Wheaton College (Illinois)

==Activism and controversy==

Wheaton College has received criticism from both conservative and liberal alums. Wheaton's acceptance of [[evolutionary biology]] in the science departments has been controversial. Wheaton College was prominently featured in the 2001 [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] documentary ''[[PBS: Evolution|Evolution]]'', which showcased Wheaton professors' acceptance of [[theistic evolution]].<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/about/show07.html "Evolution: Show 7: What About God?"]. [[PBS]].</ref> On issues of religion and science, the college believes that religious teachings about God and modern science are not at odds.

On October 13, 2007, Wheaton College's Stanton L. Jones signed [[Interfaith dialogue|interfaith]] document "Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to [[A Common Word Between Us and You]]," agreeing that [[Islam]] and [[Christianity]] can be at peace with each other.<ref>[http://www.acommonword.com/lib/downloads/fullpageadbold18.pdf "Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to A Common Word Between Us and You"] ([[Portable Document Format|PDF format]]).</ref>

The school changed its nickname from the ''Crusaders'' to the ''Thunder'' in 2000, recognizing the image of a mounted Crusader as offensive and reminiscent of a controversial period in Christian history. The national press noted the change, and some alumni objected. Wheaton rejected other suggestions for a new mascot name, including the ''Mastodons'' — a reference to [[Perry Mastodon]], which is a [[mastodon]] skeleton that was excavated nearby and is now on display on the college campus in the brand new science building. While still known by the nickname "Thunder", in 2010, the college officially changed its mascot to a mastodon named "Tor Thunder" to integrate the nickname and mascot.<ref>[http://www.wheaton.edu/Perry/start/entry.html Welcome to the Perry Mastodon Online<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118134812/http://www.wheaton.edu/Perry/start/entry.html |date=November 18, 2007 }}. Wheaton College.</ref>

Wheaton again appeared in the news in 2004 when it dismissed Joshua Hochschild, assistant professor of [[philosophy]], for becoming [[Roman Catholic]].<ref>Golden, Daniel (January 7, 2006). [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113659805227040466 "No Catholics at Wheaton?"]. ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''.</ref> Wheaton's president said his "personal desire" to retain Hochschild, "a gifted brother in Christ", was outweighed by his duty to employ "faculty who embody the institution's Protestant convictions".<ref>{{cite web|last=Golden |first=Daniel |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113659805227040466 |title=A Test of Faith |website=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=January 7, 2006}}</ref> In 2008, English professor Kent Gramm resigned after declining to give the college administration details of his pending divorce from his wife of 30 years.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-divorced-prof-29-both-apr29,0,6497533.story | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | title=Wheaton College Professor's Divorce Costs Him His Job | access-date=May 19, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515223753/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-divorced-prof-29-both-apr29,0,6497533.story | archive-date=May 15, 2008 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>[https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20080429/divorce-costs-professor-job "Divorce Costs Professor Job"]. ''[[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]]''.</ref>

In 2011, a group of Wheaton alumni established [[OneWheaton]], with the stated purpose of providing allied support to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and similar students and alums at Wheaton and other colleges.<ref>[http://www.wheaton.edu/WETN/All-Media/Chapel/Undergraduate/110401Hill?lightbox=true] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016130621/http://www.wheaton.edu/WETN/All-Media/Chapel/Undergraduate/110401Hill?lightbox=true|date=October 16, 2013}}. Wheaton College.</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Riley |first=Jennifer |url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/wheaton-college-alumni-group-says-being-gay-is-not-a-sin-50099/print.html |title=Wheaton College Alumni Group Says Being Gay Is Not a Sin |website=[[The Christian Post]] |date=May 5, 2011}}</ref> <!-- Website is half-broken and page did not state a purpose as of 2012-04-12 -->

In July 2012, Wheaton College filed [[Burwell v. Hobby Lobby#Wheaton College order|a lawsuit]] alongside [[The Catholic University of America]] in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, opposing the Health and Human Services Preventative Services regulation. The regulation, promulgated under the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]], would have required both institutions to provide access to emergency contraceptive drugs or pay fines.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wheaton.edu/Media-Center/News/2012/07/Wheaton-College |title=Wheaton College Sues Over HHS Mandate |website=Wheaton College |date=August 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016130628/http://www.wheaton.edu/Media-Center/News/2012/07/Wheaton-College |archive-date=October 16, 2013 }}</ref>

In December 2015, Wheaton College suspended a tenured professor of political science [[Larycia Hawkins]], who wrote, "I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God". In explaining the decision to place Dr. Hawkins on administrative leave, the college referred to "significant questions regarding the theological implications" of her comments.<ref name = NYT121615>{{cite news | last=Hauser | first=Christine | title=Wheaton College Professor Is Put on Leave After Remarks on Islam | newspaper=The New York Times | date=December 16, 2015 | access-date=December 16, 2015 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/17/us/wheaton-college-professor-larycia-hawkins-muslim-scarf.html}}</ref> The two officially parted ways in February 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2016/february/wheaton-college-larycia-hawkins-same-god-reinstatedochawk.html|title=Wheaton College, Larycia Hawkins to 'Part Ways'|website=Gleanings {{!}} ChristianityToday.com|date=February 6, 2016 |access-date=2016-05-06}}</ref>

In March 2018, Charles Nagy, a former Wheaton College football player, sued the college and seven former teammates citing the school had attempted to cover up a hazing incident by his former teammates. In 2016, Nagy was kidnapped and beaten by his former teammates before being left on the baseball field in the middle of the night half-naked. Nagy was admitted to a nearby hospital and was diagnosed with two labrum tears requiring surgery. Despite the controversy, three players involved were allowed to compete in the next football game.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/19/us/wheaton-college-hazing.html|title=Wheaton College Football Players Charged With Violent Hazing Attack|first1=Liam|last1=Stack|first2=Christine|last2=Hauser|date=September 19, 2017|access-date=August 26, 2019|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Nagy alleged that the college administration was aware of the tradition of hazing on the team, but took no action. Wheaton faced additional controversy when it issued a public statement condemning hazing but hired a third-party investigator to discredit Nagy's account of the incident.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-met-wheaton-college-hazing-lawsuit-20180315-story.html|title=Former Wheaton College football player sues school, former teammates over hazing incident|first=Christy Gutowski, Stacy St|last=Clair|website=chicagotribune.com|date=March 16, 2018 |access-date=August 26, 2019}}</ref> Ultimately, all five players involved in the hazing pled guilty.<ref>{{cite news |title=Final Wheaton Football Player Pleads Guilty, Concluding The 2016 Hazing Case |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/last-wheaton-football-player-pleads-guilty/ |access-date=25 September 2022 |work=CBS Chicago |date=March 22, 2019}}</ref>