Progress made on pedestrian safety
The WSUPD in collaboration with an IELC student, SGA safety walk, and Facility Services, have moved forward on upgrading crosswalks on and off campus.
If you haven’t noticed the yellow flashing lights as you approach several crosswalks on campus, these are all solar powered, and can be moved if there’s a greater need elsewhere. Please note that the red flashing light at Perimeter and Memorial is still on the top of our list, and the WSUPD is still stopping cars regularly for running the stop sign. Use caution and please be a safe driver on our campus.
With the help of our partners at the city of Wichita, and the voicing of concerns by students who cross 17th Street, SGA and WSUPD; the city did a study at 17th and Yale, and realized another marked crosswalk was necessary. It has been completed and in place with proper signage.
Remember: The safety of our pedestrians is a priority on and off campus. Please pay attention to this new crosswalk.
WSU Opera Theater to present the North American premiere of Holocaust opera ‘The Path to Heaven’ today
The Wichita State Opera Theater and the WSU Symphony Wind Ensemble will present the North American premiere of “The Path to Heaven” later this month. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. today (Friday, Nov. 15) and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, in Miller Concert Hall, Duerksen Fine Arts Center.
The one-act opera tells the story of young people as they face the horrors of the holocaust, and how their lives were changed after the liberation of Europe. The piece is especially relevant given the recent 80th anniversary of the invasion of Poland and 75th anniversary of D-Day.
Alan Held, the Ann and Dennis Ross Faculty of Distinction in Opera, directs the WSU Opera Theater. Timothy Shade will conduct the performance.
The performance of this opera is significant in a number of ways.
It’s semi-staged, meaning that it will use a limited number of projections, props and costumes. The opera will also include multimedia presentations.
While a full orchestra accompanies most operas, a smaller wind ensemble will accompany this one.
Contributors from across the world will arrive at WSU before and during the performance to witness its unfolding.
Adam Gorb, composer of the opera, will visit WSU from England during the final week of rehearsals to lecture, observe and share insight with student performers.
Performers also received input from a former docent of the National Holocaust Museum, as well as local Jewish community members.
Tickets are available at the College of Fine Arts Box Office, by phone at 316-978-3233 or by visiting the box office website at https://www.wichita.edu/fineartsboxoffice.
Discounts are available, and WSU students receive a free ticket with their Shocker ID.
Purchase tickets to "The Path to Heaven"
A message from College of Fine Arts Dean Rodney Miller
Rodney Miller
I am writing today to urge any and all of you who can to come to WSU’s opera production, “The Path to Heaven,” at 7:30 p.m. today (Friday, Nov. 15) and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. I write not because we want / need to sell tickets. I write because it is an evening that will transfix you and change you.
It is an opera about the Holocaust.
You will be unable to watch it and not be moved. When Eisenhower witnessed the atrocities of the concentration camps, he ordered that movies and photographs be taken. He knew there would come a time when some people would maintain that these atrocities never happened, that they were part of some perverted propaganda. He knew we needed to remember.
This production is WSU’s way of remembering. I am so proud of our students, our faculty, and our staff. This is not an easy piece to produce – musically, theatrically, emotionally. But I applaud the efforts of those who have seen it to completion. Our motto in the College of Fine Arts is “We change the world by changing the lives of our students.” Our students have been truly changed.
I ask you to come. You will be changed as well.
First-Generation Student Organization meeting today (Friday, Nov. 15)
The First-Generation Student Organization (FGSO) seeks to raise awareness within Wichita State’s student and professional community through activities and programs designed to foster the education of first-generation students. Join us from noon-1 p.m. today (Friday, Nov. 15) in 238 RSC for our next meeting!
We pledge to lead the change for more acknowledgement and advocate for the implementation of practices which grow and sustain our underrepresented student population.
We would very much like for you to be a part of the connections we are making with each other and on campus to promote our cause and have fun in the process.
If this sounds like the Registered Student Organization (RSO) you want to be a part of, please join us today!
See the 10th annual drag show featuring Trinity the Tuck
The Drag Show is back for its 10th year and the queens and kings are better than ever at 8 p.m. today (Friday, Nov. 15)! Don’t miss your opportunity to witness all of the sass, style, and sexy from local, regional, and student Kings and Queens. Tickets are available for presale in 216 RSC, Student Involvement. Free to WSU students with Shocker ID; $8 faculty/staff; $10 general admission. Cash or check only at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m. For more information about SAC-sponsored events, visit www.wichita.edu/sac or contact us at sac@wichita.edu.
Second-annual 3MT Showcase to be held today (Friday, Nov. 15)
Celebrate the second-annual WSU Graduate School Showcase of student oral presentations of original research for the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Oral Showcase Competition from 3-5 p.m. today (Friday, Nov. 15), in 233 RSC. Participants were selected through video submission and nominations. The first-place winner of the showcase competition will attend the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools 3MT Competition meeting in the spring.
Don’t miss the WSU Tech Holiday Market this Saturday, Nov. 16
You are invited to the 5th Annual WSU Tech Holiday Market at the west end of the Harry Street Mall from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16. It will be held in the WSU Tech Student Commons, with vendors selling a variety of items. It is free to shop, although food donations will be gratefully accepted for the Student Food Pantry to help combat food insecurity among students.
Spring employment opportunity for students
Are you looking for a flexible, on-campus student employment opportunity with competitive pay for the spring 2020 semester? Build your professional resume by becoming an internationally certified Peer Tutor with WSU-Student Support Services (SSS).
Student Support Services is a federally funded TRIO program that provides free academic support services to first-generation students, limited income students, and students with disability. Tutor applicants must be enrolled at WSU, have completed at least 30 credit hours, and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or greater. Students with a similar background to program participants is preferred.
Visit the official SSS webpage for instructions to completing an application here.
Learn about thermoelectric applications at today's ISME Colloquium
Jian Wang, assistant professor of chemistry at WSU, will present "Chemical Tuning of New Inorganic Clathrates for Thermoelectric Application" from noon-1 p.m. today (Friday, Nov. 15), in 214 Clinton Hall.
Recent years have witnessed growth in the research of thermoelectric materials, which are capable of directly converting waste heat into electrical power and vice versa. Thermoelectric materials exhibit high potential in improving our society’s energy efficiency.
Achieving high performance thermoelectric materials is proved to be a challenging question due to the intrinsic correlation between electrical and thermal properties in solids. Clathrate compounds are good candidates for thermoelectric applications with intrinsically low thermal conductivity. The origin of intrinsic low thermal conductivity is mainly from the “rattling” behavior of guest atoms in large oversized cages. Thus, the research efforts can be mainly focused on the tuning charge transport properties of clathrate. Applying chemical tuning of new inorganic clathrates is sufficient to attain good thermoelectric materials.
New pnictide- based (P, As, Sb) clathrates, Ba8Cu16P30, were demonstrated to be potential thermoelectric materials, but suffer poor electrical properties. The chemical tuning such as doping, band convergence, composited with graphene of Ba8Cu16P30, will be discussed.
Get inspired to change the world with Australian startup co-founder
Daniel Flynn
Get inspired to change the world with Australian startup co-founder Daniel Flynn and the story of his company, Thankyou.
Flynn will appear from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, in Hughes Metropolitan Complex Auditorium, as part of the Oliver Elliott Speaker Series hosted by the Wichita Downtown Rotary Club and Wichita State Center for Entrepreneurship.
Flynn and two other co-founders opened Thankyou in 2008 as a social enterprise selling water at cost to impoverished populations. It quickly expanded to sell hygiene and food products. Thankyou also donates money to safe water, hygiene and sanitation programs.
The event is free, but seating is limited. Guests must register for a ticket.
Learn more and register for Daniel Flynn's talk.
Get your Kansas ID issued or your license renewed on campus
The Kansas Division of Vehicles is going mobile to make it easier for you to get or renew your Kansas ID or Driver’s License. Representatives will be at WSU from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, in 258 RSC. This opportunity is available to both international and domestic students, staff, and faculty at WSU.
Visit DMV at Wichita State for a complete list of what will be offered during this event, as well as information regarding what you should be prepared to bring. Signing up for an appointment is preferred. Go to Mobile Schedule to sign up for an appointment.
Join the fun during International Education Week!
Join the Office of International Education for a week full of fun events during International Education Week from Nov. 18-22. Most of these events are free to attend, though some require registration. Visit www.wichita.edu/ieweek for a full listing of events, times and dates, or find our event on Facebook @WichitaStateInternationalAdmissions. Questions? Contact jessa.roberts@wichita.edu.
Join Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes for veterans' family night
Meet us from 6-8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, in Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes to celebrate WSU and Wichita area veterans and their families. Have a fun filled and family friendly night with bowling, billiards, competitive games, and free food provided by the Student Activities Council and the Student Veterans’ Organization. Free to any veteran and their family.
Youth night and volleyball giveaway at Shocker Volleyball tonight!
Shocker volleyball takes on Tulsa at 7 p.m. tonight (Friday, Nov. 15), at Charles Koch Arena. It is youth night, so all children 12 and under get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket. The first 1,500 fans will receive a Shocker volleyball courtesy of Rotek Services. Come support the Shockers in their last home game of the season! Students are admitted free with a current WSU ID.
Kansas Secretary of Commerce Hon. David Toland to speak at CIBA / WTCouncil - reservations required
The Center for International Business Advancement (CIBA) and the World Trade Council of Wichita (WTCouncil) cordially invite you to a dinner presentation on “Growing Kansas: A Look at Economic Development” with Secretary of Commerce, the Honorable David Toland, on Thursday, Nov. 21, at the Wichita Mariott Hotel, 9100 Corporate Hills Drive.
The networking reception will begin at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. A town hall style Q&A with Toland will begin at 8 p.m.
The cost is $40 for WTCouncil members, $60 for non-members. The cost for WSU students is $10, and $15 for other students.
Pre-registration is required and space is strictly limited. Reservations may be made online at www.wichita.edu/wtcouncil.
For more payment information on registration, contact wtcouncil@wichita.edu or call 978-3176.
CIBA is a public-private partnership based in the Barton School of Business. For more information on CIBA, visit https://tinyurl.com/CIBA-WTCouncil; for information on the program, send an email to CIBA Director / WTCouncil Chair Usha Haley at usha.haley@wichita.edu.
SBIR/STTR Innovation Summit coming Dec. 11
This is a livestream event from NMSU’s Arrowhead Center featuring powerhouse speakers addressing the Navy SBIR / STTR program’s $350 million in non-dillutive funds available to small businesses. On site one-on-one sessions with a Navy SBIR representative will be available by appointment.
Share feedback and big ideas for Honors
Students, faculty, staff, and friends - we want to hear from you! President-elect Jay Golden has asked us to put together information about Honors, including information about our strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations.
Please take a few minutes to fill out the online survey by Friday, Nov. 22, to give feedback on some of these questions and share your big ideas for the Cohen Honors College.
Weekly Briefing university update
At Thursday’s Weekly Briefing, the university update included information about faculty approving changes in General Education courses, campus construction, a visit from Gen. Paul E. Funk II, and the Shocker Locker Support Challenge.
FACULTY APPROVES CHANGE IN GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES
Wichita State’s faculty approved a reduction in mandatory general education courses to 36 hours from 42. The move was approved by a vote of 165-69 at Monday’s General Faculty meeting.
The reduction is meant to bring Wichita State’s requirements more in line with peer institutions and create a more flexible and less complicated general education system. In 2017, the Kansas Board of Regents requested that universities cap degree programs at 120 total credit hours to promote on-time degree completion.
UPDATE ON CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION
The building shell for P3, located near Oliver St. on the Innovation Campus, is complete. Construction is underway on a “shared office space” in a portion of the second floor and its anticipated completion is later this month.
The Advanced Virtual Engineering and Testing Lab, also located near Oliver, is substantially complete. Crash sled equipment is being calibrated and tested. Staff will move into the AVET Lab building in late November.
Construction is underway on the NIAR ATLAS Building, located between NIAR and Wallace Hall, with anticipated completion in January 2020.
The Steve Clark YMCA and Student Wellness Center is scheduled to be completed in mid-December and open in January. The Student Wellness Staff will move in after finals in December.
Woolsey Hall design is underway with the architectural team on site in late October to meet with students, faculty, and staff. The team is working toward a late summer 2020 construction start with the goal of opening for classes in spring of 2022
Journey East restaurant, at Braeburn Square, is scheduled for completion later this month. No opening date has been announced.
In athletics, the Student Athlete Success Center is under construction with anticipated completion in August. Renovation of Koch Arena offices will begin in January. The Eck Stadium Performance Facility is scheduled for complete in January.
GENERAL VISITS WICHITA STATE’S SHOCKER BATTALION
Gen. Paul E. Funk II, Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, was scheduled to visit Shocker Battalion at Wichita State on Thursday. This is the first semester for new cadets for Army ROTC, and the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement was honored to host General Funk.
General Funk is responsible for 32 Army schools organized under eight Centers of Excellence that recruit, train and educate more than 500,000 soldiers and service members annually.
SHOCKER LOCKER SUPPORT CHALLENGE
UP and USS Senates challenged Faculty Senate to a friendly competition to see who can collect the most donations for the Shocker Support Locker.
Until Friday, Nov. 22, drop off food items, hygiene products, baby products, etc. in donation boxes around campus. You can also collect items within your department and call Central Services (978-3545) to pick them up. All staff and faculty are encouraged to participate.
The Shocker Support Locker aims to alleviate food insecurity on campus and contribute to the overall health and well-being of our students, faculty and staff, by providing a variety of nutritional and functional resources to Shockers at no cost.
Audiology doctoral students need participants for their research projects
WSU graduate students in the Doctor of Audiology program need participants for their research projects. They are studying clinical techniques in audiology for evaluating function of the ear.
Participants must be between the ages of 18 and 35, have normal hearing, have not had an ear infection in the past three months, nor had symptoms of cold, flu, or nasal allergy in the past two weeks.
Participants will receive a free comprehensive hearing evaluation and ear examination prior to testing. The testing will take about one hour. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Brigid Derby at brderby@shockers.wichita.edu or 816-405-4969, or Professor Xiao-Ming Sun at Xiao-Ming.Sun@wichita.edu.
Come learn about the inaugural Mr. Maroon Scholarship Competition
Mr. Maroon is presented by WSU’s Alpha Alpha chapter of Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc. It is a scholarship competition that will be held in spring 2020. We are having an informational from 6-7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, in 301 RSC. This informational is for any male student interested in participating. There, we will provide more information for the gentlemen and give them details about the event!
Mr. Maroon Scholarship Competition
International T-shirts are now on sale!
Do you want a T-shirt that celebrates the diversity of our campus? International Education T-shirts are on sale as part of our celebration of International Education Week! All sizes will be sold for only $5.99. Limited sizes and colors are available. To order, please visit www.wichita.edu/paybycard.
Workshop on Malayalam language features Mythili Menon
Have you ever wanted to learn more about a Non-European language? Now you can, from 2:30-4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, in 257 RSC. This is your chance to learn about linguistics aspects of Malayalam, a Dravidian language spoken in South India. This workshop, hosted by the WSU Linguistics Club, will be led by Mythili Menon, and will feature other native speakers of the language. Pizza will be served. This event is free and open to the public.
Take advantage of the Shocker Store Gameday Sale
For every home men’s basketball game, the Shocker Store at Braeburn Square will have a sale all day for Shocker fans! For the game against UT Martin on Saturday, Nov. 16, take 20% off Charlie Hustle apparel in the Braeburn Square location only. Some exclusions apply. Not valid with other discounts or promotions.
Submit your spring events for the Welcomefest listings
Welcomefest takes place during the first two weeks of classes each semester and features dozens of activities. Popular programs awaiting new and returning Shockers include the Springfest, Shocker Resource Fair, Syllabus Party, RSC Unplugged and more!
You can submit your department or organization events to be included in the Welcomefest marketing, including a printed guidebook. The deadline to submit events for inclusion in all Welcomefest marketing is 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6.
Please note, Student Involvement reserves the right to deny or terminate any events that are not planned completely or are deemed inappropriate for Welcomefest and/or the people in attendance.
To register your event, please visit wichita.edu/welcomefest. If you have questions, please contact Student Involvement at 978-3022 or getinvolved@wichita.edu.
Wichita State Blood Drive on Nov. 20-21 - Free T-shirt and $5 Amazon gift card!
The Red Cross is thankful for the blood donors who play a vital role in supplying the nearly 21 million blood components that are needed each year by hospital patients. Your act of service is life-saving! Thank you.
*Donors will receive a free long sleeve T-shirt & a $5 Amazon e-gift card for donating!
Upcoming Blood Drive: Wichita State University
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20 and Thursday, Nov. 21, in the Heskett Center lobby
To view available times and to schedule your donation appointment, go to www.redcrossblood.org; enter Sponsor Code: Wichita State or call 1-800-Red-Cross.
Photo ID or Red Cross Donor Card required.
Sing your stress away
Are finals making you want to scream? Why not sing instead? Join us from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, at Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes for some karaoke, and wind down before finals week by singing your heart out with Student Activities Council! For more information about SAC-sponsored events, visit wichita.edu/sac or contact us at sac@wichita.edu.
Become part of the new Assistive Technology & Accessible Design Certificate Program
Wichita State’s undergraduate certificate in assistive technology and accessible design is an interdisciplinary program useful for any major wanting to create innovations that improve learning, working and daily living for people with disabilities. Students will learn from faculty across campus and work with service providers to design and create products and equipment such as communication boards, specialized learning materials, mounting systems, electronic devices, walkers, pencil holders, screen readers, communication programs and much more. Enroll now for ENGR 302 Accessible Design in spring 2020, CRN 26635. Meets MW 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. All majors welcome!
Assistive Technology & Accessible Design Certificate Program
Bring your pups to the 7th Annual Puppy Paddle!
Join us at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Heskett Center for our 7th Annual Puppy Paddle! Bring your furry friends to this FREE event and take a dip in the pool! You and your puppy can swim together, chase tennis balls or practice jumping in. This event raises money for animals in need through donations and will showcase dogs from the Wichita Animal Action League in need of a fur-ever home.