Daily Deacon

Story 2 Ideas and Reflective Paragraph// Katie Dickens

1. New Golf House…rich tradition of golf at Wake, maybe visual b/c of existing images

2. TedX prep

3. Faculty Profile

Reflective Paragraph:

Writing this story was so, so much fun. I was extremely curious about the new football facilities after hearing about them from friends on the football team, and wanted to look inside. I figured that the rest of the study body probably felt the same way, so I contacted McKenzie Maddox and she said that the OGB would be interested if I submitted my work to them afterwards as well. I set up a phone interview with Coach Clawson through his assistant, and contacted Kendall Hinton through my friend Phil Haynes who is on the football team. Because both of them are extremely busy, I was sure to schedule a week in advance in order to talk to them. I also set up a behind-the-scenes tour with the Associate Athletic Director for Development, Barry Faircloth, who provided the backstory for the building and also allowed me to go inside to capture all of my images for the story.

Karlee Spirit edited my piece in class and provided key feedback based on my images and also pointed out that the field hockey team had not used the facilities yet, which I had previously thought to be true based on an interview.

Alexander Literary Organization Profile — Chris Caswell

Once a month, members of Alexander Literary Organization, a student organization at Wake Forest, pile into their cars and drive an hour west to Alexander Correctional Institute. Once inside, the students trade their IDs for a visitor’s pass. Then, they make their way through a series of secured doors, across the yard and into the chapel. And then they begin class.

Alexander Literary Organization is a men’s maximum security prison, and according to Daniel Redding, clinical chaplain II at the prison and coordinator of the literary program, approximately 50 percent of inmates are in for murder, 25 percent for habitual felonies and the remaining 25 percent, for sexual crimes.

The literary organization was founded by senior Alex Gibson. He says he was introduced to Alexander Correctional Institute by Ulrike Wiethaus, professor of Religion and American Ethnic Studies during his freshman year in Religion 111, a course on Native-American traditions. Students were required to do a project on an aspect of Native-American culture and present it to the Native-American group at Alexander Correctional Institute. Wiethaus is heavily involved at the facility with the Native-American group there. Since then, Gibson has felt obligated to help inmates at the prison.

“I always felt that I had to do more for those people, because they were so amazingly engaged, interested and kind, and it really shattered my preconceptions of what a prison is and who prisoners are,” said Gibson. “So, I felt that it was my job as an educator to do what I could to help them express educational interest to employers in the future.”

According to Gibson, each month, about seven students visit the prison and a member of the group – changing every session — leads a program that they believe inmates will value and that will enrich their education. The organization has led a large variety of events such as one focused on theater, one on poetry and one on debate.

Gibson, even on his first visit to the prison, was surprised by how interested and engaged the inmates were.

“These students – [the inmates] – were more engaged in what I was doing than in any class at Wake Forest,” said Gibson. “They remember it, too. When you go back, they say ‘I was really thinking about this, and I found a book about that topic and I’ve been reading it, and what do you think of this.'”

Junior Corinne Sugino, a member of the organization, is majoring in Politics and International Affairs and Religion. She is also a member of the debate team at Wake Forest, so she chose to lead a session on debate. She says she sent materials on the debate to the prison ahead of time, allowing the inmates time to prepare.

“The value of that workshop was in gaining advocacy skills,” said Sugino. “And some of them came with pages of notes, some of them had done their own research outside of the articles that I had sent them.”

DeWayne Warren, 51, from Greensboro, N.C. is an inmate at Alexander Correctional Institute, and he explained why these sessions are so important to them.

“[They] allow us to be interested in some subjects that many of us have never even considered,” said Warren. “Without [Alexander Literary Organization] coming in and without some of the programs that are offered here, there is no rehabilitation in the penitentiary.”

Inmates like Warren do not just appreciate the content of the programs, but they also appreciate the different context in which they see each other.

“We get to see ourselves and see others in a totally different light. A lot of times, we see each other based on the crimes we committed, so when we’re in these initiatives, we get to see each other outside of [that context],” said Warren.

Warren isn’t the only inmate that appreciates the program. The Alexander Literary Organization asks inmates for anonymous feedback and it is overwhelmingly positive.

For instance, on a theater-themed session, the average score out of five of inmates’ overall satisfaction was a 4.9 while the level that the program affected them was an average of 4.8.

In response to a question asking for general comments on the session in the qualitative section, one inmate enjoyed the session so much that he shared it with friends and loved ones.

“This was so cool that I sent the cover of the program name with a letter about my experience and had my grandpa read it and email it to everyone, family, friends, etc,” the inmate said.

Feedback on other sessions are similarly impressive according to the organization’s surveys. Gibson is graduating this spring, but Sugino will take over his leadership position in the fall.

Awake All Night Event – Brandon Liu

Student Union sent Wake Forest students on a playful trip back in time to the medieval age on the night of the 6^th. The competitive and sportive nature of a knight was invoked at the highlight of the event as attendees raced on horses, jousted, and battled in tug of war. Hundreds of students showed up and were ready to enjoy the festivities at Benson Center, where the event occupied the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th floors. Free of cost, the event was open to students and friends from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am.

Benson center was decorated with balloons, streamers, and banners and rang with upbeat pop music. On the second floor, a film was being shown in the Pugh auditorium and a late night open mic was hosted in Shorty’s where students were given the opportunity to display their talents.

A large hand painted castle banner guided students to the third floor where tables of finger foods, cake, and punch occupied the center. Next to the food was a face painting and balloon art stand.

The usually quiet study space of Benson Center was replaced with a neon lit casino. Well-dressed, elderly, adults hosted Poker, blackjack, and roulette in which players could win poker chips that could be exchange for tickets used at the end of event raffle.

Wake Forest sophomore Jack Garvey organized both the Fall 2015 event and Spring 2016 Awake All Night event, leading both to be very successful.

“The turn out has been great, definitely more people than expected, it’s been fantastic. The most popular attraction is probably the build a bear workshop and the food is always big hit too.”

Said Student Union head of special events, Jack Garvey.

Dragons, unicorns, and bears were brought to life at the build a bear station in room 410 where students could give a soul and hand stuff the bears themselves. The option of machine stuffing was also available for those in a rush to explore more of the event.

Loud hammering came from the adjacent arts and craft room where students pounding metal stamps into leather to make bracelets. Three tables were set up, one for sand art, one for crafting and dying leather bracelets, and one for bead bracelets. At the sand art table, students could pick from a rainbow assortment of sand and stack it to create patterns in a jar.

“I found the sand art the most interesting but actually enjoyed watching people joust the most because it’s funny”, said Wake Forest graduate of 2015, Kyungjin Yoo who has been to two previous Awake All Night events.

In the corridor, a long line for a psychic led to the other side of the fourth floor where the light hearted medieval games took place. Jousters wore oversized suits with heavily padded poles in attempt to knock off the opponents head. Students also participated in the derby race using three inflatable green horses. They bounced and rocked their way slowly to the finish line and back. The tug of war rope which was almost the length of the entire room allowed anyone willing to show off their strength in one on one or team battles. Freshmen Sashank Sakamuri and Alessandro Rizzi left the event with three inch rope burns near their elbows in a close match.

Awake All Night is a semiannual event organized by the special events division of Student Union which meets every Tuesday at 5:00 pm to provide fun for all Wake students.

FOOTBALL FINDS NEW HOME IN MCCREARY FIELD HOUSE // Katie Dickens

An outdoor view of the facilities

Rap music blares through the vast open space as the football team begins their afternoon lift. Wake Forest Football is imprinted in gold on every color-coded weight. Goal posts are suspended from high-reaching ceilings. Natural light brightens the field, a trait created by a translucent Kalwall window system.

After 18 months of construction, the new, state-of-the-art indoor-practice facility located behind to the Miller Center is open for business for sports practices and conditioning.

The $21 million, 80,000 square foot building is named McCreary Field House after Bob McCreary (‘61), who played football while a student at Wake Forest. He gave $7.5 million to the project in 2014.

The building contains 120 yards of indoor turf and is modeled after BB&T field. Head football coach Dave Clawson said the facility has been monumental for recruiting, as well as the team’s performance.

“We have a beautiful stadium but never had anything on campus we were able to show recruits,” Clawson said, “nothing nearly as impressive as this.”

The building is also temperature controlled for football indoor workouts- a trait that Clawson pointed to as a “game changer” during unpredictable weather.

“Now we can also work on skills all year long,” Clawson said. “For example, we could workout this morning when last year would’ve had to cancel because it was so cold. We’ve missed so many practices in my two years at Wake, but now we can practice regardless of weather- no excuses.”

The football team has been lifting using entirely new weights and machines in McCreary Field House.

Before transitioning the football team to work out in the McCreary Field House and also moving the basketball and baseball team to new facilities, 16 athletic teams shared one 7,000 square foot facility. Team workouts were an “absolute nightmare for scheduling,” according to Barry Faircloth, associate athletic director for development.

“The existing space wasn’t practical and was probably one of the worst of Division 1 football programs,” Faircloth said. “But now it will be as good as anywhere else in the country.”

At its peak, the ceiling is 72 feet tall.

“What is most unique about this building is its location,” Faircloth said. “It doesn’t disrupt campus, but it is still so conveniently located- which is different from most other schools.”

In the first phase of the building’s usage, temporary strength and conditioning stations are dedicated for football use only. Eight different weightlifting racks are set up for skills training, so that football players can work in two different groups when they used to work in at least five, according to Faircloth. Decreasing transition time between sets has increased the team’s efficiency.

“No excuses.”

Kendall Hinton, who had a breakout freshman season as quarterback, said the weight room equipment is his favorite feature of the facility.
“It’s given me the ability to work out and get extra time practicing and that was something I wasn’t able to do last year,” Hinton said.

However, the football players aren’t the only athletes that have taken advantage of the new facilities. So far, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Field Hockey and Baseball teams have also trained at the new facility.

Fundraising for the second phase of the $58 million project is underway. The second phase includes the building of a Sports Performance Center that will attach to the McCreary Field House. It is set to include offices that will overlook the indoor field. The second phase is expected to break ground in June or July of next year, according to Faircloth.

Once completed, the opposite wall will have the same brick makeup but will house offices overlooking the field.

Once completed, the opposite wall will have the same brick makeup but will house offices overlooking the field.

The Sports Performance Center will adjoin to the existing far wall of the Field House, beyond the multiple viewing platforms lining the fields that are for filming and coaching purposes. The far wall will also be made of brick once completed, mirroring the other side.

“It’s the element of pride this time around,” Faircloth said. “It used to be that there were all different strength coaches using the same facilities, and weights were misplaced everywhere and that kind of thing. Now everything says Wake Football.”

The building will be dedicated on February 24th at 6:00 PM according to the Deacon Club website.

Creatures of Comfort by Annabel Love

First glance at Molly with her tail wagging and chocolate puppy eyes staring at you, and this dog will have your heart (even if you are a cat person). Molly, a three-year old terrier, stole Julianna Miller’s heart and changed her life for the better.

Juliana struggles with severe anxiety and depression and when interviewing her she said, “before Molly I was not in a great place. I was overbooked, overworked, stressed, and not happy.” Her therapist was helping her talk through her problems, but she was feeling as if that was not enough. She would wake up unhappy and go to bed with a pit in her stomach. She needed something else. Something that would make her want to wake up and feel loved and appreciated. During the interview, she said, “this past semester was especially really challenging because all of my friends were studying abroad and I felt lonely and isolated at Wake.”

Her doctor suggested that she look into getting a dog on campus. He said that it might make her happier and he has had success with other patients getting therapy dogs. She has grown up with three dogs and they have always helped her with her anxiety in the past so she was open to the idea.

She went to Residence Life and Housing to get the dog on campus approved and she said that “it wasn’t an easy process but I qualified for it and it was something I really wanted to do, so it went along fine.” Juliana is not alone in this quest for using therapy pets to help relieve anxiety and soothe her depression. When talking to Residence Life and Housing at Wake Forest, Adam, in charge of animals on campus, has noticed an upward trend of animals as therapy pets on campus. He mentioned “there has been more and more people with service animals on campus.”

After getting her dog on campus, her mood slowly but surely started changing. She was feeling more positive, energetic, and loved. Molly “gave me purpose and forced me to take time for myself. She makes me so happy, right when I walk through the door,” Juliana said with a smile on her face just thinking about her four legged feline friend.

Her suitemate, Courtney Toll, noticed differences in the way Julianna was acting now that she had Molly. “She was just so much happier and whenever she walked into the suite, Molly would run up to her and it would put the biggest smile on Julianna’s face,” said Courtney Toll. She talked about how high Molly’s energy is and how that positivity has helped Julianna. “Molly has been the best thing to happen to suite 301, I even love petting Molly when I have had a bad day,” said Courtney.

With the help of Molly, Julianna’s mood has changed for the better. She has said that it has even changed her Wake Forest experience. I love taking Molly around because “people usually just walk around with headphones in or busy on their phones. It’s nice that Molly gets strangers to sop and smile or even start up a conversation.”

1834 Student Giving Campaign Event

The Wake Forest 1834 Student Giving Campaign hosted a social event on Wednesday for the 2016 senior class, with the aim to encourage students to give back to Wake Forest in a philanthropic way. The even took place at Ziggy’s bar which is located on 8th street in downtown Winston Salem. The 1834 group said that the goal of the event was to raise awareness among students of the importance of donating to the school, and simultaneously have a fun event for the seniors as their time at Wake Forest University dwindles. It cost each person 10$ to get into the venue. The money was collected through a new crowd funding app called Tilt. Every person that donated 10$ to the tilt got two free drinks at the bar. According to Janie Warnock, a member of the 1834 student giving committee, the 10$ contribution also got people entrance to all other 1834 events that are coming later this semester, and anyone can contribute at anytime. Warnock said that the other 1834 events will be Wake Forest tunnel tours, bell tower tours, basketball tailgate, and a “thank a donor day”. She said that the Sorority or Fraternity with the highest attendance at all 1834 events will win a bar tab at Ziggy’s. Although after speaking to some of the attendees there seemed to be some confusion among them about what exactly their 10$ bought them. All the money that the 1834 student giving group raises goes directly into the Wake Forest Fund. Wednesday’s event raised 920.16$. 1834’s goal is to raise 2,000$ by the end of the semester. However, their long term goal is much deeper. Warnock said they want to “Encourage students to understand the University’s philanthropic needs and to donate more in the future.”

The event started at 9:30 on Wednesday and went until around midnight. The venue had a large dance floor, and there was loud music being played by one of the students known as “DJ Rob V”. There was lots of dancing and socializing. Harrison Perkins, a Waker Forest senior who attended the event, said, “it was a great way to hang out with all the people from different parts of my life all in one place. People get so caught up in greek life or social cliques, and I felt like this event really broke those walls.” Meredith Anderson, another senior at the event shared a similar opinion, she said, “The 1834 event at Ziggy’s opened my eyes to the true solidarity which lies between each and every one of the students in the class of 2016. Best night of the year.”

There seemed to be a mixed consensus about if the people there recognized 1834’s purpose for hosting the event or if they saw it as just another social space to hang out with friends. Many people learned about 1834 after a Facebook event page was sent out inviting them to the event. Others heard about it through word of mouth. When asked if he knew what the 1834 Student Giving group does, Greg O’Connor responded “Well, I had no idea about them until the Wednesday’s event, but now I get it”. Alternatively, when Hayden Arnot was asked the same question he said, “Frankly, I have no idea what 1834 is, and I didn’t even realize that they hosted the event. I just heard about it from my friend.”

Bobby Muss: Wake Forest Men’s Soccer 2016 Recruiting Class ‘one of the best in the nation’

Wake Forest Men’s Soccer Head Coach Bobby Muss has already had quite an impact on the University’s soccer program in his one year at the helm, and Muss looks poised to try to repeat his success next season. February 5^th, 2016 was national signing days for high school senior soccer prospects to declare where they plan to lace up their cleats and play soccer for the next four years of their athletic careers.

Since suffering a loss to Stanford in the Elite Eight of the 2015 College Cup NCAA tournament, Muss and his team of coaches and recruiters have been actively pursuing new talent. This is an especially difficult task considering the loss of starters Jack Harrison and Michael Gamble, who went first and 30^th overall respectively in this year’s MLS draft.

Despite the losses of these key contributors, Muss seems confident that the returning players and the upcoming new talent will be adequate to maintain their success and grow as the team moves forward. “I am extremely excited about this 2016 recruiting class… [this is] one of the best recruiting classes in the nation.”

The student atmosphere surrounding the Men’s Soccer Program grew significantly last year with the team maintaining the #1 ranking in the NCAA for more than three weeks leading into the College Cup, so there was considerable excitement surrounding the new signing class.

“Oh yeah, we got that Brazilian guy who’s supposed to be amazing!” shouted junior Khaki Wade about 2016 signee Bruno Lapa when asked if she had heard any news about Signing Day.

Lapa is one of the most highly coveted young players to come to the United States to pursue a career in college soccer. Often, foreign players forgo an American college experience to sign with a professional club, which makes this signing especially significant for Muss and the team.

Lapa follows in the footsteps of Jack Harrison, a native of England, to choose Wake Forest for his college soccer career.

“I’m really excited about Lapa,” said sophomore soccer player Matt Szucs. “Brazilians are always so fun to watch and I really think this kid’s going to fill some of the holes left by Michael [Gamble] and Jack [Harrison].”

Joining Lapa in the class of 2020, will be Ema Twumasi of Connecticut, Joey DeZart of New Jersey, Thomas Menke of Texas, and Mike DeShields of Maryland.

And it looks like the class is only going to get bigger. “We are looking forward to announcing a few more very talented players joining this class over the next few weeks the will continue to strengthen [this] class,” commented coach Muss shortly after the last signee signed his letter of intent.

Considering the success the team had last season and the confidence of Coach Muss in the incoming recruiting class, the Demon Deacons should be a top 10 team in college soccer for this 2016 season.

WFU’s Theatre Department presents its first main-stage production of the semester, “The Waiting Room,” a dark comedy

The Waiting Room, written by Lisa Loomer and directed by John E. R. Friedenberg of WFU’s Theatre Department, opens Friday, February 12 at 7:30. The show runs Friday through Sunday this weekend and next.

The play centers around three women from different time periods waiting in a doctor’s office. In the program synopsis released by the Theatre Department, The Waiting Room is described as an “outrageous comic approach to beauty and medicine.”

“We’re doing a lot of stuff that Wake Forest doesn’t typically do, and we’re talking about things Wake Forest’s Theatre Department doesn’t typically talk about,” said sophomore Eli Bradley, who plays Oliver Smoot, the 1870s doctor. Bradley was not planning on auditioning for the play, but after reading the script, fell in love with Oliver’s character.

“It’s a comedy, but I’m doing a lot of non-comedic things. I’ve only done silly comedies so far, so this has been fun. The Waiting Room is more relationship-based. It’s more small, intimate moments. It’s realer,” Bradley said.

Sophomore Stephanie Moore, the play’s assistant director, agreed with Bradley, “It’s been so much fun to work on, because it relies so heavily on conversation but in a very realistic way. It’s more human interaction than dialogue.”

This week is what the actors call ‘tech week,’ the final days of rehearsal before opening night. Junior Valerie Medoff is the stage manager for the show and has put in nearly eight hours of work every day this week.

“During performances, I have a lot to juggle,” said Medoff. The most difficult part of her job, she said, is calling transitions. “So many elements need to be in place for them to look really smooth.”

Moore explained that these different elements are worked out during tech week. They focus on a new one every day.

“On Sunday, we added all the lights and the sound and then the set. On Tuesday, we added costumes, and we’re getting more props as things go on,” said Moore.

This Thursday, the final day of the department’s Sunday-through-Thursday tech week, included an open showing of the play. The goal was to attract an audience so that the actors can gauge when people are going to react and for how long.

“We know that reactions are going to happen, but we’re not sure when or what kind,” said Moore. “There are a lot of things that can shock people. But at the same time, there are a lot of things that are going to make people laugh and probably some that we’re not expecting because of the wild, uncomfortable nature of what’s being said up there.”

Several of the actors described The Waiting Room as provocative, raunchy or dark. They also agreed they believe it appeals to wide variety of people.

“I think anyone could come and enjoy this show, from any background, any perception, just because it covers everything. It covers beauty standards for men and women. It covers medicine and problems with medical practice. It covers problems with big business, problems with not enough big business. It covers cultural collides and divisions, people from different cultures not understanding each other, power dynamics and hierarchies and the nature of love and what it means to love too much,” Bradley said.

Medoff, too, thinks the show is for anyone and encourages Wake Forest students to attend.

“I think the idea of wanting to achieve perfection both in looks and in life in general is something that greatly relates to the Wake Forest audience because it is something we all deal with,” said Medoff.

“I think it’s a very important show for this campus,” Bradley said. “It’s the best show I’ve ever worked on. It’s going to be one of the best shows Wake’s done in a long time.”

Story Ideas // Rachel Hirsch

The Waiting Room

I would like to write a story about this play that opens this weekend here at Wake in the Scales Fine Arts Center. I am attending the play on Thursday February 18th. I could interview the director, an actor/actress, audience member or crew member.

Boho Blu

Boho Blu is a store in Reynolda Village that college students love and many even work there. I would like to find out the history of the company and why college students love it so much. I could interview the stores manager, employees or customers.

Athletes in Action // Rachel Hirsch

Tuesday nights in the Rovere Room bring together a mixture of students who share the same beliefs and lifestyles. This group of students is known as Athletes in Action (AIA). AIA is an organization made to help sports minded students live their lives with a connection and relationship with God. AIA is an organization all around the world, but the Wake Forest program has touched the hearts of many.

Milessa Callicot, a former Wake Forest women’s basketball player and new AIA intern said, “this is a place where students involved in athletics come together and can really be vulnerable around each other.” Callicot talks about this place as a safe community for students to really delve into their connection and relationship with God through their sport.

Students are encouraged to get out of their comfort zone, while learning how to trust and rely on God. As a student athlete here at Wake Forest, Callicot remembers just how much this organization helped her through her injuries. “AIA helped me realize that God had a plan for me and that [basketball] isn’t the rest of my life” Callicot said.

Meetings are held every Tuesday night where students come together to worship. Students who aren’t involved in athletics are also free to attend these events. A unique aspect to AIA is the fact that these students can have all different religious backgrounds and don’t need to be strictly Christian. Students aren’t forced to change their views or anything about themselves.

Lindsay Kerr, a former track and field runner at Wake Forest and AIA intern, talks about AIA as a safe environment where students can go to hangout with a purpose. “AIA is a refreshing place where students can go to learn what God is and a place that isn’t church and is just very different” Kerr said. It helped her understand her religion better and took the pressure off when attending Wake. She encourages others to realize who they are competing for when playing their sport.

Callicot and Kerr describe this organization as a community that really makes the students feel like they have a safe place that feels like home. Their biggest mission is to help students connect with God through the language of sport.

Caroline Wootten, a junior on the woman’s soccer team at Wake Forest, described her experience at AIA as her second family. “AIA is a place that really just feels like home. It has been such a safe haven for me ever since my freshman year,” Wootten said. It is a place where she goes to love and be loved.

It was hard for Wootten to form words on what AIA has done for her and her career at Wake Forest. It has shown her how to live her life with a greater purpose and how to truly love her religion. “It has introduced me to the most important people in my life. It has given me mentors and best friends” Wootten said. She explained how this organization has given her the most confidence that she has ever had.