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November 19, 2015

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SUN FLOWER

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Students lead charge in ‘Wrong Window’ performances this weekend | PAGE 3

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2015

VOLUME 120, ISSUE 32

THESUNFLOWER.COM

Shepard: ‘I was prepared to resign’ Student Body President surprises SGA with self-authored resolution to resign from position TJ RIGG

REPORTER

@tj_rigg

Photo by Manny De Los Santos

Student Body President Joseph Shepard gives an emotional speech addressing issues at Wichita State and updating students on the Student Govenment Association during a State of the Union Address on Wednesday in the Rhatigan Student Center.

Demands

Shepard cancels protest, reaches ‘happy medium’ with administration

A

movement to address the diversity of Wichita State’s adminstration resulted this week in a list of five demands, plans for a protest — which were later called off — and a self-proposed resolution to remove the student body president from office. Roles were shuffled and plans were drawn to address student concerns, while others watched in confusion from the sidelines.

SHELBY REYNOLDS

EDITOR IN CHIEF

@_shelbyreynolds

Student Body President Joseph Shepard announced a list of five demands Monday that were to be presented to university President John Bardo during a Kansas Board of Regents meeting Wednesday. But after a two-and-a-half hour meeting Tuesday, Shepard and Bardo reached a “happy medium” and the protest was called off. Here’s what we know so far about what was originally asked of the administration, and what actions the university plans to take to respond. Demand 1: Sexton removed as vice president of Students Affairs and a search conducted for a new vice president with student leaders serving on the search committee. Eric Sexton will remain as vice president of Student Affairs, but will no longer serve as director of Athletics or adviser to the Student Government Association. Sexton replaced Wade Robinson as SGA adviser in April. Shepard said in a six-page document explaining the demands that Sexton has missed four SGA meetings this semester. At a State of the Union address Wednesday, Shepard said it “doesn’t matter if [Sexton is] African American, it doesn’t matter if I have a personal relationship with the Sexton family ... The fact of the matter is that it’s unrealistic to expect someone to hold two positions.” Bardo said Sexton will transition to a full-time position in Student Affairs in a “reasonable and timely manner.” Sexton was not immediately available for comment Wednesday afternoon. Sexton has been Athletic director since 2008. Marche Fleming-Randle, assistant dean of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will replace Sexton as adviser. Demand 2: Response from the Administration and Finance department pertaining to the email sent on Sept. 29 inquiring about student fees and supplemental fees. An SGA treasurer inquired about the distribution of student fees early in the semester to find out why

some numbers didn’t add up. Twenty-three days after the initial email was sent, Administration and Finance responded to three of the five questions the treasurer asked. SGA has yet to receive the answers to the remaining two questions, plus clarification on the first three, according to Shepard’s six-page document. “It became a pass the buck game,” Shepard said Wednesday. In their meeting Tuesday, Bardo told him, “There is no excuse or reason as to why SGA did not get the answers,” according to a Facebook post from Shepard. The Facebook post said SGA should expect a response to all five questions by the end of the day Tuesday. At the State of the Union address Wednesday, Shepard indicated he had still not received a response. Demand 3: Public apology issued to student organizations and students who were attacked verbally by alumni, community members and donors in regards to the interfaith prayer space. Changes to the Grace Memorial Chapel last spring sparked a delayed backlash in early October as alumni, community members and people from across the country took to social media to express their opinions about a “Muslim takeover.” Shepard has said that students were accused of being part of a “Muslim Brotherhood,” called terrorists and told to “go to hell.” “These students not only never received an apology, but the President never privately visited with them as a collective to let them know that the administration supports them and is available for anything,” Shepard wrote in his six-page document. “We constantly stress the safety and security of our student is our number one priority. However, when political interest and money is involved we drop the ball.” In their “happy medium,” Shepard and Bardo agreed that a letter would be sent via Shocker Blast apologizing to those “who were attacked verbally in regards to the interfaith prayer space situation,” Shepard said in a Facebook post.

SEE DEMANDS • PAGE 4

About two minutes before Wednesday’s Student Government Association meeting, a resolution appeared on SGA’s Orgsync page. The document was titled “Resolution for the Removal of Joseph W. Shepard as Student Body President.” The resolution was authored by Shepard and sponsored by SGA Chief of Staff Kiah Duggins and academics committee chairman Dalton Glasscock. “I thought, ‘If senators are shaking with my leadership, if they don’t know whether or not they want me to be their leader, let me give them the opportunity to take me out of office,’” Shepard said. Senators discussed the matter for about 45 minutes and ultimately decided to delay the resolution until the Dec. 2 meeting. The resolution states if Senate felt Shepard could not longer serve in his role, then Senate encourages him to resign, effective immediately. Shepard said he thought about authoring the bill after the SGA

cabinet meeting earlier in the day Wednesday. He said it came about after learning about several social media group chats advocating for his removal as student body president. He said those chats included some members of the senate, but would not name anyone specifically, citing the senators’ safety and out of respect for them as individuals. However, the resolution could not be read, because it was posted well shy of the 48-hour rule, which SGA passed earlier in the semester. The 48-hour rule states no resolution can be read by Senate if it is not made available to senators at least 48 hours in advance. In order to be read, a twothirds majority of senate had to approve reading the resolution. The resolution failed to get that majority, delaying it until Dec. 2. Two different sides SGA entered into heavy debate Wednesday regarding reading the resolution. Two clear sides existed: those in favor of reading the bill Wednesday and those opposed. Sen. Paige Hungate was against the bill being read.

SEE RESIGN • PAGE 5

Shockers on the street: On the President Bardo protest

Angela Skelley, senior, sociology and religion

Hunter Rondeau, freshman, biochemistry field major

“I could see some of the valid arguments that the students have. As far as them protesting, it’s probably good, but to me, I think they should probably meet with [Bardo] again before they do something like that, but that’s just me.”

“I would want to aim more based on merit because if you’re hiring someone just to appease the student body are you sacrificing, ‘Oh we could have this great professor in this topic,’ or someone else just to satisfy diversity needs.”

Tracey Hackney, junior, Liberal Arts and Sciences

Haneen Aburab, grad student

“Yeah I do support [the protest], for sure. I definitely think that we do need changes here on campus. It’s long overdue. We’ve requested some answers from Bardo, and we haven’t gotten answers — the big one being the question on the student fees, like, where are our student fees going?”

“Yeah I think they’re great things to do (the five demands). Especially since we have so many international students in Wichita State. This point is really good: Agree to hire more faculty and staff that is reflective of the student body at WSU. I think this is the main goal of diversity in the school. And provide more scholarships for in-state tuition is a good thing.”

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Marissa’s Melodies

Bieber, JEFF the Brotherhood add positvie spin to November releases Luckily for us, November is winding down, which hopefully means COLUMN BY December will MARISSA pick up with CAMPBELL some better music. Even though there were some quality albums released this month, the number has still been extremely low. Not necessarily because the music was bad, but because there was a minimal amount of albums released compared with the rest of the year. This week brings us new music from Justin Bieber and JEFF the Brotherhood, along with our Throwback Thursday album from the queen of rock, Joan Jett. ‘Purpose’ by Justin Bieber

Released: Nov. 13 Genre: Pop It is obviously no secret that Justin Bieber has been in the limelight since his career started and came to a sudden halt with his wild behavior. After taking some time to clean up his act, Bieber is back in the scene with an album to describe his newfound maturity. The single “What Do You Mean?” brought many original — and new — fans back to loving Bieber. The song about Selena Gomez not only shows his mature lyrics, but his mature voice, as well. Bieber seems to have been paying more attention to each song and the point he wanted to make in his song “Sorry.” Although a majority of the songs are based on the same concept every other pop song is about, at least he has escaped his “baby” phase. Hopefully this means he will leave his “pants around the ankles” phase, as well. Download: “Sorry” ‘Global Chakra Rhythms’ by JEFF the Brotherhood

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19

Released: Nov. 13 Genre: Alternative JEFF the Brotherhood has been in the alternative scene for about 10 years now, but has remained fairly underground. The title track “Global Chakra Rhythms” is the embodiment of the ’70s vibe with a techno-laden guitar solo to end the track. “Chilled to the Bones” plays with a ’90s grunge with a hint of Nirvana sound. The slowed down, drudging vocals are reminiscent of the days of Kurt Cobain but adds a twist with a piano and saxophone. Even though their use of a wide variety of instruments and sounds makes the music much more interesting, it could also be the reason many shy away from the band. “Liquid Onyx” is a five-minute song with nothing but strange, trippy instrumentals and sound effects. Even though the band is definitely unusual, they are constantly bringing listeners something new. Download: “Global Chakra Rhythms” ‘I love Rock ‘n’ Roll’ by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

Released: Nov. 2, 1981 Genre: Rock Happy TBT to Joan Jett, the queen of rock music since her days in the Runaways to her current band, The Blackhearts. Although the album feature covers such as “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Crimson and Clover,” Jett has made both songs way better than the originals. With her raspy, punk vocals, Jett is one female who has dominated the rock scene. With her continual work, Jett is still fighting the system with “Victim of Circumstance.” Jett has become a powerful, inspirational female due to maintaining her strong, punk sound. This album helped bridge the way from her all-female rock group to the music she is still making today. Download: “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”

Courtesy Photos

Adherence to formula buries ‘The 33’ I bet the second best part of making it through some unbelievable, COLUMN BY life-threatenALEX PERRY ing adversity (behind escaping with your life) is seeing who gets to play you in the movie adaptation. Take Mario Sepúlveda, for example. The guy survives more than two months trapped underneath a desert in Chile and he gets to be played in a movie by the invincible Antonio Banderas. Banderas highlights the cast of “The 33,” a “based on the incredible, true story” version of the mining accident that led to 32 Chileans and one Bolivian living in a smoldering, dark cavern for 69 days. In case you were living under a rock at the time, the Chilean government eventually devised a scheme that involved using an American drill to bore a five-foot wide hole into the earth and send down a capsule that could bring one miner at a time to the loving embrace of sunlight. In theory, a movie that studies the mental and physical effects of being trapped underground that long while documenting the daring rescue could be great. “The Martian” recently pulled that off well, and that was a work of fiction. “The 33” tries to do all of those things, but the execution is generally bland, lacking much excitement and being actively bad at its worst. There’s a scene where the miners all hallucinate their lovers bringing them a decadent

Courtesy Photo

feast that is so cheesy I almost considered walking out. Speaking of which, it’s not an especially kind movie to its female characters. Most of them don’t have much to do besides sit in the desert and lament their situation. When they are developed, it’s not much better, such as a ferociously unfunny subplot that involves a miner’s wife and mistress quarreling over his affections. The most interesting thread follows a miner and his estranged sister as they attempt to rekindle their relationship, but the movie does nothing with it. By far the most baffling

creative decision in “The 33” is its choice of spoken language. Almost all of it is in English, despite the fact that 33 South American men trapped underground would undoubtedly communicate in Spanish. I get that this was done for the convenience of American audiences, but some of the actors seem uncomfortable delivering lines in their non-native tongue. That’s not meant to insult their acting abilities or handle of English, but much of the line deliveries would have been more natural and true-to-life in subtitled Spanish. Oh, and Irishman Gabriel

Byrne plays a Chilean character, so take from that what you will. It’s not all bad, though. When it kicks into high gear and the rescue attempt earnestly gets underway, there is actually some thrill to be found. Even knowing that all 33 miners made it out safely, it’s genuinely suspenseful. But 20 minutes of engaging material is surrounded by almost two hours of boredom. “The 33” is watchable, but it doesn’t feel like the movie those miners deserve.

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“The Night Before”

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Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie and Joseph Gordon-Levitt getting up to rowdy business on Christmas Eve. If you like those guys, you’ll probably like this.


THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19

www.thesunflower.com

PAGE 3 | NEWS

Photo by Manny De Los Santos

Performance major Jessica Curtiss struggles for her life during “Wrong Window,” a spoof of Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “Rear Window,” at the Welsbacher Theatre inside the Hughes Metropolitan Complex. Performances will continue at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

‘Wrong Window’ involves students in creative process MARISSA CAMPBELL REPORTER @soupitup13

Photos by Manny De Los Santos

(TOP) University Police Department officers Chad Agnew, left, and Jeff Albert, right, patrol campus on foot each night in front of Shocker Hall and other areas on campus. (BOTTOM) Agnew and Albert check-up on students inside the dorms at Shocker Hall on Tuesday night.

Foot-patrol officers working to change perception of police CHANCE SWAIM

REPORTER

@chanceswaim

Officers Chad Agnew and Jeff Albert make it a point to wave at everyone they pass. They try to interact with students and faculty to build relationships with the hope of increasing safety on campus, while also making students feel more comfortable reporting crime. “I think it’s a really huge deal,” Albert said. “A lot of kids know our last names, some of the students know our first names. We want students to be able to approach us when they’re in trouble or otherwise . . . even if it’s just to tell us they had a bad day or they did something cool.” In two months of patrols on foot, Agnew and Albert said they can already tell the difference in the perception of police officers by students. “People — especially college kids — think that any time the cops are there, it’s always bad,” Agnew said. “Which I understand. We’ve all been young, we know what it’s like.” Wichita State hired four additional officers earlier this fall to join Albert and Agnew on foot. Now, Agnew said, some students will ask to follow him and Albert around during their shift. “The kids are great here,” Agnew said. Agnew and Albert patrol the interior campus — including walk-throughs in Shocker Hall and Fairmount Towers — to allow officers in vehicles to patrol the perimeters of campus. One of the keys to their success, the two agree, is their opposite personalities.

“On our personality tests, we scored completely different, and we get along like no other,” Albert said. They said their jobs would be much more difficult if they had to work alone. They patrol from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Friday. “We feed off each other,” Agnew said. “My interests are different from his interests, so I’ll kind of pull him along and he’ll kind of pull me along, and it makes us both better.” Agnew and Albert work as a team and said they would not have it any other way. “We’ll ask each other sometimes, ‘You know, is work supposed to be fun?’” Albert said. “It’s supposed to be. I come from aircraft working before this . . . I can’t believe that we actually get to do this. We’re having fun out here.” Patrolling campus is not always fun, they said. “Some people make the mistake that we’re security guards or something,” Agnew said. “But we’re fully commissioned officers, and we had to go through the academy. That’s why we get to carry guns.” Agnew said he and Albert do the same things as the guys in cars. “If there’s a call over the radio, and we’re close by then we’ll take it,” Agnew said. Albert and Agnew have been quizzing students on safety and rewarding safe activities — such as having UPD’s number programmed into their phones — with gift cards and coupons. “We’re not just here to police students,” Albert said. “We’re trying to be a part of their lives while they’re here, and it’s been so rewarding in that way.”

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In the Second Stage series at Wichita State, performing arts students are in charge of the entire creative process. From directing, set-building, acting and costume design, the students are able to have practical world experience in their career paths, according to a news release. The Second Stage series will present the Alfred Hitchcock spoof, “The Wrong Window,” at the Welsbacher Theatre in the Hughes Metropolitan Complex (the 29th and Oliver entrance ‘F’). The show is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $6 with a Shocker ID. This play is loosely based off Hitchcock’s “Rear Window,” in which a couple witnesses their neighbor murder his wife. With an elaborate chase scene and some obnoxious sleuthing, the couple attempts to find out what is going on next door. The

spoof casts eight actors — from performing arts to communication majors. The stage production team includes eight performing art majors.

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‘The Wrong Window’ When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19

PAGE 4 | NEWS

www.thesunflower.com

Tunnel of Oppression: Good intention, overwhelming execution I walked into a dimly lit room with words of hate and discrimination lining COLUMN BY the walls in the AMANDA HANSEN Rhatigan Student Center and found solace within the confines of my extraordinarily bland reporter’s notebook. I wrote vigorously, trying to document the influx of sights and sounds as vividly as possible. Mid-sentence, with my pen still to paper, the lights flicker off and I was left in complete darkness along with 15 other people. Without warning, the sounds of vulgar slurs such as “slut,” “dyke,” “cracker,” “nigger,” “bitch,” “fat ass,” “she-male,” “terrorist” and a montage of others blared through the thick, stale air. The room, once welcoming to an unsuspecting crowd, grew uncomfortably offensive. I tried to limit my expectations and enter with an open mind after walking into the Tunnel of Oppression, but as I moved from room-toroom, scene-to-scene, I couldn’t help but become increasingly overwhelmed. I applaud the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for fearlessly bringing awareness to the oppressive issues plaguing our society. I think it is undeniably important to bring awareness to issues such as discrimination, sexual assault, body-image, same-sex marriage, religion (Islamophobia), suicide, depression, rape, gun violence, police brutality, stereotypes and more to inform the unknowing and inspire movements toward social change. However, I think the message and overall intention of the tunnel became lost in the intense, emotionally provocative whirlwind of information. Although I assume many visitors were profoundly moved and affected by the tunnel experience (hence the counselors awaiting our exit to help us “debrief and decompress”), I wasn’t surprised by or unaware of the issues being presented. Because the tunnel revealed a new topic at each station, with each station only lasting a couple of minutes, I found myself losing focus. Even though this approach provided a crash-course to many oppressive issues in society, it left little time for processing.

Photo by Jessica Green

Attendees watch an informative video about the Ku Klux Klan on Tuesday at the Tunnel of Oppression in the Rhatigan Student Center.

Tunnel of Oppression brings awareness of oppressive issues to Wichita State TJ RIGG

REPORTER

@tj_rigg

Tears streamed down sophomore Giselle Hernandez’s face after walking through the Tunnel of Oppression on Tuesday. Hernandez said she thought she knew what to expect before she began the event sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. “I was just expecting what the name suggests — oppression,” Hernandez said. “What people who are oppressed experience and what they feel.” The tunnel, on the third floor of the Rhatigan Student Center, consisted of a series of skits, video, audio and a wall of slurs to demonstrate different types of oppression. Topics included racial discrimination and hate groups, Islamophobia, same-sex discrimination, sexual assault and body image. There was no actual tunnel — rather, each topic was presented in a different room. Hernandez moved throughout the rooms, growing more emotional after each experience. “Whenever I see discrimination, it just goes in my mind what other people who are oppressed go through,” she said, tears streaming down her face, after going through the tunnel. “Like Muslims, what they have to experience, all the violence.” Hernandez took a few moments to calm down, taking deep breaths before she spoke again.

“Sometimes, it just gets overwhelming,” she said, wiping away the last of her tears. The raw emotion Hernandez felt is one of the goals of hosting the tunnel, said Natalie Toney, ODI program coordinator. “It’s to allow people to experience oppression in a different light,” Toney said. “Maybe not first-hand, but to see and experience it to evoke that emotion in them.” Toney said the tunnel has occurred several times over the years. ODI took a break from it about two years ago. She said the tunnel has evolved since its beginning. “We’ve gotten a lot larger in what we do,” Toney said. “We’ve gotten a lot more student participation over the years. We’ve changed the location several times.” Junior Mineka Rose, an ODI ambassador, went through the tunnel Monday. “It was probably one of the most intense experiences that I’ve ever had in my WSU career,” she said. Rose acted in one of the oppressive scenarios Tuesday, playing an employer who discriminated against potential workers based on the name on their résumés. She said her role in the tunnel is opposite of what she does as an ambassador. “I’m in charge of making sure my ambassadors are culturally competent, that they know as much as possible for all these different religions and races and different

Photo by Jessica Green

Sophomore Giselle Hernandez tears up Tuesday after finishing the walk through the Tunnel of Oppression.

minorities and marginalized groups,” she said. “So [this role] is very different from that.” Toney said more than 80 people went through the tunnel Monday. She said it was great to see more participation. “I’m seeing a lot more people each year,” she said. “It’s growing, coming through. I think it’s wonderful.”

I think the tunnel would have had a more profound effect on me if each issue had addressed with its own tunnel. That way, the attendees would have time to delve into specific topics and realize the full extent of an issue. The quick skits, movies, images and audio pieces depicting two handfuls of topics did not adequately illustrate the complexity and prevalence of each issue. But, I am glad ODI is making the effort to bring these pressing issues to light in a powerful way. As a white, female college student, I am aware of the privileges the color of my skin inherently provides. I am also aware that social change can more effectively be enacted by the privileged. As mentioned in the post-tunnel counseling session, when the oppressed stand up against injustice, they are seen as fulfilling their stereotype. For example, when a black woman stands up against injustice, she is stereotyped as an angry black woman. When a black man stands up against injustice, he is stereotyped as an aggressive black man. When a Muslim stands up against injustice, he/she is stereotyped as a hostile terrorist. When the privileged stand up against injustice, they are viewed as brave activists for social change and equality. We fall victim to this double standard because of the stereotyping we, as a society, partake in each day. If the privileged have the power to elicit change because of a lack of stigmatized opinions against them, then advocating for the virtually voiceless can combat all oppression, discrimination and, ultimately, racism. This starts with society becoming culturally competent and avoiding overgeneralizations of a certain race, gender or sexuality based on preconceived notions or ideas. The next time you find yourself stereotyping, even if it seems innocent enough like calling a blonde dumb because of her hair color, know that you are contributing to a larger more detrimental issue that affects our society. The Tunnel of Oppression proved to be intimidating, intense and thought-provoking, but the approach left me with more questions than answers.

Hurtful comments: Are they free speech? ACSHA LEE

REPORTER

@acshalee

Taben Azad feared his safety after seeeing hundreds of Facebook comments directed at him after the now-infamous “chapel debate” went viral nationwide. “They would make references to Islam and terrorism,” said Azad, vice president of the Muslim Student Association at Wichita State. “They would say, ‘Why are you following a religion that promotes killing people?’ There is a risk to standing up for what you believe in. I am fine with standing up for what I believe in if that means that I might get targeted ... but you have to be worried about other things, too, like your friends

and your family, so I was worried about their well-being.” Those comments, now made almost six weeks ago, led student leaders to demand that the university issue a public apology addressed to those students who felt threatened. University President John Bardo issued a letter to the student body Monday to respond. “We had university police and the university’s attorney review the communication to see if it threatened physical harm or crossed legal boundaries into criminal hate speech,” Bardo stated in the letter. “That wasn’t the case. I am sorry that people felt the need to resort to hateful speech to get their point across.

That doesn’t further any educational purpose of this university.” Shepard said at a State of the Union address on Wednesday that he “never asked for you to diminish the rights of anyone else ... because that’s wrong.” Rather, he only wanted a statement of support. Khondoker Usama, vice president of Student Government Association, said he was advised to switch up his normal daily schedules in various ways in order to minimize the risk of an attack. Usama, who is Muslim, said that he did not go to his office for two days because he was told it was unsafe for him to follow his regular hours. “One email I received was 47

pages long,” Usama said. “I don’t even know how a person can write something so hateful and so long. I mean, when my professor tells me to write a three-page paper, I freak out.” Shepard said that he, too, received some shocking messages, and that he had to resist the urge to respond because he was encouraged not to. Usama said that he was also advised not to respond, as well, but that he also had personal motivation to resist. “I do not feel that it is my job to [respond], because I feel that if I do that, that puts me in the defense when obviously I am not, because I know that I am doing the right thing,” Usama said. “Why do Muslims feel they need

to figure out an explanation and be on the defensive side? When are we going to be able to actually enjoy the freedom that other people enjoy?” Shepard said that he sent a letter to President Bardo requesting for a public statement to be issued in support of the student leaders. He said he received a response from General Counsel David Moses stating that the administration supported them, but that they could not issue a public statement because they did not want to diminish the First Amendment rights of the people sending the hate messages.

SEE COMMENTS • PAGE 5

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19

PAGE 5 | NEWS + SPORTS

Volleyball approaches final games of regular season MEGAN LOOPER

REPORTER

@meglooper

The Wichita State volleyball team looks to put two more wins under its belt before the end of the 2015 season, securing the first place spot in the Missouri Valley Conference and an MVC tournament. The Shockers have returned home to take on the No. 2 Salukis of Sothern Illinois, 22-7 (13-3). As a team, Southern Illinois is hitting .251 percent, while opponents hit .193 against them, respectively.

DEMANDS

FROM PAGE 1

The letter is expected to be distributed no later than Dec. 1, the Facebook post said. “I don’t consider it appropriate to call people names,” Bardo said, and every side of the argument felt that they were attacked.

Demand 4: Agree to hire more faculty and staff that is reflective of the student body at Wichita State University in a

RESIGN

FROM PAGE 1 “I think the bill was brought up as a mockery for what was going on,” she said, referring to Shepard’s plan to protest university President John Bardo when the Kansas Board of Regents visited Wichita State earlier in the day Wednesday. Hungate said she met with some of her constituents, who did raise concerns about Shepard’s behavior and asked questions about the procedures for impeaching Shepard. “I have definitely been open about it with them, but that’s been translated into a rumor that I was planning on impeaching President Shepard, which was never my intent,” Hungate said. “I never planned on trying to impeach him.” Matthew Brinkmeyer, chairman of SGA’s Campus Issues Committee, was also against the resolution. He had several reasons for opposing the resolution’s reading, including its timing, which he said was not fair to the senators. He said any possibility of an impeachment should not be left to Senate. “We are not senators representing ourselves, we are senators representing the student body,” Brinkmeyer said. “I just don’t think it’s appropriate for us to be discussing that as senators, and asking him to resign if he doesn’t represent us well.” On the other hand, senators spoke up in favor of reading the resolution, regardless of the outcome. Glasscock said he would have rather had the resolution enter the floor to be voted on Wednesday. “I hate it when people try and dodge issues and try and gather evidence for their side,” he said. “I think a lot of the time, you get honest answers when you speak from the

Andrea Estrada, averaging 3.57 kills and 3.11 digs per set, leads SIU offensively. Coached by Justin Ingram, the Salukis defeated the Shockers 3-2 earlier this month, and are their most competitive opponent. Wichita State leads the overall series with the Salukis, 39-20. The match is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Charles Koch Arena. WSU will go head-to-head with the Evansville Purple Aces for its last regular season matchup at 7 p.m. Saturday at home. Evansville is 8-22 overall and just 2-14 in the

Missouri Valley Conference. UE is hitting only .172 percent as a team while their opponents average .242. Genesis Miranda leads the squad with an average of 4.30 kills and 2.42 digs per set. The Shockers took down head coach Manolo Concepcion and the Purple Aces 3-0 at a meeting in early October and lead the series by a whopping 35-9. Historically, WSU has won 27 of the last 28 meetings against UE. Both games will be broadcast online at www.goshockers.com/watch and live on

ESPN3. Sophomore middle-blocker Abbie Lehman was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week after her stunning performance last weekend. She averaged 1.62 blocks, 2.81 points and 1.88 kills per set while hitting .333 percent on the weekend. Against Loyola, she had a match-high seven blocks, as well as 11 kills. Against Bradley, she had a match-high 6 blocks, 4 kills, and hit .400. This is Lehman’s third MVC Defensive Player of the Week honor.

timely manner. At the State of the Union meeting Wednesday, Shepard cited statistics provided to him by the Human Resources department. About 80 percent of the WSU faculty and staff population is Caucasian, he said, and the remaining 20 percent is considered a minority. More than half of that minority works for the Physical Plant. “We want to increase the ratio of faculty/ staff, especially targeting race and ethnicity,” he said. Bardo announced Monday that Flem-

ing-Randle, the new SGA adviser, would serve as assistant to the president for diversity. Her responsibilities would include shaping efforts to increase on diversity, he said. “She’s a really wonderful person,” Bardo told The Sunflower. “Very down to earth. Very bright capable person. But more than that she’s got the best interest of people at heart.” Shepard said in his Facebook post that a task force will be created to investigate ways to implement diversity training for Bardo’s cabinent. “We need to become more culturally

competent,” Shepard said Wednesday. Demand 5: Provide more scholarship opportunities for in-state students In his six-page explanation of the demands, Shepard cited numbers from a 2015 enrollment factbook that the average scholarship amounts have decreased $1,000 while the average loan amounts have gone up $1,100. As a result of his meeting with Bardo on Tuesday, Shepard said on Facebook that Bardo plans to find ways to continue to increase scholarship opportunities to in-state students.

heart.” He said the resolution should have been read Wednesday because with its delay, it will be focused on for the next two weeks, rather than other issues Senate could focus on. Duggins, who co-sponsored the resolution with Glasscock, said it was important to address any senator concerns now rather than later. “I sponsored the bill because I agreed with [Shepard] that he should give people the opportunity to say how they feel and to ask for his resignation if that’s how they so felt,” she said. ‘Prepared to resign’ As the author of the resolution, Shepard said he was serious about resigning from his position. “I was prepared to resign,” he said. “No ands, ifs or buts about it. If my senators were unhappy with my leadership, then let’s put somebody else in who can do the job for you.” Shepard said he was disappointed in senators who felt he should have been removed not speaking up about their opposition to his leadership. “I know there are senators who do want me removed and instead of being transparent and saying it in front of everyone, they’d rather beat around the bush and they’d rather not be open and honest,” Shepard said. He said, ultimately, the decision was up to the Senate. “I think the question was, ‘Are you happy as a Senate?’” he said. “Meaning you individuals in this room, not the 14,000 students at this university, you are part of Senate, are you happy with my leadership? And if not, speak up.” Had Shepard resigned, SGA Vice President Khondoker Usama would have been appointed president, while an interim vice

Photo by Danielle Prewitt

Paige Hungate, senator at-large, speaks at Wednesday’s SGA meeting regarding President Joseph Shepard’s resolution for his removal.

president would have been selected, Shepard said. Afterward, a special election would be held, in which the student body would be able to vote on having Usama in the role. If not, Duggins would take the position, Shepard said. Support Shepard’s supporters in Senate say SGA would likely vote to keep Shepard in as student body president. “I have no doubt in my mind that Joseph’s support group will keep him in office,” SGA Legislative Director Jarvis Lawson said. Glasscock said the debate showed that Shepard has the support of the majority of Senate. “There is still probably a few who are disenfranchised, but I still think this showed that he does have the majority’s support, so I expect the resolution to fail,” he said. Duggins applauded Shepard for speaking up and realizing there were concerns about his position.

“It takes a lot of courage to be able to say, ‘Hey, I may not be able to be what my followers want, and so maybe I need to consider that I need to step out of the way and give them to have the opportunity to give them something they want,’” Duggins said. Future For now, Shepard said he is on his tiptoes about what his fate will be. He encouraged senators to meet with him and address any concerns they have about his leadership. Marché Fleming-Randle, SGA’s adviser, said she wants to be a part of the meetings between senators and Shepard. “I want to hear the students’ concerns,” she said. “I want to sit with them to say what’s on their mind. I’ll be the medium and they can say whatever they want to him.” Fleming-Randle said she was “blindsided” by the resolution. “I’m just at a loss for words,” she said. “I have to process this.”

COMMENTS

Bardo. But that doesn’t make them actionable...you really have to be careful before you put a muzzle on somebody.” Usama said that he thinks it is important for an administration to have the backs of their students in times of trouble, especially when the students fear for their safety. “We’re not asking Bardo to suppress freedom of speech for certain groups; we’re asking him to take a stand and to take measures to protect the student leaders,” Usama said. “I hope the administration will consider doing things in good faith and will continue to work with the student body. Without proper representation, nothing will be achieved.” — Contributing: Shelby Reynolds

FROM PAGE 4

Due to the generality of the laws, it is often difficult to draw the line between what is constituted as hate speech, which is technically legal, and fighting words, which are not. “In this case, people were saying some bad things, but that did not cross the line to those fighting words that are actionable under the criminal threat statutes in Kansas,” Moses said. “We are sensitive to the fact that there were some real bad things being said. They were being said to Dr.


THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19

PAGE 6 | SPORTS

www.thesunflower.com

Women’s Basketball suffers second loss of season to Missouri In a rushed game on Wednesday night, the WSU women’s basketball team received its second loss of the season 57-37 against Missouri. According to head coach Jody Adams, the tempo seemed to be the biggest factor for WSU. “Our tempo wasn’t good offensively,” she said. “I don’t think we sprinted to the places that we need to be in; we didn’t get into our action quick enough, we didn’t get the ball to where we really wanted it to be necessarily.” With sophomore Diamond Lockhart leading the women, she accumulated nine points, three rebounds and two assists. Meanwhile, freshman Jyar Francis came in second with seven points and three rebounds; junior Jaleesa Chapel followed suit with six points

and five rebounds; junior TaQuandra Mike was the fourth leader with five points, two rebounds and three steals. Without any senior leaders on the team, Chapel has stepped up as a leader but felt Wednesday’s game was lacking something — heart. “We were pretty stagnant [Wednesday], we weren’t sprinting the floor like we need to — I just don’t think we had enough heart,” she said. “Our lack of poise was a big issue, so we need to go back to the drawing board and fix that in practice.” Other point scorers for the Shockers were freshman Ellie Lehne and junior Marija Pacar each with three points; sophomore Aundra Stovall and junior Brittany Martin each with two points. Adding more than just points to the mix, Lehne had one rebound, two assists and one block; Pacar

The bench was scoreless until the 11-minute mark in the second half. “We have to teach these young guys to be more productive,” Marshall said. “They have to understand what it means to wear Wichita State on their chest.” Tulsa showed its experience. The Hurricane debuted a starting lineup of five seniors, a notable amount of experience in their rotation made up of nine seniors, five juniors and two freshmen. The Hurricanes had eight players play double-digit minutes, seven of them seniors. Senior Shaquille Harrison led the Hurricane with 20 points on 6-10 shooting. Harrison’s mobility and eagerness to drive the ball made him a challenge for the Shockers to contain. Harrison was a presence in the paint and on the perimeter where he was 2-3 from three-point range. “Harrison attacks the goal,” Marshall said. “I love the way he drives to the basket.” The Hurricane challenged the Shockers with a small lineup of veteran guards that challenged the pace of the game.

“They’re starting basically three point guards,” Baker said. “They love to run.” The Hurricanes challenged ball pressure on the young second unit of WSU. The Wichita State bench finished with eight points on one field goal while committing five turnovers. Anton Grady sparked some life in the offense for Wichita State in the second half. Wichita State ran a 13-0 run over the Hurricane from the final minute of the first half into the opening minutes of the second. Grady led the run scoring the first six points of the second half. Grady found ways to battle in the low post, draw contact, get to the free throw line and draw pressure off his guards. Grady posted 18 points. The senior forward even found his way outside the perimeter where he was 1-3 from three-point range. Riding on the heels of its injured point guard, the Shockers followed, showing signs of fatigue. The Shockers fell into a string of desperation threes, pulling up from three-point land on seven consecu-

JESSICA GREEN

REPORTER

@jesserca9

Photo by Jessica Green

Sophomore Diamond Lockhart dribbles around a Missouri opponent during Wednesday’s game. Lockhart scored nine points, but WSU fell to Mizzou 57-37.

added two rebounds and three assists; Stovall had one rebound and two assists, and lastly, Martin added three rebounds and four blocks. Overall, the Shockers shot 30.4 percent (14-46) from the field and 27.3 percent (6-22) from the three-point line. Adams stressed the tempo of Wednesday’s game was something WSU hasn’t seen before. “We felt a little rushed at times because we were only seeing one option instead of option two and three,” she said. “It’s a sign of a lack of experience.” With plenty more games ahead, Adams said things will have to change in practice to improve overall. As the team heads back to the drawing board for a few days, join them at 7 p.m. Saturday for their next game against Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Hurricanes top Shockers in road loss EVAN PFLUGRADT

REPORTER

@evplfu

The Wichita State men’s basketball fell to the Tulsa Hurricanes in the second game of the year Tuesday night, 77-67. Tulsa’s victory marked the end to No. 9 ranked Wichita State’s streak of seven consecutive victories in the series. The loss Tuesday marked the third regular season loss for the Shockers in three seasons. “They got us,” head coach Gregg Marshall said. “Now I have to coach them better.” The Shockers struggled to gain any offensive rhythm despite the return of senior point guard Fred VanVleet into the starting lineup. VanVleet rallied together 11 points in the first half. Nine came off three consecutive three-pointers in the final 1:17 of the first half. The late rally put the Shockers up a point at the half. VanVleet returned to the floor and played 30 minutes in the loss. Signs of the injury to VanVleet’s hamstring and ankle appeared to be a lingering

issue for the senior. Senior guard Ron Baker acknowledged the issues with injury in the backcourt. “[Fred] wasn’t 100 percent tonight, but he will be the first to tell you that is no excuse,” Baker said. VanVleet struggled with speed and mobility, lacked a willingness to drive off ball screens and instead settled for contested threes. VanVleet missed back-to-back three-point attempts on the same possession, which opened the gap for the Hurricane. Wichita State struggled with depth in the backcourt filling in for VanVleet. Baker continued to run the point guard duties when VanVleet was sidelined. Baker played almost without break, a total of 39 minutes. Baker led all scorers with 23 points on 8-18 shooting, 3-9 from threepoint range. Baker picked up four steals — two steals came on back-to-back possessions under the final two minutes of play. The senior guard battled until the end of the game, diving into the first row of the stands for a steal, ultimately ruled out of bounds.

tive attempts. The Shockers shot 30 percent from the three-point-line, 8-26. While it will go down as an upset for the Shockers being topped by the Hurricanes, Tulsa shouldn’t be downplayed in any sense. Tulsa finished runner-up in the AAC last season. The victory over WSU marked their first over a ranked opponent since 2003. The Hurricanes knew a victory Tuesday night could define its season — the team played to win. Now the Shockers will shift their focus to a matchup back at home against in-state rival Emporia State. While Marshall expects to pick up his 400th career win Saturday, the bigger focus remains on returning VanVleet to full health. Wichita State will look to find ways to rest the injured senior before they depart for the Advocare Invitational in Florida and the first game against Southern California on Nov. 26. The Shockers take on the Emporia State Hornets at 2 p.m. Saturday at Charles Koch Arena.


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