Daily Deacon

Story ideas // Merritt Enright

1. Local story: The first Friday of every month, Trade Street closes off vehicle access and transforms into the monthly Winston Salem Gallery Hop. I would cover the events of the February Gallery Hop (drum circle, impromptu violin concerts on the street, open door art studio, artisan tea shops, etc.) as well as interview locals/attendees, studio owners, art dealers, and artists themselves. *interviews would not be conducted during the event.

2. Feature: Several WFU InterVarsity students travelled to Calcutta, India over Winter break to serve in death/dying homes for the elderly. This would be a feature story on the students, their experiences in service, and how they contributed to the community in Calcutta. I would conduct interviews with likely 2-3 students and the director of the IV program.

Helen Simoneau Choreographic Residency at Salem College // Merritt Enright

Choreographer Helen Simoneau may be from Quebec, but judging by the enthusiastic audience at the Salem College dance facility on Saturday morning, she’s no stranger to North Carolina. The 2010 “A.W.A.R.D. Show!” (a dance competition hosted in New York) winner is an alumna of North Carolina School of the Arts, and her company, Helen Simoneau Danse, is based in Winston-Salem and NYC. After graduating from UNCSA, the now 35 year-old performed in Greece, Japan, Italy, Spain, Brazil, and South Korea before returning to the US for choreographic residencies in New York and North Carolina.

So when Simoneau hosted an informal choreography showcase on February 6th in Winston Salem, the event seemed like a reunion. Local fans, students, and colleagues gathered in Salem College’s Bryant Hall studio to witness Simoneau’s “Paper Wings,” set on eight Salem College student dancers, and a preview of her upcoming premier, “Land Bridge,” performed by seven of Simoneau’s professional dancers.

The showcase marked the end of Simoneau’s week-long Salem College residency from February 1st through 6th, at the invitation of Dance Deptartment director Heidi Echols. Echols, who knew Simoneau as a student at UNCSA, noted that Simoneau’s thoughtful dance style and powerful social undertones made the petite burnet a fitting addition to Salem’s faculty and agenda.

“Helen appeals to our department because she approaches dance in a very body intelligent way,” said Echols. “She’s also very interested in gender, which is something we are really focused on here at Salem.”

While Simoneau’s choreography is recognized for its gender neutrality, “Paper Wings” is distinctly feminine. The piece opens with the dancers swinging their hips in unison, boldly looking at the audience. Originally set for a cast of 19, the piece has been modified for the group of eight Salem College undergrad dancers. They sway and merge as a pack, reflecting Simoneau’s adept talent of creating wave-like ensembles. The original score by Andy Hasenpflug and John C.B. Wilson is hypnotic: tribal drums that syncopate with the piece’s “girl power” sentimentalism. When one dancer, senior Calleah Simmons, suddenly breaks from the pack and performs a solo, the others freeze and watch her contemplatively.

“It was important to me, when I created this piece, that there was a sense of sisterhood,” said Simoneau. “Life, in dance especially, can get competitive. I wanted to create a space free of that. When the Calleah does her solo, the other women watch her in curiosity, not envy.”

The feminist message is equally important on a personal level to Salem junior Katherine Williams, who is among the eight “Paper Wings” dancers. Williams also participated in Twyla Tharp’s residency at Salem in 2014, but says she prefers Simoneau’s more intimate and direct rehearsal style.

“‘Paper Wings’ is incredible to dance because it’s about celebrating the differences amongst women, instead of comparing them,” said Williams. “With Twyla, we did not move very much or interact with her significantly. Helen is more hands on; she knows what she wants and she’ll make sure you know her vision.”

“Paper Wings” will be performed on May 7th in Salem College’s Drama Workshop and “Land Bridge” will premier on May 3rd at the Hanesbrands Theatre in Winston Salem, NC.

Wake Forest Rugby Team Continues to Grow as it Moves in New Direction // David Blue

One of Wake Forest’s oldest club sports, rugby has been a presence on campus since 1973. Rugby is not associated with the NCAA, so it only exists as a club sport at the collegiate level as a part of USA Rugby. However, while it may be a club sport, there is no lack of competitiveness, according to junior player Tim Petersen.

“Most of the guys have played rugby for multiple years before coming to college,” Petersen explained. “Many of us played for competitive Catholic high schools, and that competitive nature still exists here.”

First year assistant coach Doug Porter, fresh off of a 20 year stint at the University of Georgia, emphasized that his experience at Wake is different from that of other schools because of how the Wake program is mostly run by the students.

“This is a student run team, and I think they learn more that way,” Porter said. “They do all of the setup for practices and games, and organize optional workouts. All us coaches do is run the drills at practice, as a sanity check.”

Coach Porter then went on to explain that the student run nature of the team does lead to a widespread variety of seriousness, but in the end he sees that the commitment is still there. According to him, this level of commitment is necessary for an average week that consists of two practices and two games.

Since 2011, Wake Forest had been in the Division I Atlantic Coast Rugby League (ACLR), featuring teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), according to the Wake Forest University Men’s Rugby website. However, this past, the ACLR disbanded, according to the website. Former ACLR commissioner and Wake rugby coach Pat Kane had the following to say about the dissolution of the conference, via the website:

“One of the bedrock principles upon which the ACRL was founded in 2011 was that teams should do what is best for them. We reached a point this year where a number of teams felt that the conference was no longer what was best for them and our member teams are therefore moving onto different existing or new conferences.”

Instead of moving to another Division I conference, Wake Forest decided to move to the Division II Southern Rugby Conference. Junior player Mark Bernstein felt that this was a much needed move for the program, giving them a better chance to compete.

“Being a smaller program, this move should help us out a lot,” explained Bernstein. “We’re feeling confident. We could be one of the best teams in Division II.”

Head coach and Wake Forest grad student Chris Alderman echoed this sentiment, adding “We’re in a conference where we feel like we can do some damage now, playing in the Southern Conference.”

This past Saturday, Wake Forest played their first exhibition matches of the spring in a round-robin style 7v7 tournament against fellow Southern Rugby Conference foes UNC-Greensboro and Guilford. Score was not recorded, but that didn’t mean the games were devoid of excitement, according to Daniel Sechtin, a Wake Forest senior who decided to spend his Saturday watching the games.

“This is my first rugby game ever, and I don’t really know what is going on, but you can feel the energy from the sidelines,” Sechtin said. “I always knew it was a physical sport, but seeing it in person takes it to a whole new level. I definitely want to return to another game before I graduate.”

There were about thirty spectators at the matches on Saturday, which is more than usual, according to Mark Bernstein. “As the program continues to grow, so will the fan base,” Bernstein said.

Career Night: its Diverse Impact on Male and Female Student-Athletes//Karlee Spirit

When Wednesday, February 3^rd arrived, athletes of every sport were frantically running out of practice, showering and putting on their best professional clothing.

The time had come again for Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s (SAAC) annual Career Night, where student-athletes had the opportunity to market with employers and businesses from all around the state. Students also had the chance to attend informational workshops ranging from how to shake a hand properly to budgeting money to performing a proper interview. As most can understand, the copious process of preparing for this night is slightly more extensive for the female student-athletes. As every female can attest to, perfecting hair, applying make-up, ironing blouses, and squeezing into heels seems and sounds a bit different from the idea of a male getting ready. It is that same tedious and long process that women undergo that carry over to their career paths after Wake Forest athletics.

All Wake Forest student-athletes not only decide to become a Demon Deacon to represent a great university through athletics, but commit to receiving a great education and graduating with a prestigious degree. In general, the majority of male athletes, especially at Wake Forest, are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to continue their sport after college. On the contrary, female student-athletes of Wake Forest have to undergo a much different process upon graduation.

This is why the idea, benefits, and the entirety of Career Night tends to be much greater for female student-athletes as opposed to males.

Wake Forest men’s soccer forward and sophomore, Jon Bakero, said that he attended the event mainly because it was mandatory. “It was a great event for those who want to make connections with businesses and have the urge to do so. For people who need it after their Wake Forest career, it’s good for finding places to work and making the most out the resources and people at and around Wake,” Bakero said. A Barcelona native, Jon is planning on graduating in December of 2017 and entering the draft to pursue his dream of playing professional soccer.

While male student-athletes tend to have the upper hand when it comes to life after graduation, females make the most of all the University has to offer.

Brooke Taylor, an academic advisor in the student-athlete department works with both Wake Forest men’s soccer and women’s basketball. Taylor comments on what she feels is the biggest trend amongst working with female student-athletes. “I feel like my female students utilize the campus resources a ton, including tutoring, study sessions, and meetings with professors. They are very inclined and tend to be group leaders and coordinators.”

A member of the Wake Forest women’s soccer team, Sarah Medina, found Career Night as an outlet and source of excitement for her future past her athletic career. “I feel like Career Night is a great opportunity to see what employers are looking for when they “recruit” or employ athletes to work for them. Just like our coaches who picked us for certain qualities like work ethic and enthusiasm, our employers are looking at us for the same things.”

Story #2 Ideas- Karlee Spirit

1) The Chainsmokers Concert: April 8th at 7:00 at LJVM Coliseum

I would like to cover the preparation and excitement leading up The Chainsmokers performing at the LJVM Coliseum in the beginning of April. I would be interested in bringing to light the Wake Forest Student Union’s process in preparing for the event and the process in which they got them to agree to perform here. I would also include the students, faculty, staff, and even alumni’s excitement and opinion on the American DJ/producer duo.

3)Sophomores Declaring Majors (Spring Term)

I would be interested in covering the process, preparation, and thoughts of the sophomores who declared their majors this past week. I would dig into why they declared the majors they did, how they declared their majors, and how they plan on using their majors in their careers after Wake.

‘The Future We Remember’ Contemporary Art Exhibition – Suyash Keshari

The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art held the grand opening of ‘The Future we Remember’ art exhibition on Tuesday, February 2nd. The exhibit brings together a group of contemporary artists whose work focuses on the relationship between the current visions of history and present-day visions of the future. The theme is brought to life through sculptures, collection of artifacts, fossils and bones, photographs, videos and eerie sounds.

Cora Fisher, the Curator of SECCA said that the exhibition “collapses the distance between the past and future and offers fictions and fantasies of what culture, technology, and ecology will eventually become. It also raises questions – how will our futuristic visions appear once they have become natural history? What follies, fantasies and visionary utopias will have been revealed?”

The exhibition opened up on Tuesday, February 2nd and is said to be open till June 5th.The opening saw a host of local media attention with journalists scrambling for a quote from the artists, reporters cracking on the mic, cameramen firing away their cameras, visitors interacting with the artists and security guards keeping a close vigil on the happenings.

Many students and faculty from Wake Forest University also visited the exhibit. “I got my students here so that they can observe something that is different from the mainstream filmmaking and more intertwined with contemporary art” said Joel Tauber, a professor at Wake Forest University’s video art program. (capitalize?)

Jake Orent, a sophomore in Tauber’s class was quite amused to see the exhibit. “All the films showcased here did not have any dialogues or story” he said “yet they had a powerful message which pique a viewer’s thoughts. I am really fascinated by the intricacy of their construction and their ability to get people thinking”.

The exhibition brought together various artforms from across the world such as internationally renowned photographer and filmmaker Tejal Shah from India, award winning painter Vija Celmins from Lithuania and contemporary sculptor Ragnheidur Gestsdottir from Iceland, among many.

Artists of The Future We Remember provide a range of responses to the pressing ecological shifts and technologies that define our current moment. Fisher explained how SECCA was able to find the path of the exhibition through “an article published about a new kind of stone, formed when heat fuses natural materials with oceanic waste plastic. These stones are now turning up on the shores of Hawaii.” She added that “the exhibit showcases the human impact on the environment.”

Emma Cooley, a sophomore from Wake Forest University, standing next to Ms. Fisher looked puzzled and shocked. “I never knew something like this was even possible. It shows how we as the top species are not only altering nature but also creating many new elements within it” she said.

According to the information presented in the exhibit, scientists have now started viewing these stones as evidence of the increasingly visible human impact on the geological record. “The hybrid nature and terrible beauty of the stone captured a profound truth about the present and became our fundamental inspiration” said Fisher.

Delta Xi Phi: A New Type of Sorority – Meg

Anita Patel, junior at Wake Forest University, was looking for a close-knit group that not only embraced her personality, but also her own ethnic background, which she found in Delta Xi Phi, the only recognized multicultural sorority on campus. “I joined DXP because I was looking for a sisterhood.”

Delta Xi Phi, originally founded in 1994 at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, opened its first chapter at WFU on December 17^th, 2011. The sorority supports five main pillars: awareness of multiculturalism, advancement of women through higher education, sisterhood, friendship and community service. There are currently nine active members, each with their own unique backgrounds.

“Delta Xi Phi was a safe space where my ethnic background was embraced, not overshadowed,” says Patel. She explains that DXP’s multiculturalism does not just extend to the concept of race. The sorority both exhibits and promotes the diversity of culture in the sense of its members’ further intersectional identities of ethnicity, gender, sexuality and socioeconomic status.

Lizbeth Robledo, a sophomore at WFU who joined DXP in fall of 2015, shares how she has gotten the opportunity to learn from her sisters and their various cultures, and how much she appreciates their diversity. She says she has learned more about the Muslim, Italian, Indian, and Jamaican cultures of her sisters since joining DXP. According to Robledo, it was important for her to be part of a group where she didn’t need to change herself, and one she felt was inclusive of everyone.

DXP held its spring recruitment events last week. DXP holds a weeklong recruitment process with events geared towards bonding and getting to know the current sisters and potential members. The events included cheering Wake on at a basketball game, mindful coloring and tea, crafting, smoothies and a movie night. If potential members attended at least two events, they would receive an application.

When comparing DXP’s recruitment with traditional sorority rush on campus, Patel says, “I didn’t want to experience rush, and honestly, I don’t think I would have done well in the process.”

Jennifer Daye, sophomore at WFU who attended DXP’s recent recruitment, says that it was important to her to meet people from different backgrounds she could learn from. She says that multiculturalism on a campus like Wake is very important and believes that WFU needs more diversity and a stronger sense of cultural awareness. Daye says she looks forward to joining what she describes as a strong sisterhood.

DXP is looking to expand its membership in the coming years and continue its mission to spread multicultural awareness on Wake’s campus. In describing the sorority’s impact on her life, Patel summarizes that “DXP has bettered me as a person, challenged me as a person, and given me the lens to view things with an open mind.”

Wake the Vote students gain primary experience in New Hampshire // Conte

Whether it was canvassing door-to-door for Clinton in a snowstorm or speaking to Cruz supporters over the telephone, Wake Forest students experienced first hand the New Hampshire primary, held from Feb. 7^th through the 10^th in Manchester, New Hampshire.

“Wake the Vote”, a Politics and International Affairs undergraduate course, focuses on engaging students more closely in the democratic process through traveling to political events around the country in preparation for the 2016 Presidential Election.

This semester, the students and faculty involved in this program have traveled to Iowa for the caucuses, New Hampshire for the national primary and will later be traveling to South Carolina and Raleigh, North Carolina for their primaries.

Twenty-two students are currently enrolled in this program accompanied by four faculty members that are supervising this program, one of which includes Melissa Harris-Perry of msnbc.

Ciara Ciez, a “Wake the Vote” student and current freshman said, “‘Wake the Vote’ has allowed me to discover that my political views don’t have to fit into one mold. Political views can be diverse and influenced by several factors.”

Nick Boney, a “Wake the Vote” student and current sophomore said his experiences through this program have taught him to challenge his political views and think more critically about certain political issues that are relevant today.

Overall, Wake the Vote has established a mission of promoting democracy while allowing students to interact with a diversity of people within a respectful environment, said Ciez.

Regarding America’s political attitude, Boney said, “I was worried that a lot of people would be disenchanted by our current political climate, but it seems now voters are more invested than ever in making sure their candidate wins.”

Boney and Ciez said, Wake the Vote has exposed them to different subsets of potential future political careers. Both Boney and Ciez said they could both see themselves working in Politics in the future.

“I would love to be in a profession in which I can help influence the political process as a political adviser, consultant or officeholder,” said Ciez.

Boney said he was uncertain of the exact subset of politics he would like to work in, however he said, “All I now now is that I definitely don’t want to run for office.”

Marianne Magjuka, the director of democratic engagement and justice programs in the Pro Humanitate Institute explained the planning process that has gone into “Wake the Vote”.

“We have been working on Wake the Vote since the summer,” Magjuka said, “…finding housing, coordinating transportation, thinking about the application process, learning outcomes for the courses and contacting campaigns.”

Magjuka described herself as a “total political nerd.” She said she considers working for Wake the Vote a tremendous privilege.

In regards to experiencing this alongside students, Magjuka said, “I love engaging the students in conversation about their campaign work and listening to their stories. It is wonderful to see them practice the skills of citizenship.”

photo from Ciara Ciez

Story Ideas // Anna Conte

1. Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration this Saturday from 3-5 in the Barn.

2. Senior Colloquium, Monday, Feb. 15th at 5 in Byrum Welcome Center. Honoring seniors with the top ten orations that reflect on their Wake Forest experience.

Suyash Keshari – Story 2 Ideas

I am planning to write a story on the event “Truth Lies and Politics” which will be this Tuesday, February 16th from 7 pm at Wait Chapel. I take special interest in this subject as I am a Politics Major, so this will be a very interesting event to cover. It is expected to have a sizeable turnout as well.