Shocker Blast: March 27, 2020

Accessing Services 2020

For students and parents: How to access services at Wichita State University

Wichita State University continues to maintain all operations to fully support our students during this unprecedented time. Our staff is now working remotely to offer our programs and services through alternative paths. 

We remain committed to helping you access services and resources in a timely manner.

See complete story.


Check out the updated FAQs

We are updating FAQs on a regular basis to help students, parents, faculty and staff access Wichita State University’s services. The FAQ’s cover topics such as housing, help with technology, the Student Wellness Center, building access and hours, summer and fall registration, and the Shocker Support Locker.

FAQs


Step-by-Step Online Classroom Guide for Students

As your course content moves online, you may have questions about how to access these materials. A webpage has been developed with step-by-step guidance to help. Check out these instructions at https://wichita.edu/remotestudent.


Online study tips

From one student to another: Study tips for online classes

Coronavirus has forced people to take cover in the confines of their homes. Life still goes on, and there is still work to be done. 

Wichita State University will continue classes this semester online. Some of you may already be online full time. Others had some classes online and some In-person. Still others may be taking their first online class starting March 30. Transitioning can be a difficult process. I am a junior and have never taken more than one online class per semester. Switching learning formats unexpectedly can be intimidating, so I decided to do some research (I just googled things, it’s not that impressive) on online classes.

Read the complete story.


Rhatigan Student Center updated information

Wichita State University is encouraging limited operations and remote working to promote social distancing. Keeping our students, faculty and staff safe remain our top priority. As a result, the Rhatigan Student Center will be temporarily closed until further notice. But don’t worry! We are available to assist you remotely through email and phone calls, as well as with curbside pick-up options and more.

For information about various RSC operations – Shocker Store, WSU Dining, Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes, Event Services, and Shocker Card Center – click here.

The Rhatigan Student Center thanks you for your support and flexibility during this time!


Student Health Services is still open!

The door sticks, so pull hard! Student Health Services hours are subject to change. Hours are currently from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Staff will be screening all individuals prior to entrance, and additional visitors are asked to stay home.

Please use the southwest entrance to access the Student Wellness Center. This entrance is off the parking lot closest to the lake. Thank you.


Wichita State Shuttle System to cease operations

Beginning Monday, March 30, the Wichita State University Shuttle System will temporarily cease operations. We anticipate that shuttle service will return when the campus resumes normal operations. Parking regulations continue to be in effect. Thanks for your continued patience as we continue to traverse these unprecedented changes.


The McNair Scholars Program is accepting applications for undergraduate students interested in graduate study

The McNair Scholars Program is designed to assist eligible students in preparation for graduate education, specifically doctoral studies. The program offers research participation, scholarly experiences, and preparation for graduate school. Students are encouraged to pursue graduate study in preparation for careers as college-level professors and researchers.

Applications can be found at www.wichita.edu/mcnair, and will be accepted through Friday, April 3, for participation in the 2020-21 academic year. Reach out through email at mcnairscholars@wichita.edu, or phone 316-978-3139 with any questions.

To be eligible for the program, students must meet the following criteria:

- Have US citizen or permanent resident status.

- Be enrolled at WSU full-time with sophomore, junior or senior standing.

- Have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or 3.0 in the last 60 credit hours.

Students must also be:

- First generation and low income OR

- A member of a traditionally underrepresented group in graduate education, such as African American, American Indian / Alaskan Native, Hispanic / Latino and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander.


WSU Catalog 2020-21

The 2020-21 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs are now available!

The 2020-21 Wichita State University Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs are now live and online! Links to both catalogs can be found at http://wichita.edu/catalog.

Be sure to check out everything that’s new at WSU. Look on the Degrees and Academic Majors page to browse through all of WSU’s Undergraduate or Graduate degrees, programs and certificates. Click on any of the column headers to sort the list the way you want it, or click on the name of the program and go right to the program information.

Curious about admission? Financial aid? Advising? Commencement ceremonies? Links to all this information and more are available in the catalog.

The catalogs are accessible from your desktop, tablet and smartphone.

While we are excited to have the catalog online, we recognize that a printed catalog is still important and handy. Links to download PDFs of the full Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs are not available at this time, but we are working to get them up within the next few weeks. When the PDF links are available, they will be located at the bottom right of every page next to links creating PDFs of individual catalog pages.


Wichita State chemist working to develop antiviral drugs in fight against COVID-19

Up until recently, COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) may have been a relatively new phenomena to the general public, but Wichita State University medical chemist Bill Groutas, two virologists from Kansas State University, and a physician/virologist from the University of Iowa have been working on a cure for coronaviruses for more than three years.

“It’s a big problem, with no vaccines available,” said Groutas. “The coronavirus could be around for a long time."

Groutas, along with K-State researchers Yungeong Kim and Kyeong-Ok Chang and Stanley Perlman at the University of Iowa, have been working to develop antiviral drugs to treat Middle East Respiratory Syndrome caused by MERS-CoV. That work extends to other human viruses that are similar to COVID-19.

Read complete story.


We need your opinion

Your opinion is valuable and appreciated

In January 2020, Wichita State University President Dr. Jay Golden launched several task forces and studies as a commitment to shared governance, transparency and refining the focus of the university.

The Marketing and Branding Study is charged with actively engaging members of our campus community to examine how effectively we are branding and marketing our institution and provide recommendations.

The Student and Community Experience Survey seeks to engage students, campus community and the greater Wichita community to examine how effectively we are creating a positive "Shocker" experience for events and programs at Wichita State.

Your opinion is valuable and appreciated.

Event Experience Survey


Phenomenal Women Awards 2020

Phenomenal Women Award nominee highlights

The annual Phenomenal Women Awards recognizes women for their accomplishments and contributions to our community through their scholarship, activism and commitment to excellence.

Due to the ongoing concerns of COVID-19 and the impact it has made to Wichita State University, this year's Phenomenal Women Awards Reception has been canceled. However, we will highlight each nominee (in no particular order) for this year's Phenomenal Women Awards through our social media platforms.

The recipients of the 2020 Phenomenal Women Awards will be announced on after Monday, March 30. To read all of the nominees' bios, go to wichita.edu/phenomenal.

Like us on Facebook: fb.me/WSUDiversity

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/WSUDiversity

Follow us on Instagram: instagr.am/WSUDiversity


Transgender Day March 31, 2020

Webinar to be conducted for Transgender Day of Visibility March 31

Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is an annual event occurring on Tuesday, March 31, dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, and their contributions to society.

GLSEN Kansas, Spectrum: LGBTQ & Allies and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion are teaming up to present a Transgender Day of Visibility panel discussion. Hear from our panelists talk about their experiences around everything from why, how and when they came out (and continue to come out), to their experiences with the process of legal name and gender marker changes, and much more! There will be a Q&A portion at the end of the panel, if time allows.

This webinar will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 31 via Zoom Video Conferencing Services. Click here to access this webinar. Please make sure to bookmark this link.

For more information, contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at 316-978-3034.

Office of Diversity and Inclusion events


KMUW COVID-19 Resource Center

KMUW's COVID-19 Resource Center is a trusted source for up-to-date local and national news

KMUW, Wichita's NPR station, is thoroughly committed to monitoring COVID-19 activity and its impact on our lives. The latest news and updates can be found at KMUW's COVID-19 Resource Center at KMUW.org.

KMUW COVID-19 Resource Center


Wichita State Common Read call for nominations!

Have a book that you would like to suggest for consideration for the Wichita State Common Read program? Send in your nominations for the next common read book for the 2021-22 school year.

Wichita State Common Read is the university's common read program designed to spark conversation between students across majors on campus. This program strives to take educational concepts learned in the classroom and provide meaningful connections with out-of-the-classroom programs and activities. The Office of First-Year Programs is currently reviewing nominations.

Please visit Common Read to submit your book.

If you have any questions, email tahrima.musa@wichita.edu.


Nominate an advisory

Nominate an advisor for the Excellence in Academic Advising Award

Do you know of an advisor who goes above and beyond for students? The Advising Network (TAN) is proud to support student success by recognizing academic advisors at Wichita State University. Anyone who provides advising services in any role (faculty or staff) is eligible for nomination.

These awards recognize individuals who demonstrate qualities and practices that make significant contributions to the improvement of academic advising at WSU and beyond.

Nominate an advisor by completing an online form by April 3.


Self-Advocacy study

Participants wanted for a study on self-advocacy

I hope to learn whether students who participate in college TRIO programs at WSU are more likely to self-advocate than their non-TRIO participating peers.

You can complete a questionnaire called the College Student Mentoring Survey (CSMS), which will ask questions related to your mentoring experiences at WSU and the General Self-Efficacy Scale, which will be used to examine your self-decision making. The questionnaires will take between 20-35 minutes.

If you are interested in a follow-up for advocacy scenarios, you will be able to continue the survey and respond to the scenarios; otherwise, at the end of the questionnaire when it asks if you would like to complete the scenarios, you may select “no.” The scenarios will take between 5-10 minutes and will consist of problem-based scenarios where you will be asked to create a solution to the problem.

To be eligible to participate:

  • Must have a fluent understanding of English
  • Must be an undergraduate at WSU

Contact: If you are interested in participating in this study or have any concerns, contact Mercedes Lubbers at mercedes.lubbers@wichita.edu or my Faculty Advisor, Mara Alagic at mara.alagic@wichita.edu. You may click this link to access the CSMS and the GSES questionnaire.