Year: 2024

Did you get an email that promises you amazing financial aid, grants or an amazing job opportunity from UNICEF? If so, ask yourself – could this be a scam?

Key things to look for:

• Sender: Does the sender make sense? UNICEF or anyone promising money would not legitimately email you from another college or a free email account (Like @outlook.com or @gmail.com).
• Do they claim that you cannot email them back with your @shocker account because it is part of a “reading test” or “checking your attention to detail”?
• Do they claim to be from a generic organization without a website, physical address, or logos/branding?
• Are they going to hire you without an interview?
• Did they claim that they know you, but then ask your name, phone number, name of your university and want your mobile number?
• Do they only want to talk to you via text?
• Do they claim you have free money?

If you see this in an email – it’s a scam.

They will send you fake checks. They work out a deal where you cash the check and send them the money via bank transfer app. The scam is the checks take a few days to clear, but the bank makes the money available to you right away. When the checks fail to clear and turn out to be fake, the bank will take the money out of your account. There is no insurance for this. You end up losing it all.

Be smart – do not take checks from unknown sources and think about emails before getting excited.

Unsure if an email is a scam? Report it. Hit the “Report Phish” button in outlook or send the message to spamreport@wichita.edu.

The next Faculty Senate meeting will be held at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12 in 110A Woolsey Hall.

To learn more, visit the Faculty Senate webpage or email the Faculty Senate

Pi Delta Phi is hosting a Mardi Gras bake/book sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday Feb. 13 on the first floor of the Rhatigan Student Center, tables 24-26.

Come and try sandwiches, pastries, quiches and French-baked goods. The sale is sponsored by the French division of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures.

The Barton School of Business has announced that Dr. Seth Cockrell will serve as the next chair of the Marketing Department. Cockrell, who has been working at the Barton School for more than five years as a faculty member, will take over from Duane Nagel, recently appointed as the Barton School’s senior associate dean.

“Seth is well-suited to guide our marketing department to unprecedented levels of excellence, building upon the growth trajectory established by Duane’s leadership,” remarked Dr. Larisa Genin, dean of the Barton School.

Cockrell has a wealth of experience from working in both corporate settings and academia. He has served as an SAP consultant with HCL AXON where he worked in the areas of logistics, operations management, MIS and CRM on projects for notable companies such as Sikorsky Aircraft, Schweizer Aircraft, TXU Energy and Consumers Energy.

Wichita State has a single website for all students, staff and faculty to utilize for reporting any incidents of concerning behavior. If you see something that gives you cause for concern, submit any information you have through the appropriate form on the website, which includes reporting forms for:

• Care Team: Used to report any person who is concerned about the health or safety of a WSU student, employee, visitor or the campus community at large.
• Title IX/ Discrimination: Used to report any discrimination on the basis of sex and all forms of protected characteristic discrimination.
• Bias Incident: Used to report any bias related incidents.
• Student Advocate: Used to report any student complaint, where the student advocate can help provide resources and resolution options.
• Conduct: Used to report behavior that is disruptive to the campus community, infringes on any person’s ability to successfully pursue their academic progress, violates the Student Code of Conduct or puts others or themselves in danger.
• Academic Integrity: Used to report violations of the WSU Policies and Procedures Manual Section 2.17 / Student Academic Integrity.
• Clery: Used to report any clery crimes.

Remember, if there is an emergency, always call Wichita State University Police at 316-978-3450 or dial 911.

Dr. Tania Betancourt, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Texas State University, will discuss applying for funding for, and directing, a large research center at a workshop at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 15 in 262 Rhatigan Student Center, Herrman Room or virtually via Teams.

Specifically, Dr. Betancourt will discuss the National Science Foundation’s Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) program as an example of a large research center.

Dr. Betancourt is a faculty member of the Materials Science, Engineering and Commercialization Program, and director of the NSF PREM Center for Intelligent Materials Assembly at Texas State. There will be opportunities for questions with WSU researchers at this hybrid session.

For more information or to receive a link to the virtual workshop, contact funding@wichita.edu. You may also register directly on myTraining through myWSU. 

Dr. Betancourt is also presenting a chemistry seminar, “Pulsatile Drug Delivery via Photothermal Modulation of Dynamic Covalent Poly(ethylene glycol)/PEDOT Hydrogels,” as part of WSU’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry colloquium series at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14 in 224 McKinley Hall. She will also participate in a discussion of Latin-X and Women in STEM from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15 in 261 RSC, Olive Room. RSVP to carol.mccall@wichita.edu if you plan to attend.

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop has announced that its online ordering is now available as early as 9 a.m. daily for pick-up or delivery at the Braeburn Square location.

Enjoy breakfast favorites from the comfort of your home, classroom or office. Dine-in options kick in at 10:30 a.m. daily.

Faculty and staff are invited to attend an Implicit Bias Session with speaker Crystal U. Davis — a dancer, movement analyst and critical race theorist whose current research explores implicit bias in dance through a critical theory lens — There will be two sessions to choose from, at noon Tuesday, Feb. 20 or 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 23 both in 233 Rhatigan Student Center, Santa Fe Trail Room.

The work of Davis, CLMA, has been renowned by a broad community of adjudicators and audiences from Donald McKayle to the royal family of Jodhpur, India.

Lunch will be provided for attendees on Tuesday, and a continental breakfast will be served at the Friday event. Be sure to register ahead of time as space is limited.

The session is coordinated by the Campus Climate Committee and sponsored by Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and the College of Fine Arts.

The College of Engineering has announced that Dr. Jacob Mendez will serve as its interim assistant dean for student success. The position was previously held by Dr. Jason Bosch, who recently accepted a new position at the Kansas Leadership Center. The assistant dean role involves leading the Engineering Student Success Center (ESSC) which currently includes five other staff members.

Before accepting the interim assistant dean position, Dr. Mendez served as the director of student engagement and career readiness within the ESSC. His track record includes spearheading transformative student engagement initiatives and propelling the growth of signature programs like the ACE Mentoring Program, Engineering Living Learning Communities and GEEKS Tutoring Center. College-wide events like Engineering Welcome Week and National Engineers Week have also flourished under his leadership. Recently, Dr. Mendez collaborated closely with Dr. Bosch on a student professional development program.

Share the love at the Rhatigan Student Center (RSC). Swing by starting at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13 on the first floor of the RSC to grab some Valentine’s Day goodies to share the next day with family, a friend, loved one or yourself.

While supplies last. Sponsored by the RSC and WSU Dining.