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SUNFLOWER WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT-RUN NEWS SOURCE
MONDAY • MARCH 30, 2015
VOLUME 119, ISSUE 80
RECEIVING BARDO’S BLESSING
File photo
Grace Memorial Chapel was contructed on the Wichita State campus in 1963 to be a place of worship for all faiths. Because its current pew layout does not provide the space people of some religions need to practice, university President John Bardo has given the go-ahead to make changes to the chapel and restructure it into the Interfaith Prayer Space.
Administration gives approval to revamp chapel, meet needs of all By TJ Rigg EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @TJ_Rigg
In a letter sent to Student Body President Matthew Conklin, University President John Bardo gave approval to make changes to Grace Memorial Chapel, also known as the Interfaith Prayer Space. The chapel sits about 200 feet north of the Rhatigan Student Center and is a place of worship for students. For some time now, concerns have been raised about whether the space accommodates all faiths. Now that the plan has an approval for change, the chapel will undergo some reconstruction to make it usable for students, faculty and staff of all religions. Change coming to Interfaith
has been something Conklin and Student Body Vice President Brandon Baltzell have worked on since they ran for election to Student Government Association’s highest offices last spring. Over spring break, Conklin said he sent a formal request to Bardo, asking for redevelopment of the chapel. “They hadn’t received a formal document with a ‘check yes or no’ type of situation,” Conklin said. “I sent that and some supporting materials that have been covered before.” Last week, Conklin received a reply from Bardo regarding the chapel. In it, Bardo wrote that Harvey Grace, whose husband the chapel is named for, specified in her will that the chapel was given to the university as an all-religions chapel.
“From a university perspective, so long as the basic structure of the chapel is not changed, removing pews should not present a problem,” Bardo wrote. Bardo tasked Wade Robinson, vice president for Student Affairs, with reconstituting the Grace Memorial Chapel Use Committee to oversee the process and finalize all plans. The committee consists of students, faculty and staff who have been a part of the process from the beginning. Robinson said he met with members of the committee individually last week and brought them up to speed on what the restructuring will look like. He and Conklin then met with Physical Plant and Facilities employees to work out the logistics of the process. Robinson said he was pleased
with Bardo’s response to Conklin’s proposal. “We knew that the proposal was a good one,” Robinson said, “[it] met the requirements of what the will said and what the usage committee said in 1963, and Matt had done great homework. All of those concerns were addressed, and we’ll move ahead.” Both Conklin and Robinson said they anticipate a dedication ceremony late in the semester, sometime during the last week of April or first week of May. As an adviser to SGA, Robinson said his main objective was to support what Conklin and Baltzell and other students wanted. He described his role as being a facilitator. “I’m glad they’re able to achieve one of the goals they set out to do, because we want Student Govern-
ODI presents 2015 Phenomenal Women Awards By Danielle Prewitt & Chelsea Moore STAFF REPORTERS @danimal902 @chelsealalamoore
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion presented the seventh annual Phenomenal Women Awards in Beggs Ballroom in the Rhatigan Student Center Thursday.
The ceremony recognizes one outstanding woman each in the categories of faculty, staff and students for their hard work and contributions to the community. “We are recognizing women around this campus who are doing such great things and have been for such a long time,” said Danielle Johnson, ODI’s program coordinator. “Women are
still considered a minority, so it’s important to showcase who they are.” This year’s awards ceremony encompassed the life and legacy of the late Maya Angelou with a speech from Sandra Bibb, dean of the College of Health Professions, who spoke on the importance of being a phenomenal woman.
Reflecting on the well-known prose of Angelou’s famous book of poems, “Phenomenal Woman,” Bibb said, “It took me to a place of deep reflection … of who I am and who I am becoming.” About 50 people from the university and the surrounding community attended the ceremony. See the recipients below.
Award recipients
FACULTY
Shirley Lefever-Davis: Dean of the College of Education
This is Lefever-Davis’ first year as dean, and she described winning the Phenomenal Woman Award as a humbling experience. “We have a lot of programs and initiatives that we are in the process of implementing,” she said. “I see a lot of potential here at WSU, and
for right now, I’m trying to do the best job I can.” Before WSU, Lefever-Davis spent 14 years at the University of Arkansas. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Kansas State University, as well as her doctoral degree in Curriculum and
Instruction in 1991. Coming to Wichita State in 2005, she served as department chair for Curriculum and Instruction and was appointed associate dean of the College of Education for undergraduate programs in 2008 and senior associate dean in 2012.
STAFF
LaWanda Holt-Fields: Director fo the McNair program As director of the McNair program, Holt-Fields provides services for those hoping to foster their success in completing a degree. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Elliott School of Communication in 1991 and earned her
master’s degree in education in 1999 from the Administration, Counseling, Educational and School Psychology Program at WSU. “This award is a great honor and a great surprise,” HoltFields said. “I’m proud to be
recognized, and I’m glad that I have great friends that will come out and support me.” McNair aims to help students reach the next level of academia. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and advises WSU’s Zeta Beta chapter.
STUDENT
Sein Lengeju: Public administration graduate student Sein Lengeju is a graduate student earning her master’s degree in public administration. She’s a campus representative with the Clinton Global Initiative, and is a campus leader for the “Up to Us” campaign. “I am very humbled, and at the Photos by John Romero
same time, wasn’t expecting this, so it’s a great surprise,” Lengeju said. “There are many other women on campus doing great things that should be recognized.” She is a member of Maasai, a nomadic tribe indigenous to the Kenyan and Tanzanian commu-
nity. She represents the Maasai people of East Africa at the United Nation Indigenous Expert meetings. In her free time, Lengeju volunteers at Beech Elementary and Bostic Traditional Magnet School, teaching languages to first grade students.
ment to be successful,” he said. “I’m proud that they’re able to achieve one of the many things they set out to do when they started.” Bardo wrote in his letter that any further modifications to the chapel would need to be reviewed and approved by Tony Vizzini, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, after consultation with general counsel Ted Ayres and the director of facilities planning, Eric King. For now, though, Conklin said he is happy with the restructuring coming in several weeks. “I’m hopeful,” he said. “I’m excited. It was a lot of work to get to this point.”
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Visit thesunflower.com to find background, continual coverage of the Interfaith Prayer Space
New SGA candidates debate By Cole Yancey STAFF REPORTER @CAYancey21
The campaign for the new Student Government executive branch began last week with the placement of campaign materials on campus. The elections continued Thursday with a debate between competing campaigns in which the four candidates representing two parties expressed their plans if elected. The candidates On one side are Manon Marcotte, presidential candidate and Dalton Glasscock, her running mate for vice president. Marcotte is a junior psychology major. She heads the Organizational Outreach committee for SGA and is a member of Tri-Delta sorority, Phi Xi chapter at Wichita State. Glasscock is a sophomore studying business management and is the chief of staff for SGA. On the other side are Joseph Shepard and Khondoker Usama — president and vice president, respectively. Shepard studies criminal justice, is a senator in SGA and serves as president of the Multicultural Greek Council. See DEBATE on page 2
To see a video of the debate between the SGA candidates, visit thesunflower. com.
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OPINION
WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM
MARCH 30, 2015
‘The Fosters’ wraps second season, ends with cliffhanger REVIEW BY
TJ RIGG
It happened a week ago, but the season two finale of ABC Family’s hit drama, “The Fosters,� still has fans talking
on social media. Like many of the show’s episodes, there were several intersecting storylines, similar to other episodes. Here’s a highlight of the finale’s memorable moments:
Jude and Connor After Connor was shot in the foot a few episodes ago while sneaking out with Jude, Daria and Taylor, his dad won’t let the two friends see each other. Jude, wanting desperately to see Connor after Connor says he came out to his dad, took it upon himself to visit his friend in the hospital. He even painted his nails blue, just like he did way back in season one, to boost his confidence, knowing he has to confront Connor’s father in order to see his friend. Jude arrived at the hospital and tells Connor’s dad that he won’t leave until he is allowed to see his friend. Lena, Jude’s mother, comes to the
hospital later on and defends Jude and Connor’s friendship to Connor’s father. Not to give too much away, but there is some “Jonnor,� the social media name of their relationship, between the boys in one of the most touching scenes in television history. Since the premiere of the finale, a social media campaign to get actors Hayden Byerly (Jude) and Gavin MacIntosh (Connor) to appear on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show� to talk about being one of the youngest same-sex couples on television has spread on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. The hashtag “GetJonnorOnEllen� is being used to get the actors on the show. No word yet if DeGeneres has considered the proposal.
Courtesy Photo
The season two finale of “The Fosters� includes this touching scene with Jude (Hayden Byerly) and Connor (Gavin MacIntosh).
sees her father in a new light and promises to be part of his family. Shortly after, Robert gets a call from his lawyer, revealing Callie’s plan to be emancipated. Afterward, it seems like Robert has the advantage that will allow him to take custody of Callie, but Robert reveals a different side of himself when everyone goes before the judge. It’s a shocking, yet satisfying, moment.
Ana At the end of last week’s episode, Stef brought Ana, Jesus and Mariana’s birth mother, to the Adams Foster home, after finding pregnant Ana living in abysmal housing. While Ana’s sudden appearance in the home is awkward at first, it allows her to bond with the two children she once chose drugs over, leading to a few emotional scenes with her and Mariana.
However, a car crash in the closing seconds of the episode involving Ana and the twins could spell trauma in season three. All in all, the episode was packed with impressive, emotional storytelling. Unfortunately, fans have to wait until June to see new episodes. Luckily, about two-thirds of the series is on Netflix, with the rest of season two expected to premiere soon. June can’t come quickly enough.
themes of igniting potential,� Glasscock said. “There is so much untapped potential. Working with the Innovation Campus is the key to unlocking that potential.� Shepard and Usama’s campaign centers on the pillars of “cultural competency,� “campus enrichment,� “communication� and “service outreach.� Shepard praised the diversity of the campus but called for the need to “walk the walk� when it comes to serving the community. The two said they want to align with President Bardo’s strategic plan of making WSU a more traditional campus, instead of a commuter campus. “We have to make sure we are creating and funding events as an association that will not only keep students at the university, but attract more to the university,� Shepard said. The candidates want to communicate the opportunities available for students and also reach out to the
surrounding communities.
Shepard said. “Not only are we focusing on events, we are focusing on service outreach. Whether you are in SGA or not, it still affects you.�
acknowledged the prayer space, citing his role and work in researching the steps needed to start the project. “It looks like the Interfaith Prayer Space will be completed by the end of this year,â€? Glasscock said. “That shouldn’t be a first task of the administration ‌ but if it still isn’t completed, we will make sure to grab and finish it. We are fully supportive of it.â€? Usama finished the debate with a question, which Marcotte and Glasscock couldn’t answer because of time and debate rules. “We had a resolution passed by this current session that hoped to have an integration prayer space by the end of April. If it is not your first task you want to do, then what is your first task?â€?
get you there, and what you can do will keep you there.� Ever since that conversation, I have found several mentors at the professional level, and because of that, I’ve improved drastically in just one year in the field. This message is something everyone on campus — if they are not already aware — could use. The beauty of college — especially when you’re leaving your home state — is that you meet people of innumerable differences and skills. We can all learn from one another. There’s a beauty in meeting and building relationships. You never know. According to several business
websites, networking is great for sharing ideas and knowledge. Whether it’s asking for feedback or discussing your point of view, it will help you expand your knowledge and allow you to see things from another perspective. It is also likely that within a group, there will be those who have already been where you are today. This ultimately provides you with an opportunity to learn and avoid some of the common pitfalls they experienced. Also, it is natural that networking will result in opportunities. You never know when or how things will materialize in terms of how far — or soon — you or the people you are connected to will
Callie’s emancipation In the previous episode, Stef and Lena made plans to emancipate Callie, allowing her to be adopted by them, without Robert, her biological father’s, knowledge. After a brief credit card scare, the path has been cleared for Callie to get emancipated. While on a visit with Robert, she meets her grandfather, who has a rough relationship with Robert. She
DEBATE
from page 1
Usama studies computer engineering and is president of the American Red Cross Club at WSU and member of the Association of Computing Machinery, the Muslim Student Association and the International Student Union. Mission statements Marcotte and Glasscock are running with the slogan, “Innovate. Inspire. Ignite.� They both spoke to their mission in the opening statements of the debate. “Innovation is taking place on our campus,� Marcotte said, “and although the innovation is beneficial to our students, most of them do not understand what is taking place.� Both said they want to create communication between students and administration. “Why we are running are the
How they differ Glasscock cited experience and vision as two major departures from the other party. Both Marcotte and Glasscock have been part of SGA for multiple years. Their vision for SGA is different, also. “The other party sees Student Government as a programming/ activity board, but I think we are a government first,� Glasscock said. “I don’t want to micro manage and take on responsibilities that aren’t ours.� Glasscock said SGA should be a resource for the students and help create opportunities. Shepard responded and said SGA serves a role in creating events that keep students on campus. Shepard acknowledged the other party’s experience and said he and Khondoker have the “power to engage the students.� “We are personable and relatable,�
First task if elected Marcotte said she has worked recently with the Student Veterans Organization and learned many veterans are leaving school to care for children. Although the Child Development Center provides care for children of students and staff, it centers on daylong care. Marcotte said she wants to create a system that would allow veterans or other students to drop children off for an allotted time. Shepard and Usama said they want to complete the Interfaith Prayer Space, renovating the Grace Memorial Chapel to serve all faiths. “We need to be able to meet the needs of all students, from all walks of life,� Shepard said. “Separate, but equal, is not equal.� In their rebuttal, Glasscock
Next step Voting begins Wednesday and ends Friday. Students can vote online by visiting their myWSU account.
Why networking on campus matters When I transferred to Wichita State, I didn’t know anyone, and I knew little COLUMN BY about RAHIM THOMPSON journalism. When classes started, I expressed to one of my professors that I wanted to improve my writing and excel in my classes. The advice this professor offered resonated profoundly with me. “If you want to learn and excel in any profession, the key is networking while developing the tools necessary for the job,� he said. “Find out who knows what you want to learn, and ask. Build relationships. Who you know will
move up; it’ll be a benefit to you all, whether it’s a strong cosign, a partnership or a job opportunity. While we are on campus, it’s great to excel in the classroom,
which surely will lead to success. However, it is the relationships we cultivate with each other on campus that will undoubtedly help us succeed.
: 'RXJODV :LFKLWD .6 3
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NEWS
MARCH 30, 2015
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Shockers learn self-defense, safety skills 1.
2.
3. 4.
5.
Photos by John Romero
(1.) Instructor Grant Fergus, left, assists two students with their defensive techniques. (2.) A student practices a defensive technique with instructor Grant Fergus. (3.) Jeramie Swope demonstrates a defensive technique. (4.) Head Instructor Anthony Boyle demonstrates a defensive technique with two students. (5.) Instructor Grant Fergus demonstrates a defensive technique to the class with the help of Jeramie Swope.
Hypnotist charms students in interactive show
Photo by John Romero
Dale, K., hypnotist, hypnotizes students Saturday night in a show hosted by the Student Activities Council.
Student volunteers prepare Lord’s Diner garden By Levi Yager STAFF REPORTER @sunflowernews
Pulling up dead grass and hoeing dirt may not sound like an ideal weekend activity. However, about 30 Wichita State community members chose to spend last Saturday morning doing these activities. The work was for The Lord’s Diner, a non-profit organization that aims to combat hunger in the community, at its location on South Hillside. The main task for volunteers was to prepare the soil behind the building for a garden. Volunteers and staff from The Lord’s Diner said they hope produce from the garden will help in providing ingredients for meals that are given to the homeless in the Wichita area. “Our garden is to supplement our food costs,” said Carissa Yarnall, a driver of The Lord’s Diner food trucks. “We feed about 3,000 people a day, since we have two locations. Also, fresh fruits and vegetables are healthier and cheaper than canned ones.” Yarnall said the group plans to start planting melons, cantaloupe, honeydew, squash and zucchini around mid-April. “You know,” she said, “some
pretty meaty fruits and vegetables.” Carol Gibbon, programming chair for the WSU Community Service Board, said the response for volunteering Saturday was encouraging. She said 30 people registered, but more people came. “So we had more than we anticipated – which is excellent,” Gibbon said. “We [had] several people who [brought] their children.” Shanda Burch, assistant to the vice president of Student Affairs, was one of those people. Her son, Shayne Swindle, a senior at Valley Center High, and daughter, Thea, a fifth grader at Buckner Elementary, joined her in clearing the soil for the upcoming planting. “So far, we’ve been getting all the grass up, and the roots,” Thea said. “There was dry dirt that was really hard. I think I even pulled up a part of a tree. It’s better than sitting in my basement playing video games, and it’s a good way to help out.” Graduate student Pratheek Padira recognized the benefits of giving her time. “You get to work with a lot of people — a lot of different people,” Padira said. “And there’s free food, free donuts. What else can you ask for?”
Photos by John Romero
(Top) A student is hypnotized into thinking he is a kangaroo and stuffs bread into his pants, thinking it is his offspring. (Bottom) Students react to having their arms turned invisible.
SGA hears amendment to funding bill By Cole Yancey STAFF REPORTER @CAYancey21
The Wichita State Student Government Association passed two funding bills and reviewed a senate bill in a succinct meeting Wednesday. New business began with the first read of a senate bill. The bill addressed funding for students and student organizations. It sets funding limits for individual and group lodging while attending events or conferences. This amendment further defined the funding process. The bill also introduced summer funding. Previously, if an organization requested funding after the fiscal year change, July 1, it would wait to be reimbursed with the money allocated for
the next year. The amendment would allow SGA to fund groups during the summer (the new fiscal year) with money from the previous fiscal year, as long as they completed the funding process before April 22 (the last meeting of the senate). SGA treasurer Jihad Al-Khatib spoke about the reason for the change. “We did that to eliminate having to save money from one fiscal year and carry it to another fiscal year,” Al-Khatib said. Because of this, SGA’s reserves of money that were allocated to fund students and groups were accumulating and not being used. When organizations request funding, the amount it requests is removed from the budget SGA has to fund other
organizations. In the past, the organizations would not use all the money requested, and therefore the actual money SGA had to fund would differ from the amount budgeted to spend. “We wanted to work to catch the money organizations aren’t using, and use it for the end of the fiscal year,” Al-Khatib said. The senate bill will be voted on next week. SGA concluded business by passing two funding bills. The first funding bill allocated $507 for doctoral student Abdurrezzak Sener to present his research at a conference. The second funding bill allocated $2,718.51 among three organizations: International Student Union, Gamma Phi Beta and Student Association for Interfaith Dialogue.
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SPORTS
WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM
#STAYGREGG
MARCH 30, 2015
Shocker Nation hopes to keep Gregg Marshall at Wichita State
EXTENDING THE MARSHALL ERA
Wichita State men’s basketball coach Gregg Marshall fist bumps a fan upon arrival on campus after defeating the University of Kansas on March 22. By James Kellerman SPORTS EDITOR @JamesKman13
P
eople always say “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” Shocker basketball fans seem to know what they have — and they don’t want to lose it. Men’s basketball head coach Gregg Marshall’s name is swirling around the coaching carousal again, after another successful year at Wichita State. This seems to happen on a yearly basis for universities not in a major conference. But, it also happens at larger schools where more money or an NBA job opening could attract a coach from a blue blood. “I think our true fans will respect any decision made, if me or Ron decide to leave, if Coach Marshall ends up taking another job,” Fred VanVleet said after the loss to Notre Dame. “Those are huge ‘ifs’ now, but if that was happening, I would hope that people would do nothing but respect the years and the blood, sweat and tears that have been poured into this program.” A few social media movements have started, and one of them has caught fire. With 500 tweets and counting, the hashtag “#StayGregg” has been gaining some attention on Twitter, but it’s not the first time it
has been used. After getting the Shockers back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years in 2012, WSU alumnus Dustin Kuhn tweeted, “VCU makes official from Chicago Sun Times earlier report by announcing Shaka Smart staying at VCU. Your move Shockers. #StayGregg.” At the time, that tweet received no attention. However, Sunday morning, Kuhn’s phone began sending him notifications that his tweet — from three years ago — was gaining traction. “There’s more retweets coming in now,” Kuhn said. “I don’t believe it was retweeted at all at the time. It’s funny that three years later, the exact same two coaches are still rumored for all these openings.” If Marshall did leave WSU, he can’t be faulted, Kuhn said. “He’s been here eight years and outside of winning a national title, he’s done just about everything you can accomplish: winning the Valley, to winning in St. Louis, to the Final Four, the Sweet 16 this year, beating KU, hosting College GameDay. I mean, we’ve been pretty spoiled.” Kuhn said he thinks it’s cool the hashtag has been trending and Marshallville is retweeting all the tweets. “It can’t hurt matters,” Kuhn said. “Coach doesn’t have a Twitter account, but I’m sure his son and daughter can see the
support rolling in.” Marshallville president Max Runyon said he hasn’t had a campaign like the #StayGregg hashtag take off since Marshallville was started in July 2013. “We saw a tweet come in the other day alluding to what would Marshallville be without Marshall,” Runyon said. That’s when vice president of Marshallville, Sam Belsan, thought, ‘what can we do to keep him here?’ So the hashtag found new life. “It’s not very typical for us,” Runyon said. “This is really the first campaign we’ve had that got this response, and we hope it works.” Another lifelong Shocker fan, Ron Kraus, took things even further. Talking with a friend, Kraus knew he couldn’t possibly give enough money to make a difference, so Kraus started a GoFundMe account. “Keep Gregg Marshall in Wichita,” the headline reads. Kraus is trying to raise $1 million in donations for WSU Athletics. “Worst case: you get nowhere,” Kraus said. “Best case: it takes off. Whether it’s for recruiting services, facility upgrades or assistant coaches’ bonuses, anything that will help out.” Getting people to donate money to a stranger is a difficult task, Kraus said. If someone sent a link to a website or Twitter or
File Photo
Fans take to Twitter Marshallville @mville_wsu
RT to spread the love for Coach Marshall! #StayGregg #Marshallville Cailee @Cleat_Chaser6
All I want in life right now is a vanilla bean frap, Chipotle, and for Gregg to stay. #StayGregg Alex Carlin @ClutchCarlin
The “Play Angry” mantra would not be the same without our ring leader and coach Gregg Marshall #StayGregg Tom Soria @tmsoria
Hope coach stays with #shockernation he’s the one to take us to the ship! #StayGregg #shockers #PlayAngry #NotSatisfied Kristy @FleurtyK
Repeat after me, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” #StayGregg text, he said he’d be skeptical, as well. “My intention is true intention,” Kraus said, “to help the Athletic Department in any way to raise money to help them meet their needs to have a successful basketball program.” He said he thinks the 10,000 season ticket holders and other fans that would like to see Marshall stay would do what they could to keep him at WSU. Kraus’s dad, Robert, has been a season ticket holder since 1977. Kraus received his first season ticket package in 2003. He also
has a 14-year-old daughter who only knows the Shockers as winners. “[My daughter] thinks beating Kansas is something that should happen on a yearly basis,” Kraus said. “But, I lived through the ‘90s. I thought a .500 season was a good season. So, my thought was to chip in whichever way I could. Hopefully Coach Marshall will be around a few more years.” Editor’s Note: During the author’s research, the first ever #StayGregg tweet he found was Dustin Kuhn’s. Kuhn is a friend and colleague of the author. The article was an unbiased and nonpromotional report of his findings.
Beep baseball teaches students about visual impairment By Brennen Smith STAFF REPORTER @Brennen19_26
The baseball rolled through the dirt toward Jonathan “Chihuahua” Akin, who waits in the makeshift baseball field at the Metropolitan Complex Saturday in a game akin to baseball. There was one notable difference from this game, though: instead of using a glove to locate and catch the ball, Akin was blindfolded and laid his body out in the dirt to best locate a beeping ball, a technique used in the sport of “beep baseball.” “It was something unique,” said junior Jason Puder, president of the Pi Kappa Phi chapter at Wichita State, which hosted the game Saturday. “We wanted to do something that was a little different than (the norm).” Two teams of about 10 Wichita State students competed in the game, an adaptive form of baseball for the visually impaired. Beep baseball forces the players to use their ears to field and hit the ball, which is constantly beeping to inform players of its position. Only the first and third bases are used — which look
more like tackling dummies than bases — and the team that is up to bat uses their own players to pitch and catch. Puder brought the idea to his fraternity after meeting a man in Lexington, Ken., who was in the process of building a beep baseball park. Pi Kappa Phi organized the event as part of The Ability Experience, which is about using shared experiences to support people with disabilities. Sophomore Devante Garcia invited two local beep baseball players to the event: Akin and Richard Taylor of the Wichita Sonics. Taylor and Akin gave tips to each of the teams on fielding the ball and pitching. “I used their tips to lie out and get the ball,” junior Layne McKibben said. Demonstrated by Akin, the idea was to lie on the ground with hands reaching out in an attempt to stop the forward motion of the ball. Akin stood out among the WSU students. Known as the best fielder on the Sonics, he continually laid out, even diving on top of his own fallen teammate to quickly locate a beeping ball
before the runner made it to a base. “We were hoping somebody would notice us,” Akin said. Beep baseball is more than just a sport to Taylor, a catcher for the Sonics, who has a visual acuity of 20/200. “[Beep baseball] teaches you how to live if you do go blind,” Taylor said. “I had to wear a blindfold to do everything during training, even cooking and walking down the street.” After the game, Garcia addressed the participants and told them the purpose of the event was to try to understand what other people may be going through.
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“You just don’t know what kind of a world they live in until you experience it.”
— Freshman Austin Daniels “You really have to depend on the pitcher and your teammates telling you when to swing,” freshman Austin Daniels said. “You just don’t know what kind of a world they live in until you experience it.”
Courtesy Photo
A Wichita State student runs for a base Saturday at the Metropolitan Complex in a game of “beep baseball,” named for the beeping ball that is used in place of a regular baseball. Pi Kappa Phi fraternity hosted the game, which is designed for those with visual impairments.