the
SUN FLOWER
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2015
VOLUME 120, ISSUE 4
Lords and Ladys salon serving the campus for more than 20 years | PAGE 5
THESUNFLOWER.COM
Vigil held for four killed near campus CHANCE SWAIM
REPORTER
@chanceswaim
Status of the suspects On Aug. 14 — five days after they were taken into custody — the two suspects were both released without prejudice from the charges of first-degree murder, but the two remain in custody at the Sedgwick County Jail, said Dan Dillon, a spokesman with the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s office. Copridge is being held on a parole violation and Fingal for a probation violation. Copridge was already under parole supervision by the Kansas Department of Corrections before the homicide, said Adam Pfannelstiel, a spokesman with KDOC.
Nearly 50 people gathered around lit candles Sunday night to remember four people who recently died in the surrounding areas of Wichita State. Each of them died as a result of gun violence. The vigil took place on the southwest corner of 21st and Hillside, across the street from Fairmount Towers, where earlier this month, engineering student Rayan Ibrahim Baba was found on the ground next to a vehicle in the parking lot and later died from gunshot wounds, police said at the time. The Wichita Coalition Against Gun Violence, which hosted the vigil, aims to reduce gun violence in Wichita and statewide through education, legislation and legal and social action. “We want to, are trying to, and need to — in the long-term — break the cycle of violence in Wichita, and nationwide,” said Mike Poage, co-chairman of the coalition and an English instructor at Wichita State. The coalition began in response to a church shooting earlier this summer in Charleston, South Carolina. “Now, with the recent shootings in Wichita and the way the legislature has been handling gun laws in Kansas, we need changes more than ever.” Vietta Sanders, a graduate student studying social work at WSU, said putting a stop to gun violence takes more than just one person. “It’s community,” she said, “not just the Wichita State community or the black community or the white community. It takes everybody. We need to come together to stop this. We need to break down our neighborly walls and work together. We need to talk.”
SEE FORUM • PAGE 4
SEE VIGIL • PAGE 4
Photo by Kevin Brown
Ted Ayres, who is leading an effort to improve the quality of life in neighborhoods surrounding Wichita State, speaks to an audience of about 60 people Wednesday during a public safety forum. Students, faculty and staff shared their concerns for campus safety in light of four recent homicides on or near campus.
Forum follows recent homicides CHANCE SWAIM
REPORTER
@chanceswaim
University and community leaders gathered Wednesday at the CAC Theatre for a discussion on ways to improve campus safety in light of a recent homicide at Fairmount Towers, and three others in the neighborhoods surrounding campus. The forum was a continuation of the discussion that started last fall after a woman was killed in Fairmount Park, just south of campus, in November. Nearly 60 students, faculty, staff and community members were in attended the vigil Wednesday. Some of the speakers included Chief of University Police Sara Morris, Student Body President Joseph Shepard, Ted Ayres, who is leading the Enough is Enough task force, and Athletic Director Eric Sexton — who is now vice
president of Student Affairs. Speakers offered solutions to safety concerns such as traveling in groups after night classes and possibly adding lighting around campus. Fairmount Towers homicide In the early morning hours of Aug. 8, Wichita Police responded to calls about a man lying in the parking lot of Fairmount Towers, which is located on the northwest corner of 21st and Hillside. Upon arrival, police found Wichita State electrical engineering student Rayan Ibrahim Baba with multiple gunshot wounds. He later died as a result of his wounds. The next day, two arrests were made in connection with the shooting. According to Sedgwick County arrest reports, Isaiah Copridge, 23, and Eboni Fingal, 19, were both arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder.
The two suspects were acquaintances of Baba’s and they were not students at Wichita State, said Lou Heldman, vice president of Strategic Communications at WSU.
INSIDE: Photo gallery of a vigil honoring recent gun violence victims; learn more about counseling resources
Wichita public Sunflower spotlight transit system adds bus stops to campus Associate director of Communication Upward Bound speaks at Gordon Parks tribute luncheon
TJ RIGG
CHELSEA MOORE
REPORTER
@CHELSLALAMOORE
In some parts of the country, riding the bus or walking to school isn’t an option — it’s a necessity. Steve Spade, director of Wichita Transit, said people don’t ride the bus in Wichita for congestion; they ride it for other reasons. Those reasons can vary from the lack of options, an intentional decision to be green or for economic reasons. Wichita State students, faculty and staff now have the ability to park off campus and utilize the Shuttle buses. This makes parking easier, and can enhance some students’ abilities to operate without a vehicle. Another service available to students, faculty and staff — as well as “general” citizens of
Wichita — is the Wichita Transit system. With the addition of the shuttle system to the WSU campus, Wichita Transit has been able to maneuver city buses onto campus. City buses make regular stops at each of the shuttle bus stops. From here, the bus will travel (depending on the time of day, and which bus you embark) either east on 21st Street or west on 17th Street. “One of the big demands is the need for night service,” Spade said. “We haven’t been able to implement it (yet).” Spade said the city is currently restructuring the bus system in hopes to add an additional bus route. What now services the university students (bus line 3, “E 17th”) will become the “University Route.”
SEE BUS STOP • PAGE 2
REPORTER
@tj_rigg
To put it simply, Wilma Moore-Black loves the art of storytelling. Her career has included several jobs in various areas of journalism and education, such as the Wichita Eagle, KAKE-TV and Wichita Public Schools. Earlier this month, MooreBlack was invited to speak at a Gordon Parks tribute luncheon during the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Minneapolis, Minn. She is the associate director of Communication Upward Bound at Wichita State, a program that offers youth in Wichita an opportunity to work on their communication skills and learn how to work with and write for media outlets. Parks was a Kansas native, who became known as a photographer, composer, poet
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Photo by Kevin Brown
Communication Upward Bound director Wilma Black charts weekly activities in her office Tuesday. She recently spoke at national luncheon.
and filmmaker. Since the convention was held in Minneapolis — Parks’ home for many years — Moore-Black said Parks’ family wanted to hold a luncheon as a tribute.
It was on the recommendation of David Parks, Gordon’s son, that Moore-Black was able to speak at the luncheon.
SEE TRIBUTE • PAGE 2
VISIT The Sunflower’s booth during Welcomefest for contest details: • August 17 (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) • August 20 (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) • August 24 (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) • August 27 (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) The Sunflower’s booth is located in the Rhatigan Student Center across from Chick-fil-a. Contest details will be presented. Winners will be announced on September 4 on Facebook (facebook.com/sunflowerwsu).