Year: 2024

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. The website 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 that if there is an emergency, always call University Police at 316-978-3450 or dial 911.

Dr. Scott Hill, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Philosophy of Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, recently published a critique of common objections to the act of procreation. The paper, titled “Against Adoption-Based Objections to Procreation,” looks at adoption- and climate change-based arguments against procreation and the pitfalls of such arguments.

The paper was published in Pacific Philosophical Quarterly. Dr. Hill joined Wichita State’s philosophy faculty this fall, and his research primarily focuses on ethics and religion.

President Rick Muma visited Shocker Sound Machine in Charles Koch Arena to recognize its members as the next recipient of Rick Rewards. President Muma recognized Shocker Sound Machine for its work in charging up the crowds at home athletics games and for providing Shocker-filled shows for the community, including during this year’s Fall Address.

Rick Rewards is awarded each month by President Muma to show his appreciation for the efforts of the campus community.

Construction work on the Wichita Biomedical Campus site continues. Last week, removal of the old foundation at the location was completed, and the site has been refilled with dirt to make way for pile drilling, which is scheduled to start this week.

You can watch a live broadcast of the construction online at: bigview.ai/wichitabiomedicalcampusliveview.

Student Outreach & Support is excited to announce the promotion of Courtney Lockhart to lead case manager and advocate for the department. In this new role, Courtney will continue to provide essential support to students facing barriers to academic success and wellbeing, while overseeing his cohort in the day to day functions.

Courtney has been a dedicated staff member at Wichita State since 2003. In his 21 years of serving students, Courtney has accomplished many milestones, including serving as president and vice president of the African American Faculty and Staff Association; being an active member and staff advisor for Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.; serving as a staff senator for the 2023-25 term; and completing the inaugural Like A Boss cohort through the Division of Student Affairs this past spring. Courtney is also a proud alum of WSU, having received his Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of General Studies, Master of Counseling and is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Educational Leadership.

Your vote will determine who will serve on the Shocktoberfest Court and ultimately be crowned Shocker Royalty. The twenty candidates were nominated by students, faculty and staff based on their campus leadership, academic excellence and their dedication to Shocker Pride.

The ballot for Shocktoberfest Court will remain open through 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26. Court members will make appearances at various Shocktoberfest events, including in the parade on Saturday, Oct. 5, and the official crowning of Shocker Royalty will be held at Shocker Madness later that day.

Plan to attend the Wellness Retreat for faculty and staff at noon Friday, Oct. 18 in the Rhatigan Student Center. In addition to a lunch and nurturing program, the retreat will highlight wellness resources available on campus and Dr. Shirley Lefever’s, provost and executive vice president, farewell-ness address. Two Shockers who have played a key role in developing a wellness focused culture on campus will also be celebrated with the 2024 Suspenders4Hope Champion award.

Connect with colleagues and engage in a variety of wellness activities, including a community service project helping to build HOPE kits to be distributed to people in times of crisis at the Student Wellness Center and Comcare Crisis Services.

Lace up your kid’s sneakers and join the Little Pumpkin Run 1K Fun Run Oct. 19. The run is great for children up to 10 years old. Every young runner will receive a event T-shirt and a finisher medal.

If your child is looking for a bigger challenge, they can also sign up for the 5K Pumpkin Run, which is open to all ages. Whether they walk or run, all participants will earn an event T-shirt and finisher medal.

Bring the whole family for a day of running, excitement and memories.

The 2024 Kansas Gender & Sexuality Conference will be held Oct. 18 on the third floor of the Rhatigan Student Center. The conference is free and open to the public. Organizers request that all attendees pre-register to help with the conference planning process, even if they plan to drop in and out.

Pre-registration will be open until 11:59 p.m. Oct. 6.

About this year’s keynote:

Organizers are excited to share that the keynote speaker will be Dr. Meg Paceley (they/them), whose talk is titled, “Health, Activism, Community and Resistance in an Era of Anti-LGBTQ+ Policy, Legislation and Rhetoric.”

The 2024 Kansas Gender & Sexuality Conference will be held Oct. 18 on the third floor of the Rhatigan Student Center. The conference is free and open to the public. Organizers request that all attendees pre-register to help with the conference planning process, even if they plan to drop in and out.

Pre-registration will be open until 11:59 p.m. Oct. 6.

About this year’s keynote:

Organizers are excited to share that the keynote speaker will be Dr. Meg Paceley (they/them), whose talk is titled, “Health, Activism, Community and Resistance in an Era of Anti-LGBTQ+ Policy, Legislation and Rhetoric.”