Annual conflict of interest disclosure reporting period open through April 30
It is time to complete your annual conflict of interest (COI) disclosure! Pursuant to WSU and Kansas Board of Regents policy, all employees are required to annually disclose certain external interests, activities, and consulting arrangements. This annual reporting period runs from April 1 – April 30. Employees who have not recently submitted a disclosure will be automatically prompted to complete the new COI form. Those who have recently completed a disclosure (after September 15, 2020) will be prompted to verify their existing information. You can access the COI disclosure form on myWSU. Please note that, under WSU policy, all employees are required to keep their disclosures of external interests, activities, and consulting arrangements up to date throughout the year. This means that all employees must disclose job-related external interests as they arise and update disclosed interests if they change. Information about the updated COI processes and disclosure form can be found here. If you don’t see your question, please email COI@wichita.edu.
April HealthQuest Upcoming Events
Employees enrolled in 2021 coverage through the State Employee Health Plan can earn a premium discount worth $480 annually and HSA/HRA rewards dollars up to $500 per year for each employee and covered spouse, just by participating and logging healthy activities throughout the year!
In April, there are three events currently scheduled worth up to 25 points.
- Wednesday, April 7, 10:30-11:30 a.m., “Caring From a Distance”, EAP webinar. Register online. (One point)
- Tuesday, April 13, on-campus Biometric Screening in RSC 266 Pike Room. Schedule your appointment today in the HealthQuest portal, or by calling 1-888-275-1205, option 3! Limited appointments available. (Up to 23 points)
- Wednesday, April 21, 10:30-11:30 am, “Helping Your Senior Loved One be Independent and Safe," EAP webinar. Register online. (One point)
Now is good time to take advantage of some of the on-demand and online options to earn HealthQuest points.
- Virtual Health Coaching Sessions: You can earn up to 15 points (max one health coaching per day, one point each) by scheduling Health Coaching Sessions. You can choose a health coach who is a nurse (RN), a dietitian or a trainer when scheduling sessions.
- Learning Modules: You can earn up to five points by completing on-demand learning modules in the HealthQuest portal. There are 18 topics to choose from.
- EAP On-Demand Trainings: You can earn up to eight points (max one point per day) by completing EAP on-eemand trainings and webinars that you can access through the HealthQuest portal. There are 32 topics to choose from.
- HealthQuest Financial Wellness Learning Module: You can earn five points by completing this four-week learning module.
- Health Assessment Questionnaire: You can earn 10 points for completing this assessment.
- HealthQuest Program Overview Video & Quiz: You can earn three points for watching this video and completing the short quiz.
We’ll be publishing upcoming events each month, but if you’d like to plan in advance, check out all currently scheduled HealthQuest events.
Tuition assistance applications due April 15
The HR Total Rewards team reminds staff and faculty that the deadline for summer 2021 tuition assistance applications is Thursday, April 15.
Reminder: Tuition Assistance applications for Summer 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 at www.wichita.edu/tuitionassistance. Questions may be directed to TuitionAssistance@wichita.edu.
Tuesday Talks: Anxious in April
If you're experiencing anxiety, you're not alone: 31.4% of college students reported anxiety affecting their academic performance in fall 2020, according to the American College Health Association assessment data.
In this Tuesday Talk with Student Health Services, Heather Stafford, Jessica Schindler from CAPS, and Wichita STate student Khristian Jones talk about experiencing anxiety and the resources available to students to help develop coping skills.
LIVESTRONG at the YMCA focuses on healing the whole person
The Steve Clark YMCA on campus is set to begin offering the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program. This free 12-week program focuses on healing the whole person. With LIVESTRONG at the YMCA, cancer survivors — whether it is a recent diagnosis, finished treatment, or in remission — work with trained Y staff to build strength and muscle mass, increase flexibility and endurance, and improve functional ability while providing a supportive community to enhance their emotional well-being. LIVESTRONG is available for any Wichita State students, faculty, staff, Y member or community participant. Beginning on May 3, the group will meet from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at the YMCA for exercise and community time. For more program details or if you or someone you know are interested in enrolling, please contact Debbie Cruz by email at debbie.cruz@ymcawichita.org or by phone at 316-776-8178.
Register for the F45 Playoffs today
The F45 Playoffs are back this semester. Join us on April 30 to see if you have what it takes to be crowned the F45 champion. Registration is free for all students and $10 for all other participants. Register today with an F45 instructor.
Zoom now offers live transcripts and captions
Zoom has made available new automatic captioning and transcription tools available in our Zoom sessions. Any Zoom meeting can enable a live transcript and captioning as a free addition to our existing service.
For more information on Zoom's capabilities
Establishing an African-American narrative
Mark McCormick, director of strategic communications for the ACLU of Kansas, is the featured speaker in this week's Perspectives: Reestablishing Reality series, hosted by Andrew Hippisley, dean of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. McCormick will speak at 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 14 via Zoom. Go to www.wichita.edu/reality for Zoom information.
In August of 2019, US Army soldier Glen Oakley ran toward gunfire echoing from an El Paso Walmart, grabbed an armful of children, and carried them to safety. In July, a Philadelphia man with a cracked hip climbed 15 floors to save his mother from her burning apartment building. In 2018, James Shaw Jr. wrestled an assault rifle away from a Nashville-area Waffle House shooter who’d killed four people.
Despite these and other examples of heroism, the black male media narrative remains one of poverty and violence, a narrative relentlessly defining black men by their challenges instead of by their achievements. These old, virulent narratives stigmatize and even destroy lives.
Donate blood, enter to win VIP travel package
Donate blood at the Wichita State blood drive and you could win an epic prize.
We never tire of celebrating our donors. Donate blood April 1-15, and automatically be entered for a chance to win a VIP package for four, including premium tickets to the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, garage, and pit credentials, and passes to attend a meet-and-greet opportunity with drivers, round-trip airfare, three-night hotel accommodations (May 27-30, 2022), plus a $500 gift card for expenses.
The blood drive will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 13-14 in the Heskett Center Lobby.
Plus, you’ll automatically be entered for a chance to win one of five $1,000 e-gift card to a merchant of your choice when you come to give in April. The five lucky winners will get to choose from a list of merchants. Terms and conditions apply.
Schedule your appointment at www.RedCrossBlood.org; Sponsor Code: Wichita State Or call 1-800-Red-Cross.
Join KMUW for a Kansas legislative update
Join KMUW's digital Democracy on Tap for a Kansas legislative update. We'll hear from local experts on the Kansas legislative session, including bills that have been introduced, debated, passed, or are on the horizon. Our panel will feature Stephen Koranda, Statehouse reporter for the Kansas News Service. Join the conversation live at 5 p.m. on April 13 on KMUW's Facebook page or at EngageICT.org. To ask a question, comment on the live Facebook video or send an email to info@kmuw.org. The recorded conversation will also be available to view anytime at EngageICT.org.
LinkedIn Learning staff webinar April 14
Geared toward institutional staff, this session covers how to use LinkedIn Learning for professional and personal development. Join the experts at LinkedIn Learning, April 14 at 11 a.m and learn:
- What is LinkedIn Learning and how do we organize our content library of over 16,000 courses?
- How the platform can be used for developing new hard and soft skills?
- How staff can leverage it to ace the performance review cycle?
- How staff can build a professional brand?
- How to find the right content easily through a live demo?
Ulrich virtual talk: Artist Renée Stout
The Ulrich Museum of Art on the Wichita State University campus is excited to host artist Renée Stout for a virtual talk at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13. The program is free and open to all, but you have to register first to get the Zoom link.
Stout is a contemporary American artist whose work is renowned for its potent reflections on African American heritage and visual culture of the African diaspora, encouraging self-examination, self-empowerment, and self-healing. The Ulrich exhibition "Renée Stout: Ghosts," currently on display at the Museum through May 8, features Stout’s haunting prints that explore the ideas and visual language of Haitian Voudou and American Voodoo and Hoodoo. Stout grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in 1980. In 1985, she moved to Washington, D.C., and began to explore the roots of her African American heritage. The lives of Stout’s imaginary characters unfold in a variety of media, including painting, mixed media sculpture, photography, and installation. The recipient of awards from the Joan Mitchell Foundation, The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, Stout has shown her work in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, and in England, Russia, and the Netherlands.
Register to attend the Ulrich virtual talk
Creators of WSU graphic novel set for April panel
All are invited to join this fun panel discussion with the creators of the graphic novel "Walk With Wu: The Story of Wichita State University" at 3 p.m. April 22 via Zoom. Panelists are:
- Genna Pennington, artist
- Jessica Cerri, curator and archivist, Special Collections and University Archives at Wichita State
- Darren DeFrain, director of Writing Program, Department of English at Wichita State
- Jay Price, chair of the Dept. of History at Wichita State. The Story of Wichita State University.
The panel will be moderated by Ethan Lindsay and Angela Paul of University Libraries. Locate a copy of the novel on the Libraries' online catalog libcat.wichita.edu.
No-cost registration for this virtual event (Password: walkwithwu)
Volunteers needed for human performance research
- Research topic / purpose for the study: To determine the long-term impact of participation in childhood sports on an adult’s continuation of physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness.
- Procedures: Participants will complete a 1.5-mile run/walk test to calculate and estimate VO2 max.
- Time: Participation is expected to last about 60 minutes.
Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria:
- Participants must be age 18 or older
- Seeking both participants that did and did not participate in childhood sport
- No known neurological, muscular, or orthopedic disorder that may impair balance or movement
- No known cardiorespiratory or metabolic health conditions
- No history of previous or current injuries that would impair movement
Location: Wichita State University Heskett Center Human Performance Laboratory Rm 208, 210, and Heskett Center Gymnasium Rm 216.
If you are interested in participating in this study please contact Brenda Le at blle@shockers.wichita.edu or 316-519-2320. Should you have any questions or concerns, email Dr. Heidi Bell at heidi.bell@wichita.edu or call 316-978-5150.
2021 Hippodrome winners announced
The Hippodrome Video and Talent Competition was amazing! Thank you to all the students, staff and community members who made this competition a success.
After the Hippodrome video and talent showing, the Campus Traditions Committee announced the winners of the video and talent Competitions. The awards recognized the top videos and talents of the night.
- First place video competition winner: Gamma Phi Beta and Sigma Phi Epsilon
- First place talent competition winner: Ashlee Thao and Kourtnee Cude
For a list of all the winners, go to wichita.edu/hippodrome.
Faculty Senate meeting at 3:30 p.m. today
The Faculty Senate meeting will be held via Zoom at 3:30 p.m. today. The senators have been sent the meeting information. If you are interested in joining the meeting, please email Lee Ann Birdwell for the details.
WSU resources help students finish strong
As students are working on final assignments for the semester, it’s important to share information about free resources available to help them submit the best work they can. Resources like the Writing Center, Math Lab and Shocker Learning Center can offer assistance and tutoring as students work on final projects. Some quick tips for helping students finish successfully include visiting their instructors during student hours for clarification on class content, forming online or in-person study groups, and cleaning and organizing dedicated study spaces.
Heskett Center half-price membership
Spring half-price membership is here! General membership at the Heskett Center is now only $20. Membership is good through May 31 and it includes Shocker Fit Classes. If you have wanted to try F45, now is the time. Get your membership today.
For more information contact us at 316-978-3082.