Chapel FAQ

When and where are chapels held?

Weekly chapel services at 10:00 a.m. and 11:05 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are held in the Phillippe Performing Arts Center Auditorium. Evening chapel at 9:00 p.m. on Wednesdays is located in the Old College Church Sanctuary.

Is chapel attendance mandatory for IWU students?

It is a great privilege for the IWU community to participate together in chapel. Chapel attendance is expected of all students, and required for all resident students. It is also required for all full-time commuting students under 23 years of age with classes both before and after the 10:00 AM or 11:05 AM chapel periods.

How do I earn spiritual formation credits?

Each chapel service attended earns one spiritual formation credit. A minimum of 50 opportunities will be offered each semester to earn the required spiritual formation credits. Students are required to earn 33 spiritual formation credits each semester.

How is attendance taken?

Attendance for Chapel is registered when students get their student ID card scanned by a Chapel Attendant. A student must have his or her card scanned at the BEGINNING and the END of Chapel in order to be counted present. Attendance is not registered for any student scanning in late or scanning out early. All students must arrive to Chapel within five minutes of the start time to receive credit. Those arriving five minutes after Chapel begins will not be counted in attendance or able to scan. A singe scan does not give the student credit for attending Chapel. Attendance for approved Alternative Chapels (Religion Colloquium, Honors College Chapel, or Division Chapel, etc.) is registered by signing in with the approved advisor. Sign in sheets are processed within 48 hours after receiving them from the advisor. Those students who are involved in leading the Chapel service must sign the Chapel Attendance Form provided to receive credit.

What are the expectations during the chapel time?

Students are expected to be reverent in chapel. Discourteous and distracting behavior is not expected or tolerated. No hats for men are permitted in Chapel. Men will be asked to take off their hats prior to scanning for attendance. Men and women are expected to adhere to the dress code outlined in the student handbook. Food and drinks are not permitted in the auditorium. Studying and homework are not permitted during Chapel. All electronic devices, including cell phones, laptops, and personal music players, must be turned off during the Chapel time. Failure to abide by the above will result in no credit for that day. Above all, you are expected to come prepared to encounter God.

Are there any circumstances which would allow a student to be excused from Chapel?

Excuses for emergency causes must be secured through the Office of the Dean of the Chapel within one week of the absence.

What if I have student teaching, practicum, internship or work during Chapel?

A Chapel Exemption Form must be completed and approved by the Office of the Dean of the Chapel within the first three weeks of school for those students who will be consistently absent from chapel due to student teaching, work schedules (must obtain supervisor’s signature), practicum, or other extenuating circumstances. A student requesting exemption for one day a week will be required to earn 27 spiritual formation credits per semester and students requesting exemption for two days a week will be required to earn 15 spiritual formation credits per semester.

What if I need to take classes at both 10 a.m. and 11:05 a.m.?

Students must fill out an Academic Petition form located in the Records Office, Student Center, Suite 282. Once it has been signed and approved by the Academic Advisor, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Dean of the Chapel, Records will send a copy to the Office of the Dean of the Chapel and an alternative to Chapel will be assigned.

What if I lose or forget my student ID card?

Students who forget or lose their student ID card will be able to receive credit – one time per semester – by submitting a description and detailed notes of what happened in Chapel to the Office of the Dean of the Chapel located in the Student Center – Suite 280. If an ID card is lost, students may get their student ID replaced by purchasing one ($10) or obtaining a temporary ID from Conference Services located in the Student Center – Suite 270. Attendance credit will not be given to those students without student ID's. If a student ID card does not work, the Chapel Attendant may enter the ID# manually.

Who keeps track of my chapel attendance?

Students are responsible for monitoring their own Chapel attendance online in the Wildcat Portal. If there is a discrepancy, students may challenge their attendance by submitting the form online or filling out the appropriate form in the Office of the Dean of the Chapel located in the Student Center, Suite 280. Once approved, updates or changes may be processed within 48 hours.

What happens if I do not earn all of my spiritual formation credits?

Students who do not earn the required spiritual formation credits will be required to make up chapels to fulfill the requirement by one or a combination of the following:

Community Service: One hour of community service will make up one spiritual formation credit. A list of approved outreach opportunities here in the Marion area is available for you. If students choose to do something not on the list provided, it must be approved in advance through the Office of the Dean of the Chapel. Any service done to make up a chapel must be something that the student is not currently involved with – it should be done to make up the chapel. Service is to be done as a make-up, not a substitute for skips and should be done with a para-church or community organization. Community service will not be counted toward chapel make ups if done prior to the excessive skip(s). The Community Service Make-up Form must be filled out completely and turned in to the Office of the Dean of the Chapel.

Chapel Recordings: Two recordings listened to and report forms completed will make up one spiritual formation credit. Recorded chapels are available in the Instructional Resource Center on the lower level of Jackson Library and online at http://wildcat.indwes.edu/chapel.

What if I continually do not earn all of my spiritual formation credits?

Students who continually do not earn the required spiritual formation credits will be subject to the following:

1st Offense: The student will be required to meet with a representative of the Office of the Dean of the Chapel and to make up chapels to fulfill the requirement. At the end of that semester, he or she will be denied late key privileges and housing sign up priority, placed on Citizenship Probation, and a hold will be placed on his or her account preventing registration for classes for the following semester until all excessive chapels are made up. A letter indicating this will be placed in the student’s file on their permanent record.

2nd Offense: The student will be denied late key privileges and housing sign up priority, placed on Citizenship Probation, and a hold will be placed on his or her account preventing registration for classes for the following semester until all excessive chapels are made up. A letter indicating this will be placed in the student’s file on their permanent record.

3rd Offense: Everything stated under the 2nd offense will apply and the student will be required to meet with the Dean of the Chapel.

4th Offense: The fourth offense will involve the Student Development office and may result in dismissal.

Citizenship Probation: A warning status in which a student is placed when in jeopardy of suspension or dismissal from the University. Citizenship probation involves exclusion from co-curricular activities, including intercollegiate athletics, from being candidates for positions of honor, from holding office or any other responsible positions in organizations, from being a member of Student Senate, from being an editor or business manager of a student publication, from representing the cheer team or being a student manager of athletic teams, or being a University representative to the public.

NOTE: Music majors who are on probation will be allowed to participate in music ensemble classroom rehearsals because this is an academic requirement. Music majors on probation, however, may not participate in performances, may not be excused from classes, nor accompany the ensemble on trips. A permanent record is kept in the student's file.

For more information about chapel attendance guidelines refer to the chapel website online at
http://wildcat.indwes.edu/chapel.

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