Dining options now open in the RSC
Starting today, all dining options in the Rhatigan Student Center are open for the fall semester! Visit wichita.edu/rschours for hours of operation for each location.
Teaching This Fall: Day 6 Questions about Health
To support instructors who are prepping their classes for fall, the Faculty Curricular Design Working Group has created 10 sets of featured questions related to our new teaching environment. Each day we will post one set of frequently asked questions to respond to issues that faculty have raised about how to be prepared.
FAQs Set #6: Questions about Health
- What happens if I get sick and can’t teach?
Employees should follow regular Human Resources guidelines for taking sick leave. All instructors are advised to have plans in the event they get sick. A colleague might help provide coverage of class content, a guest speaker may be willing to present a lecture, instructors might assign a topical video or give a quiz, etc. If you are quarantined but not sick, remote delivery is always an option. Always contact your department chairperson in the event sickness keeps you from fulfilling your teaching responsibilities.
- How do I help my students manage COVID-19-related anxiety?
The emotional, financial and social disruptions caused by COVID-19 uncertainty are creating serious challenges for many of our students. Students with pre-existing and new conditions will require extra support. It is important that instructors refer students who might need assistance to the WSU Counseling and Prevention Services (CAPS) website to learn options for addressing mental health and wellness during COVID-19.
- Is a condition that makes someone high-risk for COVID-19 complications something that
gets legal accommodation protections?
If a student claims a disability related to COVID-19, you should refer the student to the Office of Disability Service (ODS) by calling (316) 978-3309. For more info click here.
Additional FAQs about teaching this fall can be found on the COVID-19 university webpage.
Neal Allen and Camille Childers featured at the ARC today
WSU’s Academic Resources Conference is underway today! No registration is required for most events, and to attend, simply find a session that interests you in the schedule and click its Zoom link. You can find the full schedule with Zoom links here. Most events are 50 minutes each, starting on the hour. Hour featured sessions for today are:
o “Teaching in a politically-charged environment” with Neal Allen
o “Guidelines for In-Person Contact” with Camille Childers
Today’s other topics include sessions on creating videos for your class, using the University Libraries, Panopto, designing and teaching a first-year seminar, managing tenure and promotion, Zoom best practices, and more. With 24 different topics today alone, there really is something for everyone. We hope you join us and also help spread the word.
Hear from Dr. Jerry Kang, an expert on implicit bias
Heard the term "implicit bias," but not sure what it means? Join Wichita State's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Student Affairs and Academic Affairs at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, as we hear from Dr. Jerry Kang, Distinguished Professor of Law and Asian American Studies and former Founding Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at UCLA as he speaks on implicit bias.
You must register for the closed faculty and staff event at wichita.edu/jerrykang. Implicit bias is responsible for racial and gender disparities that persist in household income, job status and a myriad of other measurements - even as explicit bias has greatly diminished over the past century. Implicit bias also finds its way into the classroom, where certain students may receive more attention or positive feedback than others.
Even the best-intentioned educators carry some degree of implicit bias, and because it is unconscious, it is practically impossible to recognize and address without active efforts and self-reflection. For questions, contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at 978-3034 or go to wichita.edu/odi.
Susan Page of USA Today on KMUW's panel for the next Digital Democracy on Tap
There are so many sources of information out there, but how do you know which ones you can trust? We’re going to talk about ways to see through misinformation at KMUW’s next Digital Democracy on Tap. We'll be joined by journalist and Wichita native Susan Page. She’s the Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today and has covered 10 presidential campaigns and six White House administrations. The conversation will be streamed live at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, from KMUW’s Facebook page and at engageict.org.
Trivia Night tonight!
The Media Resources Center is hosting a trivia night at 6 p.m. tonight (Monday, Aug. 10) in Zoom.
Get some friends together and play as a team, or jump on as a solo player. We will start the evening at 6 p.m. with rules and figuring out teams, and plan to begin game play around 6:15 p.m.
Winners will receive prizes, and everyone will have an opportunity for social time and fun with friends. There is no entry fee or pre-registration required, but we would like to have an idea who is coming, so give us a heads up by sending an email to IDA@wichita.edu, and we will reply with information about how to join. All instructors, GTAs, and staff are welcome!
Join in the fun with a Zoom murder mystery night
Join your campus friends in a fun evening of intrigue and silliness with a Zoom-based murder mystery from 6-8 p.m. Friday Aug. 14. Each attendee will be given a part, a backstory, and a few clues, and your challenge will be to solve the mystery of ‘who done it?’ before anyone else does. Prizes are available.
To sign up, simply find the event in myTraining under the title “ARC Cocktail Hour! Murder Mystery Night.” myTraining is located in the myWSU portal. If you can’t find it or don’t have access, send your registration request to Instructional Design and Access: IDA@wichita.edu. Sign up is required for this event since we need to assign parts.
Hiring process changes and reminders for August
August is a time of high volume hiring for students and lecturers. To ensure we are providing effective customer service, are compliant, and are achieving social distancing, please read the following information as some processes have changed.
- Requests to hire a non-benefit eligible “Temp” employee must be approved by the position review committee before it can proceed through the hiring process. The only exception is if the position is funded by external or grant dollars. The position exception request form and instructions can be found on the Forms Index of the Human Resources webpages.
- All student/grad and lecturer hiring requests must be submitted on the following form. The form and hiring instructions can be found on the Forms Index of the Human Resources webpages. It is important that you use the form on the website to ensure you have the most up-to-date document. An outdated document can cause a delay in the hiring process.
- All employees (including student and Graduate Assistantship positions) must provide valid work authorization (Form I9) prior to beginning working at Wichita State.
- Employees are required to make an appointment with Human Resources to provide the necessary work authorization
- Employees are given the option to provide the work authorization virtually or in-person. If they choose to provide it in-person, they are required to follow the safety procedures in effect on campus.
- In-person appointments will be held in RSC240 – not in the HR Office on campus.
- After an employee’s job in Banner has been inactive (“terminated”) in Banner for 60 days, their employment will be terminated. This is a process change that was made in May 2020, and decided upon by the university to ensure effective system security. If an employee is terminated, they must go through the entire new hire process, including completion of new hire paperwork, providing work authorization, and completing a background check if required. To prevent this from happening, an add job ePAF for a future appointment must be submitted and completely approved prior to the expiration of the 60-day limit.
LinkedIn Learning available for faculty and staff
We are pleased to announce that LinkedIn Learning is now available to all Wichita State University students, faculty and staff. Discover how this all-in-one learning solution can enhance your education, add value to your academic program/course, or help you learn a new skill to advance your career!
Learn more and explore today at wichita.edu/LinkedinLearning.
What is LinkedIn Learning?
LinkedIn Learning is a leading online learning platform that helps anyone learn business, software, technology, and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals. Explore over 12,000 courses and 5,000 video tutorials from industry experts and leaders all in one place.
For students and staff
LinkedIn Learning offers video courses taught by industry experts, which help you increase your technology, creative, and business skills. LinkedIn Learning analyzes industry trends, job postings, and user activity to ensure content remains relevant.
For faculty
LinkedIn Learning is a powerful tool, perfect for any classroom. You can leverage LinkedIn Learning to enhance your course content allowing your students to explore and learn concepts at their own pace outside of classroom meeting times. Think of it like one giant, online textbook!
New partnership
We’re very excited for this new partnership with LinkedIn Learning. We hope you will explore and share this good news. Keep an eye out for additional updates, announcements, trainings, and more.
Skype for Business to be shut down Aug. 15
ITS upgraded the university's chat-based collaboration platform service (Skype for Business) to Microsoft Teams.
Microsoft Teams is a robust chat-based collaboration platform complete with instant messaging, document sharing, online meetings, and many more extremely useful features for business communications.
Microsoft Teams is installed on the majority of university-owned computers. Since upgrading, ITS has encouraged Skype for Business users to migrate to Microsoft Teams. Please click here if you don’t have Microsoft Teams on your computer.
Skype for Business will be retired from service on Aug. 15 and will no longer be accessible after that time. The following options are available to learn more about Microsoft Teams:
- Microsoft Teams Basic Tutorial
- Microsoft Teams Essential Training: This training will be provided virtually through Zoom and is for faculty and staff only. Enroll for this training through “My Training” located on mywsu.wichita.edu portal.
- Microsoft Teams online Video Tutorials: There are multiple online video tutorials designed on how to use Microsoft Teams
through LinkedIn Learning. To access to LinkedIn Learning:
- First, before clicking any of the training links below, make sure to set up and/or login to your LinkedIn Learning account with your WSU ID and password.
- Check out some of these trainings on Microsoft Teams.
WSU Microsoft Office Power User Credential: Remote sessions available!
Did you know you can become a WSU Microsoft Office Power User without leaving your own desk? ITS Applications Training is offering all Microsoft Office training sessions in an online format!
Now is the perfect time to finish up your Power User requirements and show off a new digital credential … or just take a session or two to brush up on your Microsoft Office Skills. Sign up for sessions in myTraining; link in the Employee Training channel in myWSU.
Read more about the Power User program, requirements, and see a list of 150 of your friends and colleagues who have obtained this credential at wichita.edu/poweruser.
Questions? Contact Ali Levine: ali.levine@wichita.edu.
Back to School Sale at the Shocker Store
Looking to find some Shocker gear for the start of school? The Shocker Store is having a Back to School Sale from now to Saturday, Aug. 15 in the RSC store and at shockerstore.com. It features select products at awesome prices! May not be combined with other discounts.
Rewards members save on starters at Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes
Members of the Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes Eat. Drink. Play. Rewards program can enjoy 25% off starter menu items from 2-4 p.m. Monday-Friday in August. Not a rewards member? Joining is free and easy. Simply visit the main counter in the basement of the RSC.
Register now for Virtual Shocker Resource Fair
Jump into the school year by discovering the programs, resources and opportunities waiting for you at Wichita State across our amazing campus departments. Every day, we will feature various campus departments, how to connect with them, and what they can do to help you be a successful Shocker. For more information about SAC sponsored events, please visit wichita.edu/SAC or contact us at SAC@wichita.edu. Sponsored by the Student Activities Council.