaches us to co-create knowledge and emboldens us to care deeply for and with humanity. The word “Wake” begins and ends with two of the most important letters that form a powerful word.
We.
As we begin this new year and imagine all of the possibilities, I look forward to opportunities to engage and learn alongside you. You can also connect with me on Instagram @sheakiddbrown and the Division of Campus Life at @wfucampuslife. I also encourage you to check out Season Two of Kidd You Not on Spotify.
I am so glad you’re here.
Sincerely,
Shea Kidd Brown
Vice President for Campus Life