Issuu

OPINON | 3

SPORTS | 4

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT | 6

COLLABORATIVE

BASEBALL

FEARLESS

The Wichita Journalism collaborative to launch mental health project.

Shockers win the first game inside Riverfront Stadium.

Editor in Chief Lindsay Smith reviews Taylor Swift’s rerecorded album

WICHITA STATE’S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1896 MONDAY

Volume 125

www.thesunflower.com

April 12, 2021

Issue 23

WSUPD: Mental health calls up by 1% compared to 2020 The low number of .7% in 2020 could be due to the less populated campus, Police Chief Rodney Clark said. BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_KSmith

Mental health has been a recurrent topic among college students the past year. In a semester with no spring break, many students have experienced extra stress surrounding school work and are feeling buried and behind. These mental health topics have continued to circulate around many areas of the WSU community, including the campus crime log. According to the campus police crime log, in the period of March 14-24, the police responded to four mental health calls. The Wichita State campus police department has seen a 1% increase in mental health calls compared to 2020. Campus Police Chief Rodney Clark said this could be due to the less amount of students on campus in 2020. “In 2020, obviously was one of those years where the pandemic affected students not being on campus a lot,” Clark said. “So naturally you would think our cases would go down, and they did.” In 2019, 3.6% of the department’s cases were flagged as mental health emergencies. In 2020, it was only .7%, and in 2021 so far it is 1.7%. Clark said that 2021’s number could easily change. “Obviously 2021 is still young,” Clark said. Clark said that every officer is trained

“In 2020, obviously was one of those years where the pandemic affected students not being on campus a lot” RODNEY CLARK WSU Police Chief

to be able to properly identify a case as a mental health emergency. “Once a citizen makes a call, the police are obligated by law to respond to a call. So then you show up on scene and you investigate,” Clark said. “The police are not doctors, but every police officer in the state of Kansas goes through some kind of mental health training as part of the police academy. So you’re not able to diagnose, but you’re able to tell like, something’s off or something’s not right.” Clark said that the police department is in constant communication with resources around campus to ensure that students are provided the proper care. “[After investigating] that’s when you can reach out to further resources, we work with CAPS, we work with the CARE team routinely on trying to address these,” he said. The university recently announced that they are planning to return to

ILLUSTRATION BY THY VO / THE SUNFLOWER

post-pandemic normal starting June 1— which means in-person classes, less remote learning and no COVID19 safety mandates, like enforced mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines. Clark said that even if operations are back to normal next semester, it is still hard to predict what that would mean for the number of mental health calls the department will receive. “I would think it would be a mix,”

Clark said. “Some people are happy to come back to classes, because for some people being at home and the isolation and all that they want that in-person experience. There’s some people on the other side of the equation that are more fearful and timid about coming back to campus, it’s a mixed bag. “If you have both sides, I don’t know which one’s higher. The law of averages is it would even out, and I would think we would go back to normal numbers.”

Student body president, VP elect humbled to serve BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_KSmith

Rija Khan and Kamilah Gumbs were elected student body president and vice president, respectively, with 95.6% of the vote. They were uncontested. This will be Khan’s second year serving as student body president after first being elected last year with current vice president Mackenzie Haas. She said she is humbled to get another chance to serve. “The first thing was the feeling of humbleness … it’s very much on the side of people believe the work I did was good that they wanted to see me in this role again, that feeling was the most humbling one,” Khan said. “Yes, I’m happy, I’m excited— but first and foremost I am humbled to get to do the work I do.” Khan said that getting to spend more time in office to complete the work her session has started is crucial. “365 days, that is all I had in my first term, but now the time has doubled … now I have 730 days in office,” Khan said. “I’m ready to move into this next session and expand on the work that has been started to start those new

initiatives.” This will be Gumbs’ first year as vice president. Gumbs said that as an international student, she was even more honored to be elected. “I take it as an honor because I feel like, it’s really cool especially since I’m not one of your traditional students as an international student,” Gumbs said. “It’s kind of awesome to see that I’ve made it into this position.” Gumbs said she is excited to use her role as vice president to be a voice for the students who sometimes feel voiceless. “I’ll be in a lot more meetings, be in a lot more spaces that students aren’t usually in and I’m excited to be that representative in those different meetings … and just doing the work that needs to be done,” Gumbs said. Before Khan and Gumbs launched their campaign they spent a large amount of time listing issues the student body faced. Khan said that through that process, her and Gumbs became even more excited about the work they hoped to do. “When we were writing these down, I still remember the initial process of talking about issues and talking about how frustrated we were,” Khan said. “We have many

/ The Sunflower

@sunflowernews

COURTESY OF KHAN AND GUMBS KAMILAH GUMBS, LEFT, AND RIJA KHAN, RIGHT, WERE ELECTED STUDENT BODY VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENT, RESPECTIVELY

goals we ended up with, but when we wrote down the solutions … we became even more passionate about every single one.” Gumbs said she will be a vice president that is always available for discussions with the student body. “I will always be a champion for them, even if they see me in person, even if I don’t recognize them, please don’t hesitate to @thesunflowernews

contact me,” Gumbs said. “I’m always willing to have conversations with anyone about any issue. Of course, we’ll try to work to make it better because the end goal is to make sure WSU is better for all students.” Khan said that the student government office will remain open to any student. “I really, really hope the student body continues to engage with

us, because at the end of the day, the student government may have its leaders, but the only reason student government existed and the way it exists is because every single student is part of the student government,” Khan said. “I hope that every single student always feels welcome in this office space where they can come to us with any issue.”

2 | MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021

NEWS

STUDENT SENATE PASSES 1% STUDENT FEES INCREASE

This week’s weather in brief

BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com

The Student Senate passed the student services fee bill during their meeting Wednesday. The bill includes a 1% student fees increase for every tier one student— an undergraduate student enrolled in nine credits or more. “Looking at the whole bill … Everyone that came to request money from this bill had to be brought down something,” Senator John Kirk, who served on the student fees committee, said. “This is going to significantly help the students.” Counseling and Prevention Services, Rhatigan Student Center, The Sunflower and Shift Space Gallery were the line items that received their full request. The

ILLUSTRATION BY THY VO

Source: iPhone weather app

Office of Disability Services was the only line item to receive more than their original request. Their original request was for $112,912, and they received $137,912— in order to be able to fund their Passage2Success program. “On the whole this was done really well, and the student fees committee did an excellent job making due with what they had,” Senator Jacob Tubach said. “This is a good compromise and a good way to move us in the direction we need to be moving with student fees.” The student fees bill was debated on by the student fees committee in March. It was presented to the student senate for a three-read process before ultimately being voted on Wednesday.

Barton International Group gives students the opportunity to work for local businesses in Wichita BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE copyeditor@thesunflower.com / @JuliaNightengale

College is for opportunities, experiences, friendships and gaining knowledge in the classroom. Many students strive to make professional relationships, jobs and partnerships before they even graduate. The Barton International Group is here to help those students. The Barton International Group (BIG), a student-led consulting firm that provides students opportunities to work with clients like Koch industries and Qdoba, has been at Wichita State since 2008. Tyler Stice, the business development director said that they work with a diverse selection of businesses. “We do anything from feasibility studies, which is determining if a new product or service is going to be viable and generate money for the owners,” Stice said. “We do smaller projects, like preparing marketing materials such as brochures, marketing plans, and helping people manage their social media.” They also focus on market research— if a client wants more information about a certain market, the group can research that for them and provide them with all the information they need. The group has 22 members in four different departments, including the faculty advisor Kate Kung-McIntyre. BIG has an organizational structure with different positions held by students, from executive officers to general associates, and runs as much like a normal business as possible. Bailey Adkins, the CEO, works closely as a team with the vice president, and is responsible for outward communication while the vice president is in charge of internal communication. He has the final sign off on proposals and statements of work with businesses to make sure everything

“[BIG] really helped me with how to conduct myself in a professional manner publicly and how to talk with strangers.” BAILY ADKINS CEO of BIG

is good to go and works with the vice president to run meetings or schedule individual meetings with members. They are in charge of providing a sense of direction for where the group is headed in the future and planning and executing long-term goals. They also ensure the success of each individual in BIG. “Personally, I have been in BIG for a little over three years and the leadership skills that I have been able to develop have been really important … The networking skills that I developed increased my communication skills,” Adkins said. “It really helped me with how to conduct myself in a professional manner publicly and how to talk with strangers.” Stice said that the businesses development department is in charge of getting things started. They attend networking events, generate the leads and assign them to teams who work together on the proposal and finish the project. His department also sets strategies for how to become better as an organization, such as switching from Google Drive to Microsoft Sharepoint. “My weekly tasks are usually designing the agenda for our weekly meetings and I am also in charge of appointing the project team and project leads to go with each project,” Stice said. Stice said that BIG has given him the opportunity for corporate leadership experience and setting corporate goals. Being able to lead teams of employees, projects, and managing client and corporate relations is leadership experience he wouldn’t get in a classroom.

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

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

LEGAL One free copy of The Sunflower is available to members of the WSU community. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 in the newsroom, Elliott Hall 019. The Sunflower is private property and unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable. The Sunflower is funded by a combination of print and online advertisment sales and student fees allocated by the Student Government Association. The Sunflower is a member of Kansas Collegiate Media, the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Association. Copyright © 2021 The Sunflower. This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted.

COURTESY OF BARTON INTERNATIONAL GROUP

Truc Nguyen, marketing director of BIG said she is responsible for facilitating and coordinating both digital and physical marketing efforts, including social media, content making, and networking events with a team of four people. She is also part of a pro-bono project for a local business in Wichita that meets every Wednesday 7-9 p.m and attends general meetings on Sundays 5-9 p.m. “BIG has definitely helped me a lot in gaining professional experience that allows me to take initiative that makes me stand out to employers … I’m learning a lot from my classes, but I believe in hands-on experience and applying those theories and concepts from my classes to the projects we do,” Nguyen said. “It has given me a push and I’ve gained a lot of experience working with data, being able to work with actual numbers.” Adkins said that BIG is one of or maybe the only organization on campus that works for real-world

companies that is not directly funded by that group’s home university. The group does not receive any financial support from the university; the group depends on the charitable contributions from the projects that they do for companies. They also get money from the formal dean Doug and Janie Hensler endowment funds. “The charitable contributions that we generate are all used to pay for things like our website, marketing tools, events, and traveling,” Adkins said. “We are completely non-profit and it all goes full circle that everyone can benefit from.” Instead of earning a salary for their work in the organization, the charitable contributions generated from their work with businesses is used to travel internationally and domestically. In 2019, the group went to China and a majority of the trip was paid for with stipend points from members. “On the trips, we tour businesses while we are there and get a wider perspective of how different

EDITOR IN CHIEF Lindsay Smith editor@thesunflower.com

COPY EDITOR Julia Nightengale copyeditor@thesunflower.com

OPINION EDITOR Audrey Korte opinion@thesunflower.com

DIGITAL PHOTO EDITOR Khanh Nguyen photoeditor@thesunflower.com

SPORTS EDITOR Sean Marty sports@thesunflower.com

PRINT PHOTO EDITOR Kaylee Stout photos@thesunflower.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Tabitha Barr arts@thesunfower.com

PODCAST DIRECTOR Audrey Korte podcast@thesunflower.com

FACULTY ADVISOR Amy DeVault amy.devault@wichita.edu

ADVERTISING MANAGER Noah Merrell admanager@thesunflower.com

businesses operate in different environments,” Stice said. Adkins said that when COVID19 started, they were in the middle of a project but were able to complete it easily virtually. He said that even though they haven’t been able to travel, they can now bring in guest speakers every week and get the same learning experience. If students are interested in joining, they can find an application on their website at www. bartoninternationalgroup.com. Annual recruitment for BIG starts in the fall semester and any student from any major can join. “We really believe that having a diverse group of students from different fields will provide a lot of value to BIG,” Adkins said. “We want graphic design, art, engineering students, everyone we can because it provides more perspective and more avenues of finding solutions to problems.”

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

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

Corrections

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

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021 | 3

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Opinion

HAVE AN OPINION?

contact The Sunflower’s opinion editor, Audrey Korte opinion@thesunflower.com

A letter for graduate student appreciation

Street DO YOU FEEL SAFE KNOWING WSU LIFTED ALL COVID-19 MANDATES?

LETTER TO THE EDITOR ILLUSTRATION BY MADELINE DEABLER / WICHITA JOURNALISM COLLABORATIVE

ELIZABETH KRATOCHVI Freshman, nursing

“Yes and no, no because it still puts people at risk for being exposed but also it allows people to know who they’re talking to and what they look like.”

Wichita Journalism Collaborative to focus on mental health topics FROM THE WICHITA JOURNALISM COLLABORATIVE

GABY LAMPE

Freshman, exercise science “Yes and no, no mostly because most people aren’t fully vaccinated, which is a little scary for me because I have a poor immune system. And yes because it’s getting back to a sense of normal..”

TYLER KUESER

Sophomore, vocal music education “I definitely feel like it’s too early to be lifting restrictions. I think that masks and social distancing should be enforced until more people are fully vaccinated.”

MASON VIETTI

Sophomore, media arts “While I do not think lifting the mask mandate is at all smart or safe ... I’m in good health and vaccinated so I do not think I’m really at risk, but I worry for my friends and fellow students who are not eligible for the vaccine. ”

GABE CRUTCHLY

Freshman, flute performance “I don’t believe the lifting of the mask mandate was a good idea. However, most of the WSU community is helping make me feel safe, as the general idea seems to be wear your mask at least until you get vaccinated. ”

After a year of navigating the disruptions fostered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the spring of 2021 promises to be the start of a cautious reopening. But mental health experts say the wounds of the past year could remain with us for quite some time. The Wichita Journalism Collaborative is asking Sedgwick County residents to complete a brief survey that will help us understand our collective experiences. Many of us have suffered staggering loss of life and livelihood over the past year. Nearly 5,000 families in Kansas have lost a loved one to COVID-19. Even more have lost jobs and financial stability in the ensuing recession. Isolated from family and friends, residents in long-term care facilities went nearly a year without outside visitors. Children lost the normalcy of going to school. Many lost the communalcelebration of milestones, such as graduations and weddings, and others were deprived of traditional funerals, where they would have grieved with family and friends. We have suffered loss, and that loss took a toll. Mental health experts say the implications of prolonged isolation won’t disappear with the virus.In fact, the mental health strain brought on and exacerbated by the pandemic will likely linger for years. But this shared experience of physical isolation seems to have helped more people open up about what’s going on inside their heads. Many of us have struggled, and we’ve been more willing to admit that because we know we’re not alone. As we re-emerge from life in a pandemic and begin healing from our collective loss, how do we keep people talking openly about mental health? How do we build off that momentum to eradicate the stigma that has long surrounded mental illness and break down the barriers to accessible mental health care? Over the next few months, the Wichita Journalism Collaborative will explore the social acceptability of mental health care, access to treatment and the challenge of affordability. But to do our work well, we’ll need the help of readers like you. The Collaborative is a coalition of local newsrooms and community institutions that launched this past spring, just as the pandemic began interrupting daily life. The Collaborative launched with the help of a $100,000 grant from the Solutions Journalism Network, based in New York City. Since the pandemic hit, the Collaborative has been focused on maximizing coverage of COVID-19’s impact on the community. But we also have an emphasis on a very specific type of coverage called Solutions Journalism, which focuses on covering the responses to social problems. That can be particularly helpful with a taboo topic such as mental health, where the problem can seem overwhelming and intractable.

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

WJC MEDIA PARTNERS: The Active Age, The Community Voice, Kansas Leadership Center’s The Journal, KMUW, KSN, The Sunflower and The Wichita Eagle

COMMUNITY PARTNERS: AB&C Bilingual Resources, Elliott School of Communication, and the Wichita Public Library

TAKE THE SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ wjcmentalhealthsurvey

Mental health experts say the implications of prolonged isolation won’t disappear with the virus. In fact, the mental health strain brought on and exacerbated by the pandemic will likely linger for years.

Unlike the virus, there’s no vaccine available for treating the mental health challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. Americans’ assessment of their own mental health is that it “is worse than it has been at any point in the last two decades,” according to Gallup, and both adults and high school students are increasingly concerned about their own mental health. Wichita even reported an increase in suicides compared to the previous year, although preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show suicides nationwide declining by about 6% in 2020. The Collaborative endeavors to get beyond those headlines by exploring how Sedgwick County residents and organizations are coping with the mental health burdens of the pandemic and how they are renewing the community’s social fabric. You can help by taking our short survey designed to help us understand more about how your social connections have been affected by the pandemic and what questions and concerns you have about mental health and the pandemic. The survey can be completed anonymously, but you’ll be given the option to provide your contact information so that a reporter may contact you. Nothing you submit will be disclosed without your consent. This is a time of hope and optimism as we emerge from the worst of the pandemic, but there’s no denying that there will still be much to grapple with for months and likely years to come. But digging deeply into the topic of renewing our social fabric, the Collaborative hopes to demonstrate the power of news and information to shine a light on what’s necessary to help us heal and reconnect after a year driven apart.

For the better part of my twenties, I have been a graduate student. Graduate school is many things –exhilarating, exciting, challenging – but it can also be lonely, isolating and have a significantemotional toll. That there is a mental health crisis in graduate education cannot be denied. A study among Economics PhD students found that graduate students are three times more likely than the average American to suffer from moderate or severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. Another study among PhD students in Belgium found they were more than twice as likely to have mental-health difficulties as the highly-educated population in general. Alarming as these numbers may be, to graduate students they are not surprising at all. Of course, this is not the story of every graduate student. Many of us have excellent advisors and thesupport of great departments. But the fact that a sizeable minority of graduate students’ mental health is suffering indicates that there are flaws in our education system. By the time we notice these flaws, most of us are almost at the point of graduation. How then does change come about if this cyclesimply continues? Universities, Wichita State among them, need to start doing more for graduate student welfare. A first step is to ensure that being overworked and underpaid as a graduate student is no longer the norm. Recent increases in some PhD student stipends is a welcome move, but there is much, much more to do to ensure that graduate students aren’t struggling to make ends meet while teaching classes and performing research. A second step is to ensure that graduate students have a voice and that they have a seat at the table when decisions that impact them are being made. With the newly formed Graduate Student Council, we finally have a body comprised of graduate students that understands the unique challenges of being one and can advocate for all graduate students. This Graduate Student Appreciation Week, it is my hope that there is renewed effort by the university in addressing why graduate school takes a mental health toll on its students. This is a comple problem with many underlying factors and will not be solved overnight. That shouldn’t faze us though. We are, after all, a university, and this is precisely the type of problem we train to solve. - Vijay Matheswaran is a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering and Vice-President of theGraduate Student Council (GSC). All views are his own and do not necessarily represent that of the GSC.

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

Lindsay Smith: Plants make me happy. Tabitha Barr: Big Time Rush is better than iCarly. Sean Marty: Hideki Matsuyama is my hero. Julia Nightengale: My condolonces to all students taking summer classes.

4 | MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021

WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM

Sports

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

GRAND OPENING

COURTESY PHOTO BY KHANH NGUYEN

Riverfront Stadium, home of the Wichita Wind Surge, held its first game on April 10.

Wichita State baseball debuts Riverfront Stadium with win against Houston BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty

fter two years in the making, Riverfront Stadium saw its first action in downtown Wichita on Saturday. Wichita State won the inaugural game at the new downtown stadium, defeating Houston 10-1. The victory extended WSU’s winning streak to six games, with all six wins coming over the Cougars. Head Coach Eric Wedge said that it was special for the Shockers to be a part of the first game at the new stadium. “It was a privilege, an honor to have an opportunity to be a part of this,” Wedge said. “I just love the fans of Wichita and the fact that they showed up today and had a great time for all nine innings. I thank the Wind Surge for giving us this opportunity here.” 7,509 fans turned for the debut of Riverfront Stadium, which was the seventh-highest in WSU baseball single-game history. “I was just happy for our guys,” Wedge said. “I was happy for our fellas, that they got to play in front of that many fans. It’s always a little more meaningful when you’re

“It was a privledge, an honor to have an opportunity to be a part of this... I thank the Wind Surge for giving us this opportunity here.” ERIC WEDGE Head Coach

playing in front of your fans and they pack the stadium like they did today.” Paxton Wallace launched the first ever home run in the stadium’s history, with a two-run shot over the right-center field wall that gave the Shockers an early 2-0 inning in the first inning. “It was like ‘wow’, that’s the best way to put it,” Wallace said. “When I hit it and knew it had a good chance of going out, whenever I saw it go over the wall, it was the best feeling ever. Especially when the place erupted with all those people. It was incredible.” Wallace said it was an amazing experience to play in front of this

kind of crowd. “It was incredible, we definitely heard them the whole time,” Wallace said. “It was awesome having that kind of noise after every big play and every big swing and man, we enjoyed it. Those are the games you live for.” Wallace said it was a special feeling knowing WSU would be the first team to play on it. “This place is awesome,” Wallace said. “I was pumped we were the first team to get to play on it. Practicing there with nobody there it was like ‘this is the real deal.’” Jace Kaminska, Carney, Kansas native, earned the start for the Shockers and delivered a complete game. Kaminska became the first Shocker freshman to throw a nine-inning complete game since Jordan Cooper did so in 2009. Kaminska also became the first WSU pitcher since Clayton McGinness in 2019 to throw a complete game. “Going into this game, I knew we were playing here but I didn’t know I would be the one throwing the game,” Kaminska said. “It’s cool being the local kid getting to pitch against a good team and getting

PHOTO BY KAYLEE STOUT / THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State freshman, Jace Kaminska pitches the ball during a game against Houston at Riverfront Stadium on April 10.

the first win in the new stadium. It’s awesome.” In Kaminska’s nine innings, he allowed one earned run on six hits with a career-high seven strikeouts in the victory. “At practice all week, they were telling me there was going to be 7,000 people and I didn’t believe it all week,” he said. “Then when I finally got out there after warming up and stuff, and saw 7,000, it’s hard not to let them get to you. It just depends on how you use it.”

With the victory over the Cougars, the Shockers improve its record to 18-9 on the season with a 6-1 start in conference play. Kaminska said that the team is starting to click over this last stretch of play. “We’re starting to come together,” Kaminska said. “Pitching has stepped up a lot and position guys are getting timely hits and any big play in the field we’re making them, not a lot of errors just playing baseball.”

Shockers sweep Houston, extend winning streak to seven games BY JOE BAKER joebakerwsu@gmail.com / @JoeBakerWSU

Wichita State Shocker baseball swept the Houston Cougars in their four-game series this weekend. With the four victories, the Shockers have a 19-9 overall record and possess a 7-1 record in American Athletic Conference play. The Shocker offense produced double-digit run totals in three out of the four games this weekend. The Shockers and Cougars squared off for a doubleheader on Friday afternoon at Eck Stadium. Senior right-handed pitcher Preston Snavely was the starting pitcher in game one of the doubleheader. Snavely threw seven innings, striking out seven and allowing two earned runs. Snavely was credited with the win on the mound, moving his record to 3-1 on the season. Garrett Kocis made an impact in game one of the doubleheader, recording three hits including a double and three runs batted in. Freshman outfielder Seth Stroh hit a homerun with three RBIs.

PHOTO BY KAYLEE STOUT / THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State junior, Hunter Gibson is up to bat during a game against Houston at Riverfront Stadium on April 10.

The Shockers had a six run sixth inning, which propelled them to win the first game 10-2. Liam Eddy would get the start on the mound for the Shockers in the second game on Friday. Eddy was sensational on the mound,

striking out a career-high 11 and only allowing two hits and one earned run. Eddy pitched eight innings, which tied his career high. The Shocker bats continued to stay hot into the night. Couper Cornblum and Jack Sigrist each

had four hits. Sigrist recorded two extra-base hits with a double and a triple. The Cougars got out to a 1-0 lead after the top of the first inning. However, the Shockers would score seven unanswered runs to lead

them to a 7-1 victory over Houston. Spencer Hynes was the starting pitcher for Wichita State on Sunday in the final game of the four-game series. Hynes tossed five innings of baseball allowing two runs on five hits and striking out four Cougars. Hynes was credited with his third win of the season and his record is now 3-1. Wichita State got their bats going immediately on Sunday with a four run bottom of the first. Corrigan Bartlett hit a tworun single to right field. David VanVooren hit a RBI double and Seth Stroh hit a RBI single to cap off the bottom of the first. In Sunday’s 13-2 run-rule victory, Hunter Gibson recorded three hits at the dish. Freshman infielder Derek Shaver hit a grand slam. Wichita State is currently on a seven-game winning streak. This weekend, Wichita State will travel down to the Bayou state to square off against the Tulane Green Wave in a four-game series. Wichita State and Tulane will kick the series off with a doubleheader on Friday, April 16 at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

SPORTS

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021 | 5

Softball collects second straight series sweep

PHOTO BY KAYLEE STOUT / THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State junior, Margaux Thompson takes off during a pole vault event at a track meet at Cessna Stadium on March 27.

Shockers impress during Wichita State Open BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty

PHOTO BY MONIQUE GAINES / THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State junior Bailee Nickerson slides onto home plate during the game against Houston at Wilkins Stadium on April 9, 2021.

BY EMMIE BOESE elboese15@gmail.com / @elboese15

The Wichita State women’s softball team clinched another conference series sweep against Houston this weekend. Their overall record is 28-5 and they are 11-1 in conference play. The Shockers got close to breaking the single season home run record in game one of the doubleheader on Friday as they went on to defeat the Cougars, 13-5 with a run-rule. The Shockers currently have a team combined 59 home runs. Senior catcher Madison Perrigan got her first grand slam of the season in game one. Sophomore designated hitter Lauren Mills hit a grand slam as well. Despite Houston scoring the first run of the game in the opening frame, the Shockers responded quickly in the bottom of the first with a single from freshman right fielder Addison Barnard and an RBI triple from Perrigan. After the 1st, the Shockers didn’t let up by scoring four runs in the bottom of the 2nd. The Shockers tallied on five more runs in the bottom of the 5th to give them the win. Senior pitcher Bailey Lange, started in the circle for the Shockers. She allowed five runs on three hits. She struck out seven batters and had four walks. In game two of the doubleheader, the Shockers started out hot in the bottom of the 1st. Sophomore shortstop Sydney McKinney started the scoring for the Shockers by scoring on a single. Perrigan finished off the 1st with a solo home run. Houston responded with a two-run home run in the top of the 2nd. By the top of the 4th, Houston took the lead. However, the Shockers responded with two runs scored in the bottom of the 4th. McKinney had a two-run home run to highlight the inning. The Shockers scored one run in the bottom of the 5th, and three in the 6th to give them the 8-3 victory. Junior pitcher Erin McDonald started for the Shockers in game two. McDonald allowed three runs on three hits, along with three walks. Junior pitcher Caitlin Bingham finished the game out. She allowed four runs on four hits, and had two strikeouts. In game three of the series on Saturday, the Shockers won their eight straight game, 11-2. Perrigan started it off for WSU by scoring on an RBI double. The Shockers scored six runs in the bottom of the 2nd. One of those runs came from a solo home run from McKinney. This gave McKinney two home runs on the day. Head coach Kristi Bredbenner had a lot of positive things to say after starting out 3-0 in a conference series. “We’ve done a great job of battling back after some of those misses. I think hitting wise we are doing a great job of executing our plan and barreling balls up,” Bredbenner said. That’s probably

PHOTOS BY MONIQUE GAINES / THE SUNFLOWER

Top: Wichita State junior Neleigh Herring cerlebrates a third out during the game against Houston at Wilkins Stadium on April 9, 2021. Bottom: Wichita State senior Madison Perrigan celebrates a grand slam with teammates during the game against Houston at Wilkins Stadium on April 9, 2021.

the thing that I feel best about between everything, our offense is just exploding. If you look at it, our defense has just been great .. made some great plays.” The Shockers scored four runs in the bottom of the 5th to set the run-rule. Barnard hit a home run in the bottom 5th. Junior first baseman Neleigh Herring hit a walk-off two-run shot to seal the win. Lange got the start again in the circle. She allowed two runs on three hits and struck out five. In the final game of the series, the Shockers continued with good offensive play at the plate, with a 10-7 win. Senior center fielder Bailee Nickerson hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 1st, to give the Shockers a 4-0 lead. Nickerson said the environment of the team this year is fun to play with, and leads to them being successful. “We are so in the groove,” Nickerson said. “It’s really fun to play with a team that’s ready to go all the time.” Houston tied the game up by the top of the 5th. However, the Shockers scored four runs in the

bottom of the 5th. WSU scored two home runs in the 5th. Mills, and senior second baseman Kaylee Huecker both had a home run each. Houston scored three more runs in the top of the 6th but it was not enough. The Shockers scored two more runs in the bottom of the 6th. Barnard hit her 16th home run. She is now tied for the single season home run record. Lange started for the Shockers in the circle. She threw for 4.0 innings. Lange allowed three runs on five hits, and struck out two. Bredbenner said that she is glad to see her team doing so well to starting off hot early in the season, and hopes they are still in a groove. “You hope so,” Bredbenner said. “We worried in this season that we were peaking a little too soon.” The Shockers will play the University of Missouri Kansas City in a double - header on Tuesday, April 13 at Wilkins Stadium. The first game will start at 4 p.m.

For the second time this spring, the Track and Field program hosted an outdoor event with the Wichita State Open taking place at Cessna Stadium on Saturday. Director of Track and Field Steve Rainbolt said he was impressed with the performance on Saturday. “I was really happy with the run from Tanner Brown in the 100 meters,” Rainbolt said. “We had some really good 800-meter races. I was pleased with the women’s sprinters. Dowdy Elazarig had a really nice long jump. All around the track we had good things happen. I feel like we had a nice, solid track meet.” Michael Bryan broke the school record in the hammer throw on Saturday for the third consecutive week. Bryan’s throw of 70.15m/230-2 earned him the victory in the event. Bryan now sits at No. 5 in the country after Saturday’s performance. Bryan’s latest mark is tops in the American Athletic Conference and second-best in the West Region. “I’m obviously really excited about Michael Bryan,” Rainbolt said. “He just keeps getting better and better. He’s having a special season. They’re even more special because he has worked so hard and come so far. He’s improved so much since he got here.” In other performances, Tanner Brown ran a time of 10.47 in the 100 meters. That time is sixth best in the conference and No. 70 in the nation. Brown ultimately pulled his hamstring in the long jump later on Saturday. Dowdy Elazarig collected a personal best with a distance of 7.38m/24-2.50. Elazarig is now tied for 68th in the NCAA and second in the conference. In the 800 meters, the Shockers performed well on both the men’s and women’s side. For the

men’s, Zack Penrod, Jed Helker, Josh Cable and Adam Moore all finished in the top-six. Cable set a personal best with a time of 1:53.68 Yazmine Wright won the 800 meters on the women’s side with a time of 2:10.85. Sharon Kiprop also finished in the top-10 in the event with a time of 2:17.49. “Track and Field is always some good and some not so good, it’s just the nature of track and field,” Rainbolt said. “Throughout the season, we compete in the occasional team scored track meet but generally, we’re preparing for a championship event.” Rainbolt said this event served as a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the AAC Outdoor Championships next month. “All of these track meets are meaningful and they all count, they’re all important. For us coaches, we’ve been doing this long enough to know that it’s what you might think of a dress rehearsal. This is a dress rehearsal for the championship event. We’re trying to get them ready for the championship meet.” Rainbolt said these races can be especially important for athletes hoping to earn a spot on the conference roster or qualify for the NCAA Tournament. “These are important races,” Rainbolt said. “They’re important because maybe an athlete can get a qualifier for the NCAA. Maybe athletes are trying to compete for spots on the conference roster, we can only take 30 to the conference championships and we probably got 40 men and 40 women competing for those 30 spots on each side.” Next up, the Shockers will have three different events taking place at Cessna Stadium next week. The KT Woodman Multis will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, the Shocker Pre-State Challenge on Thursday and Friday, and the KT Woodman Classic will wrap up the week on Saturday.

WICHITA STATE OPEN RESULTS MEN’S

WOMEN’S

400 Meters 5. Adam Gauzy - 48.86

200 Meters 2. Paula Garcia - 24.23 3. Jacque Darby - 24.67 6. Faith Turner - 25.00

100 Meters 1. Tanner Brown - 10.47

800 Meters 2. Zack Penrod - 1:52.10 4. Jed Helker - 1:53.55 5. Josh Cable - 1:53.68 6. Adam Moore - 1:53.77 110-Meter Hurdles 2. Joseph Holthusen - 14.37 3. Jaleel Montgomery - 14.90 400-Meter Hurdles 2. Yuben Goncalves - 54.40 3. Antonio Norman - 54.48 Long Jump 1. Dowdy Elazarig - 7.38m/24-2.50 8. Tanner Brown - 6.67m/21-10.75 Hammer Throw 1. Michael Bryan - 70.15m/230-2 8. Aidan Camp - 52.22m/171-4 Shot Put 1. Cory Martens - 16.84m/55-3 7. Dae’Trell Gordon - 15.13m/49-7.75 High Jump 1. Brady Palen - 2.00m/6-6.75 4. Weston Lewis - 2.00m/6-6.75 5. Davis Dubert - 2.00m/6-6.75

100 Meters 1. Paula Garcia - 11.68

400 Meters 1. Taniyah McMilan - 56.94 800 Meters 1. Yazmine Wright - 2:10.85 1, 500 Meters 1. Rebekah Topham - 4:23.22 2. Yazmine Wright - 4:23.33 100-Meter Hurdles 1. Anycia Cole - 14.58 400-Meter Hurdles 1. Claudia Rojo - 1:00.85 2. Daysha Bullocks - 1:02.69 Triple Jump 2. Faith Turner - 11.81m/38-9 3. Ezinne Okoro - 11.79m/38-8.25 Shot Put 2. Amanda Kakoulias - 13.97m/45-10 3. Anna Zimmer - 13.55m/44-5.50 Discus 2. Amanda Kakoulias - 41.08m/134-9 3. Alex Adams - 40.97m/134-5

6 | MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2020

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Arts & Entertainment

Big Time Rush is back in a Big Time way

HAVE A STORY IDEA?

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

Rating Fearless (Taylor’s Version) re-recordings BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_ KSmith

COURTESY PHOTO

BY WYMAN WHEELER wjwheeler@shockers.wichita.edu

Netflix has released yet another beloved Nickelodeon classic on its service. Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan have made their way to the mother of all streaming services to the delight of many college students in the 2009 series, “Big Time Rush” “Big Time Rush” focuses on four hockey players from Minnesota who get whisked away to Hollywood to form a boyband. Throughout the show, Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan get into several wacky adventures and encounter crazy characters including their eccentric manager Gustavo. Kendall is the leader, James is the hot one, Carlos is the fun one, and Logan is the smart one. Each of their personalities mix together to create a great bond and friendship. The show is goofy in tone, more so than “iCarly”, which was also recently released on Netflix. Sound effects are used frequently to enhance the comedic timing of the show which often comes across as cheesy. Similarly to when “iCarly” made its Netflix debut, “Big Time Rush” has been bringing nostalgia to college age adults who watched the show when they were in elementary school. The show struck a chord with Wichita State University student Sophia Pickett. Sophia has not revisited the show since its Netflix release, but she is fascinated by the idea of what the show represents

“I would start dancing in my grave. One of the most inconic tunes of our time.” SOPHIA PICKETT

and the effect it has had on pop culture. “You could sing those five notes [referring to the beginning of the show’s theme song] and I would start dancing in my grave. One of the most iconic tunes of our time.” There is even a Big Time Movie where Big Time Rush saves the world while singing The Beatles songs. It adds to the craziness of the normal BTR episodes, but it brings you into a new world. The show has reached its audience on Netflix. The streaming giant released “Big Time Rush” on March 26, and two weeks later it is the tenth most streamed show on the service. Their music goes through different tones and they have three albums. All of their music is on any streaming platforms to go rock to. Big Time Rush is their first one with all of their popular starting hits. Elevate, their second album is a bop in itself and can excite any dance floor. 24/Seven is fun, upbeat and full of vibes. While unapologetically silly, the show is undeniably the nostalgia-filled guilty pleasure the world needs.

Taylor Swift did it again. Except this time, it isn’t a new album. It’s an old album with a new flare. “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” is a re-recorded version of Swift’s second album and the first one that got her an album of the year award from the Grammy’s. Swift is reliving her 2008 glory days by re-releasing this album right when Swifties need it the most. Here is my top five listing of Swift’s Fearless re-recordings. Keep in mind that this list does not include Swift’s new from the vault tracks. In fact— those might need an article on their own.

5) BREATHE (FEATURING COLBIE CAILLAT) Picture this. Christmas 2018, 10 years after the release of the original version of this album. 17-year-old Lindsay just lost her best friend and she’s feeling heartbroken and hopeless. The bridge of Breathe comes on, and Lindsay lets herself feel the pain that she is feeling at that exact moment. “It’s 2am, feeling like I just lost a friend…..” Now picture this. 2021 Lindsay. In a completely different situation than 2018, living her life to its full potential and plugging her earbuds in to relive the same emotions she felt in 2018. Except this time, it’s so much better. Swift did an amazing job bringing the same pain that can be felt in the first one and making it even more vulnerable in this re-recording. Not only did Swift return back and better than ever, but also Colbie Caillat, who was not only featured in the original but also returned for the revival.

4) YOU BELONG WITH ME I think it’s pretty accurate to say that every teenage girl had an emotional connection to this song at one point in their lives. For me— when I was 12, I had a crush on a 13-year-old athlete. Oh man, he was a stud. Even

ILLUSTRATION BY KAYLEE STOUT / THE SUNFLOWER

though I never got the courage to speak to him (like, ever), I would jam to this song whenever I thought of the really tall athletic girl that he was crushing on. Even though I was the most awkward 12-year-old anyone has ever seen, I still thought one day he might notice me. Spoiler alert, he did not. Now 19-year-old me listens to the re-recorded version with tears in my eyes. Not because of the 13-year-old athlete that “broke” my heart, but because of how far Swift has come since she first released this song in 2008 and just how different one views life the older they get.

3) TODAY WAS A FAIRYTALE This song is nothing short of a fairytale. Pun intended. While Swift’s breakup songs are a whole different kind of iconic, her love songs should never (and I mean EVER) be slept on. This song, which takes the listener through Swift’s perfect date, is full of butterflies, teenage dreams and, you guessed it, love. While the backing track sounds almost the same to the original recording, Swift’s mature voice shines in this song and shows just how much she’s changed. When Swift wrote most songs in Fearless, she was going through a breakup with Joe Jonas. Now that Swift has been in a healthy relationship for a long time, listening to this song makes it even sweeter than the original.

2) HEY STEPHEN Words cannot describe how

much I love this song. Full of fun, sass, and playful flirting— this song is the perfect song to put on a cute sundress and cowboy boots and go serenade your crush with. Not that I’ve ever done that before. Listening to this song and the subtle country twang Swift has is like travelling back in time. As a swiftie for most of my life, I couldn’t help but smile.

1) TELL ME WHY Here we have it folks, my number one song off of Fearless (Taylor’s Version). And it might shock some of you. Even before Taylor’s Versions, this song in my opinion is one of the most underrated Swift songs to date. It’s quick, witty, heartbreaking and empowering all at once. In this song, Swift calls out a boy for mistreating her. Most girls have been through an unhealthy relationship before and I stand by the belief that most girls don’t call those people out for their BS. When 2008 Swift wrote this song, she was showing just how empowering it can be to call someone out. 2021 Swift shows that years later, she stands by that belief. Except this time, she’s smarter, wiser and stronger. She’s calling out every single person who has done her wrong (*cough* Scooter Braun *cough*) and is telling them that no matter what, she will succeed with or without them. If you haven’t already, go stream Fearless (Taylor’s Version). You won’t regret it. Trust me.

KMUW partners with community to start pen pal project BY TABITHA BARR arts@thesunflower.com / @TabbyJanelle

Elderly homes and care facilities have been in shut down mode since the pandemic started. The elderly populations are lacking social connections but KMUW wanted to help. KMUW Wichita’s Public Radio Station has partnered with four facilities: Wichita Presbyterian Manor, Grasslands Estates, Regent Park Assisted Living & Memory Care and ComfortCare Homes to bring community members together through a pen pal program. “We decided to help connect our listeners, and readers and other community members with residents at retirement homes and other senior homes in Wichita,” Karen Galindo, the Engagement and Development Intern who organised the project said. “So that they can foster new relationships with one another and create new friendships during this time of social isolation.” This idea has been in the works for quite awhile, but now is the perfect time to bring it up. Haley Crownson, the Community Engagement Coordinator, knew that this is the time.

“This project has been percolating in our minds since the start of the pandemic. KMUW focuses this past year have been how to bridge people politically, and because of the pandemic, combating loneliness.” HALEY CROWNSON Community Engagement Counselor

“This project has been percolating in our minds since the start of the pandemic,” Crownson said. “KMUW focuses this past year have been how to bridge people politically, and because of the pandemic, combating loneliness.” They first got the idea when an older individual sent in a letter comparing their experience in the pandemic to their experience with WWII. Crownson then started looking for ways they could bring this same concept to reality. “This older generation has so much wisdom that younger people

ILLUSTRATION BY KAYLEE STOUT / THE SUNFLOWER

could definitely learn from,” Crownson said. She wants people to still communicate even though face-to-face isn’t always an option right now. More than 85 people have signed up, ages vary all over. KMUW will soon start connecting people and send out prompts for

the pen pals to write about. “I think the cool thing about the application process was that we asked people for some information about what they like,” Crownson said. This way they can partner up people based on their likes and dislikes. It’s a real life pen pal acting as a

bridge to bring people together in the times of Zoom fatigue. “It’s such an experience that people don’t think that they get much out of, but they really do . . . writing can be therapeutic sometimes,” Galindo said.