SUN FLOWER
the
Shockers buy, donate shoes for a cause | PAGE 3
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016
VOLUME 120, ISSUE 58
THESUNFLOWER.COM
WSU series to be honored at National Audio Theatre Festival ALEX BULLOCK REPORTER @alexbullock_wsu
Since 2011, audio theatre has had little presence in America. What started as the nation’s most popular form of entertainment became almost a forgotten art. Today, most people rely heavily on picture and video to give them the experience they desire. Although, it seems we don’t hear much of radio dramas anymore, there are many people who still create gripping tales of all kinds, including some of Wichita State’s very own. This summer, WSU’s Stagestruck Audio Theatre, has been accepted into the National Audio Theatre Bret Jones Festival for its show “Academia Nutz.” The festival will be held in Kansas City June 9 through 12. Five years ago, Bret Jones, WSU theatre program director, formed Stagestruck Audio Theatre at WSU because many students were interested in that type of work. “It gives students the opportunity to explore different ways to use their talents,” he said. Jones, who coordinates all the music, sound effects and mixing, leads Stagestruck. Students give voices to the characters of the shows. “‘Academia Nutz’ follows the antics of two professors and the funny situations they get themselves into,” Jones said. Stagestruck just released its seventh episode of “Academia Nutz.” Each episode lasts about 30 minutes. Jones and some students have been working on this particular show for a couple years. Along with “Academia Nutz,” Stagestruck has many other shows of different genres. They have done horror, science fiction, detective series and many others. Another popular show is “Sidekicks,” which parodies the life of being a superhero sidekick. It has eight episodes and that took more than two years to create. During the summer festival, “Academia Nutz” will be shared with a larger audience made up of people and students who also craft this type of art. “The audience will be able to relate to it because it lampoons university life,” Jones said. Students record all of the shows in a studio and Jones mixes them at a different time. After that, Jones posts them to the group’s podcast website. Jones is hoping to have a live show for the group in the future. When Jones was at the University of Oklahoma, he was able to perform live shows for audiences. “The audience really gets a kick out of it and has fun with it,” Jones said. “Live performances are definitely on the list of things to do one day.” Find the podcast at stagestruckaudiotheatre.podomatic.com.
Photo by Joshua Duncan
Students prepare dishes from all over the globe for the annual Interfest celebration. Interfest allows attendees to experience cuisines from different parts of the world, including from Paraguay, the Netherlands, the Middle East and other parts of Asia.
Food festival draws diverse crowd CHANCE SWAIM REPORTER @chanceswaim
Students gathered en masse Tuesday on the lawn between the Rhatigan Student Center and Neff Hall to get a taste of something different. “The food on campus gets boring this time of year,” said Annie Woods, a Wichita State graduate student. “You get tired of rotating between Chik-fil-A and Shocker Hall, and you just want a change of pace.” This spring’s InterFest brought food from 15 countries to Wichita State — the “change of pace” many students had been looking for. “If they had this, like, once a week, I would be much happier,” Woods said. About 500 people, including students, faculty and community members, attended the International Food festival Tuesday at the Neff Hall Courtyard. Food served from tent-shaded tables steamed and sizzled, and music drew students to the courtyard. Foods native to Paraguay, the Netherlands, the Middle East and Asia were served all afternoon, but the doner from Turkey stole the show. “The Turkish students have been the most popular with their doner and have been the star attraction,” said Alan Dsouza, advisor for the International Student Union. Doner is a meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie and served on pita, similar to a sandwich, with vegetables. Each semester ISU organizes the food festival, better known as “Interfest,” to provide a platform for cultural sharing
“You get tired of rotating between Chick-fil-A and Shocker Hall, and you just want a change of pace ... I love the tea. The bobba pop in your mouth when you chew them and it’s just good.” ANNIE WOODS
WSU graduate student
and raise funds for student organizations. “Every Interfest is unique,” Dsouza said. “[This year] the highlight was that an instructor of Spanish, Laia Dietz from Mead (Middle) School, brought 35 students and four adults to the events from the community.” Beyond offering enjoyable food, the student groups did well raising funds, Dsouza said. “Each table raised different levels of funds, ranging from $50 to several hundred for some tables,” Dsouza said. The festival also had a DJ, who played both western pop music and international music. To start the festival, the line to get food was continuous for more than an hour, a constant wave of students filling their plates, exchanging $1 to $3 tickets for food from around the world. Among beverages, thai tea with bobba was most popular. “I love the tea,” said Annie Woods, a graduate student. “The bobba pop in your mouth when you chew them and it’s just good. “I like that the food is cheap and you get to eat something new — something outside of Shocker Hall or RSC and the weather was really nice. It was a really good surprise between classes.”
Photos by Joshua Duncan
Students prepare different foods from all over the world for InterFest on Tuesday. Meals cost between $1 and $3, and funds went toward organizations within the International Student Union.
Designer creating electronic recognition wall for Rhatigan ALEX BULLOCK REPORTER @alexbullock_wsu
Over the years, Wichita State has seen many influential students who have made a difference in the community and beyond since its founding in 1895. The student recognition wall was an essential piece in the student center for many years, but
since the renovation of the Rhatigan Student Center, the wall has been nonexistent. Today, a new and improved student recognition wall is in the works and is scheduled to be active by this fall. “Basically the wall is meant to recognize SGA officials, honors seniors and men and women of the year,” Brian Weins, lead project designer, said.
The new wall will be located near the east entrance of the student center, near the atrium and is going to be a digital display with a touch screen monitor. “Students will be able to look up family members, friends and other people,” Weins said. As of now, the wall is mainly directed toward honoring prominent students at WSU through the years, but Weins and
his team have bigger plans. Eventually, they want every year of the Parnassus — the university yearbook — to be added to the wall. The yearbook was published from 1902 through the mid-1980s, discontinued and published one year in the 1990s before being discontinued again. “We are going through all the old yearbooks and documents to find people and good pictures to
go along with it,” Weins said. Weins said he wants the wall to sit on a platform where new members, awards and other categories can be added and seen by anyone interested. “What’s really cool about it is that a student from 1950 will be able to come to WSU and look themselves up,” Weins said. “They will have a lasting legacy at Wichita State.”