Parent Newsletter

From the President

Dear Parents, 

Next Monday, February 16, marks the most celebrated event on Wheaton’s social calendar: Prez Ball. 

Inaugurated in my first year as President, this annual gala sees well over a thousand Wheaties gather in a premier Chicago venue every President’s Day. They come by car, by train, and by college-charted bus. They come alone and in groups, including as couples. They come to dance to their hearts’ content (which, for some, might mean not dancing at all). 

The 16th annual Prez Ball will be held at Chicago’s Art Institute—one of the best venues yet! Lisa and I are proud of our daughter Karoline for serving with College Union this year and thus helping to manage the event. If we see your student there as well, we hope to snap a selfie and have a short conversation. 

Dancing, too, has its place in the Christian life. Just ask Miriam. Or David. And so, this Monday, in the cold chill of a Chicago winter, we will travel downtown and share one night of community celebration. 

In Christ’s service,

Philip Ryken
President 

Spring Break and Housing Selection Information

Spring Break Housing 

Campus housing closes for spring break on Saturday, March 7, at 10 a.m. and reopens on Saturday, March 14, at 3 p.m. The meal plan ends with dinner on Friday, March 6 and resumes with dinner on Saturday, March 14. The College provides housing for students during spring break for the following reasons: athletics, students whose home is in an international location, campus employment and required academic commitments. 

Our housing calendar provides additional dates and times when housing closes in May and re-opens in August. 

Housing Selection Process 

Students will begin selecting their 2026-2027 housing locations after spring break. Housing selection is based on one’s year in school, starting with seniors and moving to freshmen. Within each class, a random lottery number is given and those with the lowest numbers select first. We want to set expectations correctly that though many students will get their first choice of housing during the selection process, a number of students (i.e. rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors) will not get their first choice due to shifting student housing preferences and the limited availability of each housing type. 

Since a core pillar of the Wheaton experience is our residential philosophy, students are expected to live in campus-owned housing throughout their educational experience. If your student requires an ADA housing accommodation, please have them email LAS@wheaton.edu to start the process. Your student has received emails about our accommodation process. Since we are a residential campus, the only students allowed to live off campus for the 2026-2027 school year are those who qualify for automatic off-campus permission, including fifth-year students, married students, HNGR students, students who live with their parent(s) or in a home owned by their parents (a parent renting an apartment only qualifies if the parent lives there full time), third and fourth-year Engineering and Nursing students enrolled in the 3/2 program, and part-time students enrolled in 11 hours or less during the fall and spring semesters. Students who sign a lease and are denied off-campus permission will be required to remain in campus housing and are still responsible for their off-campus lease. Housing questions can be sent to housing.services@wheaton.edu.