THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019 • VOL. 123, ISS. 44
THESUNFLOWER.COM
WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1896.
Student Fees Committee prioritizes student organizations during deliberation meeting BY ANDREW LINNABARY
The Student Fees Committee prioritized student organizations over university departments during Monday’s deliberation meeting, including doubling The Sunflower’s budget to restore the paper to nearly pre-2017 funding levels. The committee settled on a 2.5 percent increase to Wichita State’s student fees budget. With that increase, the committee — which
has twice the student representation it did last year — was able to provide nearly full funding to all organizations’ requests. For a full-time student taking nine credit hours, student fees will go up $9.92 per semester with the current fee proposal, Vice President of Student Affairs Teri Hall said Tuesday morning over the phone. Student organizations such as the Mikrokosmos literary journal, the Baja Team SAE, and The
Sunflower — all organizations that have struggled to receive their requested funding in the past — were able to get full or nearly-full funding. “The big winner was The Sunflower,” Hall said. “For the two years prior, Sunflower funding was very contentious during that process, and it wasn’t yesterday.” When asked her perspective on why the committee made such a change from last year’s Sunflower allocation, which saw an initial
recommendation that the paper’s budget be cut in half, Hall said, “I’m not going to go down that hole,” but “there was support in that room for what The Sunflower does and is, and I think that showed in the vote.” Dan Arndt, an at-large committee member, vouched for The Sunflower before the vote on the allocation. “[The Sunflower] has had to cut to the bone, but they still can fill 8 pages,” Arndt said in
the meeting. “They deserve full funding.” Arndt is an editor of the Mikrokosmos literary journal, which received its full funding request. Most of the cuts made to balance the budget came from Student Affairs, which oversees a variety of areas on campus, in addition to cash sweeps from a handful of now-defunct budget items.
SEE STUDENT FEES PAGE 5
Victims Honored
Vigil memorializes victims of New Zealand mosque shooting
SUNFLOWER FILE PHOTO
Mike Pompeo meets with The Sunflower in November 2016. At the time, Pompeo, who is now U.S. Secretary of State, was a Kansas congressman.
Back in Kansas, Secretary Pompeo talks journalism, public-private partnerships with The Sunflower BY MATTHEW KELLY AND AUDREY KORTE
Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State and former Kansas congressman from Wichita, spoke with The Sunflower and several other student publications Monday — addressing public-private partnerships in higher education, immigration, and the role of student media in our democracy. Pompeo, who was in Overland Park for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit with the Dutch trade secretary, began the phone round table interview by recognizing the recent death of late Wichita State President John Bardo. “Please know Susan and I are thinking and praying for the Wichita State family and the family of Dr. Bardo, who passed,” Pompeo said. “We know the impact he had on the
university, and we know the university will continue the legacy that he had there and do great.” Bardo championed public-private partnerships and applied learning in higher education in an effort to make WSU the economic driver of the region. The Sunflower asked Pompeo about the merits of public-private partnerships and their place in public education. “I think there’s places that [private industry] already plays a tremendous role, so what is absolutely certain is that real opportunities for students — hands-on challenges for kids who are trying to learn — are incredibly important,” Pompeo said. “You’ve seen that there at Wichita State with Airbus there on campus on Innovation Campus.” SEE POMPEO PAGE 5
KHÁNH NGUYỄN/THE SUNFLOWER
The attack on New Zealand mosques killed 50 people and injured 50 more. Wichita State’s Muslimahs 4 Change and Muslim Student Association partnered to host a candlelight vigil Monday outside of the Grace Memorial Chapel to honor and pray for the victims, families, and loved ones affected by this tragedy.
Kansas Poet Laureate’s visit to Wichita State radiates love of homeland, jazz BY JOHN DARR
It’s 10:45 a.m. on a Wednesday, and the Poet Laureate of Kansas is playing drums in the Ulrich Museum. Poet Laureate Kevin Rabas, who’s toured 42 Kansas venues during his two-year tenure, will forever have music running through his veins. During his performances, he often brings along a band to back up his poetry. It’s only natural for a poet who, as a young jazz musician, would spend his days navigating Kansas City jam sessions to gain valuable experience playing with a host of talented performers. “I used to go to about six to eight a week,” Rabas says. “Sometimes two or three a night.” That’s especially noteworthy
when you consider that Jam sessions could run as long as twelve hours — sometimes going deep into the early hours of the morning. Here at the Ulrich, you can see the light in Rabas’ eyes as he sprinkles in musical anecdotes among his pieces. One such piece is “At the Jam,” which reflects on a time Rabas misheard a fellow musician at a jam session. “The thing I thought he was saying was ‘play out’ — play more vigorously, play louder, play more notes, when really he was saying ‘lay out’ — stop playing, you fool!” The humorous, jazzy edge runs through much of Rabas’ work. Almost as central to Rabas as a poet is the state of Kansas itself. “I was born in Kansas, lived in
Kans . . . I’m seventh-generation Kansan,” Rabas said. “It’s really a part of my life. I try to write about ordinary and extraordinary Kansans in my work.” It’s not just talk, either. Rabas gives back to the state through far more than just his words. He’s worked with “Bards Against Hunger” to use poetry to fuel food drives and helped lead “Letters to a Young Poet,” a project that put young poets in touch with established poets to share experience (the correspondence is currently being editing into an anthology). Now, Rabas stands ready to pass on the torch to the next Poet Laureate of Kansas, who will be inducted this May. SEE LAUREATE PAGE 5
JOHN DARR/THE SUNFLOWER
Kansas Poet Laureate Kevin Rabas reads his poetry at the Ulrich. His performance included jazz-infused poetry during which Rabas played percussive accompaniments to his writing.
INSIDE
GI BENEFITS SECURED
MR. 500
DOUBLE WALK-OFF
This musical theatre production is as sweet as springtime roses.
Student veterans are having better luck with their GI Bill benefits this semester.
WSU’s NIT victory over Furman gave Gregg Marshall his 500th career win.
Shocker baseball and softball both topped Kansas in walk-off fashion
CULTURE • PAGE 3
NEWS• PAGE 4
SPORTS• PAGE 6
SPORTS • PAGE 7
‘THEORY OF RELATIVITY’