News | Old Gold & Black
Thursday, March 23, 2017 | Page 3
Deacon Profile: Barrett Redmond
BY LAUREN RAVERET Contributing Writer ravelh15@wfu.edu “I love the Pit” is not what you usually hear from Wake Forest students. However, senior Barrett Redmond says it regularly and with utmost sincerity. She loves the dining hall’s sense of community and its “mixed bag of people.” However, many students don’t go for the "mixed bag," choosing instead to eat with friends that they already know. Redmond is trying to change this. In early November last year, Redmond and two friends, Sophia Dodd and Courtney Ergen, started an initiative called "Dinner with 7 Strangers" at Wake Forest. It was modeled after a similar program at Georgetown University. Participants who signed up online were randomly grouped with six other people to eat a dinner together. And now, thanks to funding from Wake Forest’s Center for Global Programs and Studies, participants can not only get to know a wider range of students, but also eat for free. Redmond, Dodd and Ergen felt the need for "Dinner with 7 Strangers" at Wake Forest because Greek life and sports tend to separate Wake Forest students, similarly to how exclusive clubs at Georgetown divide students into niches. “Not that our campus is totally divided, but once you find your niche you stick to your niche,” Redmond said. “By the end of senior year, nobody’s looking for a new best friend. Everybody’s all friended up.” The initiative started out as their “Legacy Project” for a business school leadership course, but the three seniors independently decided to implement it outside of class, even without the free food incentive. Before even taking the class, Redmond had applied in the spring 2016 for an entrepreneurship grant for "Dinner with 7 Strangers," but was turned down because it was for a campus initiative, not a start-up business. However, when Sandra McMullen in the Center for Global Programs and Studies read the Old Gold & Black article last November that featured "Dinner with 7 Strangers," she met with Barrett and her team to discuss possible funding. "I was very struck by the purpose of "Dinner with 7 Strangers" and how it could dovetail nicely into our office’s efforts to foster cultural understanding on campus,” McMullen said. Instead of requiring the participants to pay $5 for each meal, students can now sign up for "Dinner with 7 Strangers" at no charge. "We wanted it to be a really inclusive thing, but having to pay $5 doesn’t make it as inclusive,” Redmond said. “It kind of goes against everything that we’re trying to do.” Although Dodd and Ergen are very involved with the initiative, Ergen admits that Redmond was the mastermind behind it all. “Barrett really is the brains, but also the heart behind everything,” Ergen said. “It makes it easy to work with her and want to get things done when you see how much she cares.” Redmond discovered the power of grouping strangers to-
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gether while working for Outdoor Pursuits, a program that takes Wake Forest students on outdoor trips. “I feel as if the trips are almost little microcosms of Wake Forest and it’s been so awesome to see all these different types of people interacting and getting along,” Redmond said. “I thought that more people need to experience that.” Redmond also started the Instagram account “pitstagram_ wfu” in September of 2014, which now has over 1,000 followers. The account features pictures of creative dishes that Redmond makes at the Pit. “Everyone always complains about the Pit,” Redmond said, “but look how many fresh ingredients are there that you can mix up and make something really awesome and beautiful out of.” Now, instead of mixing up ingredients, Redmond is using "Dinner with 7 Strangers" to mix up people. “Everyone complains how everyone’s so segregated but they don’t do anything about it,” Redmond said. “I really like just doing things. I get tired of talking.” Despite the apparent social segregation on campus, there is
no lack of enthusiasm for getting to know strangers. When Redmond first launched "Dinner with 7 Strangers," 75 people signed up within the first two days. “This is something people really want to do,” Redmond said. “I just feel like they didn’t know how to do it before.” Redmond is a Business and Enterprise Management major with a concentration in Nonprofit Management, and a double minor in Studio Art and Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise. “[Dinner with 7 Strangers] has been a really cool way to apply the culmination of my education here at Wake Forest and give back in a really small way,” Redmond said. Since she and her co-founders are seniors, Redmond is looking for someone passionate to take over "Dinner with 7 Strangers" when she leaves. She is also looking for a job for after graduation, but she does not want just any job. “I want it to be something that gives back to somebody else,” Redmond said. “It’s hard to find an entry level position like that. I’m very picky, which I guess is a good thing. Not a picky eater. But I’m a picky experiencer.”
POLICE BEAT • Subject(s) removed a Patagonia jacket from an unlocked locker in the Miller Center. The report was filed on March 13 at 11:37 a.m. • Subject blackmailed a student through the Internet. The report was filed on March 17 at 5:27 p.m. from UPC. • Subject(s) removed the victim's tablet and cell phone from a book bag while it was in an unsecured locker on Vine St. The report was filed on March 17 at 12:20 p.m. • WSPD responded to a noise complaint and issues verbal warning to the renter of the property on Waycross Dr. The report was filed on March 17 at 11:47 p.m. • A fire alarm was activated in Poteat. The report was filed on March 18 at 12:24 a.m.
• A non-student offender who was visiting friends was intoxicated and disruptive at Subway on Hearn Plaza. The report was filed on March 18 at 2:02 a.m. • An underage student was intoxicated and transported to Student Health from Luter. The report was filed on March 18 at 2:43 a.m. • Offender dislocated a victim's right ring finger. The victim drove to the hospital and refused to prosecute. The report was filed on March 18 at 3:43 p.m. • Subject(s) removed an unsecured gym bag from the corner of Manchester Athletic Center. The report was filed on March 19 at 6:41 p.m.
OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE
Correction: "Students Work to Cre- Latest European act of terror- Nunes claims some of Trump's ism kills four ate A NewWinston-Salem Flag" communications were intercepted In last week's issue, the Old Gold & Black published an article entitled "Students Work to Create a New Winston-Salem Flag" that stated that both founders of the movement, Jared Benckert and Michael Littrell, were freshmen at Wake Forest. In fact, Benckert does not attend Wake Forest and plans to attend NC State in the fall. Littrell is a freshman at Wake Forest. We apologize for any confusion.
On Wednesday, March 22, an assailiant fatally stabbed a police officer near the British Parliament after driving a vehicle through a crowd of pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Four people have been confirmed dead and 40 more have been injured. British Prime Minister Theresa May said, "The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions, and cultures come together."
House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes claimed on March 22 that members of Donald Trump's transition team were subjected to inadvertent surveillance after the election. At the White House press briefing, Sean Spicer read from Nunes' statement and Trump said he feels somewhat vindicated. The Director of the FBI James Comey confirmed that the FBI launched an investigation in Russia's possible meddling.