Wichita State University holiday hours
Wichita State University’s holiday hours will begin Monday, Dec. 23, and go through Wednesday, Jan. 1. Some hours will vary by department.
WSU police officer Rose receives Official Commendation Award
Wichita State police officer Matt Rose was among those who responded to a call of a distraught student who was contemplating suicide on Nov. 6. Rose began talking to the student in order to provide her support. Thankfully the individual responded positively and returned to safety.
Officer Joshua Smith, Kegan Harmes, and Sergeant Chris Tener also were on the scene to provide support if necessary.
In addition to WSU PD, preventing this suicide was a collaborative effort with Counseling and Prevention Services (CAPS) and the Care Team.
For his actions, Rose was presented with the first-of-its-kind Commendation Medal for lifesaving efforts at Wichita State University. The award is given to an officer who, by exemplary conduct and demeanor, performs at a superior level of duty, exhibiting perseverance with actions resulting in a significant contribution to the department and / or improvement to the quality of life to the community, or an office who supervised or managed a tactical situation or an active, evolving incident as the on-scene commander.
In addition to our on-campus resources, another great resource to have available is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), which is available 24 hours a day.
Free admission to Women’s Basketball today (Monday, Dec. 16)
Shocker Nation: Women’s Basketball has a great deal for you today (Monday, Dec. 16) – Free admission for all!
Come spend your Monday with the Shockers. Tip is at 11:30 a.m. in Charles Koch Arena.
Help available with Strategic Planning Initiatives
Need help entering your Strategic Planning Initiatives prior to the winter break? It’s not too late to have your initiatives included. Open labs have been established. Support is available in person the following dates / times in 124 Jabara Hall.
3-4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16
1-2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18
Comfortable moving forward on your own, take advantage of online support. Instructional videos are available 24/7 on the Strategic Planning “How-To” website.
Registration for Goal-Setting Workshop is now available
WSU faculty and staff looking for tips about how to set and keep both personal and professional goals should sign up for this free workshop facilitated by ComPsych / Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Qualified employees will receive a HealthQuest point for completing the session! This workshop will be held January – March, and will take place in the RSC. Seating is limited. Registration is required through the myTraining link (found in myWSU). For assistance with myTraining, email myTraining@wichita.edu.
Goal-setting gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. The process of setting goals allows you to choose where you want to go in your personal life as well as your professional career. A life without goals is like a road trip without a map. By knowing exactly what you want to achieve, you are less likely to get lost, and you will be happier and less frustrated along the way.
At the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
- Define what goals mean to you
- Identify the specificity that differentiates goals from wishes or dreams
- Identify the reasons goals sometimes fail
- Describe how you can overcome common pitfalls
- Describe how to write your goals effectively
- Identify how to use a goal-setting worksheet
- Describe your action plan for keeping to your goals
Financial processing deadlines for December
As of 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, the university will officially be closed until Thursday, Jan. 2.
To ensure all financial processing is completed for the month prior to Holiday Closedown, the following items must be received by the office listed, no later than 5 p.m. today (Monday, Dec. 16):
- Invoice Control Documents (ICDs) - Office of Purchasing
- Payment requests associated with a purchase order - Financial Operations Office/Accounts Payable
- Inter-Organization Transfer Documents (IOTDs) and Correction Requests - Financial Operations Office/Accounts Payable
Expense Reports must be final approved in Chrome River no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19.
Transactions received after the above dates may not be processed until January 2020.
Higher Education in Student Affairs Graduate Weekend
On March 13-14, 2020, Student Affairs and Educational Psychology will host a graduate weekend for current and prospective students to learn about and interview for graduate assistant positions within Student Affairs / Student Services.
As we prepare for this weekend, we would like to gauge which departments may have assistantships open for FY21, and would like to participate in this weekend. If your department plans to have open positions and would like to participate in this weekend, please fill out the following form by Jan. 31, 2020. For questions about the weekend, email HESA.gradweekend@wichita.edu.
For more information about assistantships available in Student Affairs / Student Services, click on assistantships.
Click here for more information about the graduate weekend .
Open / Alternative Textbook (OAT) application forms are open
The Open / Alternative Textbook (OAT) initiative is designed to promote, incentivize, and grow the use of freely-available resources in WSU classes to reduce the economic impact of textbook costs on the student body.
The project has two elements:
- OAT Course Designation: Provides an incentive to faculty based on a $10/student course fee, which will be applied to an approved course that is using Open / Alternative textbooks that have no cost to the students. This money is split between the department offering the course (60%) and the Open / Alternative Textbook grant program (40%).
- OAT Grant Program: Provides $2,000-5,000 grants to faculty who apply for the grant
to redesign a course with no-cost resources, or to write or contribute to an open
educational resource, or other alternative text that can be provided to the students
free of charge. These grants are funded by the course fees.
Read more on Open / Alternative Textbook application forms.
The OAT Initiative will be managed by Academic Affairs. OAT Course Designations and Grant Applications will be submitted via web form and reviewed by a panel be made up of: Two faculty members (appointed by Faculty Senate), a representative from University Libraries , a representative from Instructional Design and Access, at least one student (appointed by SGA), and the Associate Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management (ex officio).
Apply now for Fall 2020 course designation. Deadline: Feb 1.
Grant applications will be due May 1 for AY 2020-21.
Wichita State Men's Basketball - Holiday ticket offer
The Wichita State Athletic Department would like to extend a Christmas holiday offer to all faculty and staff! The offer will include the following men’s basketball games: Sunday, Dec. 29 against Abilene Christian ($10), Wednesday, Jan. 1 against ECU ($10), and Saturday, Jan. 4 versus Ole’ Miss ($20).
To redeem this offer, go to GoShockers.com, click on the tickets tab, click buy tickets, click on promotions tab (top bar on screen), and type in promotion code: HOLIDAY.
Testing Services will close for expansion
Testing Services will close for Winter Break, with renovations starting today (Monday, Dec. 16). Testing Services will reopen in the same location on Monday, Jan. 6.
Studio portrait service has ended for now
Thank you to everyone who used the Studio Portrait services offered by Strategic Communications this fall. With the end of the semester, the service has ended. We are looking at ways to revamp the service in the spring and will no longer be offering daily openings. Keep an eye on WSU Today for further updates.
Fire Safety conducting quarterly fire sprinkler alarm testing this week
Fire Safety will conduct quarterly fire sprinkler inspections from today (Monday, Dec. 16) to Friday, Dec. 20. Part of the inspection will cause the fire alarm to sound for approximately 10-15 seconds. If the alarm sounds longer than 10-15 seconds, please evacuate the building.
Submit your applications for Senior Honor awards
Applications are being sought for Wichita State’s 2020 Senior Honor awards. This is considered one of the most prestigious honors a student can receive at WSU. Up to 10 students are chosen for this honor each year. Application deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, 2020. To review the eligibility requirements and application process, go to www.wichita.edu/seniorhonor.
Wi-fi upgrade coming to the RSC
Starting today (Monday, Dec. 16), contractors will upgrade wireless network equipment throughout the Rhatigan Student Center. All wireless service will go offline at the beginning of the project and come back online as new hardware is installed.
This upgrade replaces the wireless equipment installed during the 2012-2014 RSC renovation, which has been failing to support the full client load during times of peak occupancy. The project should be complete by the time students return in January. We apologize for any inconvenience as we upgrade our wi-fi.
Graduate School office will close for the lunch hour on Thursday, Dec. 19
The Graduate School office will be closed from 11:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, for staff development.
Meet a Shocker: Gavrilla Arya, biology and chemistry grad
Gavrilla Arya played golf and majored in biological sciences with a concentration in pre-med and a minor in chemistry. She came to Wichita State from Jakarta, Indonesia, primarily because of coach Tom McCurdy’s welcoming personality and approach to the sport.
She also made academics a priority.
Arya earned Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar honors four times as a Shocker. She played on Wichita State’s 2016 Missouri Valley Conference champions and NCAA qualifier and earned all-conference honors twice.
Learn more about Arya's time at Wichita State and what's next.
Volunteer opportunities available during winter break
VolunteerICT has hundreds of volunteer opportunities from local nonprofits looking for volunteers. All students, faculty and staff have an account through myWSU. Set-up is simple and easy by visiting our website at Wichita.edu/volunteerICT.
Roundhouse podcast with Mike Kennedy, Bob Lutz – Best of the Shocker decade
Mike Kennedy, Bob Lutz and Paul Suellentrop list their top moments, stories and developments for Wichita State athletics in the 2010 era. Topics include the 2013 Final Four, the 2014 perfect regular season, the 2012 volleyball Sweet 16, Aliphine Tuliamuk’s distance running, and the ups and downs of Shocker baseball.
Soup available for $2.99 at the Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes
Soup is back at the Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes just in time for the cooler weather. For Dec. 16-20, the soup of the week is Red Beef Chili. Grab your cup for $2.99 or a bowl for $3.99.