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HEADLINERS

Commencement 2008 Schedule

We anticipate a special commencement weekend recognizing the hard work and dedication your student has demonstrated here at Wheaton College. The following information should help you and your family to fully enjoy this significant milestone. Updates will be provided in upcoming issues of ePartnerships and on the Registrar’s website. Click here for complete Alumni Weekend schedule and information.

Tickets

The number of tickets each graduate receives varies from year to year, based upon the number of graduates. Details regarding this year's ticket information will be sent to graduating seniors later this month.

Recognizing the importance of this event to friends and families of our graduates, overflow seating is provided in Coray Alumni Gym (primary—hosted by faculty) and Barrows Auditorium (secondary) with the ceremony broadcast on large screens. These venues do not require a ticket for admission and will be dismissed early so that guests may greet their graduates in the plaza outside of Edman Chapel.

Schedule (subject to change)

FRIDAY, MAY 9

SATURDAY, MAY 10

SUNDAY, MAY 11

Anderson Dining Commons Hours/Pricing (in addition to other luncheons or dinners)

Saturday/Sunday continental breakfast; Lunch/Dinner are cafeteria style. Sunday brunch price for children ages 3-7: $7.50. All prices include tax.

Housing 
Click here for a list of hotels. Additional housing information for parents and guests is available from the Housing office (call 630.752.5027).  

Photography/Recordings
Guests are asked not to take flash photographs or make tape recordings during the Baccalaureate and Commencement programs. DVDs are available for purchase from Media Resources (call 630.752.5061). Professional photographs of the graduates are taken and made available to parents and students.

Festival of Faith, Baccalaureate and Commencement programs are broadcast on WETN 88.1 FM, televised on Channel 72 in Wheaton (others listed on the website) and at www.wetn.org.

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Encourage Your Student During Exams

Want to encourage your student during exams? The bookstore can put a care package together for your student! Call us at 630.752.5119 or log on to www.wheatonbooks.com and go to the “Gifts” section and select “Care Packages”; at the same location you can add ThunderBucks Plus to your student’s card and/or give your student a Wheaton College Bookstore gift card (can also be used at our late night location for class supplies and food).

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We10 Young Alumni Program

Have you heard your student talk about the We10 program for young alumni? Here’s the scoop:

Wheaton Alumni—The First 10 Years
We10 comprises the ten most recent “alumni” classes. We include sophomores, juniors, and seniors because they are considered a member of the Alumni Association after they have completed one full school year of credit. Transfers are members of the Alumni Association after one full year. Students are not alumni in the traditional sense, but we consider them “alumni-in-residence.”

We10 connects young alumni to each other and to Wheaton College, helping to:
• Reconnect young alumni at regional get-togethers
• Find jobs or mentors in their field
• Mentor classmates looking for career assistance; giving
• Support current students through the We10 Project

Check out the new We10 website at www.wheaton.edu/we10. If you have additional questions about We10, please phone Amy Turek ’04, associate director of young alumni programs at 630.752.5635, or Michael Adzovic, associate director of annual giving at 630.752.5926.

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TAKE NOTE

Dean's List and Commencement Press Releases

Making the Dean's List or earning a diploma is a proud moment for any parent. If your student has been recognized as a Dean's List scholar or a graduate of Wheaton College this past semester, and you would like to share the news, visit http://www.wheaton.edu/news/release-request.html.

The Media Relations office at Wheaton College has posted a quick form there, which will be used to create a press release written specifically about your student. Parents, you may then forward the press release on to your local media outlets for coverage.

Questions? Email the Media Relations office at Media.Relations@wheaton.edu.

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Ask Career Services

Dear Ita: Our daughter is graduating in May and has received a job offer! What criteria would you advise her to use when evaluating the offer? -Concerned Parent

Dear Parent: College seniors are generally hired into entry-level positions. Right now, the market is good but softening. In other words, there are jobs, but as the economic down-turn worsens, there will be fewer of them. As you all know, there are no perfect jobs. Jobs are hard, that’s why people get paid to do them. If they were fun, it would be called leisure. Instead of helping your student search for the “perfect job,” evaluate a job on the following criteria:

1) Type of work: Is the job interesting and challenging?
2) Atmosphere: Is it relaxed? Can she work in a corporate culture?
3) Strength of the organization: How does the employer rank in the field?
4) Career path: Will she develop skills and knowledge that will establish a career in the field? Is there a potential for advancement?
5) Work/life balance: How many hours is she expected to work? Is there flexibility?
6) Compensation: Evaluate the entire package—benefits and salary.

For those of you who are parents of juniors, sophomores, and freshmen . . . There is a notable tendency for Wheaton students to turn down jobs offered in the fall. The “grass is greener” tendency causes students to hold out for the “potential” better job. A word of caution: College recruiting begins in August, so the plum positions are available early and filled quickly. By spring semester, there are far fewer jobs. A good job is one in which you are gaining valuable experience that will either propel you into your next job or equip you better for your next life choice.

For more information from the Career Services office, please contact Ita Fischer at Ita.Fischer@wheaton.edu

“If you do a good job for others, you heal yourself at the same time, because a dose of joy is a spiritual cure.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Financial Aid

The financial aid office has started making financial aid awards for students returning in the fall. Encourage your son or daughter to check BannerWeb to be sure all of the necessary forms are completed for the 2008-09 school year. New for next year is the ability to complete our Institutional Application online.

Does your son or daughter need money for summer school? Summer Financial Aid Application forms are available online at www.wheaton.edu/finaid for those who have remaining Stafford Loan eligibility. It is also necessary to have a 2007-08 FAFSA on file.

If you have questions on a loan or financial aid in general, counselors are available in the financial aid office and can be reached at 630.752.5021 or by email at FinAid@wheaton.edu.

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Wheaton College Bookstore

Textbook Buyback - May 5-9 get cash back for textbooks! The Bookstore buys textbooks back from students at the end of the semester. Students get cash back and we start rebuilding our fall inventory. Remind your student to check out our buyback hours the week of finals.

Graduation Announcements - Have they been ordered yet? Order early and let all your friends and family know about this special occasion. Your student can also come to the Bookstore for generic announcements and discuss personalized announcements with the staff in our Copy Center or email copycenter@wheaton.edu.

Diploma Frames - A lot of hard work went into achieving that diploma, so find the perfect frame and have it ready for that special weekend. Check them out at our website www.wheatonbooks.com.

Wheaton College Rings by Josten - A wonderful way to remember your Wheaton experience. Check them out at our website www.wheatonbooks.com.

Fall Textbooks 2008 - Your student can take care of ordering fall textbooks before leaving for summer. We are taking textbook reservations online at www.wheatonbooks.com beginning Monday, April 28. Why use textbook reservations? Your student will have first choice of used books, the textbooks will be ready for your student upon arrival to campus, and you can sit back and enjoy summer knowing this is crossed off the list. The credit card is not charged until the 2nd week of August.

PLEASE NOTE: For our customers’ safety and privacy we do not store any credit card information in our systems—either online or in-store. What does this mean to you and your student?
For in-store purchases:
• Your student will need a debit/credit card that is in his/her name
• That debit/credit card must be in his/her possession
For online purchases:
• Can be a parent or student credit/debit card
• Correct billing name and address
• Correct and valid credit/debit card number (including the 3-digit card identification number) Please contact our customer service desk at 630.752.7009 if you have any questions.

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Student Health Services

Student Health Services (SHS) is located at the Wyngarden Health Center, situated on the campus in the “Quad." SHS is available to all students enrolled in classes at Wheaton College, regardless of insurance. Walk-in visits to see a nurse are free of charge. A nurse must be seen before seeing a medical provider. There are five medical providers available for appointments for a fee of $20.00. Massage therapy for low cost is available for female students. A registered dietician is available for appointments on Saturdays. Please call SHS at 630.752.5072 for an appointment.

SHS hours are Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Nurses are on call all other hours and can be reached for an emergency by dialing Public Safety (630.752.5911).

Wheaton College requires all students registered for 9 or more credit hours and all degree-seeking students to have health insurance providing benefits for both emergency and non-emergency treatment in the Wheaton area. More information regarding the health insurance requirements may be accessed at www.wheaton.edu/healthsvcs.

Students are automatically enrolled in the Wheaton College Student Health Insurance Plan upon registration for classes. If they have coverage that meets the Wheaton College requirements, they may waive the student plan by completing the online waiver on our website. Subtracting the insurance fee from the total bill cannot be a substitute for completing the waiver. Failure to complete the online waiver by the deadline will result in the mandatory purchase of the College's health plan. Currently the online waiver is only available for students registered for summer 2008 classes. The submission deadline for the first session classes is May 19, 2008 and June 16, 2008 for second session classes. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Karen Mulder at 630.752.5573 or Karen.K.Mulder@wheaton.edu.

SHS offers a variety of low cost services:
• Laboratory services
• Immunizations
• Prescription medications (after seeing a medical provider)
• Allergy immunotherapy (after seeing an allergist)
• Wart removal
• Loan of medical equipment
• Rapid strep, mono, and influenza testing
• Self-help table free of charge
• Sport and work physicals
• Medical shuttle (Monday-Friday 7:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)

Students traveling with a Wheaton College sponsored trip may use the SHS Travel Clinic. A travel consultation will assess vaccination status, antimalarials, and antidiarrheals that are country- and person-specific. The consultation fee is $20.00 plus immunization fees. Please call for an appointment. It is difficult to believe that the academic year is coming to a close. The SHS clinic will close May 10 at 1:00 p.m. SHS will be open during the summer only for administrative purposes. If your student is registering for summer classes, please make sure all of his or her health entrance information is complete before May 12. Please call 630.752.5072 if you have any questions.

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GET CONNECTED

Listen Online

In April, the WETN website presents seven live webcasts of concerts from the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, including The Requiem by Hector Berlioz on April 18 and 19. Log on to see dates and times and to listen or watch live at www.wetn.org. 

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If we do not have your email address on file please consider emailing it to us. Along with receiving links to ePartnerships and Parents in Prayer, your address will be added to our emergency distribution list.

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The Artist Series

The Artist Series at Wheaton College 2007-08 season will include performances by Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Grammy-award winning group known for their work on Disney's The Lion King and Paul Simon's Graceland album), Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Pinchas Zukerman, violinist, and the State Symphony of Mexico—just to name a few.

Tickets are still available! Call 630.752.5010 or visit www.ArtistSeries.org for more information.

		In the 1990s a gentleman viewed Wheaton College from the train window during his Chicago-Northwestern commute to see a friend in suburbs. Upon his death he willed more than one-half million dollars to the College, convinced that this beautiful, well-kept campus would provide an education worthy of his support.

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