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Darren Defrain

Sept. 23, 2020 - Darren Defrain is the social professor of English and director of the writing program at Wichita State. Defrain has written novels, memoirs and essays, created a graphic novel, teaches on graphic novels/storytelling and is actively working on a graphic novel app.

Bill Burch with Shocker decanter

Sept. 23, 2020 - Bill Burch played linebacker for the Shockers in 1970 as a senior. As fate would have it, a knee injury kept him from traveling to Utah State on Oct. 2. He had expected to travel with the team, but instead was forced to stay home and heal. On that day, the Martin 4-0-4 airliner that carried the Shocker starters crashed near Silver Plume, Colorado, killing 31 people – 14 student-athletes, 14 staff and boosters, and three crew members.

Paralympic wheelchair tennis team

Sept. 16, 2020 - Deja Young is a returning Paralympian in track and a Wichita State alumna. Casey Ralzlaff is a first-time Paralympic hopeful in wheelchair tennis and current student at Wichita State. Both of their sports are cancelled due to COVID-19.

Screen shot of Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso

Kansas Jason Sudeikis writes and stars in the Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso,”  which begins streaming Friday (Aug. 14). In the show, Lasso is a fictional former Wichita State University football coach who moves to coach fictional British soccer club AFC Richmond in the Premier League. Lasso's former life as Shocker coach is featured in the first two episodes.

Eck Stadium

Aug. 5, 2020 - Wichita State Athletics will introduce mobile ticketing for the 2020-21 season for the sports of volleyball, men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball. The move to mobile ticketing will provide greater convenience and a safer environment for fans. It will offer a contactless entry into athletic venues and the ability to transfer tickets electronically, eliminating physical touching concerns prevalent during this time. Mobile ticketing will also provide an added layer of security, guarding against the production of fraudulent and counterfeit tickets.

Wichita State student Allison Schulte

June 1, 2020 - Wichita State senior Allison Schulte, a strategic communication major, describes her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and how teachers reacted to help adjust to the new circumstances.

Wichita State runner Rebekah Topham

May 22, 2020 - Wichita State runner Rebekah Topham needed help with reading when she arrived in 2015. She made great strides with the help of tutors and athletic department resources and carries a 3.89 grade-point average. She wants other struggling students to know her story.

Creators of

May 20, 2020 — Jay Price, director of the public history program at Wichita State University, decided to make a series of graphic novels to commemorate the trail."

May 18, 2020 — COVID-19 might have forced Wichita State’s Ulrich Museum of Art to close its doors, but the museum has found new avenues to shine and thrive: an ambitious public art project and building the Ulrich’s online presence into a teaching and learning resource.

Claudia Rojo

May 13, 2020 - Claudia Rojo graduates this spring and will begin a graduate research assistantship at the National Institute for Aviation Research while finishing her final season of outdoor track eligibility in 2021. Rojo, like all seniors in spring sports, was granted the option to extend their eligibility after the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled spring sports. In 2019, she finished second in the heptathlon in the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships.

Aliyah Funschelle

April 24, 2020 -- When Lucas Webb and Aliyah Funschelle received honors at the Wichita State University Innovation Awards in January, their Bright Futures awards couldn’t have been more on the nose.

Dr. Richard Bomgardner

April 24, 2020 -- Dr. Richard Bomgardner has extensively researched the after-effects of athletes' head injuries and the importance for schools to have policies in place to accommodate the students in the classroom as they're healing.

Softball infielder Ryleigh Buck claps.

April 23, 2020 - Wichita State athletics is at home and still working together and planning for a return from COVID-19. A series of podcasts demonstrates how the Shockers are dealing with these circumstances. From coaches such as Keitha Adams (basketball) and Steve Rainbolt (track and field) to Ryleigh Buck (softball), Jack Sigrist (baseball) and Dawson Lewis (golf), the Shockers are using many tactics to stay positive.

Wichita State junior Caitlin Bingham

April 2, 2020 - Wichita State softball pitcher Caitlin Bingham is sewing protective masks for medical personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brian Amos, assistant professor of political science, gives a Feb. 19 talk on gerrymandering at the Ulrich Museum of Art

Feb. 20, 2020 -- Brian Amos, assistant professor of political science at Wichita state, has dedicated numerous papers and conferences to gerrymandering research.