Today, we learned that law enforcement will bring charges against five current Wheaton students arising out of an incident that took place in 2016 amongst members of the football team. The conduct we discovered as a result of our investigation into this incident was entirely unacceptable. The College has fully cooperated with law enforcement in their investigation. To not impede the law enforcement investigation, the College was bound by confidentiality and unable to share information until now.
Wheaton aspires to provide an educational environment that is not only free of hazing of any kind but practices our values as a Christian community, as outlined in our Community Covenant. When this incident was brought to our attention by members of the football team and coaching staff in March 2016, the College took swift action to initiate a thorough investigation, including engaging an independent external investigator to conduct a timely and impartial third–party investigation into the incident.
Our investigation into the incident resulted in a range of corrective actions. We are unable to share details on these disciplinary measures due to federal student privacy protections.
We are profoundly saddened that any member of our community could be mistreated in any way, and this incident has strengthened our focus on comprehensively addressing hazing at Wheaton. Our Board of Trustees has engaged outside experts to lead a campus–wide review of the level of effectiveness of our anti–hazing policy and of the culture around how students treat one another in our campus communities, athletic teams, and organizations.
We aspire to honor Jesus Christ in our relationships with one another and we are grieved anytime the actions of any member of our community fall short of this aspiration. Each member of the College community who acts in a covenant bond with others should consciously strive to maintain relationships that support, encourage, and help others.
I strongly encourage faculty, staff, and students to utilize our anonymous hazing reporting tool at www.wheaton.edu/ethicscomplaints.
Philip Ryken
President
On behalf of the Senior Administrative Cabinet
... in response to this incident in the Spring of 2016:
link--> Felony Charges Against 5 Wheaton College Students
