Author: Caelin Bragg

Formally known as the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC), the newly renamed Office of Civil Rights, Title IX & ADA Compliance (CTAC) will continue its commitment to ensuring members of the campus community feel included and engaged.

The name was changed to provide a clearer picture of how the office can help members of the campus community. In addition to the name change, students, faculty and staff can expect an increase in staff, campus-wide visibility, education and program initiatives, new and improved Title IX and EEO training, and an implementation of a CTAC monthly newsletter.

CTAC is helmed by Dr. Courtney McHenry, who started in the role in January. His experience consists of several years leading civil rights investigative divisions in both higher education and city government. Dr. McHenry is also a graduate of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, the University of Central Florida, and St. Thomas University.

“As CTAC continues to evolve and expand, the bottom line, aside from the compliance component, is undoubtedly customer service. The late great Dr. Maya Angelou once said, ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ Compliance and policy enforcement can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.”

Learn more about the newest research and innovation coming out of Wichita State by reading the April 2023 edition of Research & Innovation News.

Learn more about recent findings from Dr. Don Blakeslee, professor of anthropology and archaeologist, over the prehistoric Great Plains; the EPA selecting Wichita State as a site for an environmental justice center; and a WSU senior who presented her physics research at the annual American Astronomical Society meeting.

Research & Innovation News publishes every other month. Subscribe to the mailing list.

The Media Resources Center (MRC) was recognized as the next recipient of Rick Rewards April 27. MRC staff were honored for their dedication to supporting the campus community’s media technology needs.

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

Only two students were selected for the 2023 summer Yale University Press manuscript editorial internship — one was secured by a Yale University student and the other was Wichita State’s own Hannah Holliday.

Holliday, a junior studying creative writing and communication in WSU’s Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will continue to live in Wichita while working remotely at her internship, which will be done over nine weeks starting June 5 and ending Aug. 5.

As night falls, an unsuspecting gray mouse chitters under a tree while nibbling on a seed she scavenged in the grass. Then — swoosh! — in less than an instant, the space where she stood is empty, and an owl swoops soundlessly away with the mouse in her talons.

That level of silent stealth is something a group of Wichita State students is attempting to replicate as part of a project to use owl-feather technology to create silent drones for NASA’s University Student Research Challenge.

Kansas NASA EPSCoR Program has named Wichita State’s College of Innovation and Design faculty member Maggie Schoonover as a recipient of its 2023 Partnership Development Grant for her proposal, “Familiarization Training Game for Extended Reality Spacesuit User Interface.”

Schoonover’s Open XR Lab offers hands-on tech development with collaborative design and integration of non-STEM majors into STEM activities to enhance team effectiveness and employability. Her area of research focuses on product management processes in emerging technologies.

The second of four candidates for the College of Fine Arts dean, Amy Johnson, assistant dean at the School of Architecture and Design, University of Kansas, will be on campus on Wednesday, April 26 and April 27.

Faculty, staff and students are invited to attend a public forum at 3:30 p.m. April 26 in 265 Rhatigan Student Center.

Faculty and staff can visit the Faculty/Staff Acute Care Clinic for minor and acute medical issues only. Appointments are required for the clinic.

The clinic is located in the Student Wellness Center within the Steve Clark YMCA. Most appointments are $30 to $50 for an office visit evaluation by a Student Health Services medical provider, dependent on insurance. The office visit cost does not include the costs for laboratory services, medications or radiology services. Call 316-978-4792 to schedule an appointment.

Co-pays or deductibles are the employee’s responsibility and depend on personal health insurance benefits.

Examples of minor/acute illness/injury acceptable for treatment:

• Cough, cold, fever and flu
• Sore throats and sinus infections
• Bronchitis and pneumonia
• Allergies and asthma
• Sprains and strains that are non-work related
• Headaches and acute migraine
• Urinary tract infections
• Ear and eye infections
• Rashes and skin infections
• Minor procedures, such as ear lavages
• In-house laboratory services – rapid strep, UAs, mono, etc.
• Radiology X-ray services – not ultrasound
• Pharmacy services — with prescriptions written by SHS providers
• Immunizations
• Tuberculosis testing
• Blood pressure checks
• Sexually transmitted infections with symptoms

Injuries and illnesses occurring while on the job at WSU must be reported to your supervisor and follow Human Resources procedures. Student Health Services cannot treat potential workers’ compensation injuries or illnesses.

WSU Student Health employees will provide medical services as licensed medical providers. They are nurse practitioners, physician assistants and registered nurses. The clinic is a Student Health Services clinic.

Six teams emerged as victors from the Shocker New Venture Competition Trade Show that was held April 21. The trade show featured the top 16 teams showcasing their innovative business ideas to judges and attendees. The judges, composed of successful entrepreneurs and industry leaders, evaluated each team’s pitch and product demonstrations to determine which teams had the best chance of succeeding in the marketplace. 

Congratulations to the six teams that are advancing to the final round of the Shocker New Venture Competition, presented by the WSU Center for Entrepreneurship. 

The six advancing teams:

• Female Engineering Matters:
  • Triple B Support is a medical device that targets the back, belly and breasts that will alleviate pain and discomfort to help pregnant people continue with their daily tasks.
• Optimum Wellness:
  • An improved psychiatric restraint system for stretcher cot use
• Player Card:
  • Player Card is a business in the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) industry that connects college athletes with local companies for deals to remove friction from the NIL deal process.
• TARAM:
  • Unlock new possibilities in global trade with the secure, digital platform. Say hello to hassle-free logistics and finance.
• Testkey:
  • Portable, user-friendly medical diagnostic testing made simple. Unlock the power to digitize the health testing experience for rapid, accurate results anytime, anywhere.
• Vision Vest:
  • Vision Vest is a tool that replaces sight with touch, allowing blind people to avoid objects, navigate hallways and identify what they are facing.

The public is invited to attend the final round, which will include a in-depth presentations of each team’s business model followed by a Q&A session with the judges. This will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, April 28 in Devlin Hall. A reception will be held following the presentations from 4 to 5 p.m., with the awards being presented at 5 p.m. 

WSU’s Center for Entrepreneurship thanks all the sponsors of this year’s Shocker New Venture Competition, including Erin Cummings, IMA Financial Group, INTRUST Bank, Moral Holdings, NetWork Kansas and UBS.

To complement this spring’s Commencement Toast, all colleges’ faculty, staff and their graduates are invited to participate in the 2023 Commencement Cruise.

The deadline to register is May 10. Any questions can be directed to the Academics Affairs Office at 316-978-3010.