Visitation Policy

One of the purposes of the Community Covenant is to give Wheaton College biblically based direction in cultivating a campus atmosphere that encourages spiritual, moral and intellectual growth. How and where female and male students interact and relate to each other can contribute to a campus atmosphere that encourages spiritual, moral, relational, and intellectual growth.

The Visitation Policy exists to build strong floor communities and support healthy friendships between male and female students. Dedicated time is set aside for both floor bonding and guest visits. Violations are taken seriously because unexpected visitors can negatively affect the floor community. Consequences range from verbal warnings to written warnings, probation, or loss of visitation privileges.

Residence Halls

All exterior doors in the residence halls are locked 24 hours a day, which can be accessed by a student’s ID.

Residence Halls have main-floor and lower-level public lobbies where students can socialize and/or study together. Fischer Hall and McManis-Evans have small lobby areas outside each elevator landing for additional community space. The lower-level lobbies in Fischer and Smith-Traber turn down the lights at 11:00 p.m., though students are free to continue to spend time together in those spaces.

Open floors (only certain individual floors being open within a residence hall) and open halls (all floors in the residence hall being open) provide opportunities to practice hospitality and spend time with friends of the opposite gender. Residence Directors give prior authorization for these events, and RAs must be present to monitor and check all rooms. All room doors of those participating in an “Open” event must remain wide open. “Open” events are limited to 7:00–10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7:00–11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Guests of the opposite sex are only allowed on residence hall floors during the evening times approved by the Residence Life staff. Underclass residence halls (Fischer and Smith-Traber) are allowed three open times each week and Upper-class residence halls (McManis-Evans and Williston) are allowed six open times.

Houses and Apartments

Students in their third, fourth, or fifth year at Wheaton are eligible to live in campus apartments and houses. Living in a campus apartment or house offers more freedom with respect to visitors of the opposite sex, but also more responsibility. There is more freedom and responsibility in apartment and house units for roommates to hold one another accountable for how, where, and when female and male students interact and relate to each other within the living unit. Even though there is more freedom in campus apartments and houses, boundaries are still important. Visiting guests of the opposite sex are restricted to rooms with wide open doors within the apartment or house, no earlier than 9:00 a.m. and no later than 1:00 a.m.

Off-Campus Housing

Students in their fourth year at Wheaton are eligible to apply for off-campus permission through the spring housing selection process if additional space is needed to house underclassmen. Students living off campus are expected to live responsibly and in accordance with Wheaton’s Off-Campus Housing Agreement, Student Handbook policies, and Community Covenant expectations just as is expected of students living in on-campus housing. In addition, as with on-campus apartments, visiting guests of the opposite sex should be limited to rooms with wide open doors within the apartment or house, and may not spend the night.