Author: Abigail Klein

Please remember the following COVID-19 safety practices to protect you and your colleagues.

• Masks continue to be required for the entire campus, which includes students, faculty, staff and visitors.
• Vaccines and boosters are highly recommended as the best tool to fight COVID-19. You can get vaccinated through the weekly Wednesday mobile clinic at Charles Koch Arena or at any other vaccination site. See the Sedgwick County vaccine page for additional locations. Student Health Services has temporarily halted vaccines for the WSU community to prioritize medical care for the ill and reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

To help support and remind the Shocker community about masking, vaccines and other safety practices, a digital toolkit is available for print and download for any office or building use.

If you’re interested in getting tested for COVID, there are multiple options.

Students, faculty and staff can schedule a free COVID-19 testing appointment in Student Health Services through the myShockerHealth portal. Login with your Shocker ID and select “Appointments” from the menu.

Wichita State’s Molecular Diagnostics Lab is open 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, and offers free testing, along with multiple other locations throughout Sedgwick County, to the entire community.

Please note that wait times to be tested have increased because of growing demand. 

The Hughes Metropolitan Complex Testing Site (5015 E. 29th St. North) no longer offers COVID-19 testing.

Thank you for your continued flexibility as we work together during this pandemic.

The completion deadline for the “Preventing Harassment and Discrimination” training has been extended to March 18.   

The training is broken up into nine separate modules and does not need to be completed in one block of time. Employees are able to complete each training module separately to allow for flexibility in scheduling around regular work tasks. Altogether, the entire training takes approximately 90 minutes to complete.  

Employees are reminded to record the time that they spend completing the training as time worked in the timekeeping system. 

The training is accessible on the Faculty/Staff tab on the myWSU page under “Employee Required Training.” Student employees can access the training on the myFinances tab under “Student Required Training.” Click on the “Logon with myWSUID@wichita.edu” tab. 

Employees are able to print a certificate of completion for their records after completing the training. 

Questions regarding the training can be directed at the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance at: oiec@wichita.edu.  

The Wichita Police Department (WPD) Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team will be conducting training exercises on campus in full gear with weapons 8 a.m.-noon today, Dec. 17 beginning at parking lot 5. The team will then walk to Jabara and Grace Wilkie halls to use the tunnel access areas. The team will also train inside the south side of Hubbard Hall, where no Wichita State employees or staff will be present.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration recently awarded Wichita State University and South Kansas $500,000 to Build Back Better with the potential opportunity for a Phase 2 award of $25-75 million.

The Build Back Better Regional Challenge will provide $1 billion in American Rescue Act funding to invest in America’s communities. This historic investment supports bottom-up economic development  focused on advancing equity, creating good-paying jobs, helping workers to  develop in-demand skills, building economic resilience, and accelerating the economic recovery for the industries and communities hit hardest by the  coronavirus pandemic.

The WSU Open/Alternative Textbook (OAT) Initiative is designed to expand the use of freely-available resources in our classes in an effort to address the rising cost of textbooks and the impact of that expense on our students. To get an OAT designation for s fall 2022 course, submit the request form before Feb 15.

Courses with an OAT designation are visible to students in the course schedule so they can choose classes with low or no textbook costs.

Courses can be designated as either:

• OAT-Z:  Zero ($0) textbook or other course material costs
• OAT-L: Low (under $50) textbook or other course material costs

This program has been modified from the original design. There is no longer a course fee associated with these course designations.  www.wichita.edu/OAT 

More than 1,100 Shockers are eligible for graduation in fall 2021. While each of their journeys are unique, they all share a common connection to Shocker Nation. Here’s what some of our graduates have to say about their time at Wichita State University and the future they see for themselves.  

Check out this video presentation of President Rick Muma congratulating the 1,100 Shockers graduating at the fall 2021 commencement ceremony. This is the 124th fall commencement ceremony at Wichita State.

The second phase of renovations is close to complete on Wichita State’s Henrion Hall, the 100-year-old building that houses WSU’s studio arts.

“It is paramount for our students to conduct art-making in classrooms that are tailored to the functionality and safety needs of the art we make,” said Tanna Burchinal, studio manager for the School of Art, Design and Creative Industries. “Each phase of Henrion Hall’s renovations has addressed this. We are adding beauty back to this 100-year-old building, as well.”

University Business recently featured an article acknowledging Wichita States efforts to meet the needs of first-generation students, with many of the initiatives made by the First-Generation Coordinating Council (FGCC).

The FGCC is composed of Wichita State individuals who are involved in first-gen efforts that support current university activities, explore opportunities for departmental collaboration and look for opportunities to enhance the campus-wide approach to serve first-gen Shockers.

Shockers,  

An injunction was issued Dec. 7 by a federal judge in Georgia halting the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal government contractors and subcontractors. Because of this injunction, Wichita State University is suspending the employee vaccine mandate requirement and process, effective immediately. Employees are not required to be vaccinated as a condition of employment at the university.   

We have all become accustomed during this COVID-19 crisis to adapting and pivoting quickly when needed. This is yet another example where our university community continues to demonstrate their commitment to compliance, the health and safety of our community, and adjusting when necessary. We will continue to monitor and communicate any further changes on this and other COVID-19 related requirements. 

In the meantime, we encourage everyone to continue to take all reasonable steps to protect your health and to combat the spread of COVID-19. We encourage everyone to be vaccinated and to get the vaccine booster. Vaccines are readily available at no charge by appointment at the WSU Student Health Center to WSU employees and students, and at most major pharmacies. Employees may also explore options near them at vaccines.gov. 

Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for our university! 

President Rick Muma