Issuu

NEWS | 3

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT | 4

SPORTS | 8

GROUNDBREAKING

HALLOWEEN ORGIN

REFLECTION

University breaks ground on the new business building, Kay and Wayne Woolsey Hall.

The arts and entertainment editor informs readers on where Halloween came from.

Volleyball player Megan Taflinger looks forward to spring season.

WICHITA STATE’S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1896 MONDAY

Volume 125

www.thesunflower.com

Oct. 26, 2020

Issue 9

‘We are the change’

KHANH NGUYEN/THE SUNFLOWER

Students Aylin Heredia and Glodi Mpunga walk with the protest group after listening to a set of speakers discussing impunity in Africa on Thurday, Oct. 22 outside the Rhatigan Student Center.

Students hold on-campus protest against impunity in Africa BY TABITHA BARR tjbarr@shockers.wichita.edu

Unity and peace was the overarching message members of WSU’s African Student Association brought to campus Thursday, Oct. 22 during their protest against impunity in Africa. Students heard from a set of speakers in front of the Rhatigan Student Center before peacefully marching around campus. The protest was to shine light on police brutality happening in Africa. According to protestors, bringing awareness to this tragedy is essential to its end. “We aren’t talking about human rights anymore, we are just talking about the basic things we can offer to human beings,” student Aboubakar Diabo said during the protest. Students from Nigeria, Congo, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and many other countries were there to spotlight their countries and bring awareness to their issues. “It started as a Civil War, turned to a genocide, and now is a Holocaust,” Deborah Jolie, a WSU student from Congo, said. Congo is one of the richest countries in Africa and is most

KHANH NGUYEN/THE SUNFLOWER

Nigeria native Blossom Bolufemi stands in solidarity with the African community during a protest on Thursday.

“THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT US ... YOU CAN’T TAKE MY FAMILY FROM ME, WE WILL FIGHT.” BLOSSOM BOLUFEMI

Member of the African Student Association

known for its surplus of the mineral Coltan, which is used in all of today’s electronics. Many countries in the world are fighting for Congo’s land and the resources, but are sending in rebel groups to do the work. Protesters said this has caused many to lose their lives. Jolie said other countries are getting Africans to kill other Africans. “The white man is behind the whole thing,” Jolie said. “People are dying.” Jolie has family in Eastern Congo and is in constant contact with them to make sure they’re safe. “They had to evacuate to go into safer places,” she said. She said that even though she feels she can’t do much, she is doing all she can to help her family and the people of Africa. Maryam Abdulkareem, a student from Nigeria spoke on the fight that’s happening in her home. “People have died with our flag in their hand,” Abdulkareem said. “They can shoot you right then and there, and nothing is going to happen.” SEE PROTEST PAGE 2

Governor Laura Kelly: Students and faculty deserve an open search process BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_KSmith

In an interview with The Sunflower Monday, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said that the Board of Regents should heavily consider an open search process for the next president. “I believe in accountability, I believe in transparency,” Kelly said. The university spent roughly $129,000 on the closed search process where they ultimately selected Golden as president. After Golden’s resignation in September, members of the Faculty Senate voiced their hopes that WSU would hold an open presidential search to select the next president. Kelly said the suddenness of

/ The Sunflower

Golden’s resignation should show the university that an open search process is best. “I would be very surprised if the Board of Regents and Wichita State University don’t recognize the importance of that particularly given the suddenness [of Golden’s resignation],” Kelly said. “I believe the community deserves reassurance that there will be resolution.” Kelly met with former President Jay Golden on Sept. 9, 16 days before his resignation. Kelly said Golden gave no hint to her about his resignation during the meeting. “He only had been there a number @sunflowernews

of months at the time we had that conversation,” Kelly said. “It really was just a getting to know you and for the president to give me a sense of what he wanted to do here [and] where he wanted to take this university … there was no conversation [about him resigning].” Kelly also talked about Kansans’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. “[Kansas] has stepped up by and large, stepped up to deal with this issue,” she said. “When I think about when we ordered the schools to close their buildings back in march, how teachers came together with parents and really developed an alternative learning environment.”

@thesunflowernews

MORGAN ANDERSON/THE SUNFLOWER

Kansas governor Laura Kelly answers questions during an interview with The Sunflower on Monday, Oct. 19.

2 | MONDAY, OCT. 26, 2020

NEWS

MORGAN ANDERSON/THE SUNFLOWER

Laura Kelly, Governor of Kansas, speaks during the opening announcement of the new Molecular Diagnostics Lab at Wichita State on Monday, Oct. 19 inside the John Bardo Center.

Governor Laura Kelly commends WSU’s ‘bold thinking’ at Molecular Diagnostic Lab opening BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_KSmith

Governor Laura Kelly visited Wichita State’s campus Monday for the new Molecular Diagnostic Lab opening. Also in attendance were Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple, County Commision Chairman Pete Meitzner, Interim President Rick Muma, among others. In her public address, Kelly commended Kansas universities on their effort to help the state in its pandemic response. “Throughout the COVID-19

pandemic, our state’s colleges and universities have been at the forefront of new initiatives to help our state and our country litigate the virus’s spread and its harmful effects,” Kelly said. “Our colleges and universities are the engines of innovation that create jobs, promote economic development, and cultivate a healthy and productive workforce.” The new lab is a partnership between Wichita State and Sedgwick County in an effort to increase lab testing capacity. The lab’s tests will have a 48 hour turnaround time.

SGA passes resolution encouraging the university to cancel classes on election day BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_KSmith

The Student Senate passed a resolution Wednesday that urges Wichita State to either cancel classes or strongly encourage professors to not hold class or not enforce attendance policies on election day. Speaker of the Senate Olivia Babin, who authored the resolution, said it was especially important this year to provide students the time to go and vote. “It is incredibly important with a huge national election coming up on Nov. 3 that students are given the opportunity to go and vote, especially in a year where we know there will probably be a record turnout and lines at the polls and so a lot of times people feel that they cannot

vote because they do not have time,” Babin said. Babin said that because they understand that the university may not cancel classes completely, they wrote the bill to have two options. “Understanding that [cancelling classes] might not happen but we still want to give students the opportunity to go vote, we gave them the second option of saying that they strongly encourage professors to either cancel their classes that day or not enforce their attendance policies so no one will be punished to go out and vote,” she said. Babin said that she is also working on legislation that would recommend election day to become a university holiday. The resolution passed with unanimous consent of the senate.

The Sunflower, founded in 1896, is the student-run newspaper covering Wichita State University. The print edition is published Monday during the fall and spring semesters. The staff publishes daily online at www.thesunflower.com.

MISSION The Sunflower — both in print and online — will be a timely resource of information about the Wichita State University community. It will report on news, issues, activities, academics and athletics, in addition to offering a forum for discussion, reviews and commentary. It will also be an effective learning experience for students, who will have the final authority over what is published.

LEGAL One free copy of The Sunflower is available to members of the WSU community. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 in the newsroom, Elliott Hall 019. The Sunflower is private property and unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable. The Sunflower is funded by a combination of print and online advertisment sales and student fees allocated by the Student Government Association. The Sunflower is a member of Kansas Collegiate Media, the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Association. Copyright © 2020 The Sunflower. This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted.

“This new molecular diagnostic lab is yet another example of the bold thinking initiatives that make our research universities such an important part of our pandemic response.” LAURA KELLY Governor of Kansas

“This new molecular diagnostic lab is yet another example of the bold thinking initiatives that make our research universities such an important part of our pandemic response,” Kelly said. Kelly talked about the importance of higher capacity testing to fight the spread of the virus. “Along with wearing masks, socially distancing, and avoiding mass gatherings we know that an increase in COVID-19 testing capacity is one of the most important tools we, as a state, can leverage to mitigate the virus being spread,” she said.

“Since the pandemic began, my administration recognized that a comprehensive and robust approach to testing, making sure our public health officials, our nursing facilities, our clinics, our schools, and others had access to the necessary kits, equipment, and lab capacity was imperative.” Kelly said the new testing lab will help prevent another shutdown. “We can help provide certainty that our schools and our businesses can stay open safely, that’s why this new, high volume testing center is so important,” Kelly said.

Student Senate passes student fees revamp and overhaul act BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_KSmith

The Student Government Association passed the student fees revamp and overhaul act during their meeting Wednesday. The act changes the yearly allocation process to a three year staggered process, disqualifies most student organizations from the student fees process, and makes other changes. Student Senator Aaron Mounts said that he was in favor of the bill because of what positive changes it could bring during the pandemic. “I am excited to see the changes that it brings to the

senate and to the student fees process especially in the time of COVID,” Senator Mounts said Senator Jacob Tubach spoke in favor of the bill because of what it could mean for the long term future. “I think it’s a very well written bill, obviously the authors took their time on it and did a really good job,” Senator Tubach said. “I think it will really help us to kind of stop that year by year kind of nickel and dime thing that happens with student fees.” The bill passed with 44 in favor and three against.

EDITOR IN CHIEF Lindsay Smith news@thesunflower.com

COPY EDITOR Julia Nightengale copyeditor@thesunflower.com

MANAGING EDITOR Morgan Anderson visuals@thesunflower.com

PHOTO EDITOR Khanh Nguyen photoeditor@thesunflower.com

OPINION EDITOR Jeromiah Taylor opinion@thesunflower.com

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Kaylee Stout photos@thesunflower.com

SPORTS EDITOR Sean Marty sports@thesunflower.com

PODCAST DIRECTOR Audrey Korte podcast@thesunflower.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Karen Galindo arts@thesunfower.com

ADVERTISING MANAGER Noah Merrell admanager@thesunflower.com

FACULTY ADVISOR Amy DeVault amy.devault@wichita.edu

PROTEST

FROM PAGE 1 Blossom Bolufemi, another native from Africa, also spoke at the protest and was overcome with emotion during her speech. “They’re supposed to protect us,” she said. “You can’t take my family from me, we will fight.” Goldi Mpunga, a native of Congo, spoke about the injustices that are happening in Africa such as murder and rape of women and children. “I don’t know about you, but I say we stand up, and we show them,” Mpunga said to the crowd. “It’s not about being African, it’s about being human!” Before the protest peacefully marched through campus, Diabo said a few last words. “We are the change of Africa . . . it’s okay to speak out, to stand up and talk about what’s going on, but it’s another thing to take actions to see it change,” Diabo said.

Lindsay Smith: 316-978-6905 editor@thesunflower.com ADVERTISING

Noah Merrell: 316-978-6906 admanager@thesunflower.com

Corrections

The Sunflower is committed to accuracy in its publications. If you find an error in any of its publications, please email the editor at editor@thesunflower.com immediately.

NEWS

MONDAY, OCT. 26, 2020 | 3

LENA ALHALLAQ/ THE SUNFLOWER

The groundbreaking celebration’s speakers begin to dig during the groundbreaking celebration for Wayne and Kay Woolsey Hall on Oct. 22.

University celebrates new business building groundbreaking BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_KSmith

Administrators, community members, and university donors gathered together Thursday, Oct. 22 to witness the groundbreaking of the new business building Wayne and Kay Woolsey Hall. Attendees listened to a set of speakers before witnessing the official breaking ground of the new business building. “It has been seven years that we have been doing the fundraising for this project as part of our ‘Shock the World’ campaign,” WSU Foundation President Elizabeth King said during her public address. “But it was many years even before then that the dream began, the dream of turning into a new facility that would better accommodate the needs of our business school students and future generations of students.” The new building, named after donors Wayne and Kay Woolsey who donated $10 million to the campaign, will be located on Wichita State’s innovation campus and will replace the current business building Clinton Hall.

The WSU Foundation and partners raised $31.5 million through the fundraising campaign for the new hall. The remaining funds were paid for by the university. Business School Dean Larisa Genin said that the new business building will not only help students grow in their work and passions, but will also serve as a resource for faculty and staff. “Since that day that I started at Wichita State … it didn’t take me nearly that long however to learn some valuable insights about what I was stepping into,” she said. “I learned that the Barton School has an incredibly talented and committed faculty and staff who will flourish and achieve great things when they immerse themselves in an environment that champions their work.” Craig Barton, the son of the Barton School of Business’s namesake W. Frank Barton, said that the new business building serves his entire family proud. “Dad and I look with pride at what has been accomplished in 30 years and we look with excitement when we think about the next 30

plus years after him and I are long gone,” Barton said. “This is a great day for the Barton school, and a great day for the Barton family.” Business School Senior Sierra Brown said that she hopes to see the new hall serve as a good resource for future WSU students. “When I think of Woolsey hall, the first word that comes to mind is opportunity, followed by innovation and impact,” Brown said. Interim President Rick Muma said that he is looking forward to what the building means for the future of the university. “I’m thrilled with the generations of students who will benefit from the first class facility you’re going to see in two years and you will be learning in,” Muma said. “I’m ecstatic for our dean, faculty and staff, who will be inspired and invigorated in a dynamic and energized environment where we will see them do their work. “I’m elated for the university itself which is demonstrating with this project a commitment to excellence and a promise to invest in endeavours we know will bring distinction to Wichita State.”

Charles Koch Arena sees positive turnout at early voting site

LENA ALHALLAQ/ THE SUNFLOWER

WSU Foundation President Elizabeth King speaks during the groundbreaking celebration for Wayne and Kay Woolsey Hall on Oct. 22.

Student takes her stand by working on political campaigns BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_KSmith

BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE copyeditor@thesunflower.com / @JuliaNightengale

As election day is approaching, the country is witnessing record breaking early voting numbers. Wichita State joined the conversation by opening an early voting site on Thursday, Oct. 22 at Charles Koch Arena. Community members, faculty, staff, and students utilized the site. The ability to vote on campus served as convenient for many community members. “I work here on campus and thought, ‘Heck, that’s awesome, all I gotta do is walk downstairs and vote,’” WSU faculty member Chris Lamb said. “It’s convenient.” Lamb said that he has only missed two years of voting because its importance was stressed to him at a very young age. Alex Hagerott, a junior majoring in economics, said that the early voting worked better for him because it saved him the drive time it would have taken to vote during election day. Hagerott said that voting is crucial and has a big impact on how the country is run. “I’m voting because it’s important that people control which direction they think the country is heading in and if people don’t input their opinion and exercise their right, then they are responsible for whatever happens,” Hagerott said. Alicia Shaw, a community member, said that this is the

KAYLEE STOUT / THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State held a community voting event for WSU students and the surrounding areas on Oct. 22.

easiest time she has had voting since 1988. “I’m voting today because it is my civic duty as an American,” Shaw said. “I think that democracy is the backbone of our country ... People casting their ballot is a way of expressing how we feel.” Many students said they voted on campus because it took away the unfamiliarity they would have gotten at a different polling place. Many voters said that they felt more motivated to cast their vote this year than they have in past years. Student Body President Rija Khan said that she wasn’t voting just for herself. Instead, she was casting her vote for her friends, family, and the community as a whole. “I’m voting because of what I’ve seen happen [in] the past four

years in this country,” Khan said. “Voting now is more important than ever before and I want to ensure that the future is not what the past was.” Community member Ayron Lewallen said that voting is important no matter what believes someone has. “Voting is important to me because there are people who died and fought for this right to be able to have the right to vote,” Lewallen said. “Especially being a black man during the current climate we are living in, I think it’s important no matter who you are voting for. “Given the things that are going on with social justice and the pandemic, a lot of things that are happening are because of the people who are in power and have the elected positions that we vote for up and down the ballot every year.”

Students from all over the country are finding ways to get involved and make their voices heard in the upcoming election. Darbee Chard, a history and anthropology major, is joining the conversation by working on two different campaigns. “I always kind of wanted to work on one just because I like being physically involved and I just wanted to do everything I could to make sure everyone knew what was happening with this election and get the word out,” she said. Chard said because she lives in a place where her political views aren’t the majority, she wants to do her best to make her views also heard. “I come from a really conservative part of Kansas so I wanted to do my best to put in the effort to try to flip the seat from red to blue,” Chard said. Chard is working social media for the Michelle De La Isla campaign, who is running for second congressional house, and is a fellow for the Democratic Party for the Barbara Bollier senate campaign. But due to COVID-19, campaigns are looking a little bit different this year. “The biggest difference is we haven’t been able to go door to door knocking,” she said. “There’s not really a lot of physical interaction with people there’s really a lot

of phone calls and text messages.” With a little over a week until election day, Chard said that campaigns have had to quickly switch their gears. “We are trying to switch out our whole system of calling and now instead of trying to get people to volunteer we’re trying to get people to actually go out and vote,” she said. “We’re just trying to speak to as many people as we can so we can get them involved in this election.” Chard said the biggest takeaway she has learned so far is the importance of teamwork in running a campaign. “The one thing I learned is how many people are actually involved, it’s been really cool to work with everyone and just how many separate positions needed to see how an actual campaign comes together,” Chard said. “I don’t think I ever would have experienced the level of teamwork that I have with this campaign experience anywhere else.” Chard said she would encourage anyone who was interested to get involved. She said the best thing to do is to go on campaign’s websites, find phone numbers, and make a lot of phone calls. “It seems a little intimidating to call people on the phone, but it’s so easy and it’s a really good way to get involved and it’s really just an easy way to do it,” Chard said. “It’s a really effective way to get involved.”

4 | MONDAY, OCT. 26, 2020

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Arts & Entertainment

HAVE A STORY IDEA? contact The Sunflower’s A&E editor, Karen Galindo arts@thesunflower.com

The Origin of Halloween BY KAREN GALINDO arts@thesunflower.com

Halloween is celebrated on the 31st of Oct. every year in the United States. But do you ever wonder why? According to the History Channel’s article “Halloween 2020,” Halloween actually originates from the Celts. The Celts lived 2,000 years ago in present-day Ireland, northern France and The United Kingdom. They celebrated a

festival called “Samhain” which marked the end of summer harvest and the beginning of winter. The Celts believed that on the night before Samhain, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead were weakened and ghosts of the dead were able to cross over into the world of the living. On the night of the 31st, people would gather and build huge bonfires to burn crops and sacrifice animals to the Celtic

deities. During the celebration, people would wear costumes to ward off ghosts. By the 9th century, Christiany made its impact. It is believed that the church was attempting to get rid of Samhain by replacing it with a church-related holiday called “All Soul’s Day”, a day to honor the dead, thus blending Chrisitan and Celtic traditions. All Soul’s Day was also called All-Hallows, and the night before it began was called

All-Hallows Eve. In the 19th century when America began to be flooded by European immigrants, European and native traditions began to blend creating a distinct American Halloween. Borrowing from European traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money, a tradition that eventually became known as “trick-or-treating”. In the late 1800’s, American’s began to view

Halloween as a family-holiday instead of a day about ghosts, mischief, and witchcraft. At the turn of the century, parents were encouraged to make the festivities less frightening and more child-friendly. The Halloween that we celebrate today is a blend of dozens of different cultures and traditions and it has a rich history of 2,000 plus years. Happy All Hallows Eve!

Short Spooky Story

RED EYES BY WYMAN WHEELER wjwheeler@shockers.wichita.edu

The dark has a funny way of tricking people. It’s transformative. At night, harmless objects cast horrible shadows that fool our minds into believing that monsters are real. A curtain becomes a transparent ghost, a pile of clothes becomes the silhouette of a werewolf, all because of the absence of light. Over time, people become numb to the eeriness of the dark. People realize that the monsters they create are just that; creations that exist only in their minds. Any frightening shadow can logically be explained, so the fear fades over time. For me, the fear of the dark is still deeply imbedded within my psyche. The things I see in the dark cannot be explained. They are not cast on a wall. They aren’t created in relation to a pile of clothes or a curtain. What I see only exists when the sun goes down and the lights go out. Many years ago, I walked to my apartment

from a Halloween party. It was a rainy night. The walkways were starting to collect water and the fallen leaves were no longer crisp underneath my boots. It was late at night and my eyes were growing droopy. As I turned around the block, I noticed a peculiar sight. Two glowing red lights were in the middle of the walkway. At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Perhaps someone had spiked the punch at the party and I was seeing double? Yes, surely I was seeing double, and I was looking at a traffic light. The further I walked though, the clearer the lights became, and the more unnatural they appeared. I was sure I wasn’t hallucinating. The lights were still, but as I got closer, I realized that they were not attached to anything; in fact they weren’t lights at all. They were eyes. The eyes were blood red and the pupils were yellow, although nearly nonexistent. The eyes were angry although there were no eyebrows or a face to match the expression. The eyes belonged to no one, and yet they

were staring me down. Before I knew it, I was directly in front of the unnatural red eyes. My thought process decided that the best thing to do would be to ignore what I saw, so I walked right past those ungodly eyes and hoped that whoever claimed them was not out to hurt me. I passed the eyes. They were behind me; in the past. But as I continued to walk, I noticed the eyes creeping into my peripheral vision. The eyes seemed angrier, the yellow pupils were vibrant and dilated. I started to run but they stayed kept up with me. I reached my apartment after a dead sprint. The eyes had gone away once I went inside. But once I closed my eyes to fall asleep, they appeared to me again. But they were right in front of me, clear as day. Every time my eyes were closed, they appeared. To this day I still see them lurking in the corner of my eye. I fear that one day those bodiless red eyes will form a silhouette and whoever has those angry eyes will take out their anger on me. And they’ll get me.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MONDAY, OCT. 26, 2020 | 5

Last-minute Halloween Costumes BY KAYLEE STOUT photos@thesunflower.com / kaylee__stout

GRAPHIC BY MORGAN ANDERSON/THE SUNFLOWER

PANTONE COLOR SWATCH This costume idea is convenient if you are invited to a Halloween party but you are not prepared. All you will need to do is stop by Home Depot or Lowes on the way to your party. If you own a lot of one color you can always print out a Pantone color swatch and tape it on your chest.

BOB ROSS

ROSIE THE RIVETER

BANDITS

SCARECROW

TOURIST

HIPPIE

This costume will be a show stopper for sure because of Bob’s iconic style and hair. All you need for the outfit is a blue button-down with dress pants and to accessorize you can grab an 80’s style curly wig and a paint pallet to finish off the look. Do not forget the wig because that is the key element in this costume to make your costume recognizable.

Women empowerment is great so why not dress up as one of the most iconic feminists. For this costume, you will need a denim shirt with blue jeans and a red bandanna. It is really simple and follows a red, white, and blue theme so break out those fourth of July outfits because we are celebrating America this Halloween with this empowering costume.

This costume would be ideal if it will be chilly on Halloween night. You will need a striped black and white shirt with black jeans or pants and black shoes. To accessorize you can get a pair of black gloves, a black beanie, and a tote bag with a money sign. You can create this money bag by making the money symbol out of black tape and simply tape it to the front of the bag.

If you want a classic costume that will not only be cute but also eye catching, a scarecrow is the way to go. This costume will give you creative liberty to take it whatever route you want. All you will need for this costume would be a red plaid button-down shirt, blue jeans, and a sun hat. To complete this look you can add a face painted nose, red cheeks, and a stitched mouth.

Being a tourist for Halloween is super easy because you are using your own summer clothes to dress up with. Everyone has that one ugly Hawaiian shirt in their closet and if you do not you can definitely go to Goodwill and find one in the men’s section. To step this costume up a notch you can add a fanny pack, big sunglasses, and socks with sandals.

For this costume, you will need a tie-dye shirt and some groovy patterned pants. To enhance the tie-dye shirt you could cut the bottom of the shirt to make it look like fringe and tie the end of the shirt off with multi-colored beads. To accessorize you can add a flower crown, round color sunglasses, and most importantly do not forget the peace sign.

Clubs and organizations on campus you may not have heard of: Dungeons and Dragons club BY KAREN GALINDO arts@thesunflower.com

KHANH NGUYEN/THE SUNFLOWER

Marietta Farm, located in Andover, has a corn pit, grass maze, inflatable bouncer, live animals, hay bale rides, games, and pumpkins for visitors to enjoy.

How to celebrate Halloween safely during a pandemic BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE copyeditor@thesunflower.com / @JuliaNightengale

COVID-19 may have changed how Halloween looks this year, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of safe ways to celebrate the beloved holiday. Halloween is a chance to take a break from reality and feel like a kid again during the chaotic mess that is 2020. If you’ve been scrambling to find plans for Halloween, here are some ideas to celebrate the spooky season.

VISIT A PUMPKIN PATCH There is no better way to get into the spirit of fall than visiting a pumpkin patch. With plenty of space between people outside and tons of fun activities for all ages, it’s the perfect way to spend your Saturday afternoon. Marietta Farm, located in Andover, has a corn pit, grass maze, inflatable bouncer, live animals, hay bale rides, games, and of course pumpkins for visitors to enjoy. Tickets are five dollars during the week and seven dollars on the weekends; if you’re trying to avoid crowds and save money, going on a weekday is your best bet. Marietta Farm is located at 1600 E US-54 highway in Andover, Kansas.

HAVE A SOCIALLY-DISTANCED MOVIE NIGHT OUTDOORS WITH YOUR FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES If you’re looking for a cozy night, consider having a Halloween movie night outside and watching

movies on a big screen. Invite some of your BFF’s and snuggle up in your favorite blanket in the trunk of your car. The best thing about this is being able to spend Halloween night with your closest pals while also being able to socially distance and enjoy a crisp Fall night. Pick out your favorite Halloween movies, grab your favorite snacks, and get ready for a spooky night!

CARVING PUMPKINS AND DOING HALLOWEEN CRAFTS WITH YOUR FAMILY If you’re not a fan of scary things, take the opportunity to get your hands dirty and carve pumpkins with your family. Let your creative side out and compete for the best design for bragging rights. If you aren’t a fan of carving pumpkins, head to your nearest craft store, look up some ideas online, and create your own masterpiece.

VISIT FIELD OF SCREAMS For the die-hard horror fans, reserve your tickets for Field of Screams for a night of spooks and thrills. If you’re worried about social distancing, new regulations have been put in place this year to keep everyone safe during COVID19. People will be allowed in their queue lines only 15 minutes before their reserved time and ticket sales have been limited. I recommend bringing a couple of your closest friends so that you have someone to hide behind when the chainsaw guy jumps out of the bushes. Field of Screams is located at 4055 North Tyler Rd. in Maize, Kansas.

Questing through a medieval fantasy land with a sword or staff in hand, ready to battle deadly foes, makes for the perfect Sunday night adventure-at least for WSU’s Dungeons and Dragons club. Dungeons and Dragons is a role-playing tabletop game created in the mid 70’s. With only a short 40-year history, the game has gone through multiple editions, changes in rules and nomenclature, and has risen in popularity. D&D is set in a medieval fantasy world where multiple players form a group and set on an adventure together. One player, called the Dungeon Master, leads the group through the storytelling. President of WSU’s Dungeons and Dragons club, Eldon Taskinen, has been playing D&D since the 7th grade. “I found the rule books and started reading them and thought ‘This game is so cool,’ so I went and found all of my friends and brought us all together and said ‘Let’s play this game,’” Taskinen said. “I’ve been playing ever since.” To this day, Taskinen continues to play with the same group of friends. Within the past decade, D&D has been featured in well-known TV series’ such as sitcom, “Community”, and Netflix Original, “Stranger Things”. As D&D enters the mainstream media, Taskinen says that he’s seen the stereotype around the game and its players change for the better. “The original stereotype around Dungeons and Dragons is a whole bunch of nerds in their mother’s basement and [now] it’s evolved very far beyond that,” Taskinen said. “... With the addition of influencers in the media playing the game, we’ve seen huge spikes in people interested in the club and in the game.” In fact, the number of WSU D&D club members has nearly doubled this semester, Taskinen said. According to the rule books, each adventure, or game, lasts between two to four hours. But Tyler Gardner, Vice President of the D&D Club, says it usually lasts around six and can even take upwards to eight hours. “So long as we’re out before midnight, I’m fine,” Gardner

KHANH NGUYEN/THE SUNFLOWER

Eldon Taskinen (left) and Tyler Gardner (right) talk about the game. WSU’s Dungeon and Dragon club was formed in the Spring of 2019.

jokingly added. The club used to meet at the Rhatigan Student Center, but have now transferred over to an online gaming format in order to comply with COVID-19 safety rules and regulations. “We have a discord server where we run online games,” Taskinen said. “... It’s a long running game so we like to have snacks and drinks, and wearing a mask during the entire course of a five hour adventure would be very difficult.” But playing online doesn’t come without its challenges. “... People [tend to] behave differently online than they do in person,” Gardner said. “They have a tendency to talk over one another because they can’t see the physical cues of someone trying to speak, so it gets a little bit more chaotic.” Taskinen and Gardner are hoping for the club to be able to meet in-person next semester. “There’s a growing sentiment in our club that people want to see each other in person,” Gardner said. “Playing D&D in person is just a different experience than playing online.” WSU D&D became a registered student organization three semesters ago. As a fairly new organization, Taskinen hopes potential new members aren’t intimidated by the complexity of

the game. “The game is not nearly as complex as it looks. One of the nice things about D&D is that you can play it in different ways,” Taskinen said. “If you like playing by the rules you can go through the player’s handbook and play exactly by the rules. I, however, prefer doing more of improv with it. That’s how I like to think of a D&D game, is that it’s one big improv session.” He says he introduces new players to D&D as a game fundamentally made up of three rules. “The first [rule] being that Dungeon Masters will tell you the situation. You, the player, will then tell the Dungeon Master what you want to do and it can be anything. Then the Dungeon Master will respond with what you need to do in order to accomplish that action,” Taskinen said. The club meets every Sunday at 4 p.m. through their Discord channel. If interested in joining, feel free to email them at wichitadnd@gmail.com. “One thing that I appreciate from D&D a lot is that it is … as cliche as it sounds, it’s your game … when you play D&D with your buddies it’s you and your buddies game,” Gardner said. “You’re the characters, you’re the show, and there’s this level of personal attachment that people get that I think is really neat.”

6 | MONDAY, OCT. 26, 2020

MONDAY, OCT. 26, 2020 | 7

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Opinion

HAVE AN OPINION?

contact The Sunflower’s opinion editor, Jeromiah Taylor opinion@thesunflower.com

An Open Search Might Yield the Best WSU President I hope the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) uses an Open Search process to select the next permanent President of Wichita State University. University presidents work in public to serve multiple constituencies, and an open search better approximates this extraordinarily difficult job in 2020. Last week Governor Laura Kelly supported an open search, magnifying the sentiments of many students, faculty and staff at WSU. She argued that “the community deserves reassurance that there will be resolution.” As a department chair and faculty member, I agree with the Governor, although in this column I would like to focus on which search model would be most effective in finding our new university CEO. The role of university president has expanded beyond what is reasonable to expect from any one individual – the job is part scholar, part teacher, part administrator, part lobbyist, and part salesperson.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR We ask them to be examples of our ideals and rescue us from budget crises. We ask them to be our institution’s saints and saviors. We ask them to model good citizen behavior, like wearing masks and social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic, even as we ask them to be our public face and personally connect to all Shockers and Shocker supporters. Closed searches, like the one that selected President Jay Golden earlier this year, have the advantage of attracting applicants who do not want their current employer to know they are interested in a new job, in order to avoid a loss of support or even termination. To maintain confidentiality, the Search Committee needs to be small (the group that

interviewed Golden had 20 members), and to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements about their work. Then the nine members of the KBOR, along with their staff, can pick from what will hopefully be a bigger pool of talented applicants. The next president of Wichita State will do lots of work in closed meetings of less than 25 people, especially in managing core staff, reaching out to donors, and meeting with state and federal elected officials. But they also will need to communicate their vision to thousands of students and alumni, hundreds of faculty and staff, and the Kansas and global communities that WSU serves. An open search process, with public virtual and in-person events open to students, faculty, staff and community members, will force prospective presidents to demonstrate that they can inspire and lead in the chaotic environment of U.S. higher education, expanding access to students of all backgrounds. It will force them to demonstrate that they understand the budget realities of Kansas in

2020. They would preview how they would manage WSU as it serves Kansas families, fosters economic development, and innovates for the entire world. I have a personal interest in an open search, if only because as a member of the Faculty Senate I would have a better understanding of the process. As a Political Scientist I would have an opportunity to observe firsthand how a community under stress chooses its leaders. Unlike KBOR and Jay Golden, I do not know the reasons why his presidency ended after only nine months – that above my pay grade and job status. But I do know that our next leader will have to work in public to help us navigate the worst crisis that American higher education has ever experienced. Because the job is to manage near-chaos in public, a public interview process has distinct advantages. Neal Allen, Chair and Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science and a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Team.

Street WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HALLOWEEN TRADITION?

JONATHAN LOZANO Biological Sciences with a Biomedical Emphasis

“My favorite Halloween tradition would be pumpkin carving because I am from Mexico and in Mexico Halloween is not really celebrated. I think it is really about spending time with family and friends.”

Don’t slut shame, let me dress sexy for Halloween Tabitha Barr Columnist tjbarr@shockers.wichita.edu

Halloween is going to look different this year, but that isn’t going to stop me from dressing up and finding ways to celebrate safely. Considering the crazy year we’ve had, Halloween seems even spookier and will definitely haunt us for a while. However, I’m not going to let that stop me— and neither should you. The biggest question this time of year is: what should I dress up as for Halloween? I am now 20 years old and am running out of ideas. Store bought costumes are expensive or too corny. This year, I want something that’s going to be a conversation starter. I’ve dressed up every single year of my life for Halloween, always in a family-friendly

costume. But this year I want to embrace myself and be something sexy. (Don’t freak out Mom, Dad and family, but your little girl isn’t little anymore. And if you don’t want to acknowledge that, please know that I love you and it’s going to be OK.) Trying to find cheap, sexy costumes online is not an easy task, especially when you never know what you’re going to get. So my go-to is always DIY costumes and what I can get for cheap. This year I’m leaning towards being a sexy devil. Imagine this: a body suit, tights, and devil horns. I don’t know if this will be what I end up with but it’s my mid-October idea. I’m so excited to try something new this year especially when it’s something so empowering to my body. However, I have a feeling that many people are going to hate how I dress and tell me to “cover up”. It wouldn’t surprise me, that’s what it’s like being a woman

during Halloween and dressing how you want. And if you’re one of those people, take in this quote from the movie “Mean Girls”: “Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything else about it.” Please follow this logic, and let women dress up how they want. With Halloween being different this year and 2020 being one of the worst years in recent memory, let us enjoy our sexy costumes and leave us alone. Halloween is fun and empowering. To be able to show my body and not feel guilty about it makes life so much better. I feel as though I am worthy of being myself. Let women dress how they want and go on about your day, we don’t need your opinions. We are dressing for ourselves not for you or anyone else. I want to dress sexy for Halloween because I am finally comfortable with my body. All my life I’ve hated my body and my

weight but I finally understand that my body is beautiful no matter the size. I want to show it off and feel empowered in myself. It’s my choice. It’s my decision. I love myself and want to show that to the world. So please, when you see someone dressed up for Halloween, let them be who they want and dress how they want. Because right now happiness is minimal and we want to enjoy what we can. Let’s make one thing clear: me dressing sexy is not a pass for you to objectify my body which is a concept that more people need to understand. I am sexy for me not for anyone else. So don’t slut shame me. Don’t say I need to be more conservative. Don’t say I’m setting a bad example. I am doing this to empower myself. I am happy in my body. I am a woman and have the right to wear what I want. I am going to have a spooky Halloween, dress sexy, and be happy with myself.

What happens when I weigh myself INTO THE ZEITGIEST Jeromiah Taylor Opinion Editor opinion@thesunflower.com

I do not own a scale. To go out and buy a scale is suicide. That blatant self-destruction runs counter to my overriding need to control, understand and advance order. Yet, this same overriding need compels me to weigh myself once a week at my boyfriend’s house. Weighing myself is a sort of litmus test. A fathoming of the depth of my power over myself. Up to that point, the crucial telling, the weighing, I have been diligent. Objectively diligent. Or

at least relatively diligent. The thought that I put into what I eat is not common. Infrequent. It has been described as abnormal. Pathological. As far as I am concerned, as long as I am still breathing it is not pathological. It is merely another example of my excellence. My ability to shape reality. It inflates my deluded sense of myself as omnipotent. A sense that is contrary to all available evidence except my weight. I weigh myself in that hour where even the most avid partier is asleep: four-five a.m. The avid partiers are now asleep. Only I am awake. This hour belongs neither to the partiers who pass out by four or to those responsible members of society who wake at 5:30 to go to work. This hour

Opinion LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters should concentrate on issues, not personalities, and must be fewer than 400 words. Letters may be edited for accuracy, clarity and length. Please include your name, WSU affiliation and a phone number for verification purposes. To submit letters, email opinion@thesunflower.com or submit at www.thesunflower.com. The opinions expressed in The Sunflower editorials, columns, guest columns, reviews, advertisements, letters and editorial cartoons are not necessarily those of the staff, publications board, student body or the university. The Sunflower reserves the right to edit or reject any submission. We also reserve the right to edit or reject any advertisement.

belongs to those neurotic, difficult people who find sleep to be elusive and irregular. People who lay next to sleeping spouses and read James Baldwin essays to pass the time. People who tip-toe around tomb-like houses, dead with sleep, smoking cigarettes and pacing. I am one of these people. At some point I succumb to the inevitable. I go into the bathroom. I regard the thing. The instrument. The metric I use to appraise myself. The scale. I shed my clothing, I breathe a shuddering breath. One of those breathes which proceed pain or pleasure. An anticipating breath. I step onto the scale. The digital numbers spasm as does my heart, as does my stomach, as do my eyes. They stop. I look. 143.

143. The same as last week. No ground lost. This means more to me than it does to you. It means that I am the victor. That I have, if only for today, defeated entropy. That I am in control. That, in biblical terms, my yes means yes and my no means no. That I am valuable. That I have grounds upon which to esteem myself. I matter. I am upright. I am good. I am worthy of respect. I am better than those sloppy hedonistic people who cower in front of their desires, their contemptible needs. Those people like the people I love. I am different. Not sloppy. Not hedonistic. Not cowardly. Not loved.

KARSON ROSS Exercise Science

“Every Halloween my family and I watch Harry Potter, carve pumpkins, and then bake the pumpkin seeds. So that is probably my favorite tradition just because I am a big Harry Potter fan and it is always fun to be able to watch it with family.”

BROOKE KEITH Exercise Science

“My favorite Halloween tradition would be dressing up for Halloween because every year it is super fun to think about what you are going to be for that day. I was always a witch or Frankenstein but you can be whoever you want to be on that day of the year.”

KARIME VARGAS Exercise Science

“My favorite Halloween tradition is making Halloween cookies because it is something my family has always done together and carving pumpkins together.”

*Read the rest at thesunflower.com*

SUNFLOWER HOT TAKES The Sunflower staff gives their one-sentence takes.

Lindsay Smith: It’s overrrated to identify with one specific political party. Morgan Anderson: Old people treat Facebook like how millennials treat Twitter. Julia Nightengale: I don’t think anything interesting enough happened today to comment on. Noah Merrell: Even though R. Kelly sucks, Ignition Remix still slaps.

8 | MONDAY, OCT. 26, 2020

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Sports

HAVE A STORY IDEA? contact The Sunflower’s sports editor, Sean Marty sports@thesunflower.com

‘We’re only playing against each other:’ Taflinger reflects on fall season with no matches BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com/ @TheSeanMarty

When the American Athletic Conference announced that the volleyball season would be postponed until the spring, redshirt junior Megan Taflinger, like others, was disappointed. Wichita State has not played an official game since last November and Taflinger said she wishes that the conferences would’ve allowed them to play against another team. “I understand that the AAC makes sure our health is the highest priority but it still would’ve been fun to at least have scrimmages or some sort of playing with or against another team and not just ourselves,” Taflinger said. “I think it was kind of a bummer that we had to know that we were only going to go through practicing without being able to play anyone but ourselves.” Despite not being able to compete against any other program to this point, Taflinger still feels that the team has remained motivated throughout the process. “I think the ability to play against other teams is to test to see how good of a team you are,” Taflinger said. “Our team has stayed motivated during this whole thing as well as our coaches. But it would be nice to play someone else to see where we’re at. We don’t really have any perception on that scale. We’re only playing against each other.” With the program now having more time to spend on training, Taflinger said that it will be a good experience for some of the younger girls on the roster. “They have the ability to go through

a whole season where they get to learn how all of our plays and stuff that are run before competing and playing games that actually matter to our record,” Taflinger said. This offseason, the program was able to add nine newcomers to the roster including eight high school recruits.

“I think the ability to play against other teams is to test to see how good of a team you are. Our team has stayed motivated during this whole thing as well as our coaches. But it would be nice to play someone else to see where we’re at.” MEGAN TAFLINGER Outside Hitter

To this point, all eight freshmen have been able to fit into the team culture which has been beneficial for the program, as a whole. “Our freshmen, they’re a really good bunch,” Taflinger said. “They kind of fit right into our whole program and into our team pretty easily. Having the time definitely has given the ability for all of our hitters to hit off the setters and that’s always a huge bonus to have that time to do that.” As a result of the lack of games, the volleyball program put on three separate Black and Yellow Scrimmages

with the final one taking place on Oct. 16. Taflinger said that these experiences will be especially beneficial for the newcomers who might have never played in front of a crowd like in these scrimmages. “I think it was more helpful for the newbies because they’ve never played on a scale or most of them have never played on a scale that big,” Taflinger said. “Then to play on the court that you hope to play for the next four to five years and then to play in front of people, our freshmen were definitely the most nervous. It was just fun to go and play in front of some people.” She said that these scrimmages can also show the coaching staff which newcomers might be prepared to play in big matches and under some pressure. “I think the coaches got to see how they play in front of a crowd, how they handle a little bit of pressure,” Taflinger said. “Just to see how they do under some pressure and I think it was pretty beneficial to do something different than just practice every day.” Currently, the program is preparing for its season to begin in the spring but Taflinger said there are still question marks for the upcoming season. “I’m ready for the spring season to be here, all of it still on a hold and making sure the athlete’s health is still a priority,” Taflinger said. “If it gets worse or if anything happens in the months that we’re off, the AAC I’m sure will take action. It’s never a sure thing that we’ll have a season this spring but I’m definitely ready and I know my teammates are ready to compete against other people.”

Track and field to host fall scrimmage BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com/ @TheSeanMarty

The Wichita State track and field program will hold a scrimmage throughout next week, the program announced on Thursday. “We have wanted to provide a little bit of an opportunity to reestablish a competitive mindset this fall since all of the athletes missed the spring time track season,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Steve Rainbolt stated in a release. “I’m really excited to watch our athletes compete again even if it is a lowkey inner squad scrimmage. I know the athletes are looking forward to getting out and testing themselves in a competitive setting.” The scrimmage will start on Monday with action continuing throughout the week. Monday and Tuesday will feature indoor action inside the Heskett Center while Thursday and Friday will feature outdoor events at Cessna Stadium. Monday’s action will start off with high jump at 1:30 p.m., while Tuesday’s action will feature seven different events, starting with the shot put at 12:30 p.m. The program will return to action on Thursday with the hammer throw at 1 p.m. and Friday’s schedule will start at 12:30 with the shot put. Fans will be allowed to attend the scrimmage with certain COVID-19 precautions in place. For fans, masks are required of everyone that is five years and older, social distancing is required in the stands and fans will be asked to leave at the conclusion of the event. The program will be subject to change due to weather conditions. The program will provide updates on the schedule through the program’s social media accounts.

TRACK AND FIELD SCHEDULE MON. OCT. 26, HESKETT CENTER 1:30 p.m.- High Jump 2 p.m.- Long jump followed by Triple Jump

TUES. OCT. 27, HESKETT CENTER 12:30 p.m.- Shot Put (for Multi-event athletes)

2 p.m.- Pole Vault 2:30 p.m.- 60-meter hurdles 2:50 p.m.- 60-meter dash

MORGAN ANDERSON/THE SUNFLOWER

Koch Arena sits empty on Friday, Aug. 17. Much uncertantity still surrounds sports this year, including whether or not fans will be able to attend.

Charles Koch Arena to feature cutouts this season BY SEAN MARTY

3:10 p.m.- 300-meter dash

sports@thesunflower.com/ @TheSeanMarty

3:30 p.m.- 150-meter dash

Given the uncertainty that remains for the upcoming college basketball and volleyball seasons, Charles Koch Arena will be featuring cutouts for fans to purchase. Fans will be allowed to purchase twoand-a-half foot “fan faces” to be featured on the lower bowl of the arena for all men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball home games this season. The cutouts will be returned to the fans following the conclusion of the season. Each cutout for the premium lower bowl will be $150 and a price of $50 for a non-guaranteed prime location. Proceeds from the program will go towards the Shocker Pride Fund. On Sept. 11, the Wichita State Athletic Department forced the fund in hopes of recovering for the possible shortcomings in revenue, due to COVID-19. “Well, I think it’s a common occurrence across the country right now in athletic

3:45 p.m.- 800 meters - women 3:50 p.m.- 1000 meters- men

THURS. OCT. 29, CESSNA STADIUM 1 p.m.- Hammer Throw

FRI. OCT. 30, CESSNA STADIUM 12 p.m.- Shot Put 1:30 p.m.- Discus followed by Javelin 2 p.m.- 300-meter hurdles

departments that we’re all facing similar problems of different magnitudes,” Athletic Director Darron Boatright said in an interview on Sept. 17. “We know there’s going to be a shortfall of revenues coming in this year just due to limiting attendance based on local and state rules and regulations by the CDC.” The cutouts will be sold on a rolling basis until they are eventually all sold out. The cutouts are limited in quantity but will be installed in waves starting on Nov. 16. Currently, the city and county commissioner has approved 40% capacity for the upcoming season and these cutouts will provide another avenue for fans to be at Charles Koch Arena this season. Boatright said that which fans get to attend will be based upon a priority point system which rewards longevity over the years. For student tickets, it is still undetermined whether they will go through a lottery system or having separate pickup times.