WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1896 Sept. 26, 2024
Volume 129 Issue 6
www.thesunflower.com
‘EMBRACE
THE
AWKWARD’
How is Wichita State responding to a historic citywide drought? BY MIA HENNEN
managing@thesunflower.com
Wichita has experienced drought-like conditions for more than two years. Soon, the city will be in its second month of enforcing restrictions due to severe conditions. For Wichita State University, the drought has required some adjustments. “It has made us change our approach in what type of plants we were planting this fall (and) what type of plants we’ll plant next spring,” said Eason Bryer, executive director of Facilities Services. “We can’t predict the future, but I don’t see this drought magically going away over a single winter.” The city entered stage two of drought restrictions on Aug. 5, which significantly limited when residents could water outdoors. The restrictions began due to low water levels at Cheney Reservoir, Wichita’s main water source. In his role, Bryer oversees the university’s landscaping, building maintenance and more — water plays an important role in each.
DROUGHT PREPARATION Undergrad Rebecca Reimer dances with her partner on Monday, Sept. 23, at a Westie Swing Club meeting. The club offers a welcoming atmosphere and encourages participants of all skill levels to join. | Photos by Aubri Baker / The Sunflower
Junior Olivia O’Reilly advances to a new step she learned during the meeting of the Westie Swing Club on Monday, Sept. 23.
Senior Megan Castillo is spun by junior Jordan Manning along with junior Trinity Madden at the Westie Club meeting on Monday, Sept. 23.
Junior Jordan Manning twirls while senior Logan Oesterreich guides him during a dance. The club teaches a lead-follow dance style.
New club swing dances out of their comfort zones BY MONIQUE BEVER monibever@gmail.com
O
ne of Wichita State’s newest clubs meets every Monday evening, transforming their night from classes and study into the steps and movements of West Coast swing, a swing dance style derived from California. “I really wanted to cultivate an atmosphere where people, like me, in college could find joy from just taking a moment to step back and just move their body,” said Trinity Madden, West Coast Swing Club president and instructor. “(And) have fun in a non-serious environment that’s able to embrace the awkward and be silly and not take fear of judgment for that, and not fear of making mistakes.” Madden balances her dance life — instructing for the club and competing in advanced West Coast Swing competitions across the country — all with the responsibilities of an engineering major. “I find it a lot of relief that it’s,
like, if I could just step away from my studies for an hour to go to a dance class and just forget about everything — just take a moment — I feel a lot more rejuvenated when I go back into my studies,” Madden said. Originally from California, Madden grew up dancing until she became deaf at 12 years old. She didn’t see herself dancing ever again until a roommate encouraged her to start again at an off-campus class after suffering a bout of homesickness her first year. “Dance is like my best stress relief,” Madden said. Alongside Madden, Megan Castillo and Jordan Manning serve as hosts and perform vicepresidential duties for the club. Castillo grew up Country Swing dancing, discovering West Coast Swing in college; she and Manning found themselves quickly immersed in the local community and wanted to share their love for it with Wichita State. “What I found in this is just a beautiful community of people that are so much more than
dancers; they’re family,” Castillo said. “With the club, we get to see other students and help them grow in something that we love.” Last semester, the club hosted an event for De-Stress Fest called “Dance your Stress Away.” Encouraged by the turnout at the event and the lack of an on-campus dance club, they worked to create the club, which was established earlier this semester. “I wanted to have that atmosphere where, yes, it’s West Coast Swing, and it’s a very specific dance, but … anybody can do it, whether you’ve danced your whole life or you’ve never danced before,” Madden said. The club advocates for inexperienced dancers to step out of their comfort zones and try out niche clubs across campus — beyond theirs. “You’re only in college once,” Madden said. “You never know what can be what changes your life for the better.” Manning started dancing just six months ago after a suggestion
from Madden. He said he’s happy to see himself among the club’s new members. “Four weeks ago, we had our first class, and I watch 17 other students do the exact same thing, and they all have that nervous look, those butterflies in their stomach that we all have, but by the end of the night, you know, those butterflies, they’re gone, just completely,” Manning said. The club opens its meetings up with an icebreaker activity, doing something traditionally embarrassing to champion their philosophy of encouraging members to do their best to “embrace the awkward.” “We’re cultivating a culture that is safe. We’re cultivating culture where it’s okay to make mistakes; it’s okay to be wrong,” Madden said. “You don’t have to understand dance and body movement. You don’t have to understand tempo. You’ll learn — that’s the whole point of this journey. I think it’s important for a lot of people to realize that you’re not going to be perfect.”
Before the city entered stage two, residents were encouraged to reduce water voluntarily. Bryer said he and his team had been “proactive” in saving energy and water. They did this by changing traditionally green spots into dryscape areas, opting for rocks instead of plants. Rock gardens are more expensive at first due to the cost of the material, the labor to replace the gardens, putting down fabric and placing the rocks. Bryer stressed the long-term cost savings versus a traditional lawn, though. “We’ve converted about 80 (landscaping) beds from areas that used to require lots of fresh water, pesticide, herbicide (and) fertilizer,” he said. “Well, now those areas require nothing but to let Mother Nature take its course and rain once in a while.” Bryer also noted the university’s transition to more native greenery. “A good example to look at would be everything in the wild grow area in front of Woolsey (Hall). That is all native scape,” Bryer said. “Those were all plants that were selected because they thrive in our geographic area.” Sean Wentling is the president of WSU’s Green Group, a student organization that focuses on educating people on intersectional environmentalism. He emphasized the importance of vegetation on campus. “All the greenery, shrubbery, bushes and trees around campus provide, you know, mental health benefits, but also aesthetic benefits for the campus; it makes it look pretty, and it makes it look like a campus to which you would like to attend school,” Wentling said. While the university was working to transition several elements in preparation for the drought, Bryer said it was “still watering on a pretty aggressive schedule,” about four to five days a week.
SEE “DROUGHT” PAGE 2