Old Gold & Black – "Covers the campus like the magnolias"

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Face to Face Speaker Forum debuts virtually

Face to Face Speaker Forum debuts virtually

In the first event of the annual series, Pulitzer Prize winning columnists Peggy Noonan and Eugene Robinson discuss the election

Elizabeth Maline, Online Managing Editor • October 22, 2020

The film stars Hollywood icons Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levit, Michael Keaton, Eddie Redmayne and many more. It follows the trial of eight war protesters during the late 1960s

Netflix release flooded with star performances

The new biopic from filmmaker Aaron Sorkin tells the true story of Vietnam ware protestors, known as the Chicago 7, on trial for inciting riots

Eric Omorogieva, Staff Writer • October 22, 2020

Cristiano Ronaldo has recently tested positive for COVID-19 (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

Rise in COVID-19 cases plagues European soccer

Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the most recent stars to catch the virus

Charles Horn, Staff Writer • October 22, 2020

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields will be on the hunt for the Heisman trophy during his second season as the starter for the Buckeyes (Christian Petersen/Getty Images/TNS)

CFB: Big Ten set to return with a bang

Several ranked teams will take the field for the first time this weekend as Big Ten play begins

Ben Conroy, Sports Editor • October 22, 2020

RB Derrick Henry has been a star for the Titans so far this season (Merton Ferron/The Baltimore Sun/TNS)

COVID-19 continues to linger around the NFL

Despite best efforts, the NFL still remains in a state of near-constant flux

Jake Singer, Staff Writer • October 22, 2020

Photo courtesy of Jason Wagner (pictured left)

Deacon Spotlight: Jason Wagner

Cooper Sullivan, Staff Writer • October 22, 2020

After President Hatch first announced he will be retiring at the end of the academic year, the university has since released its plan to search for the next president. The search will be spearheaded by a 17-person committee composed of board of trustee members, alumni, parents, faculty and one student. Gerald Roach, the chair of the Board of Trustees, will also serve as the chair of the search committee. The larger university community can engage with this search process in multiple way–– through a short survey that any affiliated individual can fill out, a form to recommend a candidate, or in a Call to Conversation-style listening session for students, faculty, staff and alumni. Roach explained that the hiring process will be guided by community input, and there is no official timeline or deadline in place. In an interview with the Old Gold & Black last week, Hatch shared his advice to the next president of the university. “…I think you have to dream big and I’ve always said we’re radically traditional and radically innovative. You don’t want ten years from now Wake Forest to be the same…” Photo courtesy of Wake Forest University. Read more from Olivia Field (’21) at the link in our bio.

After hitting the highest number of new cases within a single day this semester, Wake Forest University has made the decision to switch campus activity operation status from Yellow to Orange. The Orange level brings about a new set of preemptive guidelines over the next 10 days to “help reduce the spread of the virus within our community.” Wake will switch to take-out dining options only, suspend large gathering events, move in-person plans to an online format, increase the number of asymptomatic tests performed weekly, and minimize the flow of students between on and off-campus sites. Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue explains the increase at Wake follows a similar pattern to that of Forsyth County and North Carolina, and the sudden spike in figures is not cause for alarm right now. “The general feeling is of trust that the Wake Forest community will be able to weather another spike in COVID-19 cases on campus,” writes Lima. Graphic by Olivia Field/Old Gold & Black. Click the link in our bio for the full story from Rafael Lima (’21).

Today at 10am, Wake Forest University has made the decision to change the campus operating level from Yellow to Orange. “This decision comes after thorough analysis of recent trends in positive COVID-19 cases in our community.” The school expects to see rising numbers for a few more days as they continue the expansion of contact tracing and quarantining. The school will re-evaluate in 10 days and decide wether or not to go back to Yellow and conclude the semester, or go to Red. This is a developing story.

On Tuesday, Oct. 13th, President Hatch announced to the university community that he will be retiring from Wake Forest in June, or until his position is filled. Hatch had intended to first announce his retirement this summer, before the pandemic hit. “When I originally came in, the kind of understanding was 10 years, but things were going well. We were energetic and so it was logical to stay longer,” Hatch said. “It wasn’t at all a sudden decision. It wasn’t at all related to COVID-19. If this year had been a disaster and I needed to stay, I would have done that, but I think our community’s very stable. Click the link in our bio to read more about Hatch’s time as President from from Elizabeth Maline (21). (Photo courtesy of the Office of the President)

The professor who emailed Regen was reported for inappropriately kissing a student on the forehead and leaving inappropriate comments on a Facebook post she was tagged in. He claims in a piece he wrote defending himself on the SAVE website that this student falsely reported the incident as retaliation for him failing her. The insinuation that a young, impressionable woman would put herself through the Title IX reporting process based on a lie is slanderous at the very least, and incredibly destructive. Click the link in our bio to read more from Catherine Regen (’21). Photo Credits: Catherine Regen/Old Gold & Black.

The third installation of Alexandra Karlinchak’s (’22) mental health series focuses on the The University Counseling Center (UCC), as it continues to function without a full-time director and is currently understaffed at 75% of work capacity. Students have taken notice, and are frustrated with the lack of attention the administration has given to offices dedicated to mental health support. Click the link in our bio to read more about how students compare and contrast pre- and post-COVID-19 experiences at the Counseling Center. Photo Credits: Katie Fox/Old Gold & Black. For urgent mental health crises anytime, call 336.758.5273. To make an appointment with the UCC, 336.758.5273

While Wake Forest is doing everything in its power to demand that the university community abide by public health guidelines, the Editorial Board asks that the university do more to proactively prepare for and anticipate a traumatic event. Click the link in our bio to read the whole editorial piece.

The first flyer, which was put up in multiple rooms in the ZSR library on September 17th, posed the, “Tired of wearing that mask?” and included a QR code that leads to a website titled “Not From a http://Bat.com”–– referencing the debunked conspiracy theory that COVID-19 was created in a laboratory. Staff across campus were instructed to remove the flyers, as the university has continued to provide accurate updates to the community via official communication. “If we encounter and believe mis/disinformation about a disease — it can lead us to do things that endanger ourselves and others. So if we don’t want to wear a mask — and really who does? —and we hear something that says ‘masks are dangerous’ we are more likely to believe it even if the science says that masks are pretty effective at stopping the transmission of the virus,” Rosalind Tedford, the director for research and instruction in the ZSR Library said. Click the link in our bio to read more from Olivia Field (’21).

Students have the ability to flip the script in the 2020 election. Voter turnout rates among Wake students have been below 50% over the past four elections, and according to the campus report from the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education, 76.1% of Wake Forest students registered to vote, but only 43.3% of registered students actually cast a ballot in 2012. And in 2016, the voter registration rate decreased to 73.2%, and only 41.1% of registered Wake Forest voters cast ballots. Click the link in our bio to read more about voter registration efforts on campus and youth voter turnout statistics from Melissa Cooney (’21). Graphic by Emily Beauchamp/Old Gold & Black.

The passing of Ruth Bader Ginsberg on September 18th was a devastating loss for this country. However, there is one thing that RBG’s passing has given us–– the motivation to do our part in this coming election. “One can only hope that her passing has lit a fire within women everywhere, reminded them of the fragility of their rights and most importantly, reminded everyone how important their voice and their vote will be in November,” Marcheli writes. Click the link in our bio to read the full opinion piece from Sophia Marcheli (’23). Photo Credit: Roger Wollenberg/Abaca Press/TNS

Read part 2 of Alexandra Karlinchak’s mental health series at the link in our bio to learn more about ResilientWake, Gold Apron Cooking, Well being coaching, and more. If you would like to learn more about the services that the THRIVE Office provides, call the office at 336-758-3089 or go to thrive.wfu.edu

There has been a total of 1,258 random tests performed thus far, resulting in 13 positive test results. This demonstrates a 1% positive testing rate among asymptomatic students. And as of Wednesday, Sept. 23, the COVID-19 cases on campus have continued to rise to 127 cases, though the rate of increase in cases has decreased by 17.1% in comparison to the previous week. Click the link in our bio to read more about these statistics and how SneezSafe helps contain COVID-19 from Isabella Mason (’24).

This fall, disrespecting the COVID-19 restrictions that have been put in place on campus is considered a violation of the student Code of Conduct–– and subject to the normal range of sanctions from educational requirement to suspension or expulsion. Despite achieving larger compliance from students, faculty and staff over the past month, police reports of students breaking social distancing and safety rules have also been a frequent occurrence this semester. “We are trying to keep everyone on campus for the rest of the year and we are trying to keep the faculty, staff and everyone that works here safe. There are a lot more risks [involved] than just you getting COVID-19 …” Wake senior and Co-chair of the Board of Investigators & Advisors, Maddy Harris said. Click the link in our bio for the full story from Rafael Lima (’21).

On Saturday, Sept. 12, former Wake student Jack Harrison took the field as the first Deacon ever to play in the Premier League against a most formidable opponent in 2020 Premier League champions, Liverpool. He scored Leed’s first goal in the EPL since 2004. Click the link in our bio to read more from Charles Horn (’22).

With the pandemic bringing an onslaught of mental health challenges for Wake Forest students, many feel isolated due to online classes and limited human contact, overwhelmed, and overworked. The first part of Alexandra Karlinchak’s (‘22) new mental health series explores The Chaplain’s Office. The Office of the Chaplain is inclusive to everyone, regardless of the religion (or lack thereof) that one practices, offering care, mindfulness-based coaching, and lessons in “cultivating positive states of mind such as gratitude, joy and compassion.” Click the link in our bio for the full piece, and stay tuned for the rest of the series. If you are interested in talking with Rev. Auman about your current life situation, want to join KORU Mindfulness, or are interested in learning more about mindfulness itself, call the Office of the Chaplain at 336.758.5210

“The Earth is in danger. This headline has circulated so many times in this century that the sentence has lost its meaning. Although history has shown constant patterns of natural fires, the inevitable march of our global population has created a far more erratic and dangerous modality. Across the recent decade, the amount of global wildfires has increased statistically — with extremely significant environments being threatened and millions of acres of property being destroyed. But this is just the beginning of the future devastation that is headed our way.” While many people are well aware about the current struggles in our ecosystems, these issues often feel far off, and their effects delayed. Read more from Connor McNeely (‘23) at the link in our bio.

“Brian was a great example of how everyone can have a positive impact on those we served everyday. He found joy in his interaction with staff and students,” Vice President of Hospitality and Auxiliary Services John Wise said. “This is truly a sad loss for our campus family.” Click the link in our bio for the full article.

One week ago, the reported number of positive COVID-19 cases according to Wake’s dashboard was 54. As of yesterday, Sept. 16, that number has increased to 103, a 90.7% increase in one week. This increased number of positive cases follows the launch of Wake Forest’s random testing program, which started during the week of Aug. 31st, testing approximately 500 random students weekly. Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue discussed with the Old Gold & Black the recent increase of COVID-19 cases among the university community, as well as the circumstances might cause the Wake Forest campus to shift from the “yellow zone” to the Orange color status. “From the experience at other campuses, the reasons schools have gone into a more restricted status arise from superspreader events where asymptomatic individuals spread the virus — knowingly or unknowingly — to such a large number of contacts that it becomes impossible to perform contact tracing in a timely manner,” Rue said. Click the link in our bio to read more from Jessica Mark (‘23).

Listen to the trailer for our new podcast, Deacs & Democracy! Follow along as our host, Online Managing Editor Elizabeth Maline (‘21), features what members of the Wake Forest community are doing to engage with the upcoming 2020 election— especially in a battleground state as vital as North Carolina. Click the link in our bio to subscribe, and stay tuned for the first episode! 🎙

“In 2011 when local entrepreneur Cary Clifford, an artist and baker, needed to move everything from refrigerators to egg cartons from the basement kitchen at Krankies Coffee to a storefront on Fourth Street, a diehard group of friends made it happen. With that step, what started as baking for fun turned into a real business: Camino Bakery.” Click the link in our bio to learn more about Clifford’s journey, her experience being a business owner during COVID-19, and her love for her community. Article by Emma Rieves (‘21). First photo credits: Emma Rieves/Old Gold & Black, the rest are courtesy of @caminobakery on Instagram.

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"Covers the campus like the magnolias"

"Covers the campus like the magnolias"