Category: Events and Recreation

LingFest is currently accepting abstracts for its upcoming event. LingFest showcases graduate and undergraduate linguistics and language research at WSU.

The event accepts multidisciplinary work, so students shouldn’t worry about applying if their project sits at the intersection of linguistics and another field of study. Senior club officers will review and accept applications on a rolling admissions basis until Friday, March 24.

Join the Linguistics Club from 9 a.m. to noon, May 2 in the Beggs Ballroom of the Rhatigan Student Center for a series of presentations and poster sessions.

Susan Thomas — founder and CEO of 10Fold and the spring 2023 entrepreneur-in-residence at the Barton School of Business — will provide a keynote presentation, “An Entrepreneur’s Journey: Finding the Why to Drive Your Success,” as part of the James Schwartz Lecture Series.

The keynote event is at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, March 22 in the Woolsey Hall Auditorium.

Doors open at 9:30 a.m. Following the presentation, a reception will be held in the Woolsey Hall Fidelity Bank Ballroom. All are welcome to attend the event at no charge.

PokéFest is a two-day celebration for both casual and competitive Pokémon fans on Wednesday, March 22 and Thursday, March 23 coordinated by the Student Activities Council (SAC).

Day 1 includes a Pokémon Go meetup and scavenger hunt from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., where fans can mingle in the RSC at the Bluestem Lounge in front of the fireplace before journeying off to collect badges across different stations on campus. Day 2 includes a tournament at the Heskett eSports room, and a variety of Pokémon themed food and activities in the Heskett Center Lobby from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Department of Public Health Sciences is co-hosting a series of film fests for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read: Wichita alongside the Wichita Public Library and Tallgrass Film Association. The next event is a screening of the movie, “Robot & Frank” at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 23 in the Advanced Learning Library, 711 W. 2nd St. N.

Food and popcorn sponsors are Alzheimer’s Association-Central & Western Kansas Chapter and KUSM-Wichita Family and Community Medicine. After the screening, join a discussion of the film at The Monarch at 579 W. Douglas Ave. with a guest moderator. Food and beverage discounts are offered with a ticket stub.

Each week will feature a new film that, like “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?” by Roz Chast, the book chosen for this year’s NEA Big Read: Wichita, explores caregiving and the universal challenges experienced as one cares for someone with a chronic illness, injury, medical trauma or nearing end of life.

The Office of Disability Services (ODS) will host a deaf games night from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 24 in 203 Grace Wilkie Hall.

Two members of the Wichita deaf community will be leading participants in games that are deeply rooted in deaf culture. There will be light snacks provided as well as chances to win prizes.

This is an opportunity to learn about deaf culture, practice American Sign Language and have fun. The event is open to everyone.

Looking for more opportunities to volunteer or to become more involved in the community? The Office of Engagement is excited to announce a list of events for the rest of the semester:

• April 1: Touch Up Shocker Neighborhood
• April 7: Common Ground Pop-Up Market
• April 16: Open Streets ICT at WSU and Shocker Neighborhood
• May 2: Good Neighbor Week
• May 5: Common Ground Pop-Up Market

For more information about specific events, check out the Office of Engagement’s Facebook page closer to the event date.

The Wichita State Public Policy and Management Center (PPMC) is helping the Kansas Office of Broadband Development (KOBD) put on its Kansas Broadband Roadshow from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 23 at the Evergreen Community Center and Library, 2601 N. Arkansas Ave., in the Cirilo Arteaga Room.

KOBD wants participants to share their thoughts on internet connectivity in their neighborhoods to help it build the future of Internet in Kansas.

It hopes to hear more about the following from the participants:

• Internet access and availability
• Public Internet access
• Inclusive design
• Internet speeds
• Online safety and privacy
• Digital skills training
• Devices and more

Join the Department of Physics for its next seminar at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 22 in 226 Jabara Hall and also on Zoom.

The speaker for the seminar is Abdelghani Laraoui, assistant professor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering.

Join the Shockers Vote Coalition for the second Midwest Student Voting Summit. The summit will be held virtually from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 24. It will be an opportunity to come together with fellow students, staff, faculty, administrators and non-partisan campus partners to strategize on getting out the youth vote.

All WSU students, faculty and staff are welcome to participate. The conference is virtual, and attendees may join on their own or they can participate with fellow Shockers from the Shockers Vote Coalition in 240 Rhatigan Student Center. Following the conference, there will be time to debrief and talk about next steps for the Shockers Vote initiative and about ways to get involved. Lunch will be provided.

The summit is in partnership with the Campus Vote Project, All In to Vote and Students Learn Students Vote. To sign-up or learn more, email Loren Belew, civic engagement coordinator with Student Engagement, Advocacy & Leadership, at loren.belew@wichita.edu or call 316-978-7016.

The Department of Women’s, Ethnicity and Intersectional Studies (WEIS), in sponsorship with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, will convene the eighth annual Diverse Women’s Summit, with events scheduled starting 9 a.m. Monday, March 20 in the Beggs Ballroom, 305 Rhatigan Student Center.

The event is free and open to the public. The following is the list of scheduled events:

• Student Showcase: 9:00 a.m.-noon. Presentations of papers, art, posters and other projects by students and other participants.
• Creative Concourse: 1-4 p.m. Poetry, skits, stories and other presentations by community members, students and other participants.
• International Women’s Day Keynote Speech: 7-8:30 p.m. The speech will discuss the 2022 theme, “Intersectionality at Wichita State University–Prospects and Perspectives.”