SUN FLOWER
the
Shockers defeat Charleston Southern 88-63 | PAGE 6
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2015
VOLUME 120, ISSUE 31
THESUNFLOWER.COM
Discussing the issues
Sexton removed as SGA adviser TJ RIGG
REPORTER
@tj_rigg
Photo by Tarun Bali
More than 100 people gather Thursday for a forum hosted by President John Bardo in response to racial tensions at universities across the country.
Forum raises questions of diversity on campus BRENNEN SMITH
M
REPORTER
@brennen19_26
ore than 100 Wichita State students, faculty and staff packed a room Thursday to ask Wichita State President John Bardo questions in response to national racial tensions at the University of Missouri. The forum was intended to better inform the student body about the university’s plans to increase diversity on campus, Bardo said. But several student leaders in the audience questioned whether any actions will be taken. Tim Wolfe, Missouri’s former university president, stepped down last week after students called for his resignation due to a
perceived lack of administrative response to campus racism. Bardo was asked if he created the forum because he was worried about his position. “I’m 67 years old; I can go home anytime I want to,” he said. “No, I’m not worried about my position. That’s really not an issue to me.” “We want answers” Student Body President Joseph Shepard said he did not believe Bardo. “There are a lot of unhappy students here, there are a lot of unhappy faculty here and a lot of unhappy alumni,” Shepard said. “I would be afraid for my job if that was the case.” Shepard said he wanted to address questions others were afraid to ask due to a “culture of
fear.” He addressed goal six of Wichita State’s strategic planning initiative: “Be a campus that reflects — in staff, faculty and students — the evolving diversity of If I can society.” sensor them, Shepard I can sensor asked you, and I Bardo why don’t want three colleges on to do that. campus do JOHN BARDO not have WSU PRESIDENT this strategic goal in place, why campus resources are only for certain communities and demographics, and he asked about the diversity of the administration and Bardo’s cabinet. “We cannot have people
“
advocating for us who do not understand us,” Shepard said. “At what point are you all going to start listening to us?” Shepard’s questioning was met with cheers and applause from those in the audience. Bardo responded and said that moving forward is a slow process, and that he hoped to continue meeting with Shepard to work through his questions. Bardo’s rebuttal did not satisfy Shepard’s thirst for answers. “When we meet, I get no answers and no one wants to take accountability,” Shepard said. “So what am I to do? I represent 14,000 students and they want answers, and I am unable to give it to them.”
SEE FORUM • PAGE 3
For the second time this year, the Wichita State Student Government Association has a new adviser. During the Senate’s meeting Wednesday, Student Body President Joseph Shepard announced that Marché Eric Sexton Fleming-Randle, an assistant dean in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, would be SGA’s new adviser. Fleming-Randle replaced Eric Sexton, vice president of Student Affairs. Sexton replaced Wade Robinson, WSU’s former vice president of Student Affairs, when he was promoted to his dual position as executive director of Athletics and vice president of Student Affairs in April. The appointment of Fleming-Randle came about after Shepard expressed concerns about Sexton’s role as SGA’s adviser, which was discussed in a meeting between WSU President John Bardo and Shepard early last week. Quick turnaround Similar to Sexton’s promotion in April, which was announced to Student Affairs and made public within hours, Fleming-Randle’s promotion to SGA adviser happened quickly.
SEE SEXTON • PAGE 2
Photos by Manny De Los Santos
(LEFT) Laura Weixelman, sophmore and elementary education major, hands out pamphlets and shares her views about pro-life choices Friday in the Rhatigan Student Center. (RIGHT) Katherine Atcherson, Planned Parenthood education and outreach coordinator, talks to students about sexual health education Friday.
Two sides of Planned Parenthood debate reach out to students GRANT COHEN
REPORTER
@gforce4preach
Two sides of the abortion argument were on campus Friday hoping to garner support. Students for Life of America, the nation’s largest pro-life organization, visited Wichita State on Friday in hopes of educating young generations about Planned Parenthood’s “real motives,” according to the group’s website. Meanwhile, WSU students representing Feminists On Campus Uniting Students (FOCUS) and local representatives from Planned Parenthood decided to offer the opposing side of the Planned Parenthood argument, which recently came to a head after the Center for Medical Progress released a series of videos — which are now clouded in
investigations — in an attempt to expose the organization’s operations to sell body parts of aborted fetuses. “Planned Parenthood serves the people who had a night out gone wrong and need STI Testing,” wrote junior Marilyn Morton, president of FOCUS, in a letter to the editor, which printed in The Sunflower Nov. 9. “Planned Parenthood provides education to anyone needing guidance in navigating a healthy and happy sex life.” When FOCUS heard Students for Life of America’s plans to come to WSU, they invited Planned Parenthood to participate, along with a local health action team. Planned Parenthood is a health care provider in the areas of reproductive health care, sex education and family plan-
ning, according to its website. “We heard that an organization was coming on campus spreading incorrect information about Planned Parenthood and the reproductive health of women,” said WSU junior Erendira Jimenez, a member of FOCUS. “We thought that this was a large campus and it would be detrimental to the health of students. Inviting Planned Parenthood, the goal is to provide accurate information and answer any questions that us students might not be able to answer.” Representatives from Planned Parenthood were at the booth Friday and provided signs, flyers and trivia contests hoping to educate students about safe sexuality. The booth also held its own version of Jeopardy, with catego-
ries including Protection Detection; 1,2,3 Aa and P; Oh my, STI’s; and Yes, No, Maybe So. “We felt that the best way to counter misinformation is directly from the source,” said junior Paul Brink, a FOCUS member. “In order to help persuade [the students] on making good choices and provide accurate information, bringing people from Planned Parenthood was a good option.” The Students for Life booth had a series of posters that said things like “Planned Parenthood sells baby parts” and “Planned Parenthood’s dirty secret.” Representatives passed out materials explaining that more than 8,000 Community Health Centers provide the same services as Parenthood, but “don’t sell abortions.” WSU is one of 80 college
campuses the organization plans to visit this year. The group’s project hopes to “turn [young people] against the abortion Goliath (Planned Parenthood) and towards (sic) pro-life, pregnancy resource centers where they can go for honest, real help,” according to Students for Life of America’s website. Many of the students who stopped at the Planned Parenthood booth showed interest and curiosity in how certain gadgets were used and how to use proper protection, Jimenez said. “Overall the reactions have been very positive,” she said. “Considering that this is a Friday, when a lot of people are gone, we have had a lot of people drop by. So we are very pleased about that.”
THE STAFF:
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief Shelby Reynolds Managing Editor Danielle Prewitt Multimedia Editor Jessica Green Sports Editor Reece Burns Opinion Editor Alex Perry Special Sections Editor Amanda Hansen Production Editor Jillian Clough
ADVERTISING
Advertising Manager Jordan Becker Advertising Representatives Tri Nguyen Landen Swearingen
BUSINESS / ADVISING Business Manager Robbie Norton Faculty Adviser Jessica Bertapelle
The Sunflower is published by student-employees on Monday and Thursday during the fall and spring semesters. During the summer session, the paper is printed once a month, with exceptions for holidays and finals. The Sunflower (published for use by WSU students, faculty and staff) is private property and unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable. One copy may be taken for free. Additional copies must be purchased for $1 each. The Sunflower is also partially funded by the Student Government Association at WSU. The opinions expressed in The Sunflower editorials, columns, guest columns, reviews, advertisements, letters, Yik Yak posts and editorial cartoons are not necessarily those of the staff, publications board, student body or university. The Sunflower reserves the right to edit or reject any submission. We also reserve the right to edit or reject any advertisement.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Send letters to the editor to editor@ thesunflower.com. Please keep letters to 250 words or less. All letters are edited for clarity and length. Please include your name, WSU affiliation and a phone number or email address for verification purposes.
CONTACT THE SUNFLOWER: 019 Elliott Hall 1845 N. Fairmount Ave. Campus Box 134 Wichita, KS 67260-0134 ---------SUNFLOWER OFFICES Front Desk: 316-978-3640 Fax: 316-978-3778 ADVERTISING Jordan Becker: 316-978-6906 sunfloweradsales@gmail.com EDITORIAL Shelby Reynolds: 316-978-6905 editor@thesunflower.com BUSINESS Robbie Norton: 316-978-6900 robbie.norton@wichita.edu ADVISER Jessica Bertapelle: 316-978-6129 jessica.bertapelle@wichita.edu
www.thesunflower.com
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16
PAGE 2 | ENTERTAINMENT
LETTERS to the EDITOR
STAFF EDITORIAL:
In quest for change, end the ‘strategies,’ move toward action A racially charged controversy at the University of Missouri resulted in mass protests, a call for the elimination of discrimination and ultimately the resignation of its president. In response to the events in Missouri, Wichita State President John Bardo invited student, faculty and staff to an open forum Thursday to address and answer questions about diversity on campus. The nearly hour-and-a-half-long discussion raised questions about diversity among his cabinet and the university’s effort in protecting the safety of minority students who have reported being threatened by off-campus individuals after the Grace Memorial Chapel controversy earlier this semester. It’s become clear that there are tensions and issues that need to be resolved, but it is The Sunflower’s opinion that things need to be resolved sooner rather than later. Among the crowd Thursday sat Student Body President Joseph Shepard, a leading voice in the quest for change on campus. Shepard stood up and spoke to Bardo and said, “We cannot have people advocating for us who do not know our experiences, who do not look like us, who do not come from the same background as us. This is not a black-and-white issue. This is diversity. That means Hispanic, that means LGBTQ, that means disabilities, that means individuals from all walks of life.” While The Sunflower applauds Shepard for being an active and influential voice, his intentions remain unclear. The University of Kansas held a similar, yet more amiable, discussion Wednesday. A student group called the “Invisible Hawks” presented a list of demands to the university’s administration asking that officials institute mandatory “inclusion and belonging” training for staff, faculty and students. A similar list of demands may help move a process of change along quicker, rather than just pronouncing opinions at an open forum last week. Concerns have touched on safety, diversity, inclusion — in more ways than one — student fees and use of the Grace Memorial Chapel. But how about a formalized request for action in all areas to simplify students’ desire for progress.
Bardo vowed that the Grace Memorial Chapel will remain an “interfaith prayer space,” and promised he would not yield to donors with adverse feelings. He has also said it is important to him to increase diversity in the student body, faculty and his own inner circle of advisers, and to uphold the university’s values. These remarks not only serve as a way to help keep the administration accountable, but hold Bardo and his cabinet to a standard. Shortly after the forum last week, Bardo released a letter to the student body acknowledging their concerns. “I’ve been thinking about the words from the student sitting in the front who reminded me twice that while I’m planning at the speed of bureaucracy, she and other minority students are fighting every day for their rights, respect and education,” he wrote in the letter. “I recognized the truth in that.” Bardo went on to list takeways from the discussion, including looking at diversity training, the accomodation of adult learners, added scholarships and the possibility of a university code of ethics. It seems that Bardo is taking the initiative to further the discussion. Now it’s time to put that to the test. “If I had a dollar for every time [Bardo] said strategy, I’d probably be able to pay for my books,” junior Marilyn Morton said after the forum Thursday. Although Bardo said he is not worried about his position, one could only imagine what would happen if the forum didn’t take place. The discussion proves Bardo’s attempt to address issues before they reach a breaking point, like what happened at Missouri. The Sunflower believes that there are individuals who face adversity on this campus every day. Their safety and inclusion at WSU needs to be addressed in a timely and organized manner, not at the speed of bureaucracy. Shepard said in the utmost positive way on his Facebook page last Friday, “The best thing to do is to keep your head up and move forward diligently.” The question remains, though, how will we move forward diligently as a university? — Editorial Board
Wichita State has awesome athletics programs, a remodeled Rhatigan Student Center, fancy rolling-chair-desk-things and water fountains made for water bottles. So, why is our web presence worse than the first version of MySpace? Hello, Shockers. What is up with wichita.edu and Blackboard? More importantly, why have they not worked correctly in the decade that I’ve been here? It is time for WSU online to be redone before I come undone. First of all, I didn’t get the schedule of when our online sites work. Did anyone else get the schedule? Sometimes our websites work on campus, sometimes they don’t. Occasionally the sites work on my phone and rarely on my iPad. Often, wichita.edu and Blackboard do not work when I am trying to teach and actually use the tools. Repeatedly, my class and I are redirected, given an error page or told the site is down for maintenance. I’ve got the maintenance page so many times that I’ve started to believe the problem might be the maintenance. If I had a car that needed that much maintenance, I’d be buying a bike. Second is the number of options. Lord, the options. There are so many options on MyWSU and Blackboard that I forget what it is I’m doing by the time the pages finally load, if they load. There are numerous tabs that I have never used and will never
use. Plus, things are categorized strangely on Blackboard. Whenever I go to send my class a group email the tab is alphabetized not under “E” for “email,” but under “S” for “send email,” which seems odd. I have been a Shocker so long that I was here before “Millie” the millipede. My favorite parking space now has a dorm on top of it and vending machines used to only take cash. WSU has taken great strides to make positive changes, and I will stay here for my degrees even if I do have to look up my schedule using Morse code. I just wish I didn’t have to. Maybe the guys who remodeled the RSC could take a look at our online world, too. Blackboard shouldn’t remind us of a oneroom school and chalk dust. It should never state “unavailable,” and it shouldn’t be as overwhelming as Costco. Students need their school websites. We use them daily and we’d like them to be simple and accessible. Every Shocker has had an issue online and can explain their frustrations. Instead of just “fixing” the “problems,” I hope WSU can soon acknowledge the importance of working websites and then reimagine the concepts and designs. Most of WSU has already been remodeled; now for the love of Ron Baker, give us some websites that work. — Johnna Crawford, Gradutate Teaching Assistant
As human beings, we all share certain innate things in common. Two of those things are: we were all children at one point, and we do not choose the situation of our birth. For these reasons, most of us feel compassion toward children and the issues that affect them. Although we feel this compassion, it appears that we are not acting upon it to positively impact their lives. This is blatantly evident in the cutting of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs in Kansas. Temporary Assistance for Needy Children is supposed to allow children of all backgrounds in all life situations to start out on the same footing. As TANF’s requirements increase work demands for caregivers receiving benefits, but in doing so it is the
children who suffer. What the hell? Some recent changes include shortened infant care exemptions from six months to three months and shortening the lifetime benefits from 60 months to 48. Most of these changes have come in times of recession when more families and children need help and when fewer job opportunities necessary to receive benefits, and then someday no longer need them, are available. If you care about children and children’s issues, then these chances should seem punitive and unacceptable. Together we need to demand from our state representatives that children get the assistance they need to have equal opportunities in the future. TANF can help make that happen. — Rachel Cox
---------ONLINE www.thesunflower.com FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/sunflowerwsu www.facebook.com/sunflowerads TWITTER @sunflowernews @sunflowersports @Sunflower_SGA INSTAGRAM @thesunflowernews CORRECTIONS This space is normally reserved for corrections. Spot an error? Contact us at 316-978-6905.
CLASSIFIEDS The Sunflower will not knowingly publish advertising that is false or misleading. If you have a question about an ad or a classified, call the Wichita Better Business Bureau at 316-263-3146.
Thinking Abortion? Alternatives: Free Testing 265-0134
More classifieds can be found online at www.thesunflower.com/classifieds. Be see in the classifieds by calling 316-978-6906.
@sunflowernews
SEXTON FROM PAGE 1
Shepard said he met with Bardo on Monday after expressing concerns about Sexton’s dual role in Athletics and Student Affairs to a faculty member. “I, as president, was unhappy,” Shepard said. “That doesn’t reflect on the cabinet. I was unhappy with Eric being in that position serving as SGA adviser. I didn’t feel that I was getting the support that I needed.” Within an hour of the exchange with the faculty member, Bardo’s secretary called him, Shepard said. He had a meeting with Bardo that day to address his concerns. “I said, ‘This is something that we want,’” Shepard said. “‘I can tell you that students outside the association are not happy with who you’ve appointed to the position of Student Affairs.’” Bardo suggested appointing Fleming-Randle to the position, and Shepard agreed to the promotion. “She is an advocate of what she believes in,” Shepard said. “She’s an advocate for the students she serves and for that experience alone. I told Dr. Bardo, ‘Absolutely. I think that I, personally, would be pleased and I think the student Senate would be
pleased, too.’” Fleming-Randle’s appointment to SGA adviser was made official Wednesday and announced that evening. The ‘right thing’ Bardo and Sexton said Fleming-Randle’s position was well timed. Sexton said he has thought “for a while” about how the university can best serve and advise SGA. He said he thought about it again at the beginning last week. “I decided this was an opportune time to work again [on] how do we develop, put the right people in the right seats to assist student government and achieving the things they want to achieve and provide an environment of success for that important leadership organization,” Sexton said. Sexton said he was involved in the conversation about SGA receiving a new adviser. Bardo said it is important for SGA to have someone who can advise student senators and serve as their advocate. “I think that it’s important that we have enough staff time with them so they have the support and training they need to be more effective,” Bardo said. In addition, he said it was the right time for the change to happen. “When this came up as an issue,
it just seemed like the right thing and Eric thought it works, so we went with it,” Bardo said. “I think it’s a win-win for everyone.” Shepard said he felt Sexton had not been able to give SGA the support it needed in order to be an efficient and productive Senate. “I will say that this is a very prevalent time at our institution for students,” Shepard said. “I think that we can’t afford to miss any time, we can’t afford to miss any beats and I think taking note of that, we made a request that we have a new adviser appointed who can devote the time to us, who is able to be here and someone who is not holding dual positions at the institution that require a lot of time.” Shepard applauded Bardo for listening to the concerns of students and taking action. “This was a request made by the students,” he said. New adviser Fleming-Randle has been a WSU assistant dean in LAS since 2007. She said she regularly works with faculty to help students. One of her goals in coming to WSU was to bring some diversity to the university, she said. “I’ve always been the minority everywhere I went,” she said. “Being in this arena that I’m in now, I try to teach the students that
it’s OK to be different. ‘Make it happen, captain,’ is what I always tell them.” She teaches ethnic studies classes, including classes on the black experience and the black child. “Teaching is my passion,” she said. “I always say teaching is my therapy.” She said she plans to contact other SGA advisers in the state to get some advice. “You can read the job description all day but things change,” Fleming-Randle said. She said she plans to be proactive in her role. “Being the SGA adviser is going to be a new role to me, but I’m prepared to take it on,” she said. Shepard, Bardo and Sexton all agree that Fleming-Randle is qualified to serve as SGA’s adviser. They spoke highly of her abilities. “I’m just excited to have Dr. Marché, as well as her skill set, to continue to help build a great student leadership core,” Sexton said. “Her efforts to work with our student government and being their faculty adviser with her skill sets bring nothing but additional success to our Student Government Association.” Shepard said Fleming-Randle’s appointment will help SGA grow. “It’s going up from here,” he said. “I don’t see us going down.”
TIMELINE OF EVENTS January 2015
Wade Robinson is told his contract would not be renewed.
April 3
Joseph Shepard is elected student body president.
April 22
SGA honors Wade Robinson with a resolution thanking him for his service as adviser.
April 21
Aug. 19
The first SGA meeting of the fall semester is held.
Eric Sexton is announced as the new vice president of Student Affairs and executive director of Athletics.
Nov. 11
Marché Fleming-Randle is announced as SGA’s new adviser.
Nov. 9
Shepard meets with John Bardo and raises concerns about Eric Sexton.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16
www.thesunflower.com
PAGE 3 | NEWS
Red Dress Gala 2015: A family affair
CHANDLER WILLIAMS
REPORTER
@chandlerwilli11
Rachael Embrey sat with her mother and twin brother and sister, enjoying appetizers and red dress-shaped cookies during the Red Dress Gala, a charity benefit for the Alpha Phi Foundation and women’s cardiac care. For Embrey, a sophomore in nursing, the event means raising money to help find a cure for her mother’s heart disorder. “For me it is important because I have such a close relationship with my mom, and the money goes to women’s cardiac care,” she said. Members of the Alpha Phi sorority, running around in red dresses in Shirley Beggs Ballroom, shared similar stories of family members affected by heart disease. Alondra Contreras, freshman in pre-nursing and a member of Alpha Phi, helped on the Red Dress Gala committee, and also has a history of heart disease in her family. “Not a lot of people know that cardiac disease is the No. 1 killer
in women, and I didn’t know that before Alpha Phi,” Contraras said. Friends and family enjoyed the Wichita State Jazz Arts Ensemble while chatting with friends and family and eating hors d’oeuvres before the program. Young couples, siblings and family members twirled each other around on the dance floor, while others perused the elaborate baskets put together by the sorority. Members of Alpha Phi sold raffle tickets for a chance to win baskets and select items, such as a Kate Spade purse valued for more than $428, and a NCAA-official basketball signed by the Wichita State men’s basketball team. The gala not only collected money, but it also raised awareness with a speech from heart attack survivor Donna Brummett, and a CPR training video followed by a 30-second practice period for the audience. Last year the event raised about $10,000 for the foundation, and Marie Brewer, coordinator of the gala, said she hopes this year generated even more
Photo by Chandler Williams
Kelli, Veronica, Aaron and Rachael Embrey enjoy appetizers together during the Red Dress Gala on Saturday. The gala raised money for women’s heart health, the No. 1 killer of women.
since each member of the sorority had to sell at least five, $20 tickets. The foundation’s money goes toward scholarships, grants for
research, educational programs for women’s heart health and money for Alpha Phi women in crisis situations. “It is important for our
foundation because we get to contribute and make a difference for women who are suffering from cardiac diseases,” Embrey said.
“If I had a dollar for every time [Bardo] said strategy, I’d probably be able to pay for my books.”
FORUM
FROM PAGE 1 Shepard then asked about what student fees were paying for because the numbers did not add up. He eventually acquiesced his fervent questioning in hopes of talks with Bardo in future meetings. “No, we’re not getting answers,” Shepard said. “Let the record show that.” Patrick Dawson, a first-year fine arts student, had questions about accommodations for non-traditional, older students. “I’ve been to WSU twice and personally been victimized just because of my age and my major,” Dawson said. “The professors think that I’m too old to be doing what I do.” He said he quit after his first year and came back to give it another try, only to encounter the same ageist remarks. He’s now considering quitting again. “I came here and I’ve got nothing but rotten responses,” Dawson said. Bardo said an office was made to work with Dawson’s and other non-traditional students’ issues in the past year. He said the number of older students has been declining since 1989, and that’s been an important issue for him and his administration. Alumnus Justin Hall worked in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for three years and said the office made semester calendars of events. The last calendar he did was a memory calendar that involved activists, playwrights, artists and actors. The calendar included two whites and a mix of other races. “When this met the eyes of a provost, he said, ‘Why aren’t there enough white people on this calendar?’” Hall said at the forum Thursday. “How can we support a diversity initiative if the administration at the highest level doesn’t find value in that?” Bardo gave the floor to Provost Anthony Vizzini to respond. “I didn’t recognize a lot of the faces because it was very artistic,” Vizzini said. “In my first glance I didn’t see any white faces … I didn’t see anybody that looked like me … When it was explained to me I realized my mistake.”
(TOP) President John Bardo listens to audience members during a forum Thursday. (BOTTOM) Student Body President Joseph Shepard reacts to comments from Provost Anthony Vizzini when he said, “I didn’t see any white faces” on a calendar of speakers from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
‘Hate speech’ and threats Multiple students had questions regarding “hate speech” directed at them on campus, including Maira Salim, president of the Muslim Student Association and a member of Spectrum, the LGBT group on campus. “What is the administration planning on doing for the personal rights of students?” Salim asked. “When we speak out and get threats, [the] administration hasn’t taken a stance.”
Bardo said he detested what was said to people during the chapel incident, and he brought them before legal counsel and the University Police Department. They told him the hateful speech was still protected by First Amendment rights, Bardo said. “The comments I have heard did not threaten an action, they were just ugly,” he said. “If there were comments that threatened an action, get those to us and we will act on them because they go against
MARILYN MORTON WSU JUNIOR
Bardo, but not any specific, measurable goals with a timeline. “Sometimes planning can be wishes without goals,” Musamali said. Musamali said creating goals with timelines from one year to a few years would allow administrators to go back and critique progress and setbacks. Bardo said creating specific goals was something they could do this year, and the administration would share those goals with the public. Student perceptions Senior Elle Boatman said she was not completely satisfied with the forum, but that it was progress. “Unlike some other [forums] that I’ve gone to where they have prepared questions, this was a lot more open,” Boatman said. “Students and faculty at the university had the opportunity to ask direct questions without them being filtered.” Junior Marilyn Morton thought the forum unified student voices and concerns, but she was skeptical about Bardo’s responses. “I didn’t get the feeling that he was taking anything from it,” Morton said. “He always had a politician’s response to everything. If I had a dollar for every time he said strategy, I’d probably be able to pay for my books.” In the midst of the forum, a student asked Bardo to join them in their fight against adversity because while Bardo and administrators are planning, many students are fighting.
Top Photo by Tarun Bali, Bottom Photo by Kevin Brown
the First Amendment. “If I can censor them, I can censor you, and I don’t want to do that,” Bardo said. He said students should call the emergency number for UPD, 316-978-3450, if they feel they are threatened. Ideas A student from the audience suggested a system be put in place in which students could text UPD so officers can be alerted right away. “Let me check into how we can
do that,” Bardo responded. “I think that’s a really good idea.” Bardo also liked the idea of having a code of ethics for those associated with the university, which would hold people associated with WSU accountable when they don’t abide by those standards. “I think we can have a code of ethics and probably should,” Bardo said. Kennedy Musamali, director of Student Support Services, said he had heard a lot about planning from
SHOCKER
70 POINTS = 10% OFF POINTS = 15% OFF LOCKER ROOM 70-79 80-89 POINTS = 20% OFF PARTY IF THEY WIN, 90-99 POINTS = 25% OFF YOU SAVE! 100+ POINTS =
40% OFF
Bardo’s connection to Wichita As a senior in college, Bardo said he worked as a pharmacy technician in a hospital, delivering pharmaceuticals to different areas. Saturdays, he would occasionally bring narcotics to the emergency room. “I saw people with gunshots, saw people with knives sticking out of them, saw people who had their heads sliced open,” Bardo said. “I had a really hard time understanding how people could do that to each other. That colored how I view what I should have done for the rest of my life.” Bardo said he came back to Wichita because this is home for him and his family. His wife is a three-time WSU alumna, he used to be a faculty member here and his son was born here. “I came back to WSU to try to make a difference in the lives of people I care about,” Bardo said. “This is about how we move forward.”
21st & Ridge Old Red Beans Bayou Grill 316-440-4610 21st & Webb Cambridge Market 316-977-9332
TadsLockerRoom.com
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16
PAGE 4 | NEWS
www.thesunflower.com
Sunflower spotlight Alumna appointed to President Obama’s faith-based advisory council ASCHA LEE
REPORTER
@aschalee
In the aftermath of the controversy surrounding changes made to Grace Memorial Chapel at Wichita State, the challenge of defining and recognizing the importance of the term “interfaith dialogue” has been a prominent issue on campus, and across the nation. One influential Wichita State alumna may be able to help her alma mater work through the dispute, as giving insight into religious issues is a skill that she’s now been nationally recognized for. Aziza Hasan was recently appointed by President Barack Obama to his Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. She was selected, along with 17 other individuals, to work as a team to make recommendations to the president on how to best serve people in need. Hasan will serve a one-year term. According to the White House website, the council is responsible for identifying problems in order to perfect social service programs, evaluating needs for improvement in public policies relating to faith-based and neighborhood organizations, and making recommendations to the administration for changes. Hasan studied history during her time at WSU as a graduate student. As an undergraduate at Bethel College, she worked as a volunteer for AmeriCorps VISTA, a domestic version of the Peace Corps designed to fight poverty in America. She then went on to work at Interfaith Ministries in Wichita, and later co-founded NewGround in 2006, which is an organization to spur Muslim and Jewish partnerships to encourage interfaith dialogue. Hasan left her position at Interfaith Ministries to move to California for her current position at NewGround. In her new role, she will convene in subgroups with other members of the advisory council to complete research and discuss issues, and she will make periodic trips to Washington, D.C., to meet with the full council to develop their ideas. “She will be good, and she deserves it. She’s already done a lot of good work,” said the Rev. Sam Muyskens, Executive Director of Interfaith Ministries and founder of Global Faith in Action. “She’s truly lived interfaith and she’s learned how to live a respectful presence. I don’t remember how long she worked for us, all I know is that it was a sad day when she left because she was such a marvelous woman.” Hasan attributes her skills in interfaith work to is her upbringing. Her parents emphasized understanding multiple faiths and cultures. “I’ve always been a person who’s had to navigate multiple worlds,” Hasan said. Her mother is Christian, Caucasian and from the Midwest, Hasan said, while her father is a Palestinian Muslim. “I had lots of layers of difference, even between my two
parents,” Hasan said. “But, they proved over and over again that you can live your theology by loving and Aziza Hasan embracing the world around you ... That’s the true test of faith. And that’s also the life that I chose to lead.” Hasan said that she hopes her experiences in helping people see eye-to-eye will be beneficial to her future work on the advisory council. “This appointment means the world to me because it’s a solid validation for the best, I think, of what people of faith can really offer,” Hasan said. “[What I’m hoping to do] is take faith and make it tangible and real, and affect peoples’ lives. This is an opportunity to focus on poverty because that’s really what the spottiest task is. It’s such a big topic that so much can be done on it, so I’m really looking forward to that opportunity.” Hasan said the council, made up of prominent leaders from many different backgrounds with experience in faith issues, is mainly concerned with addressing poverty. The council, including Hasan, was sworn in at the White House earlier this month. “We’re in turbo-research and discussion mode right now, so that we can talk through and debate things and come up with something solid,” Hasan said. “It’s really exciting because we actually get to make some recommendations that will go somewhere. I felt like I just clicked with all these people who are just remarkably accomplished from all different backgrounds.” She said she is still in awe of her appointment by the U.S. president. “I’m still in disbelief,” she said. “When I took the oath of office, it felt surreal on a completely different level. The goose bumps helped me remember that it was real and that it was happening.” Even though the success she’s found in her many different roles has made her busy, Hasan said that she’s on cloud nine. And, as both a WSU alumna and an individual with great experience in interfaith dialogue, she provided her perspective on the recent interfaith issues at Wichita State. “The biggest challenge that I’m hearing is that there are people who are really proud of the space the way that it [previously] existed; they probably had incredibly meaningful memories in that space, and they probably feel like that space is being taken away from them,” Hasan said. “So, more than anything, [the main point should be] to listen to that concern and see how that space can still operate in a way that is still meaningful for them.” She said she wants to make sure campus has a safe place for students. “Ultimately, there needs to be a space on the Wichita State campus where people, and I mean all people,” she said, “feel that they can come, be safe, reflect and meditate.”
Photo by Manny De Los Santos
A competitor looks at his game statistics during the Wichita eSports Expo on Saturday at the Heskett Center. The expo is an annual competitive tournament play that brings gamers from across the state.
eSports Expo brings competitive gaming world to Wichita State BRENNEN SMITH
REPORTER
@brennen19_26
Wichita State junior Morgan Wills was tasked with setting up the ethernet cables for the Wichita eSports Expo that ran Friday through Saturday. He worked about four grueling hours cutting and running cables to different computers. Rather jokingly, Wills said his hands were bleeding after the intense set-up. But as team captain for the Wichita eSports Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) team, his hands were vital for success. The competitive gaming expo required some participants to pull an all-nighter, lasting 24 hours from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday in the Heskett Center gym. Wichita eSports hosted six prize pool tournaments, with the winnings for each totaling $4,000. The expo’s biggest feature was Lollapalooza, a professionally casted League of Legends tournament with $2,000 in winnings for the top teams. Teams from Wichita State and other universities across the state were invited to play. Only two came to the expo and many participated over the Internet from home. By offering large prize pools, senior Ramsey Jamoul, president of Wichita eSports, said they are trying to establish a good mix of casual and professional gamers. “The casual gamers want to just come and see the games, whereas the professional players want to come in, steal everybody’s money, go home and have those bragging rights,” Jamoul said. “If there’s no casual people buying the tickets there isn’t enough money to bring the professionals out.” This relationship is important, as Jamoul and Wichita eSports are planning a $10,000 prize pool tournament in February. “What we’re trying to do with the tournaments here is provide that next caliber of gamers,” Jamoul said. Putting the expo together required collaborating with all the local eSports and electronics groups, Jamoul said. Cybertron,
Photo by Manny De Los Santos
A competitor takes aim at his opponent Saturday. Wichita eSports hosted the tournament, which consisted of six prize pool brackets, with the winnings totaling $4,000 each.
a now international computer company that started in Wichita, provided 30 gaming towers to Wichita eSports for the expo. As members of Quickdraw Studios have found, finding fans of video games isn’t too hard in Wichita. Quickdraw, one of the vendors at the expo, started when graduate students Nicolas Gallo and Cody Harryman met while taking graduate courses. Gallo and Harryman quickly became friends with engineering degrees and video games in common. One night while out drinking at a bar, Gallo had the idea of designing video games for local bars. Harryman started Quickdraw Studios soon after, and Brian Foster, a Butler Community College professor of video game design and motion capture, joined the team after meeting them at ICT Game Jam. Three months later and Quickdraw had already designed three games, two of which they are making for Hopping Gnome Brewery, a local Wichita bar. One of the games allows four players and consists of hopping around like Mario and attempting to stomp on enemy gnome players. Wills, the team captain of Wichita eSports’ CS: GO team, enjoys participating in a compet-
“
What we’re trying to do with the tournaments here is provide that next caliber of gamers.” RAMSEY JAMOUL
WICHITA ESPORTS PRESIDENT
itive environment. CS: GO is a personal computer game and requires fast hand movements. Wills said he compares eSports and regular sports similarly, as both involve preparation, strategy, teamwork and practice. “If you can’t coordinate with your team, you can’t win,” Wills said. Wills said the team had not practiced together for two weeks before competing. Everyone made homework excuses, he said. The lack of practice showed, and the Wichita eSports team was eliminated from the tournament in the first round. Despite knowing he would have to sacrifice schoolwork and a future engineering job to have a chance to make decent money as one of the top CS: GO players, Wills continues to play for fun. “I’m going to keep trying to get better,” Wills said. “That’s what I enjoy … Now we just need to get good.”
NORTHEAST
ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES
WE
MON-FRI 10-9pm SATURDAY 10-7pm SUNDAY 1-5pm
for Wichita State University students, faculty & staff with a valid WSU ID Check out our maintenance specials online! * up to $100 off per service
21st Street
Shadybrook Street
Woodlawn
KITS • MODS •E-HOOKAHS TANKS • E-LIQUID ACCESSORIES • BATTERIES
10% off service visits*
Beaumont
thesunflower.com
Expert & Trustworthy Experience
Near 21st & Woodlawn 2100 N. Beaumont • Wichita, KS 67208 316-688-0047 • UnruhAutomotiveWichita.com Mobile app available for Apple & Android
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16
www.thesunflower.com
PAGE 5 | NEWS + SPORTS
Shocker volleyball on road to postseason, guaranteed spot in MVC tournament MEGAN LOOPER
REPORTER
@meglooper
With two more wins under the belt, Wichita State’s volleyball team has two regular season matches left in the 2015 season. Guaranteed a spot in the MVC Tournament, the Shockers improved its record to 23-7 overall and 14-2 in the Missouri Valley, and are rolling on a four-game win streak. In a five-set thriller, the Shockers fought until the finish and came out on top of Loyola with scores of 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 21-25 and 15-13. Mikaela Raudsepp and Shimen Fayad led the team offensively with 13 kills each. Emily Mostrom had 42 assists while Dani Mostrom had 15 digs. The Shockers started strong, taking
the first set, but the Ramblers answered in the second set. The third set wavered back and fourth until the Shockers pulled ahead, and the fourth was a battle resulting in a Loyola victory. The final set to 15 was won by WSU on two Rambler errors. Against the Bradley Braves, the Shockers swept with a 3-0 victory and remain No. 1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Hitting .412 percent, the Shockers won by scores of 25-16, 25-18 and 25-10. Raudsepp had an explosive weekend, leading again with 10 kills, while Heibert had 29 assists and Mostrom 10 digs. The volleyball team plays its next match at 7 p.m. Friday at Charles Koch Arena, hosting Southern Illinois.
Photo by Manny De Los Santos
Dominic Canare, president and a founding member of MakeICT, talks about his ideas during a panel discussion Thursday about a MakerSpace on campus, which would allow people with common interests to create, meet, collaborate and share resources and knowledge.
MakerSpace Revolution forum exposes community to maker space functions LEVI YAGER
REPORTER
@sunflowernews
File Photo by Manny De Los Santos
Junior Marija Pacar attempts to steal the ball against Central Oklahoma on Nov. 8 at Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers went on to beat Central Oklahoma 68-61.
Shockers take first loss to Creighton JESSICA GREEN
REPORTER
@jesserca9
After a hard-fought battle through the first half, the women’s basketball team suffered its first loss Friday, falling to Creighton 79-54. The Shockers led by one point at halftime, but there wasn’t much for the Shockers to hold on to after being out-scored 24-5 in the third quarter and 28-21 in the fourth. Freshman Jyar Francis led the Shockers again with 15 points, one assist, one steal and eight rebounds, but it was junior Marija Pacar who came off the bench to help the Shockers round out their double-digit scorers with 14 points. Junior Jeleesa Chapel put up nine
points, one assist and one steal. Other scorers for the Shockers consisted of sophomore Diamond Lockhart with six points and three assists along with junior Brittany Martin with six points, one assist and three blocks. Lastly, sophomore Aundra Stovall finished up with four points and five assists. The Creighton Bluejays out-shot the Shockers 52 percent (26-50) to 42 percent (18-43) from the field. The Shockers were also out-shot 50 percent (12-24) to 39 percent (5-13) from the three-point range. Join the Shockers in their home opener at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday against the University of Missouri at Charles Koch Arena. Tune in to ESPN3 for full, live coverage.
ATTENTION STUDENTS:
You (or your parents) may be eligible for a 2015 Higher Education Tax Credit. To be eligible you must have your SSN on file with WSU by November 30, 2015. For more information, go to http://www.wichita.edu/1098t
* Excludes Holidays. $10 for 3D. Does not include Directors Suite.
353 North Mead Street • WarrenOldTown.com
** $8 for 3D. Does not include Directors Suite.
Members of the Wichita community attended a forum at Thursday about understanding the purpose and functions of maker spaces. Dominic Canare — president and a founding member of MakeICT, a makerspace in downtown Wichita — offered an explanation. “If you’ve never heard of a maker space, think of it like a YMCA. But instead of equipment for building your body, we have equipment for building stuff,” Canare said. Maker spaces are places where people can get a membership to use machinery and resources housed in one location in order to create an invention or product. The forum, titled “The MakerSpace Revolution,” was hosted by WSU Ventures and moderated by Cindy Claycomb, director of the program. The forum was part of a series of free discussions presented by Meritrust Credit Union and the WSU Center for Entrepreneurship. The forum included three panelists involved in different maker spaces in Kansas. Paul Adams, the dean of Fort Hays State University’s College of Education and Technology, is an administrator for the maker space at FHSU. Canare, a second year graduate student at WSU, is the president and a founding member of MakeICT, a maker space in downtown Wichita. Nathan Towle is the supervisor of the Educational Services and Staff Development Association of Central Kansas (ESSDACK) maker space, located in the Hutchinson mall. Claycomb said the main ideas for hosting the forum were to expose people on campus and in the community on what the space is for, and to get them thinking on how they are going to utilize it. The forum started with a short promotional video for GoCreate, the maker space being built in conjunction with the Experiential Engineering Building on Innovation Campus at WSU. The video was a compilation of animations using the GoCreate logo and a dubstep soundtrack. The panelists said anyone from students to community members can use their maker spaces and resources such as soldering materials, 3D printers, wood shops, laser cutters and textile and printmaking studios for their projects. In addition, maker spaces can vary in sizes. Adams said the maker space at FHSU has 800 square feet of space, while Canare said MakeICT has 8,700 square feet. Towle said the ESSDACK Makerspace uses a 60-by-30 foot main room with a couple of smaller rooms for additional equipment.
Since WSU will have GoCreate next fall, Claycomb asked about the process of starting a maker space. “If someone just wants to build one, I think just starting with [which] community is probably a good place to go,” Towle said. “As long as you have people who are passionate about what they want to do, I think that finding those people and linking them up is probably beneficial.” Adams and Canare also mentioned that the community and networking are important aspects of starting a maker space. When asked about monetary aspects, Adams said FHSU’s maker space is funded in part through donations “The other way that we fund it is creative use of other projects ... We’ve had grant projects that were funded that dealt with those sorts of things. We’re able to use some of the equipment that may have been bought,” he said. This means that, in addition to donations, leftover grant money may be used to buy equipment. Adams also said the FHSU library paid for students to staff the maker space beause it’s located in the basement of the library. Towle said the ESSDACK Makerspace is entirely funded by ESSDACK with the option for visitors to give donations, but he is considering other funding sources such as business grants and a membership model for the public. MakeICT is funded by the membership fees, and there are about 150 members at that maker space. Canare also said MakeICT is entirely staffed by volunteers, like himself. Although there are many components of starting and operating a maker space, the panelists shared how they respond to struggles and goals and how they garnered success with their maker spaces. WSU senior Chris French attended the forum as part of his entrepreneurship class and was interested in the topic of discussion. “I worked with a maker space before at MakeICT. I wanted to see what they were going to say or if they had any announcements to make,” French said. French used MakeICT to create an “emulation station” as a gift for his girlfriend — a computer that fits inside the frame of a Nintendo 64 video game console. It allows people to play video game emulators through the computer while still keeping the classic video game feel by including the N64 body. Claycomb said she was pleased with how the forum went. “I’m glad that people are interested,” she said. “I saw students, faculty, staff and friends from the community. And that was nice.”
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16
PAGE 6 | SPORTS
www.thesunflower.com
Shockers defeat Charleston Southern in season opener MEGAN LOOPER
REPORTER
@meglooper
Rolling past the Buccaneers 88-63, the Wichita State men’s basketball team extended its home court winning streak to 33 games, and its season-opening record to 14 games. “We got in some serious foul trouble with our post players and had to go really small, which worsened the situation,” Charleston Southern head coach Barclay Radebaugh said. “They played to their strengths and had very talented big strong guys. It’s a first-class experience when you come play here.” The groundbreaking match-up brought to light some Shocker strengths, but did not come without difficulty. Both sides of the court struggled with playing according to the new rules on foul calling. “It was just one of those muddle-through games,” WSU head coach Gregg Marshall said. “It will be an interesting progression to see how we adjust to the new rules. In the end, we won 20 plus against a very well-coached team.” A total of 66 fouls in the game made it one that was slow-paced and non-rhythmic. “It’s like going from tackle football to two-hand touch,” Marshall said. “You’ve got to show your hands, because anything that resembles contact now is a foul.” Wichita State made the most of their opportunities at the freethrow line, making 31 of 41 shots, good for 76 percent from the line, while CSU was 19-30 and 63 percent. The Shockers were 44 percent from the field, sinking 25 of 57 attempts, and 28 percent from the three-point range. For a team that finished 11th in the NCAA in three-point attempts last season, the Shockers held the Buccaneers to 38 percent shooting and just
eight for 25 from the three-point line. Favoring more depth, WSU played 13 men, 12 playing eight minutes or more. Senior and pre-season All-American Ron Baker led the Shockers with 15 points, shooting five for 11 and gaining three assists and four rebounds. The freshmen held their own on their first official night in uniform, combining for 38 points, four assists and 16 rebounds. Among them, freshman Landry Shamet had an explosive night, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and no turnovers. “I focus on not trying to do too much, and just do my job staying under control,” Shamet said. “It’s good to have a veteran out there to model myself after, and I try to attack opportunities when they come to me, not necessarily create too many.” Deemed “Player of the Game,” freshman Eric Hamilton contributed 13 total points and six rebounds in 15 minutes of play. “[Hamilton] is kind of like a bull in a china shop,” Marshall said. “He’s a ball-getter, and he can really shoot the ball.” Anton Grady and Ty Taylor pulled their weight with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Both teams started slow, finally settling in near the second half of play. “We got our confidence up in the second half and started knocking down our shots,” Baker said. The heartbeat of the team, senior Fred VanVleet, left the game after just three minutes with a tweaked ankle, and Baker and Shamet took matters into their own hands. “I’m just trying to be as ready as possible to help our team execute and get wins,” Shamet said. WSU out-rebounded CSU 28-16 and outscored them 25-13 from the bench.
Cross country ends season with two top 10 finishes EVAN PFLUGRADT
REPORTER
@evpflu
Photo by Manny De Los Santos
Sophmore Rashard Kelly goes for the lay-up against Charleston Southern on Friday at Charles Koch Arena. Kelly finished the night with seven points as the Shockers defeated the Buccaneers 88-63.
The Shockers travel to Tulsa on Tuesday for a competitive matchup and early test, airing at 7 p.m. on Cox Channel Kansas. “Tuesday will either be a
foul-fest or they will let us play, and it will be a fun game to watch,” Baker said. “We’re facing a really good offensive team come Tuesday.”
The Wichita State cross country team closed its season over the weekend in the NCAA Regional Tournament in Lawrence. The Shockers finished with two, top 10 finishes in the regional. The women placed eighth in the 6K race, the men cracked into the top 10 in the 8K. Head coach Kirk Hunter achieved his goal of leading both squads to top 10 finishes. Hunter acknowledged the difficulty in doing so. “We will need to have a great meet in order to [reach the top 10 for both squads],” Hunter said before the race. Junior Sidney Hirsch led the women in the 6K. Hirsch ranked 20th with a time of 20:54.5. Rebekah Topham capped off her freshman season with a 28th-place finish, with a time of 21:07.0. Other finishers for the Shockers included: Lycia Holton in 61st, Emilea Finley in 66th, Kayla Deighan in 112th, Jordan Maestas in 128th and Paige Wells in 164th. Senior Paul Raymond led the men’s team. Raymond’s time of 31:07.6 was fast enough for 36th place in the 10K. Redshirt sophomore Brady Johnson followed, finishing 41st in a time of 31:13.2. Other finishers for the men included: Ugis Jocis in 64th, Kyle Larkin in 75th, Gage Garcia in 110th and Nathan Wickoren in 142nd. The Shockers exceeded the Midwest regional rankings. The women ranked ninth and the men ranked 14th before the race. The Shockers will return all but three seniors next season. Paul Raymond, Kayla Deighan and Savannah Wright will graduate.
CURATOR TALK: Jodi Throckmorton
PANEL DISCUSSION: Voices of Partition
What is the role of the artist as researcher, collector, activist, and documentarian? Join POSTDATE: Photography and Inherited History in India curator, Jodi Throckmorton, for a talk examining the complex relationship between traditions of representation in India and contemporary practices of image making. Throckmorton is Curator of Contemporary Art for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
The 1947 Partition is recognized as one of the world’s largest mass refugee events. It is estimated that 2 million people died in the communal violence that accompanied Partition, and up to 25 million were uprooted through the 1950s. Join us as we explore India and its people—before and after the concurrent horrors of Partition—with a distinguished panel of scholars and Partition survivors now living in our community. Elaine Jones from the 1947 Partition Archive will interview panelists Dr. Emily Rook-Koepsel, Assistant Professor in the Department of International and Area Studies, University of Oklahoma; Dr. Prem Bajaj, WSU Professor Emeritus; and Dr. Rai Atul, WSU Associate Professor and Larry Jones Faculty Fellow, W. Frank Barton School of Business. Panel discussion moderated by POSTDATE Curator Jodi Throckmorton, Curator of Contemporary Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 5:30 P.M. RECEPTION | ULRICH MUSEUM 6:00 P.M. PROGRAM | ULRICH MUSEUM
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18 5:30 P.M. RECEPTION | ULRICH MUSEUM 6:30 P.M. PROGRAM | WSU CAC THEATER
TODAY’S ART MATTERS. TODAY’S ART MATTERS. TODAY’S ART MATTERS. TODAY’S ART MATTERS. TODAY’S ART MATTERS.
Museum Hours Tuesday–Friday: 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday–Sunday: 1–5 p.m. The Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection is always open, always free.
ulrich.wichita.edu/postdate Free Admission | 1845 Fairmount
@ulrichmuseum