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NEWS
Survey:
SG leaders explain importance
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“Our role is to help in advising the rollout of the survey and eventually advising in terms of how we respond to the report of the survey,” Agudelo said. “So right now, a lot of our work has been preparing promotional stuff, getting ready to help with the rollout of the survey and making sure we’re getting a lot of responses. Ultimately, the best and most effective way for this survey to be successful is to have a good response rate.”
Leading up to the release of the survey, the Wake Forest Student Government Instagram account, @wake_sg, posted social media graphics explaining the survey and its purpose. Student Government also intends to talk to student organizations about how to best inform students about the survey and its importance.
“Our hope is that this is something students appreciate and want to see succeed just as much as we do,” Buttler said. “I think something that we want to make clear is that change can’t be made unless it is a community effort. This is something that could certainly affect change if students take it seriously and participate, which is why we’re passionate about getting the word out and ensuring that we get as high a response rate as possible.”
He continued: “If we get a response rate that’s below 10% or in the teens, I don’t think we would be able to make decisions that are reflective of student experiences, and we probably wouldn’t be able to create policy that is centered around supporting survivors and trying to make Wake Forest a safer community for everyone.”
Agudelo and Buttler hope the responses of the survey will be as reflective of the student population as possible, reaching all demographics.
Buttler discussed how the survey vendor NORC does its best to ensure the responses of the survey are representative of the entire campus community.
“It’s going to be a continual conversation with [NORC] so they can update us throughout the time that the survey is out,” Buttler said. “Say that maybe one certain demographic group hasn’t answered in a way that is equivalent to other demographic groups across campus, then administrators or the SAPSA Committee can create targeted interventions to get these groups to take a survey to ensure that we are hearing all the voices across campus.”
In this process, student input has been paramount.
“We’ve been in and out of meetings with [NORC] and the Office of the President, and they really do appreciate the feedback that we’ve given as students, which has been a really great experience,” Buttler said.
Agudelo noted that various campus communities can foster conversations by promoting the goal of the survey and echoing the desire for diverse responses.
“I think another part of it is relying on our committee members, there are 20 committee members in total,” Agudelo said. “And we’re all from different facets of campus. We all have different connections on campus — Greek life, non-Greek life, students of color, women, men, nonbinary, etc.”
“We can’t cover every identity on campus, and we’re not from every single corner of campus. But the hope is that through word of mouth and through people who are passionate about this work, we’re all having conversations with people in our vicinity, and then that way we get the responses that we need.”
Agudelo emphasized that the hope is for students to feel secure and comfortable when taking the survey.
“We’re focusing on making sure [students] have the resources [while taking the survey] and making sure they have the support services they need,” Agudelo said. “If they need to step away from the survey, it saves, and you don’t have to do it all in one sitting. You can take a break from answering questions and reach out to support services on campus if you need to.”
Wake Forest students have been sent an email containing the survey. The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete, according to a graphic provided by Student Government, and all information collected is confidential. The survey is slated to close on March 31.
Contact Emily Toro at toroer20@wfu.edu
Students exult in first spring break since 2020
MADDIE STOPYRA Staff Writer
Last week, Wake Forest students had their rst spring break since 2020. Campus remained open and accessible to those who wished to remain on campus, but students were given the opportunity to leave campus and take a break from academic life.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, Wake Forest has been unable to hold a formal spring break since 2020. In 2020, students left campus for what they thought would only be a week-long spring break, only to not return to campus because of COVID-19. Wake Forest continued its classes remotely for the remainder of the semester. In 2021, because of the delayed start to the semester and to prevent students from traveling and being exposed to COVID-19, the university did not o er a spring break. Instead, only two rest days were given o the entire semester.
Residential Advisor and sophomore Anabel Ford explained the toll the lack of rest took on her mental health.
“Last year, I had to go home for a few weeks because my health was so bad,” Ford said. “I had no break and no time to stop and recharge, which is when our brains are best at solving problems we can’t gure out otherwise.”
Freshman omas Peterson also expressed his desire for a period of rejuvenation.
“I’m pumped for the time to myself because you don’t get a lot of that during school,” Peterson said. “I will be refreshed and ready when I return to the chaotic cyclone that is college next week.”
Not only does spring break provide students with rest, the week o of classes allows professors the chance to step away from the classroom as well. Professor Alyssa Howards noted this fact and explained the noticeable change on campus after spring break.
“Even if students don’t travel, I think spring break is an important time to press the ‘reset’ button — this applies to both students and faculty,” Howards said.
She continued: “Also, for me, it’s always been an important transition from winter drudgery to summer. Everything after break always seems so di erent — the campus is in bloom, it’s warmer, people are happier. It’s amazing how this all happens in the span of 10 days. I think all of this adds lightness and joy to the campus, and certainly, that can help us all with our work and mental health.”
Prior to spring break, snow days and the recent Weaver Fertilizer plant re a ected students’ ability to establish and maintain a regular routine.
“I absolutely think this semester has been abnormal, especially because of the snow and re days o ,” Ford said. “It’s caused me to struggle to nd a routine or groove that I can get into, which always makes my mental health devolve a bit.”
Because of the lack of routine and abnormal schedule, students have admitted a stronger sense of academic burnout leading up to spring break. When asked about her level of stress and academic stamina, freshman Ellie Howell noted that her course load has caused an increase in burnout.
“I have de nitely gotten burnt out this semester,” Howell said. “I am taking 17 credit hours, and every class seemed to ramp up at the same time. ese past two weeks have been very challenging, and there are times when I have to take a break simply because my brain can’t function anymore.”
When asked about the e ects of COVID-19 on his students and the absence of a mid-semester break, Professor John Welsh praised his students for their openness to express their exhaustion and sometimes even their lack of motivation in college.
“One of the greatest strengths of this generation of students is their willingness to speak openly about mental health,” Welsh said. “Since the pandemic, the increase in the number of students who speak to me about mental health issues has been remarkable — astonishing even,” Welsh said.
Alongside being honest with professors about a shift in morale, students o ered advice to their peers regarding academic burnout.
“Some advice for my peers would be to not be afraid of taking time o , even if it’s for 15 minutes,” Ford said. “If you have been staring at an assignment for what feels like hours with no solution in sight, take a break. Go for a walk, eat a snack, recharge your brain. Burnout is real and a ects everyone in di erent ways. Use your extra time to aid yourself in that way.”
Contact Maddie Stopyra at stopmf21@wfu.edu
POLICE BEAT
Larceny:
• An unknown subject(s) took a student’s cell phone from an unlocked vehicle in Lot M. WSPD tracked the phone to an o -campus location. e student refused to press charges. e report was led on March 11 at 7:56 p.m.
Physics professor wins prestigious grant
Oana Jurchescu receives ‘Special Creativity’ extension for National Science Foundation grant
BREANNA LAWS Staff Writer
Dr. Oana Jurchescu became the first Wake Forest University professor to receive a Special Creativity extension on her current grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This award honors some of the NSF’s most creative and innovative researchers, and selection is based on a researcher’s past performance and ingenuity of their current research methods.
While at Wake Forest, Jurchescu has received many distinctions for her research and teaching. She was named Wake Forest’s Baker Family Professor of Physics in 2021, one of the highest honors the College can award a faculty member.
Additionally, she is a member of the Executive Committee of the Division of Materials Physics within the American Physical Society and a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Jurchescu is a part of a team of researchers from Wake Forest University, the University of Kentucky and Princeton University. The National Science Foundation awarded these researchers with an 18-month extension of their current research grant on March 8. These extensions are a rare honor, and Jurchescu and her team are excited to utilize those funds in fueling their research efforts.
“The award recognizes the impact that our past research has had in the field of flexible electronics and provides funding for the continuation of our efforts but now with a sharp focus on high-risk, high-reward projects,” Jurchescu said.
The team’s research initiative is known as OSCAR — Organic Semiconductors by Computation on the Accelerated Refinement. This project is run through NSF’s Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer Our Future program. The mission of this program is to develop new methods for the design of organic semiconductors.
The goal of the project is to help expedite the time between conceptualization and commercialization for optoelectronic materials and devices that emit or detect light. The main focus of Jurchescu’s group is developing flexible electronic screens and finding cost-effective ways to manufacture them.
During OSCAR’s first five years, the team published more than 50 manuscripts and developed a new class of high-mobility organic semiconductors. With the extension of its grant, the team can now work on cutting-edge methods to get flexible electronics technology on the market more quickly.
“With support from this extension, we hope to break into real applications like X-ray detectors,” Jurchescu said. “We will develop lightweight, flexible sensors that could improve the quality of healthcare.”
Jurchescu also explained that the grant extension is particularly useful since her area of research is primarily dominated by trial-and-error approaches. Her team not only looks to create new methods for creating flexible electronics, but they also must ensure that these electronics prove to be powerful, reliable and cost-effective.
“[Trial-and-error approaches] are not only time-consuming, but also wasteful,” Jurchescu said. “Our team is combining computational studies with synthesis, processing and characterization to shorten this path. We are very honored to receive this special award from NSF, and I am very excited to work on these projects alongside my collaborators.”
Contact Breanna Laws at lawsbn21@wfu.edu
ESG@Wake initiative invites students to compete
$25,000 investment allows students to create solutions around environmental, social and governance factors
AINE PIERRE Online Managing Editor
Wake Forest University will commit $25,000 to student projects in the realm of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG), the university announced in a Feb. 24 press release.
The investment, billed ESG@ Wake, is part of a partnership between the Wake Forest School of Business and ESG award-winning company Windstream that features a video pitch competition open to all Wake Forest students, regardless of whether they are enrolled in the School of Business.
Students can submit video pitches until March 25. Prizes range from $5,000 for first place to $1,000 for third place. There will be three separate competitions, one focusing on the student as a stakeholder, one focusing on climate neutrality and one focusing on creating a globally inclusive Wake Forest. Students must compete in teams of at least three people.
“The ESG@Wake initiative and pitch competition is an important opportunity for Wake Forest students to learn about and be engaged in creating solutions around topics that matter most to them — like sustainability and social responsibility,” Interim Dean of the School of Business Michelle Roehm said. “This initiative will help prepare future business leaders to create solutions that address some of the world’s most pressing issues.”
Windstream CEO Tony Thomas, who earned his MBA from Wake Forest’s Business School, is excited about the project.
“It’s an honor to join the Wake Forest faculty and students for ESG@ Wake, an event that recognizes the importance of environmental, social and governance factors in creating value for institutional stakeholders,” Thomas said in a press release. “At Windstream, we believe setting and achieving aspirational ESG goals helps our business succeed while also ensuring we do our part as citizens of this planet.”
Junior Max Shenkman is studying ESG at Wake Forest as part of a custom concentration and plans to compete in the competition.
“We’re starting to develop our initiatives regarding the ways that Wake Forest can improve itself in terms of sustainability, in terms of diversity and in terms of creating inclusive communities at Wake Forest,” Shenkman said.
Shenkman said he always had an interest in ESG and currently works at Taulia, Inc., a financial technology company, as an ESG contractor.
He continued: “[Businesses must also ensure] that they are actually giving back to their communities and treating the people that they work with in respectful ways.” Shenkman said that he believes it is imperative to situate Wake Forest in a model of corporate governance.
“Corporate governance essentially means that Wake Forest uses its money, students serve as shareholders and the student body can give back and make sure that Wake Forest adheres to its wishes,” Shenkman said.
Shenkman believes that competitions like this — especially given Wake Forest’s partnership with Windstream — are encouraging to those who believe that ESG looms large in the future of business.
“It’s really encouraging that large organizations in the United States are valuing ESG, both for its monetary value as well as just being able to give back to the community at large,” Shenkman said.
Shenkman encouraged students to get involved, as well, citing ESG’s professional value.
“ESG is a really amazing opportunity for students to learn about,” Shenkman said. “I think that ESG is probably one of the top three skills that are demanded by employers right now in any type of corporation. So the message that I would have to the other students at Wake is essentially just to get involved with this because it’s going to be something you’re seeing a lot more of later on.”
Contact Aine Pierre at pierav20@wfu.edu
