Military visits to campus – by the numbers

As we mentioned in our Aug. 15 briefing, WSU continues making great strides through its strong commitment to applied learning and research. This is evidenced by its new record for R&D awards, which totaled $136 million in fiscal year 2019, up from $104 million in FY 2018.

This significant increase comes from a steep rise in contracts and awards from the U.S. Department of Defense.

In fact, over the past 18 months, we’re proud to announce that the National Institute for Aviation Research and the university have hosted two dozen visits from all branches of the military—showcasing the R&D capabilities our campus offers. A total of 136 military guests have seen WSU firsthand, including three department secretaries and multiple generals.

And, today, these numbers increase even more as U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, WSU and NIAR host Acting Secretary of the United States Army Ryan McCarthy for a tour of the John Bardo Center at 1:45 p.m., with media availability at 2:05 p.m.

We welcome the acting secretary and Senator Moran to campus. This visit is just another indicator that our commitment to applied learning and research is reaping big benefits for our students and faculty, our industry partners, and the community, state, region, and nation.

 

Navy Week – Sept. 9-15

In other military-related news, WSU is set to host several public and private events as part of Wichita Navy Week, Sept. 9^th-15^th. Navy Weeks are the Navy’s signature outreach program, allowing this service branch to build and strengthen ties to communities who do not have frequent visibility of the Navy.

At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in the Beggs Ballroom, everyone is invited for a special lecture from Rear Admiral Nancy Lacore titled “My Path to Service and Leadership in Modern America.” Lacore is the United States Navy's director of the Maritime Partnership Program for U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Africa and vice commander of the Navy's 6th Fleet based in Naples, Italy.

Her lecture will highlight her career journey from young naval aviator to Navy Rear Admiral. She’ll also talk about the importance of service both in and out of uniform; how to be an effective leader in today's society; and the opportunities that exist for women in the military. We look forward to having her on campus.

And at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11 in the CAC Theater, Military and Veteran Services will host a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony. The ceremony will feature a talk from Chavius Lewis, commanding officer of the USS Wichita. Everyone is invited to attend.

As supporters of military students from all branches and backgrounds, we hope you’ll join us in welcoming the Navy to Shocker Nation. For a full list of WSU’s Navy Week events, visit wichita.edu/navyweek.

 

Strategic Plan Town Hall

As you may have heard, working groups of diverse stakeholders have been meeting the last few months to review and update the university’s goals. The valuable input and insight they’ve contributed underscores our commitment to shared governance, which is key to the direction the university is headed.

In addition, Kaye Monk-Morgan, assistant vice president for Academic Affairs, is also meeting with various constituency groups to get feedback.

As this refresh of our Strategic Plan wraps up, we want to invite students, faculty, staff and the community to learn about our updated goals, and bring their questions, at a town hall at 3 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 19 in Hubbard Hall.

We’re excited about these updated goals and hope to see you there.

 

Academic Convocation

With the semester now in full swing, we want to remind students, faculty and staff not to miss out on one of fall’s signature events, Academic Convocation, which will take place at 9:30 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 12 in Wilner Auditorium.

Academic Convocation is an exciting event that blends the WSU Reads program with other learning and engagement opportunities, along with faculty awards, a student speaker, keynote address and book signing. This year’s keynote speaker is Bill Burnett, co-author of “Designing Your Life,” which was selected as this year’s WSU Reads common read book.

The WSU Reads program sparks conversation between students across majors while making meaningful connections between educational concepts and out-of-the-classroom programs and activities. It’s one of many ways the university is working to enhance the Shocker experience to better ensure students’ academic and personal success.

We look forward to seeing every student at Academic Convocation. If you can’t attend, the event will be livestreamed at wichita.edu/convocation.

 

Campus life

In addition to Academic Convocation, the university kicks off each semester with a variety of fun, free events and opportunities for students to connect with each other and with university resources. These events help students get engaged and acclimated to college life sooner, which is key to the university’s efforts to support, retain and graduate them.

A prime example is Welcomefest, which takes place during the first two weeks of each semester and features dozens of activities. A few event highlights from this year’s Welcomefest include:

• Clash of the Colleges, an event featuring inflatables, relay races, tug-o-war, team sports and a competition between academic colleges to determine who rules the school. We want to send a hearty congratulations to the College of Applied Studies for claiming victory this year.
• Walk-a-Mile, a one-mile walk around campus in the shoes of another to take a stand against rape, sexual assault and gender-based violence.
• And Bid Day—where, this year, more than 100 women were given a bid to join one of WSU’s five National Panhellenic Council chapters—as part of WSU’s vibrant and diverse Greek Life.

These are just a few of the more than 350 on-campus events students enjoy each year. To keep track of the fun and excitement still to come this semester, and for ways to get involved beyond the classroom, visit wichita.edu/involvement.

Demand for airline travel has been strong in 2019, and that demand is expected to remain strong through the holiday travel weeks around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Travelers on U.S. airlines during the holidays usually find that ticket prices are slightly higher closer to the holidays, so booking early is highly recommended to ensure your travel plans.

While industry airline performance quality has been holding steady for the past few years, the travel experience remains stressful and often uncertain. The holidays only add to the stress levels. Higher passenger volumes and the possibility of bad weather should always be factored into holiday travel plans.

“During the past several years, the holiday travel period has continued to be a challenging time for travelers, and with industrywide seat capacity issues due to the Boeing 737 MAX being taken out of service, and the possibility of bad weather, the holiday traveler must be watchful and well-informed to minimize an already stressful travel experience," said Headley.

"December and January typically have the worst on-time arrival percentage and mishandled baggage rates of any month. The best bet for the consumer is to travel as early before the actual holiday or as late as possible afterward, and always leave room for schedule changes, either planned or unplanned," said Headley.

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The industry overall

Looking back, 2018 was a good year for airline performance. Actually, 2018 was the best in the past 26 years. The months of January and December of any year are usually the worst for airline performance. Winter months consistently see poorer industry performance because of higher passenger volumes and the greater likelihood for bad weather.

"Data shows industry performance scores generally improving from year to year," said Headley. "We are settling into a reduced carrier system that challenges travelers to be savvy. With strong demand for fewer seats and fewer airline providers, it presents an opportunity for the airlines to perform better. It also decreases the recovery options if something goes wrong with planned travel."

In 2018, the best-performing airlines across the combined AQR categories were Delta, JetBlue and Southwest. Hawaiian was best in on-time performance. Delta was best in avoiding denied boardings. Spirit was best in baggage handling. Southwest had the lowest rate of customer complaints.

The worst-performing airlines across the combined AQR categories in 2018 were Frontier, American and Spirit Airlines. Frontier had the worst on-time performance and worst rate for denied boardings. American had the highest rate of mishandled baggage. Frontier also had the highest rate of customer complaints.

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What's ahead?

According to Headley, airline mergers and consolidation continue to add new dynamics to the industry and generally shrink consumer choice options. The success of these new blended carriers in combining operations remains a work in progress. Add to that the Boeing 737 MAX being taken out of service for airlines that use that aircraft, and you have a potential for seats and/or routes to be unavailable.  

"If you look at past AQR data (http://airlinequalityrating.com), you will find that combining two very large airlines does not necessarily result in improved performance, and usually takes several years to settle out," said Headley. "Mergers brought performance problems and took longer than predicted to accomplish. Recent mergers have learned from earlier efforts, but it still takes time to fit all the new pieces together. Passengers often are confused and unhappy during this adjustment period."

Airline fees for added services are a reality, so consumers need to be aware and plan for the added costs that their choices might bring. Unbundled services available a la carte are significant revenue producers for airlines that have proven essential to airlines bottom-line profits. Only about 75 percent of airline industry revenues comes from fares. The other 25 percent comes from other sources like seat upgrades, baggage fees, reservation change fees and food sales.

"Ticket prices may appear to be reasonable to slightly lower, but when the fees hit you, you truly feel that the overall cost of travel has gone up," said Headley. "A year ago, the average price was $380, but with $55 in fees for checked bags, carry-on bags and seat assignments, that ticket seems noticeably more expensive. At holiday time, when the travel involves tickets and fees for an entire family, the costs add up quickly. At some point, a traveler needs to make the call as to whether that holiday air travel is worth the price and the hassle."

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Some tips

• Be flexible in your travel plans to get the lowest fare. The best deals may be limited to travel on certain days of the week (particularly midweek or Saturday) or certain hours of the day (e.g., early morning flights or overnight "red eyes.") Plan as far ahead as possible. Flights for holiday periods may sell out months ahead of time, although in many cases you can find a seat if you elect to travel on the holiday itself, e.g. Christmas Day or Thanksgiving Day.
• Using a travel agent can help explore the options available. A small fee up-front is often worth it when plans go wrong. Having an experienced travel agent on your side can help de-stress the situation and save the day.
• When selecting a flight, remember that a departure early in the day is less likely to be delayed than a later flight, because of "ripple" effects throughout the day. If you book the last flight of the day, you could get stuck overnight. Allow plenty of time to make connecting flights. Leave extra time between connections if possible, just in case flights are delayed and flight schedules get changed.
• If you have a choice between two connections and the fares and service are equivalent, choose the one with the less-congested connecting airport. This reduces the risk of misconnecting. Also consider potential adverse seasonal weather when choosing a connecting city.
• Consider paying by credit card, which provides certain protections under federal credit regulations. When a refund is due, the airline must forward a credit to your card company within seven business days.
• As soon as you receive your itinerary / confirmation, check to make sure all of the information on it is correct, especially your name, the airports (if any of the cities have more than one) and the flight dates. You will need to show a government-issued photo I.D. when you fly. It is important that your name as it appears on the ticket is the same as it appears on the I.D. you will be using.
• Airlines don't guarantee their schedules, and you should realize this when planning your trip. Re-check the departure and arrival times of your flights a few days before your trip; schedules sometimes change.
• Certain items should never be put into a piece of luggage that you plan to check in to the baggage compartment. Small valuables, cash, credit cards, jewelry or expensive cameras should not be placed in checked baggage. Critical items such as medicine, keys, passport, tour vouchers, business papers, manuscripts, heirlooms and fragile items such as eyeglasses, glass containers and liquids are things that should be carried on your person or packed in a carry-on bag. Pack as light as possible. Ship packages or luggage ahead of time so last-minute schedule changes don't put your belongings at risk of being lost.
• At final check-in, verify that the agent checking your bags attaches a destination tag to each bag. Check to see that these tags show the three-letter code for your destination airport.
• Check in early (as early as 24 hours is allowed online). You can lose your entire reservation if you are not at the gate 10-15 minutes before scheduled departure time on a domestic flight (longer on international flights). If a flight is oversold, the last passengers to check in are the first to be bumped, even if they have met the check-in deadlines.
• Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed passengers waiting at the airport; there are no federal requirements. Overbooking is not illegal, and most airlines overbook their scheduled flights to a certain extent in order to compensate for no-shows. Passengers are sometimes left behind or bumped as a result. If you're not in a rush to arrive at your next destination, you can voluntarily give your reservation back to the airline in exchange for compensation and a later flight. But before you do this, you may want to get answers to some questions like: When is the next flight on which the airline can confirm your seat? If the original airline re-booking is unacceptable, will they re-book you on another airline? If you need to stay overnight, will the airline provide other amenities such as free meals, a hotel room, transfers between the hotel and the airport, and a phone card? Before agreeing to accept a travel voucher as compensation for being bumped, ask about restrictions. Many vouchers have blackout dates during peak periods.
• If you are bumped involuntarily, the Department of Transportation requires each airline to give all passengers bumped involuntarily a written statement describing their rights, and explaining how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn't. Those travelers who don't get to fly as scheduled, are frequently entitled to denied boarding compensation in the form of a check or cash. The amount depends on the price of their ticket and the length of the delay.
• For more information about how airlines perform, more travel tips, and advice about flyers rights, go to http://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer.

Given the stress of travel and the airlines efforts to fill every seat on every flight, manners and consideration for other travelers’ shared space needs to be part of the traveler's holiday spirit. Being a self-reliant, informed and prepared traveler is your best protection against the hassles of travel by air.

The national Airline Quality Rating for 2020 (covering the performance results of 2019) will be released in spring 2020.

“At first I thought it was a little weird to have a partially-blind person working the front desk of an art museum,” she said. Weird mostly because Roets said she doesn’t visit art museums. Although she can make out shapes and colors if she gets up-close to objects, most art museums just aren’t set up to accommodate her. 

“It’s not something that’s thought about often since art is such a visual subject,” she said. 

Still, Roets and her guide dog, Piper, have become popular figures at the Ulrich, where she spends her shifts telling others how they can view the various galleries that, so far, she has not been able to fully experience. 
However, that will soon change thanks to an exhibition sponsored by Envision, a Wichita-based organization with locations in 11 states, whose mission is to improve the quality of life and provide inspiration and opportunity for people who are blind or visually impaired. 

The Ulrich is working with Vinod Namboodiri, professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer science at WSU and senior scientist at the Envision Research Institute, who is developing GuideBeacon, a wayfinding app that uses bluetooth beacons to assist blind and visually impaired (BVI) people in navigating indoor and outdoor spaces. 

The installation of GuideBeacon at the Ulrich is an exciting new application of the accessibility technology that is being collaboratively developed between Envision and WSU through a National Science Foundation grant. 

For the exhibition, the Ulrich will transform its Grafly Gallery into a test site for GuideBeacon by offering multi-sensory access to a selection of works of art from the Museum’s permanent collection. The five works from the collection will each be displayed next to touchable tactile graphics of the work produced by WSU’s Instructional Design and Access team. GuideBeacon will be loaded with audio guides that provide vivid descriptions and contemporary contexts for each piece. 

Ulrich Director Leslie Brothers, who invented the “Solving for X” series, said the exhibition is a commitment to joining other art museums around the world in trying to make art more accessible to everyone. 

“We will move forward from this test site exhibition to include vivid descriptions and tactile graphics for all of our future shows,” Brothers said. “It’s part of our commitment to make the Museum more inclusive.” 

Roets, meanwhile, said she is very excited for the exhibition to start. 

“I hope it brings a ton of the BVI community to the museum, and that they recognize the Ulrich as a place willing to take the extra steps,” she said.

Justin Stahl is a native of Beech Grove, Indiana. He has entertained thousands of patrons of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in the last eight productions of their annual Yuletide Celebration by playing the 3-manual, 24-rank Wurlitzer installed at the Hilbert Circle Theatre. Justin has also performed in Birmingham, Detroit, Boston, Joliet, and Erie. Earlier this year, he appeared at Rochester, New York, and has just announced his second Australian tour in summer 2020, with additional shows in Tasmania and New Zealand. 

The Wichita Wurlitzer, originally installed at the "Crossroads of the World" in the Times Square New York Paramount Theatre in 1926, came to Wichita in 1968. 2019 is the Wichita Wurlitzer's 51st year in the heart of America. Of more than 10,000 instruments built, Wichita is home to the finest example ever conceived and achieved. Like all instruments, the music performed is limited only by the artist’s imagination.