/ The Sunflower
WICHITA STATE’S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1896
@sunflowernews @thesunflowernews
THURSDAY Sept. 2, 2021 Volume 126 Issue 4
www.thesunflower.com
Guy Schroeder to serve as interim police chief BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_KSmith
W
ichita State Police Department Captain Guy Schroeder will serve as interim police chief starting Sept. 5 following former Police Chief Rodney Clark’s departure, according to a university release. Clark served as the chief of WSU police the last three years. He accepted a position at the University of North Dakota as associate vice president for public safety and chief of police.
Schroeder has been at WSU since 2014 following 33 years as police officer for the city of SCHROEDER Wichita. “When the opportunity came to come here, I was like, I was really genuinely apprehensive about coming,” Schroeder said. “In the long run it turned out to be an incredible opportunity for me and a chance to be a part of a community.”
Schroeder said the biggest difference between working as a city police and a university police was the heavier emphasis on the community aspect. “We spend a lot of time serving the community,” Schroeder said. “I sit on the CARE team, I sit on th LGBTQ task force, and I have the privilege of sitting on the advisory board for [WSUTech.] “We find ourselves doing a lot more, ‘How can I help? What can I do?’” Schroeder said a main goal of the WSU Police Department
is to educate others on safety. Unfortunately, due to COVID, the police department hasn’t received an opportunity to speak at orientation in a while, but is always wanting to educate students on what they can do for their own safety. “We’ve been able to put 37 blue light cameras all over campus,” Schroeder said. “There was a time where people didn’t like big brother. Now they’d rather know that people are watching and seeing what’s going on.” The university will conduct a
Wellness Wednesday
national search to find a permanent replacement, but Schroeder said if the opportunity presented itself he would be interested in the permanent position. “I had not really thought about doing it full time until my troops came to be and said, ‘We’d like you to consider this’,” Schroeder said. “And [I said], ‘Let’s go.’ “I would be genuinely excited to get that opportunity, I’m excited to have the opportunity in an interim capacity.”
Staff senate president brings new perspective to campus BY ELENA KUCKELMAN emkuckelman@shockers.wichita.edu
PHOTO BY LENA ALHALLAQ / THE SUNFLOWER
Wichita State senior Natanya Ordonez attends the Mini Wellness Fair on Sept. 1.
Mini Wellness Fair educates students about health resources on campus
“My entire job sees it from the student perspective working with student government, and I think this gives me an opportunity to see it from an employee staff perspective.”
BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE news@thesunflower.com / @JuliaNightengale
The University emphasized physical and mental wellness on Wednesday by providing students an environment to educate themselves about the resources available. The event was held on Wednesday, Sept. 1. Different organizations on campus had booths set up, with free information, prizes, and raffles about mental health, nutrition, physical health, gynecological health, and on-campus resources. Vendors included Student Healthcare Services, The Office of Student Money Management, Student Affairs, Campus Recreation, WSU police department, dining services, SGA’s student advocate, Counseling and Prevention Services among others. “It is very important to focus on health because without health and wellness, it’s hard to focus on studies and whatever course you are doing,” Sophomore engineering tech student Neloy Dey said. “This kind of event is very crucial for students because they tend to hide their feelings or hide their emotions and when they are in depression or any kind of anxiety ... But this friendliness from the campus, hearing from other students and other volunteers is really encouraging. Keep open with others so that it goes all around.” Maya Grossman, a graduate student in bassoon performance, said that practicing wellness for her means planning out her weeks in advance in a paper planner.
As the youngest Staff Senate President and the first to lead a merged senate, Gabriel Fonseca brings a fresh, unique perspective to campus. Fonseca has been at Wichita State for just four years, but he has already moved his way up, serving as the SGA Assistant Director and Advisor, in addition to serving as Staff Senate President. His passion for working with SGA is what brought him to WSU in 2018. After working at Bethel College in Newton, Kansas for several years, he saw a job posting for the Assistant Director of Student Involvement and SGA Advisor for WSU, and knew the position was meant for him. “I saw this position back then, and it was exactly what I wanted,” Fonseca said. “It had student government work, which is what I’m passionate about.”
GABRIEL FONSECA Staff Senate President, SGA Advisor
PHOTO BY LENA ALHALLAQ / THE SUNFLOWER
Student Service Coordinator Ashlyn Riley talks to students during the Mini Wellness Fair on Sept. 1.
“I really like budgeting my time, I have a planner where I actually write down my schedule instead of just using something online so I physically remember better with writing stuff down, and also I block out all the times for stuff,” Grossman said. “I feel like that’s good time management for homework and I’m in the music school, so practicing and making sure I go to the gym everyday.” Grossman said that she was grateful to talk to The Office of Student Money Management about paying back her student loans. “I’m really happy that there’s the financial help because I am a master’s student and I have student loans from my undergrad and it’s nice to know that there is a resource that can help me with taxes and kind of budgeting, especially because the loan repayments are due pretty soon,” Grossman said.
Yournely Felix, a freshman majoring in psychology, was happy to learn about the Pee for Pizza event held by College Health Services. She said that her wellness is impacted by the state of her mental health. “I make sure that my mental health is stable and I wanna make sure that it’s stable because I need to function properly,” Felix said. “And as well like physically, if I’m having sex or not I make sure that I have the proper equipment like condoms ... I also make sure that I am getting tested as well, just in case.” Reed Brittingham, a junior majoring in entrepreneurship, said that exercising is an important part of his wellness as a college student. “Well, I try to go to the gym at least three times a week and I’ve been trying to make healthy foods and not eat pure SEE WELLNESS PAGE 2
Now, Fonseca has found a new passion in the staff senate. He has been a member of the senate for three years now, and was elected its president in 2019. One of Fonseca’s major accomplishments in this position so far has been merging the two previously separated branches of staff senate, the Unclassified Professionals branch and the University Support Staff Branch, into one branch of 32 members. Fonseca believes this merger has helped to boost the effectiveness of the staff senate. Part of the staff senate’s job on campus is to listen to staff members’ perspectives on matters such as employment policies and overall staff morale and experience, then advocate for their needs with the university. “We represent and advocate for staff needs on campus,” said Fonseca. “So, human resources policies to work morale to a variety SEE FONSECA PAGE 2
2 | THURSDAY, SEPT. 2, 2021
NEWS
Grief Support Group for COVID-19 gives students a space to process the past year BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE news@thesunflower.com / @JuliaNightengale
Students had to experience many things that they may need to process or grieve through the COVID-19 pandemic. Whatever it may be, students can now join the Grief Support Group to help process these emotions in a supportive environment with fellow students. The group will start meeting every Friday starting Aug. 27th from 2-3 p.m. on Zoom for the time being. Email ashlyn.riley@wichita.edu to get the Zoom link or with any further questions or concerns. “We are still seeing that some people are obviously still getting sick and that’s still going on, but even behind that we’ve noticed that a lot of students have expressed feelings of isolation and grief,” Ashlyn Riley, student services coordinator for the CARE team said. “We’ve all kind of missed out, I feel like, on a year of our lives, having to stay inside and shut in. “So we just really wanted to take this time to create this group to just let students know that, ‘Hey, there is support, we are all kind of in this together’, and to educate a little about grief. Again, there is more than just the traditional idea of grief.” Riley said that support groups are a great way to find connections with people who share similar experiences. The CARE team is involved with the support group to help students connect with resources they might need,
“Sometimes being able to come together and share stories of heartache or share stories of success as well can really just help foster a sense of community [and] belonging.” ASHLYN RILEY CARE Team Student Services Coordinator
such as finding jobs after being laid off during COVID-19 or paying for food or housing supplies. CAPS is also involved to provide a clinician to get people connected to further support such as counseling if need be. Riley said that she wants students to know that if they are experiencing any of these feelings, or something similar, that there is support. “Just attending a grief group to provide that sense of community and connection, I think we all care a lot that there’s people like us experiencing this and that, but it’s really hard to always keep that in your head when you are going through it,” Riley said. If students are missing a sense of community over the past year, attending the grief support group may help to alleviate that feeling. “Sometimes being able to come together and share stories of
WELLNESS FROM PAGE 1 ramen all the time,” Brittingham said. “Being healthy is good for you, why wouldn’t you wanna be healthy? It’s good for your mind and emotions and everything.” Brittingham said that he was excited to learn about the recreation app from campus recreation so that he could find more stuff to do on campus. Nicole Bloomquist, a junior majoring in political science and Spanish, said that she utilizes therapy through WSU as well as exercises to keep her mind and body healthy. “Ya, so college is obviously really stressful so I have to balance out like mental and physical health, so at WSU I use the Y a lot, I go to the gym Mondays and Wednesdays,” Bloomquist said. “I’m gonna do zumba tonight, and I also utilize CAPS. I have never done therapy in my life, but I love CAPS and it’s helped so much so I really like that WSU prioritizes the mental health of students like that.” Bloomquist said that she talked to the Office of Student Money Management and plans on using their spending plan to work on her finances.
heartache or share stories of success as well can really just help foster a sense of community, belonging, and connecting to others going through similar struggles and supporting them as well,” Riley said. Riley said that if students are nervous about joining a group, the grief support group is more relaxed than other groups and is a great way to see if you like the group environment and dynamic. Riley hopes to have it in person RILEY as soon as possible because grief is a personal experience. “The grief group is student-led, we decided to not necessarily have a set schedule,” Riley said. We want it to just flow … sometimes it can just be sharing stories and having that togetherness. If students want a little more structure or want more materials, all they have to do is ask and we can provide that for them.” Riley said that this is a come-asyou-are group, and that we are not alone in our feelings of grief over the past year. “I want students and people to know that we are all experiencing grief, a loss of a year, loss of proms, birthdays, weddings,” she said. “It’s a bit of a different world that we are living in and that’s kinda sad, you know? But also within that there is a lot of joy and time for change as well.”
FONSECA FROM PAGE 1
HERE’S HOW TO ENTER YOUR PREFERRED PERSONAL PRONOUNS ON YOUR MYWSU PHOTO BY KHANH NGUYEN / THE SUNFLOWER
Fire trucks responded to a reported fire at Ahlberg Hall on Wednesday.
Fire reported at Ahlberg Hall on Wednesday, no one injured BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com
The Fire Department responded to a fire at Ahlberg Hall on Wednesday evening. No one was harmed, according to the WSU Police Department. Fire Trucks showed up on scene at roughly 6:50 p.m. after students and employees evacuated the building following a fire alarm and smells of smoke. “Some people sitting outside said they smelled smoke and the fire alarm went off and that was it,” student Ali Freeman, who was in Ahlberg Hall when the fire was reported, said. The university sent out a shocker blast to students at 7:21 p.m. warning students to avoid the area. At 8:28 p.m., the area was cleared. The fire department has not released an official statement on the cause of the fire.
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.
Students are now able to enter their personal preferred pronouns through a myWSU portal. It’s quick and easy. Here are the steps on how to do it: 1) Log onto mywsu.wichita. edu and go to the box that says “student tools” 2) Click on “view and update my personal information” under “myContact info” 3) Under “personal details” click edit. 4) From then, you can add your preferred pronouns and your gender identification
EDITOR IN CHIEF Lindsay Smith news@thesunflower.com
DESIGN DIRECTOR Thy Vo design@thesunflower.com
NEWS EDITOR Julia Nightengale news@thesunflower.com
PHOTO EDITOR Khanh Nguyen photoeditor@thesunflower.com
OPINION EDITOR Jaycie Nelson opinion@thesunflower.com
ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Lena Alhallaq photos@thesunflower.com
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Kyran Crist arts@thesunflower.com
MARKETING MANAGER Kaylee Stout marketing@thesunflower.com
SPORTS EDITOR Sean Marty sports@thesunfower.com
ADVERTISING MANAGER Rachel Thomas admanager@thesunflower.com
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Emmie Boese elboese@shockers.wichita.edu
FACULTY ADVISOR Amy DeVault amy.devault@wichita.edu
of different kinds of things that focus primarily on staff and staff issues.” As the Staff Senate President, Fonseca meets with the University President, the university senate groups, and staff members directly to address their concerns, opinions, and questions. “The fun part about it is seeing the university from a different perspective,” said Fonseca. “My entire job sees it from the student perspective working with student government, and I think this gives me an opportunity to see it from an employee staff perspective.” Fonseca also enjoys going to all the meetings and getting to represent around 1,300 campus employees. “As the person who gets to speak on behalf of staff on campus, it gives me a different kind of perspective into that space,” Fonseca said. Fonseca believes that WSU’s staff senate is a crucial part of the university, due to their representation for staff members. “Oftentimes, when you think about shared governance, you only really think about the students and faculty,” said Fonseca. “But I think staff--we help the university run and function.” “I think it’s important because there is some value in the voice there. There is a perspective there that the folks who do this work on a day-to-day basis are and should be considered and listened to about how the university is functioning or how we can make it more efficient.”
Contact Us 019 Elliott Hall 1845 N. Fairmount Ave. Campus Box 134 Wichita, KS 67260-0134 EDITORIAL
Lindsay Smith: 316-978-6905 editor@thesunflower.com ADVERTISING
Rachel Thomas: 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.
NEWS
THURSDAY, SEPT. 2, 2021 | 3
PAINT AND RELAX The Black Student Union held a series of events last week to welcome students back to campus. On Thursday, students gathered at the Rhatigan Student Center to decompress and paint pieces of art.
PHOTO BY KHANH NGUYEN / THE SUNFLOWER
Student Body President Rija Khan gives an address to the student body on Sept. 2, 2021.
State of the Student Body Address focuses on effective representation BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE AND LINDSAY SMITH news@thesunflower.com / editor@thesunflower.com
PHOTO BY JORDAN PLOWMAN / THE SUNFLOWER
Aziya Jordan, a business administration freshman, works on an art piece at the Black Student Union’s Paint and Relax event on Aug. 26.
On Wednesday Sept. 1, Student body president Rija Khan and Speaker of the Senate Jacob Tubach addressed the student body and spoke about future goals for the upcoming session. This is Khan’s second term as student body president. Her and Kamilah Gumbs, student body vice president, focused on sustainability, transparency and food insecurity. Khan said the pandemic gave SGA the opportunity to revamp student fees, reinstate the health and wellness advisory board, create a seperation of branches to allow each branch to work more efficiently, create the domestic hardship fund, lead voter registration efforts, along with other efforts. “We have gained momentum of trust, improved communication, proper transparency and much more. As your student government, we have heard your concerns and those issues are our priority … We believe change is made when we continue to work together.” Khan and her administration have nine new objectives for this year, including a focus on wellness, student insurance, a new emergency leave policy for students,
PHOTO BY KHANH NGUYEN / THE SUNFLOWER
Speaker of the Senate Jacob Tubach gives an address to the student body on Sept. 1, 2021.
diversity week, a policy that would establish suicide prevention and trainings for all student organizations, and addressing food and security concerns. This is Tubach’s first year serving as the speaker of the senate after being with SGA since his freshman year. His address focused on training the future senators and promoting diversity. “The senate is working to promote, educate and provide students the opportunity to share experiences around diversity, inclusion and equity,” he said. Tubach said that this year he hopes to bring more engagement between SGA and the student body in order to represent the student body to its full potential. “These changes will require
“As your student government, we have heard your concernts and those issues are our priority ... We believe change is made when we continue to work together.” RIJA KHAN Student Body President
us to be more effective in our engagement and communication,” Tubach said. “We are the direct representative of over 16,000 students and we must ensure that the work we’re doing meets their needs.”
WE’RE HIRING. WRITERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, REPORTERS, DESIGNERS. ILLUSTRATION BY THY VO / THE SUNFLOWER
To apply, contact editor@thesunflower.com or visit thesunflower.com’s “work with us” tab
4 | THURSDAY, SEPT. 2, 2021
WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM
Opinion
HAVE AN OPINION?
contact The Sunflower’s opinion editor, Jaycie Nelson opinion@thesunflower.com
What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Years ago. Monday’s rape case is FIGI’s 103rd rape reported to the university’s police since 2005. As young college students, faculty members, parents, friends, or whoever is reading this-we need to abolish any chance UNL’s FIJI chapter has of reopening in a few years. The criminals should have been expelled faster than I have written this article. The house should have been shut down before their first suspension in 2017, but now we should also never accept the reopening of the fraternity. The following Wednesday, UNL’s chancellor Ronnie Green spoke in a statement from an instagram post saying that the investigation is not only open and ongoing, but UNL will also shut down FIJI operations. “.The Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) fraternity at UNL is currently under probation for previous violations of university policy,” Green said. “We are closing the fraternity house and suspending operations of the Fiji chapter while this investigation is ongoing, due to potential violations of that probation. This is the responsible action to take for everyone involved.” How can we trust that UNL will keep any student safe ever again after the continuous years of abuse when all they are doing is slapping them on the wrist? Suspension has occurred before, and the crimes have yet to end. When will UNL learn to shut them down permanently? Rose Felice, a sophomore at UNL, created an account on Instagram dedicated to getting justice for the survivors. 30k people are supporting through the
Piper Pinnetti Columnist editor@thesunflower.com
Hundreds of students are gathering in the street in front of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL), protesting the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta also known as “FIJI” after a sexual assault was reported. The alleged assault occurred in the chapter’s house late Monday night and was not reported until 4 a.m. Tuesday morning. Students from the university learned of the incident within hours of the report through the social media platforms Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, and more. People are traveling hours to attend protests in support of survivors on campus and off. There are various forms of silence such as an empty classroom on a dreary winter. However, we currently have a couple versions that relate to these crimes. For instance, the silence of the victim when they are abused, taken advantage of and don’t file a report against the criminal. We also have instances with society who blame the victim because her “skirt was too short,” or because “she didn’t say no.” Did she say yes? Was she intoxicated? Was she conscious? Finally, we also have the crushing silence of people that have the power to help those struggling who do not choose to help, or defend the wrong sides. UNL’s chapter has proved themselves a dangerous force of sex offenders. According to data collected from the Journal Star,
MEET THE STAFF Elena Kuckleman, reporter
Major: Strategic Communications
Instagram @shutdownfiji Felice also created a petition on change.org that 400k people have signed. Their goal is 500k signatures and received over half in less than a week. The link in the account’s bio provides various ways to help UNL’s victims as well as others. There are petitions available to sign as well as links to get involved with advocacy at the university, and even a Google form to fill out and share your stories. Survivors commented in the “reasons for signing” section. “I was raped in the Fiji house last year,” An anonymous commenter said. “The trauma and pain I suffered that night is still present in my life today. My hope is that this house is shut down forever so that no more innocent victims fall prey to these disgusting men.” Other people from the area have also put out statements regarding the behavior of the fraternity. “Fiji has lied about a commitment to changing their reputation,” Colton Abramo said. “Every reinstatement the university gives them leads to another victim. They should have been shut down completely for their prior offenses, and continuing to let them operate is a mockery of the values the university claims to expect and uphold.” No one deserves to be a victim of these crimes. Stand up not only for the 103 survivors, but for everyone who has not reported their incident, for those who are traumatized from their experience. Sign petitions, share what is happening in your social media, and support shutting down FIJI forever.
Masks should go over the nose
Year: Sophomore Elena Kuckleman
Favorite Color: Blue Hobby: Reading, baking, playing basketball and volleyball, and watching TV Favorite type of Music: Pop Favorite Song: Everybody wants to rule the world - Tears for Fears Life Motto: Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny
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.
Columnist
emkuckleman@shockers. wichita.edu
Let’s get one thing straight: nobody likes wearing a mask. They are hot and uncomfortable. But, if social distancing and wearing your mask properly is what keeps us safe at school, then they are a small price to pay. After getting a limited freshman year experience last year, I am grateful that we have been able to shift back into a more in-person format. For many people, however, going back to in-person is still scary. Those of us who have family and friends who are higher-risk have the added concern of keeping them healthy and safe. That’s why it is still important to not only wear your mask, but to wear it correctly. I know how easy it can be to pull your mask down under your nose or even your chin, but before you do that, think of the person sitting next to you. They could have a loved one they are looking out for, or they might even
SUNFLOWER HOT TAKES The Sunflower editorial board gives their one-sentence opinions. Lindsay Smith: Hotels over labor day are way too expensive. Sean Marty: The last Sprite hits different. Julia Nightengale: Time flies when your to-do list is a mile long. Khanh Nguyen: Shoot your shot. Thy Vo: School is getting too stressful already.
be at a higher-risk themselves. If all else fails and you just need a break from wearing your mask, you can always ask the people near you if taking your mask off will bother them or make them uncomfortable. Or, ask your professors if they will allow you to step outside when you need a mask break. Ultimately, wearing your mask is about more than just protecting yourself. And when your mask is worn under your nose, it defeats the purpose of wearing it in the first place. The virus can be transmitted through both the mouth and nose, so, in order to protect those around you, both of them must be covered. Whether you believe in mask wearing or not, it is a university requirement, which means, we all have to follow their guidelines and wear our masks properly for the sake of protecting each other. If it could mean getting us out of a pandemic, then why not put aside your personal preferences and try to do what you can?
OPINION
Street
Mental Health is just as important as physical health Mitchell Adamson Columnist
meadamson@shockers. wichita.edu
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ONLINE DATING?
CHLOE MCNALL
Freshman, Buisness
“I know it works for some people. I think it’s kind of hard, depending on like your love language.”
TEGAN ST VRAIN
Freshman, Dental Hygiene
“I think it does work for some people based on their personalities, but I just don’t think it’d be for me.”
If you were to not show up to class because you were “sick” what would your friends most likely think? Most people would assume that you had a cold, or maybe a headache or stomach ache, but what about if you mentally weren’t feeling up to it. In a recent study, done by Health professionals and published by Harvard medical school said, “Nearly 60% of people with mental illnesses did not seek treatment last year.” Why might that be? Growing up I always felt that I was different, that I would feel super stressed out and not able to associate with others. I had a sort of social anxiety that paralyzed me at some points. I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) which made me over-analyze situations, making me think people were judging me to great extremes. I also had compulsions which made it hard for me to think rationally in difficult situations. I didn’t admit this until 2021 though, I lived 20 years before I decided to admit that I had this weakness. Why? Because I didn’t want to be seen as weak, I didn’t want people to characterize me as mentally insane. Not only this, but taking medication that changes your mood seems like you aren’t really genuinely feeling the emotions that you are having. It makes you feel like a fraud. Most people throw the term “anxiety” around like it’s something funny to say when you are feeling stressed. For others, this term takes away from the real joys of life. Many people don’t understand that when I feel anxious or depressed, I have no idea why I
Don’t be afraid to admit it if you have mental struggles. It can only get better if you reach out to someone. Don’t suppress it, don’t feel like you are the only one that feels that way. feel this way. There isn’t a reason behind it, there is a chemical imbalance that is causing me to feel this way. It’s not something I can control. When people aren’t given the ability to open up about these struggles, they suppress them. When you suppress them, it makes you feel like you are alone--that your feelings are incorrect because they aren’t the norm. This leads to apathetic thinking, and in my case and many others, self-harm, or hospitalization. Suicide rates were exponential since so many people were at home due to COVID-19. If these people would have been able to see someone, whether a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist--it could have saved their lives. When I got put on medication I finally felt happy for the first time in my life. All of the worry and fear that I constantly felt left, all of my compulsions dissolved. I finally felt like I could socialize and be myself with confidence. Don’t be afraid to admit it if you have mental struggles. It can only get better if you reach out to someone. Don’t suppress it, don’t feel like you are the only one that feels that way. I would highly recommend seeing a psychiatrist if you feel as if the problems are inescapable. I also recommended utilizing the Student Wellness Center as they offer counseling for students who are having any type of trouble.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 2, 2021 | 5
Taking care of yourself is of extra importance when in college Jaycie Nelson Opinion Editor opinioneditor@thesunflower. com
There are a lot of factors that come into how we feel. What does the common phrase, “look good, feel good,” really mean? When I say “look good,” this is a relative phrase because looking good to us is different from what it means to someone else. When we look good, we feel good. When we feel good, we feel confident to go through our day and make decisions. Looking good doesn’t have to mean wearing designer or expensive clothes. It means to put yourself in a position where you feel good because you enjoy what you wear, and it makes you feel your best. When you show up feeling good, you show up ready to tackle your day and the obstacles that may come along. When I lack confidence, I get more nervous speaking to people or making final decisions. However, when I “dress up” or simply wear clothes that make me feel good, I feel confident in myself and my abilities. Caring about how you look isn’t vain. When you wake up tired and dreading the day before you, and all you want to do is roll out the door; that’s the best time to put extra effort into your appearance. Whether that means wearing clothes you’re comfortable in or clothes that make you happy. When we feel confident in ourselves, it shows. However, feeling good isn’t
Feeling good isnt just about the clothes we wear. It’s how we take care of ourselves. Feeling good stems from getting enough sleep, exercising, and eating right. Easy things to do as a college student right? Note the sarcasm. just about the clothes we wear. It’s how we take care of ourselves. Feeling good stems from getting enough sleep, exercising, and eating right. Easy things to do as a college student right? Not the sarcasm. It can be hard to have a healthier lifestyle when you’re shuffling between classes and work, while trying to remain somewhat social. Start small and make small changes. Once you start to feel better after one habit change, it will lead to a cycle of improving our well-being. Looking good, feeling good can be switched to feeling good, looking good. When we are happy or confident, we glow from the inside out. As hard as it may be sometimes, it’s important to try to feel good in college. We’ll make better and more confident decisions, procrastinate less, and be at our best to help others. Look good and feel good not only for yourself, but to radiate it to the people around you.
ILLUSTRATION BY THY VO/ THE SUNFLOWER
AMY BUI
Sophomore, Pre-Nursing
“I feel like within todays age, social media is really important, espically technology. So I think it’s okay as long as you’re safe and you know like, what to expect, like having friends there, or like, you know meeting in a public area.”
ANTHONY NG0
Sophomore, Health Science
“I think it’s fine, I don’t really do it cause I’d rather meet someone in person, but some people do, I mean, sometimes you get lucky and you get one.”
SABASTIAN MALLA
Sophomore, Health Science
“I think it’s okay, just not for me.”
The best dating apps for students most likely wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet them in real life first, thus never starting their love stories. Opinion Editor opinioneditor@thesunflower.com The reality is the world is big, and there are a lot of people in it. Online dating gives people the Whether you’re looking for one night of fun or a life partner, dating opportunity to meet new people that might be a good match even in college has developed beyond if they’re not in the same location. just meeting in person. Because Why limit yourself to people in of social media and the advanceyour class or neighborhood, when ment of technology, we now have you can meet diverse people from online-dating apps. all over. Dating apps such as Tinder, Online dating isn’t for everyone, Bumble, and Hinge are just a few and it’s important to be safe about of the common ways people meet it, but it’s also another opportunity online. for students to make connections. People also “slide” into DM’s But which dating apps are for and talk via chats. what? Some apps are more specific Has online dating eliminated to hook-ups, while others bring cliches of romance movies? I don’t together people looking for longthink so. Cheesy pick-up lines can term relationships. However, you be texted just as well as spoken can find both scenarios on almost aloud. any app. While there seems to be a Tinder is known for being a stigma around online-dating, I hook-up app, however, my cousin believe it’s slowly fading as people and his fiance met on Tinder, and get accustomed to the idea. their wedding is taking place this Two of my friends met their upcoming October. current boyfriends online and
Jaycie Nelson
Online dating isn’t for everyone, and it’s important to be safe about it, but it’s also another opportunity for students to make connections. Bumble is another dating site, but it’s associated with long-term relationships. Tinder and Bumble are both free which usually appeals to college students and younger adults more. There’s also apps that are focused on just finding friends, such as Bumble BFF. So even if you’re not looking for anything romantic, you can still use online sources to find connections, even if their platonic ones. It can be hard to put yourself out there in the real world and online dating can help you if you feel awkward about approaching someone face-to-face first.
How do you walk up to that girl or guy and ask them to go for coffee? What if they are in a relationship, not interested, or find you creepy? Online dating is a way to connect with people looking for what you’re looking for. Whether you’re looking for a one-night stand, or a love like the Notebook; online dating is becoming the new norm to meet people and we should appreciate and enjoy it. So often, our lives get compared to the ones of the generations that came before ours. However, we should cherish the opportunities our generation has instead of diminishing them. Why shouldn’t friendships or relationships start with a dm’d cheesy pick-up line, or even an emoji; as long as it resonates with you. Meet people, make connections, and wear protection.
6 | THURSDAY, SEPT. 2, 2021
WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM
Arts & Entertainment
HAVE A STORY IDEA? contact The Sunflower’s A&E editor, Kyran Crist arts@thesunflower.com
Ulrich Museum opens new exhibit
PHOTO BY JORDAN PLOWMAN/ THE SUNFLOWER Guests view the complex mural of Mary Kay at the Ulrich’s fall exhibit opening Aug. 26.
BY MITCHELL ADAMSON mxadamson@shockers.wichita.edu
The Ulrich Museum opened two new exhibits on Thursday. The exhibits— “Love in the Time of the Anthropocene” and “Look, it’s daybreak, dear, time to sing”— were a vivid display of paintings and photographs of the Kansas prairie. The central theme described how humans have become the most powerful force, and how a relationship symbiotic with nature should be our guide. Climate change, greenhouse gases, rise of ocean levels, habitat loss, and species extinction are the concerns of the current world. Mary Kay, painter of the “Love in the Time of the Anthropocene” described how painting has given her the ability to express what
she can’t say with words. She said that we have lost contact with the natural world, abusing it, which disconnects us from wildlife and nature. She described her painting as having “the fullness of the day,” an “orgasmic natural scene, that points to the vitality of life.” That ultimately when we die our lives will be swallowed by eternity, so it is important to form symbiotic relationships with the natural world. Students seemed to be in awe of all that was being portrayed. A connection between the natural world, drawing to a bigger picture of human life and its impact on the environment. Even though some of the students were required to come for classes, they described it as
“an interesting illustration of agriculture.” In “Look, it’s daybreak dear, time to sing” there were videos of the environment and how it is quickly changing. Showing how animals and humans interact and are very similar. Students described the videos displayed as “calming and reassuring.” The new exhibits will be on display through Dec. 4 , with the museum being open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays-Saturdays. EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story falsely stated that the exhibits were open through this month, the correct date is through Dec. 4. This version has also been edited to correct misspellings. PHOTO BY JORDAN PLOWMAN/ THE SUNFLOWER
Arin brown and Jess Fontes lrich’s fall show opening on Aug. 26.
Student achieves dream of opening up vintage clothing store BY EMMIE BOESE elboese15@gmail.com / @elboese15
PHOTOS BY MONIQUE GAINES / THE SUNFLOWER
Mackenzie Borland is one of the creators of Dead Center Vintage.
You know you may have made it when Chris Rock’s little brother comes into your vintage clothing store. Kenzie Borland is a senior at Wichita State University and is a Strategic Communications major. She recently became a part owner of a vintage clothing store in downtown Wichita called Dead Center Vintage. The space for the store was discovered through a Facebook ad. After she and one of her co-owners Lazarus Massey toured the space a few days before Christmas in 2019, they decided to go for it. Borland, Massey, Gabrielle Griffoi, and Morgan Goodwin own the store together. Borland and her friends met through vintage clothing. However, she said she would not consider herself an expert on vintage clothing unlike her friends. She said her passion for vintage, art, and community all formulate towards her passion for the store. “I’m not as a good at the clothing as they are which I’m not sad about,”Borland said. “I can’t remember not knowing them. I just remember knowing them and that was it. It wasn’t like my bread and butter. It really went back to community.” The idea for the name of the store came up when they were
“Even if I do ever, like, go get another job, I’ll always be apart of Dead Center in some way.. We haven’t even scratched the surface.” Kenzie Borland Co-owner of Dead Center
hosting a pop up shop. Griffoi came up with the name Dead Center Vintage. The idea behind Dead Center Vintage is based on the store being in the center of the U.S. which is Kansas, and the heart of Kansas which would be Wichita. Borland said the name of the store is also a play on words since the clothing is old. When it comes to getting curation for the store, Borland said there are a lot of different methods that they can choose from. Two of the ways they build up curation is going through collections of vintage collectors, and old piles of clothing that could even be rat infested or have mold on them. They then dye the clothes that they find in the old piles, and try to re - work them so they can sell them in the store. Borland said the curation of
their store and the selection it has, has been pleasing due to how it compares with vintage shops in big cities like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. “When people come from those coastal cities it means that it’s paying off because it means our curation is up there with those big cities and it means they [co - owners ]are good at what they do,” Borland said. Borland said that being a part of Dead Center Vintage is something she wants to do long term. “Even if I do like ever, like, go and get another job, I’ll always be a part of Dead Center in some way,” Borland said. “I never knew what I wanted to do and so when Dead Center like the idea came from doing pop ups to like oh man we’d really like to open a shop one day, see how successful it’s been and we haven’t even scratched the surface.” Borland has a goal of having a pop up shop through Dead Center Vintage before she graduates from Wichita State. “I would love to get Dead Center more active specifically in campus life,” Borland said. “As a student we gotta get like WSU and Dead Center like tapped in because students care about sustainability and they can care about being sustainable.”
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
THURSDAY, SEPT. 2, 2021 | 7
PHOTO BY KYRAN CRIST / THE SUNFLOWER
Band students work around using masks and social distancing while rehearsing. Dr. Timothy Shade talks about how they are handling the pandemic.
Music department finding safe ways to rehearse and perform this year BY EMMIE BOESE AND KYRAN CRIST elboese15@gmail.com / arts@thesunflower.com
Different departments are working with different learning curves on how to handle the pandemic. The music department is no different. Between making sure the students are staying safe and finding a safe way to learn and practice, director of bands Timothy Shade, says that it is still a fluctuating situation that they are working on and playing by ear. Shade talks about last year being hard on the students when they were broken up into smaller groups and not being able to perform in front of a crowd. “In the fall because we were so concerned about room capacity and space, I shrunk the bands to 30 people.” Shade said, “So it basically went from a band of 45 and a band of 60 or 70 to the groups of 30 because that’s what our rooms could really handle.”
Currently, they are paying attention to factors such as air change rate, masking on which the musicians would be inhaling or exhaling, rehearsal duration, and at the start of the pandemic, it was whether or not they need barriers. “At the start of it we made a bunch of plexiglass barriers for everybody, we had our conductors behind a barrier.” Shade said, “And it was just because everything was so, we didn’t know, we were trying everything we could just to keep our students safe.” Last year, before the vaccine had come out, the department worked with what the CDC had recommended for precautions. With six feet of space between players and masks for those who did not need to use their mouth to make sound, and for those who did, they used these masks specially made for it. They also did not have any in-person concerts last year, everything was
filmed and put on the internet until the transmission of the virus went down. “My predecessor was really adamant that let’s just do everything remotely with our students so that way we’re not having a bunch of virus possibly come into our building and then spread around.” Shade said. “The faculty were fine with that and the students were okay with it too, it made sense at the time.” This fall they are looking at in-person concerts as the virus had come to a slower spread with the vaccines being released. They hope to keep going that way but will re-evaluate if the spread worsens. “So this fall, we were planning to be back in person, because there’s none of that requirement anymore and so we thought that with the vaccination being a bit more prevalent we thought it’d be worth it,” Shade said. “We’ll see, we’ll see if it keeps going bad we might change our
“This fall, we were planning to be back in person because there’s none of that requirement anymore and so we thought that with the vaccination being a bit more prealent we thought it’d be worth it. ” TIMOTHY SHADES Director of Bands
mind on that.” At this point, they are planning to do in-person concerts as long as the spread of the new variant doesn’t become worse; if it does they will re-evaluate.
Kissing Booth 3 wasn’t worth the watch BY KYRAN CRIST arts@thesunflower.com
If you have followed Netflix’s most recent original movies these past years, you may have heard of or watched The Kissing Booth, and if so then you may be aware that they have recently released the third and final movie this August. The series has followed high school student Elle Evans, and her dilemma of falling for her best friend Lee Flynn’s brother Noah. Elle and Lee have a friendship built on rules they made when they were kids, one of those rules was that Noah was off-limits to Elle. So you could see how this could create a rocky relationship for her and Noah as well as Lee as the movies continue. Even after three movies, Lee doesn’t seem to be okay with the relationship because of the favoritism that Noah is shown in any aspect of Elle’s life anymore. Here is the thing, I wasn’t expecting a lot from this movie. Like, the bar was on the floor. The first movie wasn’t even great, but when it came out I was in high school and it was there
with To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Stupid but kind of cute and in my age range. One of those stupidly romantic movies that aren’t practical at all and you know it, but that’s why they were fun. The second one, still wasn’t great, but it was fine and it was still that cutesy type of movie I was looking for. So, whatever, I’ll take it. With this third one it was as if they started with the familiarity of the cutesy stuff, and then threw it out the window and smacked you with “reality”. It went from a bunch of teenagers dancing to “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon in a fancy restaurant and not getting kicked out, to everyone breaking up and moving away for college, showing that your childhood plans don’t always happen. I have mixed feelings on how this last movie went; I like that they finally showed how toxic Noah and Elle’s relationship was. Noah was way too overprotective of Elle, as we are shown in the first movie when he tells the other boys in the school to stay away from her all the while not pursuing her himself
and leaving her thinking no one wanted her. And not to mention his anger issues that he struggled with and never sought help for. Elle was a people pleaser to the point of setting no boundaries in her life and letting all lines in her life blur. Causing relationship problems, friendship problems, and her own life problems. The only good thing about this last movie is that they tried to address these things towards the end. We see Noah getting into a fight with Marcus. When he was punched, he decided to walk away instead of sticking around and fighting him. Elle was going 90 miles an hour in 12 different directions until she couldn’t anymore, forcing her to come to a halt and have a talk with Mrs. Flynn, and is told to think about herself when Noah breaks up with her and she is left deciding on a college again. But on the other hand, I didn’t like how it felt more as though it was a drama and not a rom-com. Plus, the acting was way worse, but that’s a different article. They tried to make the film more realistic and less of the teenage
COURTESY OF NETFLIX
rom-com then it started out to be. It tried harder than it needed to while just reusing content and characters. Marcus and Chloe only came back to cause problems and offered nothing to the movie except the Mario Kart
scene. In conclusion, because if I don’t stop now it will be a 2,000 word review, the movie took an interesting twist for a conclusion to the series, but I don’t think it was worth the watch.
8 | THURSDAY, SEPT. 2, 2021
WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM
Sports
HAVE A STORY IDEA? contact The Sunflower’s sports editor, Sean Marty sports@thesunflower.com
Former Shocker Deja Young wins bronze medal in T47 100 meters BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty
Former Wichita State track and field athlete Deja Young won the bronze medal in the T47 100meters on Tuesday. Young finished with a time of 12.21 seconds, securing her third place finish in the race. Young advanced to the finals of the race earlier on Monday night, after finishing in second place in her heat with a time of 12.29 seconds, automatically qualifying her for the finals of the event. “It’s very exciting,” WSU Director of Track and Field Steve Rainbolt said. “She certainly has been operating at that level for five or six years now at the very top of the world in her classification. I’m really proud of her. She was an All-American here for us and I’m happy for her.” Young was born with brachial plexus, which caused nerve damage and limited mobility in her right shoulder. Young received a track scholarship to WSU, where she eventually earned AllConference honors. Young earned second-team All-American honors as a member of WSU’s 4x100 meter relay team that finished 16th place at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship in 2015. She also holds the school record in the 4x100 meter relay (44.30) with teammates Nikki Larch-Miller, Taylor LarchMiller and Shanice Andrews. Assistant Director of Track and Field John Wise said that her disability didn’t impact the program deciding to take a chance on her. “We were really the only school that didn’t care about that,” Wise said. “It was like, ‘she’s fast, it doesn’t matter’. The only thing we had to do because she’s a sprinter we had to put her on one of the certain legs. She was out there at
“We were really the only school that didn’t care about that... She was out at the NCAA meet beating teams that didn’t recruit her.” JOHN WISE Assistant Director of Track and Field
the NCAA meet beating teams that didn’t recruit her.” Entering her freshman season at WSU, Young was unaware about the Paralympics. Ultimately, a coach from Texas-Arlington brought it up to Wise to see if she would qualify for it. “It turned out she was eligible and that was the start of it,” Wise said. “She had success right away, she won a world title right away. It’s been a great experience for her because she’s found a different community of acceptance there.” Young was able to earn a first place finish at the US Paralympic National Championships, before earning two gold medals at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. she also won two gold medals at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in 2017. Young competed at various Paralympic event during her WSU career, which concluded in 2018. Wise said that Young’s mindset was key to her having the type of success she has now. “She was just doing what she does,” Wise said. “I think she appreciated that we weren’t trying to treat her differently or special. In hindsight, it’s remarkable what she’s done but I think that’s why she’s one of the best in the world. She had that mindset that this isn’t a disability, it’s just something I have to figure out how to do it
COURTESY OF TEAM USA
Former Shocker Deja Young poses for a picture after winning a Bronze medal in the Paralympic Games on Tuesday.
technically different.” Wise said that part of what makes her a good representative of WSU is how she has used her platform to help others within her community. “She’s more than a runner,” Wise said. “She’s significant into community service and talking about things to help younger people and help her in the community. You’re always excited to see someone develop into a mature person from when you knew them when they were a high school kid. She’s always been a real positive for Wichita State Track and Field.”
Rainbolt said that Young’s career is something he tries to keep up with, especially when she participates in a major race. “I’m always proud of her when the major races come up. There’s a tree out (in front of Charles Koch Arena) in her honor. With regards to the major championships, we always pay attention and send text messages around.” Young is set to run the prelim for the 200-meter dash on Friday, just before 10 p.m. In the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, Young collected two gold medals in both the T47 100-meters and the
200-meters. Coverage of the Paralympics can be seen on NBC, NBCSN and the Olympic Channel. Additional coverage is aired on the NBC Sports app. “Thank you to everyone who has been on this ride with me,” Young said in a post to Instagram. “I appreciate each and every one of you for playing your part. I’m not done yet, I have one race to go but I wanted to take a moment just to be grateful.” If Young advances to the finals of the 200 meters, she will race at 5:50 a.m. CT.
FILE PHOTO BY MONIQUE GAINES / THE SUNFLOWER
Head coach Danny Bryan talking to the team after the Division I Men’s Tennis Championship selection announcement last season on May 3, 2021.
Tennis completes coaching staff ahead of upcoming season BY EMMIE BOESE elboese15@gmail.com / @elboese15
The Wichita State men’s tennis program added two new coaches to the coaching staff this summer. On Monday, July 19 Head Coach Danny Bryan announced the hire of Brett Froman as the Assistant Coach for the program. Before coming to Wichita State, Forman was an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin. He was also a volunteer assistant for Princeton University and Michigan State. Forman played his collegiate tennis career at Michigan State, where FORMAN he was named Team MVP four times. He also had more than 100 victories in singles during his time there.
Forman said he has wanted to coach tennis since he ended his playing career at Michigan State. His competitive nature is what helped spark an interest in coaching. “ I also had when I was playing a lot of my coaches had a great impact on me,”Forman said. “Not just from a time standpoint but from a personal development standpoint so I want to be able to help do that for the kids coming up as well.” Forman said Wichita State stood out to him in terms of starting a coaching career because of the strong presence that program has shown. “There’s been a noticeable shift in the last couple of years since Danny’s come here and I thought it was a great opportunity for me to jump on the train and toot it, keep it going,” Forman said. Bryan said he got in touch with
Forman through mutual friend Billy Pate who is the head men’s tennis coach at Princeton. Pate recommended Forman to Bryant for the position. “I also was impressed with in a short period in his coaching career he hasn’t had a lot of different experiences and has learned from a lot of coaches that I respect,” Bryan said. “I felt like that was going to benefit us moving forward.” The following month, the tennis program announced the hire of David Barbieri on Wednesday, Aug. 25. Barbieri is the Volunteer BARBIERI Assistant for the program and was previously the Assistant Coach at Jacksonville State. He was also a Volunteer Assistant for
Drake University and a Volunteer Assistant for the women’s tennis program at Missouri State. Barbieri played collegiately at William Woods and Bethany College. He was ranked No.1 in the nation while at Bethany and made it to the quarterfinals at the NAIA national tournament. Barbieri said he wanted to coach because he wanted to give back what was given to him while on the court. “I felt like I had to give back and of course once you’re off the court the only way to help other guys or mentor is coaching and by getting better,”Barbieri said. “I was looking for new challenges and new programs.” Barbieri is originally from Argentina and after moving to Wichita, he started a job at Genesis Health Clubs. However, after noticing the high level the tennis program was at Wichita State, he
wanted to give coaching another chance. “Well since being from another country and now being here, Wichita State has been growing year after year and now that I moved here to Wichita the program has been top level and I wanted to see what continues there with my experience and a chance to help the program reach new high levels,” Barbieri said. Barbieri said that he has noticed a change from the transition of player to coach. “It is definitely a different chair, things are a little more slower and you have to be very understandable when you are mentoring young student athletes,”Barbieri said. “It’s definitely fun as well when you are working towards their success and the program so definitely you have to be a person willing of putting others first.”
SPORTS
THURSDAY, SEPT. 2, 2021 | 9
Shockers remain undefeated after A-State Invitational BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty
The Wichita State volleyball team opened up its season this weekend, competing in the A-State Invitational in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The Shockers finished the season-opening tournament with a 3-0 record across the two days.
MISSOURI STATE The Shockers collected a sweep of Missouri State (25-22, 26-24, 25-16) in its season-opener on Friday. Sophomore Brylee Kelly led the way offensively, with a career-high 16 kills in the match. She committed just two errors and hit .500 in the match. Freshman Kailin Newsome, a transfer from Southeastern Louisiana, tallied 11 kills in her Shocker debut. Lauren Phillips also performed well in her first action in a Shocker uniform. After redshirting last season, Phillips tallied 34 assists in her first collegiate action, while also tallying three service aces. Sophomore libero Lily Liekweg led the way for the Shockers defensively with 16 digs. WSU outhit the Bears .257 to .192 in the victory. The Shockers won its fifth straight season-opener, while also improving to 15-7 in season-openers under Chris Lamb.
TENNESSEE-MARTIN
FILE PHOTO BY LENA ALHALLAQ / THE SUNFLOWER
Wichita State redshirt sophomore Brylee Kelly spikes the ball during the game against the Memphis Tigers last season at Charles Koch Arena on Mar. 5, 2021.
The Shockers collected their second sweep on Friday evening, defeating the Nighthawks in three sets, 25-16, 25-15, 25-22. Brylee Kelly once again led the charge offensively, tallying 12 kills with no hitting errors. Kelly also hit .400 for the match. Freshman outside hitter Kailin Newsome added eight kills and freshman middle Natalie Foster
contributed six kills on just 13 attempts (.462 hitting percentage). Sophomore opposite hitter Sophia Rohling tallied seven kills on 21 swings. Sophomore libero Lily Liekweg finished with 24 digs with 20 coming in the first two sets. Liekweg also added three service aces and seven assists. Freshman setter Lauren Phillips tallied a season-high 35 assists. The Shockers outhit the Skyhawks .287 to .069 in the victory.
ARKANSAS STATE The Wichita State volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 to defeat host Arkansas State in five sets (17-25, 25-19, 19-25, 25-18, 15-8) during the final match of the A-State Invite. The fifth set was tied at 8-8 but WSU finished the match on a 7-0 run to stay unbeaten after one weekend of play. Natalie Foster was pivotal down the stretch tallying a solo block and two kills, including the game-winner. Kailin Newsome posted her first double-double as a Shocker with 17 kills and 10 digs. Sophia Rohling and Brylee Kelly each reach double figures for WSU, adding 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Lily Liekweg tallied a teamhigh 17 digs, while sophomore setter Kayce Litzau made her season debut in the second set and finished with 40 assists and 13 digs. Lauren Phillips played in three of the five sets and tallied eight assists and six digs. The Shockers outhit A-State .211 to .143 in the match. WSU returns to action Sep. 3-4, at the SDSU Invite in Brookings, S.D. The Shockers open Friday against California Baptist (1 p.m.) and Montana (5 p.m.) then take on host South Dakota State at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
TOP WEEKEND PERFORMERS KILLS
Brylee Kelly - 38 Kailin Newsome - 36 Sophia Rohling - 23
DIGS
Lily Liekweg - 57 Lauren Phillips - 21 Kailin Newsome - 20 Bryn Stransberry - 20
ASSISTS
Lauren Phillips - 77 Kayce Litzau - 40 Lily Liekweg - 12 ALL-TOURNAMENT SELECTIONS The Shockers had three different players – Lily Liekweg, Kailin Newsome, and Brylee Kelly– be selected to the A-State Invitational All-Tournament Teams. Liekweg was awarded the MVP for the tournament, after tallying 57 digs throughout the three games. Newsome and Kelly led the way for the Shockers throughout the weekend, combing for 74 kills.
WHAT’S NEXT WSU returns to action Sep. 3-4, at the SDSU Invite in Brookings, S.D. The Shockers will play two games on Friday against California Baptist (1 p.m.) and Montana (5 p.m.) then take on host South Dakota State at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
A deeper look at Eric Wedge’s twoyear extension BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty
Wichita State baseball head coach Eric Wedge agreed to a two-year contract extension on Tuesday. The new agreement added two years to the original contract, which was set to expire in 2024. The details of Wedge’s twoyear extension were made available following an open-records request from The Sunflower. His base salary will be set at $450,000 for the final two years of the deal. Wedge is currently in the third year of his contract and is set to make $400,000 this year. “I feel delighted and honored that the University and athletic department are giving me the opportunity to continue my work with the baseball program and our exceptional student-athletes,” Wedge said in the release following his extension. “My long-term commitment is to return our baseball program to national prominence while supporting the goal of providing an environment and an opportunity for our student-athletes to thrive personally and as a team.” Wedge will also receive $5,000 each semester if the baseball program achieves a 3.5 GPA or higher. The extension will also allow Wedge to receive free tuition for two college-eligible children. Wedge is heading into his third season at the helm and led WSU to a 31-23 overall record last season. The Shockers also finished with an 18-13 record and third-place finish in conference play. In his first season as head coach at WSU in 2020, Wedge led the Shockers to a 13-2 record before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WSU ended the season on a 12-game winning streak – its longest streak since 2008.
FILE PHOTO BY KHANH NGUYEN / THE SUNFLOWER
Sophomore Britte Magnuson competes in last year’s American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships. The event was held at 4 Mile Creek Resort, on Feb. 6, 2021.
Cross Country begins season with JK Gold Classic BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty
The Wichita State cross country program is set to start its season this Saturday with the JK Gold Classic hosted in Augusta, Kansas. The meet is the lone home meet WSU will have this season. The Shockers are set to have a much more normal season than last year, after the season was postponed until the spring. Cross Country head coach Kirk Hunter said the season starting in the fall will be beneficial for the athletes. “They’re extremely excited that we’re starting a season again,” Hunter said. “Just to be able to start the season on a regular to normal day is really exciting.
The meet itself isn’t going to be very big, it’s a small meet with six teams. It’s just nice to be able to compete again and get started.” When the program held their season last spring, they only participated in one meet prior to the conference championships. The men’s and women’s teams both secured top-four finishes in the conference, despite the shortened season. Hunter said that with the season scheduled to be more normal this fall, it will make a big difference on their mental health. “It’s enormous to have a season and have something more normal than we’ve had in the past,” Hunter said. “COVID has been extremely stressful on the student-athletes and extremely stressful on the coaches. It really
disrupted our entire life, obviously we’re not the only ones, it’s the world that’s been disrupted. We need some normal life and by having that, it’s going to help us emotionally, mentally and physically.” On the men’s side, they are slated to return much of the roster from a year ago, including redshirt sophomore Jed Helker. Helker was the lone Shocker that earned all-conference honors, while taking 14th place in the AAC Championships. Hunter said that Helker’s experience and leadership qualities have made a big impact on this year’s team. “He’s one of the best leaders we’ve ever had,” Hunter said. “He’s just one of those people that gravitates towards that direction
and does such a wonderful job. The fact that he’s such a good runner helps obviously a great deal because he’s not only showing leadership from his style within the team but he shows it when he’s out there running.” On the women’s side, they will be without Winny Koskei this season following her graduation last spring after winning three consecutive AAC individual titles. Hunter said that he’s been impressed with players across the roster stepping up so far. “There’s a group of kids that are going to be able to step in and hopefully keep our tradition going. There are unknowns but that could be any year. Anything could happen over the course of a summer. I’m pretty happy with the girls right now.”
SPORTS
10 | THURSDAY, SEPT. 2, 2021
COURTESY PHOTO FROM SARAH KLASSEN
Wichita State senior Sarah Klassen prepares to bowl during last year’s National Championship victory.
Sarah Klassen to play for Canada in IBF Championships BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty
Wichita State senior bowler Sarah Klassen will take part in the IBF Championships later this fall in Dubai. Klassen will play for Team Canada in the tournament that is slated for Nov. 6- Nov. 15. “It’s very special,” Klassen said. “I’ve always loved competing for my country because since I was younger, it’s been a dream to compete with the adults because I’ve only ever competed with the youths. I’m excited.” Klassen will join another former Shocker on Team Canada in November, with Samantha How also being named to the team. “I think that’s really cool,” Klassen said. “It’s cool that we already have a previous team dynamic, coming from Wichita State. It’s like we know each other even though we don’t really know each other.” Klassen said she is excited about the opportunity but it is tough that she’ll have to miss one WSU tournament, the Leatherneck Classic in Davenport, Iowa, during that time. “It’s special,” Klassen said. “It’s kind of sad because I will have to miss one tournament and it’s hard
“All in all, I’m just trying to get better. I think it’ll be helpful, I think I’ll learn a lot and bring it back to my teammates.” SARAH KLASSEN Senior
focusing on this event when I also have to put my energy into the team. All in all, I’m just trying to get better. I think it’ll be helpful, I think I’ll learn a lot and bring it back to my teammates.” This past spring, Klassen was a key member of WSU’s national championship winning team. The Shockers defeated North Carolina A&T in a decisive fifth game, to win 247-217 and secure the women’s program’s 10th title. “It was crazy,” Klassen said. “It’s something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. We’ve all said it but going into it, it felt like we had won already because we knew it was going to happen. For it to actually happen, it was like we had been there before.” This past year, the bowling season was delayed to the spring and practices limited to groups
which Klassen said was difficult to not be around her teammates. Klassen said that she’s excited to have a normal season to finish out her WSU career. “I can’t wait,” Klassen said. “Last year was kind of stressful because it seemed that everything was packed into the second semester and we just went right into it. But now, easing into it, I think it’ll benefit us a lot, where we can actually have time in between to think about how the tournament went and think about what we need to do for the next one. I think we’ll be in a better headspace. I think it’ll benefit us a lot.” With Klassen now entering her final season with the Shockers, she said that her time at WSU has been special, even beyond her time spent with the bowling team. “It’s been crazy,” Klassen said. “I’ve changed so much as a person and as an athlete. It feels that I’ve been here forever but it also feels like I just got here last week. It’s really cool reflecting on how I’ve grown over the past three years and I’m excited to make the last year special.” Klassen and the Shocker Bowling program are set to begin their season from Oct. 16-17 with the Mid-States Championships.
COURTESY PHOTO FROM SARAH KLASSEN
Sarah Klassen reacts during last year’s National Championship victory.
What students can expect from Intramurals and Club Sports this year BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty
With the 2020-21 school year now in full swing, the intramural sports and club sports have announced what the seasons will look like. Last year’s seasons were primarily filled with online activities and events due to the regulations that campus recreation was following. Austin Sanderson, the coordinator of sport programs, said the plan for now is to return to more in-person activities starting this fall. “We’re able to start all of our activities outside based on all the recommendations whether it be the country or CDC,” Sanderson said. “We don’t really have anything that we need to worry about outside. We’re running a traditional season, we’re starting on time this year.” With the return of more in-person games activities, Sanderson said the plan is to have fans allowed to attend events. “A lot of groups will be excited when they’re able to have their fans and everything there,” Sanderson said. “That really adds to the atmosphere for some of those teams and we weren’t able to
accommodate outdoors or indoors last year.” Sanderson said that Campus Recreation will still offer some online activities through Shocker Gaming but that this return to more in-person events will be beneficial for students. “It’s good for the students because I know last year they wanted more games but we couldn’t provide more games based on the timeframe that we were dealing with,” Sanderson said. “This year we’re able to add more activities and games and the students were asking for more last year. So, we’re able to provide that traditional schedule.” With the fewer number of games taking place last year, Sanderson said that he noticed less people signing, which could be due to many reasons. “We had less people signing up. I’m going to assume that had to deal with the number of people that were on campus,” Sanderson said. “Also, just people feeling comfortable with the activities as well. I worked with our staff until they were comfortable and then went with it and I think we did have lower numbers but we’ll see how that turns around this year.”
UPCOMING HOME GAMES SATURDAY, SEPT. 4 XC: JK Gold Classic 8:30 a.m.
4 Mile Creek Resort (Augusta)
FRIDAY, SEPT. 17
VB: WSU vs South Dakota 7 p.m. Charles Koch Arena
SATURDAY, SEPT. 18 VB: WSU vs Wyoming 10:00 a.m. Charles Koch Arena
VB: WSU vs Creighton 7 p.m. Charles Koch Arena
FRIDAY, OCT. 1
VB: WSU vs UCF 7 p.m. FILE PHOTO BY KHANH NGUYEN / THE SUNFLOWER
The Wichita State men’s soccer club gathers in a huddle after a game in 2018.
Sanderson said that the key for more students signing up is to get the word out there about the return to in-person events. “It’s getting that word out there, it’s different than what you’re used to, it’s more traditional this year. Spreading the word out and giving the sophomores the traditional freshman experience. It’s all new to them so two years of students being together.”
For students looking to join any intramurals clubs and club sports, Sanderson said they can join their Discord to decide which sport might interest them the most. “We have our Discord, which is ‘WSU Sport Programs’’, which is the best way, which is also broken down into games,” Sanderson said. “Once they’re part of our main discord server, then they can join the activities they’re interested in.”
Charles Koch Arena
SUNDAY, OCT. 3 VB: WSU vs USF 1 p.m.
Charles Koch Arena
FRIDAY, OCT. 15
VB: WSU vs East Carolina 7 p.m. Charles Koch Arena
SUNDAY, OCT. 17
VB: WSU vs Cincinnati 1 p.m. Charles Koch Arena