Issuu

THE

MAGNOLIA FALL 2023

M Head of Writing Maddie Stopyra

Visual Director Sarah MacDougald

Head of Design Oliver Hale

Design Maryam Khanum Una Wilson Adam Coil

Head of Photography Evan Harris Photography Lucius You Maryam Khanum Meredith Power Cooper Sullivan Shaila Prasad

Writers Prarthna Batra Brody Leo Ella Klein Una Wilson Adam Coil Maddie Stopyra

Jackie Sparnicht Maryam Khanum Badr Merdassi Shaila Prasad Aine Pierre Breanna Laws Oscar Bray Aaron Nataline Editor Christa Dutton

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENTS

ith the fourth edition of The Magnolia, we have taken the time to reflect, look inward and examine the nuances of campus life that make each student interpret Wake Forest so differently. Despite the fact that we all attend the same university, our experiences are each inherently contrasting. No two students here have had the same college journey, nor do they have the same perception of Wake Forest. That is why, across campus, the term Work Forest takes on drastically different meanings. In this semester’s issue, we wanted to assess the unspoken, under-appreciated labor that students partake in. From academics and extracurriculars to mental health and interpersonal relationships, there are so many aspects of student life that give rise to the term ‘Work Forest’. For some, the term is a joke. For others, it has come to epitomize a way of life. We hope to further unpack the term in this issue and see what it can teach us about Wake Forest as an academic institution. A foundational principle for each edition of The Magnolia magazine thus far has been a commitment to empathy. Because we believe that The Magnolia can be seen as “a small experiment with radical intent,” we aim to extend this guiding principle to students in our own circles, in our classes and in our organizations who live and work around us. We want to demonstrate how each one of us is fundamental to the institution that is Wake Forest

University. We depend on each other, and we should all do our part to look out for one another. Finally, we would like to thank everyone who contributed to this magazine — all of the people who worked so hard to make it come to fruition as well as those who shared their time, stories and opinions. We would like to thank Selinna Tran (‘23), in particular, who created The Magnolia in the spring of 2022, and whose efforts were foundational for the magazine you see today. This issue would not be possible without the help of these amazing individuals.

Maryam Khanum (‘24) Adam Coil (‘25) Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 03

Freshmen V. Seniors Students demonstrate their perceptions of Wake Forest at the beginning and end of their college journeys.

”Mental Callusing” Exploring the pressure to maintain a particular physical image while at college.

LGBTQ+ Experiences A conversation between students in the Wake Forest LGBTQ+ community.

rigor o

CONT 40

The Two-Way Street Work Forest on both ends of Greek life recruitment.

04 • THE MAGNOLIA • Contents

I Know About Money Low income students on student life at one of America’s wealthiest universities.

campu

n the

Is Work Forest Real? Professors speak on the quality and rigor of a Wake Forest education.

Work Forest’s Demon Deacons Student athletes detail their uniquely grueling schedules.

Resilience Rising How students of color have come to feel at home on campus.

TENTS 50

Scholars Underground The Scholars Program drives change on campus from within.

Ins and Outs Transfer students share their perspectives on Work Forest.

Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 05

Left: Lauren Mucher Middle: Gus Trombold Right: Elise Wood

Students trace the trajectory of their relationships with Work Forest over four years By Prarthna Batra Photos by Evan Harris

fter a series of interviews with freshmen and seniors across interdisciplinary majors, I have come closer to understanding how the concept of “Work Forest” develops as one progresses at Wake Forest. Kendall Pinsky, a freshman who plans to major in engineering, was familiar with the term Work Forest before she arrived on campus. In her hometown of Rockville Center, N.Y., Wake Forest upholds the reputation of being an academically rigorous school. “Work Forest isn’t just a term that I’ve heard on campus — it is often thrown around in my town, and it was something that I expected.” Pinsky’s expectations of “Work Forest” pertained to the quantity of academic work, but as she made her way through her first semester, Pinsky did not find it to be an unattainable expectation. “I think the idea of Work Forest is more of a mindset as opposed to actual insane amounts of work,” Pinsky

said. Pinsky’s understanding of Wake Forest is that it is an environment where everyone is willing and enthusiastic to put in the work that a good education demands. Senior Elise Wood’s perspective on Work Forest differs from that of a bright-eyed freshman. Wood is a senior from Atlanta, Ga., majoring in engineering with a concentration in mechanical engineering and minors in economics and Latin American studies. “I definitely agree with the phrase Work Forest. But at the same time, I don’t necessarily think that it is super different from other schools — at least for a demanding major like mechanical engineering.” Wood has spent many sleepless nights doing schoolwork because of the rigorous requirements that her major calls for. The engineering department at Wake Forest — despite being relatively new and having its first graduating class in 2021 — is one of the time-intensive programs at Wake Forest. A bachelor of science in engineering at Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 07

Wake Forest requires 77 hours, but that can easily in- prevalence of the plentiful resources she has been offered crease if students pursue a concentration. This rigorous by the business school. course load had a negative impact on Wood’s physical Because of the hard work and rigor that business school and mental health earlier on in her college career. students have to put in throughout their time at Wake “Freshman and sophomore year I used to pull a lot Forest, the job recruiting process that begins in the spring of all-nighters and was constantly stressed,” Wood said. semester of junior year can be extremely rewarding. “My sophomore year was my worst year mentally because The big four firms — Deloitte, Ernst and Young (EY), I had to double up on engineering classes in order to be KPMG and PWC — have a roundtable discussion at able to go abroad. I was so overwhelmed, I was barely so- Wake Forest with prospective students in the spring secializing and practically living in the library. I have come mester of their junior year. a long way since then, and have learned to manage my “The recruiting process for these jobs is probably the time better and also value my sleep. I know when to call easiest thing I have ever experienced. The firms already it quits and value my personal time deeply.” know that you are capable enough to do their job because Wood has spent more than 10 hours on a single engi- you have been through the rigorous work at Wake Forest, neering assignment on multiple occasions, as they can be so they hand out jobs plentifully,” Mucher said. a massive time commitment. Gus Trombold is a freshman from Seattle, Wash., who “Having AP credits count towards college courses plans to major in business and enterprise management would have helped me immensely,” Wood said. “Because (BEM). He is interested in mathematics and engineerI wouldn’t have had to retake so many ing, but he does not want to concenmath and science courses which delayed “This isn’t a school you can trate his undergraduate degree in only skate by at and even in the courses I had to take for my engione of those subjects. To him, the BEM this little amount of time, I major is appealing because of the ability neering requirements.” Pinsky, who is currently enrolled in have already figured that to pursue multiple things and create a Engineering 111 — the introductory out,” Trombold said. “The specific concentration within the major. prerequisite for her engineering major work-hard culture is very “Something very appealing about — does have some inhibitions about apparent here, but I don’t the business major to me is the security necessarily think it is a working toward an engineering degree. that it offers, and that it is the strength “It is definitely scary pursuing a bad thing and has a lot of of Wake Forest and what this school underlying benefits.” major from a department that is fairly boasts of,” Trombold said. —Gus Trombold (‘27) new,” Pinsky said about the engineering Despite only being at Wake Forest department, which began in 2017. for a few months, Trombold definitely Pinsky fears the lack of resources in departments other does feel the pressure of the environment and the stress of than the School of Business at Wake Forest, and especial- being at a school this academically rigorous. ly the lack of an extensive alumni network. “This isn’t a school you can skate by at and even in this The engineering department doesn’t have a wide alum- little amount of time, I have already figured that out,” ni network, because of being a program that was just Trombold said. “The work-hard culture is very apparent so recently established. Compared to programs like the here, but I don’t necessarily think it is a bad thing and has business school, the alumni network of the engineering a lot of underlying benefits.” department falls short. Mucher believes that the rigor of Work Forest has pre“Pursuing a STEM degree from a school that isn’t pared her really well for life post-graduation. She feels known for its science departments comes with its own that Wake Forest pushes her to work hard and holds her challenges,” she said. to high standards, making her a much more efficient However, these fears of lack of resources and support worker. from the school are not something that students in the “The professors in the business school have such a close School of Business fear. relationship with all their students that you feel the need Wake Forest’s undergraduate business program places to keep up the good work and performance, and it pushes in the top 10% at No. 39 among more than 400 U.S.-ac- you to work hard,” she said. “I’ve never worked harder in credited undergraduate business programs, making it one my entire life, but it is such a rewarding learning experiof the best and most resourceful in the nation. ence.” Lauren Mucher is a senior from Syracuse, NY, who is Mucher, at the end of her college career, feels extrememajoring in accounting with a minor in statistics. Much- ly well prepared for the goals she has outlined after her er, now at the end of her college career, recognizes the graduation from Wake Forest with a B.S. in accounting. 08 • THE MAGNOLIA • Freshmen v. Seniors

“I feel extremely prepared to take on the workforce, and I think the Work Forest rigor has done me good,” Mucher said. “It has enabled me to learn so much about myself and my capabilities, and I think at the end of it, it has been a very worthwhile experience despite the hardships.” Mucher believes that the downside of the rigorous environment at Wake Forest is how it has barely left her the time and mental capacity to enjoy her social interactions. “I never really have the time to hang out with friends as much as I want or be fully present when I do, because I am always stressed about the amount of work that I have to constantly keep up with,” she said. Despite not being able to enjoy her social life as much as she would like, Mucher still believes that the rigorous culture has benefited her. This is because she believes that everyone at this school is committed to their academics and their extracurricular activities that they are extremely passionate about, promoting overall growth. “The extracurriculars that I choose to partake in at this school, despite the rigorous academics, have helped shape me into the person I am academically, but also socially,” she said. “Being constantly surrounded by other hard-working students and people who are so passionate about everything they pursue, only pushed me further into the person I aspire to be.”

On campus, Mucher is involved in Alpha Kappa Psi — the on-campus professional fraternity of which she serves as president — and Ahuva, which is Christian-themed housing. Trombold believes that the environment of this school pushes students to be the best versions of themselves, but he does have a bone to pick with the divisional requirements and foreign language requirements at the school. He argues that the requirements are not all related to your major and interests and take up an unnecessary amount of time. “If I am paying for an education, I don’t want to follow their curriculum and want to be able to take the classes that I want.” Pinsky, however, believes that the liberal arts structure at Wake Forest encourages students to have a holistic learning experience and step out of their comfort zones, encouraging them to take classes they wouldn’t have otherwise. To freshmen who just arrived and seniors on their way out, Work Forest culture dictates their everyday lives. Looking back, seniors like Mucher realize how the difficult workload built up their character, preparing them for the real world outside of the Forest. After four years, the work does not go away, but it does become more manageable.

Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 09

XX • THE MAGNOLIA • Story Name

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ental callusing. That’s what my high school friend would repeat as he racked up 45s onto the barbell rack in his unfinished basement. He was setting up for a set of heavy Bulgarian split squats, the third movement on his late-night leg day sessions that I’d occasionally join. My legs were shaking by this point, and I wasn’t even sure what mental callusing meant. He was built, and I was skinny, so I nodded my head along. A year later, I had lost touch with that friend, but mental callusing

became a mantra of my own. Somewhere along the line though, it had become lost in translation, as I repeated mental callusing to myself as I choked down my third protein shake of the day in Luter Residence Hall during my freshman year of college. The physiological process of callusing starts with the breakdown and tearing of skin from abrasion, friction and irritation. Vulnerability sheds off, and the regrown skin is supposed to be stronger. Mental callusing meant putting yourself through painful means that justify

rewarding ends. In my friend’s basement, the means and ends were easy to define. The means were pushing yourself through discomfort to finish that set or complete one more rep, and the ends were physical and mental wellbeing. One year later, I wasn’t sure how to define those means and ends. The means of healthy discomfort? My restricted diet was worse than ever and my gym sessions were overscrutinized. The ends of well-being? I felt worse physically and mentally than ever before. Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 11

During the summer after my myself, I enjoy being active and freshman year, home-cooked meals feeling like I’m bettering myself from my mother brought me back every day in the gym. It’s more of to a healthier place. I spent a lot of a personal thing now than a social time that summer reflecting on how thing.” two semesters of Wake Forest had Freshman Seth Neitlich agreed changed my fundamental views of and added, “It just feels really good health, my body and my ego. to go every day. I know it was a I’m still trying to piece it all productive day if I can get into the together, which is why I took on this gym.” story. It seemed best to start at the I started to wonder whether this beginning, so I spoke to a group of was a non-story. Lifting weights is a freshman boys to see if they were lot like any other sport. To succeed, a having similar experiences during certain level of dedication is required. their transition to Wake Forest. Dedication is at times painful, I wasn’t surprised to hear that but in any other sport, we accept many of their experiences in the gym that pain as a part of what creates began with a focus on body image, greatness. That’s callusing, right? but their self-awareness of it all was Still, that did not feel like a sufficient impressive. Freshman explanation of what I Carter MacDonald had experienced and Because successes told me, “It started and failures can be what those freshmen out as a social thing. marked by aesthetic alluded to. My best friends were The freshmen did changes in the like, ‘Oh, you gotta bring up something that body, it becomes bulk up a little bit.’ So makes lifting unique extremely difficult I started to go because to separate a failure — the tangibility of its of that.” in our gym progress benefits. Their friend Gray from a failure of our Lowder said, “It’s Lowder (‘27) chimed fun because you can body and ourself. in, who spoke to visibly see results. With keeping fitness other sports, you can intuitive. He said, “You always have time yourself or win the match, but to go on what you know is healthy. it’s not quite as tangible as time as Your body doesn’t like it. Stressing progress in the gym.” your body too much is not healthy.” Neitlich also spoke to that. Overall, they were insistent on the “Some days, you look at your gym being an overall positive space muscles, and you just don’t like what for self-improvement. you see. And other days you, you “Now, it’s more that I enjoy the feel good. I definitely notice it now. lifestyle benefits of it,” MacDonald Before I started going to the gym, I said. “I enjoy feeling better about never noticed it.” 12 • THE MAGNOLIA • Mental Callusing

“Our entire lives are more or less streamlined toward our goals in the gym.”

Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • XX

That is exactly what makes the gym addicting and dangerous — the tangibility of progress reflected in your own body. Because successes and failures can be marked by aesthetic changes in the body, it becomes difficult to separate a failure in our gym progress from a failure of our body and our self as a whole. Failure is a crucial part of fitness, both in a literal, physiological sense and in a psychological one. We seek to push our exercises to failure since muscular growth arises out of failure. We set lofty personal goals, and if they’re good goals, we’ll fail before reaching them. In fitness, failure seems to both be the agent of self-improvement and the cause of personal insecurity. Is there a way to pick our outcome or are the two mutually exclusive? In almost every conversation I had, there was a common thread in navigating this dichotomy — finding healthy, intrinsic motivators rather than unhealthy, externally imposed ones. On our college campus, there seems to be no shortage of externally imposed fitness motivators. Junior Kate Hafer recalled the shock of Wake Forest’s fitness culture in her first year. “During freshman fall, I just kept hearing the craziest things come out of people’s mouths. Working out felt more viewed as something that validates a meal that you’re about to have or an outfit you’re about to wear. With that, I was hearing things like, ‘I don’t have time for the gym today, I’m just going to skip lunch.’”

Often in less explicit ways, found success in the gym, it was Wake Forest’s fitness culture feels because they became deeper in touch inescapable. Hafer later remembered with their intrinsic motivations. For some times that she had felt some, that just meant finding the Wake Forest’s body image culture right activity. represented in some more subtle “I think people forget that statements. working out should be fun, it should “I remember hearing things be releasing endorphins,” Hafer said. like, ‘You’re not wearing a dress for “Listen[ing] to [the] gut, knowing game day?’ or ‘You’re not doing this what works for you and knowing Halloween costume?’ what brings you There are a lot of Fortunately, fitness happiness is good.” at Wake Forest implicit pressures,” she I found that more is not bound to said. often than not, adhere to these It even seems like personal motivation socially-defined those pressures are reached deeper than motivators. Every often communicated the surface. interviewee told without words. Freshman Mason me that when they Senior Ava Hirshberg Stopyrya spoke about commented on a found success in the his own motivations, friend’s first impression gym, it was because telling me, “It’s not as of Wake Forest when they became deeper much just being strong in touch with their visiting from another so that I can look buffer. intrinsic motivations. It’s more so that I can university. “My friend even be a positive influence noticed that everyone at Wake Forest on those around me. Maybe someday, is incredibly fit and that means, if my children can look up to me and you’re not, unfortunately, you really see that their father takes care of his stand out,” Hirshberg said. body well and see the importance of It is clear that Wake Forest has a that. I also want to be able to protect fitness culture problem, but I often those I love.” Stopyra believed that got nowhere in these conversations holding these convictions makes him when I pushed to find a common, successful in the gym. underlying source of these social These strategies held up toward the pressures. Our university’s fitness far end of the spectrum of committed culture problems seem to be easily lifters. I spoke to two competitive recognizable but less easily put into weightlifters — bodybuilder Jake words. Kessel (‘25) and powerlifter Aidan Fortunately, fitness at Wake Forest Stein (‘26) — to learn how they is not bound to adhere to these supported their wellbeing on the socially defined motivators. Every most extreme end of fitness, where interviewee told me that when they self-discipline is pushed to its limits

14 • THE MAGNOLIA • Mental Callusing

and obsession is non-optional. It is in those conditions that Kessel and Stein find themselves the happiest. “Our entire lives are more or less like streamlined toward our goals in the gym. But in a sense, those goals have helped to streamline the rest of our lives.” The entrance to college is a crossroads of dangerous risk factors for body-related self-esteem issues. In the early college experience, so much feels uncontrollable. There’s new freedom and responsibility that is hard to navigate, and it

often feels difficult to exert this newfound agency. But fitness was something in my life that I could control. I could optimize everything that I ate and every workout I had, finally feeling like the master of my own life, even if I knew it was superficial. At the same time, social comparison reaches a new height in college, whether it’s professional comparison on LinkedIn, social comparison on GreekRank or physical comparison on Instagram. For me, it was hard to avoid the feeling that I needed to commit to

physical self-improvement, or else I would become lost in the weeds. At this point in time, I had become so convinced that pursuing fitness and preserving self-esteem were incompatible. I was inspired by these conversations to find the opposite to be true. With awareness of the type of exercise that feels right and putting effort into holding to your personal motivation, it seems that pursuing fitness and preserving self-esteem can be complementary.

Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 15

LGBTQ+ Experiences. Stories. Voices.

XX THEMAGNOLIA MAGNOLIA ••LGBTQ+ Story Name 16 ••THE Experiences

A conversation led by Ella Klein ('26) and Una Wilson ('24)

Hunniya Ahmad Photo: Maryam Khanum LEFT Mac Jackson Photo: Maryam Khanum

lla Klein (‘26): To start, is there a specific time when you felt being queer or trans at Wake Forest has affected your academics at the university? Jane Alexander (‘25): I’ve had professors that misgendered me in class, and a lot of the time they will apologize afterward in a way that makes it even worse, somehow. I think Wake Forest prides themselves on the ability to be close to your professors because there's such a high professor-to-student ratio. When you're in a place where it feels like the professor doesn't really respect or understand you, it can strain that relationship. Especially in a class where I feel like I might be misgendered, voice is a big thing in getting clocked as trans. If I feel like “Oh, I’m not in a good vocal space today,” then I’m less likely to ask questions and actually understand the material. Klein: Thank you. I feel like a lot of the time people don’t think how some of the points Wake Forest prides themselves on can actually have negative impacts. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Hunniya Ahmad (‘27): One of my professors said something like, “We can't speak for queer people, but give me an opinion they might have.” And I was like, as a queer person, I'm going to offer my perspective, and I did. Afterward, it was just washed over and pushed away, and my professor treated

me with a lot more distance. The whole thing made me feel really weird, at a time when I thought I would receive support. Una Wilson (‘24): Did you feel more dismissed because of how they glossed over it? Ahmad: Yes. I feel like in academic scenes, a lot of the consideration made for queer folks is a bit performative. Mac Jackson (‘24): I've had a couple of positive academic experiences. I recently went to South Africa with the LGBTQ+ Center and the Intercultural Center at Wake Forest, and we were studying queerness within the South African context, the general African context and from a global context as well. Getting to experience an academic space that valued queer perspectives was really positive for me. I have been here for almost four years, and I think there is also an unspoken kind of labor for my identity. Of course, as a Black person, but also as a queer person, oftentimes in these courses, it falls on you to insert your group's perspective where it's needed. Ahmad: I think sometimes that responsibility can be almost draining because I think it's almost like when you're a person of color (POC) in a class of all white people. You're expected by everyone to give the non-white perspective. And then if you present very outwardly queer, it's expected of you to present the queer perspective, you know? Some days, you wake up and you're like, “I just want to be a student. I don't want to talk about being gay today.” Lucius You (‘24): I think my philosophy

Fall2023 2023•• THE THEMAGNOLIA MAGNOLIA •• XX 17 Fall

teacher was gay in a very outwardly presenting way. Their comfort with it made me feel a little bit more comfortable expressing myself in an academic context. Wilson: I’m curious in what ways you all have felt your queerness has been supported at Wake Forest, either by the school itself, or the identity centers it has for students. Ahmad: I definitely think the LGBTQ+ Center has made me feel super supported. The day I visited the center was the first day I felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest like I could truly be myself there. I was able to make a lot of friends and feel a lot less alone. That was really powerful to me. Jackson: I have found the English department to be pretty supportive. Most professors are always trying to incorporate queer narratives in their coursework. For instance, I have found if you ask about a perspective that's not resident, I've had professors go out of their way to email me resources that connect it to the topic or try to incorporate it into their syllabi for the next semester. You: I wasn't here my first year, so I missed a lot of things. I just didn't feel like I belonged there. Maybe it’s just because I wasn't very connected to the other students there at the time, and it seemed like there was already a XX••THE 18 THEMAGNOLIA MAGNOLIA ••LGBTQ+ Story Name Experiences

community there that I wasn’t a part of. It's hard to fit in, even in those circles. I think I figured, why bother? Klein: I know what you mean. The thing about Wake Forest is that I think it puts you into little, small pockets and bubbles. It's hard at Wake Forest to exist in spaces that go against the norm, and people rarely push themselves to break their own patterns of normalcy to understand you and what your normal is. Ahmad: It's such a small community, sometimes I feel like friend groups are somewhat already established. Even groups like the Old Gold & Black or WAKE Radio, when you come into them, especially as a freshman, it’s hard to break into their social circles. When you see it, you're like, oh, these are all really cool gay people. Then you're like, oh, wait, they're all already best friends. Then you're just sort of like, where do I have a place if all the gay people are already friends? Klein: Jane, are there any other ways being trans has affected your social life specifically? Do you actually feel supported by the administration? Alexander: I can’t pull up my email [messages] in class because my dead name is still attached to everything. For those who don't know, a dead name is your birth name.

It's a term some transgender people use to refer to their birth name. My dead name is on my Deacon OneCard. It’s something that you have to use every single day. it's kind of weird that you're just carrying it around on your person. Wilson: We talked about the LGBTQ+ Center and the English department, but are there other physical spaces where you guys feel more safe and more welcome on campus? Jackson: I spend a lot of time in the Intercultural Center. It’s where the minorities hang out, but it's also where my friends are. It’s a space I don't take for granted. I really appreciate having it on campus. Also the Black Student Alliance (BSA) lounge. When I came here in 2020, I was in that weird middle ground between out and still closeted. I realized, wait, there's no gay people here. Wilson: I had a similar experience, like even when most of my friends were queer and out, it still felt like such a small fraction of campus. Jackson: I was still very new to my queerness, and I was still trying to navigate that. I came out in 2020, and then I came to college. I was like, “Okay, well, I'm Black, so I can find other Black people and really immerse myself into those spaces.” I've been grateful for those spaces. Early on, when I was a freshman, there was a Black queer friend group that I kind of immersed myself into. When they left, that was challenging, because I was like, “Okay, well, now what?” Ahmad: I think that is an interesting concept. Because I forget other people aren’t queer. I forget that that's not normal, because it's my normal. Klein: I think a lot of straight people feel the same way, which is how I’ve gotten into a lot of awkward situations when people realize I also like girls. Ahmad: For instance, I had a girl sitting across from me at her computer the other day ask this guy, “Do you have a girlfriend?” and then she paused and quickly said “Or boyfriend?” The guy looked at her incredulously and said, “Boyfriend?” as if it would be completely out of the realm of possibility for him to have a male partner. Then she goes, “Well, you never know who might be offended nowadays” and looks at me. Wilson: I think that relates to what we were talking about earlier with how queer people are often treated as spokespeople or as gatekeepers for the whole community at large — and I think a lot of the pressure falls on women too because we receive more criticism than men in general for our actions. Klein: I wanted to ask what spaces you don't feel accepted in on campus. For example, I know a lot of women don't feel safe at a frat party. Jackson: I haven't been to a frat. Fall2023 2023•• THE THEMAGNOLIA MAGNOLIA •• XX 19 Fall

XX 20 ••THE THEMAGNOLIA MAGNOLIA •• LGBTQ+ Story Name Experiences

You: I haven’t either. Jackson: I probably will never go. You: I think a lot of places and people like to give the impression that they are safe for appearances. To our eyes, every place could potentially be unsafe. But it makes people feel better to say, “Wake Forest is a safe space,” because they get to feel like good guys. They pretend, and we go along with it. Alexander: I have never had any crazy bad experiences at Wake Forest. I think that speaks to the progress made over the last couple of years. I also know that the administration's official position is that they accept trans students, but just because that is the policy of the university doesn’t mean that's the policy of everyone.

Jackson: I think any space where I'm not comfortable presenting my full self is one that isn’t safe, but at this point, I’ll be myself and just know it’s going to be uncomfortable. Wilson: I think since I came out and started exploring my identity, it’s been liberating to explore that part of myself and finally feel comfortable in my outward presence in the world. That can be beautiful and empowering, but it can also be isolating sometimes, especially if you don’t have a community of friends who you know will love and accept you for who you are no matter what. I think that’s the most valuable thing you can have.

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Adam Coil (‘25) examines if Wake Forest really deserves the moniker

onsider the average Wake Forest student with a 15-hour course schedule. According to Wake Forest standards, that should translate to roughly 45 hours of coursework a week. If you tack on 10 hours a day for eating, exercising and sleeping, that leaves seven and a half hours of free time for students in a day. Consider also that most students have jobs, research projects or extracurricular organizations that can be extremely time-consuming, eating up most of that free time. Consider, finally, how much time is dedicated to social events — particularly for the half of Wake Forest students involved in Greek Life — and suddenly, the Work Forest moniker begins to feel like more than a joke. On the other hand, one might argue that the title is the product of a deeply privileged student population. After all, Wake Forest — with its 66% white student population — is no stranger to criticism regarding its lack of ethnic and economic diversity. In 2017, the New York Times reported that the median family income at Wake Forest is more than $220,000, which is the 11th highest median in the entire nation. Conversely, Wake Forest ranked 2,337th for students who come from families that make less than $20,000 a year (around 2.3% of students). In another New York Times study this past September, Wake Forest’s economic diversity ranked 286th — only 3% of schools in the study fared worse. Wake Forest is a difficult school to rank among its peers, and it is often unclear whether we should laugh at the term Work Forest or nod along sympathetically. From what I gather, this is due to the fact that it exists in a liminal space in the hierarchy of academia, somewhere in between the elite universities like the Ivy League schools and less revered institutions like state colleges.

This not-quite status of Wake Forest is demonstrated by the fact that schools like Duke, Harvard and Princeton accept students with higher standardized test scores, higher GPAs and better class rankings than Wake Forest does, or the fact that Wake Forest sees schools like Duke, Dartmouth and Emory as its peer institutions, but those schools do not. I spoke to various Wake Forest professors to get a better understanding of the expected workload at this school — to find out what the people who determine our workload think of the term “Work Forest.” Does Work Forest exist? Perhaps more importantly, though, I wanted to know what Work Forest could tell us about the quality of a Wake Forest education. Often the conversations returned to this gray area between elite schools and the vast majority of institutions. I noticed this gray area in my conversation with Dr. Robert M. Whaples, the Hough Family Faculty Fellow and Professor of Economics, who has been teaching at Wake Forest for 33 years. According to Whaples, “Students [at Wake Forest] work more than at whatever state school, but not at a good liberal arts college.” This sentiment was backed up again by Dr. David Yamane, a sociology professor at Wake Forest, who said, “Wake students work hard compared to most students at other universities in the United States. Compared to other top-40 schools, probably not.” But time spent working does not entirely dictate the quality of an education. And this does not mean that Wake Forest students are not tremendous achievers. After all, Wake Forest has a few potent trump cards that make comparisons with other universities messy, like its small class sizes and its dedicated, available faculty. Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 23

Photography by Maryam Khanum The professors I spoke to tended to recognize this. Yamane said, “When I bracket my own unrealistic expectations, I think my students do, overall, work pretty darn hard,” and he described the typical Wake Forest student as an “overachiever, type triple-A.” If you’re type A at Wake Forest, he said, “you’re kind of relaxed.” Meanwhile Whaples, in the highly competitive, pre-business atmosphere of the economics department, said, “I think that our view is, our students are pretty bright. We push them to do great things, and they should be able to do it. But less of being able to just be set off on your own and learn everything…[You have to] have some building blocks in place.” Mary Wayne-Thomas — the chair of the theatre department — illuminated a different aspect of the Wake Forest experience as she spoke about the highly intense atmosphere leading up to the debut of a play. “If an actor is cast in a show — especially if they have a major role — they’re going to be rehearsing six days a week,” she said. “And I think there are a lot of people on campus who have no idea what’s involved in that.” And it’s not just actors who are putting in the work. There are students responsible for lighting, sound, stage and costume design, among many other roles. Leading up to a show, there is work to be done “Monday through Friday, 6:30 24 • THE MAGNOLIA • Is Work Forest Real?

to 10:30 and then either a Saturday or Sunday rehearsal,” Wayne-Thomas said. Speaking of her students, Wayne-Thomas said, “I want them to be all in like I am. It’s challenging.” Part of that challenge stems from the fact that, for the most part, students participate in theatre because it is something they love, and so they are expected to put more time into it than they are often given class credit for. Over the course of four years at Wake Forest, students can only receive credit for participating in up to four performances, although many students will do much more than that. A lot of what makes Wake Forest’s theatre program enticing and demanding is Wake Forest’s small class size and lack of a robust graduate program to draw on for support. “The two other schools I was at — Penn State and Ohio State — have big graduate programs,” said Wayne-Thomas. “And those schools live and die by the graduate students.” She saw this as a strength of Wake Forest’s department because students have the freedom to take on greater, more fulfilling roles — as long as they’re willing to put in the work. “We like to think that if a student has a particular interest,” she said, “then we can help them achieve that goal.” I asked Yamane if Wake Forest’s work culture might be inflated because of its small student population, in

which everyone seems to know everyone else. He said, “There are probably gaps between people’s perception of how much work other people are doing, and how much work other people are actually doing. And you can see that ratcheting itself up in a feedback loop.” “In the mental health arena, I know there is stress out there,” he said. “Most of my students, historically, seem to be managing the stress well. Since COVID, people seem to be coping a lot less well.” A particularly stressed group of students are those who have to worry about a second acceptance process once they are already in Wake Forest — those who are looking to get into the business school. Because of its significant reputation, gaining admittance to the program is competitive. “It is definitely a source of anxiety,” Whaples said, re- that’s why, if you come in undecided… you’re rarely like, garding his introductory economics classes. “There are ‘Oh, yeah, I’ll just try physics.’” only a certain number of slots in the business school, and Chances are, neither of these perspectives is accurate. they’re gonna take the top-whatever percent, and they’ll When I asked Kim-Shapiro how Wake Forest might look at your grades and each one of those classes.” compare to other universities, he said, “I think it’s equivaOver in Olin Hall, a different story emerges in the lent to other good schools. I would imagine at some placPhysics department. es, it’s a bit watered down…But otherwise, “It’s not always If you were to scroll through the Wake I don’t think there’s any more or less rigor. I Information Network (WIN), you would known that you can would say that if you went to the really top find that there are many empty seats in some go to a liberal arts technical schools, some of the classes would school and have upper-level physics courses at Wake Forest. be more rigorous and challenging. But for the a rigorous, good When I spoke to Dr. Daniel Kim-Shapiro most part, there will be a range and it’s not education.” — the chair of the physics department — going to be a very wide range, and we’re probabout this, he said, “It’s not always known ably in the middle.” that you can go to a liberal arts school and have a rigorous, In Wake Downtown, however, the engineering progood education in hard sciences like physics.” According gram at Wake Forest has found a way to take advantage to Kim-Shapiro, the physics department faces challenges of the liberal arts reputation and propel the program into on two fronts. On the one hand, Wake Forest’s status as a the top 15 nationwide. liberal arts college with a strong business school makes it A B.S. degree in engineering can be daunting, as its 77 difficult to appeal to potential applicants who are looking required credit hours are among the most intensive of all for the strongest possible education. On the other hand, majors at Wake Forest. When I asked Dr. Saami Yazdani, many Wake Forest students are intimidated by physics an engineering professor, if Wake Forest students strugcourses. As Kim-Shapiro put it, “I do think there is some- gled with their coursework, Yazdani could not have disthing to the idea that people think physics is hard… So agreed more. “This is actually our selling point,” he said. Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 25

“At Wake Forest, we made such a unique curriculum that he taught at the United States Naval Academy, they ran a is so flexible, that students are able to study abroad and similar experiment, and “the students in the active classes still graduate in four years, which is unheard of for any did better by a letter grade and a half… But they felt as if engineering program.” they learned less.” Wake Forest has constructed one of the most accessible According to Allman, who went to Georgia Tech for engineering programs in the entire country. Instead of his undergraduate degree, the two approaches to learning forcing students into specialty fields at the outset of their are “hard in different ways.” Allman acknowledged that studies, Wake Forest offers a robust general engineering Wake Forest might not have the same “rugged individualprogram that allows students to find their unique passion ism” mystique that more elite universities or state schools as they go along. seem to enjoy, but difficulty for difficulty’s sake is not According to Yazdani, “There is a niche of students Allman’s primary concern. who know that they want to be problem solvers and en“You have to know more than just the facts,” he said. gineers, and there are not many places for them to go “You have to be able to explain it well out loud and in where they can work on that for four years. writing.” In his classes, students work together By offering a general engineering program, on Google Jamboards to solve practice prob“There are we really fit that niche.” lems, often chatting with Allman as they go probably gaps He continued: “There are liberal arts col- between people’s through them. In his upper-level classes like leges that have engineering programs. But perception of how Modern Algebra, there are no exams in the there isn’t any… where you get the best of standard sense. Rather, students are given a much work other both worlds.” people are doing, mix of homework and verbal assessments that Yazdani told me that this lack of specificiare designed to reflect their progress in its enand how much ty does not hurt Demon Deacons on the job work other people tirety. Allman believes that this way “the learnmarket, either. are actually doing. ing lasts longer.” And you can see “Our department really listens to stuAllman’s words resonated with those of dents,” Yazdani said. “After our first grad- that ratcheting itself Whaples, who gives his students a quiz at the up in a feedback uating class, we introduced concentrations, beginning of every class period in the hopes loop.” so that students could concentrate their that they will learn throughout the semester, electives in one area if they wanted to. That’s as opposed to cramming before midterms and really helped them position themselves to get a job.” finals. He also does this, he said, because at larger schools More than anything else, though, Yazdani thinks that “there’s this huge degree of anonymity. If you’re the kind Wake Forest’s biggest asset is its small class size. Yazdani of person who needs a little bit of motivation, a little bit said that “the strongest part about [his] course is the small of somebody caring about you, whatever, you’re definiteclass size,” because everyone gets to do their own exper- ly at a disadvantage there.” iments and present their work. At Wake Forest, there is I believe that Whaples’s words succinctly explain Wake nowhere to hide. Forest’s ambiguity as an academically rigorous institution. “We’ll see your weakness, and we’ll strengthen it,” Whereas other schools might be an ideal fit for students Yazdani said. with particular career interests or research aspirations, Dr. Justin Allman, who has been teaching mathemat- Wake Forest caters to students who are not entirely sure ics at Wake Forest since 2020, is also a champion of Wake what they want to do for the rest of their lives — students Forest’s liberal arts approach to the hard sciences. He is an who can gain a lot from professor mentorship. And for instructor who is deeply invested in the pedagogical side these students, Wake Forest excels triumphantly. of mathematics, and his research has led him to conclude The U.S. News and World Report is correct, as far as that the Wake Forest model — in which students are able I can tell, in their claim that Wake Forest is not an elite to fail often and early, and then learn from their mistakes school for most elite students. It does not always provide — is superior for deep learning. the same career-propelling opportunities that the tradiHe cited a study in which 50% of students worked in tional top-20 schools provide. It does not have the most small groups, going through guided notes together, and lauded and storied alumni network in the country. But the other 50% learned all of their content via a lecture. for the type of student who prioritizes talking in class, According to Allman, “The students in the fully-lecture going to office hours and receiving thoughtful feedback class felt like they had learned the material better, but on their work — the type of student who sees commuthey did worse on the actual content quiz,” whereas the nity and education as inextricably linked — Wake Forest reverse was true for the other half of the students. When makes just as compelling of a case as any other school. 26 • THE MAGNOLIA • Is Work Forest Real?

Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • XX

Work Forest’s Maddie Stopyra (‘25)

Photo taken by Evan Harris

DEMON DEACONS

Photo taken by Cooper Sullivan

Brooke McCusker Class of ‘25

ccording to junior field hockey player Brooke McCusker, performing at a high level does not stop once she walks off the field. “You have to compete at the elite level on the field, but then also in the classroom,” McCusker said. McCusker is one of four Wake Forest athletes who spoke with the Magnolia about their experience being a student-athlete. These students have a unique college experience — balancing full athletic schedules while maintaining academic excellence. McCusker explained that being a student-athlete put her organizational skills to the test. “I’ve really had to work on my organization,” McCusker said. “I thought I was a really organized person before I got [to Wake Forest], and then I got here, and I had all this stuff to do. I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m not as organized as I thought I was.”’ Despite his rigorous schedule, football player Matthew Dennis said that Wake Forest challenges athletes in a pos30 • THE MAGNOLIA • Work Forest’s Demon Deacons

itive manner. “There are long days, but the weeks are short,” Dennis said. “I think being at a school [as] rigorous as this is an honor, and it pushes athletes in a good way.” McCusker’s recruitment experience differed from most Wake Forest athletes — she was scouted from Canada. She explained that a recruiting tour and a mutual friend on the team brought her to Wake Forest and after meeting with the coach and discussing with her parents, McCusker began researching the university. “Academically, I didn’t know too much about Wake Forest until I started doing some more research,” McCusker said. “I realized that it was a very intense academic school. I didn’t realize how hard it was to actually get into Wake Forest until I did.” Although she committed to Wake Forest at the end of her junior year of high school, McCusker was anxious about the application process to be admitted to the university as a student.

“There was the other factor that I’m not actually in un- professors] as the coach tells us to. I also talk to them in til I get in [to the school],” McCusker said. “That was person, in real life, so that first I get a relationship, and actually kind of scary and stressful, like, ‘Oh my god, am second they know what kind of a person I am and we I going to get in? Am I not? Then I got in.’” can make sure that every detail is accounted for and that Similarly, senior soccer player Hosei Kijima explained I’m not missing any big grades, let alone small grades. We that navigating the application process was challenging. don’t want to miss anything.” “Being a young high school student, I was naive Despite the challenges that traveling with an athletic enough to think that it was automatic for me to just go team presents, McCusker said that representing Wake to the school, but I didn’t know that you had to get into Forest around the country is one of the most rewarding the school first to actually be on the team,” Kijima said. aspects of her experience. “I just did my best on the application as well as the essay. “I think something also really cool about being a stuI got lucky. I got in.” dent-athlete is you get to represent your university on the Sophomore Will Gervase, who transferred to Wake national stage,” McCusker said. “We get to travel all over Forest from Pitt Community College this year to play the U.S., which for me is pretty cool because I’m not from baseball, explained that he and his advisor perceived here.” Wake Forest to be an academically rigorous school, and Although baseball is not in season, Gervase has a full they were worried that Gervase would not be accepted as schedule of practices, workouts and team meetings. The a student. baseball team currently practices five days a week, and this “I would say it was really hard for number will only increase as the spring me to actually get into the school,” season approaches. Gervase, who is Gervase said. “I remember I was going “The days that I’m also taking 16 credit hours this semesnuts whenever I got my letter.” off from baseball, I ter, explained that being a student-athOnce the fall semester starts, athlet- have a ton of school, lete is like having two jobs. ics and academics simultaneously kick “There is no such thing as a light into high gear. Soccer, football and or I still have to go day,” Gervase said. “The days that field hockey athletes work to manage to the field to get I’m off from baseball, I have a ton of full course loads with their athletic re- my work in. You school, or I still have to go to the field sponsibilities — including practices, get my work in. You just have to be just have to be pre- to games, workouts and team meetings. prepared 24/7 and mentally ready.” Dennis, who is taking 16 credit pared 24/7 and Although each of the four athhours this semester, starts most days at mentally ready.” letes who spoke with The Magnolia 6 a.m. During the week — with the described their busy and sometimes Will Gervase (‘26) exception of Mondays — the football overwhelming schedules, each athlete team has a meeting at 7 a.m. and then emphasized the resources that Wake practices from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Between classes or after Forest provides to help them succeed in the classroom. his class day ends, Dennis often attends weight training Dennis explained that while he believes that both stusessions and mandatory team meals. Most of Dennis’ dent-athletes and non-student-athletes are expected to weekends are busy with football — games are frequently perform at a high academic level, the university is more on Saturdays, and the team has meetings and practices on intentional about helping student-athletes manage their Sunday evenings. academics and athletics. “Being in season is demanding of your body and your “I would say the only difference between a regular stumind and your time,” Dennis said. dent here and an athlete is we have access to more reAnother demanding aspect of being in season is fre- sources when it comes to tutors and academic counselquent travel. Kijima, whose team has six away games ors,” Dennis said. “We get a little bit more help, and it’s during the fall season, explained that maintaining a pos- more hands-on than I think other students get.” itive relationship with professors is crucial to managing Especially for freshman and sophomore student-athcoursework and travel. letes, meeting with student tutors or study coaches is “We always try to be proactive in communicating with available and sometimes required. Dennis said that the our professors about traveling, missing assignments, miss- football team also engages in “class checks” where an ining exams or rescheduling exams,” Kijima said. dividual stands outside of a class where multiple football He continued: “I’m a proactive person in general, so I players are enrolled and checks to make sure those stuhaven’t had any issues. I always make sure to email [my dents are attending class. Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 31

Photo taken by Evan Harris

Student-athletes at Wake Forest also have an athletic counselor who helps students plan their courses and track their progress toward a degree. Athletes meet with their advisors to discuss course registration and build their schedule around their athletic schedule. “We have almost harder schedules to deal with because we have practice,” McCusker said. “There are three hours out of your day where you can’t attend classes because you have to go to film, practice, lift, conditioning — whatever it is.” Alongside the availability of resources managed by the university, Wake Forest also has a Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). Dennis, who serves as the president this year, explained that the council aims to develop leaders and engage with the community. SAAC works with Athletic Director John Currie to provide service and career opportunities to student-athletes. “As athletes, we don’t get the whole summer for an internship,” Dennis said. “So we [have] to find time here to give ourselves work experience.” Despite the challenges of managing classes and athletic responsibilities, academics remain a top priority for Dennis. “When you say the word student-athlete, student comes first,” Dennis said. 32 • THE MAGNOLIA • Work Forest’s Demon Deacons

Hosei Kijima Class of ‘24 Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 33

RESILIENCE RISING Students of color detail their experiences at Wake Forest

34 • THE MAGNOLIA • Resilience Rising

acking my bags and bidding farewell to friends and family in Tunisia marked the beginning of my journey to America. As an international student at Wake Forest, I soon realized that the script for this adventure was yet to be written. International students at Wake Forest University make up 9% of the student population. Yet little is known of our experience and the unique challenges that we face. As a senior, these past months have been a time for reflection over the last three and a half years. I’m a part of a generation that entered college amid a pandemic. Freshman year started with a virtual semester from Tunisia, making my official arrival in North Carolina in January of 2021 a logistical nightmare. After 35 hours of travel from Tunisia to the U.S., I landed in North Carolina for the first time ever. From there I had to figure out how to obtain a cell phone plan, bedding, transportation to Target and how to open a bank account in the U.S. all while starting my first in-person semester. On my first day on campus, a staff member I had just met a few hours earlier in her office — where I sought help because I was lost in Reynolda Hall — offered me sheets, pillows and covers from her house. Our friendship is still ongoing today. Landing in a new country is never easy, but settling in for college alone and while abroad is a different story. Another thing I had to grasp was the “culture shock” that confronted my previously awed perceptions and expectations about America. I thought that since I grew up with American television shows, movies and culture, I would never experience that “shock.” I had strong opinions on specific issues I thought I knew everything about. The reality was different. For example, my understanding of the Greek life scene, and especially fraternities, was based on shows like “American Pie.” Furthermore, I struggled with assimilation versus integration. Do I hide or forget some of my culture from Tunisia that is different from America? Will that make it easier to make friends? That is when things can start to get complicated. I still do not have an answer to that. Yet, I can assure any underclassman who is struggling or will struggle in the future, that it gets easier. Integrating yourself and making the most out of your time as an international student is difficult. It includes basic things like not knowing the meaning of slang used here. This might sound like nothing, but when you want to feel that you’re in, you want to know what people are saying. After much reflection, I realized that each person’s uniqueness is what makes a place thrive. Why should we, as international students, have to renounce our culture to fit in? This dilemma is real, but it does not mean that that has to become a reality. That previous dilemma is only ex-

acerbated by another one I am currently struggling with — the concept of home. International students — being far from our families, countries and cultures — tend to develop a distorted notion of what home means. Some people say home is where the heart lies. But what if my heart lies in two places — in Tunisia and in Wake Forest? This becomes a heavy thing. As it progresses, you end up never feeling full in either of those places. Something will always be missing. I have yet to offer a solution for this. To be fair, I must recognize the positivity in this ambiguity. It means that my experience at Wake Forest was, and still is, positive enough for me to consider it home. I am writing this article during the fall of my senior year. I wanted to write it as my farewell to Mother So Dear. My experience at Wake Forest as an international student has been full of struggles, but in a way, it is all part of the road and essential to experience for international students to lead a successful life abroad. To every person I’ve met, my friends in administration and staff without whom I would never have made it this far, and, of course, to my friends and best friends here, I have learned so much from you. I sincerely hope that every international student gets to have a positive impactful experience at Wake Forest. I only hope that I left a mark on Wake Forest the same way it did on me.

s I approach the end of my penultimate semester build friendships I will have for life and prepare for my at Wake Forest, it is no surprise that I, like many personal career and life goals. I think I could almost deof my peers, am starting to take a more reflective fine my personal investment in the greater Winston-Saapproach to my time here both academically and socially. lem area as a protective factor for myself, as the surroundBeing a person of color naturally adds a complex layer to ing areas are much more accessible for me as someone the fabric of life, but especially on this campus, as Wake who knows the area and also knows the culture of Wake Forest is not particularly well known for having the most Forest is not a true picture of it. diverse student body. This is something that many know I can see how without that experience, someone who going in, but how that impacts life on campus varies for perhaps already feels like they might not fit into Wake everyone and makes itself known in ways one might not Forest’s campus might find the cultural landscape jarring expect or understand. and insular. I completely understand how someone can I think that as a woman of color, my personal expe- come to Wake Forest and feel out of line with the status riences are also impacted by the fact that I am local to quo here. I’ve had the privilege of going to schools and Winston-Salem as well. People mention the Wake Forest being in classes that mirror Wake Forest almost my whole “bubble,” a phenomenon that I strongly believe in. A lot life, and I was frequently an odd one out — both racially of people come to Wake Forest and do not take the time and socio-economically. to explore the surrounding areas beyond what is popular When I was younger, my solution was to conform as around downtown, West End, Thruway, Reynolda and much as possible. That worked for me for a little while, but University Parkway. Truthfully, I cannot say that if I went eventually the chokehold of fitting in loosened enough to a school in a city of similar size and that it no longer mattered so deeply bustle (or lack thereof ) as Winston-Sato me. Those years of practice providI do not like lem, I would not also build those habits ed me comfort with existing in spaces — especially if I did not have access to like Wake Forest regardless of whether clichés, but I a car. or not I choose to or am able to condislike it even Between balancing my school assignform to them, which is why I recognize more when ments, social life and extracurriculars, that my experiences at Wake Forest as convenience is everything. My student people discount a person of color are not universal and life differs greatly from when I am on should not be treated as such. that feeling break. There are obvious differences, All in all, I have found that as I get such as the people I spend my time because I believe older and craft a more stable identity each cherished with and the neighborhoods I frequent rooted deeper in my beliefs and interfor running errands — which generally moment informs ests, the “bubble” has started to break land me on the opposite side of the city down for me. I am building habits and the next. from my family’s home since it’s closrelationships as an adult that can not er to school. But with those differences only be present in both my life at school come other more subtle differences, such as sense of style, and at home, but also serve me in the future. There are preferred snacks, division of time, spending habits, etc. many wonderful aspects of being a part of our campus Some of these probably speak to the differences between culture that I am very proud of and will be sad to leave home life and school life in general, and I also don’t say behind in the coming year. As many who I’ve gotten to this to mean that one lifestyle is inherently better than know and others can probably relate to, it takes some the other. But what it does speak to is why I believe in the time to find your place on this campus. But once you “bubble,” which becomes clearer to me with each passing have, these formative years might suddenly feel like some winter and summer break. of the most important and fulfilling ones of your life. I can use my 21 years of experience as a member of the I do not like clichés, but I dislike it even more when Winston-Salem community to help contextualize the ex- people discount that feeling because I believe each cherperiences I have at Wake Forest as just a chapter of my life ished moment informs the next. I also believe it is okay that is not representative of what my whole life is going to recognize when things are not working for you even if to be, especially as a woman of color in America. For me, they seem to be working for others and look for change. the emphasis on the temporary nature of my current state I look forward to hopefully watching our school’s culture of being does not cheapen the valuable experiences that I grow toward wider acceptance of diverse thought and exam having here as I learn skills about working with others pression but largely anticipate looking back fondly on my who may not look like me or believe the same things I do, time here at Wake Forest. 36 • THE MAGNOLIA • Resilience Rising

Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 37

38 • THE MAGNOLIA • Resilience Rising

“N

ext time you’re in an argument with a white as white. Roughly 33% of Winston-Salem residents are man who’s a student here, and he’s trying to Black, whereas only 6% of Wake Forest’s student body is. explain a concept to you that you are already There are many different roadblocks and obstacles that heavily educated on, remember that he probably didn’t make it harder to obtain a college education from Wake put in as much work to get here as you did.” Forest if you belong to certain demographics. In the Something I’ve always appreciated about the facul- Fall of 2020, roughly 55% of incoming freshmen were ty here at Wake Forest is their unbridled candor. I re- women. When we acknowledge the fact that 57% of the member encountering this honesty while sitting in office applicant pool for that year were also women, we can alhours with my political philosophy professor sophomore ready see how it becomes just slightly harder for women year, after a particularly heated in-class discussion with a to make it into Wake Forest. fellow student (who was, yes, a white man). I remember It may be slightly harder for women, international stumy professor telling me about how I’d already probably dents or people of color to get accepted and remain stuworked harder to earn my place in Wake Forest’s class of dents at Wake Forest. But one singular “slightly harder” 2024 than my fellow students who were white men, and does not exist in a vacuum. It joins a pile of numerous that I’d continue to have to work harder than them just other factors that create an amorphous combination of to level the playing field. impediments, obstructions and disadvantages, making None of this was information I was not already aware the lives of students with intersecting identities just that of. I have been a woman of colmuch more difficult. This gives or all my life. I have heard stories, the term “Work Forest” a whole listened to the experiences of othdifferent meaning. One singular “slightly ers and been warned about the As previously mentioned, these intangible yet tyrannical systems harder” doesn’t exist in a impediments aren’t always far reimbued with conscious or unconvacuum. It joins a pile of moved or hidden behind shroudscious bigotry that can reach into like promises of commitment to numerous other “slightly diversity. I notice when individuevery overarching aspect of sociharder”s that create an ety — systems that I would have als in professional settings choose to fight off in order to be valued amorphous combination of to speak directly to my colleagues or recognized. These systems al- impediments, obstructions who are men instead of me, reways seemed so far away and out gardless of my enumerated posiand disadvantages of reach that I never realized they tions or the reasons I’m present making the lives of could also manifest as a single perin the first place. I noticed when, son in one of my college classes students with intersecting during my junior year of college, I who refused to take me seriously, was interrupted mid-presentation identities just that much or even thought I was incompein one of my politics classes so one more difficult. tent, because of my identity. of my fellow students could ask I attend Wake Forest as an inme if I identified as Muslim (I am ternational student from Karachi, still unsure why my religious affilPakistan. About 803 students on campus are foreign na- iations were at all relevant at the time). I notice when my tionals, making up roughly 9% of the student population ability to perform my job well is questioned when people here. Wake Forest does not offer any need-based financial are unsure if I’m really aware of the definition of a given aid to foreign national students who enroll as freshmen. term or if I really know how to use a piece of equipment. If you’re an international transfer applicant, you are also It is still important to me to recognize the fact that I barred from receiving any scholarship assistance from the am privileged. I come from an upper-middle-class family. university. It is that much more difficult to be able to I was born to incredibly supportive, loving and reasonable fund your own education. parents. I’ve had opportunities, access to resources and a Just under 70% of undergraduates attending Wake seat at many tables where many important decisions were Forest in 2020 identified as white (non-Hispanic). Wake being made. However, my experiences continue to define Forest’s status as a predominantly white institution (PWI) the way I navigate the world, as they have defined much is known to most who study and work here. What is also of how I have navigated my journey at Wake Forest. The known to us is how the demographics of our student additional work that accompanies being a part of a mibody compare to the demographics of the city of Win- nority demographic is something that has always existed ston-Salem, where only 45% of the population identifies and rings true on Wake Forest’s campus as well. Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 39

Shaila Prasad (‘25)

Aine Pierre (‘24)

THE TWOWAY STREET

Both ends of Greek recruitment interpret Work Forest

ccording to the university’s website, about half of Wake Forest’s undergraduate students are in one of 24 Greek letter fraternities and sororities on campus. With this level of involvement, there is considerable pressure both on those who want to join these organizations to put their best foot forward and on those already in Greek organizations to create the best possible class of new members. “It’s a two-way street for sure,” said Gerald Stathakis, recruitment chair for Theta Chi (Tachi), which was suspended this April following what the university called a series of Code of Conduct violations. “It’s not just us judging them but it’s also portraying the organization as one they’d like to join.” This balancing act can create a stressful environment, which some enjoy but others have to push through. The recruitment process is not for everyone — but it is also different for everyone. The Magnolia spoke with multiple students in Greek organizations and with both of Wake Forest’s assistant directors of Fraternity and Sorority Life. From these interviews, a clear picture emerged: The processes may look different, but across Greek life, an immense amount of work goes into recruitment — both

40 • THE MAGNOLIA • The Two-Way Street

from those who wish to join and those who are doing the recruiting. This level of effort — both mental and physical — does not exist in a vacuum, and students must navigate these processes as they are still students at one of the nation’s most rigorous universities. How the Processes Work Each of the three Greek councils at Wake Forest — in alphabetical order, the Interfraternity Council (IFC), National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and the Wake Forest Panhellenic Council (Panhellenic) — has a different process for recruiting members. In the IFC, specific recruitment processes are left to chapters, but recruitment must start on the second Wednesday of each semester. Anyone who wishes to join a fraternity must register for the recruitment process, and each chapter is required to submit a list of events and an interview schedule to Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Khristian Royster, who advises the IFC. Each chapter selects recruitment chairs who are in charge of designing and executing that chapter’s recruitment process. According to junior Rahmir Holloway, president of

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Photos taken by Meredith Power

Wake Forest’s NPHC, the recruitment process, called intake, also varies from chapter to chapter. Unlike the IFC, though, NPHC chapters recruit at different times throughout the year. According to multiple members of NPHC organizations at Wake Forest, intake is largely centered around introducing neophytes — or new members — to the chapter’s history, processes and service work. These neophytes then “cross” and become formal members after completing a knowledge test and being accepted by their organization. Specific NPHC intake processes are usually kept secret, and members are sworn to secrecy until the formal public reveal of the new class of members. Only Panhellenic chapters do not always recruit chapter-by-chapter. Everyone who wants to join a sorority must do so either through the formal recruitment process — which occurs during winter break and the first weekend of the academic semester — or continuous open bidding (COB), in which students who are sophomores, juniors and seniors can earn bids from houses that have open spaces in their pledge classes. Formal recruitment for Panhellenic occurs each spring and consists of four rounds, with the first two (Chapter Introductions and Philanthropy) being held on Zoom during winter break. The weekend before the first day of classes is the in-person Sisterhood round, where chapters sell potential new members (PNMs) on the strength of their bond as sisters. Then, PNM’s list of sororities that they are invited to narrows down to a maximum of two for Preference Night the following weekend. The day after Preference Night, PNMs receive their bids on Bid Day and then they “run home” from Benson to their new organization. Being Recruited For those going through Panhellenic’s formal recruitment process, the last week of winter break into the first week of the Spring semester can be a stressful time. According to junior Kaitlin Diamond, a member of Kappa Delta, there is a widespread perception that where one is situated in Wake Forest Greek life determines the fate of their social life on campus — and, as Diamond thought during recruitment — even after college. Diamond said that she later realized that this perception was inaccurate for her, but that this line of thinking caused her considerable stress during formal recruitment. “With it weighing on me that this was going to affect the rest of my social life in college, that week [between Sisterhood and Preference Night] got really really stressful…,” Diamond said. “The two houses that I got back on Preference Night were the two places that I really did feel comfortable in, but I had no idea that that was how it’s going to be.”

Junior Matthew Trosino, recruitment chair for Alpha Sigma Phi (ASig), explained that while he didn’t experience a significant mental toll from being recruited his freshman year, he knows many who did — whether from the commitment, lack of future stability or financial factors. “If you’re rushing three different fraternities, that’s three different rush events and parties a week,” Trosino said. “If you’re not sure if you’re gonna get a bid somewhere or if [becoming a brother] is financially something that you’re trying to work toward, it’s definitely stressful and probably impacts 90% of the people through the rush process.” IFC President Emory Horton, who is a member of Sigma Pi Alpha Nu (Sig Pi), also struggled with the rush process, which motivated him to take on his role as president. “[Recruitment] seemed to me as a freshman like something that was very exclusive, like you needed to be in the know — which I didn’t really like.” Horton said. “I wanted to be a part of this culture and change it for the better for everybody. According to senior Cerrin Crawford, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (Delta), NPHC intake processes can be incredibly competitive. As such, applications must be polished. Crawford, who estimated that at least 10 of her family members were Deltas, said that she began preparing for the intake process at eight years old, participating in trash pickup days and Delta’s efforts to advance legislation in the South Carolina legislature that would support the Black community. Crawford said that through these events and other events like homecoming, she got to experience Delta sisterhood and the sorority’s commitment to uplifting sisters firsthand. “I really saw what the sisterhood bond was,” Crawford said. “I was able to see how they often looked out for each other, how they try to uplift each other through words of encouragement and giving each other opportunities that they otherwise would not have.” “It’s Like an Extra Class:” New Member Education Chapters in all three Greek councils on Wake Forest’s campus require new recruits — which are referred to by different terms depending on the council — to go through new member education which occurs during different stages of the recruitment process. In the NPHC, new member education is a prerequisite to becoming a member of an organization. “You’ll learn about what it means to be a member of your organization, the history of your organization, things like that,” Holloway said. “I’m pretty sure for every organization, there’s a test at the end of that, that will determine whether or not you become an official member of that organization.”

In Panhellenic chapters, new member education comes between Bid Day and initiation, after new members are already a part of the organization (even if they are not initiated yet), according to Sarah Haugh, president of the Wake Forest Panhellenic Council “Everything is really open, so new member education happens after you get your bid,” Haugh said. “And it’s like you are already a member, technically, of the organization you haven’t been initiated yet. And then an initiation is when you become official.” According to Royster, all IFC chapters have a new member education process that starts after recruitment and lasts six weeks where they learn about the history of the organization and how it runs. “As soon as they get their bid, that six-week clock starts, and then organizations are able to sit down and meet with the students maybe once or twice a week at the most,” Royster said. The time commitment devoted to new member education varies from organization to organization and from council to council. Holloway said that in the NPHC, the time commitment is often similar to taking an additional Wake Forest class. Harris-Nelson agreed. “Think of it like a three credit hour class plus a lab, just with the extra things that you’ll do to want to kind of involve yourself and your community,” Harris-Nelson said. On the Other Side For those who are already members of a Greek organization, the recruitment process can be a stressful time as well, where there is intense pressure to make sure that their organization recruits the best class of new members possible. For many NPHC chapters — whose number of existing members is lower (the biggest chapter on campus has 12 members, according to Holloway) — more members of the chapter are often required to be involved in every recruitment event than in other councils. “For my organization, in particular, we have church service that you have to attend, you have to be there for FSL meetings…there’s a mandatory community service at some point, like you have to be there for all those things,” Holloway, who is also president of Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity, said. “So everything that they’re putting in, you’re putting in a little bit more than that, because you have to put together your calendar for how it’s gonna look. You have to be there for the conferences that they go to, things like that.” Crawford, who was treasurer of Wake Forest’s Delta chapter during intake last spring, said her leadership role

made for a busy intake process. “When I was treasurer, I spent at least eight hours a week, I would say, working on the budgeting sheet because…so many purchases are being made and so many things are going out,” Crawford said, “So you really have to be diligent and keep a really good list, like, ‘Okay, we’re all here. We’re going here, we’re going there,’ versus like, ‘I guess I’ll do XYZ…’ You have to be very disciplined.” Discipline also plays a role in deciding who is going to be a Recruitment Chair for the IFC. Trosino, who said he enjoyed meeting people and the competitiveness of recruitment, was given his role as recruitment chair in part due to his management abilities. “I was taking 16 credits that semester and I knew Thursday and Friday nights were out and I was losing 12-2 for lunch every day. I knew I couldn’t mess around,” Trosino said. Some Panhellenic chapters — like Kappa Beta Gamma (Beta) — delegate most of the recruitment to recruitment chairs and sophomores, who have gone through recruitment most recently and are closest to the new class of potential new members. “Even though I am president, I pay attention to the rules from a communication standpoint,” Beta President Abby Bermeo said. “For the recruitment process itself, I really only get the same amount of time as everyone else.” “I didn’t give too many other hours because it really is

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Editor’s Note: Shaila Prasad is currently a member of Wake Forest’s chapter of Kappa Beta Haruptassed maiorro inctet volendis ea dolum ius debNam, nus nihita is ipsundipsae eseque alignat. Aine Pierre was aumquis member of Kappa buteaque disaffiliated in 2022. it,Gamma. sitatur eperatecest am dolupti ipsundam eni- AlphaIt Theta quam id et ent, nient faccus exerum ant fu44 • THE MAGNOLIA • The Two-Way Street

mostly handled by the recruitment chairs.” Bermeo also expressed how mentally draining it can be to talk to new people for hours for multiple days on end. Because Panhellenic recruitment is standardized and condensed into just a few days, participants must spend hours on Zoom or in person talking to new people, which can be exhausting. For Diamond, the intensity of recruitment is magnified because she is on the West Coast, and Zoom recruitment sessions typically begin at 8 a.m. EST, which is 5 a.m. PST. Additionally, lists of PNMs can be released at all hours of the night, said one former recruitment director whom The Magnolia granted anonymity so she could speak to the ins and outs of the recruitment process. “We had some lists change pretty late at night last year,” she said. “So it took a little extra time because I was one of the only people that was working on it because obviously nobody else needs to be up in the middle of the night trying to figure out what’s going wrong.” Finding a Balance, Or Not The workload that goes into recruitment or intake is not a student’s only obligation. In addition to other extracurricular activities, Wake Forest’s academics have a reputation for intensity and rigor. This means students must work to find a balance between their obligations to Greek life and in the classroom. Diamond said that during the week between Sisterhood and Preference Night, she was prone to overthinking. She said that while the stress did not adversely affect her academic performance, she did not focus on the first week of classes as much as she thought she would. “It’s so hard to get a gauge of like, if you did well or if they liked you,” Diamond said of the Greek houses she engaged with during formal recruitment. “And I’m a stickler and I get in my head a lot and I overthink a lot of things, where I was like, ‘Oh, did I say something wrong? What should I have said instead of this?’” Stathakis said that his academics did suffer as a result of the recruitment process. As recruitment chair, he found himself consumed by the recruitment process and started making it a priority. “I got a little obsessed with it, I’m not gonna lie,” Stathakis said. “I liked it a lot … but sometimes it was stressful because I was putting more on myself than I needed to.” Stathakis acknowledged that his role limited his academic potential and that he would find himself rushing assignments to work on recruitment. This matches Harris-Nelson’s assessment. She said that she had never received any indication that Greek recruitment processes

could seriously interfere with academics. “I have never gotten feedback from anybody that this process takes away from [their] ability to do their work. I still feel they have the ability to manage everything,” she said. Some students said that the added pressure either gave them useful skills or increased their academic success. For example, Crawford said that she excelled academically the semester that she went through intake. “For me, I do a lot of good work when I’m really busy because it’s like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I had this, this and this,’” Crawford said. “So I would say [I was a better student], but not specific to the sorority, just because I was continuously busy and I was like, ‘Okay, when we budget my time, we put all my attention to this one thing and do it right the first time versus going back and working through things and changing things.’ So I was really precise with my schoolwork.” According to junior Spencer Bryant, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, along with building brotherhood, the intake process taught him valuable management skills. “When I was going through the process myself, a big thing I learned was time management skills because there’s a lot thrown at you,” Bryant said. “Managing something outside of your schoolwork isn’t the easiest, especially at Wake Forest, so doing that as a freshman definitely helped me grow.” Bryant will take these management skills to his position as Dean for the next calendar year, a position that oversees the intake process for his fraternity. He described that he’s anticipating that managing his workload and recruitment will be a challenge — as seems to be the case for some, but not all, behind the scenes of recruitment. Those on the recruiting side of the process also must balance their responsibilities with schoolwork. For some, this means creating solid, temporal lines between schoolwork, Greek life and social life (to the extent that the last two are separate). Kappa Alpha Theta President and senior Grace Peters says that she likes to have the morning and early afternoon to focus on schoolwork so she can work on Theta and go to social events in the evenings. “It helps me kind of feel more efficient in both ways, and not super dread either of those tasks,” Peters said. There are also systems in place within Greek life to ensure students’ academic success is maintained throughout their involvement in their organizations, including GPA requirements and check-ins, should there be concern about a student’s academic success. “We on the back end as a university are very much aware that…it shouldn’t be heavy on the students so much that they can’t balance between being a student or having a job,” Royster said.

Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 45

I KNOW ABOUT MONEY

XX • THE MAGNOLIA • Story Name

BREANNA LAWS (’25) writes about the challenges that low-income students face when attending Wake Forest.

traverse through Wake Forest’s career fair — speaking to recruiters as if I deserve to speak to them. I know what I’m talking about. I know how to do this. I know about money. I pretend to relate to my peers and laugh along with them as we discuss the $87,000 price tag on our education. I know what I’m talking about. I know how to do this. I know about money. I open the anonymous social media app Fizz, intrigued to see what my fellow students are spewing out under the sanctity of anonymity. I see a post with more than 700 upvotes that read, “Let’s start a support group for people who pay full tuition, it’s honestly kinda hard.” I close the app. I know about money. But despite nearly three years in The Forest, I still don’t know how to navigate everything. Many Wake Forest students come to campus understanding the concept of work. They have worked for their spot here. They have worked for their money. They have worked for everything that they have. For me, that looked like balancing a 25-hour workweek, extracurriculars and high school classes. It looked like conversations with my dad when my parents needed to borrow money from me. It looked like fighting against classist policies being enacted in my local school system — because who else would? In high school, my school board proposed a tuition increase for out-of-district students, such as myself, by several hundred dollars. There were rumors that the increase was to help cut down class sizes, but I was later told by one of the board members that it was due to Surry

County withholding funding for a new gymnasium. So lower-income out-of-district students were to be used as bargaining chips with the county commissioners. I spoke out against this policy. The tuition for these students was not raised. And lo and behold, the school still has a new gymnasium. For others, being low-income could look different. Wake Forest President Susan Wente, who was a Pell Grant recipient and a student in a work-study program during her time at the University of Iowa, told me about her experience working in cornfields to purchase her own contact lenses before ninth grade. She also talked with me about her time working at a K&W Cafeteria to make money during high school, while also heavily participating in her school’s debate team. “I was raised in a family with a very strong work ethic,” Wente said. “My parents helped us learn how to take that personal responsibility.” And a lot of low-income students do have that. But this is only one facet of work. The physicality of it. There is something physical about going to work — something physical about money. But for the low-income student in an elite space, the physical aspect of work becomes one of the lightest loads they have to carry. “I think the first thing that I noticed coming from a low-income situation into Wake Forest is that you feel like an imposter,” said recent Wake Forest alumna Dianna LaTerra (‘23). LaTerra was one of the first other low-income students I remember interacting with at Wake Forest. “The first thing I noticed when I came to campus was that it’s a very homogenous feeling...it can be very daunting because it’s a very specific, elite culture.” Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 47

‘‘

THIS ACT OF REINVENTING YOURSELF AND THE WAY YOU TALK TO OTHERS… IS WORK. Upon coming to Wake Forest, I was adamant about came across when trying to find sources for a linguistics not being “the poor kid.” I didn’t want to be the spokes- project. One of the paragraphs read as a personal testiperson. I’d had enough of that. I still don’t want to be, mony of a university student coming from a low-income but I have come to realize that, without elevating my background. He spoke about how he never accessed reown voice and others, there may be another generation sources on campus despite them being there, because he of Wake Forest students who feel as alone as I did when didn’t even know what to talk about when he was with I got here. the people meant to help him. For many students attending Wake Forest, it comes as This is true for a lot of low-income students at Wake no surprise that they are entering a wealthy institution. Forest, too. The professional world holds almost a comThe statistics are all there. On Sept. 7, the New York pletely different set of semantic and lexical rules. Times published its “Schools with the Greatest Econom“I think when people talk about low-income access, ic Diversity” list, which ranked 286 selective universities. they’re just talking about getting the resources out to Wake Forest fell at 271. them,” said LaTerra. “But there are also things that you In its 2020 report, the National Center for Education have to completely rehabilitate about your ability to talk Statistics reported that only 36% of incomto people if you’re trying to get into these elite In high school, ing Wake Forest students received grants or spaces — you have to learn how they talk.” there were still scholarships for the 2019-2020 academic She continued: “I’m always in the back of people I could year. Additionally, a New York Times study my head thinking when I’m doing these intalk to about from 2017 estimated that the median famformational things or networking…because ily income of a Wake Forest student was growing up low- I’m afraid there’s going to be some microex$221,500 — an income double if not triple income, but that’s pression that I do that’s going to turn somenot the case at the amount of most people I knew growing body off.” Wake Forest. up. While it may be second nature to those These numbers on their own are not neceswho grew up watching their parents work in sarily a bad thing, but they become problematic in terms business or other elite spaces — or to those whose parof students’ ability to empathize with others of different ents afforded them access to professional development backgrounds. resources — this is not the case for many. “I mean, it’s an economic transition, but it’s also soThis act of reinventing yourself and the way you talk cial,” said LaTerra. “It’s clear that a lot of people have to others… is work. never talked to people with other statuses, which changes “For people like us, it’s always in the back of your you in a significant way. And it’s not like it’s their fault.” mind. I’m trying to get myself to a place where I can t’s not. Unfortunately, though, this homogeneity often market myself so I will have a good job and be able to leads low-income students to feel the need to do a com- support myself,” LaTerra said. “It’s never a question.” plete overhaul of their image — down to the way they She continued: “For a lot of people [at Wake Forest], speak. there’s no sense of social elevation for them because they’re “I went to Wake Forest and everybody dressed the already there. It’s very fearful. You feel like a student first same, talked the same… I didn’t have the same lexicon as and a person second.” everyone else,” LaTerra said. This act of hiding yourself in favor of an image that is LaTerra’s comment reminded me of a research article I more socially valuable… is work. 48 • THE MAGNOLIA • I Know About Money

Right: Dianna LaTerra (‘23) Photography by Lucius You

In high school, there were still people I could talk to about growing up low-income, but that’s not the case at Wake Forest. The university does offer some programs for low-income students to find community, such as the Scholars’ Office, which, according to LaTerra, saved her life. According to Wente, these programs are a huge part of her mission to make Wake Forest a more inclusive space. “One thing that I’m very passionate about is continuing specific fundraising for scholarships,” Wente said. “We’re doing as much as we can with the resources we have right now, but we need to grow.” She continued: “And then I think the other part of it is really programming in the belonging and the inclusion initiatives. We can’t just recruit students here, and then say, ‘Okay, now you’re on your own.’ Our philosophy is really a comprehensive and personalized approach.” But sometimes, even these spaces hold their own forms of labor for students. “There are things in place that are there to help elevate students, but it’s also a lot of emotional labor to have to go to this thing and have to think about how different you are,” LaTerra said. “It’s hard to be authentic and be honest about what your background is, and I commend people that do that because it’s fucking difficult.” This act of trying to live authentically in a space where you are the minority… is work. LaTerra, Wente and I all came from smaller towns in which many of our peers did not attend college — or at least could never dream of the chance to go to a four-year institution. To get this sort of opportunity is not commonplace. But now, through our opportunities, we have resigned ourselves to another type of work — work for those who could not be here. I could forget about where I came from — the countless people in my community not afforded college access, the close family members who could not extend their ed-

ucation past middle school, the immediate family members who sacrificed everything for my education. But to forget about them is to forget myself. And to work for anyone else other than them is to waste my time. Making space for myself here at Wake Forest was never the end result. By establishing my right to be here, I establish the right of countless others to be here. By being here, I serve as a reminder that there are countless others like me who deserve to be here and were cast out. By speaking on these issues, despite the difficulty, I give voice back to my people. This act of speaking out… is work. But it is work that I would do a thousand times over. Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 49

Scholars Underground The scholars program drives change on campus from the inside. Story by Oscar Bray Photography by Lucius You

From left to right: Scott Zhao (‘26), Cassi Hung (‘26), Jae Canetti (‘24)

Wake Forest Scholars Program office (left)

ucked away not far from the former cold-war relic nuclear shelter in the basement of Tribble Hall, down a narrow, windowless corridor, lies one of Wake Forest’s greatest academic treasures — the Wake Forest Scholars Office, which is the home to the Wake Forest Scholars Program. In a room with a few offices and a small lounge space, Wake Forest Magnolia and Signature Scholars congregate to work, receive advice, socialize and utilize the office’s bountiful supplies of snacks and Keurig cups. Unlike the vacant Tribble basement hallway, the Scholars Office is decorated with sticky notes, memorabilia and other signs of life. Seeing the Office’s glass door for the first time, I remember wondering, is this really what the Scholars — who chose Wake Forest among a litany of programs — wanted? Stepping through the narrow doorway, the answer I received from the Scholars I interviewed was a resounding yes. Jae Canetti, a senior Signature Scholar — the scholarship for merit students — studying applied mathematics, computer science and en-

vironmental studies, recounts his we don’t have to deal with,” Canetti experience as a student in the Schol- said. ars Program. In addition to providAside from what the Scholars Ofing full merit for his undergraduate fice asks their Signature Scholars to expenses, the Scholars Program has do — conduct research and attend a furnished him with resources to con- few mandatory meetings — they ask duct research each summer, and most for little else. recently provided him extensive help Cassi Hung and Scott Zhao — in applying for several postgradu- two of Canetti’s fellow Signature ate scholarships, such as the Rhodes Scholars — agree that the Scholars Scholarship. program is a liberating experience. To Canetti, the number of op- I asked Hung why she chose Wake portunities available to him at Wake Forest, and she agreed with Canetti. Forest was incomparably better than “A lot of programs offer the cohort at any other school. I asked him if experience,” she said, and Wake Forhe felt any pressure because of that est specifically had a healthy balance support. He replied, smiling, “What of planned scholarship programming the Scholars Office says and opportunities to ex“...The number is: ‘You are not special.’” plore things. She chose of opportunities Scholars do not get Wake Forest “because priority registration, available to [Jae] she gets to have that coat Wake Forest and they remain a part hort and that commuwas incomparably of the normal student nity, and still have a lot body. Canetti thinks better than at any of freedom.” other school.” this is freeing. At other Zhao agrees: “I hauniversities’ merit proven’t felt any pressure grams that offer special treatment to from the Scholars Office,” Zhao says. scholars, he thinks this would come “If there’s any pressure, it’s self-preswith added pressure. sure.” The Scholars Office, they tell “Where you get put on a pedestal, me, encourages students to do reyou get baggage with it. There’s an search each summer — and provides image of greatness or perfection that them with what they need to do so. Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 51

But ultimately, what they want to do with their time is up to them. Jackie Sheridan, Director of the Wake Forest Scholars Program, explains the Office’s perspective. “We expect them, at a minimum, to be exemplary representatives of the university, to maintain a GPA requirement and engage with Wake Forest to a heightened degree — what shape that takes, however, is driven by them.” Scholars have different ideas of what that shape should be. Canetti sees his role as “creating an academic trajectory that doesn’t exist in America,” one where he does not need to compromise in his pursuit of learning about green energy technology. To Canetti, the Scholars are an “in-

jection of forced diversity” into the academic culture of the university. He explains that “Wake Forest generally has a base of legacy and recurring support from a fairly narrow group of people, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, a university really should be a place where you’re forced to come out of your comfort zone and meet people who think differently and are fundamentally different than you. We’re free radicals. We all think differently from both the student body — and from each other.” Diverging from Canetti, Zhao says, “I just go with it.” To him, being a Scholar was once a reward for the things that he accomplished before he came to Wake Forest, but now it is just an opportunity to meet new people with a wide variety of interests and learn. Far from any singular purpose, being a Scholar is about authentically living out his best under-

52 • THE MAGNOLIA • Scholars Underground

graduate life — conducting research where he is interested in it. Aside from that, he sees himself fundamentally as just another student. For Hung, it is not a dramatic event to be a Scholar. “I don’t wake up every day and think about it,” she says. “It’s about being a part of a community” — both the Scholars cohort and the Wake Forest general student body. Scholars “make impacts in clubs and organizations and win fellowships,” Hung says, but “We talked about dinosaur costumes during my interview.” While she has done research, the Scholars program, and her role in it, is about the people she meets along the way. It’s a great privilege, Hung tells me, “to be among a community of people with diverse interests but shared values.” Paul Gauthier, Associate Dean of Admissions specializing in merit-based scholarships, explains what the Office of Admissions hopes for from such cohorts. “We believe that our scholars have such a diverse array of interests that they naturally enhance many areas of

campus life,” he said. And once these topics through Wake Forest’s liberal cohorts are put together, “expecta- arts curriculum,” she said. “We hope tions should be kept to a minimum.” they encounter all kinds of interestMost merit scholars “are naturally ing pursuits over the course of their high-achieving and don’t need ad- time here.” ditional incentives or the stress that To her, “the finest graduates are comes with them.” able to draw connections across disGauthier believes that given lee- ciplines and articulate what they’re way, the Scholars make their own interested in and why.” path. Interdisciplinary exposure — to They “contribute to our overall people, to fields, and to novel acacommunity in a variety of ways with demic experiences — can reshape academic excellence Scholars’ horizons. Canetti thinks within the classroom “With such a backthat a successful being the most comground, they’ll never be mon similarity. Outside Scholars Program locked into one static is more about of the classroom, our path,” Sheridan said. scholars have includ- recruiting the kind “Their motivations will of students who ed Rhodes Scholars, drive how they navigate can contribute to national debate chama constantly shifting campus now. pions, student trustworld, designing lives of ees, leaders of cultural purpose that span difgroups, actors, club sports partici- ferent roles, companies and fields. A pants and band leaders.” successful Scholars Program means Sheridan agrees that freedom for having a number of impactful, fulScholars to forge their own way is filled graduates representing a wide important. range of fields and interests.” “We select for potential and know Canetti thinks that a successful that students may develop new Scholars Program is more about restrengths as they are exposed to other cruiting the kind of students who

can contribute to campus now. “Scholars are professional outsiders,” he said. “You need to confront that early on and get used to the idea that you will not assimilate and that’s not a bad thing. That’s why you were brought here.” To Canetti, these professional outsiders are those “hardcore students needed to push the school to its limit.” He sees himself and his fellows as ultimately a “litmus test for the boundaries of the university.” There’s a “conformist culture at Wake,” Canetti continues. As part of this culture, “Wake [Forest]’s students are largely self-interested to a fault” and can fall into “old-money group think.” He sees his peers — and thinks that most “don’t take advantage of what the university and what people have to offer.” Many, Canetti contests, “don’t even see the things happening all around them.” There’s a “lack of loyalty and a lack of thought of stepping beyond one’s own self-interest.” The role of the Scholars then—on campus and as part of the community — is “to present an opportunity for othFall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 53

er Wake Forest students to interact with those who will challenge their norms and expand their horizons.” The Wake Forest undergraduate body comes down in Canetti’s worldview to two sectors: “the old money and everyone else.” The Scholars are the necessary platform for “the undergraduate student body to step beyond what they know.” But Canetti says that “where Wake fails is in getting people to do that. People can go four years and have no idea that we even exist.” The Scholars Program “organically elevates the image of Wake Forest,” in Canetti’s view, but that is not how the school markets itself. “You don’t have to try so hard to push the diversity narrative when it already exists,” he says, calling for the university to demonstrate the rich variety at Wake Forest that exists already, rather than “trying to push a manufactured image of diversity.” Show this undercurrent, Canetti argues, and the students interested in pushing the University to its limits will follow. Canetti doesn’t think the Scholars Program is at fault for this. He struggles to find any place for im-

provement. “The Scholars Program idan and Gauthier made the best imis perfect the way it is. It is a unique pression on him. It’s an impression thing to not be special.” that’s lasted his time at Wake. The Scholars Office “gives so “What we have here is good and many resources and so much advice, is good for the university, we are part help, connections, opportunities, of the university community,” Hung money.” And Canetti thinks it’s all said. She couldn’t think of much an “organic endeavor, not a mechan- she’d like to change—only that ically operated machine.” To him, more mandatory meetings might the Scholars Office be nice for the sake is “deeply interper- Funds to recruit Scholars of seeing the other sonal, and a “Gold- might be drying up at a Scholars more ofilocks zone” on hav- bad time. “As tuition has ten, a head-shaker ing everything the for Zhao. They both increased over the past scholars need withmentioned wanting few years...that impacts out compromising windows. scholarships. Many on their experience Sheridan, howevscholarships are alumni er, has a greater conas students.” or donor-funded, and While they might cern. Funds to rethe original contribution cruit Scholars might not share Canetti’s might not go as far view of the Scholbe drying up at a bad now.” ars’ role on campus, time. “As tuition has Hung and Zhao increased over the agree with him on the Scholars Of- past few years, we’ve also had to pay fice. They’re just good people, Zhao more attention to how that impacts explains, telling me the story of how scholarships. Many scholarships are Sheridan remembered his name from alumni or donor-funded, and the a chance encounter. They all agree original contribution might not go that Sheridan is a rockstar of a men- as far now. A scholarship that was tor and organizer for the Scholars. designed to cover the full cost of tuOf all the interviews Zhao did, Sher- ition in the 1970s, for example, only

54 • THE MAGNOLIA • Scholars Underground

covers a portion of a student’s tuition costs now.” This comes at a time when Scholars worry that Wake Forest rankings slipping might impact the school’s ability to recruit the same caliber of cohorts. But Gauthier thinks it’s too soon to say for certain how it will impact the Scholars Program. “We have always lost a number of our scholarship recipients to schools that these students believe to be more prestigious,” he writes, and it’s “too early to tell if it will happen any more frequently with our new ranking.” Those who make their decisions “based on US News rankings will be likely to continue to do so,” he said, and admissions will “need to continue to focus on those students who are persuadable.” To Gauthier, those “who believe in the importance of smaller classes, professors who are willing to mentor undergraduates and the other myriad of opportunities that we afford our students should still find Wake Forest to be an exceptional fit.”

Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 55

Aaron Nataline (‘25)

LEFT Lila Gneiting Photo: Evan Harris

RIGHT Wilson Wen Photo: Evan Harris

Transfer students share their perspectives on “Work Forest”

ven with the pressure she admitted comes with being a Wake Forest student, junior Ameya Bellamkonda said that at least “friendships of survival” are not the status quo of relationships at the university. The term “friendship of survival,” coined by Bellamkonda — who transferred from Wake Forest to Emory University following her freshman year — redefines the social alliances of college life. “I use that term because I think that most Emory students are working with relationships built out of necessity,” Bellamkonda said. “Maybe that’s more normal in college than I think, though, and [Wake Forest] made me think it wasn’t. At Wake Forest, I feel like there is generally a student population that wants to be kind to you, you know? Bond over football games, laugh at Subway at ridiculous hours.” Though there may be more to Wake Forest friendships than bonding over the workload, the nickname “Work Forest” pervades discussion of the student experience. The Magnolia spoke to students who have transferred either in or out of the university. They compared their time in the Forest to their experiences at other institutions.

CENTER Lila Gneiting Photo: Evan Harris

58 • THE MAGNOLIA • Ins and Outs

Sophomore Wilson Wen said he grew tired of the student-driven emphasis on academics he found at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., which he left this past year to come to Wake Forest. There is no doubt in Wen’s mind that his new school pushes the academic standard, but he doesn’t believe the student body reinforces that pressure to succeed. “I think ‘Work Forest’ exists, but in a good way, even a healthy way,” Wen said. “I feel like the pressure here is more from the curriculum, rather than the environment.” On top of the academic rigor “building [his] discipline,” Wen credited the curriculum at Wake Forest with bringing “I feel like people are definitely a lot more involved here,” Wen said. “Everyone I have met, they’re in some sort of campus organization. It can be pre-professional or a club sport. Either way, they encourage everyone to join.” Chicago-raised Max Leibov transferred from Wake Forest after freshman year to return to Illinois at Northwestern University, where he is a junior. Similar to Bellamkonda, he described his Wake Forest experience as “well-rounded.” “I think the ‘Work Forest’ experience didn’t stop most people from

having a cohesive and supportive freshman year,” Leibov said. “That was only freshman year, but I think Wake Forest students are dedicated to living in the present — a big difference from Northwestern.” The opportunity for pre-professional experience in Chicago appealed to Leibov, however. To him, Northwestern meant more direct avenues to experiences outside of campus, something he felt was limited during his time at Wake Forest. “Getting into Northwestern let me get the chance to try for more pre-professional experiences in the city, outside of campus,” Leibov said. Wake Forest’s student body size — just under a fourth of undergraduate enrollment at Northwestern — meant that quickly finding compatible student organizations was imperative. “It’s a small student body at Wake Forest, so you need to start saying ‘yes’ to getting involved right away,” Leibov said. “Incoming students should still keep an open mind though. It’s an expansive community, despite its size. Get into as many circles as you can because some group there will align with your interests.” After applying her interests to her search for a like-minded group on campus, Wake Forest senior Lila

Gneiting, who transferred from the University of Albany her freshman year, succeeded in finding a way to get involved in the local community. She credited the Student Association for the Advancement of Refugees as one of the organizations that has kept her grounded since transferring in. “We have a network of local refugee families who know us and have us tutor their children,” Gneiting said. “We have helped children with their homework and parents study for citizenship tests.” Since transferring to Wake Forest, Gneiting has learned to embrace the level of involvement it takes to make Wake Forest feel like home. “It seems like basically every student here, if they’re happy, is simultaneously working for something alongside classes,” Gneiting said. “It’s not enough to just be here. There can be an assumption that if you’re here, you’re smart, you’re comfortable. But there’s more to the experience than the school’s ranking.” Though grateful for the pressure to get involved on campus, Wen said that, as an incoming transfer student, the necessary speed of the adjustment can be a challenge. However, he explained that the administration’s commitment to keeping up with new transfers — no matter their class standing — significantly improved his experience. “Coming into a new school did feel intimidating,” Wen said. “The idea of starting over wasn’t easy to accept, but I knew that when I applied. What helped was clicking with my suitemates this semester, and the university checking on me. They send emails to transfer students throughout the beginning of the semester. It really helped me feel like I was starting my time here right.” Many college students will emphasize the importance of starting their first semester “the right way,” whatever that may mean to them. But that proper beginning doesn’t always speak to how someone will feel

at an academic institution over time. Bellamkonda said she has plenty of great memories from her first few weeks at Wake Forest, and that it was a long-term feeling that grew into her decision to transfer. “I didn’t always feel a sense of belonging,” Bellamkonda said. “I think it was that I wasn’t involved in communities that were bringing together people of color. But that was on me. I want to be very clear that Wake Forest didn’t do anything to make me want to leave. I think that I could have taken more steps to fix that feeling, but at the end of the day, I didn’t feel enough community to stay, given that my parents, who are my support system, were so far away.” The chance to be somewhere more familiar was important for Leibov as well. “It really was a tough decision to transfer,” Leibov said. “My reason was that I wanted a little bit more of an urban experience. I grew up in Chicago my entire life and wasn’t anticipating how ‘small town’ Wake Forest would feel.” Despite his decision, relationships formed in Winston-Salem still carry weight for Leibov. While in London for an abroad program, he told me that, following the interview for this story, he planned to go out with a current Wake Forest senior he’s kept in touch with since leaving. This sentiment held true for Bellamkonda as well, who spoke to her excitement in visiting Wake Forest each year, something she can enjoy with the promise of reuniting with friends. “I usually visit twice a year,” Bellamkonda said. “I think it says a lot about Wake Forest that I still have friends who let me stay in their rooms. That’s awesome. There are people there who truly care about you, so that even if you decide that it is best for you to leave, they will stand by you, because the friendship is about you and them, not where you go to school.”

Wilson Wen Photo: Evan Harris

Fall 2023 • THE MAGNOLIA • 59

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