WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1896 April 27, 2023
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EARTH TO WICHITA
Volume 127 Issue 30
Tú Taco, a Mexican-inspired restaurant, will come to the RSC next fall. Brkfst & Co. will leave the RSC this summer. | Photo illustration by Brianna Cook and Wren Johnson / The Sunflower
Tú Taco to come to Rhatigan in August BY MIA HENNEN
news@thesunflower.com
Senior Ayshea Banes rides a mechanical bull at Wichita State on April 21. Earth Day Festival featured a variety of activities, from live music to food decorating. The event was sponsored by Wichita State’s Student Government Association and Green Group. | Photos by Nithin Reddy Nagapur / The Sunflower
A student accepts cotton candy from an Earth Day event worker on April 21. The event was a collaboration between Student Government Association and Green Group.
Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple talks about implementing electric transit vehicles and electricity in Wichita during Earth Month on April 21.
Students paint a canvas in exchange for a plant sampling on Earth Day. Wichita State’s Student Government Association and Green Group collaborated to make the event happen.
Wichita State students look through clothes racks to swap with others. The Earth Day event was held on April 21.
Sophomore Tyree Gardiner decorates a cookie on during Earth Day Festival. The day included various events and activities.
LAS dean Andrew Hippisley named finalist for dean job at Kansas State
Chick-fil-A to close over summer
BY TRINITY RAMM
Students have a little over a month to eat at the RSC Chick-fil-A before the restaurant temporarily closes for the summer. According to Jaime Kraisinger, senior director of operations for WSU Dining Services, the chain restaurant in the Rhatigan Student Center will close on May 28 for remodeling over the summer. When it reopens in August, the restaurant will offer more items that align with freestanding Chick-fil-As, like mac and cheese.
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Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Andrew Hippisley is one of four finalists up for the College of Arts and Sciences dean position at Kansas State University. Kansas State held an open forum for Hippisley on April 13 during his three-day interview process for students and faculty to learn more about him. All of the candidates gave a presentation titled, “Leading the
College of Arts and Sciences in a Time of Change: Opportunities and Challenges” as part of their process. This is the second job that Hippisley has been named a finalist for since coming to Wichita State in 2018. In Fall 2021, he was one of the finalists for the open provost position at Idaho State University. Before coming to Wichita State, he was the first chair of the Department of Linguistics at the University of Kentucky from 2007-2018.
BY MIA HENNEN
news@thesunflower.com
Chick-fil-A is located on the first floor of the RSC. The restauraunt will close for remodeling over the summer. | Photo by Kristy Mace / The Sunflower
In addition, with the departure of Brkfst & Co., Chickfil-A will also offer breakfast, starting at 7 a.m.
Those looking to grab a taco at Wichita State will have a new spot to eat in the fall. During the first week of the fall semester, Tú Taco, a Mexican-inspired restaurant, will open in the Rhatigan Student Center where Brkfst & Co. currently resides. Tú Taco will feature buildyour-own tacos and bowls and chips and dip. Jamie Kraisinger, senior director of operations for WSU Dining Services, said food will cost around or under $10. “You can go in and get a single taco for a couple of dollars, or two tacos, or you can get an entire platter that has the sides with it,” Kraisinger said. “So you have that flexibility.” While operation hours have not been solidified, Wichita State’s Dining Services members said it could look something like 10 a.m.-5 p.m. “In the next week, we’ll be working through … what we’ll have available through the entire first semester — the pricing and the dedicated menu here within the next two weeks,” Kraisinger said. The dining option received overwhelming support after students were asked to participate in a survey to choose their preferred restaurant. “Out of about 800 votes, almost 500 of those were for Tú Taco,” Kelly Linenberger, senior marketing manager for WSU Dining Services, said. Brandon Montgomery, majoring in aerospace and music composition, said he did not know about Tú Taco coming to campus but loves Mexican food. “I’m a picky eater, so Freddy’s is like the only thing I eat (at WSU right now),” Montgomery said. Tú Taco falls under the dining service Chartwells Higher Education, which creates restaurant concepts for colleges and universities nationwide. According to Kraisinger, other campuses have housed Tú Taco as well. “It has performed very well at other campuses,” Kraisinger said. “The feedback has been great.” More about WSU Dining Services can be found at wichita.edu.