April 2012

From the President

Wheaton’s athletics program complements our curriculum with leadership training for the whole person. As scholar-athletes and their coaches strive for excellence, they compete to the glory of God in character-building ways.

There are many highlights for us this year, including a men’s cross country team that came in 11^th at nationals, a men’s basketball team that made it to the Sweet Sixteen, and a women’s soccer team that made it the national championship game, led by Jamie Orewiler as National Player of the Year.  Many other athletes in many sports have received national recognition for their athletic and academic performance—too many to list here. 

There have been other dynamic developments in our program, too, including the appointment of Julie Davis as Athletics Director and the construction of the field at Lee Pfund Stadium as the long-term home for Wheaton College baseball.

One of the best highlights for me, though, was receiving a letter from the school that defeated us in women’s soccer. They wanted to commend our captains for the classy, Christ-like way that they played soccer and especially the godly sportsmanship that they demonstrated in defeat.

This is everything we hope to see in athletics at Wheaton College: competitive excellence with Christian character, both on and off the field.  We are grateful for the many Wheaton parents who support our student-athletes. 

In Christ’s service,

Philip G. Ryken

President

Congratulations to our Parents of Graduating Seniors!

We've been privileged to partner with you during your student's years at Wheaton, and we share your excitement for the celebration of their achievements on May 5-6.  As you prepare to travel to campus, we want to offer you a link to information that can assist your planning.  May God richly bless this milestone in your family's life.

Graduating Seniors Give Back

The Class of 2012 is directing their class gift toward the support of an international student scholarship fund and the Wheaton Fund. 

To encourage each senior to participate by Commencement day, several incentives are in place:

• The Alumni Association will contribute $1,000 to the class gift with 50% participation.
• A  $10,000 gift by a donor will be given to the Wheaton Fund with 65% participation.
• The Class of 2012 gift inspired a donor to partner with their class by providing the balance of funds needed to help bring an international student to Wheaton this fall.

The  international student scholarship fund supports Wheaton College’s Global and Experiential Learning (GEL)  initiative, which focuses on global and experiential learning as an essential part of students’ learning processes through curricular and co-curricular activities on and off campus. Each year, many outstanding international students apply to Wheaton College, but are financially unable to attend due to a lack of available international student scholarships.  The gift from the Class of 2012 will help make Wheaton available for a student to attend in fall of 2012!  

The Wheaton Fund continues to help provide for the cost of about one-third of every Wheaton education. Gifts to the Wheaton Fund help make Wheaton what it is—a unique place that grows and challenges students who go on to make an impact “For Christ and His Kingdom.”   The support of the Wheaton Fund will continue a senior class gift tradition set by the Class of 2004 and honored by every class thereafter. The Wheaton Fund is a vital part of giving back to Wheaton, and the Class of 2012 gift sets the precedent for their ongoing support after graduation.

If you’re interested in more information about their gift, you may go to their webpage and view additional details.  You may also give a gift that will add to their Class total!

Just as the Class of 2012 has demonstrated their commitment to giving back to help future Wheaton students, we also invite you to consider a gift to the Wheaton Fund by visiting www.wheaton.edu/giving.  Your gift, no matter the size, will be used to benefit current and future Wheaton College students.

 If you have any questions about the senior class gift project, please contact Genesis DeLong in the Annual Giving office at 630-752-5695 or Genesis.DeLong@wheaton.edu

Summer Housing Arrangements

The Residence Life office has important information for you and your students regarding the process of moving out of campus housing. Housing closes at 5pm on Friday, May 4, unless your student is participating in Commencement or has approval to remain on campus through our office.

Wheaton College offers limited space for students to store their belongings so it is important that you plan ahead—especially in regards to personal furniture. We do not allow furniture to be stored on campus. We are also very interested in reducing the amount of stuff that gets thrown away each year.

Please read the individualized storage guidelines for your student’s place of residence at the building’s web page on the Residence Life website.

For campus storage, students will need to store their belongings in the storage area where they currently live, not where they are assigned to live for 2012-2013. Each building has slightly different space limitations, so it might also be helpful to read through the specifics for your student’s place of residence.

General information on storage and on furniture storage can be found here.

If you have any questions please feel free to email reslife@wheaton.edu.

Thanks for your help in working towards a smooth transition into the summer!

Connect with fellow parents at a Summer Social!

Every summer, Wheaton families across the country volunteer to host backyard gatherings that connect current Wheaton students and their families with incoming Wheaton students and their families for a social event. These socials are a great way to meet other families from your region, plan ride-shares, and welcome incoming students to Wheaton life!

Invitations to these socials will be emailed to all families living within a 100-mile radius of each location. Check out the list of this summer's gatherings to see if a social is being held in your region:

Wheaton in Network (WiN)

You may have received an email inviting you, as a parent, to join Wheaton in Network (WiN). WiN is a new online tool that gives students the opportunity to search for and connect with advisors and mentors from the Wheaton family.

On Wednesday, March 21, Alumni Relations invited students to join WiN. Participating in WiN is one of the best ways for students to connect with the alumni community, to broaden their network, and to get practical advice as they identify their calling. Over 500 students signed up in one day! Feel free to encourage your son or daughter to sign up as soon as possible.

For more information on ways you or your student can participate, visit win.wheaton.edu or contact win@wheaton.edu.

Wheaton Bookstore and Campus Stores

In the Final Stretch:  Encourage your student during finals week!  Care packages, balloon bouquets, gift cards, and more are available on our wheatonbooks.com. The Bookstore can send your gifts directly to your student's CPO in time for that late-night study session.

CA$H back for textbooks!!  The Bookstore buys textbooks back from students at the end of the semester - students get CA$H or can receive 10% more by getting a  Gift Card for store credit. The Gift Card can be applied to their Fall EasyBooks purchase. Remind your student to check out our buyback hours the week of finals.

Graduates - Last chance for software!  We have great pricing on Adobe, Microsoft, and more.  For example:

            Adobe Design Standard Full version   Non-student price       $1299.00

Graduation Weekend - May 4-5.  Be sure to stop by the Bookstore over graduation weekend!  We will be open Friday from 8:30-6:00 and Saturday from 9:00-5:00.

Student Health Services

Many students are traveling internationally throughout the summer and fall.  SHS has an International Travel Clinic that provides up-to-date international travel information, as well as prescriptions and country-specific vaccinations.  Students can call SHS (630-752-5072) to schedule an appointment.  For more information regarding ITC visit our website.

If you are a new student beginning this summer, please visit our website for more information regarding entrance requirements. If you are a new student beginning in the fall, these requirements will be posted mid June.

Student Health Services (SHS) is a primary health care clinic for active students and their spouses to use.  Our fees are minimal and many of the services are covered by insurance.  SHS provides 30 hours of physician or nurse practitioner appointment hours.  Students can walk in during open-clinic hours and be seen by a nurse for free.  Our hours are: Monday-Friday 7:30am-5:00pm; Saturday 11:00am-1:00pm.  There is a nurse on call 24/7 during the normal academic calendar by calling Public Safety at 630-752-5911.

SHS services include: physician appointments (cost $25.00); in house or out sourced laboratory services, observation rooms, completion of small office procedures such as wart removal; registered dietician appointments, massage therapy ; International travel clinic; vaccinations; pharmacy; free medical shuttle and more. The cost of medications, procedures and vaccinations are a separate charge. All services are billed to the student’s account.  Students will receive a statement in their CPO box which they can send to their insurance company for possible reimbursement. For more information about SHS and our services go to our website at: www.wheaton.edu/healthsvcs/

SHS hours will change on Monday, May 7^th, when there will no longer be an MD in the house on Mondays from 8am-4pm.  Registered nurse hours are Monday to Thursday 9am-3pm throughout the summer.