Author: Caelin Bragg

Dr. Chase Billingham, associate professor and graduate program coordinator in the Department of Sociology in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and co-authors utilized original data collected with a survey funded by a WSU URCA grant to examine factors influencing parental assessment of schools in a research article recently published in AERA Open.

The article, “‘More About the Neighborhood Than the School’: Leveraging ‘Don’t Know’ Survey Responses to Probe Parental Evaluations of School Safety,” was co-authored by Dr. Billingham; Dr. Shelley Kimelberg, University at Buffalo-SUNY; and Dr. Matthew Hunt, Northeastern University.

Abstract:

“When asked a series of questions about their evaluation of hypothetical schools in a survey experiment, respondents were given the option to select ‘don’t know’ and explain in their own words what additional information they would want to know about the school in order to make their decision. Respondents were especially likely to answer ‘don’t know’ in response to a question about school safety. We explore patterns of ‘don’t know’ responses through analysis of the open-ended answers that respondents provided. Rather than focusing solely on school characteristics, open-ended responses reveal that parents tend to worry about crime and safety issues in the neighborhoods surrounding schools. We discuss the implications of these findings for education policy, school practice, and education research methods.”

Dr. Mia Ocean, associate professor in the School of Social Work in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has recently published the article “The potential of humor to joyously dismantle ableism+: Considerations for social workers” in a special issue on disability justice of the Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare.

Within the article, Dr. Ocean explains how to use humor to creatively call people into the disability justice movement and disrupt ableism. The article builds on her work as a staff writer for The Squeaky Wheel, a disability-focused satire publication.

In September, Dr. Ocean was also appointed as a member to the Sedgwick County/Wichita Access Advisory Board, which helps ensure Sedgwick County policies meet ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements by working with Wichita and the county.

The Wichita Biomedical Campus is using a $1 million grant to purchase audiology equipment for assessment, teaching, and research, supporting workforce training for in-demand jobs. 

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration recently announced the grant, which will be matched by $1 million in local funds.  

“Wichita State University is equipping students with the skills they need to excel in their careers,” Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran said. “This investment from the Economic Development Administration will deliver state-of-the-art technology to WSU to provide students with top-notch training.” 

James Gregory, dean of the College of Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, is the first candidate for Wichita State’s senior executive vice president and provost. He will be on campus for a public forum at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10 in 141 Woolsey Hall, Fidelity Bank Ballroom.

The second candidate for the position will be on campus for an open forum at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21 in 141 Woolsey Hall.

The third candidate for the position will be on campus for an open forum at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24 in 110 Woolsey Hall, Boettger Auditorium.

Stay tuned for more information on the other candidates.

James Gregory, dean of the College of Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, is the first candidate for Wichita State’s senior executive vice president and provost. He will be on campus for a public forum at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10 in 141 Woolsey Hall, Fidelity Bank Ballroom.

Construction work on the Wichita Biomedical Campus site continues. Pile drilling began on the site, and crew began installation of the auger cast piles Oct. 1. This week, crew will continue to install auger cast piles and remove old foundation from the site.

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

Join the Student Government Association (SGA) Student Senate for a meeting at 7:30 p.m. today in 233 Rhatigan Student Center, Santa Fe Trail room. The meeting will be recorded and available on the SGA YouTube by end of day Thursday.

The Wichita State SGA is the governing entity for the student experience at the university. SGA is charged with promoting and stimulating student participation in the university’s activities and providing an official channel of communication between the students, faculty, staff and administration.

Important message: Due to rising costs of captioning services, effective Sept. 11, SGA will no longer be livestreaming regular meetings. SGA will only livestream select meetings such as Student Fees and other meetings as determined by SGA Leadership. All meetings will be recorded and uploaded to the SGA YouTube by end of day Thursday. If you have feedback about this, email sga@wichita.edu.

Schedule is subject to change

Tuesday:

• Bubl Works: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Wednesday:

• Shawarma URs: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Thursday:

• Wheat Street Dogs: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

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

Schedule is subject to change

Monday:

• Kindness Canteen: 7-9:30 a.m.
• Bubl Works: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Tuesday:

• Bubl Works: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Wednesday:

• Shawarma URs: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Thursday:

• Wheat Street Dogs: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

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

At WSU, we believe in the importance of creating a safe and healthy environment for all of our community members. To that end, we have partnered with Catharsis to provide Title IX & Civil Rights Training. This training is highly interactive and engaging, and is based on research around best practices for healthy communities. As you complete your training, we invite you to reach out to the many referenced resources in order to join the larger discussion of these topics on our campus.

What is the duration of the training?
The duration of the training is approximately 40 minutes for employees, 40 minutes for graduate students and athletes and approximately 45 minutes for undergraduate students.

When is the training deadline?
Jan. 10, 2025

How do I access the training?
If you do not see the notification in your myWSU profile under the Faculty/Staff or Home tabs, you can access the training through the Office of Civil Rights, Title IX & ADA Compliance (CTAC) website (wichita.edu/ctac). Scroll down to 2024-2025 Title IX & Civil Rights Compliance Training and select your training. Only select the training that applies to you.

Thank you for your participation and for helping us to build the best campus possible. The CTAC office is now located in 017 Shocker Success Center.

For more information or if you have any questions or issues accessing the training, contact CTAC at 316-978-3186 or ctac@wichita.edu.