While there are many campus traditions in which you will participate over the next four years, here are five of the most notable.
Rolling the Quad
Start stashing rolls of toilet paper now, new Deacons, in hopes that Wake Forest’s athletic teams will pull off a big victory soon! When this happens, grab your rolls of toilet paper and rush to the upper quad with your friends in tow as you join the Wake Forest community in this frenetic fan-favorite tradition. Once you have mastered the art of haphazardly adorning the trees with strands of toilet paper, you will be able to bask in the glory of the finished toilet paper masterpiece every time that you walk by Wait Chapel over the next few days.
Hit the Bricks
Whether or not you’re athletically inclined, this annual relay race is a great way to become immersed in the Pro Humanitate spirit by joining students, faculty and staff as they raise money for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund. You can participate by running just a few laps around the upper quad or by staying the whole time to run and cheer on your friends. Either way, you won’t want to miss out on the remembrance lap at the end of the day, when everyone walks around the luminary-lined path in silence as they remember those who have battled cancer.
Project Pumpkin
Starting to notice a pattern? This event also centers on the upper quad, which once again becomes a hub of Demon Deacon activity as Wake Forest hosts a Halloween-themed night for children from the Winston-Salem community to come and trick-or-treat. You can become involved as a volunteer, leading children from booth to booth around the quad, or you can help at one of the booths manned by student organizations by running games and handing out candy.
Lovefeast
Plan to arrive early for this celebration, because the Wake Forest community fills the seats (and standing area) of Wait Chapel each December in eager anticipation of this heartwarming Moravian celebration of Christmas. During the event, the Christmas story is told, traditional hymns are sung, the Lovefeast meal consisting of a sweet bun and creamed coffee is served and candles are lit until the entire chapel is filled with light and song.
Wake ’N Shake
Each spring, this twelve-hour dance marathon attracts students from all corners of campus who seek to raise money and awareness for cancer research. You can participate by helping to plan the event as a committee member or dancing for a champion (a cancer survivor) during the event. You will be moved both physically, as the hype team teaches dances to the participants or as a rave commences, and emotionally, as the cancer survivors deliver inspirational speeches throughout the event.
A Final Note
As you become excited to participate in these campus traditions, just know that you will discover your own personal favorite traditions. By no means is this an exhaustive list of traditions; in fact, there are other events that might capture your attention, and you might decide to create your own small traditions among friends. You might want to witness the beauty of Lighting of the Quad, watch the Masters on Arnold Palmer Day or dance the night away at Shag on the Mag. Or you might start your own traditions, like gathering weekly with a close-knit group of friends at the Magnolia Room on Fridays to enjoy the sundae bar or sitting on the quad to hear the carillon bells every day at 5 o’clock or simply wearing a lucky (and hopefully recently washed) pair of socks to all of the football games.
