The Wheaton Record

By Tennyson Bush

After a temporary judicial ruling preventing the city of Chicago from limiting free speech in Millennium Park, Wheaton’s Chicago Evangelism Team (CET) returned to the park on Friday, Feb. 21. Judge John Robert Blakey ruled in a 32-page opinion memorandum that “the City’s restrictions prohibit reasonable forms of expression in large areas of the Park.”

A status hearing is scheduled for March 4 to discuss how the case will proceed. Though the students have won the right to return to Millennium Park to preach, the case is not yet over, and Judge Blakey’s decision to prohibit Chicago from enforcing speech restrictions will only last until a final judgement is made at the conclusion of the case.

Senior accuses SG of censorship

By Tennyson Bush and Carolina Lumetta

2.28.2020

On Feb. 19, Senior Class Co-President Joshua Franker posted a laminated notice on the forum wall in Lower Beamer stating that all anonymous posts would be taken down at the end of the day. In response, senior Leo O’Malley began collecting signatures to hold a referendum on all 2019-2020 Student Government (SG) proposals. After a day of encouraging students to join his cause in Lower Beamer and other areas of Wheaton’s campus on Thursday, O’Malley says that he now has 103 “signatures and commitments to sign.”

Franker’s notice, which was not an official SG initiative, encouraged students to take ownership of what they post on the wall. “Look to write what is edifying,” the notice said. “Please put your name and date on your posts (Posts without names are welcome but will be taken down at the end of the day).” Franker enforced this rule for three days following the post. “Any student could have done what I did. Any student can post on the forum wall or take stuff down,” he said.

The rules laid out in the notice mirror the ones suggested in a Nov. 9 SG proposal called “Standardization of the Forum Wall” in which Franker called for “continued conversations with the administration” about the forum wall.

By Melissa Schill

2.28.2020

After being hired in January, three academic advisers are preparing to begin their work with students as part of Wheaton’s new Academic Advising Office (AAO) during the second half of the spring semester.

Mandie Porick, Candyce Cabral and James Kim will be providing advising support specifically designed for first-year and transfer students, in addition to what these students receive from their major-specific faculty advisor. The new team will also serve students who may need increased support, such as first-generation students, students with academic accommodations, athletes and international students.

By Micah McIntyre

2.14.2020

After being disbanded at the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year, Wheaton’s group for students who identify as LGBTQ was re-approved by the administration in January and moved from the Chaplain’s Office to Student Wellness.

The new agreement between Refuge student leaders and the administration allows for Refuge to operate independently from other groups in the Chaplain’s Office that focus on sexual sanctity. The decision to reinstate Refuge comes in response to student reservations about replacing Refuge with curriculum-based groups such as In Terra Pax and Refuge Discipleship Small Groups (DSG).

By Melissa Schill

2.14.2020

On Wednesday, Feb. 12, Wheaton College and Elmhurst College signed an agreement giving liberal arts nursing majors the opportunity to receive their bachelor’s degree from Wheaton in three years, then go on to get their master’s degree in nursing from Elmhurst in two years.

“I am delighted that we are able to partner with Elmhurst College,” Provost Margaret Diddams said. “In this way, students receive Wheaton’s excellent liberal arts education and are able to complete their professional training with the top notch nursing faculty at Elmhurst and state of the art facilities at Edward-Elmhurst Hospital.”

By Melissa Schill

2.7.2020

Although the epicenter of the coronavirus is thousands of miles away from Wheaton, for some students and faculty the news of the virus’ rapid spread has hit close to home.

By Tennyson Bush

2.7.2020

On Tuesday, two Wheaton alumnae accused Gilbert Bilezikian, an emeritus professor of New Testament, of sexual harassment in a blog post by Julie Roys (‘87), a popular Christian writer and podcaster who lives in the Greater Chicago area.

The alumnae, Donna Ray and Ellie Cowan, studied with Bilezikian in the mid-1980s. According to his faculty profile, Bilezikian started teaching at Wheaton in 1966 and retired in 1992. He is often credited with inspiring the megachurch movement. Bilezikian, who is now 92 years old, has previously denied allegations against him.

By Carolina Lumetta

2.7.2020

On Wednesday, Feb. 5, the first annual Rodney Sisco Symposium for Leadership, Diversity and Equity opened with the presentation of the Student Choice Diversity Award to one faculty and one staff member. Chief Intercultural Engagement Officer Sheila Caldwell described the purpose of the award to “celebrate individuals who champion efforts that result in greater awareness, diversity, justice, inclusion and unity for all members of our community.”