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THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019 • VOL. 123, ISS. 44

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Student Fees Committee prioritizes student organizations during deliberation meeting BY ANDREW LINNABARY

The Student Fees Committee prioritized student organizations over university departments during Monday’s deliberation meeting, including doubling The Sunflower’s budget to restore the paper to nearly pre-2017 funding levels. The committee settled on a 2.5 percent increase to Wichita State’s student fees budget. With that increase, the committee — which

has twice the student representation it did last year — was able to provide nearly full funding to all organizations’ requests. For a full-time student taking nine credit hours, student fees will go up $9.92 per semester with the current fee proposal, Vice President of Student Affairs Teri Hall said Tuesday morning over the phone. Student organizations such as the Mikrokosmos literary journal, the Baja Team SAE, and The

Sunflower — all organizations that have struggled to receive their requested funding in the past — were able to get full or nearly-full funding. “The big winner was The Sunflower,” Hall said. “For the two years prior, Sunflower funding was very contentious during that process, and it wasn’t yesterday.” When asked her perspective on why the committee made such a change from last year’s Sunflower allocation, which saw an initial

recommendation that the paper’s budget be cut in half, Hall said, “I’m not going to go down that hole,” but “there was support in that room for what The Sunflower does and is, and I think that showed in the vote.” Dan Arndt, an at-large committee member, vouched for The Sunflower before the vote on the allocation. “[The Sunflower] has had to cut to the bone, but they still can fill 8 pages,” Arndt said in

the meeting. “They deserve full funding.” Arndt is an editor of the Mikrokosmos literary journal, which received its full funding request. Most of the cuts made to balance the budget came from Student Affairs, which oversees a variety of areas on campus, in addition to cash sweeps from a handful of now-defunct budget items.

SEE STUDENT FEES PAGE 5

Victims Honored

Vigil memorializes victims of New Zealand mosque shooting

SUNFLOWER FILE PHOTO

Mike Pompeo meets with The Sunflower in November 2016. At the time, Pompeo, who is now U.S. Secretary of State, was a Kansas congressman.

Back in Kansas, Secretary Pompeo talks journalism, public-private partnerships with The Sunflower BY MATTHEW KELLY AND AUDREY KORTE

Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State and former Kansas congressman from Wichita, spoke with The Sunflower and several other student publications Monday — addressing public-private partnerships in higher education, immigration, and the role of student media in our democracy. Pompeo, who was in Overland Park for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit with the Dutch trade secretary, began the phone round table interview by recognizing the recent death of late Wichita State President John Bardo. “Please know Susan and I are thinking and praying for the Wichita State family and the family of Dr. Bardo, who passed,” Pompeo said. “We know the impact he had on the

university, and we know the university will continue the legacy that he had there and do great.” Bardo championed public-private partnerships and applied learning in higher education in an effort to make WSU the economic driver of the region. The Sunflower asked Pompeo about the merits of public-private partnerships and their place in public education. “I think there’s places that [private industry] already plays a tremendous role, so what is absolutely certain is that real opportunities for students — hands-on challenges for kids who are trying to learn — are incredibly important,” Pompeo said. “You’ve seen that there at Wichita State with Airbus there on campus on Innovation Campus.” SEE POMPEO PAGE 5

KHÁNH NGUYỄN/THE SUNFLOWER

The attack on New Zealand mosques killed 50 people and injured 50 more. Wichita State’s Muslimahs 4 Change and Muslim Student Association partnered to host a candlelight vigil Monday outside of the Grace Memorial Chapel to honor and pray for the victims, families, and loved ones affected by this tragedy.

Kansas Poet Laureate’s visit to Wichita State radiates love of homeland, jazz BY JOHN DARR

It’s 10:45 a.m. on a Wednesday, and the Poet Laureate of Kansas is playing drums in the Ulrich Museum. Poet Laureate Kevin Rabas, who’s toured 42 Kansas venues during his two-year tenure, will forever have music running through his veins. During his performances, he often brings along a band to back up his poetry. It’s only natural for a poet who, as a young jazz musician, would spend his days navigating Kansas City jam sessions to gain valuable experience playing with a host of talented performers. “I used to go to about six to eight a week,” Rabas says. “Sometimes two or three a night.” That’s especially noteworthy

when you consider that Jam sessions could run as long as twelve hours — sometimes going deep into the early hours of the morning. Here at the Ulrich, you can see the light in Rabas’ eyes as he sprinkles in musical anecdotes among his pieces. One such piece is “At the Jam,” which reflects on a time Rabas misheard a fellow musician at a jam session. “The thing I thought he was saying was ‘play out’ — play more vigorously, play louder, play more notes, when really he was saying ‘lay out’ — stop playing, you fool!” The humorous, jazzy edge runs through much of Rabas’ work. Almost as central to Rabas as a poet is the state of Kansas itself. “I was born in Kansas, lived in

Kans . . . I’m seventh-generation Kansan,” Rabas said. “It’s really a part of my life. I try to write about ordinary and extraordinary Kansans in my work.” It’s not just talk, either. Rabas gives back to the state through far more than just his words. He’s worked with “Bards Against Hunger” to use poetry to fuel food drives and helped lead “Letters to a Young Poet,” a project that put young poets in touch with established poets to share experience (the correspondence is currently being editing into an anthology). Now, Rabas stands ready to pass on the torch to the next Poet Laureate of Kansas, who will be inducted this May. SEE LAUREATE PAGE 5

JOHN DARR/THE SUNFLOWER

Kansas Poet Laureate Kevin Rabas reads his poetry at the Ulrich. His performance included jazz-infused poetry during which Rabas played percussive accompaniments to his writing.

INSIDE

GI BENEFITS SECURED

MR. 500

DOUBLE WALK-OFF

This musical theatre production is as sweet as springtime roses.

Student veterans are having better luck with their GI Bill benefits this semester.

WSU’s NIT victory over Furman gave Gregg Marshall his 500th career win.

Shocker baseball and softball both topped Kansas in walk-off fashion

CULTURE • PAGE 3

NEWS• PAGE 4

SPORTS• PAGE 6

SPORTS • PAGE 7

‘THEORY OF RELATIVITY’

OPINION

2 | THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019

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shocker

THE STAFF

street speak

EDITORIAL

Editor in Chief Matthew Kelly

What will you remember President Bardo for?

Digital Managing Editor Andrew Linnabary Visual Managing Editor Madeline Deabler Culture Editor John Darr Opinion Editor Austin May Sports Editor Evan Pflugradt Photo Editor Selena Favela Sports Photo Editor Joseph Barringhaus

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Send letters to the editor to editor@thesunflower.com or submit at thesunflower.com. Please keep letters to 400 words or less. All letters are edited for clarity and length. Please include your name, WSU affiliation and a phone number for verification purposes.

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Members of the Student Fee Committee vote during deliberations Monday in the Rhatigan Student Center.

Student Fees Committee is improved, but still not perfect

As a member of the Student Fees Committee, Willome is sharing his personal opinions, not those of the entire committee I commend the current Student Government Administration for its efforts to add representation and transparency to this year’s student fees process. The inclusion of more representatives from all colleges and class levels was in the best interest of the student body. The change allowed me to serve as the graduate student representative, what was previously a nonexistent position. The committee now better reflects the student body as a whole. Every committee meeting was open to the public. Students deserve the ability to hear arguments and decisions about how fees are allocated. Transparency should continue to be the rule and not the exception. Procedurally, all members were given the opportunity to voice their

LETTER TO THE EDITOR opinions. Even with a significantly larger membership, the meeting was civil and efficient. While this year’s process was mostly positive, it was not without fault. Representation of organizations requesting funding was far from equitable during deliberations on Monday. Ex officio members of the committee, such as Vice President of Student Affairs Teri Hall, have a responsibility to inform and advise the committee on procedure, but

abuse their seat at the table when they defend their own organizations or criticize other organizations that have no voice during deliberations. Hall, as leader of the Student Affairs division, which receives a large chunk of student fees, has substantial stake in the outcomes of those meetings. It’s likely unrealistic to expect her to cease activity during deliberations, but organizations such as Formula and Baja SAE should be equally able to defend themselves from her criticism during deliberations. All things considered, I believe this year’s committee represented substantial progress, and I am proud of our recommendation to better fund student organizations and rectify funding cuts made by previous committees. —John Willome Graduate Student Representative, Student Fees Committee

Our 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 learnig experience for students, who will have the final authority over what is published.

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The Sunflower (published for use by WSU students, faculty and staff) is private property and unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable. One copy may be taken for free. Additional copies must be purchased for $1 each. The Sunflower is also partially funded by the Student Government Association at WSU. 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 university. The Sunflower reserves the right to edit or reject any submission. We also reserve the right to edit or reject any advertisement.

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Sizing up the 2020 Democratic hopefuls Despite being inaugurated in January 2017, Donald Trump never stopped his campaign — making rally stops throughout 2018 and into the new year. However, Democrats have since entered the race, making the 2020 Presidential Election seem closer than ever. Sixteen significant Democrats are now vying for the opportunity to challenge Trump for the presidency come Tuesday, November 3 next year. It may seem frivolous to begin analyzing candidates now with Election Day a year and a half away, but now is the most important time for prospective voters to look into candidates and make independent decisions about who could be president. Candidates need early support in the election cycle to propel them into the Iowa caucus on February 3, 2020. Otherwise, elite Democrats will determine who is even considered for the nomination, as opposed to the people. With that in mind, the public’s knowledge of early candidates is as important as it is in the weeks leading up to Election Day. From Sen. Elizabeth Warren to former Senate hopeful Beto O’Rourke, there are now 15 Democrats and one Independent seeking the Democratic nomination. Despite the pool numbers being so high, only six candidates appear to stand a fighting chance. Sitting senators Warren (D - MA), Cory Booker (D - NJ), Bernie Sanders (I - VT), Kamala Harris (D - CA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D - NY) are among the top five candidates, but O’Rourke’s success in his 2018 senatorial run makes him popular among young voters. Additionally, other top

MADDIE SPURLOCK COLUMNIST

democrats are hoping former Vice President Joe Biden announces his candidacy in the coming months. When looking closer into the top six, and potentially seven, early candidates, it is key to examine not only their running platform, but also their likeliness of being an overall good candidate for the Democratic National Committee (DNC). President Trump ran an unprecedented campaign in 2016, and will almost certainly lean into the same tactics come 2020. That means it’s in the DNC’s best interest to nominate a candidate who can successfully run against Trump by debating eloquently and regaining the support of America’s middle class. Former presidential nominee Hillary Clinton seemed to be the perfect candidate for the DNC, as she is easily one of the most qualified Democrats of the century and a respected leader internationally. Fault lied, though, in her electability. Consequently, moderate Republicans and Democrats alike were left with a “lesser of two evils” complex. For the Democratic party to see any success in 2020, a nominee without this complex is essential.

Therefore, candidates such as Warren and Sanders can objectively be removed from contention solely on the grounds of electability. Though both top progressives with strong anti-Trump platforms that would appease far-left-leaning Democrats, they leave the larger portion of the party isolated. Both candidates have made numerous enemies in the party during the Trump administration, forcing them into the “lesser of two evils” role that Clinton occupied in 2016. That won’t breed Democratic success. In terms of electability, O’Rourke and Booker seem to be at an advantage. O’Rourke, a young politician who served in the U.S. House for six years, may not be as experienced as other top Democratic candidates, but his more moderate platform makes him more desirable to both moderate Republicans and Democrats who were unable to vote for Clinton. On the other hand, Booker’s Senate career and more left-leaning platform make him an ideal Democratic candidate, especially because he lacks major enemies in either party. Looking ahead a year and a half ahead to the 2020 Presidential Election is no simple task. Politics evolve faster than voters can keep up. With the help of the media, candidates’ platforms change and past scandals can reemerge with a vengeance. For better or worse, the only feasible way the Democratic party will succeed in 2020 is through the nomination of an electable candidate.

“I think that he’s left a legacy with all the construction and gradual improvements made to WSU.” — SHARON CHESUMBAI, pre-med, junior

“As far as I know, he had a lot of experience at this college. Having been in a teaching background for a long time, he knew the rules of the university. I know that recently he had given a lot of contribution to the development of the university.” — SHRUTI GANGI, computer science, graduate

“I don’t know too much other than he was our president, and I know Innovation Campus was his baby. Innovation Campus is great, but it doesn’t really affect me. My brother is a biomedical engineering major, so it is really good for him and everything he’s working on.” — SOPHIE BACHMAN, english literature, sophomore

“I think that the campus looks a lot different, and I think that it has attracted a lot of younger students. I can really appreciate that as a student, especially now that I am a little bit older.” — PAIGE FEIKERT, mechanical engineering, graduate

20 hot takes shorter than your attention span while listening to a lecture 1. Al Gore - Dick Cheney as Independents in 2024? Make America Early 2000’s Again! 2. Newspapers should be used for more than lining cages. They’re also perfect for starting fires. 3. Why do we need fire drills? Just don’t stay in the building. Also, stay away from the newspapers. 4. NIT stands for the Not Invited Tournament. 5. Can we bring back the ice so I can slip and fall to get out of my classes? 6. Hulu is better than Netflix. If you take issue with that, fight me after I finish binging “Seinfeld.” 7. This is going to be the Royals’ year. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be their good year. 8. Never forget that a cow is more aerodynamic than a Jeep. 9. If a tree falls in the forest and no

AUSTIN MAY

OPINION EDITOR one hears it, do I need to go to class? 10. Voting in SGA elections is way easier than loathing yourself for the rest of the year. 11. You have a better chance of being written in for SGA president than you do of getting a STEM degree in four years. 12. NASCAR is just yee-haw Formula 1. 13. Amazing how the

Republican party has gone from “Tear down this wall,” to “We need to build a wall,” in 30 years. 14. There are more planes in the ocean than boats in the sky. 15. Statistically speaking, there will eventually be a JaguarsCardinals Super Bowl. 16. Why do people complain about headlines without reading the article? 17. Anyone who can support a cocaine addiction with a middle-class income should be allowed to. 18. Everyone should be equal. Except people who pour their milk before the cereal. 19. Frogs and toads are really the same thing. They’re just lying to you. 20. I just want to go to sleep, but life keeps throwing cold buckets of water at me.

“I would say it’s his unusual approach to improving Wichita State. There’s no secret, when I first came onto the campus in 2014 as a wide-eyed freshman, Wichita State had a lot of work that needed to be done. There was a lot of investment that needed to happen that hadn’t. What I understand from then, he was a president who came in with a bad situation and he stepped up with a vision to improve the university, to kind of challenge some of the ideas that had been used, and to try to improve Wichita State’s role, not just as a research university, but in the community.” — JACOB ARCHER, pre-pharmacy, senior

CULTURE

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THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019

ELLA DOMINGUEZ/THE SUNFLOWER

Nora Dooley (Mira) waves goodbye during a performance of “The Theory of Relativity” Thursday in Wilner Auditorium.

‘The Theory of Relativity’ as sweet as springtime roses BY ELLA DOMINGUEZ

M ELLA DOMINGUEZ/THE SUNFLOWER

Jacob Kramer (Anthony) and Grace Roush (Jenny) sing during “The Theory of Relativity.”

COURTESY

Jami Thomas, Nick Pope, Christy Campbell, and Leslie Coates star in “The Realistic Joneses.”

Broadway arrives in Wichita via ‘The Realistic Joneses’ BY BECCA YENSER

On a recent Thursday evening, I found myself sitting in an intimate audience at The Fisch Haus with a playbill in my hand. The set was simple: an outdoor picnic table on stage right, a screen door in the center, and an old fridge and a little kitchen table on stage left. The play began with a spotlight on a couple sitting at their outdoor table, eating dinner. “The Realistic Joneses,” written by American playwright, Will Eno, was originally performed on Broadway in 2014. While the play has origins in New York, the Fisch Bowl Theatre’s production is purely local. “The Realistic Joneses” is Wichitan Stacy Chestnut’s directorial debut and features four local actors: Leslie Coates (as John Jones), Christy Campbell (Pony Jones), Nick Pope (Bob Jones) and Jami Thomas (Jennifer Jones). Bob and Jennifer Jones appear to be an ordinary pair, but the sharp, honest dialogue hints towards an eerie familiarity and touching humanness. Early on, we learn that Bob has an unusual and debilitating disease for which there is little hope of a cure. Thomas and Pope are perfect in their roles of caretaker and apathetic victim. There are no bells and whistles here — no glitz or props to divert your attention from

the painstakingly familiar way we try to connect with each other. The other couple, Pony and John Jones, are at first seemingly opposites of Bob and Jennifer. But as the play progresses, we discover that John, too, is afflicted with the strange disease. Note: Eno has stated that he made up the ailment, but based on the symptoms in the play, it is very similar to ALS (a progressive neurodegenerative disease). The couples find themselves in surprising, intimate moments with one another. There is a particularly touching scene of Jennifer running into John at the grocery store. John reaches out to touch her shoulder, and Jennifer says, “What are you doing?” to which John answers, “Reaching out, I guess.” The extreme honesty of this play is such to make you feel as if it is another dimension of life itself, and not a play at all. What you see surely with your eyes is often relayed to you verbally. The effect is jarring. The scenes play out in quick, delicious, almost painful bites that are cut with blackouts. The 90-minute production has no intermission, and maybe that’s just as well. The play has us eavesdropping on its central couples’ lives, and to step away for a minute would be to miss the world. SEE JONESES PAGE 5

ere inches stand between the characters on stage, but their lives are galaxies apart — spinning aimlessly throughout space until they collide. Every day, we are surrounded by strangers driving next to us, sitting next to us in class, making our coffee, serving our food, and sharing the sidewalk with us. “The Theory of Relativity” explores the relationships we have with the strangers in our life, and how every relationship we have once started out as a

thoughtless collision. Directed by Wichita State alum Emily Orr, “Relativity” is led by a cast of 13 performing arts students. The production is a dedication to love in all forms, whether it’s a love affair with cats, oranges, or cranberry lipstick. The passion and heart of the cast and crew radiates from the stage. “The Theory of Relativity” is as sweet as springtime roses just beginning to bloom. The theatrics of this show are simple, subtle, and lowkey compared to other major theatrical productions. SEE LOVE AFFAIR PAGE 5

NEWS

4 | THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019

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Burks settles in, ensures student veterans receive GI benefits BY MATTHEW KELLY

Lt. Colonel Larry Burks inherited a crisis when he took over as director of Wichita State’s Military and Veteran Student BURKS Center last October. More than 100 student veterans weren’t receiving their GI Bill benefits due to understaffing and a backlog of paperwork. “The biggest priority that I know I had to deal with from the very outset when I first got here was to fix the issue with the certification,” Burks said. “The people that were here before me really just dropped the ball on this entire process.” Burks hired a full-time certifying official and went about righting the wrongs and getting student veterans their benefits. “We were able to kind of resurrect that entire system,” Burks said. “It’s worked out beautifully. I think we’ve got a system down now where we can turn around certification within minutes.” Michael Bearth, sergeant of arms in WSU’s Student Veteran Organization, said Burks handled the certification crisis “efficiently and diligently.” “It’s always a difficult time to get dropped into a hot mess — especially when it’s, ‘I’m new to the university myself and now I have to clean up something that has happened,’” Bearth said. The United States Department of Veteran Affairs has 30 days to process student veterans’ paperwork once it is provided by an institution. The VA recently cut overtime pay, once again

COURTESY Flags line the wall of the Wichita State Military and Veteran Student Center, located in Grace Wilkie Hall.

stagnating the benefits process. Sam Jones is WSU’s lead certifying official. Jones said some student veterans haven’t been getting their monthly housing allowances on time. The money oftentimes comes in lump sums, which places financial stress on the student. “If they didn’t get January and February, they’ll probably get it in March,” Jones said. Burks said student veterans understand all too well that the VA system can’t always keep up with demand. “When you work with the VA, there’s going to be times when there’s a lag in those monies, so they come here, they plan accordingly,” Burks said. Burks said student veterans have

University’s bond issue proposal passes: Elliott School, Ulrich win support BY JULIE RAUSCH

AUSTIN SHAW/THE SUNFLOWER

SGA meeting includes fees budget first read, recognition of Bardo, New Zealand victims Wednesday’s Student Government Association meeting featured a number of items, including a first read of the fiscal year 2020 student fees budget. The fees budget was presented by Treasurer Stella Yang, who led the reshaped student fees process, which now includes twice the student representation as years past. The budget — which went up by 2.5 percent, meaning a $9.92-per-semester fee increase for full-time students — was largely met without questions by the Senate. Yang pointed out the lack of questions from the senate, which led multiple senators to vouch for the reshaped process. The senators agreed that the new fees process meant any questions they had were answered before Wednesday’s meeting. Yang also received multiple compliments and a round of applause for her leadership in the reformed process. “I didn’t mean to chide you all, I just wanted to make sure there weren’t questions,” Yang said with a laugh. “If there are any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.” The student fees budget will be voted on by the senate next Wednesday. Wednesday’s meeting also included a resolution to recognize and stand in solidarity with the victims of the New Zealand mosque attack, where more than 50 people were killed. The resolution passed unanimously. Also included was a resolution in recognition of President John

advocate for students at the Military and Veteran Student Center. “I have the utmost confidence in him,” Bearth said. “He is always willing to help us out.” Burks said he’s trying to network with organizations and businesses outside of WSU so that graduating vets can have easier access to internships and job opportunities straight out of college. “They have the right to be able to get good jobs out there as long as they do the schoolwork that’s here to get them their degrees,” Burks said. “They deserve to have a second chance in life.” In addition to his role as

Sunflower Archives March 18, 1992

SGA Treasurer Stella Yang speaks at Wednesday’s Student Senate meeting in the Rhatigan Student Center.

BY ANDREW LINNABARY

paid it forward and deserve a college education without constantly worrying about a source of income. “They’ve paid their price,” Burks said. “They’ve paid their duty to their country. It’s their right to be able to come to school, use that GI Bill benefits so they can get their education and they can continue the next phase of their life.” Burks said he learned a great deal about leadership in the military. “Good leaders are folks that take care of the people that work for them,” Burks said. “I’m responsible for the welfare and the wellbeing of every student veteran that comes into this building, is enrolled in this university.” Bearth said Burks is a strong

director, Burks is also president of the Wichita branch of the NAACP. “This is my profession — this is my job,” Burks said of the Military and Veteran Student Center. “The work that I do with the NAACP is something that I do on an as I’m available basis. Burks said he has three vice presidents and an entire staff at the NAACP that keep operations running smoothly. “The organization and all the things they do doesn’t miss a beat,” Burks said. Burks was hired on at WSU not long after an intoxicated student with a firearm was apprehended by the WSU Police Department in the Military and Veteran Student Center. Nobody was injured, and the student was taken to the hospital for an evaluation and released. Burks said the incident was resolved before he took over but that the center has taken internal measures to prevent such an incident from occurring again. “I don’t think that’s going to ever be the case again. That’s going to be one of those things that should never happen here again,” Burks said. He said he wants the center, located in Grace Wilkie Hall, to be a welcoming place for active-duty students, veterans, and dependents. On top of valuable resources, the center provides a lounge, coffee, computers, a high-speed copier, and study rooms. Burks encouraged non-veterans to come by Grace Wilkie too. “Even those that are not veterans, I want them to come — whoever they are, what they’re doing — come and see us here,” Burks said. “Because we are an integral part of Wichita State University.”

Bardo, who passed away over spring break. Bardo was 70 and had been WSU’s president since 2012. The resolution was authored by the 60th Session’s President Paige Hungate and Vice President Breck Towner. SGA President Shelby Rowell said she was “really, really happy to see the senate vote that through.” “To be able to show respect to his family — that’s something that’s close to my heart,” Rowell said. “I lost my dad and my sister, and obviously, it wasn’t the same, but I’ve been in that boat. Being able to do this gave a lot of the senators closure. It probably gave Paige and Breck closure, and it gave me closure as well.” Finally, a new campus organization, Sisters for Sisters, presented to the Senate. The new organization has been in development for three months, the four representatives of the organization said. It’s meant as an alternative to Greek life for students who cannot afford to pay dues or don’t meet GPA requirements. The organization will be voted on next week by the senate. “I think it’s a great organization,” Rowell said. “I wasn’t able to join Greek life because of the time commitment and the cost. “It’s an organization that acts as that communal sisterhood aspect without having to put financial contribution to it. A lot of people, when they come to college, they are strapped for funds. I think that’s something that more people may be excluded from than they should . . . So I think it’s a positive movement.”

On Tuesday the Wichita State University Board of Trustees unanimously approved a bond issue that will provide funding for a new building that will house the Elliott School of Communication. The refinancing of a $19,005,000 bond issue includes almost $2.9 million toward the new building. Other funding for the building projected to cost nearly $4.2 million will come from private gifts, fundraising and existing cash and pledges. Oliver Elliott, a WSU alumni who pledged a $7.2 million deferred gift to the Elliott School three years ago, said he was pleased by the Board’s vote. Vernon Keel, Director of the Elliott School, and Elliott agree that they are not prepared to get their hopes up yet. They’ve both been waiting for funding for a new building for nearly three years. The bond issue must be approved by the Board of Regents next month. That will be the biggest hurdle, Elliott said. “They are trying to hold the line on spending money.” However, he said, “The fact is, we deserve to be the leader in communications. Where are the biggest TV stations, newspaper and advertising agencies? In Wichita.” Other projects that will be financed with the bond issue include $233,000 for improvement

in the Ulrich Museum. Also, an estimated $50,000 may be used to purchase property at 17th and Vassar currently owned by the Phi Delta Theta. Another fraternity may be interested in buying the property, but if they don’t, the university will consider a bid. If the $50,000 is not used for the property purchase, it may be used for the Elliott School construction. The interest rates of the old bond structure Series E, 1987 and Series F, 1988 averaged 8.05 and 8.34 percent respectively. The new rate on the Series 1992 will average 6.78 percent and will have a slower debt increase. No more than 40 percent of the mill levy revenue is expected to go toward the debt service. The remainder will go to program expenditures. The present value savings from the sale of the Series E and F bonds are expected to be about $400,000 but that figure is contingent upon the market conditions at the time of the sale. That money will go toward the Elliott School. Faculty Senate members were divided about supporting the administration’s proposal for the bond issue. Jay Mandt, faculty senate president, expressed concern about using mill levy bond money for university construction. Mill levy money should be targeted to academic program activity for students and faculty, Mandt said. But President Warren

Armstrong disagreed. “I think we are ill-served by making a distinction between support for academic programs and construction of facilities that support academic programs as though they were not in themselves in support of academics,” said Armstrong. The building will be constructed northwest of Ahlberg Hall. A major consideration for that location was because no established parking would be lost. Keel said he is pleased with the central location of the proposed building site. The current building (Wilner Auditorium) is inadequate, inappropriate and unsafe, Keel said. The Elliott School has about 400 undergraduates and 65 graduate students in the disciplines including journalism, public relations/advertising, speech and broadcast. “The three guiding priorities that have guided the development of the Elliott school are people, programs, and facilities. “We’ve assembled an excellent faculty in the two years I’ve been here,” Keel said. “It’s a combination of faculty that were already in place when I got here as well as 10 new faculty.” “We have restructured requirements for graduate and undergraduate programs. We’ve established an undergraduate admissions requirement that begins in the fall of 1992 as well as higher admissions standards for graduate students.”

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LAUREATE FROM PAGE 1 It’s only fitting that he closes out his talk with one of the most impactful and stunning pieces he’s written as Laureate: “Kansas Awakening,” a piece for Laura Kelly’s inauguration as governor, which he finishes to loud applause. It’s hard not to find Kansan hope and pride in his words, reprinted with permission here: KANSAS AWAKENING by Kevin Rabas

Walk the early green fields and run your fingers across the wheat’s whiskers and you will know this land is not ours, but we belong to these fields and this simple dirt, and when we shake hands — rough hands, smooth hands — we can feel that heat, blood run through the blue-green chutes of the heart. This land pulses with us — the city office towers with their yellow lights always on, the wind turbines, pinwheeling to the breath of God, the Main Street teens, music up, windows down, dragging that strip of blacktop

JONESES

FROM PAGE 4 I got the opportunity to chat with Director Stacy Chestnut. BY: What drew you to this play initially? How did you discover it? SC: There is a group of people that I know and we are constantly thinking of what play to do yet. Minimal props, maximum meaning. I’m focused on producing work that is not being done in Wichita and doing things that are new and current. I want to tell a story that creates an opportunity for the audience to see things in a new way. I like plays with a smaller cast that creates a possibility for the actors to relate in a different way. When you get a piece that is a classic or maybe has huge production value-- those things are all great and they are spectacles but obviously my ability, and what we are trying to do at the Fisch Haus, is not set up for that. [I am looking for] few characters, few production needs, but meaningful. BY: How would you characterize the underlying themes in this play? To me it seemed there was a very modern feel of isolation and loneliness. SC: I had to read it a number of times. I didn’t like it at first. Maybe I didn’t understand it; but I didn’t like it in a good way. I wasn’t ready to deal with this s***. It sat for a month or two. Then I thought,

THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019

there’s something here and I want to give it a go. I had auditions and it just happened that I was able to cast four people who were exactly what I had in mind. Casting is 98% luck. I could already see the potential for these four people to embrace these characters. (In this play) what is being said is less important than what is not being said. I wanted people who were older and who had experiences with life. I think this is definitely naturalism. BY: Would you mind defining naturalism? SC: Naturalism deals with people as subjects as an experiment. I think determinism is here as well. In your best effort to be a person with free will, there’s still this thing that you can’t escape and that is mortality. At the end of the day we may just be just one piece of a bigger puzzle that has more to do with being a part of a group, rather than an individual. Will (Eno) is writing to a middle-aged audience. I kept thinking of Dylan Thomas’ “Poem on His Birthday,” which he wrote on his 35th: “the closer I move to death, the louder the sun blooms.” Mortality is on the horizon, and it’s a real thing now. BY: When my partner and I went, I told him, ‘You’re Bob. Bob reminded me so much of you.” SC: I hear that a lot from couples. In every person there’s a Pony.

In every person there is a Bob. BY: Why do you direct? SC: Community is why I want to direct theater. I think we have to take risks and produce work that is thinking about the people in our community and being healthy and happy and thinking about issues that are hard to deal with in real time. Using this as a catalyst for conversation and for catharsis, and for people to be able to see themselves in the piece. The kind of work that the Fisch Haus and I am interested in doing are shows and stories that are sort of on the cutting edge; like what is happening right now. I’m craving a different experience. Also, it’s $100 to see a large production. That’s not in everyone’s budget. BY: What’s in the future for you? SC: There’s weirder stuff I want to do but I don’t want to do it for that sake only. I just want to tell stories and I want it to encourage healthier relationships and (hope) that when we see a piece of theater we see ourselves in it. And to be more empathetic. Authenticity through reality. Let’s tell stories of people who are having experiences different from ours, but let’s see ourselves in them. “The Realistic Joneses” plays at the Fisch Haus on Thursday and Friday, March 21 and 22 at 7:30, as well as a final showing on Saturday, March 23 at 2 p.m. A $10 donation is suggested.

entirely on the story, the music, and the acting. What this show lacks in frills, it makes up for in sincerity. Every movement made on stage is calculated and purposeful. This show is short, sweet, and massively effective. As the ensemble rotates through the center, each telling a piece of a much grander story, relationships begin to become apparent between the cast of supposed strangers. Through the

show’s progression, relationships bloom, transform, strengthen, and inevitably fall to pieces. “The Theory of Relativity” is performing at Wilner Auditorium, Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2:00 p.m. Admission is free for students with a WSU ID. Tickets for the general public are $10 for children, $18 for Military and WSU Faculty, and $20 for adults.

experience, and we were always able to get back on track.” Balzer said SGA President Shelby Rowell “helped work to ensure that any of our practices affected everyone equally, staying continuous with our decisions.” “I believe we came to a conclusion that every organization can be satisfied with . . . We might not have been able to fully fund everyone’s budget increase requests, but we were still able to hit close to those marks,” Balzer said. Balzer said he was happy with how the meeting went, given its seriousness, and said the overall sentiment was that the meeting was a success. “We ensured to keep programs that go directly back to serving students — such as scholarship programs, applied learning opportunities, and other outlets — at at least their full budget, with a few substantial increases,” Balzer said. “There was nothing in the meeting that spoke out to me as particularly controversial to the student body, but I’ll still be keeping my ear to the ground to see what LAS students have to say about it all.” The student fees budget was presented for a first read at Wednesday’s SGA meeting. Senators did not ask many

questions about the budget, and commended SGA Treasurer Stella Yang’s work as the head of the committee. The budget will be voted on by SGA next week.

in the night in a one light town — and at dawn the sidewalks full of noisy kids

LOVE AFFAIR FROM PAGE 4

in backpacks with lunch sacks walking to the yellow buses that honk hope and to the tough-shouldered grain elevator, its white pillars and ribs, that flashes a lonely light, but holds abundant, golden grain – to all these and more we say welcome: you belong to this state, like we do, somewhere in the middle, at the heart of a body awakening and coming into its own.

POMPEO

FROM PAGE 1 Pompeo said that, even in places where private industry is driven by political actors, he doesn’t believe opening the door to public-private partnerships poses a conflict. “I haven’t seen that,” Pompeo said. “That’s not been my experience at schools — private schools or public schools like we have here.” He said that in his experience, academic freedom is preserved at institutions that partner with private industry for applied learning opportunities. “They invite the private sector in when they have a particular expertise or professional skill that they can lend, so the students have that skill when they leave as well,” Pompeo said. “I don’t see the challenge that’s described there. I’ve watched these private sector companies do real good things all across the educational landscape.” Pompeo noted that students can also get valuable applied learning experiences in the public sector. He talked up the opportunities the State Department offers, and encouraged students to visit the State Department website to learn more. “Anyone who’s attending any one of the fine institutions you all are writing for, ought to think about it — whether they’re history majors or engineers or they have a language skill, we hire them all, and the chance to travel the world to learn and to represent America as an American diplomat is a wonderful opportunity,” Pompeo said. The Emporia State Bulletin asked if these opportunities would extend to undocumented students, who want to get involved but can’t for fear that they or their families will be deported. “Look, to work in the United States, you have to be lawfully authorized to work here,” Pompeo said. “This administration is incredibly welcoming of immigrants from all across the world. We want to make sure that they come here in a way that is legal, that is lawful, and that has been one of President Trump’s primary focuses.” Pompeo said he made time to speak with student journalists because he appreciates the role of

student media in training the next generation of reporters. “That is central to American democracy, and that’s why I try to make a little bit of time for those folks who I hope are engaged in that profession for years and decades to come,” Pompeo said. He spoke to the merits of journalism at large, a profession the Trump administration has been unabashedly critical of. “It is incredibly important getting facts right — being willing to really work hard and not just write some rumor — not just write some half-baked story, but rather to really do real honest-to-goodness reporting where the consumer, the reader of that writing, actually benefits from learning as a result,” Pompeo said. On one occasion, Pompeo questioned data presented by a student journalist. The Southeast Missourian cited that international student enrollment numbers at Southeast Missouri State have dropped since Trump took office in 2017, and asked how the administration could ensure that international students feel welcome to study and work in the U.S. “I’m not sure your data is quite right, but suffice it to say, the Trump administration is absolutely focused on making sure that the next generation of great minds comes to study at the greatest universities in the world, which are still here in the United States,” Pompeo said. Southeast Missouri State’s online enrollment report does not show international student enrollment trends, but an article on The Southeast Missourian website cites the vice president for enrollment management saying the number of international students on campus has dropped “significantly” since its peak in 2015. With the 15-minute interview wrapping up, The Sunflower asked Pompeo who might make a good successor to Bardo as WSU president. “I’m going to leave the decision on who’s going to be the next leader at Wichita State to the folks who would know it best, so I know the university and the board of trustees will make a good decision,” Pompeo said.

The set consists solely of plain chairs and two monitors rotating through images of different mathematical formulas. Relativity is easy on the eyes. The simplicity of the costumes, set design, and overall aesthetic of the show allow room for the emphasis to be put

STUDENT FEES FROM PAGE 1

Business committee member Walter Wright recommended cutting $41,000 from Student Involvement, a Student Affairs department, saying that a proposed civic engagement coordinator position is unnecessary, given the department’s current level of engagement. That led Hall to interject: “With all due respect, I don’t think it’s this committee’s job to recommend cutting a position.” From that point on, the committee debated allocations based on overall line items, instead of going into specifics, such as new positions. The voting portion of the committee, comprised of 14 students, was largely contention-free throughout the 4-hour meeting. “I think everyone there knew the seriousness of what we were meeting to do, and an air of sobriety was certainly present throughout deliberations,” LAS committee member Ethan Balzer said in an email Tuesday, speaking on his own behalf, not the committee’s. “There may have been brief stints of sidebar conversations or messing around, but overall it didn’t detract from the

Student Affairs - requested $3,016,476, allocated $2,903,113 Student Involvement (SA department) - requested $1,020,400, allocated $1,006,000 The Sunflower - requested $158,000, allocated $150,000 Student Government Association - requested $280,000, allocated $269,175 Varsity Esports - requested $85,556, allocated $48,000 Shiftspace Gallery - requested and allocated $67,067 Model UN - requested and allocated $20,000 Mikrokosmos - requested and allocated $3,500 Baja Team SAE - requested and allocated $13,000 Formula Team - requested $60,000, allocated $57,251 Graduate Student programming requested and allocated $10,000 College of Fine Arts programming - requested and allocated $45,000 Campus Recreation - requested $1,048,388, allocated $1,045,000

SPORTS

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JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS/THE SUNFLOWER Wichita State Head Coach Gregg Marshall cheers on his team during the second half of the game against East Carolina on March 14 at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee.

Gregg Marshall wins 500th; Shockers advance in NIT BY EVAN PFLUGRADT

JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS/THE SUNFLOWER Marshall looks to the official after a questionable call in the second half of the game against Temple on March 15 at the FedExForum.

Golf coach Grier Jones to retire BY SEAN MARTY

Wichita State men’s golf coach Grier Jones will retire after 24 years. Jones led the Shockers to 15 Missouri Valley Conference championships. He is a 13-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year. Before his start with the Shockers, Jones was a 14-year PGA tour veteran. He was also

the 1969 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. He’s received honors from the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, inducted for both accomplishments as a player and a coach. Jones said he will remember his interactions with players more than anything. “Seeing those kids graduate and go on to become good adults, those will be the things that I will remember the most,” Jones said.

Wichita State will face No. 2 seed Clemson in the second round of the NIT Sunday. Wichita State Coach Gregg Marshall wanted to set a realistic goal. His team was wildly inexperienced. Ten players had never played a Division-I basketball game. So he thought about goals. He wanted something that was challenging, but still possible. He laid out a plan for the team to win 20 games and make the National Invitational Tournament. Then, Louisiana Tech exposed the Shockers in the team’s home-opener. Oklahoma delivered Wichita State their worst loss in Marshall’s tenure. The team dropped to 1-6 in conference play. Marshall struggled to find positives. He thought the goal was lost. “It’s not that these guys aren’t talented,” Marshall said of his expectations for team. “We didn’t have experience. We looked like it. We played like it. We looked as bad as any basketball team I’ve seen.” That’s when the Shockers surged, won 11 of 13 games, played in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament, and secured a bid to the NIT. Unexpectedly, Marshall was in a position to reach a milestone of

500 career wins against Furman in the opening round of the tournament. He won his third career game against the Paladins in 1998, and 21 seasons later, he’s collected his 500th. The Shockers won Wednesday in Greensville, South Carolina, to advance to the second round of the NIT. They’ll next travel to Clemson on Sunday. Game time is undecided. “To have 500 wins, 21 years … So many positive and favorable things have happened,” Marshall said. “I’ve been very blessed to be in the right place at the right time. “I’m starting to have some grey hairs. You have to have some grey hairs to win 500,” Marshall said. Wichita State fought off streaky shooting from the Paladins and their scoring threat in 6-8 forward Matt Rafferty, who scored a game-high 27 points. Rafferty was 7-8 from the field in the second half. "They don't pass the eye test," freshman Erik Stevenson said of the Paladins, "But they pass the basketball test." Markis McDuffie and Jaime Echenique combined for 39 points for the Shockers. Wichita State held onto a sixpoint lead in the final minute of the game, winning 76-70. The Shockers (20-14) extended its streak of 20-win seasons to 10.

SPORTS

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THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019

walk-off

KHÁNH NGUYỄN/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State softball’s Neleigh Herring hit a walk-off single to lift Shockers over Kansas 11-10 Wednesday. The Shockers (19-9) won the first of a 10-game homestead. The team begins conference play at 6 p.m. Friday when it hosts Houston for a three-game series. Wichita State softball’s Neleigh Herring hit a walk-off single to lift Shockers over Kansas 11-10. The Shockers (19-9) won the first of a 10-game homestead. The team begins conference play at 6 p.m. Friday when it hosts Houston for a three-game series.

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Softball senior out for season BY SEAN MARTY

Senior pitcher Bailey Lange will miss the remainder of the season. Lange suffered a season-ending leg injury on Feb. 16 in Wichita State’s game against Louisiana Tech. She slid too fast into second base during that game, breaking her ankle, Lange said on social media. Lange recorded a 20-13 record with 2.90 ERA her junior season. She received First-Team AllConference honors.

The NCAA has granted Lange a medical redshirt, giving her a chance to finish out her collegiate career next year with the Shockers. “You wonder if pitching and hitting will ever feel the same with screws and a plate in your leg,” Lange wrote on social media. “But then when I go to practice and am around my team, all of those doubts go away and it’s almost like they won’t even give me the option to have the fears and doubts that I have.”

EASTON THOMPSON/THE SUNFLOWER Wichita State’s David Vanvooren hits a fly ball during their game against Kansas Wednesday at Eck Stadium.

Gibson’s walk-off homer lifts Shockers over KU in 13 BY SEAN MARTY

Hunter Gibson hit a walk-off home run to lift Wichita State over the Kansas Jayhawks in 13 innings Wednesday night. WSU won the game 3-2. It was the first of a home-and-home series the Shockers will have with the Jayhawks this season. “I was really focused on getting up there and getting a base hit,” Gibson said. “I was thinking middle-in, something I could drive in the gap and get a double on. It ended up working out for me.” Gibson finished the game with two hits on five at-bats. He had two runs scored. After Ryan Stuempfig shut out Kansas in the top of the first, WSU jumped out to an early lead.

After Gibson reached base on a hit by pitch, Luke Ritter hit a two-run home run — his fourth of the season. The Shockers relied on a pitching staff by committee, with Stuempfig’s pitch count limiting him to three innings. Senior Clayton McGinness followed with two scoreless innings, racking up six strikeouts. Connery Peters followed suit and produced four strikeouts through one and third, but ran into some trouble in his second inning of work. He struck out the first two batters he faced, but the second batter reached on a dropped third strike. After back-to-back walks, Head Coach Todd Butler pulled Peters in favor of Alex Segal.

Segal allowed a two-run single, courtesy of Dylan Ditzenberger. With runners still on the corners, Segal sharpened up and got a strikeout and a fly out to center to escape and end his night on the mound. Freshman Aaron Haase helped to close the game out with three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and collecting four strikeouts. “To see our pitching staff go out to pitch like they did tonight was very encouraging going into conference play,” Butler said. The Shockers will try to build off the dramatic win as they set their sights on the conference opener against Memphis this weekend. With the win, the Shockers moved to 9-11 on the season.

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#AbortionPositive TOUR IS ON OUR CAMPUS!

We Are Loud, Proud, And Unapologetically Abortion Positive!

No shame. No stigma. No apologies. Learn More:

urge.org/abortion-positive Paid for by Unite for R ep ro d u c t i ve & G end er Eq u i t y