Year: 2024

For the Sunday, Jan. 28 Shocker men’s basketball game, a number of lots in the vicinity of Charles Koch Arena will be reserved for Shocker Athletic Scholarship Organization parking beginning at 11 a.m. During this time, signage will be in place alerting drivers of the impending lot assignment changes.

Anyone previously parked in these lots will need to move their cars by 11 a.m. Any unauthorized parking in a game day lot carries a $50 citation fine.

Watermark’s Course Evaluations & Surveys (CES) tool is Wichita State’s new course evaluation tool. Find more information over the coming weeks in WSU Today about CES.

Today’s focus is on “What Is CES?”

• CES is a course evaluation platform from Watermark. The evaluation portion of the platform is called “Course Evaluations & Surveys” and at WSU is referred to as CES.
• CES has replaced SPTEs as the source for course evaluations.
• CES is easy to use and is integrated with Blackboard.
• CES results are electronic and will be available at the end of the semester.
• Using CES should increase response rates.
• There is a dedicated CES website that includes additional information.

For questions, contact Sandra Ranney at evaluations@ces.wichita.edu.

Join Zach Gearhart, chief of staff and executive director of government relations, for updates on the Kansas legislature relevant to Wichita State. The next meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26 in 101 Morrison Hall.

The meeting is open to all faculty, staff and students and is held every other Friday in Morrison Hall following each legislative session.

The Elliott School of Communication, with the Kansas Professional Chapter of Professional Journalists, will host a screening of the Wichita Eagle documentary “Unwarranted: The Senseless Death of Journalist Joan Meyer” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1 in the CAC Theater followed by a panel discussion.

Jeff Jarman, director of the Elliott School, will be the moderator for the panel with guests:

• Jaime Green, visual journalist with the Wichita Eagle
• Travis Heying, visual journalist with the Wichita Eagle
• Eric Meyer, editor and publisher for the Marion County Record
• Emily Bradbury, executive director in the Kansas Press Association

For more information, contact Amy DeVault, assistant professor of communication, at amy.devault@wichita.edu or 316-978-6052

Join President Rick Muma and his team as they prepare future Shockers for a lifetime of success. The President’s Team is raising money for the United Way’s Champions for Literacy initiative, which puts books and supplies into the hands of USD 259 students.

Reading helps children build cognitive skills, gain a deeper understanding of the world, improve their concentration and fuel their imagination. As an educational driver for the state of Kansas, Wichita State is committed to helping students of all ages achieve success and become the leaders of tomorrow.

During the 2022-23 school year, 79% of third graders in Wichita were not reading at a proficient level, and students not reading proficiently by the fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out. Donations to the campaign stay local to the Shocker Neighborhood through United Way of the Plains to alleviate illiteracy in the community.

President Rick Muma and Shirley Lefever, provost and executive vice president, are conducting a town hall for College of Applied Studies faculty and staff at 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1 via Zoom.

The Spring Involvement Fair allows students an opportunity to connect with a diverse pool of student organizations who want to enhance Shockers’ student experiences.

From recreational, academic, social, special interest, political, religious and cultural organizations, the fair hopes to find a place where you belong. The Spring Involvement Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25 on the first and second floors of the Rhatigan Student Center. Prizes such as an iPad, FijiFilm polaroid camera, Kitchen Aid mixer and Ninja Creami will be up for grabs, as well as T-shirts and food, while supplies last.

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from Lubna Aldulaimi.

Lubna — a senior majoring in exercise science — made her way to Wichita State after graduating from Tomball High School in Tomball, Texas. She is currently a member of the track and field team.

Lubna found it difficult balancing the time required for school, work, track and family, and was worried about asking for the help she needed for fear of it being seen as her making excuses. However, she was able to find support through Kristyn Waits, design educator and communication manager for the College of Innovation and Design, who saw Lubna struggling and offered her an extension in her class.

“I just needed someone to press pause and let me catch back up and Kristyn Waits did that for me. One day, we had a major project due that I was very behind on, but I didn’t want to ask for extra time because I didn’t want my professor to think I was this bum athlete who is just looking to make excuses. She was able to notice me and gave me an extension without me asking for it. Maybe she couldn’t see how drained I was mentally, but that gesture meant so much to me. I really appreciated it so much. We only get to see her once a week, yet that day, I felt the most cared for. That extension on my project gave me the time I needed to breathe and catch back up with life.”

Waits says that faculty need to be aware of what students are dealing with outside of the classroom to better serve their needs and make sure they succeed in their studies.

“I think it’s important to remember that our classes are not the only thing our students are focused on. Many students work, have families, are involved in various organizations, play sports or, in Lubna’s case, all of the above. Having some empathy for students is the least we can do as faculty.”

Do you know of a faculty or staff member who promotes student success, or a student who has been helped by a faculty or staff member, that should be highlighted in WSU Today? Email your ideas to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor with the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.

A Doctor of Audiology student is conducting a study on different procedures of a clinical test evaluating the function of the inner ear.

Participants must be between the ages of 18 and 35, have normal hearing, have not had an ear infection in the past three months or have not had a cold or flu in the past two weeks.

Participants will receive a no-cost comprehensive hearing evaluation and ear examination prior to testing. The testing will take about an hour in 106 Hubbard Hall. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Edie Reese at emreese@shockers.wichita.edu or 316-680-5047 or Xiao-Ming Sun, professor of audiology, at xiao-ming.sun@wichita.edu.

For those who want to “be the change,” social work may be the right path for that goal. Wichita State’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program is accepting additional applications for the 2024-25 school year through Friday, Feb. 23.

The program is open to all majors and has both full- and part-time schedule options. MSW students go on to work in mental health, forensics, health care, addiction treatment, aging, human resources, schools, international settings, child and family welfare, disaster relief, athletic programs and more.

For more information, contact Shaunna Millar, MSW director, at shaunna.millar@wichita.edu.