MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018 • VOL. 123, ISS. 10
THESUNFLOWER.COM
WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1896.
Questions raised over Board of Trustees’ conflict of interest policy BY JENNA FARHAT
A concern about public perception of transparency has prompted the Wichita State Board of Trustees to consider whether or not they should be disclosing conflicts of interest. A routine audit of the university that was released last year notes that the Board of Trustees doesn’t have a conflicts of interest policy in place and includes a recommendation that the board adopt such a policy. The board is in charge of
spending more than $8 million in public dollars. “It is recommended that the Board of Trustees consider adopting a Conflicts of Interest Policy similar to the one in place for the University,” the audit reads. “Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed for Board of Trustee members, as well as members of their immediate families and should address consulting arrangements, significant financial or managerial interests (holdings greater than $5,000 or 5%), or
employment by an outside entity,” the audit reads. “The annual disclosures should be reviewed by the Board of Trustees on an annual basis.” The audit was conducted by BKD, LLP, one of the largest accounting and advisory firms in the United States. The audit was obtained by The Sunflower through an open records request to the Kansas Board of Regents early last year. Executive Director of the Board of Trustees Andy Schlapp said
the findings of the audit came to light again recently due to The Sunflower’s reporting on conflicts of interest with the regents SCHLAPP and Wichita State Innovation Alliance, a non-profit that manages Innovation Campus. “The Sunflower wrote a story about, none of these people have conflict of interest [forms],” Schlapp
said after the Board of Trustees meeting Friday. “And it blew into this really big deal of, oh look at all the secretive stuff going on. Oh, they’re cheating and they’re stealing and all this stuff, was kind of the public perception. The reality was it was a pretty minor finding.” Addressing the Trustees during the meeting, Schlapp emphasized the distinction between a legal obligation to disclose conflicts of interest and making an ethical decision to do so. SEE TRUSTEES PAGE 4
Regents: Headcount enrollment metric is losing value
MARCHING MADNESS
BY MATTHEW KELLY
ANDREW MONTANO/THE SUNFLOWER
Freshman Jack Tobias (middle) plays the trombone during Shocker Sound rehearsal in Charles Koch Arena on Sept. 20, 2018.
Freshman brings energy, enthusiasm to new marching band
W
BY MATTHEW KELLY
hen Jack Tobias graduated from Wichita East High School this past spring, staying home for college didn’t seem like a viable option. That’s because, since 1986, WSU hasn’t had a marching band. Tobias planned to march at Kansas State, but those plans abruptly changed when, in late July, WSU announced the revival of a marching band — a “high energy, high-octane” brass, saxophone, and percussion ensemble called the Shocker Sound Machine. “I figured, why would I pay a ton of money to go to K-State now that we have a marching band here?” Tobias said. “I was super hyped about that.” The Shocker Sound Machine will play halftime shows at four men’s and four women’s basketball games this season. A music major studying composition, Tobias is taking just one core class his first semester. The rest is music. “I’m more centered around music than I’ve ever been,” Tobias said. The marching band, an extension of the Shocker Sound basketball band, is currently an extracurricular activity. Next year, it will become a one-credit-hour course. Tobias said being a part of the marching band from its inception is a special opportunity. “It’s actually kind of unique, because while there’s people older than me that have been in Shocker Sound before . . . the fact that we’re all new to something makes it different, because Sound Machine is going to be a lot of choreography and not many of us are dancers,” Tobias said. Asistant Director of Bands Lucas Hulett said that, because of the spatial limitations of Charles Koch Arena, the Sound Machine will focus more on “flash and flare” than regimented marching. “This is going to be less of a traditional marching band and
PAMELA DOMINGUEZ/THE SUNFLOWER
Jack Tobias poses with his trombone.
“IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR ME TO GO TO THOSE LATE-NIGHT REHEARSALS KNOWING THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE PEOPLE LIKE JACK (TOBIAS) IN THE SECTION THAT WILL BRING THAT ENERGY.” —HARRISON KPPPENHAVER, BARITONE SECTION LEADER
more of like, an in-your-face show band,” Hulett said. “We’re going to be very dance-centered this coming year.” Fortunately for Tobias, he has some experience in that department. “I did dance for a couple of years when I was eight — between eight and 10 — because my sister did ballet, and my parents were like, ‘Yeah, you’re doing it too,’” Tobias said. “And I disliked it, but it got me better.” Tobias said he already feels at home in the band and that there is a since of kinship in his
section. “I like my section a lot,” Tobias said. “Trombones are fun people. It’s us and the baritones and euphoniums.” Baritone section leader Harrison Koppenhaver is a senior studying music education. He said he’s been thoroughly impressed with Tobias’s enthusiastic approach to music. “He brings a lot of energy to the ensemble and an enthusiasm that I haven’t seen in this ensemble for a while,” Koppenhaver said. “It makes it easier for me to go to those latenight rehearsals knowing that there are going to be people like Jack (Tobias) in the section that will bring that energy, regardless of it being, you know, seven o’clock on a Monday night when we’re all tired,” Koppenhaver said. Tobias said the band nurtures a sense of unity. “It’s really a positive environment because we’re all one team,” Tobias said. Hulett said freshman enthusiasm is what will build the program. “What makes an organization like this grow is those freshman numbers,” Hulett said. “Like, if the young people want it — as much as I love all my veterans — those young guys are what’s going to go beyond.” Hulett said he sees the Sound Machine as a powerful recruiting tool for the band, which currently has 65-70 members. “I think, in a year, it’ll be the biggest Shocker Sound has ever been,” Hulett said. “Next year, we could easily be 100.” He said the marching band’s first performance will likely be in December. As an aspiring music educator, Koppenhaver said he hopes to impart young members in his section with a lesson. “I want to pass on to them to never lose that incentive to have fun,” Koppenhaver said. “Yes, it’s marching band and there are times where we need to be serious because there’s a lot of work to be done . . . but don’t lose what makes this ensemble fun and what makes it special to you.”
The Kansas Board of Regents announced last week that the statewide enrollment report, set to be released in the coming weeks, will include a new metric for counting students at state universities. The new enrollment report will feature full-time equivalency numbers instead of the longstanding 20-day headcount metric. “The switch to Full Time Equivalency for the Fall Enrollment Report allows the Board, higher education institutions, and the public to have a more uniform way of measuring the number of students served throughout the system,” Matt Keith, KBOR director of communications, wrote in an email. Full-time equivalency enrollment is based on the sum of credits taken by all students divided by 15 credit hours for undergraduate students and 12 credit hours for graduate students. Twenty-day headcount provides a snapshot of the total number of students enrolled in for-credit courses on the twentieth day of class. In a phone interview, Keith said the 20-day metric has lost significance over the years.
FAST FACTS FULL-TIME EQUIVALENCY: The sum of credits taken by all students divided the number of credit hours constituting a full-time credit load. 20-DAY HEADCOUNT: The total number of students enrolled in for-credit courses on the twentieth day of class. WHY IT MATTERS: With headcount, a student enrolled in a half credit hour is counted the same as a student taking the maximum 21 credit hours a semester.
“It’s a number that used to have a significant amount of value,” Keith said. “But as time has gone on, the profile of a student has changed.” Wichita State President John Bardo has been outspoken about what he sees as the changing student profile. “What you're going to see is people need post-secondary credentials and they may or may not want a bachelor’s degree,” Bardo told The Sunflower last month. SEE ENROLLMENT PAGE 4
INSIDE
WHO’S WU?
LOCAL MUSIC
TIGERS TAMED
Walkers and bikers invaded Douglas Ave. for Open Streets ICT.
Students at WSU’s Japanese sister school got their first glimpse of WuShock.
Double down on DOTWAV Records’ recent releases.
Shocker volleyball swept Memphis at home.
CULTURE • PAGE 3
CULTURE • PAGE 3
CULTURE • PAGE 3
SPORTS • PAGE 4
OPEN STREETS
OPINION
2 | MONDAY, SEPT. 24, 2018
www.thesunflower.com FOR WHOM THE (TACO) BELL TOLLS:
Remembering WSU’s cheapest dining option
www.thesunflower.com
THE STAFF EDITORIAL
Editor in Chief Matthew Kelly Digital Managing Editor Andrew Linnabary Visual Managing Editor Madeline Deabler
AUSTIN MAY
News Editor Jenna Farhat
COLUMNIST
Culture Editor John Darr Sports Editor Evan Pflugradt Photo Editor Selena Favela Sports Photo Editor Joseph Barringhaus
ADVERTISING
Advertising Manager Kylie Cameron
ADVISING
Faculty Adviser Amy DeVault
BRIAN HAYES/FILE PHOTO
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach leans down to talk to a supporter after the inaugural Republican gubernatorial debate. The debate was hosted by the The Kansas Republican Party at the Wichita Hyatt Regency. (Feb. 17, 2018)
Spurlock: Kobach’s attack on undocumented students is unjust
A
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Send letters to the editor to editor@thesunflower.com or submit at thesunflower.com. Please keep letters to 400 words or less. All letters are edited for clarity and length. Please include your name, WSU affiliation and a phone number for verification purposes.
Our 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 learnig experience for students, who will have the final authority over what is published.
Legal
The Sunflower (published for use by WSU students, faculty and staff) is private property and unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable. One copy may be taken for free. Additional copies must be purchased for $1 each. The Sunflower is also partially funded by the Student Government Association at WSU. 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 university. The Sunflower reserves the right to edit or reject any submission. We also reserve the right to edit or reject any advertisement.
CONTACT THE SUNFLOWER 019 Elliott Hall 1845 N. Fairmount Ave. Campus Box 134 Wichita, KS 67260-0134
s the 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election draws nearer by the day, the often scary reality of partisan policy change follows suit, and Republican candidate Kris Kobach proposed multiple promises throughout his campaign that will do nothing but hurt Kansas students and youth. Often known for steamrolling Kansas and the United States with anti-voter-fraud initiatives, Kobach has shifted his crusade into one that is more topical and frightening to student voters — education. Since entering the public eye in 2011 as secretary of state under former Kansas governors Mark Parkinson and Sam Brownback, Kobach’s conservatism regarding most issues made him widely popular to Kansas voters. This same conservatism took shape in his education plan, as Kobach intends to rid undocumented students of in-state tuition. In a July speech given at a pro-ICE rally in Wichita, Kobach claims that “670 illegal aliens [are] taking advantage of in-state tuition,” and later proposed to forbid this opportunity entirely — meaning, the 670 undocumented students enrolled in any higher education school as of fall 2017
MADELINE SPURLOCK COLUMNIST
would be paying out-of-state tuition. Kobach places false blame on undocumented students receiving in-state tuition as the cause of the 10.2 million dollar tuition increase in 2017 and estimated 12.9 million dollar increase in 2018 according to Kansas Board of Regents. Rather, if undocumented students were to pay out-of-state tuition, only 2.3 million would be made in contrast to the four million pro-posed by Kobach. Undocumented students did not cause Kansas’s drastic tuition increase. Instead, it was caused by Congress and former Gov. Brownback’s lack of care or regard for the students of Kansas. Kobach’s plan for implementing out-of-state tuition for undocumented students who have lived in Kansas for at least three years and graduated from
a Kansas high school, means the abrupt end of educational opportunity for hundreds of youth. The lack of affordability makes college or university almost impossible to nearly all undocumented students across Kansas, as many use this as hope for a better, brighter future. Not only does the status quo make economical sense, but it also affords students — regardless of their citizenship status — the chance of an equal and fair education, as they are pro-tected federally under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Kansas is one of only 18 states to extend this opportunity to Dreamers. This acts as a shining light in the ever-growing darkness of the immigration debate, and Kobach’s full intention is to snuff it out. As members of the younger and biggest voting community, it is vital to use Tuesday, Nov. 6 to, alongside students of any age, teachers and administrators, protect those who are undocumented in our state. The government’s inability to properly fund public schools is their own fault and no one else’s. Voters need to take into consideration candidates’ proposed policy and how it will affect constituents’ lives forever.
----------
SUNFLOWER OFFICES Front Desk: 316-978-3640 ADVERTISING Kylie Cameron: 316-978-6906 admanager@thesunflower.com EDITORIAL Matthew Kelly: 316-978-6905 editor@thesunflower.com ADVISER Amy DeVault: 316-978-6052 amy.devault@wichita.edu ---------ONLINE www.thesunflower.com FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/sunflowerwsu TWITTER @sunflowernews INSTAGRAM @thesunflowernews
First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
CORRECTIONS This space is reserved for corrections. Spot an error? Call us at 316-978-6905.
It’s been three semesters since one of the most important aspects of Wichita State’s campus vanished — leaving behind only a shell of what once had been. Of course, I’m talking about the Taco Bell Express that once greeted starving students in the Rhatigan Student Center. For most students, the passing of arguably the best — or at least the cheapest — dining option on campus left little to no impact on their day-to-day lives, but I took it as a personal attack. I went from enjoying a quesadilla two to three times a week at a cozy booth in the RSC to either paying more for relatively disappointing food or choosing to drive 3.1 miles to the nearest Taco Bell off campus — risking my parking spot in the midday rush. The other food choices in the RSC are great, even more so this year, but nothing quite compares to a beefy five-layer burrito when you’re cramming for that big calc test. Not to mention the sharp rise in cost. I used to eat lunch on campus for under $5 easily, but that’s simply not realistic anymore. Now, if I can survive lunch without spending $8, I’ve done well for myself — even if it was for much higher quality food. Why would we even get rid of Taco Bell in the first place? Following the 2016-2017 school year, WSU switched food service providers from Sodexo to Chartwells, paving the way for Sono to “replace” Taco Bell last year. Although Sono was good, it was more of a Chipotle-esque option, costing significantly more than students had become accustomed to in previous years. This led to the removal of Sono this year, replaced by the constantly packed Panda Express. Although I love both Panda and Freddy’s, they simply cannot stack up with the delicious simplicity of Taco Bell. Even though orange chicken has been known to power me through a study session, there is no replacing Taco Bell in my heart, or frankly, in my stomach.
Cissell’s ‘The Cutting Songs of the Butcher Son’ tells story of rich, tumultuous life Last August, poet and former Wichita State English faculty member Michael Cissell passed away just days after publishing his first full-length book of poetry, “The Cutting Songs of the Butcher Son.” Referred to as “ageless” in his obituary in The Wichita Eagle, Cissell was a runner. According to friends, was as health conscious a person could be. During Cissell’s wake at Hopping Gnome Brewery, family, former students, and friends joked that the poet once even gave up eating potatoes after becoming suspicious of the fat and starch content. Such is the irony of life. Still, Cissell’s poems tell of a rich one, lived amid joy and tumult. Old and new poems, combined with selections from Cissell’s WSU Master’s thesis, form a collection of elegies on the cycles of life. Verses in “Cutting Songs” chronicle the Cissell family tree, including his father, a bucher, and his uncle, a Kentucky blackface minstrel. Beyond his family, he explores a variety of urgent topics, including his moral struggles with the Catholic church. Spanning from his childhood in Paducah, Kentucky to the bitter reality of adapting to life as a father, husband and teacher, “Cutting Songs” exhibits the wry fogeyisms of an admittedly anachronistic personality while viewing life through a nuanced cast of speakers. In the book’s opening verses, Cissell takes on a character that illustrate his powerful command of voice. Through the troubled dual-identity of his uncle, Cissell writes of paternal advice from beyond the grave: Yer gonna struggle. Lust and hate and love.
MATT COOPER BOOK CRITIC
Yer hard music and yer harder tongue no pardon. But I find yer constitution suitable. Da devil is bigger dan we meant and he ain’t gone. Buck up butcher Son. Transmutable. Da Universe falling away. Da universe on da run. Cissell crafts dozens of such cyclical images. Some include the
shrugging irreverence of a young son to the authoritative literature of Albert Goldbarth and the universal questioning of one’s own abilities. Another of Cissell’s characters, “Grandfather Bones,” issues a maxim on the Samsara-like repetitiveness of life and the danger entailed. “Butcher Son hate to run, but run,” Cissell writes . . . ”Cancer in da lung, in da mind by lightning bolt . . . by hate by lust by love undone . . . who dare eat dat footed plum?” It was Cissell’s ability to place himself in the shoes of others in his life that make the poems in “Cutting Songs” authoritative discourses on empathy. In-line with what David Foster Wallace once deemed the ability to allow ourselves to ”imaginatively . . . identify with a character's pain” and
“conceive of others identifying with their own,” the “Cutting Songs” embody something unique in contemporary poetry. Throughout, Cissell attempts reconciliation with history’s bigoted villains. “The Cutting Songs of the Butcher Son” are simple in terms of meter, and as such, they don’t tax the reader. They consistently display Cissell’s strong command of diction and word choice. At times, however, the sentiments conveyed are cliched in terms of references to the human experience. There are times when a reader may find themselves asking, “Have I read this somewhere before?”. In any case, Cissell’s book is certainly worthy of a read. It stands as a fine cap to a substantive career as a teacher, reader, father, and lifelong poet.
CULTURE
www.thesunflower.com
MONDAY, SEPT. 24, 2018
|3
WEEK PREVIEW Sep. 25
Sep. 28
RSO ESSENTIALS: FUNDRAISING FUNDAMENTALS
IDENTITY EXPLORATION: AN INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION
Date: Tuesday Time: 1-3 p.m. Location: RSC 265 Cost: Free!
Date: Tuesday Time: 6 p.m. Location: RSC 142 Cost: Free!
Do you have big dreams of taking your student organization to the next level? To do that, you’re going to need resources, and to get resources, you’re going to want to fundraise efficiently and effectively. Come to this free workshop to learn the tricks of the trade. Soon, you’ll be able to fast-track your organization to financial success — opening doors for growth and increased impact.
Is there anything more refreshing than free refreshments? Well, yes — free refreshments and refreshing discussion. At this discussion/ activity hybrid, you’ll be invited to listen to the experiences of others and to share your own. It’s the kind of opportunity where you can learn deeply about other communities on campus while diving into meaningful personalinteractions.
Sep. 29
SHOCKER PAINT NIGHT
FAMILY WEEKEND
WSU NIGHT AT THE ALLEY
Date: Friday Time: 7-8:30 p.m. Location: RSC 142 Cost: Free!
Date: Friday – Saturday Time: Various times Location: Various locations Cost: Free!
Do you love painting but hate being judged for your painting? Come to a stress-free, cost-free arts class for some artsy Friday-night fun. Whether you make a masterpiece or a disasterpiece, you’re sure to have fun along the way.
This weekend is the perfect opportunity to bring your family to Wichita State. Head on over to wichita.edu/familyweekend to get a taste of all the activities and events at your family’s fingertips. With so many activities specifically geared towards group experience, Family Weekend basically plans itself. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to share your school with the ones you love.
Date: Saturday Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Location: The Alley, 11413 E. 13th St. N. Cost: $3 for pre-registration, $5 at the door (Students). Staff $5/$7, General Public $7/$10 If you like deals and living with zeal, you’re going to love WSU Night at The Alley. You might think that two hours of unlimited bowling and go-karts is too good to be true, to which we say, yes, but also, it isn’t. Pre-register and save a couple bucks. Even if you end up paying at the door, the price is right for a night of delight. INFORMATION COMPILED BY JOHN DARR
DOTWAV Double Header Students at WSU’s Japanese sister school dissect the weirdness of WuShock
Reviewing two summer releases from Wichita’s most prolific collective
BY MATT COOPER
‘KORNDAWG’ BY KORNDAWG
“Korndawg” by KORNDAWG dropped on 50-cent corndog day at Sonic. Suffice to say, the simultaneous events were cause for celebration. But just like the $1 I spent at 50-cent corndog day, the release serves as a meal that’s not filling enough. Running even shorter than my 18-minute drive home from Sonic, KORNDAWG’s self-titled debut album is a bit short on meat. The project is composed of nine songs translate to nine flavors of
COURTESY
fast food trap-rap that heavily rely on the production to elevate them — specifically from standout producer j just the letter, aka DOTWAV’s co-founder Jackson Laurie. The 17-year-old MC holds his own when he puts in the effort to do so. However, he often falls back on typical rap boastings and raunchy lyrics that never take his tracks to their max potential. Aside from the fun, video-game inspired “PS2,” the album rarely transcends Korndawg’s hedonistic, Soundcloud rapper status. Occasionally he allows himself to showcase his goofball personality with a Nickelodeon or “Dora the Explorer” reference or an offthe-wall flow. This playfulness is never pushed to the extent, or to the success, that other DOTWAV teammates achieve. Album standout “FLATLINE” delivers on its menacing title with a creepy-yet-cool beat by Laurie until a dose of auto-tuned corniness comes in. The moment does its best to kill the track, but thankfully “FLATLINE” recovers when Korndawg jumps back in with his deadpan baritone delivery. Moments like these betray an unrefined project, but they also illuminate the off-beat charm that I can see KORNDAWG learning to better channel in his future. An inspired moment comes in the form of the album’s closer, aptly titled “Korndawg Outro.” It’s a mirror of the album’s intro, which embodies the type of ride that KORNDAWG is intended to deliver. This debut album is best enjoyed on cheat day. At its heart, the project is simplistic but on point, delivering exactly what you’d expect from someone named KORNDAWG in all caps. Rating: 3.2/5
RYAN CREWS MUSIC CRITIC
‘WOW. THIS IS THE REAL THING’ BY CALEB CARNELL
With luscious summer songs in the vein of Tyler the Creator and Steve Lacy, “Wow” is indie, alt-rock with a tad bit of hip-hop and R&B influence. Surprisingly, there’s no rap here at all, but instead lowkey singing by Carnell. Despite his rough, lackadaisical vocals, it works. His laidback delivery serves a clear purpose during the record. While at first, they might throw the listener off, they draw attention to the alienation Carnell feels. “Look the other direction,” Carnell sings on “DIRECTION.” “I wish I was someone else/I’m tryin’ to keep my cool/I’m tryin’a keep to myself.” The project’s midsection shows what happens when somebody drops their phone to an inevitable cracked screen and they can’t receive the call they’ve been expecting. The enchanting, jazzy instrumental “TONE” leads into “CALL ME,” a next-level production with beautiful, looped vocals by Californian recording artist Waiting Room. Its concept strikes as similar to Tyler, The Creator’s “Glitter,” but it’s framed quite well on this short and sweet, 13-minute EP. The project is full of cinematic songs which I can see sound-tracking something beyond Carnell’s late-teenage years. They’re fitting for a coming-of-age film; however, each track can stand on its own as a composition you can close your eyes and dream to.
Let’s face it: WuShock is a weird mascot. People who’ve never seen a Kansas wheat field at harvest time have no idea what our wheat-bearded friend, voted the best mascot in the country last November, really is. An outsider might not know whether Wu is a “big, bad, muscle-bound bundle of wheat” as the university website describes him, or a wheat shock bundler ready to weather the Kansas dust bowl. Better yet, they might see Wu as a yellow devil, a Pinocchio rip-off or a Hana Barbara folk character of some kind. For students at Kansai Gaidai University — WSU’s sister college in Hirakata City, Osaka Japan — the symbology of WU isn’t so simple. Upon looking at a Wu logo for the first time Sunday afternoon, a group of enthusiastic students at Kansai Gaidai gave a wide array of first impressions as to what WSU’s mascot resembles. Sophomore accounting major Yuki Fujioka initially compared Wu to stocks of rice paddies. “Its hair looks a bit like odd-colored rice to me,” Yuki said. Upon further inspection, Yuki noted Wu’s striking similarity to a mythological Japanese folk character.
“Because the nose is so long, the mascot looks a bit like a Japanese Tengu devil,” Yuki said. In the early era of the Shinto and Buddhist religions, Tengu were black haired, red skinned, long-nosed idols created to serve as harbingers of war and mischief. Postgraduate Takashi Mizoguchi reacted with a hearty smile and laughter at the image of Wu. “He looks so much like Spongebob to me,” Takashi said lightheartedly. Among other responses were comparisons of Wu to Pinocchio and bumble-bees —called mŏnŏhŏnŏbŏchē in Japanese. Other international students chimed in on the WuShock symbology debate. Of those interviewed, Finland native and tourism technologies major Sara Kauppinen came the closest to identifying Wu’s true origins. Kauppinen reacted with curiosity, admitting that Wu’s yellow wheat stock hair makes him look like bails of hay — called stooks in Finnish. “[WuShock] reminds me of when in the old times hay was cut and gathered on wooden poles to dry,” Kauppinen said. She reflected on how farming culture isn’t as common as it used to be back in her home city of Lahti.
Kauppinen said Wu reminded her of being a kid and taking in the hay stooks of rural Finland. “It’s still possible to see those in rural areas in the Summertime,” Kauppinen said. “Although they are not very common anymore.”
COURTESY
In terms of bulbous nose length and wild appearance, the Japanese folk character Tengu does seem to resemble WuShock.
In the end, students attending WSU’s sister school in Hirakata, Japan proved that there are always numerous ways to look at new things. Symbols, characters, weird vocabulary nuances — all are up to interpretation and unique understandings from varied, at times clashing, yet equally valuable perspectives.
OPEN STREETS ICT
COURTESY
It’s a project I’d put on for the last week of summer in order to drive around, drift away, smile through the pain, and hang out with the gang to. The community feeling is enhanced by gang vocals and adlibs fleshing out the backdrop of each track. The last song even kicks off with joyous children’s laughter — sending the mood sliding along soothingly like a summer breeze. On “WOW THIS IS THE REAL THING,” Caleb Carnell ditches his status as the disher of bars for something a bit softer and more enchanting. The result is his revelation as a composer of sonic spaces where friends can gather and move forward into the infinite. Rating: 4/5
KYLIE CAMERON/THE SUNFLOWER
Four miles of Douglas Avenue were closed from Delano to College Hill for Open Streets ICT and Avenue Art Days on Sunday, Sept. 23. About 13 new murals were painted over the weekend and finished on the day of the event. This was the second year that Open Streets ICT took place. Last year, about 18,000 people walked or biked the streets during the event.
SPORTS
4 | MONDAY, SEPT. 24, 2018
SPORTS IN BRIEF WINNY LEADS XC
Sophomore Winny Koskei led the women’s cross country team to a second-place finish at the Chile Pepper Invitational, hosted Saturday at the University of Arkansas. Koskei placed third, and redshirt junior Rebekah Topham placed fifth. WSU finished with four runners in the top 50.
www.thesunflower.com
SHOCKERS TOPPLE TIGERS
MEN FINISH FIFTH
WSU’s men finished fifth at the Chile Pepper Invitational. Three Shockers finished in the top 35 of the 8K, which featured 440 athletes. Redshirt junior Zack Penrod placed twentieth in the competition.
VOLLEYBALL SITTING ON TOP
WSU volleyball is tied for first place in the American Athletic Conference after the opening week of conference play. WSU, along with Tulsa and Southern Methodist, started with a 2-0 conference record. Tulsa has the best record in the AAC at 9-4. WSU is 7-6 with all losses on the road and three losses to teams ranked inside the top 10 of the AVCA poll.
SOFTBALL BLASTS RUNS
WSU softball finished the opening weekend of their fall schedule with two wins. Against Avila on Saturday, WSU blasted 19 runs. Six Shockers had two or more hits. Senior Bailey Lange led with three RBIs in WSU’s 13-2 win over Crowder on Sunday.
TEEING OFF
WSU women’s golf will compete at the Coeur D’Alene Invitational Monday and Tuesday. The tournament features 17 teams. This is the second tournament for the women this season. WSU finished fourth as a team at the Payne Stewart Memorial. EVAN PFLUGRADT
Sports Six Trivia 1. WHAT TOURNAMENT DID MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY COMPETE IN SATURDAY?
SELENA FAVELA/THE SUFLOWER
Left: Wichita State’s Abby Pugh (5), Alex Koon (9) and Kali Eaken (8) celebrate after scoring against Memphis. Top right: Wichita State senior Tabitha Brown sends the ball back to Memphis during the game in Koch Arena Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. Bottom right: Wichita State libero Giorgia Civita digs the ball during the game against Memphis Sunday afternoon at Koch Arena.
Coming off a five-set victory over Tulane Friday, Wichita State swept Memphis in three sets Sunday. Redshirt freshman Megan Taflinger led WSU with 16 kills. Senior Tabitha Brown eclipsed 1,000 career kills over the weekend
— racking up 10 on Sunday. WSU is on the road for the next two weeks with stops at Tulsa, Southern Florida, and Central Florida.
a. Chili Pepper Invitational
b. Missouri Southern Stampede c. Dallas Baptist Dash d. Black and Gold Scrimmage
2. WHICH WSU SOFTBALL PLAYER HAD FIVE RBIS IN THE HOME OPENER? a. Neleigh Herring b. Laurie Derrico c. McKenzie Webber d. Madison Perrigan
3. HOW MANY RUNS DID WSU SOFTBALL SCORE IN THEIR FALL OPENER THIS WEEKEND? a. 6
b. 8 c. 19 d. 14
4. WHICH SHOCKER WOMAN PLACED THIRD IN THIS WEEKEND’S CROSS COUNTRY COMPETITION? a. Rebekah Topham b. Winny Koskei c. Yazmine Wright d. Winnie Kibet
5. WHICH SHOCKER BASKETBALL PLAYER BECAME A PRO WRESTLER? a. Paul Donald Wight, II b. Shaq Morris c. Clevin Hannah d. Chadrack Lufile
6. FORMER SHOCKER CLIFF LEVINGSTON WAS DRAFTED BY WHICH NBA TEAM IN 1982? a. Atlanta Hawks
b. Kansas City Kings c. Detroit Pistons d. Philadelphia 76ers Answers will be posted in the sports section of Thursday’s edition of The Sunflower. Answers from last issue: 1. Noah Hernandez is a 5-11 point guard. 2. Ziggy’s makes a pizza named after former Shocker Lynbert “Cheese” Johnson. 3. Volleyball went 20-0 in the AAC last season. 4. Giorgia Civita ranked 24th nationally in digs per set entering the weekend. 5. WSU volleyball was picked to win the AAC this season. 6. Men’s golfer Yannick Emmert has nine career top-10 finishes.
TRUSTEES
FROM PAGE 1 “You guys need to understand you are under no obligation to follow the laws of substantial interest at the state level,” Schlapp said to the board members. “Which is a good thing because it’s a pain in the butt we have to fill out annually,” he said. “I’m always one who says we shouldn’t voluntarily follow a law you don’t have to,” Schlapp said. “Having said that, there is a need from a transparency and openness standpoint to let people know that you’re not making decisions that have conflicts,” Schlapp said. The meeting included the discussion of written statements from Stacia Boden, associate general counsel at WSU, and Mert Buckley, the Board of Trustees’ attorney. Boden’s email statement reads in part: “I think it would be a good practice (to complete a conflict of interest disclosure) but I would push that question to the BOT and their counsel, Mert Buckley.” Boden’s email was addressed to Anna Lanier, deputy chief of staff at WSU President John Bardo’s office, and Chris Cavanaugh, director of internal audit at WSU. The email was dated Sept. 12. The statement from Buckley addresses whether or not the Trustees are legally required to file annual statements of substantial interest disclosing conflicts of interest. The undated statement addresses Schlapp and cites a state law that says board members meeting two qualifications must file statements of substantial interest — they must be “under the jurisdiction of the head of any state agency” and “listed as designees by the head of a state agency.” Buckley wrote that he has “not seen anything in the statutes” stating that the Board of Trustees falls under the jurisdiction of a state agency. “But it seems arguable at least, that the BOT is under the jurisdiction of the governor because the governor appoints board members, or under the jurisdiction of the Board of Regents because some board action must be approved by the BOR (Board of Regents),” Buckley wrote. Buckley also wrote that he is “not aware” of board members being listed as designees by the governor, the Kansas Board of Regents, or any other state agency. “I do not see where the members of the Board for Trustees have been listed as “designees” and thus do not see where they are required to file a statement of substantial interest,”
Buckley wrote. The board is in charge of allocating $8,153,926 in public dollars for fiscal year 2019. The money comes from a local tax — a 1.5 mill levy that went into place in 1963 to cover the municipal University of Wichita’s debt as part of its entry into the state system and transition to Wichita State University. Members of the board are appointed by the governor and are not paid to serve. None of the Trustees that spoke during the meeting seemed to be in favor of setting the precedent of filing statements disclosing conflicts of interest. Board member Joe Norton said he agreed with the legal opinion that the board is not required to file statements of substantial interest. “We are not an agency of the state,” Norton said. “I think one of the big differences . . . is that NORTON to my knowledge, all of our budget expenditure items go to other public entities. “We don’t fund any private business. I think there’s a big difference there. To me, the intent of the conflict of interest statutes are, okay, we have public funds, we funnel them into a project that, in theory, you know, my brother-inlaw owns a company that’s making money off of this. That’s what we’re trying to avoid. I don’t know that we make any of those expenditures,” Norton said. “It’s probably the most scrutinized budget of any entity in the state,” Norton said, noting that the City of Wichita, Sedgwick County, and the Kansas Board of Regents all have to sign off on the Trustees’ budget. “I have nothing to hide but I’d hate to start something that I don’t agree with that there’s no way to stop it, practically,” Norton said. Board member Sheryl WOHLFORD Wohlford agreed. “I think we certainly want to err on the side of open and transparent but I’d hate to set a precedent and start a document that’s not necessary.” In the absence of five board members, the Trustees agreed to defer the discussion to a later meeting when all members are present. The next Board of Trustees meeting is Dec. 3.
ENROLLMENT FROM PAGE 1
In recent years, WSU has made a concerted effort to appeal to “non-traditional” students. One effort to do so has been through the badge program, which offers working professionals and high school students online, self-directed courses for half a credit hour. Other state universities have comparable programs — Kansas State’s Professional and Personal Development program and the University of Kansas’s Professional and Continuing Education program — neither of which count students towards headcount enrollment because courses are not offered for credit. Badge course students, by contrast, are counted towards WSU’s enrollment numbers. Last year, WSU reported a headcount enrollment of 15,081 — including 901 students who signed up for badge courses and lifelong learning courses, which are offered to senior citizens. Despite a drop of 136
degree-seeking students last year, WSU reported an increase of 607 students from fall of 2016, making it the fastest-growing university in the state, based on 20-day headcount numbers provided by the regents. Keith said the decision to switch to full-time equivalency was made at the regents’ August retreat. “At the board’s retreat in August, the regents — one of the conversations they had was making sure that they’re using the most accurate metrics that are up to date — give the most valuable information,” Keith said. WSU Associate Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management Carolyn Shaw said headcount numbers will still be available, even if they are not the regents’ primary enrollment metric. “WSU will be reporting FTE (full-time equivalency), headcount, and credit hours as it usually does,” Shaw wrote in an email. Keith said the regents’ official enrollment report will likely be released the first week of October.