THE SUNFLOWER
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2015
VOLUME 119 ISSUE 63
Diversity Issue The
Percentage of first-generation graduate students
100
Gender-ratio in graduate students (2014)
90
90
80
80
70
70 Male 49.07%
60 50
Female 50.93%
60 50
40
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
0
2000
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
0
2014
Percentage of first-generation undergraduate students
Gender-ratio in undergraduate students (2014)
100
100
90
90
80
80
70
70
60
Male 48.12%
50
Female 51.88%
40 30
20
20
10
10 2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
0
2014
First generation students are unique in their families. Their parents did not attend college, making them the first in their families to attend a university. The percentage of first generation students in graduate and undergraduate programs has steadily increased since 2008.
Although the numbers are almost even, slightly more women are enrolled than men in both graduate and undergraduate levels.
1990
2000
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2013
2014
Percentage of races in undergraduate students
50
40
2000
1980
60
30
0
Percentage of races in graduate students
100
1980
1990
2000
2008
White (Non-Hispanic) Asian (Non-Hispanic) Multiple Races
2009
2010
Black (Non-Hispanic) Indian (Alk. Nat.) Not Reported
2011
2012
Hispanic Hawaiian International
Infograph by Tarun Bali
Welcome to the Diversity Issue We all have our own unique backgrounds. Some of us were born into a family with an enormous amount of wealth. Others did not have such luck. Some families have lived in the United States for genera-
tions, while others have only recently moved to this country. The status quo in terms of gender and sexuality is not as black and white as it was in the 20th century. Same-sex marriage is now legal in a majority of the states, something that was
not even the case 10 years ago. All of this is true, especially on a college campus such as Wichita State. As seen in some of the graphs above, the university has changed in the last 30 years. More and more diverse racial
groups are pursuing graduate degrees, for instance. With all of that in mind, the Sunflower created this new special issue for February, the Diversity Issue. Diversity is inevitable at an institution the size of WSU. We
hope we are able to tell the stories of some of those people and to show readers how diverse this campus truly is. We hope you enjoy this new special issue from the Sunflower. —TJ Rigg, Editor-in-Chief
Grace Memorial Chapel to see some changes By Rahim Thompson STAFF REPORTER @RahimLegend
The Christian-based Grace Memorial Chapel on the Wichita State campus will undergo significant change, if student body president Matt Conklin has anything to say about it. The entrance of the chapel resembles a traditional Christian church. Upon walking in, there are several rows of pews and crystal lighting hanging above. The floors are concrete. Its layout is something Conklin — Student Body President — said he thinks is problematic for those who want the chapel to be “interfaith.” “You get a Christian vibe from the setting, and that wasn’t the church’s original purpose,” Conklin said. “We want to remove some of those pews and create open areas and more of a welcoming environment for other religions. I also want to get the floor carpeted so other religions can pray, meditate and practice their faith comfortably.” The chapel was built in 1965 with the intent of being open to students of all religious and spiritual beliefs. Fifty years later, the chapel has since lost its essence and become predominately Christian-based. With diversity increasing and the international population growing steadily at WSU, making up more than 12 percent of the student body, Conklin has decided now is the time to get the chapel back to its foundation. Conklin and SGA have issued a proposal to remodel it into an Interfaith Prayer Space. Last year, there was an effort made to launch this project, but there was no sense of urgency until Conklin was elected president for 2014-15. Conklin said he thinks working on a
“My big vision would be: ‘WSU is known as an accepting university and that it accepts different cultures and celebrates its diversity.’” — Matt Conklin,
Student Body President
Photo by Kevin Brown
One of the proposed changes to the Grace Memorial Chapel is the removal of pews, to be replaced with carpet, allowing for more room for universal practices.
cause like renovating the chapel is everything SGA wants to stand for. “Student Government values diversity because it’s supposed to be a representation of the entire student population,” Conklin said. “This is the most diverse campus and university in the state of Kansas, (and) being such, our student body should represent that diversity.”
Conklin said an aspect of that diversity is the religions represented on campus. “The idea behind this project is to create a faith-neutral flexible environment to all religions,” he said. “We want students on campus to feel like they can practice their religions in the chapel like it was originally intended.” Conklin said the central pillar
of his campaign last spring was the idea of advocacy for students of all backgrounds. Realizing the ever-growing population on campus, and not knowing if students were comfortable practicing their faith on campus, Conklin said he was urged to look into the issues with the chapel to see if he could help. Conklin said he and SGA have been in talks with key offices on
campus. Involved in those talks were the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Physical Plant and the Finance office. Conklin said it would cost an estimated $4,400 for the renovations. He also said he plants to work with ODI to help get the word out to students that the chapel will be open to all faiths. See CHAPEL on page 3