Readers,
Phew. Seized my rightful domain back from Rory after a long hard fight for the editorship last week. (That April Fool’s issue sure was fun, though. I’ve had some really great comments from many of you about it — so I’m glad we brightened your day. Now it’s back to boring old real news — sorry, folks.)
This week, we’re welcoming a massive number of accepted students and their families to campus. The first annual Welcome to Wheaton Day will be held this Friday, an amalgamation of what used to be two spring admission houses for accepted students.
I’m somewhat ambivalent about this. I have no doubt the event will be of an excellent caliber and that the energy on campus will be palpable — if only from the sheer number of people — but I wonder about its effects on current students. To shut down our only remaining campus dining hall and flood campus with a nearly unsustainable number of people in what is one of the final weeks of the semester seems like a major burden to bear not only for current students but for the faculty and staff that call this place their home, as well.
That’s my gut reaction. But institutionally, this is a good move, and the integrative events will make it so that accepted students have innumerable opportunities to interact with current students, something that is often not the case outside of the handpicked panelists and leaders showcased by the admission office. In this respect, I tip my hat to admissions and the departments they have worked with to put this event on. They have organized a day that will give students a better feel of what Wheaton is truly like than any previous open house or preview day has done. By all accounts, I think this is a good thing — it is both fair to the institution and its community, and fair to our guests.
Everything is a tradeoff. So, I know you have to move your cars. But we have a historic number of students coming in that could be just like you and me in a few years. Let’s try and make sure that comes true for as many of them as possible. I know we’re capable of it.
And, for any accepted students and families reading this: Welcome to Wheaton. You’re in for quite an experience — and I mean that in the best way possible. It’s a great place, and I can’t wait to see you around and meet you. Enjoy your visit.