OLD GOLD&BLACK WAKE FOREST UNIVERSIT Y
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OPINION
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VOL. 96, NO. 29
Housing policy could change social scene Page 4
T H U R S DAY, A P R I L 2 5 , 2 01 3
oldgoldandblack.com
Are we really “Work Forest”?
Possible changes for the university stores Page 5
Sitting down with Arnold Palmer Page 12 Graphic by Elizabeth Ropp/Old Gold & Black
Wake Forest University was ranked the 13th most rigorous university in the nation by Newsweek in 2011, supporting the idea held by many students that Wake Forest has earned the nickname “Work Forest.”
Baseball on four game win streak Page 17 Things in Winston to do this summer Page 19 Student Profile: Gracie Harrington Page 20 Nation supports Boston through sports Page 9 A senior reflects on the last four years Page 10 Ogburn: A look at northern Spain oldgoldandblack.com
Student and university expectations of a proper student workload are often dramatically different BY IAN RUTLEDGE Executive News Editor rutlig11@wfu.edu The complaint of the all-nighter in the ZSR, the desire for another cup of coffee to get through that term paper or the fear of the upcoming tests are all complaints that are commonly heard across campus here at
“Work Forest.” But the question is: does the university earn this nickname? Students commonly refer to the university as “Work Forest” due to the belief that the university has an abnormally high workload compared to other four-year universities, even ones of the same caliber. According to Newsweek’s 2011 college rankings, Wake Forest University is the 13th most rigorous university in the nation, making it more rigorous than Stanford University, Yale University or Harvard University. “The expectation is that for every one credit hour, students will spend two hours working outside of class,” Ross Griffith, Director
of Institutional Research and Academic Administration, said. Other administrators believe that although not all students may meet these expectations, Wake students put in as much outside effort into their classwork as students at other top-ranked universities. “The students I work with report a wide range of time they put in on their academics,” Van Westervelt, Director of the Learning Assistance Center & Disability Services, said. “I would say it is somewhere between one to two hours of outside class work per
See Work Forest, Page 5
Mental health issues rarely examined Students feel the rigorous work load contributes to mental health issues, which often receive little attention BY ADE ILESANMI Opinion Editor ilesao11@wfu.edu The mental health of the average American citizen is a topic that has grown in importance over the past few years. Of the various aspects of general human health and illness, mental disorders remain the least understood and most stigmatized, as confirmed by a finding from the Center for Disease and Control (CDC) in 2011. The CDC reported that only 25 percent of adults with symptoms of mental illness believed that people are caring and sympathetic to persons with mental illnesses. Much like the general public, students at the university lack knowledge on mental health issues faced by their peers. “I vaguely remember Mrs. Woodard [professor of Health and Exercise Science] talking
Graphic by Lauren Lukacsko/Old Gold & Black
Many university students believe that a social stigma surrounding mental health issues causes a lack of discussion of mental health on campus. about the counseling center and how they have people there who you can talk to if you are having any number of problems like depression, anxiety or stress,” sophomore Beth
Hanson said. While some students, such as Hanson, have never been to the counseling
See Counseling, Page 7