Author: Sara Ornelas

For this week’s Tuesday Talks, watch Nurse Heather Stafford, Student Health Services associate director;  Camille Childers, SHS director; Dr. Chris Leonard, Counseling and Prevention Services associate director; Caitlin Nolen, First-Year Programs intern; and Michelle Barger, a new college parent, as they discuss what parents need to know about keeping students healthy at Wichita State.

Dear Shockers:

I hope this finds you and your families well and enjoying this last little bit of summer. It’s hard to believe that it is already August. We are eagerly awaiting your arrival on campus and ready to welcome you back. There are already countless plans in the works for campus activities, and I encourage each of you to take advantage of all Wichita State has to offer this fall.  

In early June, given the positive decreasing trend of reported COVID-19 cases in our community along with the ready availability of vaccines, the university transitioned back to in-person operations. However, as we have said since the beginning of our pandemic-management efforts, our top priority has always been the health and safety of our entire campus community. This is no less true today than it was a year ago. The university has been monitoring the rapid spread of the Delta variant across the country and in our own community. Given this increasing positivity rate and the dangers associated with the Delta variant, the university is taking proactive steps to mitigate spread of this variant on our campus.  

Therefore, effective immediately, all students, faculty, staff, and visitors — regardless of vaccination status — will be required to wear a mask in all campus classrooms and laboratories. Additionally, we encourage all members of our campus community to wear masks in all other indoor campus locations.  

We believe this small step will greatly increase our chances of keeping our campus open for in-person business and keeping our students in the classroom.  

As we continue to weather this public health crisis, we are counting on everyone in Shocker Nation to continue to take measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.  

Vaccination remains our strongest tool against community transmission and spread. The university encourages all on our campus to get vaccinated if they are able. Vaccines are widely available and are free to students, employees, campus partners, and their families from Wichita State Student Health Services. Go to www.wichita.edu/covidvaccine to learn more.   

The Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex, at the corner of 29th and Oliver, offers free walk-in testing for everyone. For more information, call 316-978-3734. Students and employees can also get tested through Student Health Services.  

This is a complex, challenging, and fluid situation that continues to evolve rapidly. We will communicate further updates as they become available.  

Sincerely,  

President Rick Muma, Wichita State University 

Wichita State continues to review its campus health and safety measures in light of the increasing community spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant. Our top priority has always been – and remains – the health and safety of our campus community. We appreciate your patience as we work to keep our campus open, continue meeting in person, and keep students in the classroom. Additional information will be available soon.

The July 2021 issue of Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly features a case study written by Gina Crabtree, Wichita State registrar, and Dr. David Wright, chief data officer (CDO). The article — “Beyond Collaboration: A Registrar and Institutional Research Journey” — chronicles the partnership between the registrar and CDO, in conjunction with other offices, to change how the university deploys data for decision-making.

Wichita State students now have access to Shocker 360, an app that lets students log their beyond-the-classroom experiences, use to earn points, and share those experiences with potential employers. 

Through the Shocker 360 app, students can add to their knowledge base through extracurricular experiences such as attending panel discussions, working on research, applied learning and internships, social activities, and seminars. Then through those experiences, students build their competencies in six key areas that employers look for when hiring:

• Diversity, inclusion and global engagement
• Civic engagement
• Career exploration
• Research, creative and scholarly activities
• Leadership development
• Academic success, peer engagement and Shocker pride

“All the things you do behind your coursework are making you a more interesting and employable person,” said Dr. Carolyn Shaw, associate vice president for strategic enrollment management. 

COVID-19 vaccination scheduling is now open to all WSU on-campus industry partner employees and new incoming students and their immediate family members, ages 18 and up, in addition to WSU and WSU Tech employees, students, and their immediate family members.

An immediate family member includes child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law or sister-in-law, including any adoptive relationships, and any residing in the same household. Family members need to be residents of Sedgwick County, Kansas.

To schedule an appointment for immediate family members, the employee or student will need to sign in to myWSU and go to the home page tab. The “Schedule Your COVID Vaccine Appointment” link on the left-hand side of the home page.

Please follow these directions to save you time and to help SHS conserve our limited supply of vaccine: 

• You will receive an email confirmation with your appointment date and time. Please keep your scheduled appointment!
• If you cannot keep your appointment, please cancel in a timely fashion so the appointment time is available for others. The option to cancel your appointment is in the confirmation email. 
• Bring the completed Dispense Assist form and your WSU ID or other form of ID with you for the appointment.
• DO NOT arrive earlier than 10 minutes prior to your appointment time. 
• All individuals will be required to complete a 15 to 30 minute observation period after receiving the vaccine.

On-campus vaccination clinics will be located in WSU Student Health Services, which is located inside the YMCA on the WSU campus. Check-in for your vaccination appointment inside the Student Wellness Center.

This month’s issue of Forward Together starts off with a message from Dr. Rick Muma about how Wichita State fits into the New University model. Additional items include the following:

• Wichita State names new College of Engineering dean
• Air Force to develop F-16 digital twin with NIAR’s help
• Center for Entrepreneurship announces new reporting structure
• Sanchez earns Kansas Human Rights Commission appointment
• Wichita State freshman targets Paralympics in rowing time trials
• Shocker alum helps engineer NASA’s return to the Moon and more
• Shocker students’ innovation represented at Make48
• Wichita State named No. 1 most affordable, LGBTQ-friendly school in Kansas

Sgt. Efrain Rueda and Ofc. Matthew Feldt of the Wichita State University Police Department were awarded the Wichita State Life Saving Medal on Thursday, July 8 for their recent heroic actions and exemplifying the core values of the police department.

Rueda has been a member of WSUPD since 2016. In 2019, he was honored with the University Police Ribbon for Outstanding Actions. Feldt has served with WSUPD since 2018, and he also earned an Exceptional Duty Award earlier this year. 

“The officers and sergeants of the Wichita State University Police Department serve this community,” said Rodney Clark, WSUPD chief of police. “Through it all, they commit hundreds of acts of kindness, caring and compassionate policing every day. Their actions at times are lifesaving. I could not be more proud of them and the devotion and commitment they have to this campus and this university.”

A reception to celebrate Valerie Pittier’s retirement on July 7 has been canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience.