Author: Caelin Bragg

Wichita State students can attend on-campus university fine arts and athletics events at no additional charge with a Shocker ID, thanks to the Student Government Association.

Support your fellow classmates and faculty while exploring some of the creative pursuits WSU has to offer and display your Shocker pride at home athletic games.

The First-Gen Cord Ceremony is an opportunity to give first generation students graduating this semester a cord to recognize their accomplishment. The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 30 in the CAC Theater.

For more information, visit the Student Engagement, Advocacy & Leadership (SEAL) office in 216 Rhatigan Student Center.

Students have the opportunity to cast their vote for the next officials of the Wichita State Student Government Association (SGA) from Monday, April 3 to Wednesday, April 5.

SGA is the sole governing body over all students of WSU. Embracing its motto, “Students Come First,” SGA serves as the voice of students to the university and college administration, manages the allocation of over $10.5 million dollars and represents all students at the local, state and federal government levels.

Voting can be done online via Simply Voting or in person at one of the polling stations.

Contact SGA at 316-978-3480 or at sga@wichita.edu.

Faculty and staff at Wichita State University are required to complete mandatory training on preventing harassment and discrimination. The deadline has been extended to Friday, April 7.

You can access the training two ways:

• Go to myWSU under the Faculty/Staff tab, scroll down to “Employee Required Training” and click on Preventing Harassment and Discrimination Training.
• Open the email with subject line Vector LMS, Higher Education Edition Online Training, which was sent to all faculty/staff email addresses. Note: The email might say April 27 is the deadline, but April 7 is the correct deadline.

If you have not completed the training, it is very important that you do so. If you have already taken the training this academic year and see your name on a list that says you haven’t completed it, please disregard. If you have any questions regarding the status of your training completion, contact Courtney McHenry at courtney.mchenry@wichita.edu.

This prevention training, which is led through WSU’s Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance, is not only important in making our campus a welcoming and equitable environment, but it’s also important for Title IX compliance. If you have completed your training, thank you for helping us make real progress in making our campus safe, inclusive and equitable.

University supervisors should follow up with their employees to ensure that they are completing the training by the deadline. Supervisors are expected to work with employees needing accommodations or extensions as necessary.

Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ next Perspectives series will focus on pedagogy. This week’s Perspectives is on “Active Learning.”

To engage students and encourage their success are hallmarks of successful teaching approaches. Panelists will discuss activities that foster in-class participation while boosting student and instructor confidence. Dr. Andrew Hippisley, dean of the Fairmount College, will host, and Brien Bolin, professor of social work and associate dean for student success, will moderate the panel.

Each episode in the Perspectives series will be presented at 2 p.m. Tuesdays, through April 11 via Zoom. Recordings will be made available afterwards on the Fairmount College YouTube channel.

In February 1986, a congressional resolution declared that Saturday, Feb. 28, 1986, should be designated as “National TRIO Day” to commemorate the annual achievement of the federal TRIO programs in communities across the country.

With a long history of 50 years, and an impressive portfolio of 10 TRIO programs, the Office of Special Programs (OSP) marked the whole month of February for celebrating the accomplishments of TRIO and GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) at Wichita State and the larger community.

The 10 programs offered by OSP:

• The Communication Upward Bound
• Talent Search and Talents Search South
• Upward Bound Wichita Prep
• Upward Bound Math Science
• Disability Support Services
• Student Support Services
• McNair Scholars Program
• Educational Opportunity Centers
• Veterans Upward Bound
• Partnership GEAR UP program and the state-wide Kansas Kids @ GEAR UP program

The TRIO and GEAR UP programs at WSU primarily serve first-generation and low-income students primarily in Wichita Public schools and state-wide school districts. The programs cover students from middle school through high school and college.

Under the leadership of Deltha Colvin, associate vice president of college readiness and retention programs, and the WSU program administrators, the OSP has celebrated in several ways, such as hosting workshops for students and teachers, student recognition banquets, College Access, Retention and Success conferences, and, since 2019, community services.

For 2022-23, the OSP program highlights have included several community service opportunities for the students. The Talent Search programs have decided to continue spreading reading and literacy by participating in the community library program in the Wichita neighborhoods. Participants of the Educational Opportunity Centers program along with the Upward Bound Wichita Prep program staff and students have actively participated in the Operation Holiday program, through which needy families receive assistance. The Veterans Upward Bound program participants have celebrated the TRIO cause by volunteering at the Lord’s Diner during 2022.

The Haysville GEAR UP program organized a National TRIO/GEAR UP Day on November 11, 2022. About 306 students participated. The event consisted of presentations by WSU offices such as admissions and financial aid. Activities included a campus tour, college resource fair and TRIO workshops.

The Student Support Services program has used this celebration to promote social justice, diversity, and equity through retention through various student activities.

For more information, contact Colvin at deltha.colvin@wichita.edu.

Join the Department of Physics for its next seminar at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 5 in 226 Jabara Hall and also via Zoom

The speaker for the seminar is Dali Sun, associate professor of physics from North Carolina State University. He will present, “Chirality-induced Spin Selectivity Effect in 2D Chiral Hybrid Perovskites:  Chiral-Phonon-Activated Spin Seebeck Effect.”

Shocker softball will host Oklahoma State University at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 4 in Wilkins Stadium.

Students receive admission for all homes games at no additional charge with Shocker ID.

Intervention Services & Leadership in Education (ISLE) will host a Graduate Program Fair from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 10 in Woolsey Hall. The event aims to inform potential students about ISLE graduate programs and help prepare them for graduate school.

The schedule for the event will be “Why go to grad school & where to apply” from 4 to 5 p.m.; the graduate student panel from 5 to 6 p.m.; and the graduate fair from 6 to 8 p.m. All students considering graduate school are invited to learn more about the graduate programs within ISLE.

For more information or questions, contact Valerie Thompson at valerie.thompson@wichita.edu.

Robert Bubp explores his immediate environment to examine alternate notions of place and space. Marco Hernandez delves into issues associated with the societies and politics of contemporary Mexican and Mexican-American cultures.

Both are faculty at WSU’s School of Art, Design and Creative Industries and artists featured in Transmissions: The XXIV Faculty Biennial, on exhibit until April 22 in the Polk/Wilson Gallery in the Ulrich Museum of Art. Join them at 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, April 4 at the Ulrich Museum to learn about their inspiration and processes.