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Inneke Vargas

Inneke Vargas, from Houston, appreciates the interdisciplinary approach of her liberal arts degree from Wichita State University. After graduate school, she wants to work on policy changes to help eliminate health disparities. “My research broadly focuses on the effects of mental health stigma, particularly among African Americans, across the lifespan,” she wrote. “More narrowly, I am currently interested in the ways mental health care inequities disproportionately affect minority men during adolescence and very late adulthood.”

WSU student walking on campus

Oct. 20, 2020 -- Fall can be a dreary and difficult time for some Wichita State University students. Here are some tips on making it through the season.

Memorial '70 ceremony

Sept. 30, 2020 - The annual ceremony of remembrance for those who died in the 1970 Wichita State University plane crash will be held at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at Cessna Stadium. There will be a reception immediately following the remembrance on the Cessna Stadium concourse. Enhancements have been made to Memorial ’70, located near the 18th Street and Hillside entrance to the university. Those additions to Memorial ’70 will be officially be revealed on Oct. 2.

Memorial '70 memorial

Sept. 30, 2020 — Over the years, many hikers have trekked to the crash site of the plane that claimed the lives of 31 souls — including 14 members of the Wichita State University football team, 14 staff and boosters, and three crew members.

Memorial '70 monument

Sept. 30, 2020 - Wichita State athletic trainer Tom Reeves was known as a man devoted to his athletes on the football team. His sense of humor and caring touch helped them through injuries and difficulties. On Oct. 2, 1970, he helped survivors escape the wreckage of the Martin 404 after it crashed in Colorado. Badly burned, Reeves got them away from the plane and down the mountain to help before he fell unconscious. Reeves died on Oct. 5 in a Denver hospital.

Campus aerial photo

Sept. 29, 2020 -- Wichita State University is taking a step forward with community discussions about a University Village initiative, which seeks to create a community destination of dining, entertainment and shopping adjacent to campus.

Memorial '70 tribute to survivors

Sept. 28, 2020 - A new sculpture recognizes the survivors of the crash at Memorial '70 at Wichita State University. The names of teammates who landed safely in Utah that day are a fitting addition to the existing upright Memorial ’70 monument. “One of the main reasons we did what we did, was so the future generations would know that there were survivors,” architect Randy Phillips said. “And how their lives were impacted, especially since they lived when so many didn’t. Most, if not all, suffered greatly in silence.” The desire to honor teammates by telling the story of the crash motivated Phillips, as it has driven so many connected to Oct. 2, 1970 near Silver Plume, Colo.

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.

Charles Koch Arena

Sept. 18, 2020 -- The Wichita State University Shockers Vote! Coalition is proud to announce that Charles Koch Arena will become an early voting site for the 2020 general election.

Blue-green algae samples taken from Marion Lake.

Sept. 16, 2020 — A team of researchers from Wichita State University is investigating blue-green algae in Marion Reservoir and its toxic, and sometimes deadly, dangers to wildlife, pets and people.

Wichita State student

August 28, 2020 - Growing and diversifying the regional economy is a primary goal for Wichita State University. To assist with those efforts, Wichita State University President Dr. Jay Golden has created the President’s Innovation and Business Advisory Council. A selection of area business leaders will be invited to attend monthly council meetings to advise and support Wichita State leadership on a number of critical areas.

College students at a seminar

Aug. 27, 2020 - Wichita State University graduate Sarahi Aguilera considered herself shy for most of her life. Her status as an undocumented immigrant limited what she thought herself capable of saying or doing. That perception changed in 2017 when she traveled to Washington, D.C. as part of delegation of college students who talked to politicians about their stories and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Aguilera started volunteering with Sunflower Community Action in 2018 while a student at Seward County Community College. Later that year, she transferred to Wichita State and took a job as an immigrant justice organizer at Sunflower Community Action. In May, she graduated with a major in criminal justice and a psychology minor. She wants to attend law school and work in immigration law.

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.