Year: 2024

Roman Campa is one of the over 1,200 Shockers who were eligible to graduated in fall 2024. While earning his bachelor’s in media arts, Roman made the most of his time at KWCH 12 News. From producing to reporting, he’s grateful for the experience he gained.

For grad Bryan Mitchell, graduation is more than a celebration — it’s proof that perseverance and support can overcome any challenge. Thanks to his family, fraternity brothers and Dr. Pamela O’Neal’s guidance, Bryan is ready for what’s next. His advice? “Do not give up. Don’t quit.”

The winter closedown will commence at 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, and the university will reopen Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. The closedown is 10 days, two of which are paid holidays. In addition, benefit eligible employees may use Presidential Administrative Days to remain in pay status for the four days between Christmas and New Years Day, thanks to President Rick Muma.

Classes will not be in session during this period. Employees who are required to work during the winter closedown will be allowed to use their four Presidential Administrative Days anytime from Monday, Dec. 23 through Jan. 31, 2025. We appreciate your dedication and service to the university.

More information about the winter closedown can be found here:

• University schedule for the winter closedown 2024
• Learn more about winter break paid leave

Facilities Services will be doing repairs on the domestic water system in Hubbard Hall Wednesday, Dec. 18. The building will be without water all day. If you have any questions, contact Facilities Services at 316-978-3444.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by everything that has to happen before the holidays, the Last-Minute Holiday Market has you covered. Shop from over 50 small businesses for a gift for everyone on your list. Plus, grab a bite from two food trucks and don’t miss a special visit from Santa.

The holiday market is from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18 in Hughes Metropolitan Complex. See the full schedule of the day below:

Shop: Noon-6 p.m.
Lunch with GH Grubz: 11:00 a.m.-1 p.m.
Santa’s visit: 2:30-6 p.m.
Dinner Shawarma UR’s: 5-6:30 p.m.

Visit wichita.edu/ksbdc/holidaymarket2024 for details including a full list of vendors and food truck menus.

Usha Haley, W. Frank Barton Distinguished Chair in International Business, was approached by CNET with the question: How will President-Elect Donald Trump’s tariffs affect the price of the PlayStation 5?

On the evening of Dec. 5, six College of Engineering students took first and third place in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Wichita Section Holiday Banquet Undergraduate Poster Display in Woolsey Hall. Applied engineering students Lauren Bulcroft, Shyanna Edwards, Clayton Short and Oliver Harrison placed first. Pedro Cordeiro Povoa Cupertino (aerospace engineering) and Vicknesh Prasad (industrial systems and manufacturing engineering) placed third.

The first-place poster by Bulcroft, Edwards, Short and Harrison was titled “Finite Element Analysis of Stress and Strain in High Precision CNC Machine Tooling.” The group of students was advised by Dr. Adam Lynch, associate teaching professor in the Department of Applied Engineering, and Ridge Towner, a reliability engineer at Spirit AeroSystems. The third-place poster by Cupertino and Prasad was titled “Preliminary Systems Engineering Analysis of Energy Harvesting Methods for Forklifts.” The two students were also advised by Dr. Lynch.

“The WSU Applied Engineering department has a focus on hands-on learning and strives to integrate current industry problems into our courses,” said Dr. Gary Brooking, the chair of the applied engineering department. “This is an excellent example of the value of these types of collaborations which provided benefit to industry and significant learning opportunities for the students.”

The Sunflower is an entirely student-led newspaper that covers Wichita State and the surrounding area. Its newsletter comes out every Monday afternoon, delivering some of the most important news from the previous week straight to inboxes.

To subscribe to the newsletter, visit The Sunflower website and enter your email address. Subscribers can unsubscribe at any time.

For questions or concerns, contact The Sunflower editor-in-chief at editor@thesunflower.com or visit The Sunflower’s office in the basement of Elliott Hall, room 019.

Wichita Transit’s route 202 will continue to run during winter closedown, Dec. 21-Jan. 5, 2025. Route 202A will stop running on Dec. 20 and will restart in the new year on Jan. 6, 2025. Additionally, all routes will end at 8 p.m. Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. These are the routes that primarily service WSU main campus.

The Wichita Eagle has announced the winners of its annual Best of Wichita competition, and Wichita State was voted gold in best college/university in Wichita. This is the third year in a row where Wichita State has been named the best college/university.

We thank Shocker Nation for their participation in the voting process.