Category Archives: News

By Melissa Schill

12.13.19

Although recreational marijuana will be legal for adults in Illinois on Jan. 1, 2020, it will not be permitted on Wheaton’s campus, following the same restrictions as the no-alcohol policy.

In preparation for the new law, the student handbook was updated for the current academic year with the following statement: “The College also prohibits the recreational use of marijuana in states where it has become legalized.” Violating this policy will result in suspension or expulsion, or, if the violating student is under 21, referral to prosecution.

By Carolina Lumetta

12.13.19

After being approved by Provost Margaret Diddams and the Student Activities Office (SAO) this fall, the new Wheaton Coast Guard Auxiliary University program (AUP) is on its way to become the first university detachment of its type in the Midwest.

College of DuPage junior Evan Sheriff and Wheaton sophomore Penn Moffat began laying the foundations for the program at the beginning of the fall semester and have been given all the “green lights” required to start the program, according to Moffat. “We have everything we need except student interest,” he said.

By Micah McIntyre

12.6.19

Margaret Diddams will be stepping down from her position as provost of Wheaton College at the end of the academic year.

“Margaret Diddams is a champion for Christ-centered liberal arts education who will leave an enduring legacy at Wheaton College,” President Philip Ryken, who announced her departure in a campus-wide email on November 25, said. “She often goes out of her way to give me personal encouragement and to ensure that our academic division is fully aligned with Wheaton’s overall mission.”

By Carolina Lumetta

12.6.19

Following a four-week trip to Spain, faculty in the Spanish department are readying a book of student work for possible publication.

The book, which is in the process of being submitted to InterVarsity Press, will feature a collection of devotionals and watercolors from six Wheaton students about their experience walking the historic Camino de Santiago, a medieval Catholic pilgrimage route in Spain that has recently been increasing in popularity.

By Melissa Schill

11.15.19

Of the 2,395 undergraduate students studying at Wheaton, 88 are international students, representing 23 different countries. This number, which has increased over the past three years, puts Wheaton at odds with national trends, which according to Inside Higher Ed have been on the decline over the same period.

By Carolina Lumetta

11.15.19

Although the number of Wheaton students volunteering through the Christian Service Council (CSC) has increased slightly in the last 10 years, there is still much less participation than in the organization’s recent history. Assistant Director of School Year Programs Jared Falkanger, who oversees the CSC, thinks the decrease in numbers is due to increased busyness and changing attitudes toward off-campus ministry among Wheaton students.

The CSC, which operates out of the Office of Christian Outreach (OCO), offers students weekly and one-time volunteer opportunities, such as tutoring and evangelism, in Wheaton and the Chicago area.

By Micah McIntyre

11.15.19

On Nov. 19, Wheaton will welcome two of the most recognized biblical scholars working today: NT Wright and Michael F. Bird. To promote their latest book, “The New Testament in its World,” Bird and Wright are touring the United States and attending speaking engagements around the country.

Wright has visited Wheaton in the past to speak in chapel and at conferences on-campus. According to Zondervan Academic’s website, his latest book focuses on the context of first-century Christianity.

By Melissa Schill

11.9.19

A week after Chicago Public School (CPS) teachers returned to their classrooms following an 11-day strike, Wheaton College student teachers are reflecting on the gains and losses of one of the most consequential events in the history of Chicago schools.

“It was interesting to see these issues unfold first-hand, understanding the information and personally knowing the teachers who were involved,” said senior Jordan Wyatt, who works as a 4th grade student teacher at Grover Cleveland Elementary School. “Issues that had been negotiated for years were resolved in weeks.”

By Micah McIntyre

11.9.19

Although the weather has been much colder in Wheaton this week than at her home in rural Virginia, Karen Swallow Prior braved the elements to deliver this year’s Staley Series in chapel. Prior is a professor of English at Liberty University and is an established author and respected evangelical scholar. Her books include “Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me” and “On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Literature.” Prior’s essays have been featured in Christianity Today, the Atlantic and the Washington Post. Next fall, Prior will join the faculty at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina. The Record sat down with Prior to discuss her work in the classroom, on stage and in every medium in between.