Author: Caelin Bragg

Wichita State posts signs at every parking lot on campus to help you find where to park.

The signs feature big block letters and colors: “V” and white for visitors; “S” and green for students; and “F” and yellow for faculty and staff. Reserved lots and parking spaces are marked with red signage.

ePermits can be purchased online and are required to park in student, faculty and staff parking lots while school is in session during the enforcement period from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors may park without an ePermit three times each semester before an ePermit is required.

And check out the interactive campus map to find parking lots. Simply select “Parking and Transportation” from the navigation menu and choose the type of parking you’re looking for.

Connect with Shockers all across campus by submitting an item to Shocker Blast, Wichita State’s internal student newsletter.

If you are a member of a WSU student organization and want to share your campus event with fellow students, submit an item for consideration in Shocker Blast. Please keep in mind the following consideration criteria:

• Submissions run up to twice in the newsletter and should be 150 words or fewer in length.
• Images should be 800×600 pixels in size and contain less than 20 words. Text must also be accessible, so it must be large-sized font and contrasted with the background.
• Submissions may be edited. If significant changes are required, we will reach back out prior to publication in the newsletter.

Final publication consideration is at the discretion of Strategic Communications. For more information, contact Caelin Bragg at caelin.bragg@wichita.edu.

Also submit your event to the campus events calendar.

Research Place — the road connected to Lots 13 and 15, just south of Wilkins Stadium — will change to two-way traffic at the end of the day Friday, Aug. 18. The road has previously been only one-way traffic.

Wichita State hosts an online portal for our Innovation Campus partners. The portal offers a “one-stop shop” for the resources available on campus.

With the portal, you can find more information on the resources available to our partners:

• Where to find news and events at WSU
• How to access the weekly Campus Connection newsletter and where to submit posts
• What dining options are available on campus
• How to sign up for emergency communication through Shocker Alerts
• Where to park on campus
• What is happening in Shocker Athletics
• And more

Want to better get to know the president and provost of Wichita State? Connect with President Rick Muma and Provost Shirley Lefever on social media.

See how they engage with students, participate in events and give back to the campus community.

President Muma:

• Instagram
• X
• LinkedIn

Provost Lefever:

• Instagram
• X
• LinkedIn

Wichita State Dining is going high tech with the rollout of robotic food delivery on campus, thanks to a partnership with Starship Technologies.

Starting today (Aug. 14), Starship’s fleet of autonomous, on-demand robots are available to deliver food from the following campus restaurants:

• RSC Starbucks
• Panda Express
• Freddy’s Frozen Custard
• Tu Taco
• Market at Groundhouse
• Cargill Cafe
• Black & Gold Grill: A Delivery Ghost Kitchen

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.

This week’s Student Success and Persistence highlight comes from Andréa Banke, assistant professor of music theory and program director for the Master of Arts in Arts Leadership and Management.

• What role do you think faculty/staff play in a student’s success and persistence?
  “I think we can proactively foster a classroom environment in which students feel heard, seen and comfortable seeking support, both academically and emotionally, if they need it. And everybody will need it at some point. Frequent and regular office hours are a must, especially in applications-based courses like the ones I teach. The one thing I try to stress above everything else is to engage in the process, don’t chase the reward. The process and progress is so much more important than the grade, and here’s a success secret: if you deeply engage in and commit to the process, you’ll get the result you want faster than if you had just chased the grade anyway.”
• What is one small thing any faculty/staff member can do to make a student’s day or let them know they’re cared for?
  “Greet them whenever you see them — in the hallway, foyers, etc. Students who feel seen will connect better in class. Observe and describe without judgment: ‘I see you’re struggling this week. How can I help?’ then listen to the reply. The best conversations are not started with a discussion of a grade or an absence.”
• How do you promote student success through your campus duties?
  “Our field of music has historically been dominated by white, male composers. My goal is to create a diverse classroom advocating for, and using as examples, women composers, BIPOC composers and LGTBQ musicians. When students see themselves represented, they thrive.”

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.

In 2020, the Athletics Policy and Culture Task Force was created to examine the WSU Athletics Department’s organizational policies and practices, with the goal to support WSU’s student-athletes and athletics staff members.

The task force, comprised of a cross-section of athletics and university staff and students, examined the policies, procedures and practices of WSU and the Athletics Department; the policies and procedures of WSU’s American Athletic Conference (AAC) and other institutional peers; and data produced from a self-reported climate study.

After examining all the data, the task force made 41 recommendations in the following areas. As of spring 2023, ICAA has reached completion (or substantial completion) in 39 of the 41 recommendations.

• Reporting and procedures
• Policies and statements
• Additional resources, trainings and/or organizational best practices
• Recommendations for the AAC

Bolstered by a $2 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, a group of Wichita State researchers is hoping to create a paradigm shift from the use of harmful nitrous oxide-based fertilizers to more eco-friendly nitrogen fertilizers that would reduce greenhouse gases.

The project to curb nitrous oxide is a collaboration between researchers at WSU and Iowa State University, led by WSU’s Dr. Shuang Gu, associate professor in the College of Engineering, and Dr. Wenzhen Li, a professor in the College of Engineering at Iowa State. The ISU researchers also received $2 million from the NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

The WSU team will work alongside the ISU team to explore fertilizers that have a lower environmental footprint by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide, with the goal of enabling a shift toward more sustainable agriculture.