Fall semester to begin at Wheaton

While construction crews finish preparations on the new Mars Arts and Humanities building, Wheaton students are beginning their influx back to campus. Fall athletes and student leaders will arrive in Norton by August 20, with 490 first year students following for orientation on September 1. More than 50 first-year students have opted for weeklong pre-orientation trips to the mountains and rivers of northern New England, beginning on August 27. Classes begin for all students on September 5.

The 490 members of the Class of 2005 hail from 37 states and 30 countries, including South Dakota and Nepal, and 174 of them are legacy students. They earned admission to the college in an extraordinarily competitive year, with more than 3,100 students applying for openings in the Class of 2005. The applicant pool in 2001 increased by five percent, after a 28 percent increase the previous year.

As the fall semester gets underway, there are a number of events for both students and members of the local community to anticipate. The following events are open to the public without charge.

Friday, September 28: Worldfest at Wheaton presents the Drums and Percussion of South India

Saturday, September 29: Worldfest at Wheaton presents Classical Dance of South India.

Wednesday, October 3: the Epic Brass Quintet will perform in Cole Chapel.

Monday, October 22: Hear a lecture by Dr. Diane Ravitch, educator, consultant, author and historian. She is the author of "National Standards and Assessment in American Education" and served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education from 1991-1993.

Saturday, October 13: Actress Anna Deavere Smith will present the keynote address of AutumnFest Weekend, "Snapshots: Glimpses of America in Change." She is best known for two one-woman plays about racial tensions in American cities: Twilight: Los Angeles 1992 (Obie award winner and Tony award nominee) and Fires in the Mirror (Obie award winner and runner-up for the 1993 Pulitzer Prize). She also has a recurring role as the national security adviser on NBC's hit television series, "The West Wing."

For more information about the Class of 2005 and Wheaton's fall calendar of events, contact the Office of Communications at 508-286-8235 or go online at www.wheatoncollege.edu.