Year: 2024

The next University Staff Senate meeting is scheduled from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16 in 142 Rhatigan Student Center, Harvest Room. All Staff Senate meetings are open to the Wichita State campus community.

The meeting will be live streamed via Zoom for any staff who want to observe. The Staff Senate will use this link for rest of the year.

To learn more about Staff Senate meetings and access Zoom meeting links and previous meeting minutes, visit the Staff Senate webpage.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) invites you to join its annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31 at the Cadman Art Gallery in the Rhatigan Student Center, where it will honor the highlights and memorialize the work, accomplishments and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with keynote speaker Kyle Ellison and announce the Drum Major Award recipients.

Ellison is the founding director of Khan Lab School Wichita. He was born and raised in Wichita, graduated from Northeast Magnet High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies with an emphasis in communications here at Wichita State. He believes learning goes beyond traditional academic subjects by encouraging students to explore their imagination, express themselves and develop skills essential for success in various aspects of life. For his pioneering work, he’s received recognition from the Wichita Business Journal 40 Under 40, Wichita Urban Professionals Professional of the Year, Wichita State University Alumni Association Young Alumni Award and the Kansas Nonprofit Chamber 2019 Emerge and Lead Class. Most recently, Kyle was the 2023 H.N. Sims Excellence in Education awardee given by the Wichita NAACP.

Learn more about ODI on its website and follow ODI on Instagram, Facebook and X, or contact ODI at 316-978-3034 or diversity@wichita.edu.

Shockers — it’s time to complete the new and improved 2024-25 Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. The FAFSA helps students unlock thousands of dollars to help fund their college education.

The new FAFSA form will be shorter and more intuitive. It will change how federal aid eligibility is calculated, broadening the number of students who qualify for the Federal Pell Grant. Current Shockers who are interested in applying for 2024-25 scholarships should submit their FAFSA as soon as possible. The earlier, the better.

Questions? The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships is here to assist you in completing your FAFSA and in understanding your financial plan. Visit the FAFSA webpage (wichita.edu/fafsa) for more information.

Lot 41, the parking lot near Woolsey Hall, will be closed Thursday, Jan. 11 for an event at Woolsey Hall. Faculty and staff that typically park in this lot will need to park in other yellow lots in the area of the building. The YMCA lot, Lot 40, is not available for faculty, staff or event guest parking and could result in a citation.

The purpose of lot reservations is to help accommodate large groups of guests visiting campus for events or the event itself. Lot reservations are not to be used for WSU affiliates. Remember, visitors to campus can park without an ePermit up to three times each semester.

Red reserved and ADA stalls are not subject to lot closures and proper use is permitted during this time.

Click on the session link to add it to your Outlook calendar or visit the January 2024 ARC webpage for direct meeting links.

Thursday, Jan. 11:

• 9 a.m.: Blackboard Ultra Roadmap – Fredrik Klemming, Anthology
• 10 a.m.: Using Microsoft Lists to Make Your Life Easier – Ali Levine, application training specialist
• 11 a.m.: Course Video in O365: Capturing, Editing, Storing, and Sharing – Rachel Bastian, instructional designer and accessibility specialist
• Noon: Panel Hour: Tech Decisions and How They are Made – John Jones, executive director of the Media Resources Center; Ryan Corcoran, director of audio-visual engineering; Brett Morrill, director of application development and support
• 1 p.m.: Common Issues in Bb Ultra and How to Solve Them – Carolyn Speer, director of the Office of Instructional Resources; Rachel Bastian
• 2 p.m.: Getting Data and Running Reports in Ultra Classes – Carolyn Speer

Welcome to Shocker Blast, Wichita State’s internal student newsletter! Shocker Blast provides you regular updates about Shocker Nation every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, sent directly to your official student email.

Here, you can learn more about the resources available for you to succeed; important campus updates about parking, traffic, closures and deadlines; how to get involved on campus; messages and news from Wichita State; and more.

Shocker Blast is here to help all students engage with Shocker Nation and get the most out of their time at WSU.

For more information about Shocker Blast, reach out to Caelin Bragg, newsletter editor in the Office of Strategic Communications, at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.

All incoming graduate teaching assistants are required to complete a training before they start working. This training has a face-to-face and an online component. The face-to-face training is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10 in 305/306 Rhatigan Student Center, Beggs Ballroom.

Incoming Graduate Research Assistants are invited to attend the same training from 10:20 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. A split session will cover the rights and duties of GRAs.

This is a training for incoming GTAs and GRAs only. Attending this training will not increase your chances to be hired in the future as a graduate assistant.

University Libraries encourages faculty and staff to invite students to the library tour at noon Friday, Jan. 26 and at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30.

Discover the Digital Scholars Commons, a hub for cutting-edge digital resources, the 24-Hour Study Room for anytime productivity and the captivating VR Zone transforming the learning experience. And attend an insightful session on navigating the library homepage to access online articles, research sources, streaming content and interlibrary loan services.

Spread the word to your students about this fantastic opportunity to explore the library.

Schedule is subject to change

Wednesday:

• No Ragrets – Vegan Scratch Kitchen: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Follow Wichita State Food Truck Plaza on Facebook for the latest updates and scheduled food trucks.

Award for Research/Creative Projects in Summer (ARCS) proposals are due to the Office of Research no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2. The ARCS opportunity provides funding of up to $4,000 to enable faculty to pursue research or creative projects during the summer. Proposers must work with a grant specialist in the Office of Research prior to submission and all complete applications require an endorsement from the chair and dean.

Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed or considered. Contact proposals@wichita.edu to get started or visit the grant’s webpage for additional information.