A Safe Place and Space to Learn
January 2024 Update
So, what’s the difference between RKS and other workshops?
Our faculty and staff!
You signed up for this workshop because you wanted to get insight from experienced teaching faculty. Our staff has several PhD’s and more coaching championships than can be counted on 4 hands. All the technological bells and whistles everyone else can offer, we can too. What others cannot offer is the same quality instruction. At RKS you will learn from the top of the field, not just undergraduate debaters, because we do not have undergraduates leading our students on a daily basis. Our faculty are proven educators of debate who care for the person first, but certainly know how to win both within and breaking traditional norms of debate.
A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT
Below we will discuss all the elements of safety, but we understand that safety alone does not ensure success in learning. It is incumbent upon our staff to help create welcoming environment among our own students and staff. In addition to initial conversations about how to work to empower one another to be our best we also extensively discuss successful and unacceptable actions while aiming to lift up each other. At Wake Debate we prioritize care for the person first, academics and debate follow. Students should expect to engage in difficult conversations in race, gender, money, and many other elements of society. By utilizing a combination of scholarly reading, small group conversation and even aspects of debate, we hope to utilize these moments to help students equip themselves for success at our workshop and beyond. But two other elements are also a part of the question of safety on campus.
A Beautiful Campus
We want the students at our workshop to enjoy their experience by showing them all of what our secure beautiful campus can offer them. Whether it be the 8 story library, an RA guided walk during the afternoon to a waterfall, or simply enjoying the beautiful grounds of the many acres of green spaces on campus, students will learn in a campus that combines charm with modern technology. While students will not simply be told to "go forth and roam", it is helpful to know that the place students will spend 4 weeks has gorgeous outdoor and indoor public spaces.
COVID SAFEGUARDS
We are still working with Wake Forest Summer Conferences and University Medical staff to solidify our exact policies. We anticipate:
A) strongly encouraging participants to be fully vaccinated and have received a booster.
B) encouragement of mask wearing upon signs of illness
C) physical isolation + online interaction for students who test positive. They will be provided food and are encouraged to take daily double-masked walks weather and health permitting. Because we already have an online program running simultaneously, the students will have opportunity to participate if they feel up to it - at the very least, they will have an infrastructure in place to talk with friends.
What is your cancelation policy regarding COVID?
If for some reason, we need to go to cancel due to changing societal health circumstances, we will refund all payments and give students the option to enroll online. If a student wishes to switch from in-person to remote, all difference in costs will be refunded.
What are the non-COVID Safety protocols in place?
The campus is a small private university. It is gated, very well lit, and equipped with emergency blue light stations throughout. All dorm rooms, classrooms, and even the cafeteria require a key card for entry. University campus police have a good track record of working with Wake Debate workshop students to maintain safety while minimizing potential discomfort. Students have dorm check and rollcall checks throughout the day and are required to follow a buddy system when moving about the campus. All stay-over camps on Wake Forest campus this summer must be run by Wake Forest Staff/Faculty; like us, they must submit their plans for supervision for approval and meet university guidelines. Debate, Art, STEM camps, Dance, Golf, and others all work together to maintain quality environments.
Debate Workshop Policies
We have a 1:8 dorm staff to student ratio on average. Our staff are well-trained and experienced. There are room checks in the evening and roll calls in the a.m. Students are not allowed to leave the campus. We go over safety protocols with students prior to and upon arrival including the need to walk in pairs and discussing optimal places to walk, run or relax in the shade.
Frequently Asked Questions
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