The Sunflower v.123 i.39

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019 • VOL. 123, ISS. 39

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Game on

Steering committee members weigh in on their role

BY MATTHEW KELLY

Wichita State’s Shock the Future steering committee has taken the lead on informing students about the upcoming student fee referendum, scheduled for March 4-6.

The committee, made up of student representatives from each college, University Libraries, the Student Government Association, the Institute for Interdisciplinary Innovation, and Strategic Communications, has hosted 29 town hall meetings since WSU rolled out its infrastructure proposal last November.

Last week, a member of the steering committee approached The Sunflower with their concerns about committee management and how much input student members have had on the proposal to raise student fees by $6 a credit hour to pay for campus facilities upgrades.

Fearing retribution from fellow students on the steering committee and the dean that appointed them to it, the committee member requested anonymity, which The Sunflower granted so that they could openly discuss their concerns.

University officials have deemed the infrastructure initiative “student-driven” — pointing to the steering committee as proof.

“I’ve been a part of various committees, and I think when you’re invited to a committee, you understand that you’re going to give your input on the decision,” the anonymous committee member said. “That’s where it got confusing.”

When the committee was formed, infrastructure priorities for each college were already set, as was the funding model, they said. WSU has not been able to provide hard data on student input, but officials say deans

chose infrastructure priorities after conferring with students, faculty, and staff.

“What I thought was that there were some ideas, and that we were going to make either like the final decision, or we were going to discuss what we can incorporate or what would be better for the university,” the anonymous committee member said.

“Everything was settled already — projects and the fee.”

After the first steering committee meeting, the anonymous committee member sought out student input from their constituents.

“A lot of students asked about the $6 a credit hour — if it could be lower or if there were some projects that could be compromised. That way, the fee could be lower,” the anonymous committee member said.

“They think that it was a good idea, but they didn’t think that it was fair — especially how the money was going to be distributed.”

If the referendum passes, WSU will be able to bond $38.6 million — $20 million of which will go towards the construction of a new business building on Innovation Campus.

If the initial referendum fails, WSU officials have said business students will vote again on a $30-$35 per credit hour business-specific fee to pay for the new building. Undergraduate business students already pay $35 in program-specific fees, and graduate students pay $50.

The anonymous committee member said one student on the committee proposed raising business-specific program fees for undergraduates from $35 to $50 so that non-business students’ fees could go up by less than $6 a credit hour.

KHÁNH NGUYỄN/THE SUNFLOWER

SAC hosted Arcade at the RSC Thursday evening Above, Arcade at the RSC was held Thursday in the Rhatigan Student Center.

The event featured pizza, prizes, and a Super Smash Bros Ultimate Tournament.

Right, Games included Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Mario Bros.

SEE COMMITTEE PAGE 3

KHÁNH NGUYỄN/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State promised donors $20 million for business building would come from ‘university funds.’ Now, they need students to vote ‘yes’ on raising their own fees.

BY MATTHEW KELLY

The Shock the Future referendum is less than two weeks away. Acting President Rick Muma has said that if students vote against raising the infrastructure student fee by $6 a credit hour, Wichita State will still have to find a way to pay for a new business building on Innovation Campus.

The building, Woolsey Hall, has a $50 million price tag. Part of the reason WSU officials are anxious to get student support for the project is because donors have been promised that at least $20 million will come from “university resources,” meaning student fees.

“We’ve had donors give us $30 million to build [Woolsey Hall], so we have to find a way to do that,” Muma said at a town hall meeting in January.

“It’d be problematic to go back to donors and say, ‘No one wants a business building here. We’re giving your money back.’ That’s not something I think we want to do.”

WSU Foundation President Elizabeth King said the foundation has been raising money for the project over the last five years. The original target was $25 million, and Muma has said that $30 million is “about as much as we can raise for the project.”

SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State President John Bardo, responds to a question during the Startup Grind ICT event. Bardo is currently recovering in a rehab facility.

AUSTIN SHAW/THE SUNFLOWER

Business Dean Anand Desai speaks at the Shock the Future business town hall meeting Thursday afternoon in Clinton Hall.

King said donors have been told from the beginning that part of the funding for the business school would come from university resources.

“From the beginning of our efforts, donors have been told that the remainder of the funding would come from university resources, most likely being a bond issue because that is the only source for covering such large capital needs,” King wrote in an email.

One argument made in 2017 for building a campus YMCA instead of renovating the Heskett Center

was that the university was not in a financial position to bond money.

“It will probably be 10 years before the university will be in a financial position to bond money,” Vice President for Technology Transfer John Tomblin told the Student Government Association at the time.

Werner Golling, vice president for finance and administration, told The Sunflower in November that WSU could only bond money for the Shock the Future initiative “because of the new funding source from increased student fees.”

SEE BUSINESS PAGE 3

Heldman: No target date for Bardo’s return, but he’s ‘making progress and in good spirits’

BY ANDREW LINNABARY

President John Bardo is “making progress and in good spirits,” but has no target date for a return to WSU, Vice President for Strategic Communications Lou Heldman told The Sunflower in an email Friday.

Bardo was first hospitalized for a chronic lung condition in November. Provost Rick Muma has been filling in as acting president of the university in his absence.

Bardo has been in and out of

the hospital and has undergone multiple surgeries since his hospitalization.

Heldman said Bardo is currently at a rehab facility.

In early February, Heldman could not provide a timeline for Bardo’s return to WSU, saying that’s up to Bardo and his doctors. He maintained that the university is fully functioning in Bardo’s absence.

“The reason we have an acting president and an executive team is to continue the work of the university,” Heldman said.

INSIDE

OPPORTUNITY LOST

BURTON ON THE ASSIST

WEEKEND WINS

Final Friday brings out the best WSU, Wichita have to offer.

The Shockers squandered a 16-point lead in Saturday’s loss to Memphis.

In WSU’s last two games, Jamarius Burton has racked up 19 assists.

Shocker Softball won three of four games over the weekend to move to 9-4.

CULTURE/OPINION • PAGE 2

SPORTS • PAGE 4

SPORTS• PAGE 4

SPORTS • PAGE 4

FINAL FRIDAY

CULTURE/OPINION

2 | MONDAY, FEB. 25, 2019

www.thesunflower.com

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THE STAFF EDITORIAL

Editor in Chief Matthew Kelly Digital Managing Editor Andrew Linnabary Visual Managing Editor Madeline Deabler Culture Editor John Darr Sports Editor Evan Pflugradt Photo Editor Selena Favela Sports Photo Editor Joseph Barringhaus

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BECCA YENSER/THE SUNFLOWER

Artist Amena Elamin stands in front of her installation, My Hair, My Body, Our Revolution.

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A Ballet Wichita dancer becomes a “living statue” at Fisch Haus.

Students and locals bring Wichita to life on Final Friday

O

n the last Friday of the month, Wichita comes alive with the Final Friday art crawl. Thousands of people visit various art galleries around town, typically for debut shows. With 22 galleries participating in February’s Final Friday, viewers were spoiled for choice. The clear highlight of the evening, however, was a show created by Wichita State students in Commerce Street’s ShiftSpace.

ShiftSpace is an off-campus, WSU student gallery located on the artsy Commerce Ave. On Friday, the street was crowded with people and the parking spots were full. When I walked in, I was greeted with a youthful crowd and several vibrant modern art displays that encourage you to walk through and interact.

One particular exhibit, titled “My Hair, My Body, Our Revolution,” was an emotionally stunning piece imagined and created by WSU senior Amena Elamin. According to Elamin’s exhibit description, the piece “pays tribute to all the female protestors in my motherland, Sudan, who have been abused in unimaginable ways. Particularly, they have had their hair forcibly cut off and scattered around the streets in an attempt to strip them from their womanhood.”

As Elamin greeted and chatting with visitors at her exhibit, she elaborated on her work.

“What inspired me are the protests in Sudan,” Elamin said.

“People are fed up with the 30-year-old dictatorship. People are tortured and sent to jail. The women are enduring another

BECCA YENSER COLUMNIST

type of abuse — sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Their hair is shaved (by the police) and their braids cut off.”

Elamin painted colorful feminine figures on the two walls of the room. They represent women throughout history — some using their hair for dance, others putting it up in preparation for battle. Elamin herself is portrayed in her own piece, with her mother standing behind her.

Some of the hair on the women is three dimensional, cascading to the floor. Finally, the gaze falls to the floor, where pieces of hair and cut braids spell the words, “Don’t touch my hair.”

The effect was haunting.

Elamin said she wants her exhibit to honor the women and “remember the beauty they hold.”

She is quick to point out that this is just a small example of the way black women all over the world are being disrespected.

Elamin’s was not the only exhibit that portrayed excellent, daring work by Wichita artists.

At L’Image gallery in the heart of the Delano District, Paul Bowen’s stunning aviation photos were on display. His company, Paul Bowen Photography, Inc., showcases ‘air to air’ photographs. Bowen

shoots from a moving airplane, often from the side window or back jumper seat, strapped in with a harness and exposed to all the elements.

Bowen uses all digital film to get a higher-quality image. He uses a gyro on his camera as he shoots to remediate any bouncing. One photograph titled “CJ3” is a head-on shot of an airplane cutting a swath through a dense cloud of fog.

Gail Bowen, Paul’s wife and assistant, said the images on display weren’t easy to get. In fact, Gail said that some of Paul’s work is the first of it’s kind — for example, he was “the first photographer to capture wingtip vortices,” she said.

Paul has been taking photographs for over 40 years. Gail said she enjoys events like Final Friday because she gets to meet new people and hear interesting feedback about her husband’s art.

When asked about her own experiences on the plane, Bowen’s face lit up.

“I love it. Sitting in the back is so incredible. It’s a spiritual experience.”

After eating some airplane-shaped cookies and sausage bites with cute propellers, I caught the Q-Line up the street to go to another gallery: Mud Haus. The art on display was reminiscent of great 19th-century paintings. I was drawn to one particular piece, which is actually two paintings hung side by side within a gorgeous rustic wood frame. It contained two portraits of young women drinking wine and eating grapes. Price tag? $15,000.

One fellow art-goes, Paul Berman, was intently taking photos of some sculptures. He flew in from Seattle.

When asked what brings him to Wichita, Berman pointed at the two sculptures in front of us and said he’s taking a concrete sculpting workshop from the artist, Craig Campbell. Berman said he’s been a painter and sculptor for many years, but that he’s new to the world of concrete. He said Campbell is one of the great artists in this realm. “[Campbell’s work is] true to life, but whimsical. He really gets the depth of character,” Berman said.

“He does a (preliminary) sketch in clay. I was super impressed.”

At the end of the night, there was still one more place I wanted to visit: Fisch Haus. I entered the building to some gorgeous music and “live paintings” in which models hold poses to capture a canvas-like effect.

The models at Friday’s exhibit were Ballet Wichita dancers, and the collaborative event encouraged art goers to interact with the exhibit by drawing or painting them. A very large crowd was constantly milling around, taking photos and videos from their phones.

I was struck by the sophistication of lighting, poses, and costumes. There was an effervescence to the model’s faces that evokes classical paintings.

Stepping out from Fisch Haus into the driving rain, I walked back to Douglas to catch the Q-Line back to my car.

Although I only made it to four galleries on my list, I felt awakened and alive. The diversity in art in just those few exhibits was staggering. I can’t wait until March 29, when I can do this all over again.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Trump’s national emergency is straight out of ‘House of Cards’ Picture this. The president, in a desperate effort to fund an idea that has been continuously smothered by the opposition party, declares a state of emergency in an effort to use FEMA funds.

Oh, did you think I was talking about that one thing? Of course not. I’m referring to a “House of Cards” storyline from 2015.

Released four months before Trump’s candidacy was even announced, few of us had even begun to fathom the political turmoil that the country would be plunged into over the course of the 2016 election cycle and beyond. Netflix, however, had correctly predicted an unprecedented flexing of executive power nearly four years in advance.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the series, spoilers

AUSTIN MAY

OPINION EDITOR lie ahead. By the third season, Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) had ascended to the presidency through a series of backstabbing moves that left the American populous reeling.

Desperate to make his mark, Underwood attempts to push a jobs program (cleverly called “America Works”) through Congress, but the bill is stifled in the Senate.

Running out of options, Underwood declares a state of emergency, using FEMA funds to create government-funded jobs for anyone willing to take them throughout Washington.

Although the jobs program is viewed as extremely successful, the emergency relief fund is drained, and with a major storm bearing down on the East Coast, Underwood is forced to abandon his efforts.

Trump, in a similar fashion, announced on Feb. 15 that he had declared a state of emergency to address border security. Trump’s plan may not be derailed by a literal storm, but a political storm is sweeping through the courts, attempting to block the move.

While this could simply be a Simpson’s-esque guess that,

by an unforeseeable series of circumstances became true, I feel as if Frank Underwood, in at least an indirect fashion, influenced Trump’s decision to go for an executive power grab by declaring a national emergency.

Perhaps the White House used the 35-day government shutdown as an opportunity to binge-watch “House of Cards.”

Political ideology aside, the Trump White House has become a political thriller the likes of which has not been seen outside of a television set in a long time.

Every day, we to tune in for the next episode of an enthralling series that continues to get more and more interesting with each additional twist and turn.

This move, however, has been seen before.

NEWS

www.thesunflower.com

Tuesday

MONDAY, FEB. 25, 2019

Wednesday

COMMUTER HOT DOGS

WSU CONCERT CHORALE & A CAPPELLA CHOIR

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Time: 7:30 – 9 p.m.

Time: 5 - 8 p.m.

Location: RSC

Location: Wiedemann Hall

Cost: Free!

Cost: Free Student Ticket ($6 - $10 General Admission)

Location: The Lord’s Diner, 520 N. Broadway

Ah, hot dogs — that great American snack that goes well with any activity!

Don’t think it can get any better? Well, Commuter Hot Dogs will be providing a delicious free hot dog to students this Tuesday at the Rhatigan Student Center. You’ll have a whole array of varieties to choose from that range the globe in their culinary inspirations.

They’ll be available as supplies last, so make sure to swoop in early for this mouthwatering opportunity!

WEDNESDAYS AT THE DINER

Cost: Free!

Do you love music? Do you love supporting your fellow Shockers? You can do both, for free, by attending the Concert Chorale & A Capella Choir Concert this Tuesday! Director Michael Hanawalt will be leading Wichita State’s Concert Chorale through work ranging all the way from Renaissance compositions to modern arrangements. Director Tom Wine will follow up by leading the A Capella Choir through a selection of Renaissance works. You’re sure to feel enlightened after this delightful performance.

Wednesdays at the Diner is a meal series where volunteers help provide food to Wichita’s communities in need. The mission of the diner is to serve others “with dignity and respect . . . 365 days a year,” and on Wednesdays, they provide transportation to any students interested in volunteering. You can register to volunteer at Wichita.edu/ WednesdaysDiner.

|3

WSU JAZZ ARTS ENSEMBLE 1 & BANDA HISPANICA Time: 7:30 – 9 p.m.

Location: Wiedemann Hall Cost: Free Student Ticket ($6 - $10 General Admission) If you can’t get enough wonderful music performances in your system, be sure to catch the WSU Jazz Arts Ensemble’s dual concert with Band Hispanica this Wednesday. The Jazz Ensemble will be ripping through some top-notch numbers while Banda Hispanica will navigate a variety of Latin tunes both in the traditional and contemporary styles. Make sure to request your free student ticket ahead of time to lock down your seat for the show!

INFORMATION COMPILED BY JOHN DARR

BUSINESS

FROM PAGE 1 The Shock the Future website states that “remaining funding for these improvements must come from student fees — and that requires serious student support.”

If the referendum passes, it will allow WSU to bond $38.6 million — $20 million of which will go to the business school. If it fails, Muma said business students will likely vote on a business-specific fee hike to build Woolsey Hall.

A program-specific fee would cost business students between $30 and $35 a credit hour.

At a town hall meeting Thursday, The Sunflower asked Business Dean Anand Desai what the university would do if business students voted against raising their own fees by $30-$35 a credit hour.

“I haven’t talked through exactly what would happen, but here’s how I describe it — what I call, and this is me, one person — the doomsday scenario,” Desai said. “Because we’ve told our donors that through a partnership between the university and their generosity, we will build a new building.”

Desai said telling donors that students don’t want to pay for a new building would damage WSU’s credibility.

“Many of these donors who gave towards the $30 million . . .

are the same donors who support scholarships, same donors who give to athletics, same donors who give to professorships, same donors who support a variety of programs across campus — not just the business school, because they are Wichita State alums,” Desai said.

“How do I go back a year or two down the road and say, ‘You know what? I’d like $1 million from you for a scholarship.’

“My credibility is shot. Our credibility is shot. That’s why I call it the doomsday scenario,” Desai said.

State law requires WSU to hold a referendum before raising student fees to bond money. At a Shock the Future steering committee meeting earlier this month, Vice President for Student Affairs Teri Hall acknowledged frankly that WSU isn’t necessarily required to abide by the will of the students.

“The state statute says that we must have a referendum. I don’t think it says it has to pass,” Hall said.

Sophomore business student Danielle Harms told The Sunflower earlier this month that she worries WSU is beholden to its donors over its students.

“If you really wanted students’ opinion about this stuff, why didn’t you ask before you went to the donors, because it doesn’t matter what I say now — you’re going to charge me for it either way,” Harms said.

COMMITTEE

FROM PAGE 1 They said administrators did not seem receptive to other funding models and wanted to spread the burden equally between students, even though more than half of the money raised by the proposed fee hike would go towards the business school.

Max Karst, a sophomore Health Professions representative on the steering committee, said he never thought weighing in on infrastructure priorities and funding models was part of the committee’s job.

“I never was under the impression that we would choose the infrastructure priorities and finance models, because honestly I know I am definitely not qualified to do that,” Karst wrote in an email.

“My impression of the steering committee when I really decided to get behind it was a student group to help get information out to other students.”

Senior business representative Rigoberto San Juan agreed that informing students about the referendum is the steering committee’s top priority.

“We got the information that you guys are getting, and our job is to get it out there as best we can and come up with ideas of how to disseminate that information

so people are informed of what they’re voting for,” San Juan said.

In November, committee members were told they would be divided into a logistics and a marketing committee. Karst decided to focus on logistics.

“I think that logistics (tabling, passing out shirts, getting information out in as many ways as possible) is a big part of the steering committee because we want students to be informed, not necessarily convinced,” Karst wrote.

Shock the Future signs posted around campus explicitly read “VOTE YES!” “I could see how that could be misleading,” Karst wrote.

“Obviously, we would like students to vote yes because we support the initiative, so that’s why we include taglines such as “vote yes,” but the main priority is to be transparent and inform the student body.”

The anonymous committee member said the “vote yes” terminology shows that the steering committee functions as a university public relations campaign, not an unbiased source of information.

“It’s a PR campaign. It’s a whole mess,” they said.

“I thought this committee would be more about informing and respecting democracy — letting someone decide ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”

If history is any indication, turning students out to vote could be an uphill battle. Just 1,554 students — 12.3 percent of the student body — voted in last year’s SGA election. That’s down from 19.7 percent in 2017.

In 2010, when WSU raised fees to renovate the Rhatigan Student Center, just 8.6 percent of students responded to an email survey asking if they supported the proposal.

San Juan said the steering committee is doing its part to raise awareness for the referendum, and that it’s up to students to make their voices heard.

“It’s a 50-50 relationship,” San Juan said. “The university’s putting out this information, town halls, signage, to inform students. It’s up to the students to vote on whether they want this passed or not.”

The anonymous committee member said the “student-driven” label doesn’t fit because university officials are determined to move forward with infrastructure projects — at least the business school, which donors have already raised $30 million for.

“I understand why they want to do it — like, they want to make the university better, but the question is, ‘At what cost?’ They’re going to roll over anyone who stands in their way.”

IT PAYS TO BE A SHOCKER. EARN A $300 BONUS WITH A NEW JUST CHECKING ACCOUNT. Interactive Banking has arrived. Now you can connect with a live banker to cash checks, make deposits, withdraw money, make loan payments and more, right on campus in the Rhatigan Student Center. Interactive banking is available until 8:00 p.m. on weeknights and until 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

To celebrate, WSU students, faculty and staff can earn a $300 bonus when opening a new Just Checking account.* Your Just Checking account is packed with features that take the complications out of banking, including a free VISA® debit card. Each account comes with online and mobile access that allows you to bank when and where you want.

For our fellow Shockers, we stand ready to serve. *Bonus offer only available to new Fidelity Bank checking customers. Students, faculty and staff must present a valid WSU ID card. Account must be opened on or before March 30, 2019. $300 bonus is earned by completing 15 combined signature or mobile wallet point-of-sale transactions within 60 days of account opening. Bonus will be paid within 30 days of meeting the transactions requirement. Minimum deposit of $25 is required to open an account.

fidelitybank.com/shockers 1.800.658.1637

SPORTS

4 | MONDAY, FEB. 25, 2019

D E B A T E Duke’s Zion Williamson wants to play college basketball.

With potential for injury, should Williamson rethink his plans?

Y E S

N O

When Zion Williamson’s foot burst through his sneaker 30 seconds into the most-anticipated game of the college basketball season, he exposed the entire NCAA and Nike apparel retailers who skim millions off of his freakish potential.

The NCAA has turned a premier secondary education into a risk that he can’t afford to take. With the NBA Draft in June, Williamson will instantly join a carousel of millionaires. He’s expected to draw at least $40 million — and that number could skyrocket.

College is so profitless for great athletes that someone like Williamson has little, if anything, to gain. It’s no surprise greats like Scottie Pippen are saying he should shut it down. Setting foot on the court at Duke again would only help those profiting from his likeness and jeopardize his future income is a punishment he shouldn’t have to take.

High-profile college football players have started sitting out post-season games, and it’s no surprise why. Putting themselves out there — risking injury and all — only jeopardizes a multi-million dollar future. And it’s not the NCAA that’s about to make a change. Both recognizing the dilemma, the NBA is more likely to act and give players a chance to enter the league at 17.

Williamson sitting out takes away from high-spirited edge-ofyour-seat nostalgia in college sports.

But it’s only a matter of time.

Zion Williamson suffered a mild knee sprain and the media is blowing it out of the water. They’re calling this setback an opening to the polarizing issue with college sports. It’s not.

Williamson is plain and simple the best player in college basketball.

He’s loaded with raw talent that is simply unmatched. He brings a new kind of excitement to college basketball — that was clear when the Duke-North Carolina game attracted Spike Lee and former president Barack Obama.

But since when has everyone only cared about the money?

Williamson will get paid regardless. Come June, he’ll join a class of millionaires. He’ll get every endorsement deal imaginable and sign record contracts with whatever shoe company wants him.

Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley — they all played three years of college.

Tim Duncan played for four. The sport’s greatest players all played college basketball.

Williamson not playing is clownish. He’s the proven No.-1 pick — what more does he have to lose?

Joel Embiid left Kansas prone to injury. He played, and it did him no favors. His career at Kansas was cut short, but that didn’t jeopardize his NBA potential.

He had foot surgery six days before the NBA Draft and was still taken as the No. 3 pick. Look at him today. He’s one of the best post-players in the world, and he’s cashing in on a $148 million contract.

WIlliamson shouldn’t hesitate.

Lace ‘em up and get back out there.

— Evan Pflugradt

— Marshall Sunner

J

www.thesunflower.com

NEED AN ASSIST?

amarius Burton has upped his assist game. Burton responded to Head Coach Gregg Marshall’s criticisms regarding the team’s insufficient passing. In the last two games, Burton has racked up 19 assists and limited his turnovers to four. He’s more than doubled his assist production — eight assists in the four games leading up to his breakout performances.

ASSISTS BREAKDOWN Who has been on the receiving end of Burton’s 19 assists?

MARKIS MCDUFFIE - 4

DEXTER DENNIS - 4

JAIME ECHENIQUE - 3

ASBJØRN MIDTGAARD - 2

ERIK STEVENSON - 1

ISAIAH POOR BEAR-CHANDLER - 1

SAMAJAE HAYNES-JONES - 4

JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State freshman Jamarius Burton cheers with freshman Dexter Dennis after drawing a foul towards the end of the first half. WSU played UCF on Jan. 16, 2019 at Charles Koch Arena.

JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall yells after the refs make a call during the game on Jan. 30, 2019.

‘It’s on me’

Gregg Marshall defends players after Wichita State surrenders 16-point lead

BY SEAN MARTY AND EVAN PFLUGRADT

Ricky Torres nearly had the game.

He had just swiped the ball out of the hands of Memphis point guard Tyler Harris. An untimed pass switched hands and Markis McDuffie ended up with the ball. He fired an off-balance three-pointer, sank it, and the game was tied with four minutes left.

Wichita State felt like they had it.

Like they’d win their sixth out of the last seven games. But they didn’t.

Erik Stevenson hit a deep three-pointer with 42 seconds left, cutting the deficit to two points.

In the next sequence, Stevenson

THREE FOR FOUR

remarkably fouled Jeremiah Martin, setting up the perfect free throw shooter with a pair more.

“It’s on me,” Head Coach Gregg Marshall said. “I’ve got to get them better.”

WSU could do little to stop Martin on Saturday. He scored 37 points. He made all 14 free throws.

He was clutch.

“I didn’t buy into the hype that we were a great team all of a sudden,” Marshall said, dismissive of the fact that WSU had a fourgame winning streak before its most recent pair of losses.

Memphis swept the home-andaway series between the two teams, winning Saturday 88-85.

EVAN PFLUGRADT /THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State softball won three of four games at its weekend invitational in Arlington, Texas. Bailee Nickerson had two home runs in Sunday’s doubleheader.

Caitlin Bingham struck out a career-high 10 batters in nine innings. The Shockers lost their only game of the weekend Sunday to Prairie View A&M. WSU has a 9-4 record this season.

ARTIST TALK

CAROLINA CAYCEDO: BE DAMMED Tuesday, March 5 5:30 P.M. Reception | 6:00 P.M. Program Free Admission | Public Welcome

Be Dammed is a research project by Los Angeles-based artist Carolina Caycedo that explores concepts of flow and containment, investigating correlations between the mechanisms of social control and the unethical aspects of public works infrastructure projects, including large water dams and reservoirs. Be Dammed encompasses sculpture, photography, video and performance, and reflects the artist’s ongoing query into the development of mega-infrastructures over natural and social landscapes. A Gente Rio (We River), from the Be Dammed project, is featured in the Ulrich exhibition In the Wake, on view through March 31, 2019.