Holiday grab-and-go reception; RSVP by Dec. 7
Interim President Rick Muma and the executive team cordially invite you to a come-and-go reception for an afternoon grab-and-go treat from 2-3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10. Please wear your face covering and respect social distancing.
Please RSVP and select a pick-up location that works best for you by Monday, Dec. 7.
Bluestem Lounge, Rhatigan Student Center
King Room, Marcus Welcome Center
Final grading for fall 2020 courses is now open. Faculty can access the Banner 9 grading form via the Teach / Advise tab in the myWSU portal. Grades for any fall course can be entered during this grading period. Grades are due by 10 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15. A grading email with further details was sent to faculty and staff who are flagged as eligible instructors in Banner. Questions about grading can be directed to the Office of the Registrar at 978-3090.
UP and USS Senate propose merging
The Unclassified Professional (UP) Senate and University Support Staff (USS) Senate voted in support of a new constitution and merging to become the University Staff Senate at their November meeting. Merging presents changes and opportunities including:
- New Representation Format: Senate representation would be made up of eligible exempt (salaried) and non-exempt (hourly) staff. Currently, 47% of staff are exempt and 53% are non-exempt.
- A Collective Voice: Uniting as one senate will make our collective voices strong, allowing us to better represent and advocate for all staff. As USS positions have been vacated in recent years, they have been moved to UP positions causing the number of USS to shrink over time to approximately 250 positions. This decline in USS positions has presented challenges in obtaining a full slate of senators for the current USS Senate.
- Efficiency: For the last two years, the UP and USS Senates have been holding joint monthly meetings and have combined nearly all of our committees. Both senate presidents attend meetings together with the university president, human resources, and others. A joint Senate enables staff leaders to be more efficient with their time and University resources.
- Preserving Leadership Representation: The new constitution would require a USS/UP representative be elected to serve on the University Staff Senate executive committee so both groups will continue to have a voice on the leadership team. For example, if the elected senate president was a USS employee, a UP representative would be elected to the executive committee and vice versa. This joint representation will allow us to serve as a voice and better advocate for all staff without duplicating efforts.
The next step is for the new constitution to be voted on by UP and USS staff in December.
To learn more about the proposed senate merger and to view the proposed constitution, go to wichita.edu/senatemerger. Questions? Contact Trish Gandu, UP Senate president, at trish.gandu@wichita.edu or Randy Sessions, USS Senate president, at randy.sessions@wichita.edu.
Blackboard will be down several days starting the evening of Dec. 17
In an effort to improve Blackboard's performance and stability, and to set the foundation for further improvements in the Blackboard Learn system throughout 2021, WSU will be bringing Blackboard down for several days in December.
Our system will go down at 11 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, and be down for several days. Our current estimate for the system to be restored and fully functional is Tuesday, Dec. 22, although it's possible this down time could extend to Christmas Day.
To prepare for this down time, instructors should:
1) Plan to have all fall 2020 final grades submitted
2) Have any January term classes set up before Dec. 17, or make plans to do so after Dec. 22
3) Notify any students who are working on incompletes or late submissions that Blackboard will not be available during this window.
Once Blackboard service is restored, Instructional Design and Access will run extensive testing on the system. If you notice any technical problems after service is restored, please report those problems through a OneStop Blackboard Help ticket and not by direct emails to IDA staff. It is very important that technical problems can be addressed in a systematic way to ensure a quick resolution.
University Libraries schedule through the holiday season
University Libraries will have the following hours through holiday break:
End of term hours at Ablah Library (Nov. 30 – Dec. 13)
Monday – Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday 1-5 p.m.
Sunday CLOSED
Winter Intersession hours at Ablah Library (Dec. 14-20)
Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday CLOSED
Please note that hours are subject to change. Stay up to date with library hours and policies at libraries.wichita.edu/covid19.
Kansas achieves State of Excellence in Education and Training award for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is pleased to announce that the Vermont Oxford Network (VON) has awarded the state of Kansas the “State of Excellence in Education and Training for Infants and Families Affected by Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome” designation. Kansas is the second state to receive this designation.
The award is received as a partnership between KDHE and the Kansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KPQC) and supported by VON, with the goal to standardize care for infants and families affected by Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). The award recognizes that at least 85 percent of multidisciplinary care teams participating in the “Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Collaborative: Improving Care to Improve Outcomes” completed universal training for care of NAS.
NAS is a drug withdrawal syndrome experienced by infants exposed to opioids while in utero. Infants born with NAS are more likely to have respiratory complications, feeding difficulty, low birthweights, and extended hospital stays.
KDHE and KPQC partnered with VON to provide 33 birth centers universal training designed to standardize care policies. The collaborative approach to universal training included rapid-cycle distribution of current evidence-based practices to the entire interdisciplinary workforce engaged in caring for substance-exposed infants and families. This approach has been proven to reduce length of hospital stay and length of pharmacologic treatment while increasing family satisfaction.
Please register to attend tomorrow's Introduction to WSU Office of Research
Introduction to the WSU Office of Research Workshop: 2-3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2.
Join Fran Cook of the WSU Office of Research for a one-hour Zoom workshop, from 2-3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2. Topics will include 1) WSU Research Office resources and contacts, 2) finding funding, 3) project budgeting and 4) grant-writing tips, with time for questions and answers.
Email proposals@wichita.edu to receive login information.
Psychology researchers want to learn how your child is coping with COVID-19
Researchers at Wichita State University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley are doing an online research study to see what 10-17 year-old children think about COVID-19, and what they think about their parents’ beliefs and behaviors during this time.
When children complete the survey, their family will be entered into a raffle for a $10 gift card. We hope about 250 children complete our survey, and we will raffle 50 of the gift cards. If you have a child living in your home who is 10-17 years old, your child might be eligible for this study.
If you are interested in learning more about being in this study, please click the link below.
If you have any questions, contact Samantha Gregus, Ph.D., at samantha.gregus@wichita.edu.
Learn about Fairmount College, win prize in scavenger hunt
Have fun learning more about Fairmount College’s role in establishing Wichita State University during a scavenger hunt created by the Department of Anthropology to learn about Fairmount College's 125-year history.
From now through the end of January 2021, faculty, staff and students are encouraged to participate in this fun event that begins on campus and ends at Maple Grove Cemetery at 1000 N. Hillside, where many faculty and staff from the early years of Fairmount College are buried.
Students who complete the scavenger hunt will be entered into a drawing for an iPad
on Feb. 1, 2021. Faculty and staff participants will be entered into a monthly drawing
for a Shocker Store gift card.
Have fun, stay safe and good luck! For more information, go to www.wichita.edu/anthropology.
Free webinar series for Kansas faculty on Open Educational Resources
Join us for the free Open Educational Resources Webinar Series this semester brought to you by the KBOR OER Steering Committee.
Repositories & Platforms – 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2
Zoom links to register and descriptions of the sessions are available on the KBOR OER conference website.
Dr. Abigail Rymer to give Physics Seminar talk on Dec. 2
Our last speaker of the fall semester will present a talk at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2, via Zoom. The talk features Dr. Abigail Rymer, John Hopkins University, MD, and the title of this talk will be “Neptune-Odyssey: Flagship Mission Concept Study for the Neptune-Triton System.” Visit our website for the Zoom details.
Spring 2021 Tuition Assistance deadline is today
The HR Total Rewards team reminds staff and faculty that the deadline for Spring 2021 Tuition Assistance applications is today (Tuesday, Dec. 1).
Reminder: Tuition Assistance applications for Spring 2021 are submitted through the Online Application Form.
The fillable PDF form will no longer be accepted. Due to the volume of applications received each semester, requests to submit late applications will be automatically denied. There will be no exceptions.
Full program details can be found here.
Questions may be directed to TuitionAssistance@wichita.edu.
Jay Price talks about the history of Pizza Hut for CNBC
Wichita State History Professor Jay Price was interviewed earlier this fall by NBC Universal for a story “Why Pizza Hut fell behind in the pizza wars.”
Price provided historical context of Pizza Hut’s success in the early years.
Give the gift of relaxation this holiday season
Come into the Heskett Center to pick up two 60-minute massage gift certificates for $80.
Free STI Testing resources are available for WSU students
Join Nurse Heather and Positive Directions representatives Storm Dial and Brett Hogan for a discussion about free STI testing resources available to WSU students. View it here.
Don't miss out on free STI testing at Pee for Pizza this Wednesday, Dec. 2! Please call 316-978-4792 to schedule an appointment for this medical service. Walk-ins will not be accepted.
Try the December Burger of the Month
Try the Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes Burger of the Month for December, the Hot Hammy! It's a beef patty topped with two slices of ham, pepperjack cheese, jalapenos, onions and fire ranch.
Funding opportunity for WSU female entrepreneurs
The Women for Women's Innovation Scholarship Fund is awarded to Wichita State University female students to support innovative ideas showing promise of commercialization. The fund was established in 2020 in order to support women leaders and entrepreneurs in moving their ideas forward by providing recipients a boost to “Shock The World.”
All full- and part-time WSU students are eligible to apply. The deadline for application is Dec. 11.