WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1896 Aug. 29, 2024
Volume 129 Issue 2
www.thesunflower.com
CLASH OF THE
DECADE
The College of Heath Professions celebrates their 2024 Clash of the Colleges win as they watch fireworks. This is the College of Health Profession’s first win since 2017. | Photos by Kristy Mace / The Sunflower
HISTORY OF CLASH WINS 2015 Champions: College of Engineering Spirit Award: College of Health Professions
2016 Champions: College of Engineering Spirit Award: College of Applied Studies
2017 Champions: College of Health Professions Spirit Award: College of Fine Arts
2018 Champions: W. Frank Barton School of Business Spirit Award: College of Engineering
2019 Champions: College of Applied Studies Spirit Award: College of Engineering
2020 Champions: College of Engineering Spirit Award: College of Applied Studies
2021
College of Health Professions takes home first Clash of the Colleges win since 2017 BY TALIYAH WINN
podcast@thesunflower.com
Clash of the Colleges, one of Wichita State’s most iconic campus traditions, celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, which ended with a bang. After competitors in the College of Health Professions were announced champions, fireworks shot above the crowd at Cessna Stadium, and could be heard across campus. The competition featured familiar games with a twist, like extreme rock-paper-scissors or tic-tac-toe, adding a physical challenge to childhood favorites. Other games included water relays, a riff-off and a Clash of the Colleges classic – tug of war. Students had to sign up for those events, but others could help their team win points in minigames around the track, like rock climbing or archery. There were also activities that people could contribute to at home. Prominent campus figures, like President Rick Muma and Provost
Shirley Lefever were in attendance that night. Muma said that he has been to every clash since they started. At the time, Kim Sandlin was the director of the Office of Student Services and came to Muma with the idea 10 years ago. She wanted to create an environment that inspired “camaraderie around activities in the first couple of weeks of school.” “And so she came up with this idea, and it’s had a lot of staying power,” Muma said. “Here we are at the 10th anniversary.” Throughout the night, the College of Health Professions steadily gained points. And toward the end it was clear they had a lead on other colleges. Close behind in points were the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and College of Fine Arts. Camille Reid was a team leader for the College of Health Professions. Seconds after their win was announced, Reid displayed how proud she was of her team.
Champions: College of Fine Arts Spirit Award: W. Frank Barton School of Business and College of Engineering
2022 Champions: College of Engineering Spirit Award: W. Frank Barton School of Business
2023 Champions: Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Cohen Honors College Spirit Award: College of Engineering
2024 Champions: College of Health Professions Spirit Award: College of Engineering
TOTALS W. Frank Barton School of Business Championships: 1 Spirit Awards: 2 College of Applied Studies Championships: 1 Spirit Awards: 2 College of Engineering Championships: 4 Spirit Awards: 5
A student from the W. Frank Barton School of Business laughs after being covered in bubbles on Aug. 23. Besides the main games, Clash of the Colleges also offered a bubble machine, rock climbing, inflatable bounce areas, and more.
“We had a point to prove, and I think we proved it,” Reid said. “I’m so proud of all of them because they did exactly what I asked, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
If you want to hear more about the significance of Clash of the Colleges on campus and the 10-year anniversary, listen to The Sunflower News Podcast episode from Wednesday, Aug. 28.
College of Fine Arts Championships: 1 Spirit Awards: 1 College of Health Professions Championships: 2 Spirit Awards: 1 Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Cohen Honors College Championships: 1 Spirit Awards: 0
Engineering students preps to win Clash of the Colleges spirit award Engineering students spell out “ENGINEERING!!” on their chests and stand in line before heading to the Clash of the Colleges event. The College of Engineering Pre-Party event took place at Devlin Hall on Aug. 23.
Engineering students chant together as they prepare to head outside for the Clash of the Colleges event on Aug. 23. The College of Engineering went on to win the spirit award. | Photos by Kristy Mace / The Sunflower
Students from the College of Engineering prepare for Clash of the Colleges event. The students yelled various chants as they finished their Pre-Party event on Aug. 23.
Engineering students with letters painted on their chests yell for a video. Students also wore bandanas, face paint and hair spray to show their College of Engineering pride.