The Sunflower Graduation Issue 2020

GRADUATION ISSUE VOL. 124 I.48 FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

2020 GRADUATION IN ISOLATION

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COVID-19 in Wichita MARCH 7 Kansas’s first case of COVID-19 reported in Johnson County. A week later, community spread was confirmed in the county.

MARCH 12 Wichita State announces classes will move online for two weeks after spring break

MARCH 12 American Athletic Conference cancels men’s basketball tournament in Ft. Worth, Texas

SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER

MARCH 16 WSU announces classes will not be held on-campus for the remainder of the school year SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER

MARCH 19 The first case of COVID-19 is reported in a Sedgwick County resident

MARCH 24 Sedgwick County health director signs stay-at-home order

MARCH 27 Community spread of virus confirmed in Sedgwick County

MARCH 28 Gov. Laura Kelly issues stay-athome order. Kelly later extended the order until May 4 COURTESY

MARCH 30 First COVID-19-related death reported in Sedgwick County

APRIL 7 Hiring freeze for the university announced to mitigate spending during the COVID-19 shutdown

APRIL 16 Wichita State announces credit/no credit option for spring semester classes

MAY 4 Gov. Kelly begins phased reopening of state COURTESY

MAY 16 Virtual commencement for Wichita State’s Class of 2020 FERNANDO SALAZAR/WICHITA JOURNALISM COLLABORATIVE

MAY 18 The earliest date that the state of Kansas can move into phase two of reopening, which opens up gyms, barbers, and salons, and loosens some social gathering restrictions

MAY 26 WSU will begin a phased reopening of campus

SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER

The Sunflower, founded in 1896, is the student-run newspaper covering Wichita State University. The print edition is published Monday and Thursday during the fall and spring semesters and twice over the summer. The staff publishes daily online at www.thesunflower.com.

MISSION The Sunflower — both in print and online — will be a timely resource of information about the Wichita State University community. It will report on news, issues, activities, academics and athletics, in addition to offering a forum for discussion, reviews and commentary. It will also be an effective learning experience for students, who will have the final authority over what is published.

Meet the Staff EDITOR IN CHIEF Kylie Cameron

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MANAGING EDITOR Matthew Kelly

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LEGAL One free copy of The Sunflower is available to members of the WSU community. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 in the newsroom, Elliott Hall 019. The Sunflower is private property and unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable. The Sunflower is funded by a combination of print and online advertisment sales and student fees allocated by the Student Government Association.

The opinions expressed in The Sunflower editorials, columns, guest columns, reviews, advertisements, letters and editorial cartoons are not necessarily those of the staff, publications board, student body or the university.

The Sunflower is a member of Kansas Collegiate Media, the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Association.

Copyright © 2019 The Sunflower. This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted.

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STAFF Daniel Caudill Olivia Eubank Hannah Ezell Austin Farber Selena Favela Brogan Gillmore Miguel Gomez Kamilah Gumbs Hollis Hagenbuch Blake Kenneson Audrey Korte Reid Kurkerewicz David Leon Sean Marty Austin May Noah Merrell Austin Shaw Katie Smith Lindsay Smith Tajahnae Stocker Makayla Young

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Nursing students face uncertainty, call to duty as they enter field during COVID-19

BY LINDSAY SMITH

In the midst of a global pandemic and a recession, college graduates are scrambling for jobs. As they prepare to enter the workforce, graduating nursing students have a number of pressing questions.

How many nurses do hospitals need? Are new graduates prepared to hit the ground running?

Mitchell Farmer and Jennifer Tozier are two of the many senior nursing students left asking these questions, among others.

Farmer is optimistic that employers will be excited to hire new graduates.

“The word is that employers are very eager to bring on new nurses still,” he said. “This is a great environment to learn as a novice nurse. That’s the word we’re getting that employers are just as eager to get us working and contribute to the pandemic.”

Farmer, who currently works at St. Francis Hospital, is lined up to continue working there as a registered nurse after graduation.

“I definitely think Wichita State has prepared us very well,” Farmer said. “They tell us that you’re not an experienced nurse until three years into your career. Nursing school doesn’t teach you how to be a great nurse — they teach you how to keep patients safe and evidence-based practice. But becoming good at skills just takes time.”

Farmer said COVID-19 will ultimately bring out the best in nursing professionals.

“With the pandemic and everything going on, I definitely think there’s a healthy amount of fear and intimidation that goes along with that,” Farmer said. “But I think in the long run, it’s going to make nurses really hone in on their skills . . . doing what they can to keep patients safe. It’s just going to put an emphasis on that.”

Tozier said going into the nursing field during a pandemic is daunting, especially when it comes to the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).

“When you’re going into a job

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that does already expose you to different things and there’s a shortage of the things that will protect you, it does create some fear,” Tozier said. “Am I going to be able to do my job and keep myself safe at the same time?”

The nursing capstone is a fiveweek period during which students are assigned to a location for firsthand experience. As with all other coursework, the capstone had to be converted to a remote format.

“We’re doing a virtual replacement for that,” Tozier said. “We’re still getting that critical thinking nursing judgement practice, which is great, but to miss that hands-on portion . . . was very frustrating.”

But that hands-on experience will come, she said.

“As nice as it would have been to get that practice, you know, we’ll get practice when we get our jobs,” Tozier said.

She said that because of the pandemic, many students are having to reevaluate what direction they need to go after graduation.

“It’s definitely one of those things that are up in the air because everything is changing,” Tozier said.

“There might not be as many openings in other spots of nursing whereas the ICU is in need of more people. It’s kind of changing some of our minds on [what route to take].”

Tozier is interested in women’s health, but in the end, she said she wants to serve wherever she’s most needed.

“Our job is to serve the people who need us, and in the end, that’s what we’ll do,” she said.

Tozier said nurses play an even more critical role now that hospitals aren’t allowing guests in to visit patients.

“It just puts so much emphasis on that nursing role — to understand that this patient does not get to have their people with them,” she said. “You are the one person who gets to be with that patient. [You have to] make sure you are, you know, attentive and listen and speak to them and show them you care.

“You have to treat people with love and not just your nursing care.”

Seniors planning their own in-person graduation ceremonies, celebrations

BY LINDSAY SMITH

Senior Austin Nordyke was heading to his hometown for a three-day weekend when Wichita State announced that in-person classes were canceled for the rest of the semester.

“It really felt like . . . my senior year is, like, over kind of. I realize it’s not that way, but it felt that way,” Nordyke said.

“Everything kind of felt like it was coming to a halt basically. It was wild.”

His three-day weekend has turned into over a month at home.

Nordyke decided commencement being moved online wouldn’t stop him and his friends from celebrating their college graduation.

“One of my roommates said something like, ‘Well, what if they cancel graduation?’ and I’m like, ‘If they cancel graduation, we’re having our own graduation here.’” Nordyke said. “We’ll get some chairs in the backyard, we can make fake diplomas and hand them out, we can have a party all day long.

“We can’t let this get us down.

We have to have fun with it still.”

Nordyke and his roommates put their heads together and gave everyone a role in their commencement ceremony. One friend who “knows everyone and can read everyone’s names” will hand out diplomas. Nordyke’s advisor is set to deliver a commencement speech.

While Nordyke acknowledged that the situation isn’t ideal, he said he’s enjoyed seeing other people around him embrace the opportunity to celebrate in their own unique ways.

“I’ve talked to one of my friends

COURTESY OF AUSTIN NORDYKE Senior Austin Nordyke is planning his own in-person graduation ceremony with his roommates because WSU’s ceremony was moved online.

earlier . . . and she was like, ‘My friend’s mom was going to have us wear black trash bags and give us fake diplomas,’” Nordyke said.

“Yes, I think that there is that idea of disbelief.

“But the creativity that’s come out of this and people being able to do different things has been really neat and exciting.”

WSU will hold a virtual commencement ceremony on

May 16 and an in-person event for graduates in October. While Nordyke is planning his own celebration, he said he’s pleased with WSU’s decision to accommodate students.

“Obviously, I would love to be able to graduate in May still and walk like normal, but . . . to be able to do something virtually is really great,” he said.

Virtual commencement information DATE: Saturaday, May 16, 9 a.m.

A link to the virtual celebration will be posted at the time of the event and saved online to be viewed later.

SPEAKERS: The virtual commencement will feature pre-recorded remarks from the

University President Jay Golden, Provost Rick Muma, deans and the WSU Alumni Association.

The virtual event will also feature personalized slides for each graduate that signed up before the May 1 deadline.

IN-PERSON: An in-person

commencement for May 2020 graduates will be held on Saturday, Oct 10 at 2:30 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena pending any regulations on social gatherings.

If gradutes are unable to attend the virtual and October ceremony, they can also attend the fall 2020 ceremony.

‘The way you’ve imagined it — it’s just not going to end like that’

Class of 2020 prepares for an uncertain future

BY MATTHEW KELLY

Graduating college means embracing a level of uncertainty, but with the economy in recession and the workforce reeling from a global pandemic, the path forward seems uniquely daunting for class of 2020 graduates.

Many students set to graduate this month without the pomp and circumstance of a traditional commencement ceremony will be confronted by both weakened job prospects and looming student debt obligations.

Xan Mattek, a Wichita State musical theatre major, planned to move to New York City for the summer to try out living in the big city. COVID-19 put that dream on hold indefinitely.

“I don’t know when it will be safe to move into these cities where the job market is way better than Wichita,” Mattek said.

There’s a good chance the summer stock theatres she auditioned for won’t even be operational this summer.

“There are a lot of performers and like, artists and creative people that are going to be out of jobs for the foreseeable future — unforeseeable future actually — because we just don’t know when things are going to be open again,” Mattek said.

Meanwhile, she’s out of a serving job at Red Rock Canyon Grill, and with student productions canceled for the rest of the semester, she has no playbills to design as student assistant for the

School of Performing Arts.

“Like three-fourths of my job was just totally — I can’t do it anymore,” Mattek said.

Human resources management senior Elle Kabler works part-time as a talent acquisition coordinator for Heartland Coca-Cola. She said she feels blessed to have kept her job when so many people have been laid off, but it’s not the fulltime position she envisioned having after graduation.

“Being a senior right now, I’m kind of looking for those opportunities and looking at full-time employment and seeing, well, ‘In May, where do I want to be?’ Is that remote? Is that relocating? Is that where I am now?” Kabler said.

“Do I apply for other jobs? Not because I don’t feel secure in my job but because when I have an undergrad degree, I’d like a fulltime position.”

Whereas many companies are laying off employees, Kabler said Coke is actually taking on more.

As a talent acquisition coordinator, she gets to see first-hand how many laid-off workers are looking for new positions.

“It’s definitely from a recruiting standpoint, interesting to see that, and then it also makes me anxious because you’re definitely entering into a very uncertain job market,” Kabler said.

Jeremy Hill, director of WSU’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research, said workers without college degrees will be

most impacted by the recession.

“The jobs today that are least impacted tend to move up on the education scale,” Hill said.

“The more education you have, the more likely you can work from home.”

People are filling jobs that are critical, and jobs that are critical are probably not entry-level jobs, right? Entrylevel jobs are frozen, so the recent graduates should be worried about that aspect.” ­—Jeremy Hill, director of WSU’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research

He said jobs in data analytics and technology are in high demand right now. But the positions new graduates would usually apply for may not be available for some time.

“People are filling jobs that are critical, and jobs that are critical are probably not entry-level jobs, right?”

Hill said. “Entry-level jobs are frozen, so the recent graduates should be worried about that aspect.”

His advice for new graduates is to find ways to build their human capital.

“Getting experience during this time is important, or more education is important, because the jobs have been put on hold right now,” Hill said.

“Build your skills. Build the

human capital — more education or build experience.”

Political science senior Jackson Wingert was already planning on attending law school next year. This semester, he’s interning as a legislative intern for U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids in Washington D.C. “I’m definitely enjoying it, and it was great for two months,” Wingert said. “It’s still great. It’s just a very different type of great.

“We kind of transitioned to a remote workplace pretty easily.”

He said he feels lucky to stick it out in D.C. and finish his internship while responses to his law school applications trickle in. Some schools have been much more responsive to applicants than others in these uncertain times, he said.

“That kind of helps color a lot of my decisions — who’s been proactive about it? Who’s been responsive to it? Who’s still concerned?”

Wingert said.

He said he’s grateful that his postgrad plans haven’t been derailed by the pandemic.

“If I was trying to take a gap year or if I was trying to like, find a job or work for experience and then go to grad school later, this would be weighing on me a little more heavily,” Wingert said. “I kind of already understand what I’m doing, and as I see it, it’s not affecting it as majorly as it’s affecting some other people and their career aspirations.”

Hill said recessions are usually cyclical — people get laid off and eventually rehired. But some

jobs don’t come back. That was the case a decade ago during the Great Recession.

“The [jobs] we did lose were no technology or low-technology,” Hill said.

“There was a lack of innovation during the 2007-2008 recession. We just didn’t really come out with a lot of new ideas.”

He said new graduates have a window of opportunity to generate new ideas and products that can solve immediate problems society is grappling with.

“If you make a risk now of creating a new business right now to solve whatever problem that’s in front of them, that will change the trajectory,” Hill said. “We’ve had such a disruption from coronavirus.

The global market, the Kansas market, here, Wichita — are all looking for new innovations to make working from home easier down the road, because we’re going to work from home more. We need those innovations today.”

But the class of 2020 still has to come to terms with an unceremonious transition from schooling into whatever comes next.

“The way that you thought your schooling was going to end for like, your whole life — the way you’ve imagined it — it’s just not going to end like that,” Mattek said.

“My classes at WSU prepared me very well for the real world — going into a world that was going to accept me, and I was ready to accept it. And now it’s just not. It’s not quite ready.”

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Wichita, the aviation industry, and COVID-19 These stories are part of a series from WSU’s Advanced News Reporting class. These stories were published in late April and may not include the most recent layoffs from Boeing, Spirit and other aviation companies.

Air Capital enthusiasts believe in resilience of aviation industry

BY KAISHA BATMAN

One minute, the aviation industry is soaring high over the clouds, and the next, it’s in a nosedive. The turbulence in the industry, however, has yet to impact the bigger picture.

In spite of the recent layoffs at Spirit AeroSystems due to the failure of the Boeing 737 Max and the COVID-19 pandemic, industry devotees have faith in a brighter future. Wichita State is helping create that future.

WSU is no novice when it comes to the world of aviation. Following the emergence of aviation in Wichita, WSU founded the department of aeronautical engineering in 1928, later changing its name to the department of aerospace engineering in 1988.

The program is the seventh oldest in the nation.

Professor and Chair of the Aerospace MILLER Engineering Department Leonard Scott Miller believes the heritage of the program is an immense draw for prospective students.

“The program started back when astronautics and rocketry were still sort of science fiction,” Miller said mid-February. “What’s pretty cool is that four years after the program started, one of our first graduates was Dwane Wallace, who was the nephew of Clyde Cessna. Later on, Dwane became president of Cessna Aircraft Company.”

As a cooperative education program, WSU’s aerospace engineering program offers partnerships and co-ops with major aircraft enterprises such as Boeing, Cessna

Aircraft Company, Learjet, Airbus, NASA, and Spirit AeroSystems.

Junior aerospace engineering student Linda Harl said the program has been quite beneficial for her.

“The opportunities available to me would not have been possible without this program,” Harl said.

“In addition to an undergraduate research position as a NASA Jumpstart student, the aerospace department has done everything in their power to ensure my success by facilitating interactions with faculty and staff.”

Harl said the program has prepared her for success outside of the classroom.

“The department emphasizes an industry-ready mindset by physically communicating with campus partners — a mindset that is truly unparalleled,” she said. “I can see the effects of this mindset even now as I attend career fairs, as I am no longer just talking about my classwork but speaking about projects and experience that pertain to my field of interest.”

Former WSU student and current Spirit AeroSystems employee Elisa Acosta said her time in the program helped her get her dream job.

Acosta graduated from the university in 2015 with a degree in aerospace engineering and a minor in mathematics.

“WSU’s aerospace program was and still is a top-tier program,” Acosta said. “The program allowed students to use labs, wind tunnels, and to be hands-on throughout courses. I even got to take a senior design class where I was able to design, build, and fly a small-scale airplane. A lot of students don’t get that experience. Most schools don’t have that benefit.”

Read the rest of this story, and others, at thesunflower.com.

Wichita economy braced to ride out turbulent times

BY BROGAN GILLMORE

Production halts have turned to layoffs, and pandemics have turned to furloughs in the aviation industry. These turbulent times spell bad news for Wichita’s economy.

Because of this volatility, some city leaders have called for the Air Capital to diversify economically.

Not everyone agrees.

“I really don't like that comment because it discounts understanding of how deep a market is,” said Jeremy HILL Hill, director of Wichita State’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR).

“Aerospace, the whole supply chain, the infrastructure of roads and railroads, and power and labor force and all the time it takes to train to be in this skill set.”

Wichita’s aviation industry is made up of Spirit AeroSystems, the largest employer in Wichita, as well as Textron Aviation, Bombardier, Airbus, the National Institute for Aviation Research, and a multitude of smaller companies that act as a supply chain for the larger ones.

Data from CEDBR determined that in 2018, 9.7% of employed workers in Wichita were in the aviation industry.

Hill said that although much of the Wichita economy is tied to aviation, those ties support the city’s economy.

Three months ago, 2,800 employees were laid off from Spirit following the crash of two Boeing 737 MAX airliners, which killed 346 people. The plane was subsequently grounded.

The issues facing the 737 MAX stemmed from a software problem with the new maneuvering characteristic augmentation system

(MCAS), which Boeing addressed after Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea in October 2018.

However, the MCAS was only the tip of the iceberg for Boeing and its newest 737. The Seattle Times reported in late March that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had been delegating much of the safety oversight to Boeing itself.

The New York Times reported in January that there were some wiring issues that could cause a shortage and make plane engines that were vulnerable to lightning strikes.

On March 13, 2019, three days after Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed and nearly five months after the Lion Air crash, the FAA grounded the Boeing 737 Max. Before the grounding, Boeing had already taken orders for more than 5,000 of the model.

In January, Boeing decided to halt production entirely for the 737 MAX until all the issues were resolved. As one of Boeing’s largest suppliers, Spirit produced more than 70% of the grounded airliner, which also accounted for more than half of the Wichita company’s revenue.

The production halt led to Spirit laying off 2,800 of its employees, including 2,500 in Wichita.

In the aftermath of Spirit’s mass layoff, businesses and organizations tried to accommodate the recently unemployed, including WSUTech, which created a $10,000 fund to help retain affected Spirit employees. Wichita’s largest employer had even announced restarting production — albeit at a greatly reduced rate — on the 737 Max, but how that would have affected those laid off remains uncertain.

By April, the world was dealing with a pandemic and the economy was in recession.

Read the rest of this story, and others, at thesunflower.com.

Wichita’s aviation history is rich, but the industry faces unprecedented challenges

BY MATTHEW GOLDSMITH

that William Lassen remarked, “She flies like a swallow, boys,” while observing the Laird Airplane Company’s first test flight of the Wichita Tractor, the group’s first airplane. The plane became known as the Laird Swallow from that point on.

In the late 1920s, Wichita had four aircraft companies — Swallow, Travel Air, Cessna, and Stearman. By 1928, the combined output of all four companies exceeded the aircraft production of any other city in the United States.

Every year, the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce awarded the title “air capital city” to the city producing the most airplanes. In 1928, Wichita earned the honor. From then on, Wichita began promoting itself as “the Air Capital of the World.”

Wichita would dominate the

As the Air Capital of the World, Wichita has a long and storied history with aviation.

Because aviation is a cyclical industry prone to highs and lows over time, Wichita has had to navigate its economic peaks and valleys.

A significant low arrived in 2020, with COVID-19 shutting down large portions of the world, which came on top of layoffs due to the halt in production of the Boeing 737.

Since the outbreak, Textron Aviation has furloughed roughly 7,000 employees and instituted shortened work weeks for some employees. According to The Wichita Eagle, Spirit AeroSystems has also endured massive furloughs, putting thousands of aircraft employees out of work.

The International Air Transport Association revealed on April 14 that it anticipates a $314 billion revenue hit in 2020, mostly from We were really used to that passenger revenue losses. sense of a cycle, and when Jay Price, chair of the Wichita the recent layoffs happened, State History Department, said it’s like, ‘Oh, wait a minute. he fully anticipates COVID-19 This isn’t the cycle.” having a lasting impact on the ­—Jay Price, chair of the Wichita State History aviation industry.

Department and Kansas historian “This is going to change everything in terms of how people are traveling,” Price said weeks award in the following years. before Textron furloughed their Aircraft companies enjoyed employees. a boom during World War II as He said commercial aviation thousands of aircraft workers will be hit the hardest. found jobs in Kansas, mostly in “That’s going to be taking the Wichita. humongous hit,” Price said.

During the war, Boeing built Throughout the history of B-29 bombers. Beech and Cessna aviation in Wichita, there is really also built military aircraft, and no comparison to COVID-19. many companies worked together Wichita’s rich aviation history to build gliders. dates back to the 1910s. According Wichita’s contributions to to Richard Harris, an aviation inthe war effort were significant. dustry analyst and historian, the According to Harris, Wichita early stages of Wichita’s aviation produced one out of every 11 U.S. history can be tied to ballooning. military planes, absorbing workers The Wichita Aero Club was from throughout Kansas and founded in 1915 and took the surrounding states, and nearly initiative to sponsor a balloon doubling the city’s population. race in the fall of that year.

This created one of the highest One significant figure in concentrations of skilled aircraft Wichita aviation was Clyde workers in the world.

Cessna, a farmer from Rago, Wichita was awash in machine Kansas, who built his first plane shops, aviation schools, aircraft in 1911. He eventually moved his instrument manufacturing, and airplane manufacturing business other enterprises crucial to the from Kingman County to the success of aircraft manufacturers, Jones Auto Factory in North all of which was enthusiastically Wichita. backed by the business commuIn 1917, Cessna built The Comet, nity, the local government, and the first plane known to have been academic communities. constructed in Wichita. In 1920, Wichita’s success was secured. the E. M. Laird Airplane company It became Boeing’s main bomber was formed in Wichita by Maddie factory throughout the Cold War, Laird, Jake Moellendick, and Billy then produced the bodies or fuseBurke. lages of the world’s most popular In 1921, according to the Kansas jetliners, while Beech came to Aviation Museum, it is believed dominate business aircraft, and

Cessna became the unrivaled world leader in light aircraft.

Wichita’s pool of skill would later draw Learjet (1963) and Airbus Engineering (2002) to the city.

But then, after 80-plus years, Boeing announced its departure from the city in 2012. The move affected 2,100 workers in Wichita and left the city devastated.

Price said the symbolism of the move weighed heavily on the community.

“You had these big companies that were a presence, and they invested in the economy, and then they’re not there anymore. That played a difference,” Price said.

Harris said he suspects COVID19 is leading business executives and other wealthy individuals to consider turning to private planes for travel.

The first five months of 2020 have provided a number of challenges for Wichita’s aviation industry. In January, Spirit AeroSystems, Wichita’s biggest employer, laid off approximately 2,800 workers due to the suspension of Boeing 737 Max production following several high-profile crashes.

David Moreno, the archivist at the Kansas Aviation Museum, said it’s hard to compare the current situation to others because of the circumstances. Moreno said he believes the difference between the Spirit layoffs and previous employment contractions is that the layoffs are due to a regulatory issue as opposed to an economic issue.

He said the future of the situation with the 737 Max and Spirit AeroSystems is dependent on a number of factors that are currently unknown.

“It’s a question of how soon does the plane get ungrounded, and how well accepted that plane will be afterwards,” Moreno said.

“In other words, will the passengers be willing to get back on that airplane? And, therefore, will the airliners be willing to continue to buy that airplane?”

Price said layoffs are normal, but this situation is uniquely disconcerting.

“We were really used to that sense of a cycle, and when the recent layoffs happened, it’s like, ‘Oh, wait a minute. This isn’t the cycle,’” Price said.

Jeremy Hill, director of WSU’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research, said Wichita will have to fight to maintain its talent. He said other companies in the region will want to hire the laid-off workers, who may or may not be tempted if the pay is lower than what they previously earned.

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Wichita State is giving up to $1,000 to students in need. Here’s how to tell if you qualify

BY DANIEL CAUDILL

Like so many other college students who live at home, Wichita State psychology major Alyrique Franklin didn’t qualify for a $1,200 stimulus check under the CARES Act. But luckily for the sophomore, she’s one of thousands of students eligible for a $1,000 emergency grant through WSU. “It came as a really big surprise,” Franklin said. “Just because I’ve been working a lot and I’ve still had to pay my dues and stuff for WSU.” WSU received $8.8 million in federal funds through the CARES Act, half of which is earmarked for student grants like the one Franklin received.

The $500-$1,000 grants are meant to help students facing unforeseen costs due to the COVID-19 crisis, including food, housing, course materials, technology, health

care and child care.

Franklin said the money will help her cover an important summer course for her bachelor’s degree, which she hopes to fast-track as she ultimately aims for a doctorate.

“I applied for summer financial aid and I got declined,” she said. “I wasn’t going to be able to pay for my research methods class.”

DO I QUALIFY?

The Office of Financial Aid hopes to provide relief for up to 4,400 students.

As of Wednesday, it has already given roughly $2.8 million to students who receive Pell grants and have “exceptional need” based on their current financial aid forms.

Those students should automatically receive the full $1,000 through their student account. They can then transfer the money to their bank account via direct deposit or a paper check.

DACA student reacts to Education Department decision to bar emergency funds from DACA, international students

BY KYLIE CAMERON

Last month, the Education Department issued guidance to universities receiving emergency funds for students through the CARES Act that DACA and international students were not eligible to receive that aid.

Mechanical engineering senior Tony Ibarra is a DACA recipient.

Ibarra was in Atlanta working for Delta Airlines through a co-op at the beginning of the pandemic.

He has since returned home and took a quarter decrease in pay.

While still being paid, Ibarra advocated for DACA students who are less fortunate.

“My heart definitely goes out to those that were not able to keep their jobs . . . for obvious reasons and are unemployed because it's certainly a tough time,” Ibarra said, “And being a DACA recipient is tough enough and being laid off as a DACA recipient is even tougher.”

DACA recipients are barred from receiving financial aid at the state and federal level, which now includes the $4.4 million the university will receive for emergency aid for students through the CARES Act. They also can’t apply for unemployment benefits like citizens who have lost their jobs.

“I'm no different than any other ordinary student who has citizenship,” Ibarra said.

“We shouldn't be excluding students to receive financial aid in a time of crisis based on citizenship. I mean it makes absolutely no sense that we might be . . . likely enduring more, you know, struggles right now than a person who does have citizenship and who is able to apply for unemployment.”

BRIAN HAYES/THE SUNFLOWER

WSU mechanical engineering major Tony Ibarra holds up a sign during the #HereToStay support event in Sept. 2017.

Ibarra said he wasn't surprised that DACA and international students were excluded from receiving aid, calling it "an expected slap in the face."

“We were excluded from different things, and I think now during this time of crisis, there's really no opportunity for you to exclude anyone from any sort of assistance or aid whatsoever — and that includes college students.”

While DACA and international students can’t receive emergency aid through the CARES Act, the university set up a different fund at the beginning of the pandemic that all students are eligible for.

Ibarra said nonprofits and private foundations also have funds and scholarships to financially help DACA or undocumented students. Ibarra’s fraternity, Sigma Lambda Beta, also has as scholarship fund set up for DACA students.

“Most people don't know that we don't qualify for any state or federal grant or loans whatsoever,” Ibarra said. “So it makes it a little more difficult for us to venture out and find those types of resources that we need.”

“We are grateful for the CARES Act funding and the immediate relief it can provide many of our students,” Financial Aid Director Sheelu Surender said.

Other students have to apply for a grant and must meet the following criteria: • Seeking a degree and enrolled in at least six credit hours (five for graduate students) in the spring 2020 semester • Eligible to receive Title IV financial aid • Submitted 2019-20 FAFSA forms or eligible to submit them • Not enrolled in a fully online program as of March 13 • Have documented financial need or hardship due to COVID-19 Aaron Mounts, a junior studying international studies and Spanish, said his $1,000 came at the right time.

“As it stands right now, I actually don’t have enough money

to cover . . . anything for the next month,” said Mounts, who serves as a senator in the Student Government Association.

Mounts said he’s already paid for next semester using loans, grants and his own money. He plans to use his grant to cover rent and utilities at his apartment.

What’s better, Mounts said, is that he’ll be able to save some of his paychecks for living expenses in the coming months.

“I was ecstatic,” he said. “I’ve been living paycheck to paycheck since I first started living here.

“I don’t have to worry about having to see if I can get an extension on my rent, or even if it got to the point that I had to move back to my parents’ [house].”

Crystal Zacarias, a junior psychology major and SGA senator, said she also plans to use her relief grant to cover rent, as she’s out of work until at least the fall.

While she’s grateful for the help, she said she thinks the federal government’s criteria are too specific and could prevent some students from getting the help they need.

“A lot of students can’t get this because their parents make too much, but their parents could be in a completely different working situation,” Zacarias said. “[The student] could be in a different working situation — a different living situation.

“What we use for the Pell grants for 2019-2020 are 2018 tax returns.

So much could have changed.”

WSU students saw some relief at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, when the university gave them rebates for housing, meal plans and parking passes that were purchased for the spring semester.

Tuition and fees were not refunded.

Wichita State students have until Friday, May 15 to apply, but those who apply by May 8 will get priority.

6 | THURSDAY, FEB. 20, 2020

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YEAR IN PHOTOS

KHÁNH NGUYỄN/THE SUNFLOWER Students from the College of Applied Studies cheer for their dean during the first competition in Clash of the Colleges. The event was held on Aug. 23 at Cessna Stadium. The College of Applied Studies won this year’s event.

EASTON THOMPSON/THE SUNFLOWER

Attorney General William Barr speaks to roundtable attendees about the reduction of violent crime in Wichita on Oct. 2 during a visit to the Law Enforcement Training Center at Wichita State’s main campus. Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran accompanied Barr on his visit – which was met by protesters outside of the building.

MORGAN ANDERSON/THE SUNFLOWER Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ivanka Trump stand with WSU Tech aviation students during a tour of the National Center of Aviation Training on Oct. 24. The visit was an event put on for “A Pledge to America’s Workers” where presidential administration made a pledge for thousands of new job opportunities.

TOP: DANIEL CAUDILL/THE SUNFLOWER

Two children watch as State Rep. Brandon Woodard speaks outside the Sedgwick County Historic Courthouse at the 2019 Wichita Pride Parade on Sept. 29. Woodward was the first openly gay man elected to the Kansas government.

BOTTOM: MORGAN ANDERSON/THE SUNFLOWER

Kelsey Philo, a performer for Inspyral Circus, spins in a glowing dress during the Glow Circus on Feb. 17 inside the CAC Theater.

TOP: MORGAN ANDERSON/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State’s new president, Jay Golden, holds up the Shocker hand sign at his first public address to the university on Oct. 31.

“Today, I am America’s newest Shocker,” he said.

RIGHT: SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State’s Cade Clemons celebrates after hitting a walk-off against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Eck Stadium on Feb. 25.

TOP: SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State’s empty main campus on March 23,. That week, in-person classes were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All classes were later moved online, along with summer classes.

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7

‘Your struggles are not just your own’

First-generation students reflect on graduating college, future amid pandemic

BY KAREN GALINDO

With the sudden switch to online classes, Wichita State seniors didn’t know their last day of in-person courses would be their last.

The feeling of disbelief and disappointment hit particularly hard for first-generation soon-to-be graduates, who EMBRAY were looking forward to having their hard work and struggles acknowledged and celebrated at graduation.

“Commencement and graduation are important to many students, but I think they hold a special significance to first-generation students, and even more significance to first-generation students of color like myself,” senior criminal justice major Rachel Embray said.

“I think the commencement ceremony and final celebration in college are one of the most concrete ways you can highlight social and educational mobility within families and communities, and I think it can really highlight the resilience of families and communities that have been disadvantaged and slighted for generations.”

Embray said she knew from an early age that she wanted to attend and graduate from college — not just for herself but for her parents.

“The three most influential people in my life are my adoptive parents and my biological father, who is no longer with us. He passed away,” Embray said.

“None of the three key individuals in my life had completed college, and none of them had attended a collegiate commencement

ceremony. So I knew I wanted to do that for my family and for me, but [mostly] for my family.”

During her first semester at WSU, Embray had to battle against homesickness, depression, and stress. At one point, she even considered dropping out.

“This can also be a struggle with first generation students — this unconscious feeling of, ‘I have to involve myself in a lot so that I feel like I’m worthy of taking up space here,’” Embray said. “I did that unintentionally my first semester. By the time winter break came around, I was so exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally.

“I was at such a bad place that I was like, ‘How am I supposed to get through this for five more years?’”

Senior industrial engineering major Sydney Jaeger also had to confront that homesickness — so much so that she would JAEGER make the twoand-a-half-hour drive to Minneola, Kansas, almost every single weekend to be with her family.

“The first two semesters of college, it was like, ‘Dad, please.

Can I come home?' I don’t want to do college. I just want to go home and work,’” Jaeger said. “School is hard. It takes a lot of effort. It's just a different kind of work ethic than I was used to on the farm.”

Both Embray’s and Jaeger’s parents encouraged their daughters to push through the loneliness of that first year away from home. “[My dad] had been pretty adamant. He was like, ‘You can decide at the end of the day, but I really encourage you to

Adult learner reflects on decision to go back to school

BY AUDREY KORTE

As a 31-yearold, Bobby Cook is about to graduate from Wichita State with his long-coveted degree, a COOK Bachelor's degree in business management.

"I don't know how long I've been in college — probably about 10 years," Cook said. "It's kind of been a roller coaster."

Cook started his college career at Butler County Community College before eventually transferring to WSU. "I went to school intermittently, just because I had a hard time balancing work and school and finances," Cook said. "I didn't really know how to study and be a college student just because I didn't really have that guidance.

I guess just figuring it out along the way, that's what made it take so long."

Cook said he returned to college because not having a degree was getting in the way of his professional advancement.

"One of the reasons I went back to school is just because I got tired of working hard at the job and not being able to move up," he said.

Cook said returning adult students sometimes get overlooked in college. Their experience is not the same as the typical post-high schooler's college years. He said older students face unique considerations when they decide to enroll or re-enroll.

"It's hard to go back because you already kind of have your life established and maybe a family with kids and a job, so you have to juggle all of that and also figure out what you want to do," Cook said.

His college experience has been

defined by perseverance. And his advice to adults considering enrolling or re-enrolling in college?

Get to it.”

"Don't let life circumstances get in the way of going back," Cook said. "I think the hardest part is just committing yourself to it. The sooner you jump into it, the better."

Don’t let life circumstances get in the way of going back. I think the hardest part is just committing yourself to it.” ­— Bobby Cook, graduating adult learner

With no in-person commencement ceremony this spring, Cook is one of many graduates who has to come to terms with an anticlimactic end to a long academic journey.

"At first, I was pretty upset about it. I worked pretty hard in college to keep my grades up and work and everything," Cook said.

"It was upsetting, but I understand it.

"We have to keep everybody safe and healthy, and that takes priority over just me walking across the stage."

He said he will be participating in the 2020 Virtual Celebration on May 16.

"It's better than nothing, but I'm not really a fan of it,’ Cook said. “To me, it just feels like a PowerPoint presentation, but it's a nice gesture.”

He also plans to attend WSU’s special in-person commencement ceremony in October.

After graduation, Cook will work for Textron Aviation.

"I did a summer internship with them last year. Originally I was going to start June 1, and now it's September because of coronavirus," he said. "But overall, it's been great.

I have no complaints."

stick it out. I know you’ve got the work ethic to stick to it,’” Jaeger said. “He’s believed in me throughout the whole process. If it weren't for him and my mom, I would have not gone in the first place and then definitely just entered the workplace [right out of high school] without their encouragement.”

Senior Abel Barraza, a mechanical engineering major, grew up in Dodge City as the youngest of four siblings. He BARRAZA too was the first member of his family to attend university.

“I left [home] right after I graduated from high school,” Barraza said. “That was pretty hard on my mom, since I was the youngest leaving the house and now no one lives there with her. None of the kids are there anymore.”

Although Barraza’s family has supported his educational aspirations, he said they didn’t initially understand his decision to attend college.

“I have so many cousins my age and uncles who are like, ‘Why didn't you just do a quick career? Why’d you leave at all? There’s so many jobs that pay you this much, etc.,’” Barraza said. “Not a lot of people realize that your job shouldn't just be for the money. It should be a career that you should enjoy.”

Barraza’s high school teachers praised him for his math and science skills and his love for cars, and he saw college as an opportunity to find a career that combined his skills and passion.

“I wanted to be more than a mechanic. I didn’t just want to work

on cars all day long. I wanted to do something more, like design or build them,” Barraza said. “I looked it up and engineering was pretty much exactly that. It was what I wanted to be.”

Although some of his family members were unable to understand his struggles as a college student, he said he kept pursuing his degree to be a role model for his nieces and nephews.

“To be a first-generation student, you’re kind of like a trailblazer,” Barraza said. “I have tons of nieces and nephews, and you want to be that example that there's other routes to take right after high school. For me, it was to learn from your mistakes so that you could be that person they could all run to and have questions for.”

After graduation, Barraza will be moving to Palmdale, California, to start his career with Northrop Grumman, an aerospace and defense technology company.

Jaeger toyed around with the idea of moving back home to help out with the farm, but she and her fiance have ultimately decided to settle down in Wichita for the time being.

“I still kind of fall back on [the farm], especially now during a hiring freeze,” Jaeger said.

“I’ve been like, ‘Well, I can always go help with harvest this summer and hope it all kind of passes.’”

Many soon-to-be graduates are facing the same uncertainty in the midst of the pandemic.

“Now everything is changing, you're worried about what you're gonna do for income, and it’s just so much more than just a graduation at this point too,” Jaeger said.

Embray has decided to further her studies at WSU through the graduate social work program.

“The School of Social Work is iconic,” Embray said. “I took Intro to Social Work and Intro to Social Welfare in the fall semester, and I was lucky to have Shaunna Miller be my professor for that class. Literally on my first day in class, I was like, ‘I could've just majored in this.’”

Ultimately, I think that it means that you have been able to do what others before you haven’t, and there is an element of appreciation that I think you have to have for the members in your family who came before you and who got you to where you are today.” ­— Rachel Embray, first-generation college student, on graduating college

Although first-generation WSU students won’t get the storybook ending they pictured — wearing their black cap and gown and surrounded by their friends and family at Charles Koch Arena — their accomplishments are not to be diminished. “[Being a first generation student] means that your accomplishments are not just your own,” Embray said. “They represent generational struggle — sometimes generational trauma that you have been able to overcome in some way.

“Ultimately, I think that it means that you have been able to do what others before you haven’t, and there is an element of appreciation that I think you have to have for the members in your family who came before you and who got you to where you are today.”

8 | FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

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Opinion

HAVE AN OPINION? contact The Sunflower’s opinion editor, Jeromiah Taylor opinion@thesunflower.com

President Golden’s letter to May 2020 graduates To our May 2020 graduates: You have worked so hard, and achieved so much, that you will always have a special place in Wichita State University history and in my heart. You are the first spring graduates of my presidency.

I began looking forward to your graduation back in January, when I ordered the regalia to wear when I was congratulating you on the stage in Koch Arena. I could imagine your friends and families cheering your accomplishments. I was looking forward to sharing that moment with you.

None of us could have imagined that the university, or the lives of those who love it, could be so upended in a few short months.

This spring semester brought hardships, changes, and challenges, as the world’s health was endangered and the university moved to remote learning.

Since the pandemic came to Kansas in March, I’ve been overwhelmed by the dedication

and grace of students, faculty, staff and community during these trying times. Remote learning isn’t the path most of you chose for your final semester, but you have collectively made the best of it.

For our seniors and graduate students, graduation is a time to reflect on your higher education and look towards the future. It’s a time of celebration with those closest to you and the professors who helped get you to this moment.

When I look back at my own graduations, the ceremonies recede in importance compared to the faces I recall of classmates and teachers and breakthrough periods of learning.

It was during those times that I began to form my ideas of the importance of each student’s experience.

As President of Wichita State, the student experience is the top priority for me. And that includes our seniors being honored in person.

We’re going to have a virtual

Jay Golden, the new president of Wichita State University, answers questions from members of the press on Thursday, Oct. 31 in the Rhatigan Student Center.

celebration on Saturday, May 16.

Then on Oct. 10, if it is safe to do so, I’d like to bring our spring graduates back to campus and

celebrate your achievements with an in-person commencement ceremony at Koch Arena.

Congratulations and I look

‘I don’t take this task lightly.’

When we started the current academic year, we were living in a different time. We were focused on the WSU presidential search, had a great start to another year of record enrollments, and budgets that allowed us to invest in our university and our people. But what we weren’t talking about was something new and lurking around the corner.

My first recollection of COVID19 that affected me personally was from my sister, who was living in Shanghai, China with her husband. He works for a French multinational company that supplied industrial gases and services to China and the region. She emailed me on Jan. 29, to let me know she was being forced to return to Houston, Texas (their home base).

Her husband was staying.

Although I had been reading about the virus that caused COVID-19, I wasn’t thinking of it as anything other than a localized viral outbreak. My interest was there because I started my career in health care at the very beginning of the HIV epidemic

RICK MUMA PROVOST

Guest column

as a physician assistant (and later as a public health practitioner), in the summer of 1985 in Galveston, Texas. Houston and Galveston were one of the many hotbeds for the disease. When I received that email, I felt deep down that this was somehow going to affect us here at WSU. Jan. 29 also happened to be the first day a few of us on the executive team met with President Golden about the virus, but we weren’t calling it a name. Our primary concern was to be as open as possible with students, faculty, and staff. I learned from my PA days

taking care of terminally ill patients during the HIV epidemic that what people want during times like this is decisive decision-making based on the greater good. Because of the extraordinary situation, and since none of us had experienced anything like this before, involving the major constituencies of the university early in the decision-making process was essential. At that point, we established a pandemic response team.

Fast forward to March 25, marking the first day of remote operations of the university. Who would’ve ever thought we would be operating the entire university remotely, including all classes, business operations, student activities ... everything? Sure, we have had business continuity training for disruption of university operations for something like a tornado, but not a viral pandemic.

So here we are more than a month of running the university remotely.

It’s not ideal — there have been very few technical glitches — but everyone is doing their best to adjust to this new normal.

My basic message to all of you is this: We are doing everything to make sure the university will continue to thrive when we come out on the other side of this very unusual circumstance.

What we are focusing on now are our plans to reopen safely by the end of May. As a healthcare provider, I don’t take this task lightly and want you to know we will not put any of our students, faculty or staff in harm’s way as we make this transition. But we need to make this transition and not be paralyzed by our circumstances.

Although summer school will be offered totally remotely, we do plan to have face-to-face courses in the fall, but it may be a little different than in the past.

It’s also going to be a little different when we come back, as we’ll need to learn to coexist with a virus that so far has no treatment or vaccine, but we won’t let it stop what we do — provide an excellent student experience that leads to career success.

Farewell: Thank you, Wichita State

BY MATTHEW GOLDSMITH

It is time for my graduation from Wichita State University. It wasn’t the way I planned on ending my undergraduate experience, but it doesn’t take away from all the things I have experienced during my time in Wichita.

My time at WSU started in the fall of 2017, when I transferred to the university after a family move.

I was very excited about the new opportunity.

It has surpassed all of my expectations — selecting WSU was a decision I am glad I made. I have had unbelievable professors, met great friends, and grown as a student and person.

I’m originally from Tulsa, and came to WSU from Wisconsin-La Crosse. I may not be from around here, but I’ve never felt like an outsider. I credit that to the people at WSU, this university’s greatest asset.

This was the only semester I worked at The Sunflower, but I am incredibly proud to say it’s been a part of my college experience. I have been reading this newspaper for years, and to work with the great people I have worked with is an unbelievable honor. I hope I contributed something of some significance to the paper.

The Sunflower has never been

COURTESY OF MATTHEW GOLDSMITH

(second from the right) Matthew Goldsmith stands with his family.

more essential than it is right now.

We need hard-working storytellers and people who seek the truth in our current climate. The Sunflower is full of people who fit that description.

Although with seniors leaving, I believe The Sunflower is in excellent shape. Despite many uncertainties about what the future holds, I think one thing that is certain is that The Sunflower has a young, devoted staff who will help lead the paper in years to come.

The biggest thing I have taken away from working with the members of The Sunflower is the integrity they have. I have been amazed by how much the staff cares about its readers and doing the right thing for them. They serve this community well.

As I graduate from WSU, I will cherish the memories I have made.

From basketball games at Charles Koch Arena to late nights in The Sunflower newsroom — these are moments I hold on to dearly, spent

with people who have made a positive impact on my life.

These are certainly challenging times, but this city and this university have faced challenging times before. I have great confidence that whenever the student body returns to campus, the university will remain strong.

I love this university very much and I am proud to say that, no matter where I end up, I will always be a Shocker.

forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Koch Arena in October.

Farewell: News reporting showed me the power of storytelling

AUSTIN FARBER REPORTER

I first started reporting in January at the end of my senior year.

At the time, I had experience in essay and fiction writing, but I had never written for a newspaper, so I was a little nervous starting out.

The first story I wrote was about a campus speaking engagement with Anthony Ray Hinton, a man sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. After writing that story and seeing the feedback it got from the community, I realized how writing can raise awareness for people and their riveting life stories.

Thereafter, I wrote reviews and features over several area authors' books, which gave me the chance to share their stories and offer insight into their writing processes. I most enjoyed writing those.

Though my time at The Sunflower was short, I met several amazing writers whose stories I will take with me throughout my own journeys.

I am indebted to The Sunflower for taking me in and teaching me the ropes of news writing.

When I first came to WSU, I was an undecided major, but was deeply interested in reading and writing.

Now, two years later, I am graduating with double degrees in English language, literature and writing — with news- and review-writing experience.

The WSU English Department is booming with professors who deeply challenged my thinking and whose readings, assignments, and lectures amplified everything I did. I worked as an English tutor in the Writing Center, too, and there, while working with students, I decided to seek a career as an ESL teacher abroad.

This university offered me several wonderful opportunities as a student, many of which came to me by mere coincidence. My time at WSU was the best of my academic career and further aided in my life and future career plans.

Thanks to The Sunflower staff, my professors, and fellow students for the knowledge and the memories.

OPINION

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9

Sunflower farewells

Goodbye from JoCo: Kylie Cameron

BY KYLIE CAMERON

PHOTO COURTESY OF TRAVIS HEYING Selena Favela, photographer and former photo editor, hangs on the rim inside Indiana State’s Assembly Hall after taking photos of the NIT quarterfinals game in April 2019.

Photog ready to face future

BY SELENA FAVELA

I remember the day I took my job application down to The Sunflower’s newsroom as a senior in high school.

So much has changed since then.

I would say my time at Wichita State has been largely shaped by my job at The Sunflower. Over the last four years, I’ve met many people, learned to ask questions, and been more in the know about campus goings on than most students.

There were many long production nights spent in the newsroom with coworkers who became friends.

I often spent more time in Elliott Hall than my own classes.

I’ve gained more invaluable real-world knowledge and experience from this job than I ever did in a classroom. For that, I am thankful.

I’ve heard amazing stories from amazing people and gained enviable behind-the-scenes access.

My work at The Sunflower has taken me to three different

states, including New York, where I got the chance to shoot photos at Madison Square Garden for WSU’s NIT semifinals game.

A year before, I was shooting the second round of the Men’s NCAA Tournament at INTRUST Bank Arena when Michigan freshman Jordan Poole sunk a buzzer-beater to lift his team to the Sweet Sixteen before sprinting around the entire court in exhilarated celebration.

Moments like that stick with you. As a photojournalist, your camera captures them forever.

I am also thankful for the relationships I have made while a member of the Boot Scootin’ Shockers student organization.

These are friends who have become family during the last three years.

College has been a time for me to come out of my shell and grow in confidence. I have become someone I am proud of being.

With that being said, I am ready to start a new chapter in my life. I’m excited to keep pursuing photojournalism and explore all that it may bring.

Oftentimes, we think we know what we want in life. It’s all planned out in our head. We know exactly what classes we need to take for the next four to six years, what internships we want, and our dream job or graduate school after it’s all said and done.

And then it all goes flying out the window.

I think that’s the best way to describe college — and even these past few months.

That’s a good thing. Having everything planned out doesn’t build character.

I accidentally became a sports reporter for The Sunflower my freshman year (long story), which started my career at the paper.

Since then, I’ve done just about everything, even advertising, another thing that just happened by chance.

It’s hard to find the right words for this column. I thought I had a while longer to think about this, but my college journalism career has ended just as abruptly as it started.

I’ll miss the newsroom, the laughs with my coworkers and friends — even the tears.

To be honest, this paper and the people on it have saved me more times than I am willing to admit, especially in the past year — balancing anxiety and the

most stressful job of being a college newspaper editor is not easy.

But I don’t want this to be sad.

This paper has given me the best friends I could ask for and the best experiences.

Lastly, I’d like to thank a few people.

To Matthew Kelly and Madeline Deabler: wow. We made it. Having you two with me all four years has been incredible. I can’t ask for better friends and I can’t thank you enough for putting up with me.

Kirby’s?

To Amy DeVault: I don’t even know where to begin. I know I’ll be seeing you around still, but writing this is still so hard. You’ve been the best mentor I could have. You’re right, I don’t know everything (even though freshman Kylie would say otherwise), and I still have so much more I can learn from you.

To The Sunflower 2017-18 crew: What a year that was. Each and every one of you inspired me whether you knew it or not. I still think back on that time and the difficult circumstances we were under whenever I feel like I can’t make it through.

To Neal Allen: Who knew taking FY 2016 Elections would quite literally change my life? I can’t thank you and the political science department enough for taking a chance on me and actually seeing something in me that I didn’t.

COURTESY OF AMY DEVAULT Kylie Cameron, The Sunflower editor in chief, on her last production of the 2019-20 school year.

To my friends and family: Thank you for helping me navigate this past year. Between the lowest I had ever felt in my life, to the highest, you’ve helped me through it all.

To next year’s Sunflower crew: You’re going to kill it. I admit, I was nervous at first with all of the seniors leaving, but I know we couldn’t have left this paper in better hands. Try to expect the unexpected. Each year gets crazier than the last.

Okay, this is actually the last thing I’d like to say: Don’t be afraid to back down when someone questions your integrity — I think you all know who this is about.

Deabler: Well, this is anticlimactic

BY MADELINE DEABLER

After five years of college, graduation day is fast approaching — a pivotal day that marks the next saga in my life — and it couldn’t be more anticlimactic.

At least Wichita State isn’t having their graduation ceremony on Roblox, I suppose.

I’ve met so MADELINE many people at DEABLER Wichita State who have inspired, challenged, and helped me when I’ve needed it most.

I started my journey at WSU as a communications major. I loved my classes but was unsure about my future in journalism and where I would fit in as a puzzle piece in the bigger picture.

During the spring semester of my freshman year, I decided to take a graphic design course as an elective.

In high school, I preferred designing the yearbooks and newspapers to writing them.

The class was Typography I with Jim Hellman, a teacher who needs no further introduction at the ADCI School. He’s been teaching for the design school longer than anyone else I know, has put off retirement for too many years, and continues to do so much for the school. Jim, you need a raise.

To help with the critique for our final project in the class, Jim brought in the director of the ADCI School. That’s when I met Jeff Pulaski. It was the first time I ever had to pitch a project to a superior, and I couldn’t have been more nervous.

However, Jeff was just as encouraging as he was critical, and I learned a lot from his critique. Later that week, as I was leaving campus for the final time that semester, I ran into Jeff again as I was crossing the street to go home. I’ll never forget the conversation we had that day.

He heavily encouraged me to change my major to graphic design, saying my class project showed I had the talent. Jeff, if you hadn’t pulled me aside, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Though the course of my academic career has shifted, I’ve never abandoned my true home in the basement of Elliott Hall.

The Sunflower was the first place I visited on campus my freshman year, and it was the last place I left as a senior.

The people I have met throughout my years working at the paper have become some of my closest friends.

We’ve pulled countless all-nighters, traveled the country together, and swept competitions everywhere we’ve gone. Back at home, we faced threats to our funding from people

who couldn’t stomach our fearless fact-finding and truth-telling. The university even put out a Shocker Blast calling us fake news.

The odds have been against us in so many instances, but we’ve never stopped pushing for what we believe in.

I’ve never been more passionate about anything in my entire life than my work at The Sunflower. Sometimes that passion got in the way of such trivial things as my classes and my health, but I didn’t care.

The original Sunflower gang, Chance Swaim, Matt Crow, Jenna Farhat, Brian Hayes, Matthew Kelly, Daniel Caudill, Selena Favela, Kylie Cameron, Evan Pflugradt, and Andrew Linnabary, and of course our, fearless advisor Amy DeVault, all cared for The Sunflower as much as I did.

We all believed in something together, and we all believed in each other’s abilities. That’s what made us so great.

Maybe it’s quarantine that has me reflecting on my college career, or maybe it’s the fact that I won’t have the graduation ceremony I’ve been working towards for five years.

Anticlimactic or not, I can’t help but look back on my five years at Wichita State and remember them fondly. I’ll carry these memories with me for the rest of my life.

Kelly: Keep seeking truth, holding power accountable

BY MATTHEW KELLY

Every so often, I’ll hear a quote and instantly know it’s the kicker for my story.

In general, though, perfect endings are hard to come by.

I didn’t anticipate my senior year ending like this, but journalism has taught me not to assume much of anything. Better to appreciate what I know for sure, which is that it’s been a phenomenal ride.

Time plays tricks on me. Sometimes an eight-hour editing shift drags on for an eternity. Sometimes four years fly by like an ambitious deadline.

College journalism isn’t for the faint of heart. Going to sleep at 4 a.m. Dragging yourself out of bed to cover an 8 a.m. meeting. Drinking black coffee out of a disposable water bottle — I’ve been there.

But what could be more rewarding?

This job has afforded me incredible opportunities, from interviewing Mike Pompeo at the height of the Ukraine scandal to watching students meticulously dissect human faces in the Ahlberg Hall cadaver lab.

To everyone who has entrusted me with their story to tell, thank you.

As a college newspaper editor, you agonize over the tough judgment calls and revel in your freedom to make them.

You get yelled at when you’re wrong. You sometimes get yelled at when you know you’re right.

An exasperated university official once felt the need to ask me if I would let someone publish Nazi pornography on my watch. For the record, no.

Before college, I wasn’t one to question authority. I’m no longer afraid to hold power to account. Getting the hard stories right is addictive.

If I hadn’t gravitated to the basement of Elliott Hall as a freman, I’m not sure who I’d be today — probably someone who’s less passionate about em dashes and Oxford commas, among other, more important things.

The bonds forged in a newsroom are unlike any other.

It was here at The Sunflower that I fell in love with my exquisitely beautiful and talented girlfriend, Madeline Deabler.

I cherish the long hours we’ve spent

working together, side by side, to create a paper we’re proud of.

This is where I found my people — the most driven, gifted, and hilarious people I know. We’ve had more fun than I knew you were allowed to have on the job.

To our faculty advisor, Amy DeVault, thank you for putting up with everything we’ve thrown at you over the years.

Thank you for listening. It means more than you know.

And of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my parents for supporting me selflessly through it all and for showing up with food like clockwork just when production nights started feeling hopeless.

I’ll miss those nights now.

The beauty of a college paper is that you can never get rid of us all. By the time the wide-eyed freshmen become seniors writing sappy farewell columns, another wave of dogged reporters has been trained to take our place.

I take solace in that fact.

To incoming editor in chief Daniel Caudill and next year’s Sunflower squad, keep seeking and telling the truth. I know I’ll be reading.

SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER Sunflower managing editor and former editor in chief Matthew Kelly poses outside of Elliott Hall 20 minutes before deadline.

CONGRATULATIONS,

GRADUATES