The elevator in Duerksen Fine Arts Center is temporarily out of commission. Facilities Services is working to get a replacement part for the elevator, but there is no estimated repair date yet.

The university is working to make accommodations for affected classrooms. Students concerned about accommodations can reach out to the Office of Student Accommodations & Testing at 316-978-3309 or OSAT@wichita.edu.

The university will update campus with more details regarding the length of the elevator outage.

Last night, at approximately 9:30 pm, the Wichita Police Department was notified of a suspicious device in the 3600 block of East 17th Street North. The Wichita State University Police Department assisted with the call and issued a campus-wide timely warning to ensure the safety of the WSU campus community.

Authorities were quick to respond and confirmed that the reported device, which turned out to be a crashed homemade drone, did not present any danger to the campus community. No injuries or damages were reported.

Justin Rorabaugh, director of the School of Digital Arts (SODA) and Shocker Studios, joins President Rick Muma on his newest podcast. SODA in the College of Fine Arts is one of the fast-growing schools at Wichita State. Listen as Rorabaugh and Muma talk about Shocker Studios and some of SODA’s unique offerings in degree programs, applied learning, new technologies, partnerships and infrastructure.

Watch the episode on YouTube or listen on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts or Apple Podcasts (iTunes).

Subscribe to be notified when new episodes are available.

NIT: We're In

Wichita State is one of 32 teams selected for the 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and will open at Oklahoma State on Tuesday, March 18 at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

Wichita State (19-14) will make its 14th appearance in the NIT and first since 2019. Shocker fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in sections 211 and 212.

Ablah Library will remain closed today, Monday, March 17 because of flooding, but is expected to reopen for normal hours Tuesday, March 18. The library’s 24-hour study area is now open and will remain open during this time. The Music Library will have normal hours on Monday. All electronic resources are up and running. 

The library’s Reference and Instruction Services Team will provide online chat service, as usual, to assist faculty and students with curricular and research support on Monday.

Despite the volume of water on the library’s lower level, the vaults of the Library’s Special Collections were not compromised significantly.

Students working at a desk

The W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University is launching SPERO, an organization aimed at unlocking the potential of Wichita and its citizens. SPERO, Latin for “hope,” has a dual focus: preparing individuals to transform their lives through meaningful employment and guiding the efforts of citizens and organizations acting to advance Wichita’s prosperity. For its inaugural year, SPERO will benefit from a $400,000 contribution from the Charles Koch Foundation.

SPERO’s launch will feature two major initiatives, including a Wichita Scorecard, Micro-Credential programs, and a Career Readiness Track.

An Evergy power outage Thursday in the Rhatigan Student Center, Morrison Hall and Jardine Hall has been resolved. All three buildings are fully functional, and normal in-person activities — including dining in the RSC — have resumed.

Evergy is working to restore full power to three buildings at WSU: Rhatigan Student Center, Morrison Hall and Jardine Hall.

The RSC has partial power that could be intermittent throughout the day as Evergy works on the issue. The Shocker Store, Campus Credit Union and Card Center remain open, but there are no dining services available. Food and drinks are available in the Shocker Store and Groundhouse. Student Affairs offices on the second floor will work remotely today.

Morrison Hall is on a backup generator and is open for normal operations.

Jardine Hall is without power and closed. Services are available remotely. Please contact those offices via email or leave a message and someone will return your call promptly.

Full power to all buildings may be restored by mid- to late-afternoon. Updates will be communicated via WSU email.

As you may be aware, there has been a national spotlight on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and the Kansas Legislature and Kansas Board of Regents have been focused on this issue for the past several months.   

As those conversations have been ongoing, WSU has been working diligently to ensure all our students — regardless of background — are positioned to succeed, graduate and start their careers. To that end, WSU is focusing on using more inclusive terminology, signaling our dedication to holistic and integrated approaches to excellence and inclusivity. You may notice a change in commonly used nomenclatures at WSU, including the re-naming of some offices and strategies to “inclusive excellence” and similar language. Information on other efforts can be found in these frequently asked questions (see below). 

Changes to these efforts have no effect on curriculum, instruction or research, ensuring the preservation of academic freedom.  

“At WSU, we recognize the evolving landscape of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Our focus remains steadfast on providing an inclusive environment where all students can excel,” says Dr. Marché Fleming-Randle, vice president and director of Military and Veteran Programs. “We’re transitioning our efforts to embrace a more integrated approach, ensuring every student has the resources and support necessary to achieve their goals.”  

“WSU is committed to fostering an environment where every student has the opportunity to feel a sense of belonging that allows them to thrive,” says Dr. Shirley Lefever, executive vice president and provost.   

University listening and feedback sessions will be scheduled for this fall and communicated in WSU Today.  

Frequently asked questions:  

  • What happens to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)? ODI and the Office of Student Engagement Advocacy & Leadership (SEAL) are merging to provide a more comprehensive and expanded effort to enhance student engagement and belonging. The merging of these offices will result in a more sustainable utilization of resources, eliminate redundancy in programs and help develop more comprehensive programs and initiatives for students. Staff positions within ODI and SEAL will become part of Student Engagement and Belonging, providing an opportunity to serve and support students.  
  • What happens to scholarships that address diversity? The university is in the process of reviewing current scholarships to ensure the most inclusive application pool.  
  • What are the changes to state law? State universities, community colleges and technical colleges are prohibited from using diversity, equity or inclusion consideration in their admissions, student aid and hiring decisions.  
  • What are the changes to Kansas Board of Regents policy? KBOR institutions are barred from requiring statements pledging allegiance to, support for or opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in applications for admission, hiring or promotion.  
  • How does this affect academic freedom? Changes to these efforts have no effect on curriculum, instruction or research, ensuring the preservation of academic freedom.  
Craig W. Barton Speaker Series; Norah O'Donnell; Anchor of CBS Evening News and a contributor to 60 Minutes

All Wichita State students are invited to an informal Q&A, free snacks and an opportunity to meet Norah O’Donnell, anchor for the CBS Evening News and “60 Minutes” contributor.

The event is at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 21 in 262 Rhatigan Student Center, Herrman Room.

Capacity is limited.

RSVP now

O’Donnell is a multiple Emmy Award-winning journalist with nearly three decades of experience covering the biggest stories in the world and conducting impactful, newsmaking interviews. She is currently the only woman anchoring an evening news broadcast. During her career, she has covered six presidential elections and interviewed every living president of the United States.