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August 11: You’re Almost Here! Final To-Do List and Communication Transition

Dear parents and families,

Move-In Day is just around the corner! This is our final weekly message for incoming families. We’ve compiled the critical last-minute actions and outlined how we’ll continue to communicate with you throughout the year.

Action Item Tracker

  • Make sure your Deac knows their check-in status! Students must log in with their @wfu.edu account to confirm they do not have any holds. Any holds must be resolved before they check in. More details can be found in the Move-In Guide.
    • 166 new students have not successfully completed their vaccine requirements (either vaccines themselves or documentation) which means they will not be allowed to move in. Please have your students check their Deacon Health Portal for any secure messages and to see their vaccine status.
  • Purchase optional tuition insurance by August 23. Wake Forest offers an elective tuition insurance plan through GradGuard that will help minimize financial loss if a student suffers a serious illness or accident and must withdraw before the end of a semester (see the refund policy). Note: Wake does not financially benefit.
  • Ensure your Deac (or you, if your student made you a Third Party Payer) has checked Workday for unpaid tuition balances or other unpaid fees. Fall semester tuition was due on 8/1, so an unpaid balance on your Deac’s account may be restricting their ability to register for classes or for their move-in time. 
  • Reminder to complete the Student Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver form by September 15. In accordance with University health coverage requirements, students who have not taken action by September 15 will be automatically enrolled in the plan and responsible for the insurance premium on their account.
  • Talk to your Deac to ensure they have registered their mobile phone and downloaded Alertus. These are critical tools to alert your student in an emergency.
  • Has your student secured their laptop?WakeWare offers high-performance laptops that meet University minimum requirements and include four years of on-campus repair support at The Bridge IT Service Desk.

Move-In Guide

  • There are updated instructions in our Move-In Guide. Please review it again. Here are a few key reminders:
    • Students will be able to access their QR code on the Move-In Status page 30 minutes before their selected check-in time. If you arrive at the LJVM Coliseum before your student has their QR code, you will be asked to park in the parking lot until they get their code.
    • You will be asked to drive a specific route to campus. Please follow those instructions, which will help us manage traffic flow and avoid unnecessary delays.
      • If you have any vehicles that do NOT need to be unloaded at your building, please let police know that as you enter campus so we can route you to parking as quickly as possible.
    • Follow directions of staff to park and unload curbside at your student’s building. Someone must stay with the vehicle at all times. Volunteer move-in assistance will be available during limited hours:
      • Friday, August 14: 8-11 a.m.
      • Tuesday, August 18: 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
      • For families arriving outside those hours, you will be responsible for moving in all student belongings. You may wish to bring your own cart/wagon to assist you.
  • Once your car is unloaded, the driver must immediately move the car to the designated parking lots (Lot Q/large lot behind Wait Chapel or Lot Z3/4 located on Long Drive; shuttle available at Long Drive). 
  • Important note for families moving their student in for Pre-Orientation and then returning for Family Orientation Aug.18-19: 
    • Please save your move-in parking pass and display it on your dashboard when you return to campus.
    • Please be aware that your student must be present to let you into their room (and for students living in suite-style halls on the Quad, let you into their suite front door and their room). Students may not give their ID or key to anyone else, including their parents/family members. 
    • When you return on Aug. 18-19, follow your building-specific move-in route to drive to campus:
    • If you do NOT need to unload items at your student’s building (i.e., you moved them in fully Aug. 13-14), please let police know that as you enter campus so we can route you to parking as quickly as possible.

Orientation Schedule and Departure

  • Schedule Access: The Family Orientation schedule is in the Guidebook app: Go to your APP or Google Play Store and search “WFU Orientation Programs” to access the New Deac Welcome Week 2026 guide, or scan this QR code.
  • To see the schedule of events, do the following:
  • Departure: All Family Orientation activities conclude by 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 19. Please plan to depart Wednesday evening or Thursday morning to allow your student to focus on their required Orientation schedule and allow them to create connections with their hallmates and classmates.

Continuing Communication & Resources

After this final email, all parent and family information will transition:

  • Change to families’ primary website: The New Students website (that you and your students have used all summer) will only be active through August 19. 
  • Starting August 20, all family news will be shared on parents.wfu.edu.
  • Daily Deac blog: If you haven’t already done so, consider subscribing to the Daily Deac;  Look for the SUBSCRIBE box on the Daily Deac page and enter your email address to be added to the distro list. Once subscribed, you’ll get an email each weekday around 5 p.m. This is one of the best ways to make sure you don’t miss any important info from Wake Forest.
  • Want campus security notifications? Get the WakeSafe app and enable Notifications (directions here).
  • Weekly Message for First Year Families:  The Daily Deac will include a link to message to P’30s every Monday throughout the fall semester, focusing on common transition-to-college topics.  There are two posted now: Partnering through Privacy: Understanding FERPA, and The Many Moods of Move-In.
  • Essential Resources: Bookmark the Who to Contact For… page and the After Hours Help page. But remember: Whenever possible, let your student make the contact.

Wishing you safe travels and a smooth move-in. I’ll be everywhere during Family Orientation and I hope to meet many of you in person! 

You got this, P’30s! 🖤💛

Betsy Chapman, PhD (‘92, MA ‘94)
Executive Director of Family Communications

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