Shocker Blast: Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024

Welcomefest

Departments, student groups welcome students to campus with Welcomefest events

Spring 2024 Welcomefest takes place Tuesday, Jan. 16 through Saturday, Feb. 3 and features dozens of activities. Popular programs awaiting new and returning Shockers include Winter Wonderland, Fairmount Formal, Involvement Fair and much more.

Hosted by various student groups and campus departments, most events are open at no additional charge and give all students a chance to get acquainted with each other, learn their way around campus and find ways to connect with the community.

Welcomefest is sponsored by Student Engagement, Advocacy & Leadership (SEAL). For more information on events like this, email SEAL at seal@wichita.edu.

Find upcoming Welcomefest events

University Life

WSU students get admission to fine arts, athletics events with a Shocker ID

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.

Get tickets for fine arts events Learn more about athletics tickets

Wichita State invites students to enjoy hot cocoa to kick off spring semester

Start the semester off warm and cozy by enjoying hot cocoa with the colleges. From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17 and Thursday, Jan. 18, the academic colleges at WSU will serve Shockers hot cocoa to ring in the new semester.

Each college will serve the hot cocoa in their respective buildings:

College of Applied Studies: Heskett Center and Corbin Education Center lobbies
Barton School of Business: Woolsey Hall lobby
College of Engineering: Wallace Hall lobby
Fairmount College/Honors College: Lindquist Hall lobby
College of Fine Arts: Duerksen Fine Arts Center in the Miller Lobby
College of Health Professions: Ahlberg Hall lobby

For questions, contact the Office of Student Affairs at 316-978-3021.

Student Organizations

Attend the Spring Involvement Fair Jan. 25

The Spring Involvement Fair allows students an opportunity to connect with a diverse pool of student organizations who want to enhance Shockers’ student experiences.

From recreational, academic, social, special interest, political, religious and cultural organizations, the fair hopes to find a place where you belong. The Spring Involvement Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25 on the first and second floors of the Rhatigan Student Center. Prizes such as an iPad, FijiFilm polaroid camera, Kitchen Aid mixer and Ninja Creami will be up for grabs, as well as T-shirts and food, while supplies last.

Spring 2024 Wu’s Big Event registration is now open

Join the Community Service Board for its largest one day volunteer event, Wu’s Big Event, Feb. 10. Join fellow Shockers for a morning of volunteering throughout the community. Individuals, groups, organizations, students, faculty and staff are invited to attend. Checkin for Wu’s Big Event will be from 8:30 to 8:50 a.m.

The kick-off will begin at 9 a.m. in 208 Hubbard Hall with a light breakfast and kick-off celebration. Participants will then load the buses and be at a service site by 10 a.m. Volunteers will work until noon and return to Hubbard Hall for lunch and closing festivities.

The event will end by 1:30 p.m. Transportation to and from service sites is provided. Light Breakfast, lunch, water and T-shirt will also be provided.

For additional information, contact the Community Service Board at CSB@wichita.edu or 316-978-7016.

Greek Life

Join Wichita State Panhellenic’s opening bidding recruitment event

Shockers are invited to attend the Panhellenic Recruitment Experience and visit all five chapter houses at Wichita State from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20 on N. Omega Court, north of campus.

The Panhellenic Council hopes that students find their home on campus and can’t wait to welcome everyone to the Panhellenic community.

For more information about its chapters, visit the Panhellenic Council webpage and follow the Panhellenic Council on Instagram.

Submit an application

Join Chi Sigma Tau for its recruitment weeks

The brothers of the Epsilon Chapter of Chi Sigma Tau (CST) National Fraternity Inc. are excited to release its spring 2024 recruitment week schedule. Get ready to have fun, volunteer and learn what CST is all about in the midst of true brotherhood.

CST will begin its first week of recruitment from Jan. 16 to Jan. 19, and its second week of recruitment will be from Jan. 22 to Jan. 26. All CST recruitment events will be open at no charge. Transportation to events will also be available upon request.

For any questions, contact Tyler “Lotto” Le, CST recruitment chair, at 316-993-0252

Esports

Wichita State Esports wraps up season with ECAC National Championship victory in Valorant

Wichita State University Esports clinched victory in the ECAC National Championship for Valorant, capping off a successful fall 2023 season. Key players Truman Nguyen, Tyson Nguyen, McKaleb Unruh, Caleb Allen, and Kevin Nguyen showcased exceptional skill and teamwork. This marks WSU’s second consecutive ECAC championship and affirms its dedication in a challenging season.

WSU teams also performed strongly in various other esports titles, securing notable rankings. Looking ahead, the team is gearing up for the NACE Starleague conference in late January, hosted by the National Association of Collegiate Esports. Travis Yang, Wichita State esports director, emphasized the team’s resilience and anticipates continued success in the dynamic world of collegiate esports.

Parking and Traffic

Guide to parking on campus: Use campus signage to help you park

Wichita State posts signs at every parking lot on campus to help you find where to park.

The signs feature big block letters and colors: “V” and white for visitors; “S” and green for students; and “F” and yellow for faculty and staff. Reserved lots and parking spaces are marked with red signage.

ePermits can be purchased online and are required to park in student, faculty and staff parking lots while school is in session during the enforcement period from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors may park without an ePermit three times each semester before an ePermit is required.

And check out the interactive campus map to find parking lots. Simply select “Parking and Transportation” from the navigation menu and choose the type of parking you’re looking for.

Learn more about parking at WSU

Art Exhibits

Clayton Staples Gallery hosts exhibition between Shockers, students from The Academy of Fine Arts

Clayton Staples Gallery is delighted to present a special winter treat, “Wichita/Sarajevo Connecting Stories,” an exhibition that spans between Kansas and Bosnia and Herzegovina on display Jan. 16-30. Senior graphic design students from Wichita State and sophomore students from The Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo were given the prompt of researching a significant story from their own region as a means of introduction. Students were then tasked with creating a unique deck of playing cards.

WSU and The Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo created these playing cards with the aim of learning and expanding our world view through play and research. Join the special limited engagement from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at Clayton Staples Gallery, located in 205 McKnight Art Center.

Events

UPDATED LOCATION: Save the date for Winter Welcome at the President’s Residence

Save the date for the second annual Winter Welcome from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19 at the Heskett Center.

There will be ice skating (skates will be provided), pictures in the inflatable slow globe and warm drinks and snacks (while they last).

Contact Student Success for additional information at student.success@wichita.edu or call 316-978-3209.

Join Office of Diversity and Inclusion for spring Unity Breakfast

Come join the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) for a come and go breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31 in 142 Rhatigan Student Center to kick off the semester and unite with the campus community.

ODI invites everyone to come meet, greet and enjoy breakfast with the LGBTQ community, allies and ODI staff.

For questions, reach out to ODI at diversity@wichita.edu or call 316-978-3034.

Attend Pee for Pizza event Jan. 18

Student Health Services (SHS) is hosting its next Pee for Pizza event from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18 at the Student Wellness Center in the Steve Clark YMCA.

Pee for Pizza is a sexual health awareness event that allows participants to test for sexually transmitted illnesses such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV and hepatitis C and know their status at no additional charge. Pizza is also provided to participants.

Co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Positive Direction and Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes, Pee for Pizza is by reservation only. No walk-ins will be accepted. Participants must not use the restroom at least one hour before testing.

For more information or to make a reservation, contact SHS at 316-978-4792. Other testing is available upon request.

Learn more about WSU’s Ablah Library during scheduled tours

Want to discover the secrets of the library? Join University Libraries for a tour of Ablah Library at noon Friday, Jan. 26 or at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30.

Discover the Digital Scholars Commons, a hub for cutting-edge digital resources, the 24-Hour Study Room for anytime productivity and the captivating VR Zone transforming the learning experience. And attend an insightful session on navigating the library homepage to access online articles, research sources, streaming content and interlibrary loan services.

Learn more about the tours