September 2024

From the President

Dear Parents, 

Hopefully, you noticed the message a few weeks ago announcing Homer’s Odyssey as our campus book for the 2024-2025 school year.

I first studied Homer as an English major at Wheaton College, under the tutelage of legendary Professor Beatrice Batson. Admittedly, I understand the epic better now than I did as a college student. I could see that Odysseus was longing for home; however, my hunger was to get out into the world and make a difference.

Now my longing for home—my eternal home—grows with each passing year. Like Odysseus, therefore, I hunger for what Dr. Batson called “the journey home.”

In making a home for your student you have provided one of the best gifts a parent can ever give. The longer they are away, the more they look forward to seeing you again. But you have also awakened a deeper longing in them—a longing that will not be fully satisfied until they are finally home.

God bless you throughout the coming school year, and please remember to pray for us on our academic and spiritual journey.

In Christ’s service,

Philip Ryken
President 

Parent Town Hall Recording Available

Thank you to everyone who submitted questions ahead of time and during the virtual Parent Town Hall on September 5, 2024. If you weren’t able to attend, you can watch the video recording at your convenience. 

If you have questions or concerns going forward, and you don’t know which department to reach out to, please send an email to parents@wheaton.edu and the Parent Engagement team will point you in the right direction.

New Parents Share Bible Verses and Prayers

At the conclusion of the on-campus portion of Passage Orientation, Wheaton’s newest parents gathered in the Armerding Concert Hall for a final word of encouragement by President Ryken and to share scripture passages and prayers for students. Here is a list of the scriptures that were shared that morning; perhaps they can serve as prayer starters as you pray for your student and for Wheaton College this year.

Family Weekend is Coming!

All parents, grandparents, and siblings are invited to campus for Family Weekend on November 1-2, 2024. Additional events will be added in the days ahead, but to get a sense of the general lineup that weekend, check out the current Family Weekend schedule.

Center for Vocation and Career Offers Series for Sophomores

The Center for Vocation and Career (CVC) is launching a Sophomore Series called Voyage! This series includes four events throughout September, October, and January, designed to help your sophomore student explore the story God has placed them in through themes of vocation and storytelling. Sophomore year is a great time for students to reflect on their interests and experiences and to begin exploring how that might inform their next steps. The CVC team spent the summer planning an unforgettable series for sophomores!

We started our Voyage on September 10, where students traveled through stations designed to help them understand and tell their own story (with free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream!). Our second event will include a “Hot Ones”-style panel of faculty and students who will share from their vocational journey while enjoying spicy hot wings. The third event, Internship Exploration, invites your sophomore to wonder where their story could go as they explore possible internship opportunities. Our final event is a dinner that will bring together the Wheaton College community to celebrate sophomores as they take their next step into their ongoing story.

Encourage your sophomore to RSVP for Voyage! It is a great way for them to dive into career and vocational exploration, receive resources from our office, and connect with other members of their class.

Student Development: Resources

Wheaton College offers a number of resources to support students. Residence Directors (live-in professional staff) and Resident Assistants (student leaders on each floor) are some of the first staff members students know. If your student mentions any concerns with roommates, academics, emotional care, or adjusting to living away from home, please encourage them to connect directly with their residence life staff member for encouragement, assistance, and referrals to additional campus resources. Students also can request support from Student Care Services. This resource is found on the student section of the Wheaton Portal in the C.A.R.E.S area.

The link below will provide a starting point to the full range of available resources provided by the Student Development division:

Life at Wheaton

Parent Notification Policy

Parents sometime ask the question, “When will someone at the College contact me if a concern arises with my student?” The Parent Notification Policy is a good resource to help address this question.  The policy is posted online in the Student Development section of the Student Handbook and is a resource to clarify expectations.  Follow-up questions may be directed to student.development@wheaton.edu. 

Residence Life Check-Up Guide

Community is beginning to take shape after a great start to the school year. Being back together creates an air of excitement. Students are building new connections in their living spaces, assessing past friendships, and figuring out who their “people” will be for the year. The purpose of the Residence Life department at Wheaton College (think RAs, GRAs, ARDs, RDs) is to create physically and relationally supportive environments where students are challenged to live out the body of Christ and grow in His likeness.

Students received this roommate check-up guide on building healthy relationships before they arrived on campus; it is a helpful resource for parents as well. Having a roommate, floor mates, apartment mates and a brother or sister floor can be one of the great joys of your student’s college years.  Friendships, adventures, late night talks, sharing joys and sorrows, meeting people from all over the world are enormous opportunities that can shape your student. Relationships, as we all know, can also be a point of conflict, misunderstanding and distress. It is absolutely critical to understand that community, both intimate and extended, is the workshop of your student’s relationship with God. It is not by chance that Jesus said, “If you love me, love your neighbor.”

It is by design that Campus Living is one of the four pillars of Wheaton’s educational experience (along with academic, co-curricular, and chapel). For eight months of the year, students live with roommates and floor mates in all their glory and mess. There are challenges of communication, expectations, teamwork, reconciliation, conflict management, and the working out of 1 Corinthians 13 within a real-life scenario. Students are not only building intellectual muscles while they attend Wheaton, but they are also putting their faith into practice with real people in a real community. That is why we do not simply change housing arrangements when roommate dynamics feel uncomfortable, challenging, or overwhelming. The Residence Life staff is here to walk alongside your student by giving them both support and challenge and help walk them through the practices of the Christian life as it pertains to their living situation. If your student mentions experiencing a glitch with their roommate, please encourage them to reach out to their residence life staff member who can help guide and empower them to have an honest and caring conversation with their roommate.

Student Health Services

Student Health Services (SHS) has been busy seeing patients completing entrance requirements, being cleared to start their intercollegiate or club sport, or sick with various viruses often spread once students gather in the Fall. SHS has two physicians, two nurse practitioners, and a team of registered nurses who are available Monday through Friday 8 a.m. -4 p.m. to care for the varied primary health care needs that arise for your college student. The SHS website highlights the types of services available. All provider visits are covered under the Health and Wellness fee paid at the beginning of each semester, with potential additional fees for medications, supplies, or blood work.

Flu shots are now available!  Please encourage your student to protect themselves and others in the Wheaton College community by getting a flu shot this year.  The cost of the vaccine is $30 billed directly to the student’s account.  Students can walk-in or call SHS to schedule an appointment.  SHS nurses will also be setting up portable “flu clinics” in lower Beamer or the Billy Graham Hall lobby during the month of October and November to make the flu vaccine even more accessible.

Welcome to the Wheaton Fund

The new school year is well underway, and year after year, the Wheaton Fund forms the financial foundation of campus life  for faculty, staff, and students. Every donation to the Wheaton Fund supports spiritual formation, ministry programs, financial aid, competitive faculty salaries, career development opportunities, athletics, the arts, and maintaining facilities. Upholding the values of faithful stewardship, empowering community, and transformative impact, the Wheaton Fund helps us equip our students for service.

Every gift to the Wheaton Fund makes a significant impact. To learn more about the Wheaton Fund and how you can join the Wheaton Associates, a group of alumni and friends dedicated to regularly giving, visit wheaton.edu/wheatonfund.

Ministry and Evangelism

The Ministry & Evangelism office is grateful to have about 100 student leaders who are invested in creating ministry experiences for other students on and off campus. Christian Service Council has been re-launched to provide support for Ministry Teams such as Garden and Prairie Project, Juvenile Justice Missions, and many more. Learn more about the ministries in our office here.

About 25 students and staff will be volunteering at the 4^th Lausanne Congress in Korea. Please pray for this global Christian gathering, the experience of these students, and that it can be shared with the campus community upon their return. If you feel led to give to aid in mobilizing these student volunteers, you can do so here.

Additionally, 20 students will have the opportunity to partner with Samaritan’s Purse through Operation Christmas Child in December to deliver shoeboxes and learn more about their discipleship curriculum in Quito, Ecuador. Encourage your students to learn more and apply!

Wheaton in Chicago

Wheaton in Chicago kicked off the semester by hosting the Urban Passage: Woodlawn Track in August before launching into the fall semester with the new cohort of nine Wheaton in Chicago students. Wheaton in Chicago also welcomed a new Director Christy Vosburg ’11, Assistant Director Rachel Becker M.A. ’24, and Program Assistant Grace Sentosa ’23.

The fall cohort already launched into their internships across the city – from Sunshine Gospel Ministries to Lawndale Christian Legal Center. The fall cohort is looking forward to attending the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) conference which will be hosted in Portland, Oregon, this year; this annual fall semester trip allows students a broader glimpse of Christian community development contexts and conversations.

From the Chaplain

As we embark on a new academic year, the Chaplain’s Office is thrilled to share exciting developments in our Life with God Together framework. Our newly-refined strategic plan, designed with a deep commitment to spiritual growth, focuses on fostering a Christ-centered community where your students can thrive in their faith journey.

This year, we are introducing enhanced programs that emphasize spiritual formation, biblical engagement, and communal worship. We invite you to be a part of this journey by watching our Chapel live streams, where you can witness firsthand the vibrant worship and teaching that shape our campus life. Additionally, our weekly Monday Morning Manna Moments devotional messages offer a nourishing start to each week, providing reflections to inspire and uplift.

Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support. We are honored to partner with you in your student’s spiritual development.

How to Pray for Wheaton in September

• For new and returning students to be strong and courageous as they transition to new living spaces, new relationships, and new schedules. Deuteronomy 31:6
• For students away from home for the first time who are experiencing fear and anxiety to give their burdens to the Lord. Psalm 55:22
• For the Lord to watch over and protect every inch of campus, and the surrounding area, as students, faculty, and staff come and go. Psalm 121:7-8.

With thanks for your involvement and prayers, 

The Wheaton College Parent Engagement Team