Daily Deacon

WFUs Reaction to The Waiting Room // Rachel Hirsch

The Waiting Room opened on the mainstage at Wake Forest University February 12th through the 21st and was directed by their very own, John E. R. Friedenberg.

The play is focused around three women who are from different time periods and of different cultures who are all waiting in the same doctor’s office. All three women struggle to meet the standards of beauty in society. The play is described as a “dark comedy [that] will have you squirming with laughter as the characters struggle to beat the system and win at life.”

Friedenberg, WFUs Director of Theatre, explained that the play had a lot to say and he didn’t exactly know how each audience would react, but said “the main thing he wanted the audience to leave with was having seen the same play he thought was there.”

He discussed how each audience was going to be very different in their reaction from each other especially when it came to laughter which would be hard for his cast to deal with.

Lillie Burrow, who played Victoria, one of the main women described how the audience was hesitant to laugh at the beginning of the play because of the dark material, but eventually they warmed up to actually being okay to laugh at everything.

“Someone laughed at a scene that shouldn’t have provoked laughter, which was weird to handle” Burrow said.

When asked what the intended reaction of the audience to her character was she said, “I’m not too sure, but I hoped people would laugh at my lines and eventually cry when I was forced to return to my terrible, hysterical husband.”

Tyler Johnson, who played Larry, the Board of the Hospital experienced some of the same struggles as his castmember Burrow. He said, “Some nights a joke would kill and then other nights I would pause for laughter and it was completely silent.”

Heather Sullivan, who played Wanda, another main women had a different take on the reaction to the play than Burrow and Johnson. She talked about the audience members who approached her after the show rather then the reaction during the play.

“Some people told me that they laughed or cried and others said the playwright tried to tackle too many issues. Someone even told me they thought the first half was funny and then the second half took them by surprise” Sullivan said.

Sullivan discussed how out of all the plays she had done at WFU this was the play that gave her the most positive and thoughtful responses.

Sammy Moorin, a Sophomore at WFU and audience member said she loved the play and thought it was hilarious.

“I went to the play to get credit for a WGS class assignment, but I thought the commentary on the feminist struggles throughout the years was brilliantly done” Moorin said.

To see a review on the play from The Winston-Salem Journal, click here.

Wake Forest College Republicans host former Louisiana state senator — Chris Caswell

Wake Forest College Republicans hosted former Louisiana state senator and congressional candidate, Elbert Guillory on Feb. 12.

Guillory has drawn considerable interest across the country due to his multiple changes in party affiliation. According to The Daily Advertiser, a Louisiana newspaper, Guillory was a registered Republican prior to 2007. In 2007, he switched to the Democratic Party when he first ran for the state House. Then in 2013, he returned to the Republican Party.

In 2013, he released a video explaining his choice to switch affiliations. In the video, he explains that he believes the Republican Party is better for blacks.

“The left is only concerned with one thing: control,” Guillory says. “Programs such as welfare, food stamps; these programs aren’t designed to lift black Americans out of poverty. They were always intended as a mechanism for politicians to control the black community.”

At the College Republicans event, instead of giving a speech, Guillory encouraged an open discussion, but he began by introducing himself and talking about the events in his life that shaped his career and beliefs as a politician.

According to Guillory, he was arrested at a public library when he was 15 years-old. He was arrested for sitting in the library after the librarian refused to let him check out a book. He has said in a previous interview with the National Review that this was a driving force in his life, leading him to public service.

Guillory mentioned another important event in his life, too. At the age of 17, Guillory was the Editor-in-chief of his school’s newspaper, but a year later, he was expelled from his school at gunpoint because of articles he wrote about civil rights.

Guillory was shaped by these discriminatory events, but he emphasized that the U.S. has changed a lot since then.

“The United States is not perfect, but it’s come a long way in my lifetime,” said Guillory. “I’m not sure it ever will be [perfect], but it’s the best thing on Planet Earth.”

Though Guillory thinks the country has come a long way in his lifetime, he still believes it faces important challenges ahead.

When asked what he thought the biggest single issue was facing the U.S. today, he responded with funding, in particular, the national debt.

“It will affect every decision Americans make over the next decade,” said Guillory. “There is no money for the jobs of tomorrow.”

Students asked Guillory what the government can do to control the deficit and what programs should be cut back. He responded that it must put a ceiling on debt and should cut back on “just about everything.” An example Guillory gave was social security. He said that the government should cut it back, because it is unstable and unsustainable.

Another issue that he spoke of is education. Guillory said that the American education system has deteriorated over the past several decades.

He compared scores from his community – amid the civil rights movement – to now and claimed that scores were worse now than when “separate but equal” was still legal in schools. Guillory said that education is an area in which the U.S. must improve to compete globally.

“We cannot compete on an international basis, and we can’t grow anything, like the economy, with an illiterate country,” said Gillory.

Later on, when asked how exactly he proposes the government strengthen schools, he said schools should take disruptive children out of the classroom so other can learn.

“The federal government said that the bad kid has to stay in the classroom,” Guillory said. “They should put that kid in a better environment.”

However, he also said that, in response to a question about Common Core standards, that the federal government should leave guidelines on education to states.

The College Republicans were, overall, pleased with the discussion.

“Senator Guillory spoke extensively on ways in which the left has created a culture of dependence that is harmful to American welfare as a whole and detrimental to equality,” said Joe Macy, President of College Republicans. “We hope his legacy will reach across several generations to renew core values to ensure a better future.”

Another student shared Macy’s enthusiasm for the event.

“It was a wonderful chance for Wake Forest students to get a good perspective from a sitting senator,” said graduate student Eric Henderson. “For me, it’s nice to see a good turnout, because a young crowd isn’t privy (sic) to participating in politics.”

Sage the Gemini and the Chainsmokers coming to WFU//Karlee Spirit

Come April 8^th, the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum will no longer resonate with the pounding of a basketball, screeching of sneakers and the cheering of fans. Instead, it will be filled with students, alumni, and interested administrators and faculty listening to the hammering of keys and mixing of beats.

Wake Forest University Headliner’s Committee of Student Union has introduced their 2016 Spring Concert with performances by Sage the Gemini and the highly anticipated American DJ duo the Chainsmokers.

Kate Hubbs, the Headliners Chair for Student Union, is the leader of the Headliners Committee and manages the Headliners budget in order to book one or more concerts for the academic year.

“I have to be aware of upcoming artists that have the potential to put on a good show, as well as be aware of what the student body wants as a concert,” Hubbs said. “I use the information I get from my spring concert survey in order to bring an act that will be most popular with the student body.”

The Student Union works closely with Babco Entertainment, a booking agency stationed in Virginia, when looking for music acts to bring to campus.

Babco Entertainment agents provide the Headliners Chair with a list of all the artists that are available for booking in the spring along with their typical price range for a performance.

Using this information, Hubbs and her committee go through the list of potential artists and narrow it down to about 30 artists within the Student Union’s budget. These 30 artists are the ones that get put on the survey that is sent out to the student body in order to see who the Wake Forest community is most interested in.

The Chainsmokers’ awaited performance has already sold about 1,000 tickets within the first two weeks of ticket sales, and has yet to be opened up to other schools or the general public.

Sarah King, the Vice President of Communications on the Executive Board for Student Union, manages social media platforms, weekly newsletters and creates graphics. She ensures that all of the Student Union events, especially the spring concert, are effectively marketed to the students. She has the important role of making sure everything is organized, planned and advertised to the community.

“When planning an event, I must consider venue, ticket prices, security, hospitality needs, marketing plans, etc., while all of this must be approved by the artist’s agency,” King says. “Once everything is approved, I can start to tell people and promote, promote, promote!”

WFU Student Union tweets a reminder to the Wake Forest community

McKenzie Ziegler, a senior and member of Student Government, says she can’t wait to attend the concert.

“I enjoy electronic music and the Chainsmokers have a good number of well-known songs,” Ziegler states. “I would like to attend simply because I’m a senior and it could be my last hurrah.”

Doors for the spring concert open at 7:00pm and the performances begin at 8:00pm. While all seating is general admission, tickets are priced at $20 for students, $25 for faculty, staff, alumni, other university students, and $35 to the general public.

To purchase tickets to see Sage the Gemini and the Chainsmokers, click here.

Wake Forest Professor a huge hit at TEDxWakeForestU

A collective gasp filled Wake Forest’s Wait Chapel at the sight of the image on the big screen. The image of millions of ants crossing a river, forming a bridge as a collective unit, jolted the crowd with a nervous energy as the speaker took the seemingly grotesque image and it applied it to cyber security.

The speaker was Wake Forest’s very own computer science professor Errin Fulp. Professor Fulp made his TEDx debut this past Saturday in front of the sold out Wait Chapel, as hundreds of his students, colleagues and peers witnessed him speak publicly for the first time about applying patterns in nature to cyber security. He emphasized how nature operates in the most efficient manner, taking the shortest paths in accomplishing its goals and continuously evolving. He believes that these principles can be applied to improving our cyber defense systems.

The idea of speaking in front of so many colleagues and students was not lost on Professor Fulp when he was invited to speak at the event in November.

“I was apprehensive at first. TEDx is a pretty big deal in my opinion, I knew a lot of people were going to be there, it’s televised, ” Fulp explained. “There was a lot of pressure to get it right. I’m just glad I had a lot of time to prepare.”

Professor Fulp was the sixth speaker in an eight person lineup, including Oracle CEO Mark Hurd, who headlined the event. The theme of this year’s TEDxWakeForestU was Haven: Fearlessness Reimagined in which each speaker gave an 18 minute speech about security that in some way was relative to their area of expertise. For instance, Fulp and Hurd spoke about cyber security. Bradley Myles, CEO of Polaris, talked about how his company combats human sex trafficking on a global scale.

The TEDxWakeForestU conference was started in 2012 by student activist and leader Lucy Lan, who wanted to to “promote technological entrepreneurship here on Wake Forest Campus,” according to the TEDxWakeForestU website. She contacted many different speakers across different disciplines, and over 1,000 people came to watch the event. The conference has been an annual event ever since.

Following Lucy Lan’s initiative, an all-student staff completely runs and operates TEDxWakeForestU.

“The staff picks the theme, sends out invitations to speakers, does all the budgeting, and gets in touch with other schools’ designers (in this case Forsyth County Technical College) in order to help build the set and design the stage,” explained TEDxWakeForestU emcee and senior Daniel Sechtin. “I was just the emcee, introducing the speakers and asking them a question or two afterwards. I just wanted to make sure I was prepared to do justice to our staff and the great speakers we had.”

The global organization TED started in 1984 in California as a non-profit dedicated to spreading ideas about Technology, Education and Design (hence the acronym TED) according to the TEDxWakeForestU website. TEDx “offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world,” the site explained. TEDx is what enables Wake Forest and other institutions to host TED conferences.

The conference was headlined by Mark Hurd, CEO of the global computer technology corporation, Oracle. Being the CEO of such well known company, as well as being a father of a current Wake Forest student, he definitely generated buzz among some of the students who attended the event.

“One of the main reasons I went this year was to see Mark Hurd,” said sophomore Austin Rubino. “Being the CEO of such a large technological corporation that is prevalent in our everyday lives, it was great to be able see what he had to say about cyber security, which is an extremely relevant issue in our society today.”

One of Mark Hurd’s principle messages was that it is within our own power to protect our data and internet information.

“Data is getting more secure, not less…. But there is no technological trick we have to protect you, like personal decision making, personal responsibility,” Hurd said.

He emphasized how important is is to make sure that we’re not revealing too much data on the open internet, and to make sure that whomever we trust our data with will do everything in their power to protect it.

To many, it was Errin Fulp who stole the show, however.

“All of the speakers were great, but Errin Fulp was my favorite,” Austin Rubino reflected. “It was great to see one of our own being able to share his ideas with such a big audience.”

Daniel Sechtin echoed this sentiment, reveling at the impact that Professor Fulp has made on him as a student at Wake Forest.

“Every speaker was amazing, but it was especially great to have Wake Forest’s own Errin Fulp in the mix. To see one of our professors mentioned in these great group of speakers doing great things, it makes me proud to be a student here.”

CONSTRUCTION OF NEW CLUBHOUSE FOR GOLF TEAMS ALMOST COMPLETE // Katie Dickens

An external view of the new clubhouse under construction.

Wake Forest’s rich golf history is set to be rewarded.

A new clubhouse is under construction that will house men’s and women’s golf team offices and locker rooms, a project totaling $4.4 million. The building will be named after Jesse Haddock, the golf coach that led his team to three national championships during his career at Wake Forest from 1962 to 1992.

Construction broke ground around one year ago, and if all goes according to plan, the coaches for both teams are set to move in March 15th, according to men’s golf head coach Jerry Haas.

Haas, who himself is a former All-American Wake Forest golf player, said the new golf clubhouse is going to be “absolutely spectacular.”

“Our team is number two in the country, and this has been a long time in the works,” Haas said. “I’ve been here nineteen years and I’m very lucky. I love this place and how we’re showing recruits the respect golf deserves. Now everyone can see that Wake appreciates their student athletes and gives them a home.”

The facility will house a heritage room complete with an interactive digital wall that shows Wake Forest golf’s past accomplishments and successful golfers, which include famous players like Arnold Palmer and 2012 U.S. Open Winner Webb Simpson.

Tanner Owen, a sophomore who had a breakout freshman season on the men’s golf team, said that he thinks part of the purpose of the new clubhouse is to honor those who played at Wake before him.

“As a program we have some incredible people to represent and carry through in what we do, on the course and off the course,” Owen said. “It holds us to a certain level of professionalism.”

The heritage room will include a trophy case suspended from the ceiling. The back of the building will contain a player lounge overlooking the driving range, complete with TVs. There will also be a study room and conference room for players and coaches to utilize at any time. The locker rooms will have around 15 lockers and also include bathrooms and showers.

Owen added that in addition to benefits of hanging out and studying in the lounges, he believes the new facilities will help the team communicate and work more efficiently.

“We’ll be able to spend a lot more time with our coaches,” Owen said. “Their offices are currently in Manchester, so during day we can go over and see them, but having everyone in the clubhouse will make it easier for us to communicate. We’ll also have somewhere to park and somewhere to store our clubs.”

Vinh-Hop Ngo, a sophomore on the women’s golf team, said the new clubhouse will be like her second home.

“We currently don’t have a place to have team meetings so we just sit on the floor in our putting room when we meet,” Ngo said. “So I’m most excited about the fact that we are going to have a place for the golf teams to hang out together.”

The basement of the building will include a game room with a built-in speaker system and pool table, with a Webb Simpson tribute wall framing the back side of the room.

The Arnold Palmer statue located outside golf’s current headquarters at the Dianne Dailey learning center will be moved to the front of the clubhouse, according to Barry Faircloth, associate athletic director for development.

Senior speech tradition continues – Conte

The 2016 Senior Colloquium and the Founder’s Day Convocation, events that occurred earlier this month, mark the 148^th year of celebrating senior orations at Wake Forest, according to 2016 Senior Colloquium bulletin.

After Aishwarya “Ash” Nager gave her oration, The Unexpected Chaos of Life as a Deac, at the 2016 Senior Colloquium and the Founders’ Day Convocation she was selected to present her oration one more time before she graduates. Nager was selected by faculty judges to present her oration at the Honors and Awards Ceremony, on May 15^th for the graduating class, according to Tammy Griffin, administrative assistant to associate dean for faculty governance.

The senior orations that were presented at these events included lessons learned through collegiate years, analysis of the Wake Forest motto Pro Humanitate and future plans for the years that lie ahead for these graduating seniors.

In preparation for the 2016 Senior Colloquium, which occurred on February 14^th in the Porter Byrum Welcome Center, faculty members were asked to nominate “[Wake Forest’s] finest seniors,” according to the 2016 Senior Colloquium bulletin. These seniors were then asked to prepare an essay addressing Wake Forest University through their perspective.

According to Michele Gillespie, dean of the college, a large number of seniors were nominated for this recognition as compared to past years.

About sixty to seventy-five percent of students who were nominated by faculty submitted an essay to the faculty panel, according to Griffin. The faculty panel then selected ten, out of the thirty-one submitted, to be presented at the 2016 Senior Colloquium.

The ten that were presented at the Colloquium were evaluated by faculty judges in the audience and three orations were chosen to be presented at the Founders’ Day Convocation, which occurred on Thursday, February 18^th in Wait Chapel.

The three selected orations that were presented at Founders’ Day Convocation were Enzymatic Inclusion by Sarah Fine, The Case for Generalism by Robert “Tripp” Maloney and The Unexpected Chaos of Life as a Deac by Aishwarya “Ash” Nagar.

From the three presented at Founders’ Day Convocation, Nager’s oration, The Unexpected Chaos of Life as a Deac, was chosen to be read May 15^th during the Honors and Awards Ceremony for the graduating seniors.

Nager, a Biology major with the plans of attending medical school, structured her oration as a letter to her younger brother. Throughout the oration, Nager advises her young brother on what to look for as he searches for a university for himself.

Nager described her experience at Wake Forest as “chaotic magnificence,” and more specifically Wake Forest academics as an “academic smorgasbord,” which ultimately allowed her to declare three minors in addition to her Biology major.

In her oration, Nager encourages others to carry the school motto, Pro Humanitate, wherever life may lead as she admitted to the the bittersweet sentiment of graduating from Wake Forest University.

Rogan Kersh, Wake Forest provost, ended the night with final remarks reflecting on the senior orations as a tradition and its history at Wake Forest.

Kersh expressed his admiration for the orations of the Class of 2016, saying “You have so beautifully woven your words into the years of student orations.”

Griffin, who had been organizing the 2016 Senior Colloquium since September of 2015, was impressed by the student orations.

“The words of the students make us, as faculty and staff feel proud about what we can sew into our future,” said Griffin.

Rogan Kersh, Wake Forest Provost, congratulates Wake Forest seniors after their oration presentations

Culture at WFU: Celebrating the Chinese New Year – Meg

When you first enter the Barn, you are welcomed by greeters and handed a red packet containing a chocolate coin for good luck. The walls are decorated with paper cutouts of Chinese characters and little dragon puppets. The rafters are strung with red paper lanterns and a large banner proclaiming the annual Chinese New Year festival. The smells of foreign food waft your way. The entire lower level of the Barn is filled with a mixture of Wake students and Winston-Salem natives. On the stage, traditional singing and dancing acts celebrate this important day in the Chinese culture.

Saturday, February 13, the WFU Asian Student Interest Association (ASIA) hosted its Chinese Lunar New Year Festival from 3:00-5:00PM. The event offered free admission to everyone.

This Chinese holiday celebrates the transition from an old year to a new one. It is when families gather and share what they have experienced over the past year and their hopes for the new one. The date of the New Year is from the lunar calendar and falls on a different day than the Western celebration.

While the holiday is national, it also extends to any country that was once under China’s rule, including Indonesia and Vietnam. However, within China, the activities of the day vary by region.

“In my hometown, we have the dragon dance and visit the flower market since in the South, that’s when the most rare flowers bloom,” says Jonnie Huang, a senior at Wake Forest University from Guangdong, China. She says it is important for her to attend these cultural events on campus because it gives her a chance to continue her Chinese traditions away from home.

The Chinese New Year is one of the few national holidays celebrated by all regions of China. IT includes a family reunion, watching the celebrations on TV, and fireworks after midnight.

“It’s like the Super Bowl in America,” says YoonSun Jee, a member of ASIA and sophomore at Wake Forest University. Even though she is from South Korea, Jee says she has learned a lot more about the holiday from working the event. According to her, Wake lacks diversity and the Chinese New Year Festival acts as one of the few events on campus that brings people together and offers an immersive chance to understand Chinese culture.

“Wake has a lot of international students; it’s important that we can make them feel at home and have a chance to relate to them,” says Lindsey Badgett, sophomore from Pinnacle, North Carolina. She is a member of the Japanese club on campus and attended the event to expand her exposure to East-Asian cultures.

“In my opinion, having events like this on campus is very important because the best way to understand other people is through their culture,” says Badgett.

Multimedia Article // David Blue

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/14826436/documents-reveal-peyton-manning-accuser-called-sexual-assault-crisis-center-report-1996-incident

An interesting article reporting that former University of Tennessee athletic trainer Jamie Naughright called the Sexual Assault Crisis Center the night that Peyton Manning allegedly sexually assaulted her in 1996, when he was a student-athlete there. The video is a segment from Outside the Lines, an ESPN program that investigates, reports and analyzes scandals in the sports world. The video and article provide in depth analysis and a transcript of her call to the Center from that night.

multimedia post

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/18/health/florida-palm-beach-teen-doctor-arrest/

This article is about an 18 year old who was arrested for treating patients without a doctor’s degree. It is on the short side length and detail wise, but the hyperlink to the 18 year old’s website provides great context about how serious and well designed his fake business was. Without it, it would be difficult to assess why people found him credible.

Multi Media – Todd

http://graphics.wsj.com/elections/2016/how-trump-happened/

Interesting interactive graphic about a poll about what type of people vote for different republican candidates. The interactive visual makes it really easy to follow and more engaging.