Category Archives: News

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.”

By Melissa Schill

1.31.2020

Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., will be the keynote speaker for the inaugural Rodney Sisco Symposium on Feb. 5-6 at Wheaton.

“Dr. Bernice King’s keynote is going to be important, instructive, encouraging and challenging,” said Vice President of Student Development Paul Chelsen, who serves on Wheaton’s planning committee for the Symposium. “To have Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter on campus is a privilege for us to learn from her and her experience and her expertise and leadership.”

By Carolina Lumetta

1.31.2020

This semester’s Special Service Chapels, held from Jan. 27-29, featured Arrabon Ministries, a organization based in Richmond, Va. that helps Christian communities with racial reconciliation, and its worship band, Urban Doxology. The band hosted three chapel services, a worship workshop and an evening service at Edman. Founder David Bailey started Urban Doxology to promote racial reconciliation through worship. The band tours the country hosting worship workshops, training programs and services to expose believers to a more diverse range of worship styles.

By Melissa Schill

1.24.2020

The year-and-a-half renovation project in the Student Services Building (SSB) is nearing completion as all departments are scheduled to be moved back in by the end of January.

Although the project was officially approved and started in August 2018, campus architect Bruce Koenigsberg began working on the first designs in 2016. Director of Facilities Scott Okesson has also been involved in the process since the beginning, overseeing building maintenance, design and planning. The renovation as a whole was a $5.7 million project, with $2 million of donor funds going toward the new Center for Vocation and Career (CVC) space on the east side of the building. One of the primary goals of the renovation was to expand the CVC’s footprint. The center went from having 1,500 to 5,000 square feet of space.

By Tennyson Bush

1.24.2020

This semester marks the debut of the Student Voter Education (SVE) series, a collaboration between Student Government (SG) and politically involved campus organizations aimed at informing the student body on the hows and whys of civic engagement. The series kicked off on January 15th with a talk by Assistant Professor of International Relations Timothy Taylor and Dean of Social Sciences Bryan McGraw on “Why Your Vote Matters.”