The Sunflower v. 130 i. 2 (Aug. 26, 2025)

LAS WINS

CLASH

The 11th year of Clash of the Colleges saw the return of victory to the Liberal Arts and Science students.

AIRIANNA SALLAZ

curl.gurl.sallaz@gmail.com

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences took home the win at Wichita State’s 11th Annual Clash of the Colleges. The College of Engineering took second place, with the College of Applied Studies in third and the College of Fine Arts taking home the spirit award.

The Clash of the Colleges is a tradition at the beginning of the fall semester in which students from each academic college compete in a variety of events to win the tournament for their college. Entering the 11th year, the staff of the annual Clash of the Colleges wanted to change the game and create more opportunities for students participating in Clash to fully enjoy the experience.

This year, Clash began with the academic colleges running onto the Eck Stadium field displaying the colleges’ colors, blowing horns and cheering. Ordinarily,

Clash of the Colleges would be held at Cessna Stadium, but organizers were unable to hold it there due to the recent renovations.

“I think the best part of Clash of the Colleges is getting to know everybody and being united, even though we’re in different sections of the college,” Cynthia Chidizwo, a student in the College of Engineering, said.

For the next two hours, students participated in five main games, which included laundry basketball, volleyball, a giant shoe relay race, ultimate rock, paper, scissors and tug of war.

Other events included an arcade-style basketball tournament for success coaches and a half-time show put on by the transition mentors. Colleges could earn both game points and spirit points during each of these events.

One of the newer additions to Clash of the Colleges are the mini-games that were available to students during the event. These new mini-games were also worth points added to the grand total.

“My favorite part (of clash) was winning Connect 4,” said Jessica Ross, a student in the College of Fine Arts. “I remember they were hyping it up, those engineering students, but I beat one of them. So that was a good feeling.”

Students participated in Jumbo Connect 4, Jumbo Jenga and inflatable races. Organizers say these games were more accessible to students who may not want to participate in the more athletic group games, and who may be better at smaller, more intellectual games.

At the end of Clash, while scores were being tabulated, members of all the colleges entered a dance circle and showed off their moves.

“I had a lot of fun today, even though we lost,” College of Health Professions, Akosua Antwi-Agyei, said. “It helped me learn that teamwork is really important, especially for the college that I’m in. You’re definitely going to want to work with the other people around you.”

Liberal Arts and Sciences

Engineering

In the history of Clash of the Colleges, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has only won once before, in 2023, and has never received the spirit award. This year marks the college’s second ever win.

Associate vice president for Academic Affairs retires

BY KAMI STEINLE steinlekami@gmail.com

Wichita State’s associate vice president for Academic Affairs Linnea GlenMaye retired with a reception held on Aug. 14 to celebrate her time at WSU. GlenMaye had been at Wichita State University for over two decades, starting as an assistant professor in 1998 and later becoming an associate professor in 2004.

GlenMaye announced she would officially retire on Aug. 16. She said after being in higher education for nearly 30 years, she felt like it was time to move on and try different things and let someone else have the opportunities she had been given.

After former Provost Shirley Lefever retired at the end of 2024, Glenmaye said she was torn and decided to stay for a few more months to help with the transition to the new Provost, but that that was the sign it was time for her, too. In her retirement she plans to spend more time with her family.

“It’s a hard decision because this has always been my life, and so working with the most wonderful colleagues has been the most rewarding part of my job,” GlenMaye said. “So, you know, losing that part of my life is hard, but I’m ready to do more things … maybe even relax a little.”

GlenMaye’s position carried a wide range of responsibilities. She oversaw faculty development and success including annual evaluations and had a part in tenure promotion processes. Besides the registrar, she was the final approver for any curriculum or program changes and any new programs. She also provided guidance for the general education curriculum.

“I get to see what is going on at the university but particularly what’s going on in the colleges,” GlenMaye said. “Working with people that I think are absolutely outstanding and wonderful colleagues has been really the most rewarding part of this job.”

She was the designated liaison to the Kansas Board of Regents where she was involved in student transfers and articulation between the Kansas public college system. She played a role in developing and implementing a new general education program and getting rid of supplemental courses and creating corequisites classes for math and english.

“The hope is that it will increase success of

I get to see what is going on at the university but particularly what’s going on in the colleges. Working with people that I think are absolutely outstanding and wonderful colleagues has been really the most rewarding part of this job.”

LINNEA GLENMAYE Former associate vice president for Academic Affairs

students and allow them to progress in their major in the way they’re supposed to,” GlenMaye said, “Because for a lot of students, unfortunately, math and English too can be a hurdle that they have to get over before they can get on with their studies.”

Working with students directly was also something GlenMaye did as associate vice president for Academic Affairs. She had been a member of the WSU CARE Team since 2011 and dealt with grade appeals. In some cases, she would work with students who ran into unique challenges.

“It’s not a main part of my job … but it’s something that I do every now and then and I’ve been very fortunate to have a number of students that I think sometimes it just takes a person to step in at the right time and then they can stay on track,” GlenMaye said.

GlenMaye’s background is in social work, and she was the director of the School of Social Work from 2004 until she began her position as associate vice president for Academic Affairs in 2011. She also played a role in developing WSU’s Master of Social Work program.

“There’s a lot I could tell you about social work,” GlenMaye said. “Obviously, that’s the love of my life and I still miss those students tremendously.”

Her transition from the School of Social Work to associate vice president for Academic Affairs came after working with former Interim Provost of WSU, Keith Pickus, on a project called Foundations of Excellence. It was a campus wide project that involved collaboration between

colleges to achieve a set of goals in many different areas. Pickus later encouraged her to apply for the position.

“I think often in offices like this there’s a lot of administrative work that’s more technical in a sense that requires a different set of skills,” GlenMaye said. “But there’s a lot of work that’s done in this office that requires some people skills. I think people kind of thought, whether it was right or not, ‘Well a social worker knows how to work with people so, maybe that would be a good fit.’”

GlenMaye said her time at WSU was very special.

The year before she came, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and said losing her hair due to chemotherapy was hard to deal with. A student organization at the time she first got to WSU put pink ribbons on baseball caps to sell to students and donate the profit to the Susan B. Komen Foundation.

“That was the most supportive thing — made me cry — that I could’ve imagined and that’s what I think of here,” GlenMaye said. “The students are so special and of course I love the social work students, but I’ve met every kind of student that we have now. I just think that it’s such a privilege to be in this place of supporting students who are trying to achieve their goals and to be who they want to be. To be there and part of that has just been the joy of my life.”

College-readiness trends down while proficiency rates rise

KASS LEWIS news@thesunflower.com

Proficiency rates in reading and math for Kansas high school students have risen from last year while college-readiness is still in a downward trend.

According to data from the Kansas Department of Education, Kansas 10th grade students have seen a steady decline in ACT college-readiness rates since 2015. 32% of students were considered college ready ten years ago; that number dropped to 18% in 2024.

The ACT defines college readiness as “having a 75% chance of getting a ‘C’ on an entry-level course.”

While college readiness keeps its downward trend, 10th grade reading and math proficiency has skyrocketed from last year to this year, according to data from the KSDE.

Last year, 21% of students were proficient in math and 28% were proficient in reading. Proficiency is defined by earning a level 3 or 4 score out of 4 on state assessments.

While there have been a couple of jumps in the number of proficient students

Time to pay your bill

AINSLEY SMYTH managing@thesunflower.com

Now that fall classes are underway, the deadline to pay is coming up. Friday, Aug. 29, is the last day for Wichita State students to pay their bills for fall tuition, fees and housing before late fees begin. After Friday, students who still have an unpaid balance of $150 or more and haven’t set up a payment plan will accrue a $100 late fee on the next business day, with a second fee after 90 days, according to WSU’s OneStop. Students who are waiting on financial aid should set up a payment plan to avoid a late fee according to the Accounts Receivable office.

To pay your bill, go to mywsu.wichita.edu and log in. Go to the My Finances tab in the top right of the page. Under Accounts Receivable Links and View/Pay My Bill, click on Student Account Suite.

Once you’re in the student account suite, you should see your current balance. Click the green button – Make Payment. Or, click Enroll in Payment Plan to begin the process of setting up a payment plan to pay your bill gradually.

Students can call WSU Accounts Receivable at (316) 978-3333, or email them at wsuaccountsreceivable@ wichita.edu with any questions.

since 2015, there has been an overall decrease. This year, however, math is at 37% and reading is at 42%, nearly doubling last year’s numbers.

But why has there been such a jump?

According to a press release from the Kansas State Department of Education, the state Board of Education recently approved new cut scores for state assessments.

Cut scores are the cutoff for what determines a letter grade. Typically, an A is considered 90% or above, so 90% would be the cut score for an A.

Instead of letter grades, state assessments use levels 1 through 4, with 4 being the highest.

Each subject (math, science and English language arts) has a different cut score for each grade. Science is not assessed in 10th-grade students. Prior to the change, for 10th-grade students, a score of 300 was the minimum needed to reach a level 3 in both math and ELA, which indicates proficiency. The highest possible score across all grades and subjects was 380.

Presented in the Aug. 12 Board of

Education meeting, the new cut scores are universal across all subjects and grade levels. The lowest possible score is now 400, and the highest possible score is 700.

The level two minimum off is 510, level 3 is 540 and level 4 is 609.

The KSDE holds firm that these changes are not to reduce rigor or expectations. A statement released by the KSDE points to “misalignments” in the past regarding the state assessment scoring system as making the change necessary.

“Only about one in four Kansas high school students scored at Level 3 or 4 on state assessments, yet more than half went on to succeed in college or career pathways,” the statement says. “Many students were told they were not ‘proficient’ when they were, in fact, thriving.

“In many cases, students had to score in the top 25% nationally to be labeled ‘proficient’ in Kansas. Educators noted examples of students at Level 2 on state assessments earning ACT scores of 22 — an inconsistency that eroded trust in the system.”

Corbin Education Center reopens after 17-month closure

PIPER PINNETTI piperpinnetti12@gmail.com

Wichita State’s Corbin Education Center has reopened for the Fall 2025 semester, nearly a year and a half after a chilled water line break flooded its basement mechanical room and forced the building’s immediate closure. The center initially closed in March 2024 and is one of only two Frank Lloyd Wright designs in Kansas, standing as both an architectural landmark and tribute to former WSU President Harry

F. Corbin Jr. The building on the north side of WSU’s campus is home to the College of Applied Studies.

WSU first expected the building to reopen within days, but that plan quickly changed as damage to critical systems – including power, HVAC and IT – was found to be more extensive than expected. University officials later announced repairs would take months, pushing the reopening past the Fall 2024 semester. Ultimately, officials pushed back the building’s reopening until this semester.

The March 2024 flood damage displaced the College of Applied Studies classes for more than a year. Students attended class in temporary locations across campus while faculty and advisers worked from other offices.

Faculty and staff from the College of Applied Studies moved back into the building on Aug. 25, restoring the college to its longtime home. Esports and advising offices, which were housed in the building, have also returned.

ANGELLICA KLINGSICK & KASS LEWIS angellicaklingsick25@gmail.com & news@thesunflower.com

On the evening of Jan. 29, American Airlines Flight 5342 was en route to land on runway 15/33 at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA). At the same time, an Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was en route from Hains Point to the Wilson Bridge.

At 8:48 p.m., the Black Hawk helicopter collided with the back end of flight 5342, leading to the death of 67 people, including passengers, flight crew and pilots.

American Airlines Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided mid-air over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 29. Six months later, the National Transportation Safety Board began its hearings on the collision to understand how it happened.

In an NTSB report from March, Federal Aviation Administration data showed that at least once a month from 2011 to 2024 the traffic collision avoidance system was triggered by proximity between a plane and helicopter.

“In over half of these instances, the helicopter may have been above the route altitude restriction,” the report states.

This means that at least once a month for the past 13 years, helicopters and commercial aircraft were reported as being too close to one another.

“While there is no single factor that led to the collision on January 29, it is alarming that FAA failed to act on years of data and near misses indicating serious problems with the design of the mixed airspace around DCA,” Kansas Senator Jerry Moran said in a news release. “The FAA blamed their inaction on bureaucracy but did not take action to try and alleviate the bureaucratic roadblocks within the agency. That is no excuse.” Moran is the chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation. He also lobbied for this flight path in 2023 so that federal officials could quickly travel between Wichita and Washington, D.C.

After the January collision, the NTSB recommended that the FAA indefinitely forbid helicopter operations near DCA when runway 15/33 is being used, and that instead, the helicopters utilize an alternate route.

Also briefly mentioned in the reports was a discrepancy in the helicopter’s altitude. In recordings from the cockpit voice recorders, the pilot indicated an altitude of 300 ft, the instructor pilot indicated an altitude of 400 ft.

“Neither pilot made a comment discussing an altitude discrepancy,” the report states.

In Moran’s statement, he said these inaccuracies were discovered to be faulty equipment within the helicopter.

“The ADS-B Out technology was not transmitting on the Blackhawk likely due to faulty equipment that the Army failed to identify and has now been found to be an issue on numerous other Army helicopters as well,” Moran said.

The preliminary report explains ADS-B technology, saying it provides “air traffic controllers and pilots with accurate information to help keep aircraft safely separated in the sky and on runways.”

While investigations are still ongoing, there has been no mention of investigating the ADS technology being faulty on the investigations webpage as of Aug. 25.

The investigation into the collision will take approximately one year to 18 months from Jan. 29 to be completed, according to the NTSB.

SPORTS

‘PRETTY SURREAL’

Baseball player reflects on summer experience

BY MACK SMITH mackred22@gmail.com

After Wichita State’s baseball season ended last year, most players had plans to play in collegiate summer leagues. But pitcher Brady Hamilton didn’t have an exact idea of where he wanted to go.

He reached out to pitching coach Anthony Claggett for help.

“I was like, ‘Hey, if I’m able to play in the Cape, I know that’s kind of the top league, and if that’s something we can make happen, I would like to do that,’” Hamilton said. “He made some calls and was able to help me get onto the Y-D (Yarmouth-Dennis) Red Sox.”

Claggett said he’s always willing to try to make things happen for his players, especially when they want the opportunity to play in the Cape Cod League. The Cape Cod League is a collegiate summer baseball league that has seen players like Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes compete for organizations.

Claggett’s help and Hamilton’s hard work paid off. Hamilton was picked up by the Red Sox, and after having made four starts and bolstered a 1.00 ERA through July, he was named a Cape Cod League All-Star and was the East Division’s starting pitcher.

“It was pretty surreal,” Hamilton said about being an All-Star Game starter. “When people talk about all the talent that’s in the Cape, the players who are here and who’s been here in the past. It was just something that was really cool for me to play, and that game and getting the starting nod was awesome.”

When Green heard the news, he said it was awesome. He then called Claggett to see what his plans were. Claggett told Green that he was going to be recruiting, but Green told him that he was going to watch Brady play in the Cape’s mid-summer classic.

“He (Claggett) goes, ‘I’m in absolutely,’” Green said. “So Coach Claggett went out there and got a chance to spend the day with him and watch him pitch his one inning in the All-Star game.”

Claggett said he’s already been to games in

Wichita

the Cape to watch Brady pitch and recruit for Shocker baseball. However, the second time was different.

“To go out there (a second time), that was a little bit more of just going out there and being a representative of the program,” Claggett said. “To go out there and show our support and show that, ‘Hey Brady, we are proud of you.”’

After the All-Star game, the Red Sox finished with a 19-18-3 record, good enough to get into the playoffs.

Hamilton started the first game of the playoffs against the top-seeded Orleans Firebirds. He pitched 5.1 innings of one-run ball to help lead the team to a 4-1 win. The Red Sox beat the Firebirds 9-2 in the next game to advance to the semifinals.

In the semifinals, the Red Sox beat the Harwich Mariners two games to one to advance to the team’s first championship game in nine years.

The Red Sox faced the Bourne Braves. The Braves had won two of the last three championships. After a 5-3 loss in game one of that series, Hamilton got the starting nod for game two.

“It was awesome,” Hamilton said about getting the start in game two of the championship series. “Playing on your home field where you were at all summer. To play in a game that big and meaningful at a place you know you can have a lot of fans and a lot of supporters, that’s all anyone can ask for.”

In the win-or-go-home game, Hamilton pitched 3.1 innings of four-run ball. The Red Sox fell 19-2 and Hamilton was given the loss.

“This summer was a pretty big step for me in my career,” Hamilton said, reflecting on his season with the Red Sox. “Getting able to enjoy the experience, I’ve had a bunch of people tell me that playing baseball in the Cape is going to be the funnest summer I have ever had. And, you know, you don’t really realize that until you get out there what people mean by that.

“I had a great host family, great teammates, coaches and obviously playing baseball against some of the top talent in the country and with

WHAT ARE COLLEGIATE SUMMER BASEBALL LEAGUES?

n Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur leagues designed to give players opportunities to compete during their offseason

n In order to join a league and team, a player must have competed in at least one season of college baseball and must have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining

n Players can compete from across all divisions of college baseball: NCAA Division I, II and III, as well as NAIA and JUCO

n Unlike during the college season in the spring, collegiate summer leagues utilize wooden bats as opposed to aluminum ones

n Collegiate summer baseball leagues typically operate from June to August

n The Baseball Observer recognizes 85 different collegiate summer baseball leagues across the United States and Canada

some of the top talent was an absolute blast.”

Now that his summer league season is over, Hamilton is back on campus, even after a disappointing 36-loss season. Green said Hamilton’s commitment to stick with the program after the hardships and what he was able to accomplish over the summer is exciting.

“We had a very difficult season last year,” Green said. “A lot of guys left (and) we had a lot of older players. When Brady said, ‘I’m in, I want to stay. I don’t want to go anywhere,’ that’s pretty loud. I think it impacted our recruiting, and it makes me and Claggs (Claggett) proud.”

“We’re just really happy for him to come back another year with us and obviously, there’s the portal era but Brady is kind of an outlier now,” Claggett added. “It’s going to be year three with the same program and we take a lot of clout in that and Brady will be one of our leaders moving forward and we’re looking for him to be at the forefront of the pitching staff this year.”

couples donate men’s basketball season tickets to youth

BY OWEN PROTHRO sports@thesunflower.com

Shane and Kianne Prill have been Wichita State men’s basketball season ticket holders for the better part of 25 years, watching their kids grow up in Koch Arena to the frequency of Shocker faithful roars.

With a recent donation of 50 season tickets to the Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Prills are still providing opportunities to local youth they may not have otherwise, even though their kids have grown up.

“Kianne and I are thrilled to be able to do this,” Shane, a financial investor, said. “We’ve been blessed, and we want to bless others. To think that some of these kids will have a great evening, but also could become Shocker fans for life — we feel great about it.”

The Prills’ donation has now inspired others in the community. A week after they made their donation, another couple, Rick and Barbara Hemphill, donated an additional 50 season tickets to organizations like United Way affiliates

and Stand Together.

WSU Athletics estimated around 870 people in the Wichita area will benefit from each season ticket donation throughout the season, which combined is 1,740 people.

“The Prills, the Hemphills, they understand what an environment Koch Arena is when it’s rocking; what that does for the community,” head men’s basketball coach Paul Mills said. “That level of investment by each of these families … it speaks volumes about their hearts.”

Allowing the adult volunteers and children to see what a raucous Roundhouse is like during college basketball season is a reason for the Prills’ donation. Shane said that another reason is providing long-lasting memories for them.

“Some of these kids maybe have never been in Koch Arena,” he said.

The experiences made in Koch Arena this upcoming season for those who are able to benefit from the Prills’ and Hemphills’ donations — no matter win or lose, sellout or not — will be impactful.

“If I was a little kid, and I was in Koch Arena for the first time at an exciting game,” Shane said. “I think that’d be a pretty, pretty wonderful evening. I think about how these kids can go to school the next day, and I bet they’re excited to tell their friends about it.” Read the full story at TheSunflower.com

VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

Aug. 29 - 31 Shocker Classic (Home)

Sept. 5 - 6

BYU Nike Invite (Away)

Sept. 11 - 12 Golden Eagle Invite (Away)

Sept. 16

Sept. 18 - 20

Sept. 26

Oct. 3 Tulsa @ 7 p.m. (Home)

Oct. 5 Tulsa @ 1 p.m. (Away)

Oct. 10

@ 7 p.m. (Home)

Oct. 12 UAB @ Noon (Home)

Oct. 17

@ 6 p.m. (Away)

Oct. 19

What volleyball learned from intersquad scrimmage

BY OWEN PROTHRO sports@thesunflower.com

Less than a week before its regular season starts, Wichita State’s volleyball team held a Black and Yellow intersquad scrimmage Saturday afternoon.

The Black team won four of the five sets (25-19), (25-22), (25-18), (25-17), (25-21), but the team is looking beyond the results of the intersquad scrimmage — they’re ready to line up against other teams.

“I couldn’t be more excited, and I know that everyone else is too,” senior libero Katie Galligan said. “It’s also so fun to see the new girls experience the arena, because I don’t think there’s quite anywhere like it.”

The Shockers open their regular season next Friday at 7 p.m. against Kennesaw State in their home-opening Shocker Volleyball Classic. The team plays its second game of the tournament on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Arkansas.

Oct. 24

Oct. 26

Nov. 7

@ 7 p.m. (Home)

Nov. 9

@ 1 p.m. (Home)

Nov. 14

@ 7 p.m. (Home)

Nov. 16 Temple @ 11 a.m. (Away)

Nov.

“I’m really excited to show out to our home crowd next weekend against a good Kennesaw State (and) Arkansas team,” junior libero Gabi Maas said.

Volleyball games typically use a best of three format, and if the tiebreak set is necessary, it’s played to 15 points instead of 25. The Black team won three of the first four sets, but head coach Chris Lamb decided to go a fifth set at a full 25 points anyway to collect as much data as possible.

Earlier in the week, Lamb thought the connections between the setter and middle blocker groups were making strides but regressed and became an area of emphasis headed into the homeopener. As a letter grade, Lamb said he’d give it a C- with room

The reason why I play here is for the fans. I love Koch Arena, and I love our environment. I’m just grateful to be back out here and doing what I love most.”

GABI MAAS Junior, Wichita State Volleyball

to grow in the upcoming week.

A strength of the team during the scrimmage was in the underclassmen. Freshmen trio

Janaya Weitkemper, McKenzie Jones and Danielle Moore teed off on multiple kills that you could hear throughout the stadium. Maas said that all three can jump out of the gym.

“They have days where they’re the best players in the building,” Lamb said. “It’s just got to come more consistently, you got to start stacking more good days. Some of the most highlight reel things you see on offense from our team on certain days come from McKenzie Jones and Danielle Moore.”

Weitkemper, Jones and Moore are part of a class of nine freshmen. And with a group of four incoming transfers, Galligan said the trajectory of the team can go one of two ways: really bad, or really good.

“So far it’s been so great,” Galligan said. “I think Lambo did a great job of recruiting talent, but also the personalities are just such a fun mix outside of volleyball.”

Saturday’s scrimmage was a good indication of that.

Communication was strong throughout, and Galligan said

they’ve found a happy medium of constructive criticism and offering compliments. She’s excited to see what they have in store for the season. Maas even took notice of this team’s resiliency when the going gets rough.

“I really liked how, like something would go wrong and how we were able to bounce back from that and now get down into a hole,” Maas said, “but be able to say, ‘You know what? That sucks, but we’re going to move on to the next point.’”

For being an intersquad scrimmage on a Saturday in lateAugust, the number of fans in the arena was impressive to see for Maas.

“Volleyball has a bright future,” Maas said about the program. “We were good last year and we’re going to continue that into this year. I think it shows we do have the city behind us, we have a lot of support … We’re loved by our people here.”

The last time Maas played in front of the Shocker Faithful was Dec. 9, 2023, against Montana State in the semifinals of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. She was sidelined all of last season with a knee injury. She said making her return to the Roundhouse, regardless of scrimmage or not, felt jittery. But the feeling the home crowd brings once settled in is why she loves it.

“The reason why I play here is for the fans,” Maas said. “I love Koch Arena, and I love our environment. I’m just so grateful to be back out here and doing what I love most.”

Volleyball preseason poll, All-Conference team

BY OWEN PROTHRO sports@thesunflower.com

Coaches from around the American Conference made their picks ahead of the volleyball season on Aug. 19. Wichita State was voted third in the American’s preseason poll, after being picked second last season and sweeping through the conference tournament. Rice and South Florida were voted first and second, respectively. Along with the poll, the preseason all-conference team was announced. The Shockers have one player on the list, senior outside hitter Brooklyn Leggett. Leggett played in 109 sets a season ago throughout 30 matches. She tallied 266 kills, good for third on the team and the most of the returners.

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*Denotes

BY OWEN PROTHRO sports@thesunflower.com

“Catching the vision” is what cross country runner Cesar Ramirez said about how Wichita State will attain its goals of running in the NCAA Championship and bringing home the first American Conference team title in seven seasons.

“(It’s) a mindset of running the extra mile, going the further distance,” Ramirez, a senior, said. “Really build an ‘all in’ mindset (and) culture around here.”

Tulsa and Tulane ran the American Cross Country Championship last season, taking first and second in both the men’s and women’s races on the Shockers’ home turf.

WSU head coach Kirk Hunter thinks it will take a strong core of athletes to topple the conference’s giants this year.

“It’s a competitive group that’s looking to try to battle for that,” Hunter said about his men’s and women’s teams. “We’ve done it before. We’re hoping that that happens again.”

The last time Wichita State won a conference championship as a team was in 2018, when the women’s team took down Tulsa by two points. The Shockers’ men’s team has come as close as second place since joining the American: twice in back-to-back seasons from 2021-22. The Golden Hurricane won both races.

Looking past the rivalries, Hunter said that on paper, this is the best men’s team he’s had during his tenure as head coach. Wichita State has a strong group of returning seniors in Adrian Diaz Lopez, Yared Kidane and Ramirez. Incoming sophomore transfers Elkana Kipruto (Stephen F. Austin) and Kelvin Kipyego (Crowder College) should also help cut the Shockers’ times down.

“Just straight up talent,” Hunter said. “These guys have all run faster or as fast as anybody we’ve ever had. The ability to be successful could be very good.”

“It doesn’t matter if you have Mizzou on your jersey or Alabama, we’re going to come to run,” Ramirez said.

On the women’s side, senior Sarah Bertry is returning after her second First Team All-Conference selection a season ago. The sophomore runners have an added year of experience. Senior Lucy Ndungu, the heartbeat of the women’s team, returns for her final season after missing all of 2024 with an injury.

“Having Lucy back is the biggest excitement we have,” Hunter said. “Getting to see her run again is going to be awesome, she’s a huge factor in anything we do as a team. But having Sarah Bertry back, two time All-Conference, for another season — that’s huge.

“Even the girls that were freshmen last year, they are significant girls that were an impact on our team … I think we’ll be just as excited about the women’s team as the men’s team.”

Ndungu said that being medically cleared to run in her final season is amazing, but she still has to take her recovery “one step at a time.”

“That’s the biggest thing: coming back and racing with them, with the team,” Ndungu said about the upcoming season. “I missed that a lot last season. It was very hectic not being able to race with them.”

Both Ndungu and Ramirez are in their final seasons running in a Wichita State uniform. Ramirez said now that he’s realized this, he’s not taking anything for granted — everything has a special meaning.

“When you’re a freshman, everything’s new,” he said. “When you’re a senior, it’s like well, everything is going to be gone. You start getting more and more excited about trips … I’m going to really make sure that I just live in the moment.”

Ndungu wants to leave her mark as one of the best ever at WSU. Wichita State cross country will begin its season Friday, Aug. 29 at the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic hosted by Hutchinson Community College. The women’s 3-mile is at 8:30 p.m. and the

OPINION

HOT HONEY TAKE

Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes monthly pizza disappoints

Willow Spence spencewillow454@gmail.com OPINION

This month, there is a new hot item up for grabs at the Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes. Following recent food trends, hot honey has taken over most menus and has now made its way onto the Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes menu.

As a fellow broke college student, I can say you certainly get the bang for your buck when you buy pizza at Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes. For $7.99 you get your own small personal pizza consisting of four pieces. When I received my pizza, I was unimpressed, to say the least. Nothing sets it apart from any regular gas station pizza except that you are paying more. What you think are the sparkling glimmers of hot honey sauce is really just grease. When I picked up my first piece, it flopped down like a sad fish, almost as if it was undercooked.

If done correctly, hot honey can be a delicious and savory experience. For instance, a few months ago, Subway introduced its hot honey flavored sauce, and that was a good example of hot honey. This piece of pizza, however,

Street Speak

What is your favorite pencil? The

Freshman majoring in social work

“My favorite is BIC because I write really hard, so it snaps with any other pencil I use.”

A.J. SCHARTZ Freshman majoring in Digital Marketing

“I like the Paper Mate Clearpoint because it’s a thicker pencil so I don’t get as many hand cramps with them.”

BRENDEN LEE Freshman majoring in Computer Science

“Ticonderoga. You can easily buy them in giant bulks and I hate dealing with mechanical pencils.”

Shocker Grill and Lane’s pizza of the month, hot

by WIllow Spence / The Sunflower

was not one of those experiences. When I took my first bite, the only flavor present was tomato sauce — the pieces were drenched with it. Once I reached the crust, I tasted a vague essence of seasoning. As for the hot honey flavor, it was almost nonexistent.

While this pizza was not my favorite, if you are a lover of tomato sauce, I would highly recommend it. As it remains, no one out pizzas the hut.

Mya Scott opinion@thesunflower.com OPINION

What is the Gen-Z stare?

If you’re on TikTok, you’ve probably seen users talking about a phenomenon labeled as the “Gen-Z stare.”

The Gen-Z stare is a term coined primarily by millennials and older generations describing the blank, vacant look members of Gen-Z give in some social settings, usually when asked a question.

Unfortunately, there is not one set definition. On Urban Dictionary, there are dozens of definitions posted by users.

According to a user named the-g-wo-man on Urban Dictionary, the Gen-Z stare is an “incredulous look” given to older people when the Gen-Z members are asked “something so ridiculous that they don’t know how to reply” and that it is “usually warranted.”

Other users like Saltedcaramel2000 claim the Gen-Z stare is when someone in Gen-Z “blatantly disregards others around them” and that people who give the Gen-Z stare “lack social skills” after being asked a question resulting the person asking the question “being side-eyed or stared at in return.”

With all these variations from different sides, there’s no concrete definition, but as a member of Gen-Z, let me throw my two cents into this discussion.

Is the Gen-Z stare a problem?

The biggest question isn’t whether it’s real (from even the smallest amount of observation, it clearly is), but should we be worried? As a society, is the Gen-Z stare the end of all social skills and politeness?

Simple answer: no.

The long answer falls in line with a quote my mom drilled into me when I was younger, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it all.”

And that’s what this vacant, void look encapsulates. When someone says something so absurd, rude or altogether insane, that pause where Gen-Z looks dead-eyed is the only thing keeping some of us in check from saying something rude in response or in more extreme cases, launching ourselves at the speaker.

It’s not meant to be rude as a concept; some older people see it as rude because it’s just not how they were raised. Phrases like, “respect your elders” were ingrained in their adolescence, but most young people now believe respect is to be earned, not given freely.

Maybe instead of immediately assuming that a younger generation is at fault for your discomfort, look into a mirror and realize that how you act is a roadmap for how your conversations will go. Treat others how you want to be treated. Don’t speak rudely to someone just because you feel you can and you won’t be on the receiving end of the icy cold stare. It’s really that simple.

Pencils ranked from pencil-perfect to dull

Scott

As school begins and lastminute supplies shopping ends, let me volunteer to help you decide the best essential item that every student needs.

The pencil.

The pencil is a tool many students use everyday — for homework, writing notes during class, or doodling on the edge of rubrics. It is critical to have the best one to ensure all your writing needs are met.

I ranked pencils based on looks, durability and functionality to find the superior pencil in the school supply industry.

If you haven’t heard of these pencils, don’t worry, I hadn’t either.

These chunky, rectangular pencils have one job and one job only. They’re designed to mark up wood so you can mark where you need to cut, hence the word “carpenter” in its name.

And that’s about all it’s good for.

Even though they write rather smoothly, they’re too thick to write normal words with — notetaking would be impossible with the additional risk of smudging.

You can barely draw with these carpenter pencils because it’s impossible to really sketch those finer details.

Basically they only do one job, but they do it really well. Bonus points for the cute ruler design up the side. Nicpro carpenter pencils receive a D-.

I was a kid. It was a pencil that nearly all of my teachers had in their spare cup and they were one of the most easily lost pencils, meaning I always found some on the ground.

They were also pretty cheap to buy in bulk, therefore a school of choice for me.

WriteBros are okay, at best. The lead and the plastic casing is flimsy and snaps if too much pressure is applied. I, personally, also hate the noise the lead makes against paper when writing with it for the first time. It’s almost like it’s too rough and makes a screeching sound as it’s dragged across your notes. It works in a pinch for a cost effective solution. I give Paper Mate WriteBros a D+.

#4 Ticonderoga

best.

The writing is decently smooth, and it doesn’t make the weird screeching noise of other pencils. The worst thing about it is the size. They are just too chunky to get a good grip on. And the grip texture feels odd underneath my fingertips.

While they do fulfill the purpose of the pencil, the size and textures is ultimately why it deserves the bronze. I give Paper Mate Clearpoints a B+.

#2 BIC BIC mechanical pencils are a normal, twotoned mechanical pencil that has thick lead, designed to be break-resistant.

#8 Enday Stackable Pencils Enday Stackable pencils are uniquely designed to have multiple pencil tops within so you can push them up when one breaks.

If these are your favorite pencils, I hate to be the one to say this, but you’re wrong. Not only are these colorful abominations the most inconvenient and illconstructed pencil known to man, they’re just not functional.

The lead snaps at the slightest pressure. And then when you push up the next pencil top, it slides and pushes back down in the pencil when trying to write.

And to top it off, these pencils aren’t aesthetically attractive. They’re a bright, glittery case of plastic concealing what looks like a children’s concept sketch of the Empire State Building.

I hated these pencils as a child and I hate them still as an adult. Enday stackable pencils receive an F.

#7 Carpenter Pencils Carpenter pencils are chunky, rectangular pencils and are probably the shortest pencil made.

#6 Paper Mate

Sharpwriter

The Paper

Mate Sharpwriter is a mechanical pencil designed to look exactly like a normal, #2 pencil.

The Paper Mate Sharpwriter mechanical pencil isn’t inherently bad; I just don’t really understand it. It’s a mechanical pencil designed to mimic a #2 pencil, but the end result is a weird, fakelooking imitation with strange grooves carved into the collar, the exposed bit of wood, of the pencil.

If I wanted to use a #2 pencil, I would use a #2 pencil, instead of this funky looking replica. #2 pencils are supposed to be wooden.

You can never outdo the doer.

Paper Mate Sharpwriter gets a D.

#5 Paper Mate

WriteBros

Paper Mate

WriteBros are a generic booking mechanical pencil:

skinny piece of plastic with a clip and an eraser.

Paper Mate WriteBros were a staple in my household when

Ticonderoga is a typical #2 pencil: yellow body and pink eraser.

The middle ground of pencils, Ticonderoga. Unlike most of the pencils on this list, it is not mechanical and is just a good, old fashioned #2 pencil. I honestly usually dislike wooden pencils; sharpening them is annoying and tedious, splinters are no joke, and it’s overall, a more inconvenient pencil.

But Ticonderoga are the superior brand of the #2 pencils. They write smoothly, they sharpen nicely most of the time and splinters are a rarity. I like that the color scheme is different from other pencils.

It’s a good #2 pencil, but not great compared to mechanical ones. I give Ticonderoga a solid C.

#3 Paper Mate

Clearpoint

Paper Mate Clearpoints are made of a clear plastic and are larger than your typical mechanical pencil.

Paper Mate Clearpoint was a status symbol in my school. Clear plastic with a colorful grip, button and clip. The colors are bright and the plastic doesn’t feel cheaply made. However, it’s still not the

BIC is an absolute beast of a pencil. I love the simple design of it all so much. It’s not too fancy but I’m also not embarrassed to be seen with it in public. This was another staple in my school bag. It writes smoothly, it’s a nice size for holding and the grip doesn’t have a weird texture. It is a little odd just because most of the pencils come with 0.9 mm thick lead. It’s almost the perfect pencil, but falls short of the gold and lands in the silver.

I give BIC an A.

G-2 Pilot

#1

Mechanical Pencil

Yes, G-2 does make pencils and yes, they are even better than the pen.

It follows the same slick design of the pen. When I first grabbed them off the shelves of the Shocker Store, I truly thought it was the pen, but was pleasantly surprised to find a mechanical pencil in my hands.

It writes smooth, the lead rarely breaks and no weird noises. The grip is perfect with no weird textures and it actually helps me grip my pencil better.

I love the pen and I love the pencil even more. I give G-2 pilot pencils an A+

ARTS & CULTURE

BACK BACK AGAIN:

RSC Day Shocker Night brought back for fall open house

BY MALEAH EVANS arts@thesunflower.com

RSC Day Shocker Night came back to campus for the first time in several years on Aug. 21, to celebrate the start of the semester in a 14-hour long schedule of events. Several offices and student services gathered together for a day of events, games and prizes.

According to Tia Hill, the director of student activities and engagement, the event started back up this year after an almost 10 year long hiatus.

“It serves as the open house for the student center,” Hill said.

“They’ve traditionally done an open house but this will be the first year they brought RSC Day Shocker Night back.”

The director of marketing in the RSC asked the offices of Student Engagement and Belonging and Student Activities Council if they would be interested in the event returning, Activities Director Jilian Belden said.

RSC Day Shocker Night went on from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. at several locations in and around the RSC, and included giveaways of various prizes.

“Students can enter for prize drawings by participating in various events throughout the day,” Hill said. “The more events they check into, the more chances they get to win some of the prizes, and there’s free goodies throughout the day.”

Some of the larger prizes included in the giveaway were an

airfryer, an espresso machine and a pots and pans set.

Belden also said that there are some prizes related to gaming for the video game tournament.

At certain events like BINGO, some small prizes were handed out to the winners of rounds. There was also free food throughout the day and T-shirts handed out at the patio party.

“It is a collaboration between the staff of the Rhatigan Student Center, as well as Student Engagement and Belonging and various departments within the building actually participating to make it happen,” Hill said. “It’s a very involved event that we do for open house and to welcome students to the Rhatigan Student Center.”

Night of crafts and fun at create your own mocktail mixer

Students enjoyed drink creations, games and crafts

Thursday

COLLEGIATE CLASH

Office of Student Success hosts 11th Annual Clash of the Colleges