The City Hall chapel prank was the first since the pandemic in two years and once again utilized City Hall's facilities: two microphones in the aisles, two microphones on the balcony and rows of students. On Feb. 5, President Philip Ryken fielded questions from the student body for 40 minutes, answering everything from theological questions to invitations to Fisher 2 East's annual cheese night.
Like last year, Chapel's main prank was planned and carried out by members of the Class of 2025 rather than upperclassmen, which was the norm before the pandemic. As third-year Biblical Theology major Rome Williams took to the microphone, five male students wearing togas appeared at the edge of the stage. While the five students acted out the passage in which Samson takes revenge on the Philistines, Ms. Williams began reading from Judges 15:11-17.
In the passage where it says, “The Philistines came shouting against him,” about 30 men in togas stood up and shouted in the pews of the chapel. “Samson” ran to the front of the stage and fought off the “Philistine” with a donkey jawbone made from flooring material from a hardware store.
“One of the key benefits of Town Hall Chapel is that it provides access to the Bible on campus through drama, choreography, and men in togas,” Williams said. He said he is grateful that Ryken is always there for the pranks and that they brought the campus together.
Another prank was planned by a group of elderly people who entered the chapel with stop signs and placed them next to the pews. Public security seized the sign before anything happened.
Ryken continues the tradition of the annual Town Hall Chapel from his predecessor, Duane Liftin, Wheaton College's seventh president. Like Ryken, Litfin used the town hall session as an opportunity for transparency and interaction with the student body.
“Students called him ‘DL Smooth,’ primarily because of his great response in City Hall chapel,” Ryken said in an email to the Record.
He said he prepares by talking with several colleagues and several students (usually including one or two Rykens) about what topics to expect. The questions are not moderated, and Ryken's responses are not scripted.
“My two favorite parts are when I hear them laughing together and when it’s over,” Raiken said.
Students created bingo sheets and posted them on unofficial Wheaton Instagram accounts, including @wheatonforumwall2.0 and @all_r0ads_lead, a student-run meme account. The students shouted “Bingo!” In the middle of his serve, Seat's prediction came true and he scored consecutive points.
Throughout the session, several students expressed concerns about conditions at the Crozer Sports Complex, including overcrowding in the weight room and a decommissioned hot tub.
As for the weight room, Ryken announced that the university has about 25 percent of the endowment needed to expand Krauser and add a second weight room that teams can reserve.
“We need a major overhaul,” Ryken said at City Hall. “This gives us more space in the weight room for other recreational facilities, making it truly a campus-wide project.”
Unfortunately for at least two students who asked about swimming facilities, the update does not include a new hot tub. Leiken said a plea to reprioritize the issue could be heard by athletic director Michael Schauer or facilities director Jay Bieschke.
Junior English major Mateo Anderson was the first to inquire about the condition of the broken hot tub. Anderson, who is on the men's swim team, said he will miss the community building he experienced in the hot tub.
“There's something special about all of us getting in the hot tub after a difficult practice, and it's priceless,” Anderson told The Record after Chapel. “When I walk past an abandoned and broken Jacuzzi, I feel deep emotional pain.”
Other speakers included Sunday building closures, new student handbook policies on birth sex and gender identity, upcoming library renovations, whether Wheaton will hire a female pastor, birthday shout-outs, and Ryken's personal We talked about the Christian faith. Ryken also received a personal invitation to the Valentine's Day dance at Holy Rager and Swing Club on the third floor of Traver Hall, and his wife, Lisa Ryken, was also invited.
Due to an agreement with the Wheaton College President's Office, the Academic and Institutional Technology team will not post City Hall Chapel to YouTube.
Bella McDonald contributed reporting.
