MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2019 • VOL. 123, ISS. 33
THESUNFLOWER.COM
WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1896.
Business students talk referendum, new building on Innovation Campus
‘thirsty thursday’
BY MATTHEW KELLY
Newly released documents shed light on the party that got Beta Theta Pi fraternity suspended until May
Of the $38.5 million Wichita State is seeking to raise from a proposed student fee increase, $20 million would go towards the construction of a new business building on Innovation Campus. Even within the college that stands to gain the most from an affirmative vote on the March referendum, student feedback on the $6 per credit hour fee hike is mixed. “I don’t think it’s a good situation,” sophomore business major Danielle Harms said. “Obviously, I want the new business school because that would be good for future business students, but I’ll never use it, so that kind of sucks.”
BY ANDREW LINNABARY
B
eta Theta Pi’s current suspension stems from a “Thirsty Thursday” party in August — one that reads like a stereotypical rager: MD 20/20, 30 packs, bottles of vodka and whiskey, alleged kegs, and bags of wine specifically to get women drunk, solicited over a GroupMe text by a Beta member, according to fraternity members’ testimonies and other documents. Those details emerged from a 70-page investigation summary into the fraternity, an investigation that began in September and ended in November. Redacted records of the conduct process, including six fully redacted pages, were obtained Friday through the Kansas Open Records Act after being requested in early November. Beta was charged with five violations of university policy in November, including the underage drinking, social host violation, and excessive drinking subsections of WSU’s alcohol and drugs policy. At the time of the incident, Beta was already under deferred suspension and disciplinary probation through March 2019 for hazing and violating alcohol policies and department policies. The initial incident report
“I’M HERE TO LEARN. I’M NOT HERE TO HAVE THE COOLEST BUILDING ON CAMPUS.” —DANIELLE HARMS, SOPHOMORE BUSINESS MAJOR
The new building, Woolsey Hall, is projected to open in the winter of 2021. It has a $50 million price tag, but the WSU Foundation has already raised roughly $30 million in donations for the project. Harms, a member of the dean’s ambassadors for the Barton School of Business, is also a first-generation college student. She said doesn’t know why the university can’t build Woolsey Hall on a $30 million budget. “I get that it’s cool to have a new building, and it will be nice and new, but everything we have functions,” Harms said. “For me, I’m here to learn. I’m not here to have the coolest building on campus. I’m looking for a cheap, good education.” Sophomore business major Keaton O’Neil said a class visit from Business School Dean Anand Desai won his support for the initiative.
for the August party, sent anonymously to Student Conduct, alleged that Beta’s “assistant pledge ed [redacted] hosted a party which provided wine, purchased with donations from chapter members, to specifically bring women to their ‘Thirsty Thursday.’” “Beta Theta Pi has repeatedly been a significant risk to the health and safety of its own members and those members belong to Wichita State,” the anonymous report reads. “Executive council knew of the party days before the event and did nothing to stop it. As a member of Wichita State, I beg you to finally take the action this chapter deserves to protect students.” A separate email thread between the anonymous reporter and Student Conduct alleges the party also included a keg, a fight “in which inactive member [redacted] was punched from behind and knocked out,” and “two gunshots fired . . . according to [redacted] and multiple other members.” Members denied there were any kegs in their student conduct questionnaires, but were not asked about any fights or gunshots, at least in their written responses. There were 13 members of the fraternity, including executive members and members confirmed to be
Members of Beta Theta Pi fraternity pose in a redacted photo taken at their “Thirsty Thursday” party last August. Beta was suspended in November and charged with five violations of university policy.
at the Thirsty Thursday event, questioned during the investigation. The house had around 40 members at the time of the incident. There were around 40-50 people at the house party, members said in their written questionnaire responses. Questionnaire questions included “Was a keg
purchased for this event?” and “Were you told to ‘bring women’ to the Thirsty Thursday event?” The investigation summary included screenshots from a Beta GroupMe chat, “Silent Men of North Hillside: With Campus as an Exception.” SEE BETA THETA PI PAGE 2
SEE BUSINESS PAGE 5
Heldman: Bardo in and out of hospital; ‘absolutely’ expects to return as president BY MATTHEW KELLY
EDUARDO CASTILLO/THE SUNFLOWER
Tammy Dorsey, a mother of five and graduate student in the innovation design master’s program, discusses her biomedical engineering senior project. The project would help OB/GYN’s monitor fetal oxygen levels of the fetus during childbirth. This project has exanded into Dorsey’s master’s program.
Grad student’s in utero invention could make childbirth safer BY AUDREY KORTE
Wichita State graduate student Tammy Dorsey wants to make childbirth safer. As a mother of five, Dorsey recognizes first-hand how important it is to have accurate information during childbirth. “My middle child was born blue,” Dorsey said. “He had a normal heart rate all through delivery, and that never sat well with me. They didn’t know he was in distress.
“Fastforwarding through my educational career, I had to get to a point where I could actually do something about it.” As part of her biomedical engineering senior design project at WSU, Tammy Dorsey invented a non-invasive in utero tool that reads the oxygen levels of unborn babies and alerts doctors and nurses when their oxygen level is too low. SEE DORSEY PAGE 5
Wichita State President John Bardo has been in and out of the hospital as he recovers from a second surgery to treat a chronic lung condition, Vice President for Strategic Communications Lou Heldman said Friday morning. The Sunflower previously reported that Bardo was moved to a rehabilitation facility, but Heldman would not confirm Bardo’s exact whereabouts. “He has been both in the hospital and in rehab, because they do different things in different places,” Heldman said. “I’m not going to give a daily update on where he is. He’s in recovery.” Bardo, 70, was hospitalized in mid-November. Provost Rick Muma was named acting President on Jan. 2. When asked whether or not Bardo expects to return as president, Heldman’s response was unequivocal: “The answer is absolutely yes,” he said. “This isn’t unusual in the world that a CEO is ill and that things continue.” Heldman could not provide a timeline for Bardo’s return to WSU, saying that’s up to Bardo and his doctors. He maintained that the university is fully functioning
SUNFLOWER FILE PHOTO
WSU President John Bardo talks to David Murfin of the Kansas Board of Regents at an event announcing a partnership building with Spirit AeroSystems and Wichita State University last year.
in Bardo’s absence. “The reason we have an acting president and an executive team is to continue the work of the university,” Heldman said. Matt Keith, Kansas Board of Regents director of communication, wrote in November that the board will “remain in contact with President Bardo and will
support the rest of the Wichita State leadership team until he can return to campus.” Heldman said the Regents remain supportive. “They put out a statement to that effect in the beginning, and people don’t usually feel like they have to put the same statement out every week,” Heldman said.
INSIDE
MIKROBREWS
THE BOSS
UPSWING
Thousands of gamers converged on WSU for the Midwest eSports convention.
WSU’s literary magazine hosted an open mic night Thursday.
A new Netfliz documentary gives Bruce Springsteen’s compelling origin story.
After defeating Tulsa, the Shockers look to continue climbing the AAC stndings.
NEWS/SPORTS •
CULTURE • PAGE 3
CULTURE/OPINION • PAGE 5
SPORTS • PAGE 6
GAMERS UNITE
NEWS/SPORTS
2 | MONDAY, FEB. 4, 2019
www.thesunflower.com
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THE STAFF EDITORIAL
Editor in Chief Matthew Kelly 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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ADVISING
KHÁNH NGUYỄN/THE SUNFLOWER
A single participant looks up at the screen during the Midwest eSports Convention Saturday at the Experiential Engineering Building.
Thousands gather for eSports convention
Faculty Adviser Amy DeVault
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SUNFLOWER OFFICES Front Desk: 316-978-3640 ADVERTISING Kylie Cameron: 316-978-6906 admanager@thesunflower.com EDITORIAL Matthew Kelly: 316-978-6905 editor@thesunflower.com ADVISER Amy DeVault: 316-978-6052 amy.devault@wichita.edu
BY SEAN MARTY AND MARSHALL SUNNER
I
saiah Bradshaw of Jetmore, Kansas, is a pretty normal guy. He has a wife, a kid, and a full-time job. He also has a recognizable passion for video games. “My grandma used to play ‘Super Mario’ with me,” Bradshaw said. “My father, my brother, my siblings — we all played video games.” He bought himself a PC, and started the steady grind of playing the popularized game, Fortnite. Bradshaw is one of 1,000-plus video game lovers who made the trek to Wichita State for the Midwest eSports Convention over the weekend. Bradshaw went on to compete in convention’s Fortnite Challenge. Throughout the weekend, the convention hosted multiple semi-professional teams that went on to compete in tournaments, most notably “CS-Go,” “League of Legends,” and “Overwatch.” More than $20,000 in prize money was doled out to the winners. Logan Kramer spent the weekend playing League of Legends. Kramer, of Missouri Valley College, was one of the many who competed in the tournament held in the Experiential Engineering Building. Missouri Valley College, a small liberal arts school in Marshall, Missouri, has had eSports teams competing in
KHÁNH NGUYỄN/THE SUNFLOWER
Above, a row of gamers focus on the computers in front of them. Left, participants use virtual reality gear.
tournaments across the midwest this semester. Kramer said this weekend’s event at WSU was magnifying compared to past events. “It’s more intimidating,” he said. “This is more of a larger scale.”
Kramer said the presence of professional teams and experienced players at the tournament inspired success and offered goals for he and his teammates. “It allows us to set a goal for something to achieve as a program,” he said.
Missouri Valley College added an eSports program in fall 2017. Kramer said the team is hopeful to pull information from this weekend’s tournament and set sights on soon hosting their own tournament. The Wichita-based convention allowed new streamers, such as Bradshaw and Kramer, to get a taste of a mainstream convention in a smaller setting. “I like the environment — the atmosphere,” Bradshaw said. “Everyone’s playing games, chilling, and connecting with people. “That’s what it’s all about.”
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Stolen applesauce, a man with weed who wandered into Panda Express, potatoes thrown at a frat house — here are January’s campus crime log highlights Wichita State police had 71 incident reports in January. Here are some highlights. -On Jan. 6, an unidentified man was throwing “potatoes and asphalt” at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house. The incident is still under investigation. -Also Jan. 6, a man was “yelling obscenities” and “throwing objects” at people leaving the WSU basketball game. The 24-year-old was arrested and booked into jail. -On Jan. 15, a man “pocketed a package of applesauce” and left
BETA THETA PI FROM PAGE 1
“I ordered a keg to Beta,” part of one message reads, with the sender’s name redacted. Members said it was a joke about mail not being delivered to Beta. “No random geeds tonight,” another redacted message reads. “Also only 3 people have squared me to help out [with purchasing wine bags], don’t be pussies.” Beta’s suspension ends in May.
without paying at the Rhatigan Student Center Starbucks. The theft is under investigation. -On Jan. 16, a man was pacing back and forth and hitting himself near the Pizza Hut Museum. When approached by police, he said everything was okay — he was just waiting on the bus, and was frustrated with the wait. -On Jan. 16, police received a report of a man who wandered into Panda Express after it was closed. Police saw a man who matched the description in the Duerksen Fine
Arts Center. The man was “patted down for weapons.” Inside of his coat pocket, police found a small baggie of marijuana. The drugs were confiscated, and the man was released. -On Jan. 22, an ex-boyfriend slapped an ex-girlfriend and took her laptop, refusing to return it. The man later returned it. WSU police have been unable to contact the man, who had a no trespass order in Shocker Hall previously. -On Jan. 22, a female student was approached by a man in a
pickup truck, who asked for her number and made “other inappropriate comments” near the Physical Plant office. -On Jan. 24, a man snuck into Koch Arena and was shooting baskets “without permission.” -On Jan. 31, three male students came into class late in Hubbard Hall. After arriving, they “disrespected the instructor,” and left class early. The three men “made the complaining party uncomfortable.”
“IT’S NOT ABOUT PUNISHMENT. IT’S ABOUT ‘HOW DO WE HELP YOU MAKE BETTER DECISIONS NOW?’
Student Body President and fraternity man Kenon Brinkley has faith in Greek organizations that make mistakes, he said, and thinks Beta can come back to campus strongly after their suspension. But repeated violations hurt Greek life as a whole, he said, so organizations can “get smarter — or get craftier.” “It stains the entire [Interfraternity Council] when there’s repeated bad behavior.” Aaron Austin, associate vice
president for student affairs, said he’s hopeful that Beta can “change the culture” that may have led to their suspension. “I would hope this experience realigns Beta with what they needed to address,” Austin said. “It’s not about punishment. It’s about ‘how do we help you make better decisions now?’ “I would not say this is a systemic issue in fraternities. I think a few folks can affect the culture of an organization.”
—AARON AUSTIN, ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS
The fraternity was on deferred suspension before the incident for hazing and alcohol-related violations in 2017.
— Compiled by Andrew Linnabary
CULTURE
www.thesunflower.com
MONDAY, FEB. 4, 2019
ELLA DOMINGUEZ/THE SUNFLOWER
Sydney Martin, contributor to Mikrokosmos, performs her poetry at Mikrobrews on Thursday at Sente coffee shop.
At Mikrobrews, poetry and coffee warm the heart BY ELLA DOMINGUEZ
Grinding espresso and shuffling Catan pieces meet the buzz of downtown. Poets organize their papers and chat excitedly as a microphone is assembled. The stage is set for Mikrobrews with Mikrokosmos, an open mic night thrown by Wichita State’s own literary magazine. Sente coffeeshop is absurdly appropriate for a Thursday-night literary love affair such as this one. There is a certain ambiance that comes with being surrounded by old board games. As Mariah Beth-Perkins hosts and emcees the event, the rest of the Mikro crew passionately shares their selected poems. Nonfiction Editor Dan Arndt brought the boozy brews to Mikrobrews with his hilarious poetry. Rounding out the show,
Fiction Editor Sydney “Syd the Kid” Martin performed her wrenching odes to the human heart. Event-goers gathered around the Mikrokosmos sales table to buy exclusive T-Shirts, issues, and even books penned by Mikrokosmos staff. Cheeky smiles and giggles meet involuntary head-nodding and hums. It’s an intimate gathering, but the vibes are stellar. Mikrokosmos is a small, but outrageously supportive community of poets, writers, and spontaneous haiku-ers. The importance of small gatherings such as this one is radically downplayed. Nothing nurtures creation better than coffee, comfy chairs, and the humble applause of a small audience on a cold winter night. The Mikrokosmos Release Party for the magazine’s 65th issue will be held Friday, March 22, at the McKnight Art Center.
IT PAYS TO BE A SHOCKER. EARN A $300 BONUS WITH A NEW JUST CHECKING ACCOUNT. Interactive Banking has arrived. Now you can connect with a live banker to cash checks, make deposits, withdraw money, make loan payments and more, right on campus in the Rhatigan Student Center. Interactive banking is available until 8:00 p.m. on weeknights and until 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
To celebrate, WSU students, faculty and staff can earn a $300 bonus when opening a new Just Checking account.* Your Just Checking account is packed with features that take the complications out of banking, including a free VISA® debit card. Each account comes with online and mobile access that allows you to bank when and where you want. For our fellow Shockers, we stand ready to serve. *Bonus offer only available to new Fidelity Bank checking customers. Students, faculty and staff must present a valid WSU ID card. Account must be opened on or before March 30, 2019. $300 bonus is earned by completing 15 combined signature or mobile wallet point-of-sale transactions within 60 days of account opening. Bonus will be paid within 30 days of meeting the transactions requirement. Minimum deposit of $25 is required to open an account.
fidelitybank.com/shockers 1.800.658.1637
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CULTURE
4 | MONDAY, FEB. 4, 2019
www.thesunflower.com
COURTESY
Fyre was touted as a luxury party in the Bahamas, but would-be festivalgoers ended up stranded in FEMA tents. A new Netflic documentary explores the disastrous event.
‘The Greatest Party That Never Happened’
“F
yre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened” opens with a stunningly gorgeous aerial view of the crystalline waters of The Bahamas, filmed for the promotional shoot of a 2017 supposed luxury event that ended up stranding would-be festivalgoers in FEMA tents. A few minutes later, Ja Rule and entrepreneur Billy McFarland are grinning in the sun, drinking beers, and brushing the sand off each other’s shoulders. For the first fifteen minutes or so, we watch, transfixed, as Instagram models and other influencers frolic in the surf. Youth and beauty prevail. The documentary then ping-pongs from gorgeous shots of young people enjoying the island to behind-the-scenes views of stressed-out organizers strategizing about how best to get the buzz out on social media. It soon becomes apparent that the festival is going to nose dive. There are not enough beds, they are having issues
A study in simulation versus reality
obtaining bottled water, their food service quits, they switch islands, etc., etc. As the gap between reality and a curated reality deepens, I try to put my finger on what this dissonance reminds me of. Only on my second viewing does it click — simulacra and simulation. In any Sociology 101 course, you will learn about the 19th-century French thinker, Jean Baudrillard, who is perhaps best-known for his work on simulacra and simulation. Simulacra is a representation of an image, while simulation is a process that imitates the whole. In this social theory, Baudrillard argues that “reality itself has merely begun to imitate the model, which now precedes and determines the real world.” In other words, when we can no longer tell the difference between simulation and the real world, we are living in a hyperreality. Fyre Festival, like Disneyland, was always a simulation. Moreover, documenting experience has become synonymous with experience itself. Maybe
Weekly Preview Monday
tuesday
MENTORING MONDAYS
TRADEMARK TUESDAY
Time: 4-6 p.m.
Time: 2-3:30 p.m.
Location: Boys and Girls Club of South Central Kansas, 2400 N. Opportunity Dr
Location: Ablah Library
Cost: Free!
In a world of stolen content and grey copyright laws, it’s best to know as much about trademarks as possible before entering any business. The Rocky Mountain Regional U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is holding an informational session in Ablah Library so you can learn the ropes. The digital session will provide an overview of trademark information and have a Q & A section to cover any missed topics. Make sure to RSVP at https://wichita.libcal.com/ event/5029841.
Do you love working with children and giving back to the community? Mentoring Monday gives you the opportunity to do both. The Boys and Girls Club has partnered with the Community Service Board to create a weekly tutoring program. Mentoring Mondays are designed to bring Wichita State students to an environment where their skills can best be put to use. Make sure to register at www.wichita.edu/CSBvolunteer so you can take part.
Cost: Free!
tuesday
wednesday
SAC TRIVIA NIGHT
READING & BOOK SIGNING — B.A. SHAPIRO: THE COLLECTOR’S APPRENTICE
Time: 7:00 p.m. Location: RSC Starbucks Cost: Free! Are you a trivia champ? Are you looking to hone your trivia skills in a convenient on-campus location? Come on down to the RSC Starbucks to participate in this monthly night of trivia and fun! A range of prizes, specials on food and drink, and a fun theme make each night a delight. You can preregister as a team or solo at the SAC website, sac@wichita.edu.
Time: 5:30 p.m. Location: Ulrich Museum of Art Cost: Free! Fans of historical fiction and thrillers will love the work of B.A. Shapiro, who will be at the Ulrich this Wednesday to read and sign her excellent new book, “The Collector’s Apprentice.” Exploring the incredible world of Gertrude Stein’s salon, where artists like Picasso and Hemingway perfected their craft, “The Collector’s Apprentice” weaves art history into fiction for a delightful read. Now’s your chance to hear the work brought to life by the author herself and get a signed copy.
BECCA YENSER COLUMNIST
that’s why the phenomenal failure of the Fyre Festival does not surprise. The kind of glamour and promised paradise that Fyre advertised is impossible to attain. It is a world that exists only within our screens — one where a viewer’s imagination can transcend earthly problems. As McFarland states early on to his team, “We are selling a dream to the average American loser.” The problem is, of course, that dreams don’t translate to real life. The initial responses of the 6,000 attendees were, on the surface, counterintuitive. As their bus approached a barren wasteland littered with hurricane
Katrina tents and sopping wet mattresses, the vibes from the passengers were decidedly upbeat. But when placed within a Baudrillardian framework, the responses make perfect sense. The supreme catastrophe of the festival provided young, rich concertgoers an opportunity to document the event in real time on social media networks. In a way, even though Blink 182 didn’t appear (Blink 182 was booked for the party of a decade?), attendees got what they paid for — an Instagrammable experience. It might have been one uncomfortable night, but the entire event was already so far from reality — so distant from the body proper — that no real harm was done. A simulation can be easily morphed into another simulation. For instance, during the festival’s demise, a young attendee posts a picture on Twitter of a sad cheese sandwich. It immediately goes viral. Baudrillard might exclaim that the distinction between nature and artifact is lost. The symbol of the sandwich stands in for
the entire experience on Great Exumas Island. The real victims, as acknowledged in the Netflix documentary (though not emphasized enough), were the employees of Fyre, both the Haitian workers and the company’s team back in the States. Some worked in the sun all day and all night while others pulled 24-hour shifts in front of a computer. These were people who lost thousands of dollars and paid the emotional toll of reexamining human relationships. In the end, the reckless simulacrum of The Fyre Festival couldn’t be rebranded and sent out into the ether as a flurry of tweets. Instead, it left real-life scars in the form of debt and betrayal. Will this disaster stop us from making the same mistakes? Will media culture stop interpreting our private selves for us? Probably not. As a previous Fyre employee pointed out, in Russia, people are now paying to sit inside a private jet and have their photos posted on Instagram. The jet never leaves the ground.
CULTURE/OPINION
www.thesunflower.com
MONDAY, FEB. 4, 2019
|5
COURTESY “Springsteen on Broadway” is a new Netflix documentary featuring the colorful life of decorated singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen.
‘Springsteen on Broadway’ provides an honest, intimate origin story of the Boss
B
ruce Springsteen’s songs stand as anthem to our collective consciousness by exploring what it means to be American. According to his early albums, this identity manifested in fast cars, blue collar jobs, and heteronormative love. However, “Springsteen on Broadway” takes our previously one-dimensional view of the Boss and turns it on its head. The Netflix film and accompanying album reveal an artist who imitated someone else as his own persona. Three minutes into the show, Springsteen discloses that he borrowed his identity from his father’s working-class legacy. “I made it all up,” he admits. It’s a testament to his charming nature that the audience laughs. Maybe
BUSINESS
FROM PAGE 1 “When the dean came in and talked to us, he reminded us about the benefits,” O’Neal said. “It should be good in the long run.” State-of-the-art Woolsey Hall has been billed as a recruiting tool that will both bring students to WSU and encourage industry partnership. The university website says ground will be broken on the $50 million facility in 2019. If the referendum fails, WSU will still have to find a way to pay for the building. Provost and acting President Rick Muma said that if it fails, business students will have a second vote on a $30-$35 per credit hour program-specific fee. Undergraduate business students already pay $35 per credit hour in program-specific fees, and graduate students pay $50. When asked what would happen if business students rejected a program-specific fee hike, Muma didn’t have a clear answer. “We’d have to see exactly what the thinking is of the business students and why they voted that down,” Muma said. “It’d be problematic to go back to donors and say, ‘No one wants a business building here. We’re giving your money back.’ That’s not something I think we want to do.” Although state law requires WSU to hold a referendum before raising fees to bond money, Harms said she worries WSU is beholden to its donors over its students. “If you really wanted students’ opinion about this stuff, why didn’t you ask before you went to the donors, because it
DORSEY
FROM PAGE 1
It was the loss of her brother that first pointed Dorsey in the direction of biomedical engineering, she said. “I started off being super excited about prosthetics,” Dorsey said. “I lost my brother in Iraq and wanted to give back to them by helping with prosthetics for the guys that do come home, and so that led me to the biomedical engineering program. “For my senior design project, I
his human frailty makes him all the more appealing. This confessional quality of “Springsteen” serves to create an intimacy that is, at times, overwhelming. Between singing, talking, yelling, and spoken word over quiet piano chords, Springsteen is relentlessly dynamic. Diehard Springsteen fans will likely be overjoyed to hear about the rise of the American star. More casual fans might have a harder time with the stories, which border on rambling. Springsteen’s comfort onstage sometimes places the listener into a familiar situation. When you’re trapped with a longwinded uncle in a kitchen during the holidays, you love your uncle so much that you just stay and listen for hours on end.
BECCA YENSER COLUMNIST
Thankfully, Springsteen is a legendary storyteller, and his performance in this Netflix original showcases this strength well. The most moving moments of the show are when Springsteen sings. At times, it seems he is singing to himself. The effect is at once captivating and haunting.
If the pure narrative can lean towards saccharine sweetness, the songs themselves provide a welcome saltiness. The effect of hearing Springsteen’s mega hits altered and stripped down to bare bones is weird but refreshing. The spare tone and introspection echo Springsteen’s quiet 1982 album, “Nebraska.” A notable moment is when Springsteen’s wife, Patti Scialfa, joins him on stage for a few duets. The energy between the two is palpable and touching. “Springsteen” is most interesting when its star’s life seems to be playing out on the stage. When he and his wife take a bow, you can’t help but think they are bowing to the crowd for their lifetimes of success. There is a meta quality to
the show that is irresistible. Springsteen closes the two and-a-half-hour marathon with a performance of his superhit, “Born to Run.” Here, he finally seems to open up — strumming his guitar loudly, and visibly enjoying himself. The rendition is transportive. As the song comes to an end, Springsteen softly slaps his guitar as if to imitate a heartbeat. As gimmicky as this sounds, it works. By the show’s end, you’ll feel a warm glow — a sense of going through something together with the star and with the rest of audience. You likely won’t care if Springsteen is a fraud or not. The songs and stories of “Springsteen on Broadway” will feel real to you — and that will be enough.
“I HAVEN’T REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT TOO MUCH. IF WE FEEL LIKE WE NEED IT, I DON’T SEE A PROBLEM WITH IT.” —JOSH CABLE, FRESHMAN BUSINESS MAJOR
doesn’t matter what I say now — you’re going to charge me for it either way,” Harms said. Sophomore Ethan Balzer switched majors this semester, but previously represented business students as a senator in the Student Government Association. He said most business students he’s spoken to aren’t aware that they might have to pay for Woolsey Hall themselves. “I haven’t met a lot of business students who actually know that if the referendum fails, that’s what’s going to happen,” Balzer said. “Most of them believe that the business building is going to be built anyways.” Freshman business major Josh Cable said he’d rather pay a $6 per credit hour fee than a $30-$35 one. Otherwise, he hasn’t given the initiative much thought, he said. “Some of my professors have been talking about it and stuff,” Cable said. “I haven’t really thought about it too much. If we feel like we need it, I don’t see a problem with it.” Balzer said older students who won’t see Woolsey Hall built in their time at WSU, are less likely to support the initiative than younger students. “A lot of older business students aren’t sure they approve of the idea, simply because it’s another thing they’ll have to pay off,” Balzer said. “Younger students, I’ve seen, are more neutral towards it, and a lot of people are kind of indifferent.”
stumbled into something that I’m very passionate about, which is the prenatal care industry and the shape that it’s in, which is absolutely unsettling. I decided that that’s what I needed to focus on.” Dorsey is now in the process of testing her device, which reads fetal oxygen levels by measuring a baby’s pH. This tool gives attending doctors the data necessary to accurately detect fetal distress. For her senior design project, Dorsey and her team followed
SUNFLOWER FILE PHOTO
Parking is a perennial hassle for Wichita State students.
Top 5 ways (not) to park on campus If you’re looking for legitimate parking help, you have come to the wrong place. This article is entirely sarcastic. Let me reiterate — DO NOT FOLLOW MY ADVICE. The Sunflower would like to take this opportunity to renounce any responsibility for parking tickets that may be acquired by following this method. That being said, here’s The Sunflowers official guide to (not) parking on campus. DISHONORABLE MENTION — ONLY TAKE ONLINE CLASSES
Obviously, if you don’t need to park on campus, you won’t have an issue with parking on campus. You’ll also pay quite a bit more, but it’ll still be cheaper than getting 50 parking tickets in a semester. 5 — WALK TO CLASS
For some, this is a viable option. For us commuter
doctors around and interviewed them to see where they had unmet needs. “I really focused on OBs (obstetricians),” Dorsey said. “Being a mom, being there myself, understanding that the U.S. is the costliest, most dangerous place in the developed world to give birth, I was like, ‘No. We’ve got to do better.’” Doctors told Dorsey they needed a way to know when a baby in distress due to a lack of oxygen. Dorsey said there’s been very
3 — REFUSE TO PARK ANYWHERE BUT THE CLOSEST GREEN LOT TO THE BUILDING
AUSTIN MAY
OPINION EDITOR students, it is significantly less realistic. If I was to try to walk to class, I would need to leave home several hours ahead of time to make it. Take advantage of it if you can and count yourself lucky. 4 — SHOW UP BETWEEN 11 AND 1
You know, because this is obviously the best time to find a parking spot. The peak hours of on-campus traffic clearly lend themselves to countless open spots all over campus.
little innovation in the prenatal field in the last 20 years. “They have no clue when a baby’s in trouble,” Dorsey said. “They’re using external monitors and making educated guesses on interpretations of this data.” Dorsey said standard monitors weren’t designed specifically to measure fetal oxygen levels, so there’s a large margin of error. In an effort to bridge that gap, Dorsey developed a non-invasive way to give obstetricians the data they needed in real time.
Just drive around the lot that you want to park in for hours on end waiting for classes to get out — willing a spot to open up. You know, because you clearly have nothing better to do. 2 — PARK IN A RED SPOT
Forget the yellow — throw caution to the wind and park in a red space. I’ve always said that if you’re going to go for it, you might as well go for it all. See if you can pay more for parking tickets than tuition at the end of the semester. 1 — PARK ON THE SIDEWALK BESIDE THE BUILDING
Clearly the best option. Whoever says that the fine and/or getting your car towed isn’t worth it is clearly insane. Bonus points if you try to bribe the campus police. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A BABY DOESN’T GET ENOUGH OXYGEN?
“There are many different things that cause lack of oxygen from mom to baby to placenta,” Dorsey said. “We’re just trying to raise a red flag when it does happen. About one in 10 babies is affected by this lack of oxygen.” This condition is termed fetal acidosis or fetal hypoxia. “We’re not trying to figure out what’s wrong. We’re trying to signal that there is something wrong,” Dorsey said.
SPORTS
6 | MONDAY, FEB. 4, 2019
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JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS/THE SUNFLOWER
Wichita State freshman Jamarius Burton fights Tulsa sophomore Jeriah Horne for the ball during the game on Saturday at Charles Koch Arena.
Shockers continue climb from the bottom of American
W
BY EVAN PFLUGRADT
MEN’S STANDINGS
ichita State climbed back from a nine-point deficit in the second half to steal a victory from Tulsa on Saturday. Dexter Dennis put an exclamation point on the Shockers’ best two-game conference stretch with a highlight-reel-worthy dunk in the final seconds of the game. In front of the home crowd, the Shockers completed a 180-degree turnaround from where they were a week before. Dennis made a season-high three three-pointers, and arguably topped a crowded list of guys playing their best basketball of the season. Markis McDuffie scored a gamehigh 27 points. Jaime Echenique has posted double-figures in consecutive games. He’d averaged just four points in the six games leading up to that point. Jamarius Burton is shooting 50 percent from three in the last three games, having hit just one in his six games prior. “That was fun,” WSU Head Coach Gregg Marshall said. “That was some of the best basketball we have played.” Marshall said the team was “pursuing the basketball like it’s a steak and we haven’t eaten in a while.” The Shockers have a spark of confidence after a horrific early season that included a 1-6 start to conference play and two of the
Houston - 8-1
JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS/THE SUNFLOWER
Wichita State senior Markis McDuffie celebrates after making a three-point basket during the game against Tulsa. McDuffie scored 27 points in the win.
Cincinnati - 8-1 UCF - 6-2 Temple - 6-3 Memphis - 5-4 South Florida - 5-4 SMU - 4-5 Connecticut - 4-5 Wichita State - 3-6 Tulsa - 3-7 East Carolina - 2-7 Tulane - 0-9
program’s worst offensive games in recent history. Still, it’s now February and the program is seeking its first road win of the season. They’ll get that chance Wednesday at East Carolina. “We all know as a group, we haven’t won a road game,” McDuffie said. “My job, starting from now until that game, is to keep talking to these guy — letting them know this is big. We need this one.” The Pirates have a 2-7 conference record. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but it’s a golden opportunity for the Shockers, who are 0-6 on the road this season.
JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS/THE SUNFLOWER
Should WSU win, they’ll have the chance to carry a winning streak potentially through mid-February. With a top-10 strength of schedule, WSU’s hardest games are behind them. The schedule opens up with Tulane, who is winless in AAC play, twice this month. They have Tulsa and Southern Methodist once more, too. And they’re done with Houston and Central Florida, who remain near the top of the conference standings. “We tend to get to a low-point,” McDuffie said of the team’s struggles on the road. “We need to stay together. We are getting a lot better right now, and I think we’ve got a chance to show a lot of improvement in this next road game.”
SWAP Social Students Who Are Parents Opportunity for meaningful conversations with fellow Students Who Are Parents at Wichita State. Light refreshments will be served.
Tuesday, Feb. 12 5:30 – 7 p.m. Pike Room (RSC 266) Questions? Contact Anthony Ho at 316-978-6122 or anthony.ho@wichita.edu
SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER
SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER
Above left, Wichita State freshman Dexter Dennis dunks the ball in the final seconds of the game against Tulsa. Above right, Wichita State’s Asbjørn Midtgaard goes up for a shot. Above, Wichita State senior Markis McDuffie takes a shot.
1-POINT FOURTH QUARTER SQUANDERS SHOCKERS’ BRIEF SUCCESS
KHÁNH NGUYỄN/THE SUNFLOWER
Wichita State women’s basketball scored just a single point in the fourth quarter of action in Saturday’s game against Temple. The Shockers missed all 11 attempts and made just a single free throw in the final quarter.