You’re viewing a version of this story optimized for slow connections. To see the full story click here.

WELCOME HOME

Orientation and Move-In 2015

Story by Wake Forest University August 27th, 2015

HAPPY BEGINNINGS

Nearly 1,300 students descended upon the Forest from 43 states and 18 foreign countries. They moved in to six first-year residence halls and prepared for a diverse array of orientation activities — some optional, some mandatory — designed to integrate them into their new home and get them thinking about the future.

Enjoy the photos and video below, and if you’re looking for even more photos, please see the full collection of galleries on Flickr. Read more about the move-in experience in a web exclusive from Wake Forest Magazine. Explore the social buzz.

Move-In Day

In a few hours of Friday, Aug. 21, 180 student-athletes and 300 Wake Forest employees, including football coach Dave Clawson (top row, center) helped move roughly 100 tons of their new classmates’ stuff — clothes, pictures, rugs, etc. — into the Forest.

20150821move-in0240.jpg
20150821move-in0050.jpg
20150821move-in0396.jpg
20150821move-in1209.jpg
20150821move-in1169.jpg
20150821move-in0900.jpg
20150821move-in0277.jpg

A THREE-HOUR TOUR

Wake Forest’s student band, The Spirit of the Old Gold and Black, a.k.a. SOTOGAB, played several gigs in a few hours. While the tour was short by distance — a few hundred feet from one stop to the next — it was long on intensity and pride. The band, like the football team, arrived on campus early in preparation for the coming season.

THE UNEXPECTED

In addition to SOTOGAB, students were welcomed by President Nathan O. Hatch and Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue, who both took a plunge into a bucket full of plastic balls to answer whatever questions the newest Demon Deacons posed.

20150821move-in0994.jpg
20150821move-in1115.jpg
20150821move-in0694.jpg
20150821move-in1363.jpg
20150821move-in0865.jpg
20150821move-in1308.jpg
20150821move-in0760.jpg

NATION-BUILDING

Led by Provost Rogan Kersh (’86), the newest members of the Wake Forest community learned a few essentials about their new home. From the words to the alma mater to the fine art of Rolling the Quad, the Class of 2019 was indoctrinated into the traditions of an institution founded in 1834.

20150822ceremony2274.jpg
20150822ceremony2316.jpg
20150822ceremony2475.jpg
20150822ceremony2289.jpg
20150822ceremony2484.jpg
20150822ceremony2501.jpg

FOOD AND FELLOWSHIP

The afternoon rolled on with a picnic for students, parents and the University’s top administrators. Dr. Hatch delivered a warm welcome to the incoming class.

20150822picnic3114.jpg
20150822picnic3120.jpg
20150822picnic3187.jpg
20150822ceremony2606.jpg
20150822ceremony2650.jpg

CONFLICTING EMOTIONS

While students may have more excitement than trepidation, parents generally have fewer qualms about admitting the day is a mixed bag of pride and reflection. “Exciting and emotional and nostalgic,” said Andrea Marks (P ‘19) of Baltimore, Md., mother of Gabe Marks (’19).
20150821reception1727.jpg
20150821reception1757.jpg
20150821reception2250.jpg
20150821reception1985.jpg
20150822reception2954.jpg
20150822reception2976.jpg
20150822reception3080.jpg

Eating it up

Wake Forest students enjoyed food from local restaurants at the Taste of Winston-Salem event.

20150822tasteofWS3472.jpg
20150822tasteofWS3481.jpg
20150822tasteofWS3489.jpg
20150822tasteofWS3499.jpg
20150822tasteofWS3513.jpg
20150822tasteofWS3522.jpg

BRAVE NEW WAKE WORLD

First-year students attended Wake World, a presentation on college life put on by the Theatre department in Scales Fine Arts Center. The performing arts are a vital part of campus life. On average, a student presentation in music, drama or art is held every three days of the fall and spring semesters in Scales.

20150822wakeworld2800.jpg
20150822wakeworld2880.jpg
20150822wakeworld2821.jpg
20150822wakeworld2892.jpg

A SPARC OF HELP

A group of 105 Wake Foresters, most of them incoming students who arrived in Winston-Salem before their classmates, helped the local Habitat For Humanity chapter build a new home a short drive from campus on Wednesday morning. On Thursday, about 40 students volunteered at the Second Harvest Food Bank, a regional hunger-relief organization.
The students worked as part of SPARC (Students Promoting Action and Responsibility in the Community), a venture of the Pro Humanitate Institute that provides a week of community-service opportunities in advance of Orientation. On Thursday, approximately 40 students from the SPARC program volunteered at the Second Harvest Food Bank, a regional hunger-relief organization.
20150819sparc7032.jpg
20150819sparc7106.jpg
20150819sparc7199.jpg
20150820sparc7674.jpg
20150819sparc7257.jpg
20150819sparc7134.jpg
20150819sparc7152.jpg
20150819sparc7272.jpg
20150820sparc7723.jpg

Walking the talk

Wake Forest is one of only three Top-50 National Universities (U.S. News, September 2014) that directly reference service to mankind in the institutional motto.

20150819sparc7384.jpg
20150819sparc7415.jpg
20150820sparc7607.jpg
20150819sparc7294.jpg
20150819sparc7202.jpg
20150819sparc7242.jpg

The Walking Read

Wake Forest first-year students played the Humans vs. Zombies game in the Z. Smith Reynolds Library as a part of the various pre-orientation camps. In addition to being an award-winning academic hub, the library also hosts many student events, including Wake the Library midnight exam breaks, Humans vs. Zombies and Capture the Flag contests, and a variety of film screenings and lectures.

20150818zombies6522.jpg
20150818zombies6535.jpg
20150818zombies6617.jpg
20150818zombies6713.jpg
20150818zombies6458.jpg
20150818zombies6464.jpg
20150818zombies6468.jpg

WorldWide Wake

First-year Wake Forest students attended the Worldwide Wake pre-orientation program focusing on global issues on campus. The students broke into teams to come up with a fictional country and create its flag, seal, history, and national dish.

20150818worldwidewake4636.jpg
20150818worldwidewake4803.jpg
20150818worldwidewake4865.jpg
20150818worldwidewake4876.jpg
20150818worldwidewake4984.jpg
20150818worldwidewake5089.jpg
20150819worldwidewake5556.jpg
20150819worldwidewake5310.jpg
20150819worldwidewake5425.jpg

INTERNATIONAL INTEGRATION

Engagement with the world at large is a core value at Wake Forest. Students come here from more than 40 countries. In each of the past 10 years, 58 percent or more of the University’s graduates have studied abroad — whether for academic credit or not — at some point as students. Wake Forest is the only doctoral or research institution in the U.S. that can make this claim, according to data provided by the Institute for International Education’s Open Doors Reports.
20150819worldwidewake5619.jpg
20150819worldwidewake5688.jpg
20150819worldwidewake5705.jpg
20150819worldwidewake5770.jpg
20150819worldwidewake6041.jpg
20150819worldwidewake5860.jpg
20150819worldwidewake5932.jpg
20150819worldwidewake5951.jpg

home-cooked conversation

As an introduction to the sense of connection faculty and students share at Wake Forest, first-year students enjoyed the chance to dine in the homes of faculty and staff.

20150819first6855.jpg
20150819first6856.jpg
20150819first6903.jpg
20150819worldwidewake6247.jpg
20150819worldwidewake6442.jpg

Words of wisdom

As part of a workshop dedicated to diversity and inclusion, Politics Professor Melissa Harris-Perry (’94) told students to embrace challenges. “College is supposed to be hard,” she said. “It’s also supposed to be safe. We’re here for you. Come see us if you need us.”

20150823diversity3757.jpg
20150823diversity3943.jpg
20150823diversity4195.jpg
20150823diversity4337.jpg
20150823diversity4087.jpg
20150823diversity4359.jpg

SPEAK UP

At the First-Year Convocation ceremonies, President Nathan O. Hatch encouraged students to approach faculty members without trepidation. “Faculty love conversational partners,” he said. “So make sure you engage them at every opportunity.” Michele Gillespie, dean of Wake Forest College, likewise urged the attendees to be bold. “Use your education to break down barriers and boundaries created by the familiar and the comfortable,” she said.

20150824convocation4704.jpg
20150824convocation5069.jpg
20150824convocation4768.jpg
20150824convocation4802.jpg
20150824convocation4822.jpg
20150824convocation4718.jpg
20150824convocation4861.jpg
Footnote: Photos by University Photographer Ken Bennett. Video by WFU multimedia producer Mike Shaw.
Wake Forest University, Wake Forest Road, Winston-Salem, NC, United States