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THURSDAY Aug. 26, 2021 Volume 126 Issue 3

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YARD SHOW 2021

PHOTOS BY KHANH NGUYEN / THE SUNFLOWER

Top: Members of Chi Sigma Tau fraternity gets excited during yard show on Aug 24. Left: Charles Williams of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity strolls during yard show on Aug 24. Right: Truc Nguyen of Sigma Psi Zeta sorority strolls during yard show on Aug 24.

Saying hi with pie: Black Student Union holds series of events to welcome freshmen BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE AND LINDSAY SMITH news@thesunflower.com / editor@thesunflower.com

The Black Student Union is joining in on the first two weeks of school fun by holding a series of events this week, all focused on welcoming students back to Wichita State’s campus. They are also celebrating 20 years of being a registered organization on campus. On Tuesday evening, roughly 20 students gathered together in front of the Rhatigan Student Center for BSU’s scavenger hunt where the winners received various gift cards. The Union also held a meet and greet and open mic night. Another stand out event was the “Pie a Cabinet Member” event on Monday. Even Wu decided to join in on the fun and pied BSU’s president in the face. The President of BSU Omarian Brantley said that the goal for the events is to bring back some fun that students have been missing

amidst COVID-19. “Really, I’m just hoping to have the Black students have fun again on campus, because you know, it’s been so long since they have been able to actually get out and do stuff, so I hope they have fun and hopefully they make new friends,” Brantley said. Aside from the events, Brantley said that overall BSU’s goal is to serve as a connecting point for all Black WSU students. “It’s really the safe haven for all Black identifying students to be able to come somewhere and see somebody who looks like them,” Brantley said. “Not only that but we’re also the connecting point for you know, Black students who may be in engineering, Black students who are involved in Greek life, you know, so they can all come together for Black Student Union.” Wichita State is a predominately white institution. Out of the roughly 16,000 students, 6% are Black. “It’s very important that they

have a safe haven of sorts, of people who look like them and where they know they can go for help and things like that,” Brantley said. BSU treasurer Tatum Graham echoed Brantley’s sentiments. “Personally, I think it’s important to the students here because it gives them another home away from home, they have a bunch of people who are like them,” she said. “It’s important to me because it brings me a family outside of my own family.” Graham said she hoped that the week of events brought more students to the union who otherwise wouldn’t know of its existence. “A goal that I have from this week is probably to bring in more students who did not know about us, word spreads around fast I guess after you throw good events,” Graham said. “I feel like this week we started off strong, started off big, so I want to grow the family some more.” SEE BSU PAGE 2

PHOTO BY JORDAN PLOWMAN / THE SUNFLOWER

Black Student Union Cabinet member Kynnedy Moore smiles after getting smacked in face with whip topping during the Pie a Cabinet Member event on Aug. 23.

2 | THURSDAY, AUG. 26, 2021

NEWS

Meet the hidden hero for faculty during COVID-19 BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE news@thesunflower.com

FILE PHOTO BY DANIEL CAUDILL / THE SUNFLOWER A banner celebrating Wichita State University’s 125th anniversary hangs on a university sign at 21st and Hillside.

Wichita natives choose to attend WSU for many reasons. Here are some BY JAYCIE NELSON opnion@thesunflower.com

The task of choosing where to attend college can be daunting for many. However, there are key points that guide us such as affordability, location, and the offered programs. Senior business major Hanna Hoopes said she chose to attend WSU for various reasons, one being the cost of the university compared to other Kansas ones and the scholarships she received. She also said the innovation vision of campus aligned with what she wants in a university. “I think when I was getting ready to start they were in the process of the innovation campus and all that so I liked the idea by the time I graduate, there was going to be a lot more growth on the campus compared to when I first started,” Hoopes said. She said if the low tuition hadn’t been a factor in WSU she most likely still would have attended because of the various opportunities she’s been able to receive. “My favorite aspect is I think that the opportunities provided,” she said. “There’s so many that you know, it’s hard not to take advantage of the opportunities compared to some places. “I’ve always felt very like supported in my extracurriculars.” Social work senior Ivan Castillo said he liked being close to home. “Initially, I think one of the big reasons why I chose Wichita State was because it was close to home,” He saids. “Being a first gen student,

“I think one of the big reasons why I chose Wichita State was because it was close to home. Being a first gen student, kind of the idea of going to college is a little scary.” IVAN CASTILLO Wichita State senior, Wichita native

kind of the idea of going to college is a little scary.” His siblings also both attended WSU, with one still being a current student. “I knew that regardless of what I did and what I chose, I kind of had the opportunity to try things and get internships,” Castillo said. “I knew that I had a chance to get connections and try things out.” Castillo said that while the tuition cost is nice, he chose WSU for other reasons. “Regardless of tuition, I think in the long run Wichita State would’ve been the best choice for me,” Castillo said. Chemistry junior Fahmy Alhallaq said he chose WSU because it just “made sense”. “My favorite aspect of WSU would definitely be all the opportunities to branch out and meet new people,” he said. He also said he joined multiple organizations that are both serious and social so he could express himself.

WSU now offering financial incentives for students who receive COVID-19 vaccine BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_KSmith

Wichita State is now offering financial incentives to students who receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the university announced in a news release on Friday. The incentives include a $250 cash prize for fall 2021 students who show can show proof of vaccination. Students can show proof of vaccination by uploading a photo of their vaccine card to the

myShockerHealth portal. Other students may also be eligible to receive one of the 20 spring 2022 scholarships worth $5,000 each. These scholarships will be awarded through a random drawing. The proof of vaccination must be submitted by Oct. 8 for a chance to win. Students can get their free vaccine at the Student Wellness Center, located at the Steve Clark YMCA on the innovation campus.

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.

Transitioning to fully online during COVID-19 was a struggle for everyone — professors had to modify their courses, and student’s had to try their best to keep up with the changes. Behind all of that, the Media Resources Center had been preparing for this moment without even realizing it. John Jones, director of MRC, said that they operate at the intersection of technology and instruction, but it doesn’t represent everything that they do. “When things are going well, we are invisible,” Jones said. “We should be aspiring to be invisible, when the faculty have everything that they need and everything works, then we fade into the background.” Jones said that MRC started preparing in early March for the transition online. “We sat there, we looked at the way things were going and saw the trajectory, and we were like, ‘we need to be preparing so that we are ready,’” Jones said. “A couple of weeks later, we went fully online. “Provost Muma said, ‘are you guys going to be ready to handle this’, and I could say, ‘Ya, look what we built.’” The MRC is made up of five different departments that handle different responsibilities on campus. Campus media services is in charge of the technology in classrooms with the exception of computers, which includes projectors, screens, podiums, cameras, and microphones. They also help with live events on campus and turning spaces into presentation spaces. The campus media services team has seven employed staff members along with several students. The office of instructional resources team provides support to professors with teaching online. Many resources for professors are readily available online at wichita.edu/services/ mrc. “Pre-COVID, about 10-20 percent of instructors had some experience teaching online,” Jones said. “When we had to transition to fully online, we had a lot of people to get up to speed.” The team’s big effort is running the academic resources

BSU FROM PAGE 1 Junior Maurissa Cunningham has been involved in BSU since her freshman year. She said that the community aspect of the union is why it’s so important on campus. “It’s important to us because we have each other to lean back on and use for advice and things like that,” Cunningham said. “I’m

conference, which happens three times a year. Jones said that 200 faculty members come through and do at least one session, with sessions happening over four or five days. “We were very very lucky that for years we had been working in an effort to try and build capacity and understanding and interest in teaching online,” Jones said. The WSUtv and video services team helps with live events on campus, such as Commencement. They also have relationships with certain sport teams on campus to record their events. The web services team works with web development and Strat-comm to provide the main university website. The newest team is academic access and accommodations, and their primary role is producing braille and tactile graphics for students with visual impairments. “It’s sort of a social justice thing that is happening over time,” Jones said. Jones said that MRC encourages professors to use certain avenues to teach their classes, including Blackboard, Panopto, and Zoom. While publisher materials may add to a course, it is common to run into accessibility issues for students taking courses using their content. “We have a web page where we list the publisher resources that have been reviewed and whether they are approved or have an exception to be used in a particular class, and publishers hate that,” Jones said. One of the concerns introduced was “zoom bombing,” where outside parties enter a zoom because they got ahold of the zoom login information. Corcoran said that prior to COVID-19, there were less than 250 Zoom users on campus. In the transition week to online, that number became 2,500 licensed users. “We didn’t decide to move away from Zoom, but we did leverage Ryan’s team to try and provide support for folks,” Jones said. “We very quickly put together a program of Zoom co-hosts that people could request so that if they were teaching in a Zoom space or doing a meeting in a zoom space, there could be somebody who would be a sort of wingman and watch what was going on in the room … so that the instructors who

JOHN JONES Director of Media Resources

were in a space where they were not comfortable, could rely on somebody else.” With federal funding, the MRC is also now able to remotely access and help professors in classrooms with technology. Corcoran said that a majority of the time, it is a simple fix and having this tool gives them the ability to support all master classrooms remotely. “We want people to be excited about those new capacities in master classrooms and what they can do,” Jones said. They have also purchased several lightboards that are spread out everywhere on campus, including one in the library for students to use. The lightboards allow professors to take notes and show presentations without turning their backs and makes recorded lectures more interesting and dynamic. Go to wichita. edu/lightboards to sign up for a time to use the one in the library. Jones said that the MRC is important to campus because of the continuity of experience they help provide. “There are much more important things to learn than technology,” Jones said. “By standardizing and managing what we use in those environments, we can reduce that cognitive load and make the experience better for everyone.” Jones said that being forced to switch online last year might’ve been hard, but it has now opened up different avenues of teaching for many professors. “Being forced to meet like this or teach like this during COVID has now enabled them postCOVID to go, ‘Oh, that wasn’t really that hard, I don’t know why I was waiting so long,’ … they will now have more experience and comfort with the online tools … That only serves to benefit everybody I think.”

hoping they will accomplish a lot of networking and meeting new people.” Sophomore Dacaria Harris attended the events in hopes of gaining more of a college experience that she felt was taken away due to the pandemic. “Last year, I didn’t have much of a freshman year, so I didn’t get to meet anybody, so I thought this would be a fun way to meet people and engage with the outside world,” Harris said. Fellow sophomore Lamia

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

“We were very very lucky that for years we had been working in an effort to try and build capacity and understanding and interest in teaching online.”

FACULTY ADVISOR Amy DeVault amy.devault@wichita.edu

Taft also attended the event for similar reasons. “It’s my sophomore year so I wanted to go and meet new people,” Taft said. “We should have more events like this just so people get out. I know last year, myself, it was hard making friends.” The Welcome Black Week continues tomorrow with a painting event in the RSC. The week concludes with a cookout at Fairmount Park on Friday.

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, AUG. 26, 2021 | 3

PHOTO BY LENA ALHALLAQ / THE SUNFLOWER

Brian Amos teaching a class. Amos is teaching a class on redistricting and gerrymandering next fall.

Wichita State professor teaches class focused on re-districting and gerrymandering BY MITCHELL ADAMSON mxadamson@shockers.wichita.edu

Redistricting and Gerrymandering may seem like intimidating words at a glance, but Brian Amos, an assistant professor in the political science department, hopes to clear up any confusion in his upcoming political redistricting course. Amos earned his Masters and PHD in political science from the University of Florida, specializing in legislative redistricting, election administration, and other political data analysis. Amos is teaching political redistricting in the spring of 2022, a class that deals specifically with drawing district lines. It is open to all majors and it requires no prerequisites. “It’s gonna be open to everybody, no prerequisites, it will be drawing districts, learning the history of it, what are the effects of it, and a big chunk of it will be trying to gerrymander or try and not gerrymander,” Amos said.

Redistricting is the process of legislative bodies drawing new boundaries in states, called districts, that are given representation largely by population size. Each district in a state has a representative that represents that district before the U.S. House. Every ten years a census is drawn of a state’s population to configure boundaries that are appropriate for consideration. Amos said these boundaries are passed like any other bill. “The House has to pass it, the senate has to pass it, and the governor signs or vetoes it,” Amos said. This process happens in Topeka, the state capital, where the state legislature uses narrow criteria to judge where districts should be drawn. Special criteria, such as reallocating college students and military personnel to permanent residences, was rescinded for the 2020 consensus. The House and Senate each have a specific committee tasked with leading the project that ultimately prepares background

information that is voted on. The committees work on providing information, funneling it to the chamber floor. When on the chamber floor, it is further examined for discussion on where to draw lines. Gerrymandering is when one party controls the state and draws these lines to help their own political party’s cause.This allows for the division of districts to advantage one political party at the expense of the other. Amos said the state of Kansas could see this in the near future. “Ultimately the republicans are the ones that are in control of the process, where Governor Kelly could be a speed bump, but it’s largely going to be them in control of the process,” Amos said. “What republicans could do [in the state of Kansas] is try and break up Kansas City and Johnson county, which are democratic areas of the state, connecting Kansas City to the north, and Johnson county to the South.” Gerrymandering is also important if the incumbent draws lines

What college students need to know about the RobinHood investing app BY MITCHELL ADAMSON AND RACHEL LYONS

Technology has made things more accessible than ever before, and the world is now seeing that with the popularity of Robinhood, an investing app. Investing has never been this easy, but certain trends have started to pop up showing that making investing this accessible has unforeseen consequences. Robinhood is an application founded by Vladimar Tenev and Baiju Bhatt in 2013. According to Forbes, Robinhood experienced a 139% growth between quarter 1 and quarter 2 last year during the height of the pandemic. In comparison, the traditional investment firm Charles Schwab experienced only a 24% growth between the two quarters. “I definitely love how userfriendly it is, it’s super easy to get started in investing with a lot of helpful tools that are really easy to understand,” George Kriwiel, a senior finance student, said. One of Robinhood’s best assets is the lack of a commission, or service charge, when trading stocks through the app. This allows users to trade more shares of stock than they would be able to at a traditional investment firm, such as Charles Schwab which charges $25 per trade for the assistance of a broker. “They allow individual investors that don’t have a lot of money

and aren’t necessarily investing in something long-term, like a 401k, to interact with and learn about the stock market and crypto-currencies,” Alex Hagerott, a senior economics student, said. Investing can be intimidating to even the most savvy business majors- primarily because of the knowledge necessary to be involved. Even graphs and ticker symbols can be incredibly confusing to someone who has never been exposed to the world of investing. Robinhood is the vehicle to take baby-steps into investing. Even investing small amounts of money, can allow for a rich interaction with the stock market. Conversely, there are also foreseen negative aspects of Robinhood. “Democratizing the stock market, now conversely, is a bad thing, this is what big businesses complain about leads to greater market volatility,” Hagerott said. The more people that are investing, the more unpredictable the stock market becomes. It can be risky when enough research does not prelude investing. Jumping in at a random spot could incur significant loss, even with minimal amount of expenditure. “People like you and me that don’t have as much knowledge, and haven’t done their due-diligence before investing will just throw money at stuff,” Hagerott said. Over-valuing a stock is

something that the general public will not pick up on. The dangers of over-valuing a stock are prevalent in recent months with the popularity of what is called a “meme stock.” A meme stock is a stock that comes to the forefront of attention, not because the company has gained value by investing into new technology or with new marketing campaigns, but by social media’s influence. This is dangerous because the stock being overpriced foreshadows an eventual crash, incurring loss for many investors, especially those that aren’t investing with corporate money. Steady rise over many years is different from this “short squeeze” because the stock will not just crash overnight, but will remain constant with signs of depreciation. Brandon Lytle, executive of operations for Tradehome Shoes West, gave his thoughts and opinions on Robinhood. “Gaining wise long-term you can invest and watch your money grow, it’s a good tool to learn how to trade, learn different ways to trade that the classroom setting cannot teach you,” Lytle said. Lytle said to try paper trading first through an app, which will teach you how to trade without using your own money. Doing this allows you to see if your investing strategy will work with less risk involved.

along racial boundaries within the state. Considering different racial minorities may lean one way or another, grouping people into a particular district could separate them so they are a minority instead of a majority. They could also create one big district in order to not carry as much weight in a group of districts. “In KC, African-American majority/minority districts, or like in the southwest, they might have to draw Hispanic majority/ minority districts,” Amos said. Drawing these districts takes very special attention, considering the legal interests. The Equal Protection Act in the United States Constitution allows for minorities in the state to control equal standing. Doing this properly adjusts the imbalance and creates an equilibrium when drawing districts, allowing for groups to be correctly analyzed for representation. Andruw Hoopes, a sophomore studying political science, said that leveling out the population is the

main goal of the committees. He said the main concern of the political districting process is trying to protect against the party differences that lead to polarization. “There is technically no law against it … I know that there are certain requirements they have to meet based on ethnic diversity and race,” Hoopes said. The Supreme Court ruled on the topic of gerrymandering and made it unconstitutional for those to draw districts by racial boundaries. If the boundaries are not drawn on racial boundaries purposely for the cause of hurting an opposing party, they are constitutionally upheld. If you’d like to learn more about the process of redistricting and the dangers of gerrymandering, consider taking political redistricting in the spring. It is open to all majors across campus to help students better understand local Kansas and national politics.

Office of Admissions develops permanent strategies through pandemic BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com

Every university office had to change the way they do business ever since the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world 17 months ago. The Office of Admissions was no exception— Especially when it came to recruiting new freshmen to come to Wichita State. Director of Admissions Bobby Gandu said that while it was a challenge switching gears, he was happy with what the office was able to do. “We had to get really creative in a lot of different ways to engage with prospective students, so we felt really good about all those interactions,” Gandu said. Gandu said that they switched their focus from in-person events to aggressively reaching out to each and every possible student. “We found that we were pretty aggressive in our outreach, and students really appreciated that they were stuck at home,” Gandu said. “They didn’t have a lot of options and so hearing from potentially their future college I think really got them charged up and fired up about at least going to college.” Admissions found other creative ways to get students excited— including sending more customized mail to students’ doorsteps and putting signs in front

yards. Some of that customization even included photoshop. “We asked high school seniors at the time to send us their senior pictures and then we basically photoshopped them in different places on campus with Wu holding a picture frame around them,” he said. “We were hoping students would find a sense of home in Wichita State.” While last year was not an ideal situation for anyone, Gandu said that the office was able to learn new tips and tricks that they’ll be able to bring to the future — even when the pandemic is over. “We did a lot of things this last year where we were trying to provide students options as they were conducting their college search,” Gandu said. “We had a lot of virtual events. Read the rest at thesunflower.com

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Opinion

HAVE AN OPINION?

contact The Sunflower’s opinion editor, Jaycie Nelson opinion@thesunflower.com

FILE PHOTO BY EASTON THOMPSON

Morgan Cusick highlights sections of a book while she studies at Fairmount Coffee on August 8.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KAYLEE STOUT

The small moments make up the bigger picture

“The bottom line is that universities are finding new ways to receive more money from their students.” Kaylee Stout writes

Professors need to find affordable alternatives for access codes Kaylee Stout Marketing Manager marketing@thesunflower.

You’re a college student attending university in the midst of a global pandemic and you were excited to get the “college experience” for the first time. There are many things college students have to think about before a semester starts. Students must figure out their living situation as this might be the first time they are away from their family. Students have to organize their school schedule with their work schedule if they are planning to work while taking courses. Then comes ordering textbooks and access codes. When I was a freshman in college I had no idea what an access code was or or the purpose it served. I was unpleasantly surprised when I learned that it was practically a

$150 piece of paper that had a 16 digit code written on the inside. In many cases, the student will not just have to purchase this access code but also the textbook for the course as well. Students are overpaying for textbooks and now access codes on top of textbook expenses. As far as I am concerned, the best options when it comes to textbooks are renting them from Chegg or Amazon. Sure, they might have highlighted sections in the textbook and the pages are a little worn, but it’s worth the affordability. The only thing with needing access codes is that the student will have to purchase the onetime code through the school so there will be no discounts. If the student can not afford the access code they will miss out on online assignments. The one-time 16 digit code will give the student access to an online learning experience. Each professor is different, but in my personal experience, the professor will post

MEET THE STAFF Julia Nightengale, news editor

Major: Social work

“The only thing with needing access codes is that the student will have to purchase the one-time code through the school so there will be no discouns. If the student cannot afford the access code they will miss out on online assignments.” additional homework assignments to the website throughout the course. The bottom line is that universities are finding new ways to receive more money from their students. College is already expensive, and I think that if they lowered the prices of textbooks and access codes then it would be more affordable.

Favorite Color: Orange and green Hobby: Long distance running, reading, and spending time with friends Favorite type of Music: EDM and alternative Favorite Song: Happy Life by Roland Faunte Life Motto: Work hard, love hard, play hard

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.

Opinion Editor opinion@thesunflower.com

hen we think of the life we want to lead, we often start with all the big picture items. We want to accomplish this, move there, own this, and so much more. But what about all the “inconsequential” events that occur in our everyday life. Are they really inconsequential? The little things we do such as getting coffee, conversations with friends and family, and the to-do list of our day make up the essence of our life. If we are constantly focusing on reaching one goal and then the next, when do we truly stop to enjoy all we have done and are doing? I am a firm believer in making everyday your favorite day. While you are at college, enjoy being at college. When you’re in class, appreciate being in class - instead of patiently waiting for it to be over just to rush to the next thing on your to-do list. When we stop enjoying the journey, and only focus on destinations we miss out on important and meaningful reflection that can create our happiness. Our anxiety levels can rise

Julia Nightengale news@thesunflower.com

As I am entering into my fourth year of college, I’ve learned a lot about what makes me strive as a college student and what makes me feel like everyday’s a never-ending list of things that I don’t want to do. My success in college and my overall happiness in doing it relies heavily on the support system that I have around me. My support system drives me to get the things done even when I’m running on fumes. When I was at my lowest point in college my sophomore year, it had a lot to do with the negative things going on in my personal life. I was growing apart from friends, living in a different town than my

family, and working 50 hours a week between two jobs. My life looked successful on the outside; good grades, making money, and living on my own for the first time. But I felt miserable doing all of it because all I had to come home to was an empty apartment. It felt like I was working hard for no reward. My life looks a lot different now; I learned how important it is to have healthy relationships in all aspects of my life. If someone is hoping to see you fall instead of rise to the top, they shouldn’t have a place in your life. Support systems, to me, are what make life fulfilling. They are what makes the hard work at the end of the day worth it. Humans need someone to be there to cheer them on and also be a shoulder to cry on at the end of the day. Someone to help you

talk through your issues and find solutions. Someone who loves you while also giving you the opportunity to give your love back. Not everyone is blessed to have a built-in support system; but it doesn’t mean you can’t make your own. While it is easy to fall into the rise, grind, and repeat lifestyle in college, don’t forget that college is also a great time to build a support system. You deserve to have someone on your side, helping you fight your battles. Join a club, get a job on campus, or even just attend an in-person campus event. There are so many people to meet at WSU. Even if you don’t have a ton of extra free time to get involved, make it a point to try at least one new thing this semester. So while it is important to work hard, remember to play hard too.

SUNFLOWER HOT TAKES The Sunflower editorial board gives their one-sentence opinions. Lindsay Smith: We don’t talk about the campus cats enough. Sean Marty: If you’re 6’ 2” or taller you shouldn’t have the middle seat on an airplane. Julia Nightengale: I don’t like chunks in my yogurt. Kaylee Stout: I like my dog more than I like most people.

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.

because we are always in the future and never in the now. We take all the little things for granted. Enjoy your time studying at the library, or the late-night talks with friends. Enjoy the process of school and working toward your goal to do meaningful work that’s important to you. When you turn your morning cup of coffee into something to look forward to rather than just another tedious part of your day, you practice gratitude in a small but effective way. The reality is you’ll spend a lot of time not on vacation or buying materialistic items, but doing your day-to-day actions. So pick how you spend each day with meaning, appreciation, and gratitude. It’s easy to find ourselves, especially in college, saying “I just have to get through this week” or day, or year. But pretty soon you’re constantly just trying to get through your life, instead of enjoying it. I’m guilty of saying this, and it’s still a work in progress to fix that mindset. Everyday is far from perfect, but it always helps when we aspire for a good day. Romanticize your life and how you live it. Aspire to make every day beautiful and filled with meaningful conversations, places, and actions. Finding joys in the smallest moments is one of the biggest successes of all.

Support systems are my secret to success in college News Editor

Year: Senior

Jaycie Nelson

Thy Vo: It’s too hot. Jaycie Nelson: Fall weather needs to hurry up.

OPINION

THURSDAY, AUG. 26, 2021 | 5

Street WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST ITEM IN YOUR BACKPACK RIGHT NOW?

JACE RIVERA

Junior, Business Management “I have a microfiber rag to wipe down my computer. That might be a little uncommon.”

NATHANIEL MCVAY Secondary Education with history and goverment bent “I don’t have anything weird in it, I have a Bible.”

Do your part. Campus has been looking a little more normal recently. Food lines at the Rhatigan Student Center, people filling the halls waiting for a classroom and students complaining about the parking hassle. But will it stay this way? The pandemic is an ever-changing situation. Just a few months ago the Delta variant was not a concern for Kansans. Now, masks are becoming enforced at more and more places because of the rise in those specific cases. According to the CDC, the Delta variant is more than 2x as contagious as other variants of COVID-19. Some data suggests that this variant can cause even more severe infection than the common strain. According to the Sedgwick County COVID dashboard, 177 people were hospitalized in the county with the virus, which is the most the county has had since January. This pandemic isn’t over, even if you want it to be. But good for us, we have the vaccine. The vaccine is safe, effective

STAFF

EDITORIAL and widely available for anyone who wants it. For those who don’t want to leave campus, all you have to do is take a quick trip to the Student Wellness Center at the Steve Clark YMCA to get your two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. While the vaccine does not 100% prevent you from contracting the COVID-19 virus, it protects you from severe cases and keeps you out of the hospital. This vaccine saves lives. For those who are still hesitant about receiving the vaccine because of the effectiveness of vaccines in general — Do you hear of polio cases anymore? What about smallpox? Both of those viruses are not a problem anymore because of vaccinations. If you’ve already been immunized, thank you. You have done your part in putting an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. For those who haven’t, do

your research. Find your facts from credible sources, not from a news site you’ve never heard of before or from a facebook post. By getting the vaccine, you are helping others. You are protecting yourself. You are helping the hospital numbers get lower. You are showing respect for your family members, friends, classmates, health care workers and everyone else affected by this pandemic. Professional health care workers have said it time and time again: Herd immunity is the only way for us to end this pandemic. And the best way to reach herd immunity is to get vaccinated. Vaccines aren’t political. So why are people making it that way? You have the means to fight the virus at your fingertips. You have scientific evidence that can back up the safety of the vaccine. It’s that easy to protect yourself and save a life. Care about others. Protect your neighbor. Do your part and get vaccinated. Let’s get back to normal together, and not make this pandemic go any longer.

SKYLAR FULTON

Senior, Computer Science ”I think the best two options are either going to be glasses or a hairbrush.”

JACKSON SHURTZ Freshman, Biology

“It’s not in my backpack, but its outside, I have a lego key chain.”

Sports and Arts should Parking should not be treated equally be another problem Jaycie Nelson Opinion Editor opinion@thesunflower.com

KASSANDRA MCDANELD

Freshman, Undecided, leaning toward Business “A chain”

LINDSAY SCHEUFLER

Elementary Education Major “I feel like it is needed, but in a way I just feel like it gets too hot sometimes. You can’t really focus on what you’re doing because you’re hot and sweating.”

Sports receive funding, support, and all the rage on campus. What do the fine art students, who put in equal effort for their performance, get? Sports and the arts are equal. However, they are not treated equally by students, faculty, or colleges. We constantly hear about up and coming sporting events, but rarely do we hear about the theatre performance held on the same night. The two are equal in dedication, effort, and drive, but the support varies. While the campus is trying to return to normal, we hear concerns over whether sports will have a regular season, but what about orchestra and band performances? It’s normal to wear gear supporting our athletic teams, but not the arts. However, there’s no point to only discuss a problem and give no solutions. WSU should start increasing the advertising for art performance and galleries. Give it equal attention to sports. Faculty members should be challenged to not only know when a sports game is occurring, but when theatre

“For students, we could normalize supporting theatre just as much as sports. Get invlved on campus by not only attending sports games, but shows as well.” students have a show. For students, we could normalize supporting theatre just as much as sports. Get involved on campus by not only attending sports games, but shows as well. I believe more students would attend, if there was more advertising done and it was well known. Harvey Fierstein said, “Art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to educate, inspire and motivate.” The fine arts at WSU provide us with culture and diversity, and a chance to appreciate perspective and beauty. Art stimulates the brain into creative thinking which can benefit us in the classroom and our careers. WSU is centered around diversity, and that should include the events we attend and the equal coverage they should receive. Art isn’t better than sports. But it is equal.

Kyran Crist Arts and Culture Editor @thesunflower.com

Finding a parking spot on campus is a dilemma when it comes to college. It becomes a chore. You have to wait for certain times for a spot to become available, find parking relatively close to your first class, all the while trying to tame the road rage. Coming to WSU as a transfer student from a community college with little parking offered close to buildings, I was expecting the fancy university I am going to go into a small debt for attending would have better parking. That was my mistake. First week of school and every day there are at least three students in class that had trouble finding somewhere to park, frustrated that the parking permit they had to purchase to be able to park on campus seems to be worthless. And rightfully so, the permits are $70 for a semester or $150 for both, this is just to be able to park in the designated student lots. The permit does not guarantee you a spot though, just the right to park without being fined a hefty amount. I don’t think the university has much control over whether or not the parking lots have open spaces,

“Coming to WSU as a transfer student from a community college with little parking offered close to buildings, I was expecting the fancy university I am going to go into a small debt for attending would have better parking” though another close parking lot would be nice. What they do control is the parking permits, the ones I listed above were the cheapest provided on the school website. It’s really frustrating to pay for an expensive permit that you may never get to actually use, especially when you are already paying for tuition, books, food, and possibly housing. I’m not saying that they need to eliminate the permits, I can understand making sure those who aren’t using the campus aren’t using the parking. What I am saying is that the fee should be lowered or lumped into the cost of attendance. Right now it feels as though the university is trying to wring us of every penny and I’m not even able to use or get access to what I am paying for.

6 | THURSDAY, AUG. 26, 2021

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Arts & Entertainment

HAVE A STORY IDEA? contact The Sunflower’s A&E editor, Kyran Crist arts@thesunflower.com

Clash of the Colleges takes new winner

PHOTO BY JORDAN PLOWMAN / THE SUNFLOWER

Fine Arts students celebrate after winning the clash crown on Aug. 20.

PHOTO BY JORDAN PLOWMAN / THE SUNFLOWER

Students play tug of war at the annual Clash of the Colleges on Friday, aug. 20.

BY EMMIE BOESE elboese@shockers.wichita.edu

For the first time in seven years, the College of Fine Arts took the win at the annual Clash of the Colleges. The College of Fine Arts beat out the 2020 champions, the College of Engineering. The College of Engineering featured a large team during this year’s contest. Towards the middle of the competition, the College of Engineering won several of the events. But still, the College of Fine Arts held out for the win. Other than a competition, the clash served as a way for many new freshmen to make

friends and connections their first week in school. “I know first hand the encounters of people had to be a little bit awkward,” WSU Freshman Jack Peterman said. “It’s really the social events that bring everybody together in a way,” The Clash is also a way for students to connect with people of their same majors. “It really does show what kind of person each individual person is out there when everyone is competing against each other but at the end of the day you get to meet a bunch of new people and make new friends and it’s fun for just about everyone,” Peterman said.

PHOTO BY MONIQUE GAINES / THE SUNFLOWER

Business student cheers during the annual Clash of the Colleges on Friday, Aug. 20.

PaintU event brings a night of paint and dance BY JAYCIE NELSON opinion@thesunflower.com

PHOTOS BY LENA ALHALLAQ / THE SUNFLOWER

Top left: Students gather to dance during the PaintU event hosted by SAC in the RSC Courtyard on Aug. 19. Top right: Students pose during the PaintU event hosted by SAC in the RSC Courtyard on Aug. 19.

Paint? Check. Awesome DJ? Check. Lots of fun and dancing? Check. The PaintU event offered students the chance to let loose after finishing their first week of classes. The high-energy and smiles from students was a testimony to the event’s success. This event included bright paint, glow sticks/wands, and dancing to loud music. This event was held in the RSC’s courtyard and truly transformed the campus into an event for student’s to

remember. Senior Jacob Schmidt, a mechanical engineering major, was on his way to study when he saw the bright lights and heard the music and said, “studying can wait.” He said his favorite aspect of the event was “a bunch of glow noodles jumping in the middle of a mosh pit.” Another student enjoying their time at the event was Freshman Bekkah Hettenbach, majoring in early childhood education. Her favorite feature of the event was how it brought everyone together. She also loved music and dancing.

Finance major Tanatsa Ngwenya was also in attendance. “I’m really enjoying the music,” she said, “It’s nice to see everyone out again.” When asked about events she wants to see more of on campus she replied, “more of this.” The event played remixes of songs from, “Watermelon Sugar High,” to “The Cupid Shuffle,” to Dojo Cats and Saweeties, “Best Friend.” It was a great way to “wind down” after classes, but “wind up” for Clash of the Colleges the following day.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THURSDAY, AUG. 26, 2021 | 7

Coffee dates with Jesus

PHOTO BY KHANH NGUYEN / THE SUNFLOWER

Lucas Lash makes coffee at Fairmount Coffee Company on Aug. 17.

Assistant Manager of Fairmount Coffee shares his story BY PIPER PINNETTI piscesbxnny@gmail.com

arious conversations around the coffee shop have turned into distant, background chatter as Lucas Lash mixes honey and cinnamon into a latte for a customer. Fairmount Coffee, located on seventeenth street just across from campus, is a common hang out and study spot for Wichita State students. The welcoming atmosphere and coffee scent is a nice getaway from the busy Rhatigan Student Center. Lash is the assistant manager. He enjoys working with coffee, playing the drums, and appreciates the arts. His main focus, however, is his faith. “God is a huge part of my life. So I try to, I don’t know, pretty much every, everything that I do kind of flows from my relationship with God,” Lash said. “I got really connected at that church and that’s actually where I started playing drums, and getting involved at church and learning more about God.” After graduating in 2012, he

attended Butler Community College on and off. Lash is now celebrating two years at Fairmount Coffee. Lash worked with a non-demonation church— Pathway Church. He participated in musical worship as the drum player. “I worked there as the middle school director, so I was like the middle school youth pastor...which was very fun,” Lash said. “I worked there from March to until like, October of last year. So we had to shut down, I think we had to close for like two to three months, and then we slowly started having services again.” Luckily, the church still reached out to the community and found ways to virtually practice during a time where COVID-19 cases peaked. From videos to miscellaneous tasks, the youth programs were able to connect with weekly videos. However, Lash eventually left Pathway and searched for a new location to connect with the community, God, and a great place to work. He felt that wasn’t the church he “was supposed to be a part of.”

“Seek the truth and do it with an open mind and open heart.” LUCAS LASH Assistant Manager of Fairmount Coffee

After a short time of exploring the area for a new house of worship, he was invited to try a new church a short drive from his job and home. “I got invited from a friend, because he was going to go there for the first time and he just asked me if I wanted to go and I said ‘sure, let’s go,’” Lash said. “We started going and we both really enjoyed it ... it’s not really a big, big production type deal, which I enjoy. So it’s been good, it’s nice and small and I know the people they’re super nice, so it’s been good. I just really like closeness and community.” A year and a half since COVID-19 swept the world, Lash said it affected him and his faith. But altogether, he became a stronger person because of it.

“[COVID] pushed me more towards being independent with God, which has been good,” Lash said. In rough and hard times, he often thinks of the story of Peter walking on water with Jesus. The specific chapter from the Bible reminds Lash to keep trekking through because if he continues to focus on God, he is saved. “It’s popular, I guess, but it’s the story where Peter walks on the water,” Lash said. “He wasn’t worried about the storm and the waves around him... that was what was able to get him to get through that storm...It’s just that reliance and dependence on God.” Lash said that working at Fairmount has helped him meet a lot of people he otherwise wouldn’t have— Like his co-workers, friends, pastors in the area, and even Wichita State University students. At 27 years-old, Lash says for students of all ages to “seek the truth and to do it with an open mind and open heart, really just look at everything, and don’t base your decision on what you feel, or what you want.”

Cusine for college students: On campus food review BY PIPER PINNETTI piscesbxnny@gmail.com

It is safe to state that college students love their food. The second week of college is almost finished and The Sunflower has some new dining locations to make sure no one is stuck in their dorms eating the same two snacks everyday. The following locations are great for bonding time with new roommates, trying new foods, or possibly revamping basic meals.

SOCIAL TAP BREWERY Social Tap Drinkery is located on 4510 E 19Th St. N. Suite 101 and claims two buildings to it’s right: Sungrano’s Pizza and Wheatly’s Burgers. The tap house features 52 different beers, wines, and various crazy creations on their drink menu. However, as an 18-year-old college freshman, I walked into the front doors of the black building to experience a dine-in food experience. To buy food to go, customers can walk directly into Sungrano or Wheatly’s Burgers and order from their menu. The menu consists of pizzas, salads, and burgers. The menu also provides various substitutes for customers with restrictions due to allergens and diets, but only with an upcharge. For instance pizza can have a cauliflower crust to

make the meal gluten-free. Pizzas can also be personalized in a way competitors have not tried. Sungrano has gluten-free meatballs, kalamata olives, chilis, and pestos to create a unique pizza. For a sweeter experience, customers can have fig jam or hot honey and can add garnishes such as sun chili oil or rosemary. Other than the garnishes, extra toppings add additional charges to the bill. Although the food is overpriced, the pizzas are delicious. Since pepperoni pizzas are one of the most common creations between people of every age, I got a 9” pizza with a toasty thin crust. The marinara sauce was fresh and a vibrant red underneath a light blanket of melted mozzarella cheese. Although the pizza is small, it had an appropriate ratio of tomato sauce, cheese, and the extra crispy crust. Unfortunately, the pepperoni had been unevenly spread around the pizza and was not in every bite. All the slices were crispy and flavorful. A delicious seasoning very much like Pizza Hut’s Edgeless Pizza seasoning was sprinkled over the entire pie and added to the saltiness and presented with a hint of cheese and herb that is referred to as “Sun Dust.” Overall, the pizza was delicious and an amazing option to get on a weekend night to pick up and bring to the dorm room after a

PHOTO BY SEAN MARTY / THE SUNFLOWER

The Chaat House is located inside the Rhatigan Student Center. It opened in August.

long week. Open up the box and smell the pepperoni while you are wrapped up in a blanket enjoying your favorite show.

THE CHAAT HOUSE Burnt orange curry, wraps, and unique spices can be found at the Chaat House in the Rhatigan Student Center (RSC) on the first floor. Monday to Friday the Indian restaurant is open for business. Credit cards, Dining and Shocker Dollars are accepted to payment

options as well as others. Not only is there multiple forms for payment, but being in the RSC means it is the easiest location to get to in the review. A couple minutes from Shocker Hall is plenty of food choices at your fingertips, the Chaat house I ordered some curry to eat for lunch and it was delicious. The sauce is a pumpkin orange and creamy. The rice was light on the stomach and was nice and warm to keep me from freezing in the air conditioning.

It was great food for after a stressful day of classes and the friendly staff made the experience better. The food options offered are perfect for when Autumn’s cold begins in late September and you need a portion of delicious Indian food. Unfortunately, the Chaat House is only open until 2 P.M., which means it is only available for breakfast and lunch. However, there’s always the option of bringing something home for later.

8 | THURSDAY, AUG. 26, 2021

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Sports

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

COURTESY OF COUPER CORNBLUM

Wichita State sophomore Couper Cornblum prepares to swing during a game with the Wisconsin Rapids this summer.

Shockers take advantage of summer offseason BY EMMIE BOESE elboese15@gmail.com / @elboese15

Players from the Wichita State Softball and Baseball Programs took this summer as an opportunity to improve their game by playing in summer collegiate leagues. Each player had something that they took away from their experience. For Shocker Softball player Neleigh Herring, it was about continuing the trend from two summers ago by getting more time on the field and reps at the plate. Herring has played for the Bradenton Slice in the Florida Gulf Coast League for the past two seasons, and is a first baseman for the Shockers. Herring originally got connected with the Slice after her and her dad looked together to find a league to play in over the summer. After her first season of playing with the Slice, she decided to return to them. She said the Slice had several girls that she played with this season that she played with previously. “This was a brand new thing that had just started and we just kind of heard about it,” Herring said. “We contacted the guy that actually runs the league and owns some of the teams. It was kind of

cool because we had six or seven girls that were from that first team that were still on this team this year so it was cool to see all those girls again and play with them again.” After the college softball season ends in the spring, some players go back home for the summer. As a result, it is harder for girls to get together and play in game type situations. Herring said the experience of getting more opportunities to play in real games has been important. “It’s just really given me a lot of extra at bats [and] extra time on the field,” Herring said. “Especially this year, we saw a lot more kids come out for it, we had a lot more teams from all over the country. Big schools, little schools. So to see pitching like that and just to get those at bats, and be able to work on in - game adjustments, you know, between pitches, what I’m looking for, what my approach is at the plate.” Erin McDonald is a pitcher for the softball team and played for the Manatee Squeeze which was in the same league as the Slice. McDonald said she loved getting to play with players from many different colleges, including someone from France. “That’s what I liked is that you

“Since you’re playing every day, you can’t bring your failures onto the next days. When you fail, flush it quick and evaluate yourself [and] make changes.” Couper Cornblum Sophomore

went down there and everyone has the same goal of improving their game,” McDonald said. “So no one really cared at the end of the day how good or bad you were so it kind of [was] go down there and do your best, get better, and you got to meet really cool people along the way.” McDonald said the way the league was set up, came into her favor when working on her pitching. “For me just pitching wise I felt like I was able to locate movement pitches better as well as keeping my fastball down and the umpires there they either really helped you or they really hurt you so I just had to focus on hitting my spots, not where the umpires zone was,” McDonald said.” Couper Cornblum is an

outfielder for the Shocker baseball team and played for the Wisconsin Rapids in the Wisconsin Northwoods League over the summer. Cornblum said he decided to play for a similar reason to what the softball players said – which was to get more reps and game time. He said in the span of a month in a half he played an equivalent amount of games to his regular college baseball season. “So I decided to play just because I thought it would be good to of course get reps, play more games and just be able to continue the process of building and getting better throughout the year,” Cornblum said. However, Cornblum also said playing this summer also helped him mature as a player due to playing a consistent amount of games and facing different players everyday. “Since you’re playing everyday you can’t bring your failures on to the next days,” Cornblum said. “When you do fail, flush it quick and evaluate yourself [and] make changes on how to prepare for the next day, and I think that can lean over and help when it comes to your college season when your dealing with failure, dealing with things that can maybe set you back, but to not take it so hard

were your damaging yourself within the season when you can fix things quickly and just move on. Conner Holden will be a pitcher for the Shockers for the 2022 upcoming season. Holden played for the Upper Valley Nighthawks in the New England Collegiate Baseball League in Vermont. He said he initially reached out to the Nighthawks due to a connection he had from someone on the team. After reaching out to them, he ended up playing with the Nighthawks for the last three weeks of the season. He said playing this summer was an opportunity to play more games but also to get prepared to play specifically at Wichita State due to being a transfer from Murray State. “I got to play with them so those are the first two people I actually met from Wichita after committing so that was really nice getting to actually know some Wichita kids that got to Wichita,” Holden said. “So being able to pitch in that league in that kind of competition [and] I believe took a step up from my previous school. It’ll help me get ready for the competition here at Wichita, hopefully help us out here in this upcoming year.”

Baseball coach Eric Wedge signs extension through 2026 season BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty

Wichita State baseball head coach Eric Wedge has signed a contract extension through the 2026 season, director of athletics Darron Boatright said in a release on Tuesday. The extension adds two years onto Wedge’s existing contract, which was set to run through 2024. “We are happy and supportive of the strides made in our baseball program under Coach Wedge,” Boatright said in a statement. “This shows mutual commitment to working together in providing consistency in leadership moving forward.”

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 full season with the Shockers last year. The 18 conference wins and thirdplace finish in the AAC were the highest marks since WSU joined the conference in 2018. 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. “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. “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 is currently in the third year of the six-year contract he signed in July 2019. He will make a base salary of $400,000 over the next two years. Wedge will then make $425,000 in 2023 and $450,000 in 2024.

FILE PHOTO BY MARSHALL SUNNER / THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State baseball Head Coach Eric Wedge speaks to the media at baseball media day on Jan. 24, 2019 at Eck Stadium. Wedge signed a two-year extension on Tuesday through the 2026 season.

SPORTS

THURSDAY, AUG. 26, 2021 | 9

‘It just felt like the place to be’

Jaime Echenique signs Exhibit-10 deal with Washington Wizards BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty

COURTESY OF ISAAC ABIDDE

Recent Shocker commitment, Isaac Abidde, poses for a picture during his official visit last Monday.

Shockers round out roster with Isaac Abidde’s commitment BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty

ichita State men’s basketball head coach Isaac Brown wanted to keep the 13th scholarship open in case an opportunity presented itself. That opportunity came to fruition last Thursday with the signing of high school forward Isaac Abidde to round out the roster. Abidde will reclassify to the 2021 class after taking an official visit last Monday. “I had a really good relationship with Coach Brown and it was a month and I already had a good relationship with coach,” Abidde said. “I came here and met the coaching staff and they were all good people. It just felt like the place to be.” Brown said that Abidde’s unique versatility was something they couldn’t pass up for the final spot. “Isaac is super-athletic, shoots the three well, blocks shots and can guard the one-through-four

“I came here and met the coaching staff and they were all good people. It just felt like the place to be.” ISAAC ABIDDE Freshman

positions,” Brown said in a statement. “He’s also a great kid, who I think can help our program. To get a guy of his caliber, this late in the recruiting process is a major win for us.” Abidde flew on the radar on many of the major recruiting services prior to his commitment. He was a three-star recruit and the No. 43 center according to Rivals. He held offers from East Carolina, Mississippi State, Kent State, Butler and Virginia Commonwealth. “It’s pretty exciting, I love it here,” Abidde said. “I’m glad I chose to come here.” Abidde will have the

opportunity to learn from a couple veterans at the forward positions with Joe Pleasant and Morris Udeze entering their fourth collegiate seasons. Abidde said his goal is to work his way into the rotation as the season progresses. “He wants me to play the three and the four and I think I’m probably going to end up coming off the bench and getting a couple minutes to play every game. I’m going to try and work my way up.” Abide said the city of Wichita and the fanbase have been supportive following his commitment. “It’s been all love,” Abidde said. “They’ve welcomed me to the city, everybody comes up to me and greets me and shakes my hand. It’s just been a lot of love.” During this past high school season, Abidde helped lead Westover High School to the semifinals, while also earning first team all-class honors. He had plans of attending prep school before his commitment to WSU. Abidde said that part of what he can bring to the table is the

ability to guard multiple positions. “I just know that I can shoot the ball pretty good, I’m pretty athletic and I can guard the three through the five. I think I need to get a little stronger to guard the five better.” Abidde, an Albany, Georgia native, grew up less than two hours away from sophomore forward Clarence Jackson. Abidde said that Jackson and the rest of his teammates have been welcoming since his commitment. “They’ve all welcomed me with open arms,” Abidde said. “I’ve just been bonding with them, we went to a team dinner last night and we bonded. We’ve just been hanging around and doing stuff.” Abidde will have to make up for his lost time in WSU’s strength and conditioning program because of his last commitment. He comes to WSU just under 200 pounds and said one his goals this season is to get stronger. “I just plan to get stronger, maybe get around 215, I’m 198 right now,” Abidde said. “I just want to get better every day.”

Former Wichita State center Jaime Echenique has signed an Exhibit-10 deal with the Washington Wizards, according to the Athletic’s Fred Katz. The contract comes after Echenique performed well for the Wizards in the Summer League. Echenique’s best performance this summer with the Wizards came against the Brooklyn Nets when he scored a team-high 17 points on 6-10 shooting. Prior to this summer, Echenique played for Acunsa GBC in Spain for his first season professionally. In 18 games played, Echenique averaged 12.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Echenique will receive an invite to the Wizards’ training camp and also allow the franchise to control his rights for the G-League. The contract will be a one-year deal, with a minimum salary – $500,000. The contract is unguaranteed so, the Wizards hold the option to cut him or include him on the roster depending on his performance. If Echenique ends up playing for the Wizards’ G-League affiliate, the Capilty City Go-Go, he could qualify for a bonus up to $50,000. Echenique could earn that bonus if he plays for the Go-G0 for at least 60 calendar days. Echenique played two seasons at WSU from 2018-20, after arriving from Trinity Valley Community College. His best season came during his senior year, with him averaging a team-high 11.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

ECHENIQUE’S SUMMER LEAGUE AVERAGES

POINTS 7.2 REBOUNDS 2.5 BLOCKS 1.0

A look at every men’s basketball non-conference game for this season BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty

Wichita State has officially released its non-conference schedule for the upcoming season in a release last Monday. Currently, the Shockers have eight home games on its slate for the 2021-22 season. With WSU putting their final touches on its non-conference schedule, here is a breakdown of every non-conference opponent scheduled to be faced this season.

JACKSONVILLE STATE, NOV. 9

The Shockers will open up the regular season this year against the Gamecocks. The two teams have only met once, with WSU winning the matchup, 69-65 in 2018. Jacksonville State is set to return its top three scorers following an 18-9 season.

SOUTH ALABAMA, NOV. 13

South Alabama is looking to build off a successful 17-11 season with the additions of Lance Thomas (Memphis) and Jay Jay Chandler (Texas A&M) this offseason. This will be the first meeting between the two schools.

TARLETON STATE, NOV. 16

The Shockers will take on Tarleton State for the first time in its history early on in nonconference play. The Texans are coming off a 10-10 season last year

and a 5-7 record in conference play last year.

ROMAN MAIN EVENT (LAS VEGAS), NOV. 19-21

This year’s non-conference tournament for WSU, will be held in Las Vegas with the Shockers taking on Arizona in the first round. The Wildcats are in its first season without head coach Sean Miller at the helm, following his firing last April. Arizona lost its top scorer – James Akinjo, 15.6 points per game – over the offseason. The Shockers will take on the winner of Michigan/UNLV if they get past Arizona. The Wolverines are fresh off a trip to the Elite Eight, while the Runnin’ Rebels are looking to build off a 12-15 season last year.

@MISSOURI, NOV. 26

After making the NCAA Tournament last year, the Tigers had a roster shakeup over the offseason with eight players leaving the program. The Tigers will return Kobe Brown and Javon Pickett, who combined for 14.2 points per game last year. Both teams faced off last season with the Tigers taking the matchup, 72-62. Missouri currently leads the all-time series, 4-0.

@OKLAHOMA STATE, DEC. 1

For the third straight season,

the Shocker will take on OSU, this time in Stillwater. The Cowboyswill be without freshman guard, Cade Cunningham, this season after he was selected with the No 1 pick this summer. OSU will return four of its starters from a year ago, while adding AAC Freshman of the Year Moussa Cisse and Kansas transfer Bryce Thompson. In last year’s meeting , the Cowboys won the meeting by a score of 67-64, following a gamewinner by Cunningham in the final seconds. Tyson Etienne led the way for WSU with a team-high 19 points in the loss.

KANSAS STATE (INTRUST BANK ARENA), DEC. 5

The Shockers will face in-state rival Kansas State this season for the first time since 2003. The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 54-50, and have won the last two meetings. KSU is coming off a 9-20 season but is slated to return four of its top five scorers from last year.

NORFOLK STATE, DEC. 11

Fresh off a trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans are looking to build off a 17-8 campaign last year. Norfolk State lost four of their top-five scorers from a year ago, but will return Joe Bryant, Jr. who averaged the second most points on the team. This matchup will be the first meeting between the two schools.

FILE PHOTO BY KHANH NGUYEN / THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State sophomore Tyson Etienne looks to drive pass OSU freshman Cade Cunningham during last year’s game at Charles Koch Arena on Dec.12, 2020. The Shockers will take on the Cowboys again this season on Dec. 1 in Stillwater.

ALCORN STATE, DEC. 14

The Shockers will take on Alcorn State for the second time in its history and first since 2009. WSU won the lone matchup between the two schools with an 87-52 victory. Last season, the Braves went 6-13 and finished with a 6-7 record in conference play.

NORTH TEXAS, DEC. 18

The Mean Green are looking to build off last year’s Conference USA Tournament Championship and trip to the NCAA Tournament this season. UNT won its firstround game against Purdue in overtime but lost to Villanova in the second round.

They will be without leading scorer Javion Hamlet and much of the supporting cast from a year ago. The two schools have a storied history with each other with WSU leading the series 26-11 but haven’t played since 1982.

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M, DEC. 22

The Shockers will take on Prairie View A&M for the fourth time all-time after taking the three previous matchups. Last season, the Panthers went 16-5 and 13-0 in the SWAC but ultimately fell one game away from the NCAA Tournament. They lost to Texas Southern in the championship game of the SWAC Tournament.

10 | THURSDAY, AUG. 26, 2021

Ulrich Museum of Art invites you to our

Fall 2021 Exhibition Opening Celebration!

Production still from Cleaning the Atlantic Puffins, and Common Murres’ Exhibit, 2019.

Thursday, August 26th 5:00-8:00 P.M. Look, it’s daybreak, dear, time to sing: Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens Love in the Time of the Anthropocence: Terry Evans, Philip Heying, and A. Mary Kay The Ulrich invites you to join us for an exploration of our newest suite of exhibitions on display this fall. Ulrich receptions are a conversation, a gathering, an engagement of artists and art enthusiasts intertwined with music, fine fare, and possibility. Ulrich receptions are free and open to the public. Masks strongly encouraged.