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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018 • VOL. 122, ISS. 36

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WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1896.

Sex offender list becomes available on WSU police website BY JENNA FARHAT

Wichita State’s sex offender list became available on the WSU police website Tuesday. Previously, the list was only available as a hard copy at the university police department. The list reveals that there are five registered sex offenders on Wichita State’s campus. The list is updated three times a year — once before the start of each semester, including the summer. The list was last updated before the start of the spring semester, according to university police. The full list, including names, photos, and physical descriptions of the registered offenders, is available on the WSU police department’s website at http://webs.wichita. edu/?u=police&p=/sex_offender_list/. Four of the five registered offenders at WSU are registered in Sedgwick County. One is registered in Cowley County. The Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act, a federal statute that went into effect in 2002, requires universities to provide information concerning registered sex offenders. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is required to notify WSU police about registered sex offenders attending classes at or employed by the university.

Discarded cigarettes ‘most likely cause’ of fire at Flats BY JENNA FARHAT

A report of a fire at The Flats was most likely caused by a discarded cigarette, Director of News and Media Relations Joe Kleinsasser said. An employee at The Flats reported that mulch on the west end of the building was smoldering Saturday afternoon. A WSU police officer sprayed down the area where he saw flames until a Wichita Fire Department truck arrived, Kleinsasser said. Kleinsasser said the officer observed several cigarette butts in close proximity to the area that caught fire. Kleinsasser said the cigarettes were “the most likely cause of the fire,” and that it appears to be accidental. A university initiative banning the use of tobacco on campus went into effect July 1. The policy resulted in the removal of ashtrays from campus. With no true power to penalize tobacco users, the university organized a group of “Tobacco Free Campus Ambassadors” to monitor tobacco usage on campus. Their job is to provide tobacco users with smoking cessation aides and information regarding the campus tobacco-free policy. University police chief Robert Hinshaw said he isn’t sure if there is a link between the removal of ashtrays from campus and the increased likelihood of fires started by the improper disposal of cigarettes. “I would be hard-pressed to say that this fire was a consequence of removing the ashtrays from campus,” Hinshaw said. “I would say that fires are more likely to happen when burning materials are not disposed of properly – regardless of whether an ashtray is close-by.”

read LEARNING

COLLABORATION

FREE SPEECH

PRIVATE SCHOOL ALLIANCE ENGINEERING WICHITA laboratory EDUCATION EXPERIENTIAL INNOVATION BARDO PARKING

FAMILY FUNDED

WONDER?

CAMPUS

COLLEGE

BUSINESS

CHILDREN

CONCEALED CARRY STUDENT GOVERNMENT

kochtopus

KOCH

CHASE AND ANNIE

WICHITA

PARKING GARAGE

CRITERIA

SCHOOL EDUCATION WICHITA EAGLE NO SMOKING* CHASE AND ANNIE americans for prosperityAPPLIED LEARNING STUDENT

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

teach industry partners

marketplace of ideas

BY CHANCE SWAIM

onder about Wonder? You’re not alone. After a story in the Sunday Wichita Eagle broke the news that a Koch family-funded private school — called Wonder — is opening on Wichita State’s campus this fall, community members raised a number of questions and concerns through social media. Wednesday, WSU attempted to answer those questions through a Q&A page on its website. Based on the information posted there and a lease agreement between Wonder and Wichita State Innovation Alliance obtained through the Kansas Open Records Act, here’s what we know so far:

WONDER IS A NONPROFIT funded by Annie and Chase Koch, son of Wichita billionaire Charles Koch and president of Koch Disruptive Technologies. Mrs. Koch and Zach Lahn, a former fundraiser and state director for Americans for Prosperity, a Koch-backed conservative political advocacy group, are the founders of the school. Charles Koch is notorious for his political and economic network sometimes referred to as the “Kochtopus.” The primary political advocacy arm of that network is Americans for Prosperity, which promotes Charles and his brother David’s political agenda. Mrs. Koch and Lahn said the school is intended to be an “open marketplace of ideas” and “won’t advocate a religious, social or political philosophy.” Wonder’s business filing as a nonprofit limits its political activities. The school “shall not carry on propaganda or otherwise attempt SEE WONDER PAGE 4

PHOTO COURTESY WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES, SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

A 1958 watercolor rendering of Frank Lloyd Wright’s plans for Corbin Education Center (left) and the “elementary school of tomorrow” — or University of Wichita Elementary School, referred to as the “Juvenile Cultural Center for the University of Wichita” (right) — which was never completed. Photo copyrighted by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

the experimental elementary school

that never was Fluid grade levels, rearranged classroom spaces, college students observing children for learning outcomes — that sounds familiar. Before Wonder, 60 years before, an experimental elementary school was planned on what is now Wichita State’s campus. Frank Lloyd Wright, considered by many to be the greatest 20th century architect, designed two buildings on campus in 1958: Corbin Education Center and University of Wichita Elementary School. The elementary school never materialized, but it had big plans. In that story, the school was dubbed the “elementary school of tomorrow.” ThenDean of the College of Education Jackson O. Powell explained how the laboratory school would be “used to develop instructional procedures” for students. Kingergarten, first, and second graders would enter the school and remain in that

level until “equipped to handle the responsibility required for the higher grades,” the 1958 story said. From third to sixth grades study would be “departmentalized along major disciplinary lines.” The most cutting-edge tool planned for the school was the closed-circuit television college students would use to monitor the elementary school students as they progressed through their classes. “Every precaution will be taken to prevent intrusion by undergraduate students upon the elementary school,” Powell told The Sunflower in 1958. The goal of the research elementary school was to “place emphasis on subjects that have been neglected in public schools today, such as cultural aspects learning.” In the 1964 edition of “The Kansas Teacher,” Powell said it would be for “research to cut the gap between the known in education and the practice.”

SGA proposes election changes, hopes for diversity BY RAY STRUNK

BRIAN HAYES/THE SUNFLOWER

Senators Michael Bearth, Walter Wright and Courtney Wages listen as Vice President Breck Towner addresses senate during the February 7, 2018 meeting.

A proposed change to the student government elections was presented to the Wichita State Student Government Association on Wednesday, to concerns of timeliness and transparency. In previous student government elections, candidates for student senate would either be grouped with a presidential ticket or run as a write-in candidate. The proposed amendment would get rid of the tickets entirely. Student Body Vice President Breck Towner said the amendment would encourage more people to run for positions and result in a more diverse student

government. “In the past, we’ve seen elections where there is two tickets and they all do a complete split and we have you versus them,” Towner said. “That’s something that we want to try to avoid and that’s something that this bill will do away with.” The proposal comes one month before campaigning is set to begin. The deadline to file for SGA elections is March 14 and the election will take place April 2-4 Nancy Loosle, WSU director of student involvement and SGA advisor, said she began working on the amendment last semester, SEE SGA PAGE 2

INSIDE

SGA SURVEY

CODING KIDDOS

SGA releases raw data from student survey.

OPINION • PAGE 2

CLOVERFIELD PARADOX

WOMEN’S BBALL BATTLE

WSU student teaches kids a new skill.

This film flops.

Shockers fight in the American.

CULTURE • PAGE 3

SPORTS • PAGE 4

OPINION

2 | THURSDAY, FEB. 8, 2018

www.thesunflower.com

STUDENT FEEDBACK

SURVEY

THE STAFF EDITORIAL

Editor-in-Chief Chance Swaim Managing Editor Jenna Farhat Culture Editor Marissa Campbell

Do you feel that the Student Government Association represents your interests?

Sports Editor Matt Crow Opinion Editor Evan Pflugradt Projects Editor Ray Strunk Creative Director Madeline Deabler Photo Editor Brian Hayes Digital Editor Nicole Byrne

ADVERTISING

52.24%

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ADVISING

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Definitely yes: 13

Our Mission

The Sunflower — both in print and online — will be a timely resource of information about the Wichita State University community. It will report on news, issues, activities, academics and athletics, in addition to offering a forum for discussion, reviews and commentary. It will also be an effective learnig experience for students, who will have the final authority over what is published.

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Might or might not: 163 Somewhat disagree: 44 Strongly disagree: 36

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The Sunflower (published for use by WSU students, faculty and staff) is private property and unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable. One copy may be taken for free. Additional copies must be purchased for $1 each. The Sunflower is also partially funded by the Student Government Association at WSU. The opinions expressed in The Sunflower editorials, columns, guest columns, reviews, advertisements, letters and editorial cartoons are not necessarily those of the staff, publications board, student body or university. The Sunflower reserves the right to edit or reject any submission. We also reserve the right to edit or reject any advertisement.

Probably yes: 56

4.17% Are you aware of the Collegiate Readership Program (New York Times, USA Today and the Wichita Eagle) on campus?

11.54%

If so, how often do you pick up newspapers as a part of this program?

The plus/minus grading scale makes WSU appear academically prestigious.

Total: 312

Have you ever interacted with the Wichita State University Police?

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Yes: 149

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SGA

FROM PAGE 1

along with Student Body President Paige Hungate and SGA director of operations Kylen Lawless. Senators Eugene Potts, Hasan Raffi, Timothy Dodd, and Anisia Brumley each raised questions pertaining to the timeliness and transparency of the proposal. Potts, a liberal arts and sciences senator, asked why the senators weren’t previously informed about the proposal. “If this was talked about last year, why are we just now hearing about it?” Potts said during Wednesday’s student senate meeting. “Something doesn’t feel right that it’s being brought up now but it’s been talked about behind closed doors for months.” Student Body President Paige Hungate said senators had an opportunity to attend the meetings in which she, Loosle, and Lawless worked on the bill. “It’s not so much that it was talked about behind closed doors,” Hungate said. “We were actively telling people we were working on

that election bill and those were open meetings. Nobody attended.” Addressing the delay between writing the bill and proposing it to the senate, Hungate said the student government cabinet decided to wait until the Elections Reform Act had passed to propose the additional amendment. “We were already having 15 pages of an election bill so before adding another component, we wanted to wait until that first election bill passed,” Hungate said. “And, of course, it got delayed like a month and a half. We would have started working on it earlier had that passed earlier, but it didn’t.” Under the proposal, candidates for President and their respective Vice Presidential candidates would remain on a single ticket. Senate candidates would still be able to associate with a particular party, but only their names and positions would appear on the ballot. Sam Belsan and Terence Truong, co-chairs of last year’s election commission, spoke in favor of the proposal. Belsan said, in addition to encouraging voters to vote based on the merits of individual candidates as opposed to an entire ticket, the

BRIAN HAYES/THE SUNFLOWER

At large senator Walter Wright raises his name plate to ask a question during the during the February 7, 2018 meeting.

bill would prevent instances of single candidates violating election rules from affecting the entire ticket. “As election commissioner, it was hard at certain points last school year when one person would break a rule and we felt like we had to take 24 hours of campaigning away from the entire ticket, or things like that,” Belsan said. Last year, the election commission suspended Hungate’s

campaign following an election violation made by two members of her campaign ticket. The suspension was later overruled by the WSU Supreme Court. Students Clayton Baughn, Ethan Kirby, Kareem Maryam, Josh Nichols, Ryan Siebuhr, and Alexis Thuston will make up the 2018-19 election commission. They were each confirmed at the Wednesday meeting. Nichols served on the election commission last year.

CULTURE

www.thesunflower.com

THURSDAY, FEB. 8, 2018

KIDS WHO CODE OPINION

w w w. t h e s u n f l o w e r. c o m

Understan requires p connectio Pakistani and Caucasian descent. ‘The Cloverfield just study At the “Aloha!” luau

Performing with Wichita State’s South Asian dance troupe breaks down social barriers

formed at a 9/11 unity dance. gathering hosted by Global Forget what religion they Ragini Faith In Action, a local were—they just wanted to Venkatasubban organization that promotes dance. bringing all religions Dance crosses all When my cousin Anjana together. religions, races, cultures nd I founded Shocker The hour-long show and boundaries. hakthi, Wichita State’s included Jewish prayer, Even though I’m first South Asian dance devotional Christian songs, Indian, I’ve done ballet eam, in the fall of 2008, Islamic expression and since age 3, a dance that ur only motivation was a Hindu chanting. originated in France. I’ve desire to bring Indian Our dance team, which taken zumba, hip hop, usion dance to the is made up of many tap, jazz, African dance, Midwest. different cultures, chose belly dance, modern Compared to other three songs that represent dance and so many others. universities on the east and remembrance, struggle and Dance breaks down west coasts, which frehope—the three themes of barriers because it’s only uently host Indian dance the event. achieved by lowering your ompetitions and shows, After our performance, inhibitions—and when WSU didn’t have much of a many people congratulated that happens, any prepresence. We wanted to us for showing them a conceived notions about hange that. snippet of our culture. religion and race autoAs we started performing What really struck us, matically get lowered as round Wichita, however, however, were the Muslim well. nother purpose came into gentleman, Catholic Take Shakthi—we’ve play—bringing the world woman and countless had dancers of Indian, ogether through dance. others who asked if we African, Vietnamese,COURTESY Sunday, Shakthi percould teach them how to Chinese, Cambodian, Zane Storlie, a junior computer science major, engages a classroom of elementary school students while teaching them Column by

scratch.

WSU student helps elementary school kids ‘scratch’ the surface on coding

Column by or some students, Derek experience is real-world blairand necessary expected for them to graduate. For one student, that real President Barack Obama world experience has extended held a joint session of to teachingon coding in elementary Congress Thursday to schools. hare his plan to fix In response a demand by America. Histoplan was very Kansas employers for qualified ecretive until the day of applicants computer he speech,with when almost programming skills, the College of Engineering looked for ways to create a coding pipeline. For Zane Storlie, a junior computer science major, this was a chance to continue to give back. He developed a three-unit curriculum for Scratch, an entry-level coding program developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology for children. Storlie also taught other WSU students how to give Scratch lessons at local elementary schools. Storlie said he’s pleased with the reception of the Scratch program. He says that he hopes to spark an interest in the students to pursue something and make it a career, even if it’s not coding. “A lot of what we are teaching them is problem-solving and critical thinking skills through the coding,” Storlie said. “You really have to think through the code, it’s about a way of thought. A lot of them talk about how they love Minecraft and I get to tell them that it was programed in this code called Java.” The college began offering Scratch lessons to elementary school students after the success of the Engineering Summer Camps. Storlie and other WSU students visited six classrooms

every detail was given to of … $449 billion. the press. Oh, and this would all be His plan is ambitious. paid for without adding to Nearly $250 billion in tax the deficit. cuts, more jobs for teachers, How can this be done? firemen and cops, massive That is an amazingly good amounts of money spent to question, because it remains COURTESY rebuild roads and bridges, unanswered by the Obama Zane Storlie a junior computer science major, helps an elementary school spending in a new super fast administration, who say it student during a Scratch lesson. rail system, and investments will be answered “soon.” in green energy. The only plausible answer is during the the fall semester became part of the be McNair All for low, lowwith price that taxes will raised plans to return for another six classes in the spring at local elementary schools. The students visit each class once a week for one hour, for three weeks in a row. Polly Basore Wenzl, the Strategic Communications Officer for the College of Engineering describes Storlie as a key to the success of the Scratch program. “I have wanted to launch this program for some time, but I needed someone with the talent to make it happen. Zane became that person,” Basore Wenzl said. “I truly believe we would not be able to teach these 300 kids Scratch without him.” The immediate reaction to the classes has been positive. Lauree Moore, a librarian at Adams Elementary said that the coding days have been a hit. “The students in the group are so engaged and excited about creating new projects they tell other students about it, who then want to do Scratch as well,” Moore said. Storlie is familiar with community needs. He is Co-President of CUT H8, involved with Engineers without Borders and Student Support Services, and recently

Scholars program. He attributes his success to strong mentorship and connections. “A lot of what’s helped and propelled me is having good connections especially on campus — lots of really great individuals,” Storlie said. “It’s about finding the right people that can put me in a position to make a difference has been helpful.” One of those mentors, Kaye Monk-Morgan, an assistant dean for Fairmount College, said that Storlie is one her favorite people on campus. “Zane is a five-year participant of the Upward Bound MathScience Program… he and his external family are really special people,” Monk-Morgan said. “He not only is a bright and articulate young man but he is passionate about STEM and equally passionate about teaching others and wanting to make the world a better place and he does so through scientific inquiry. He is, in my opinion, the epitome of what can happen when our institution does outreach to underrepresented populations. What they can do when they have an opportunity to engage in the campus community.”

— Best Bicycle shop —

COURTESY

Paradox’ should have stayed on the shelf

hosted by International Student Union last week, the featured Polynesian dancers were multi-racial. What brought them together? Dance. At theoutluau, thedark DJediting played Born of some bhangra, a typeguerrilla of Indian bay and released style music so upbeat public, you can’t to an unsuspecting help but dance. The Netflix’s surprise release dance of floor with was “The exploded Cloverfield Paradox” international andnight domestic unleashed Sunday in a savvy publicity third students alikestunt. whoThe came entry in the loosely connected together just for dance. “Cloverfield” “There isfranchise, a bit of(following 2016’s stellar “10 Cloverfield insanity in dancing that Lane”)everybody this third filmaisgreat unfortudoes natelyofonly notablesaid because of deal good,” its clever marketing American dancescheme criticand release, and not the movie it brings Edwin Denby. toAnd the table. maybe that’s what Opening on antogether Earth strangled brings people in by an energy crisis, the film follows dance—putting our Ava Hamilton (Gugu brains to rest andMbathaacting Raw), an English astronaut, as she from the heart.

In the decade austin since Colbert 9/11, w have al been inundated with information about the Middle East. The media constant throws out terms like Sunni, Shia and Ram dan. By now, most of understand the dictio ary definitions of the terms and peoples. MATT GARNER But do we truly FILM CRITIC understand what it means to follow Islam Have really reache of either him we looking at a phone proper acceptance or saving a young girl and takingand ofhis her tounderstanding the convenient shelter Muslim culture? out-of-town friend isn’t using. It’s your answer not thatIf these snippets of filmis areye those who to just bad, it’s just that adhere they are also so wildly unnecessary. stop Islam might They disagree. any attempt at momentum “I claim to bethe Arab movie is trying to cultivate, American more and than they Muslim-American, leave the viewer with a senseju of cinematic whiplash. because of discrimina They’re obviously said shoe- Di tion also reasons,” horned into the movie as a Hammouri, a junior i last-ditch effort toscience tie this cinepolitical at maticWichita universe together State.and “Isave don whatwant was obviously a scrapped people to judge science-fiction mess. It doesn’t based on my religion help even that themy relationship between nationality.” Ava and her husband, the engine Hammouri was bor that is supposed to drive this film and raised in the U.S forward, is plagued by underwritbut her family is origi ing and poor acting. nally from Palestine, There have been rumblings themovie’s Middle in theregion industryof of this East centered existence, formally titled primari “God around the countries Particle,” for some time now. Some Israel Jordan. executive in aand suit must have come is a practicing up withShe the (admittedly) clever Muslim, meaning idea of saving what they could she andproject praysbyas fromfasts the original tying required by it into the “Cloverfield”Islam. universe, Andisdespite the but the result a Frankenstein’s progress made since Monster of a movie that can never 9/11, Hammouri solidify its own intentions andstill finds herself ridiculed identity. Any at either narrative forattempt her faith. the film“We tries toget pushaends lotup of feeling stilted in addition to poorly right-wing people, executed. It would beChristians fine if there right-wing werewho two halves of individually don’t really accep goodthe movies working against Muslim faith,” sh Column by

toils in a space station floating above the heavens. Her, along with a crew of international scientists, are working tirelessly to create a new energy source for the starved planet below. Their experiments open up a rift in dimensions and splice two realities together, resulting in a interstellar knot that seemingly can’t be untangled. It’s ironic that the film is about two realities dramatically and numerous becoming conjoined together and other programs will have to overlapping one another, because be thecut. movie feels about the same way. That isn’t so bad on the project looks like two faceThis of it, until you rememunfinished filmsitpushed ber how long took together to save face,to because Congress comeeach to a“section” of the filmto feels and decision cutsoadistinct few billion unrelated to thethe other that it’s dollars from budget. painfully obviousnearly what was You know, sixgoing on behind closed doors. It’s a months of intense partisan shame too, because there’s a lot fighting for each party’s of talent in front of the camera at priorities. work here.did the Obama Why Daniel Brühl, David Oyelowo, administration decide to Chris O’ Dowd, and Ziyi Zhang go with this plan? round out the crew manning this Well, because they need space station, but they’re relegated to do something to deal to the most cliché of science-fiction with this economic crisis, roles-stupid scientists. Here are and putting money a group of peoplemore who exist in a world beyond the reaches of Please Obama on commonsee sense, a place where the cultural each other here, but that isn’t the page 4 touchstone of the science-fiction horror film is case. Instead, what we’re left with non-existent, and therefore its is two mediocre projects fused warnings are absent as well. together, forced to exist in the same It all results in terribly boring narrative space, much like the !"#$%#&'"#(%)*# film-making, with each scene overlapping of dimensions the film feeling like an amalgamation of ironically portrays. !"#$!%&'()*$+',-./$01'(.! better, more competently executed Thanks to its unusual release +'"%,#!"#$%&'()*+,-(./'(0(1(2345(+-6-( science-fiction films. None of and the ubiquitous presence of this is helped by the dreadful Netflix, I imagine more people will # +'),(788(9:;<:,%(),%,*(9"6*## writing, featuring lengthy pieces see this than anyone originally of exposition laden dialogue and attached to the project would have +'-&,#="6*$:%#(>:?*@(ABC,"#'(?%8B%D8*( some unintentionally hilarious dreamed of after its becoming !"#$%&$"&'$()"*+&,)-./,&!++0)+1&2$$3&43!5)+1& statements (“I think my arm is stuck in a developmental quagE:F,(D%EC'(C#%;GC'(HB:,(C6"G:#E(G:,C( trying to write something” is a line mire. However, for both fans of the uttered in this train-wreck). “Cloverfield” universe and innova+'.,#I"(<*8+(&"B(8:?*(%(8"#E'(<%++&(J( In the middle of this are jarring tive release strategies in the era of D*%B,:FB8(8:F*( scenes of Ava’s husband, who is on digital streaming, “The Cloverfield +'"/",#ABE<*C(!*,@"+"8:,%#( Earth during the initial Cloverfield Paradox” is a prime example of invasion from the first “Cloverfield” ="6+8*K'(L5ML(N(.2,<(),(O! why things might want to stick to movie. His time on screen consists the way they’ve always been.

Obama’s jobs speech strong in delivery, but weak in content BY LARISSA LAWRIE

Alumni duo to play Celtic-crossover concert BY MATT MADDEN

Musician Seth Girton said when When Musician Seth Girton was a kid, he dreamed of playing the bagpipes and marching around in a kilt. With the help of fellow musician Jenny Bowen, Girton is bringing his love of Celtic music to Wichita. The two of them are Wichita State alumni. Hoping for more than just a concert, Girton says he hopes to recreate the feeling of a traditional Gaelic social gathering called Ceilidh. “Hopefully we can throw off some of the stiffer and more formal concert etiquette and actually get some toes tapping and bodies shaking,” Girton said. Girton said he met Bowen through the Wichita Youth Symphony. “The first time I heard her play solo, I was blown away. She has always been amazingly talented,” Girton said.

2011-

Girton and Bowen both teach at the Bethel College Academy of Performing Arts. Girton said this connection has led to more collaboration between him and Bowen, including this performance. The concert will feature music from the arrangements of Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, which Girton said he discovered while pursuing his graduate degree. “When Jenny [Bowen] approached me about playing those arrangements, I jumped at the chance to explore the style, and it gave me an excuse to wear the kilt,” Girton said. The Celtic-crossover concert will take place at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the First Unitarian Universalist Church. Tickets are a $10-20 and can be bought in person, by phone or online. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to support the church. “There will be food and drink and perhaps some stories. Ideally it will become an immersive community gathering, full of mirth and merriment,” Girton said.

positions

SGA Standing Senate

Campus issues/organizat

ORIGINAL ROUND CARRY OUT PLUS TAX

SGA Faculty Senate C

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SPORTS

4 | THURSDAY, FEB. 8, 2018

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SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State forward Rangie Bessard (35) moves past Cincinnati forward Chelsea Warren (25) during the game Wednesday evening at Koch Arena.

SHOCKERS FALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL STANDINGS

TO BEARCATS

Connecticut 11-0 Southern Florida

9-2

Houston 8-3 Central Florida

8-3

Cincinnati 6-5 Eastern Carolina

5-6

Wichita State

5-6

Tulane 4-7

75-69

Southern Methodist 3-8 Temple 2-8 SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State guard Diamond Lockhart (4) looks to pass during the game against Cincinnati.

WONDER

FROM PAGE 1

to influence legislation. The corporation shall not participate in or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office.”

FOR EVERY DOLLAR the Koch family spends renovating its private school on Wichita State’s campus, it gets a dollar shaved off its rent — up to $144,104 a year. Wonder is leasing the former Printing Services building located on Wichita State’s main campus. Through a “rent credit,” the Koch family will save the full $144,104 its first year, after putting what is estimated to cost $1.1 million into renovations. The credits will cut the rent from $234,104 a year to $90,000. Under the terms of the agreement, on a month-to-month basis their rent drops from $19,508.67 a month to $7,500 a month. The former print shop has not been used for printing since 2010 and in recent years has been used “for storage and to temporarily house departments whose space was being renovated.”

THE REASON THE LEASE agreement was signed was “in order to further WSU’s applied learning and translational research goals by providing additional experiential learning opportunities to WSU students and strengthens relationships with other global companies.” Wonder is not a global company. In its news release, WSU said there are “no Koch Industries corporate funds being used” on the school. “The language is part of a broad preface to the contract and isn’t a

Memphis 2-8 Tulsa 2-9

term of the contract to be fulfilled by the parties. In this case, the applied learning opportunities goal is most significant,” said Lainie Mazzullo, WSU’s assistant director of news and media relations. With the school still in its planning stage, it is unclear right now how, exactly, WSU students will benefit from Wonder’s presence on campus. “As we envision it right now, there will be opportunities for students,” said Shirley Lefever, dean of the College of Education. “We don’t really know a lot. There could be opportunities for students to have like a field experience there (at Wonder). We’ve talked about faculty collaborating on the curriculum. So really we just see it as an opportunity to engage in conversations about education and learning. The WSU Q&A said there will be opportunities for students and faculty to “observe and participate in how to improve educational outcomes for students.”

WONDER WILL GET WSU parking spaces as part of its lease. “There will be limited parking provided for the school in the vicinity of its building. Most students will be dropped off at the school, so there won’t be a significant need for parking,” the university said. According to the lease agreement between WSIA and Wonder, the school will get up to 45 yellow parking permits each year, up to 11 red parking permits a year, “subject to availability.” Any parking permits after that may be purchased by Wonder’s employees from WSU “at the typical parking permit rate.” Wonder may also substitute four yellow parking permits for one red permit, the lease agreement said.

WICHITA STATE “will keep and maintain the exterior” of Wonder. That includes the roof, walls and windows, HVAC systems, parking lot, and entryways. Wonder will pay utilities and keep the premises in “good repair, good operating condition, and clean, neat and orderly condition.” Wonder will pay $900 a month for “janitorial services, consumables, and pest control to the premise.”

be a viable option for all.” Wonder intends to offer financial aid to “at least 25 percent of the students attending the school, beginning in the second year,” the university statement said. Wichita State did not respond to The Sunflower’s questions about concealed handguns on campus or whether they would be permitted in the building or whether students, faculty, or staff would be censored in any way because of the presence of elementary-aged children.

WICHITA STATE said it didn’t announce the plan because: “When innovation partners are making a major investment on campus we (WSU) let them shape how they want to make it public. The founders decided the best vehicle for announcing the school would be through an article in The Wichita Eagle. “In retrospect, we recognize our students, faculty and staff would have benefitted from timelier direct communication from the university,” the university statement said. THE PRINTING SERVICES building is not located on Innovation Campus, but Wichita State said the Wonder “meets all the criteria” of other businesses on Innovation Campus. (It will have a “fenced play yard facing Innovation Campus.”) Businesses on Innovation Campus must: “demonstrate interest in innovation; be committed to working with our students and/or faculty in an applied learning and research environment; and be able to provide their own resources, without WSU student tuition funds or other state support,” the statement said.

WICHITA STATE acknowledged that the $10,000-a-year private school that is not equipped to handle children with special needs “may not

WICHITA STATE said the founders of Wonder initiated the idea of bringing it to campus last spring, with Mrs. Koch and Lahn “seeking out John Tomblin (vice president of research and technology transfer) in his role as president of the Wichita State Innovation Alliance. “They said they wanted to have the school at WSU to be part of the innovation efforts underway here,” the WSU statement said. Lefever became involved in discussions in the fall, she said. WICHITA STATE said the initial questions following the news of the private school on campus have resulted in many questions. “It’s great that Wonder has engendered so much conversation. As a community, we don’t often step back and talk about the underlying values and how education content is delivered. The fact that hundreds of people are talking about this is good. A lot of people are intrigued by it,” WSU’s statement said. Wonder will start with preschooland elementary-age children. Middleand high-school programs will be phased in over time. Its model will be based on NuVu at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Acton Academy in Austin.