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/ The Sunflower

WICHITA STATE’S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1896

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THURSDAY April 14, 2022 Volume 126 Issue 29

www.thesunflower.com

TRADITION AND TALENT Hippodrome comes back to campus in-person BY PIPER PINNETTI piperpinnetti12@gmail.com

reativity took the stage last weekend at the 94th annual installment of Hippodrome, one of Wichita State’s longest-running traditions. Hippodrome has been a celebration of arts and creative talents since when it was started in 1928. Organizations from Wichita State University were invited to participate in a stunt competition, and the winner received a $10 prize. Kappa Kappa Gamma and Phi Delta Theta combined the stories of “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Three Little Pigs” and “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.” The skit won them multiple awards, including first place. In a previous interview with The Sunflower, Graduate Assistant Jordan Urban said that the anticipation has been growing for this year’s performance after two years of not being able to perform in person. “Hippodrome has only been canceled twice in the past, once for World War two and again for COVID-19, so we are definitely excited to be back to the live event,” Urban said. “Having to cancel Hippodrome last year has impacted this year’s event, but we are excited to be back in person with safety measures in place.” Last year, while having a different format and transferring online, the event was still able to take place. The 94th annual show is the first in-person show since 2019. The event included props, funny

“Hippodrome has only been canceled twice in the past, once for World War two and again for COVID-19, so we are definitely excited to be back to the live event.” - Jordan Urban jokes and a filled audience. Freshman Isabella Rowden attended the event last minute for an assignment in her First Year Seminar. Between all the groups and skits, her favorite was a piano solo played by Rohit Rameshwaram between skits. “The dude who plays the piano was my favorite,” Rowden said. “It was a pretty song. I pulled out my phone and recorded the whole thing to send to my mom so she could hear it, too.” Gamma Phi Beta Sorority members and the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity members joined forces in reenacting “Horton Hears a Who.” The night ended with teams members holding trophies in hand and smiles on faces. Organizers said they look forward to upcoming years. “Although we have some changes to the event from past Hippodrome events, we are excited for the future of the event. I am looking forward to seeing all of the talent WSU students have and can’t wait for them to share it with the campus and community,” Urban said in a previous interview said in a previous interview with The Sunflower.

Delta Delta Delta and Sigma Alpha Episilon members present “Lost in a Fairytale” during Hippodrome, hosted by the Student Activities Council on April 8. | Photo by Jordan Plowman / The Sunflower

94TH ANNUAL HIPPODROME PARTICIPANTS

GAMMA PHI BETA & BETA THETA PI Gamma Phi Beta Sorority members and the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity members joined forces in reenacting “Horton Hears a Who.”

DELTA UPSILON Delta Upsilon made their “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” skit come to life. Featured characters included Fregley, Greg Hefley and Rowley. Their comedic skit won them fourth place in the competition.

DELTA DELTA DELTA & SIGMA ALPHA EPSILON

DELTA GAMMA & SIGMA PHI EPSILON

KAPPA KAPPA GAMMA & PHI DELTA THETA

Members of Tri Delta and Sigma Alpha Epsilon presented a mixture of “The Little Red Riding Hood”, “Rapunzel”, “The Lorax” and “The Cat in the Hat.”

Delta Gamma and Sigma Phi Epsilon acted out their own funny take of “The Magic Treehouse.”

Kappa Kappa Gamma and Phi Delta Theta mixed together “Little Red Riding Hood”, “The Three Little Pigs” and “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.”

2 | THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2022

NEWS

Third provost finalist answers questions in open forum BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com

Alan Shoho was announced as the third finalist for Wichita State’s next provost. He spoke in open forum on Thursday, April 7 in Hubbard Hall to answer questions from WSU community members. Shoho is the former dean of the School of Education and Professor of Administrative Leadership at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee. Before the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Shoho was a professor and associate vice provost at the University of Texas. Shoho said his main goal as provost would be to listen to concerns of faculty, students and staff. “One of the lessons that I learned … is the importance of a provost being visible on campus, not going to be cocooned in Morrison Hall,” he said. When asked about partnerships, Shoho said the university needs to be actively searching for them. “Partnerships and collaboration

are critical,” he said. “You know, what I would love to be able to do is to work with the foundation, you know, and mostly other entities in the community. “Like Arizona State, they have a partnership with Starbucks, any employee with Starbucks can go to Arizona State [and] get their undergraduate degree for free.” An attendee brought up the topic of tenured faculty and academic freedom. As the chief academic officer, Shoho said he would advocate for faculty on those topics. “Working in collaboration with other provosts [to figure out] what’s the best way for us to approach this and how do we convince people who are not so friendly to higher education, to see the value of tenure and academic freedom?” Shoho said. “I think it’s really important that our faculty are able to study and research topics that are … controversial.”

Magdalena Mollo and Leonardo Sandino perform a short Latino dance presentation in front of the RSC at Interfest, organized by the Internation Student Union on April 13. | Photo by Baswanth Naidu / The Sunflower

Shiftspace charged with violating SGA election code, appealing to the supreme court BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE news@thesunflower.com

Shiftspace, a Wichita State student-run art gallery, has received an alleged election violation from the Elections Commission, citing a clause in the student fees statute barring university departments from interfering with any aspect of SGA elections. Treasurer Zachary James announced the charge at Wednesday night’s SGA meeting. He said the Elections Commission issued a memo to him on Friday, informing him that they took a case submitted to them regarding an alleged election violation. “There is a clause in the student fee statute that requires all funded entities to adhere to all aspects of association policies, including our election policies,” James said. “With this in mind, I enforce the policy based on the violation of the statute, meaning that for this fiscal year the Shiftspace art gallery is now ineligible to receive association funding.” In student fees deliberation, Shiftspace got its funding request cut initially by 65.8%. After speaking in public forum in two meetings and much debate between senators, their funding for the upcoming fiscal year was reinstated to $67,317, with $23,000 coming from student fees and the rest coming from SGA reserves. The Sunflower reached out to Shiftspace for a comment, but has yet to hear back.

A child eating food at Interfest, organized by the International Student Union on April 13 by the Neff Hall Courtyard. | Photo by Baswanth Naidu / The Sunflower

Students, who served Indian food, make to-go boxes at Interfest, an event organized by the International Student Union on April 13 by Neff Hall Courtyard. | Photo by Baswanth Naidu / The Sunflower

Interfest brings connection and cultural foods SGA Treasurer Zachary James gives report at SGA meeting on April 13. | Photo by Nithin Reddy-Nagapur / The Sunflower

James said that SGA advisor Gabriel Fonseca reached out to the budget officer of Shiftspace, who has since decided to appeal this decision in the Student Supreme Court, the judicial branch of SGA. Senator Dalton Dicks asked James if there was a specific charge. James said he did not know the specific charge, only that they were found in violation of the election policy. On April 1, Shiftspace shared a Sunflower article regarding their funding. In that Facebook post, they specifically targeted Senator John Kirk about his comments on and lack of support regarding the gallery. They featured a quote from the article in which Kirk said that after talking to his constituents, none of them knew that the gallery existed. After the quote, the post pointed out that he was running for re-election and to see how his comments on Shiftspace would affect his poll numbers. This post has since then been edited and now just includes the quote from Kirk.

BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE news@thesunflower.com

Despite the frigid weather, many campus community members bundled up to attend Interfest spring 2022, an international food festival held by the international student union. Due to the wind, the festival was moved to the walkway on the Geology building instead of the Neff Hall courtyard. The line of hungry and excited campus members never seemed to end as more and more arrived for lunch. International music played from speakers, adding to the joyful atmosphere. Around ten vendors were serving food, which was bought by tickets purchased at the ticket table. A short Latino dance presentation was held at 11:45 a.m. Maggie Mollo, one of the organizers of the event, said that this is a signature event for the International Student Union. She said it is a great way for the organization to make money. “I think it really highlights the cultures around the world and it brings people together, shows diversity … They get to share what

makes them, them,” Mollo said. Leonardo Sandio, another organizer of the event, said that the event is about experiencing different cultures and bringing people together from different backgrounds. “I feel that people need to get a little bit more exposed, you know, and coming from the pandemic we have been within ourselves, so it is time to come out and to share the good things that we have with the rest of the people,” Sandio said. Eshithanjani Ponnavolu, a vendor at the event, served sambar rice, chicken fry and brownies as an international dessert. She said that she spent 12 hours cooking. She wanted to be a part of the event to promote her culture as well as mingle with other cultures. “I actually love cooking, and I have a cooking page,” Ponnavolu said. “I just wanted to promote my page as well as give a taste of my country. Other than Biryani, there is a lot to India, so I just wanted to present a different style of the country.” Rakhi Chowdhury, a vendor, said that she was there to represent her culture’s food.

“I think our country is very much unknown to everyone, so by representing our food … they can learn from our culture, what kind of food we eat.” Lily Parker, a senior in strategic communication, said that she attended the event for a Spanish assignment about trying new things. “I think that food is the first thing that brings people together so I think it is so important for people to come together and learn about new cultures and share in each others’ food, I think that is a huge part of a community,” Parker said. Nicole Miller, WSU alum, came to the event to support multiple students that she knows within the ISU. “I love the diversity that we have in our community, I love how Wichita State attracts so many students from all over the world … There is just a rich diversity in Wichita,” Miller said. “I think it’s fun for the Americans growing up in Kansas to be able to get exposed to so many different foods and cultures right here in our backyard.”

Gallegos, Adamson next student body president, VP BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE news@thesunflower.com

Olivia Gallegos and Mitchell Adamson were elected as student body president and vice president last Wednesday. As the only declared ticket, they won 55% of the vote. Two other write-in candidates ran as well. Gallegos, a second year SGA senator and the current president of Turning Point USA, said that she

was very excited when she learned that she had won the election. Gallegos said that what she is most excited about is getting back to serving students and the excitement of doing that on a broader scale. Adamson, a sophomore economics major and former Sunflower staffer, said he is looking forward to connecting with students. “I’m excited to give them a voice and to listen to the people that are

The Sunflower, founded in 1896, is the student-run newspaper covering Wichita State University. The print edition is published Monday during the fall and spring semesters. 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.

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 Sunflower is a member of Kansas Collegiate Media, the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Association. Copyright © 2022 The Sunflower. This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted.

around me and speak for them, which I’ve always found interesting and exciting,” Adamson said. In terms of what some of their first goals as president and vice president are, Gallegos said that they will be working on their four platform points, which are transparency, financial literacy, mental health and safety. “I think the first thing, we will definitely be very transparent about what’s going on and what we are

doing and just hitting the ground running,” Gallegos said. Adamson said he is excited to focus on the financial side. He said they plan to talk to different organizations on campus right away. “The biggest thing is thank you for electing us, and then the next thing I have to say with that is that we are excited to serve all students and be a voice for all students here on campus,” Gallegos said. Adamson said he wants

EDITOR IN CHIEF Lindsay Smith editor@thesunflower.com

DESIGN DIRECTOR Thy Vo design@thesunflower.com

NEWS EDITOR Julia Nightengale news@thesunflower.com

PHOTO EDITOR Khanh Nguyen photoeditor@thesunflower.com

SPORTS EDITOR Sean Marty sports@thesunflower.com

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Rachel Rudisill rtrudisill@shockers.wichita.edu

OPINION EDITOR Emmie Boese opinion@thesunflower.com

MARKETING MANAGER Kaylee Stout marketing@thesunflower.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Kyran Crist arts@thesunfower.com

ADVERTISING MANAGER Rachel Thomas admanager@thesunflower.com

FACULTY ADVISOR Amy DeVault amy.devault@wichita.edu

everyone’s voices to be heard. “I’m definitely here to allow everybody’s voice to be brought to the table,” Adamson said. “I think that, too many times, certain voices are excluded or discouraged and I think that we have the ability to help those people and speak up for them when they may not have the opportunity to.”

Lindsay Smith: 316-978-6905 editor@thesunflower.com ADVERTISING

Rachel Thomas: 316-978-6906 admanager@thesunflower.com

Corrections

The Sunflower is committed to accuracy in its publications. If you find an error in any of its publications, please email the editor at editor@thesunflower.com immediately.

WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2022 | 3

Sports

HAVE A STORY IDEA? contact The Sunflower’s sports editor, Sean Marty sports@thesunflower.com

ROSTER TURNOVER

During the second half of the game against the SMU Mustangs on Feb. 5, the five on the court pause to discuss strategy. Six players have entered the transfer portal since the end of the seasom, which leads the American Athletic Conference. | Photo by Mia Hennen / The Sunflower

Men’s basketball looks to rebuild voided roster after six players enter the transfer portal BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com

For the third straight offseason, the Shocker men’s basketball program has undergone a roster overhaul, with over half of the roster departing this spring. WSU has six players — Chaunce Jenkins, Clarence Jackson, Joe Pleasant, Qua Grant, Dexter Dennis and Morris Udeze — in the transfer portal for the second straight offseason. The six transfers are one short of 2020, when seven players did so, which was followed by the departure of Gregg Marshall. Only 15% of Division-I programs have six transfers this offseason. The impact in those six departures will be significant as WSU will need to replace 64.8% of the minutes and 61.7% of the scoring from last year’s team. Last season, WSU returned 63% of the minutes from last year along with 70% of the scoring. Those numbers could increase further if Ricky Council IV, who declared for the NBA Draft last month while maintaining his college eligibility, decides to not return. Council averaged 12.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this past season.

CHAUNCE JENKINS

CLARENCE JACKSON

Sophomore Tyson Etienne is also expected to depart from the program, despite a lack of announcement so far. Etienne declared for the NBA Draft last season on April 18 and has emphasized that the 2021-22 season was his last season in Wichita.

“I think this summer is a big summer for us as far as taking the right steps into having the right attitude coming in toward the season and the right momentum.”

- Xavier Bell

“I do intend for this to be my last year in college so just the motivation to continue to get better, be able to provide for my family but also leave Wichita as a winner,” Etienne said before the 2021-22 season. “We won the conference title but we didn’t win the conference tournament, we didn’t win the national championship and those are things I want to win.” With Etienne’s expected departure, the only scholarship players left are Craig Porter, Jalen Ricks, Isaac Abidde and Kenny Pohto from last year’s team. Steele Gaston-Chapman is expected to

RICKY COUNCIL IV

return as a walk-on next year. The Shockers have already made two additions this offseason with a pair of Wichita natives, Xavier Bell and Henry Thengvall. Bell is a transfer from Drexel and averaged 11.0 points per game on 49.2% shooting, both career-highs. Bell also shot 35.7% on three-pointers during the 2021-22 season and has three years of eligibility remaining. “It’ll be fun,” Bell said. “I think this summer is a big summer for us as far as taking the right steps into having the right attitude coming in toward the season and the right momentum.” Thengvall will join WSU as a walk-on for next season, after recently wrapping up his high school career at nearby Kapaun-Mount Carmel. Thengvall averaged 20.2 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 44% from the floor and 86% from the foul line during a breakout senior season. The Shockers will have at least seven scholarships to fill this offseason, which could increase to eight if Council departs. Florida State transfer Quincy Ballard is expected to commit in the near future after visiting WSU last month and Elon transfer Hunter McIntosh will visit the campus from April 22-24.

QUA GRANT

JOE PLEASANT

WSU TRANSFER STATISTICS

Infographic by Thy Vo / The Sunflower

DEXTER DENNIS

MORRIS UDEZE

TRANSFER TRANSFER TRANSFER TRANSFER PORTAL PORTAL PORTAL PORTAL

4 | THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2022

SPORTS

SCHOOL OF BROCK

Brock Rodden celebrates with his Shocker teammates after hitting a solo home run against Oklahoma State on April 12 at O’Brate Stadium. | Courtesy of Braden King / The O’Colly

Baseball falls to Oklahoma State BY RACHEL RUDISILL rtrudisill@shockers.wichita.edu

Sophomore Brock Rodden runs from second base to third base on March 27 during the game against Creighton. | Photo by Mia Hennen / The Sunflower

Rodden takes opposing pitchers to class with aggressive approach at the plate BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com

It isn’t often that players are able to make a seamless transition to Division-I baseball but Brock Rodden is a different story. The Shocker coaching staff believed in his offensive capabilities after two seasons at Seminole State College, enough to take a chance on the sophomore second baseman. He hasn’t looked back since. Despite a midseason slump, Rodden is hitting .275 and has launched seven home runs this season, along with 22 RBI’s, which are both second best on the team. His .926 on-base plus slugging percentage is also second highest of any Shocker hitter, only trailing Chuck Ingram. Alongside his offensive production, Head Coach Eric Wedge said he has enjoyed Rodden’s hustle and toughness, which have remained consistent during his short time as a Shocker. “I love the way he plays the game,” Wedge said. “He’s in the dirt with every pitch, whether it be at home plate or in the field. He’s hard-nosed. He epitomizes what Shockers are.” Rodden has followed up two impressive seasons at Seminole State, hitting .353 or higher in both seasons. He also launched a combined 16 home runs, across 72 games, but his on the field success wasn’t his biggest takeaway from his short stay at the junior college level. The Oktaha, Oklahoma native said the grind mentally and being able to battle through it has made him stronger and more prepared as he starts his career at WSU.

“The one thing I learned at Seminole is mental toughness,” Rodden said. “That’s pretty much every juco that you’ll find. Mental toughness is everything there. They beat you down basically to where you’re nothing and all you have left is your mind. They tear you down physically and see what you have left in the tank up top.” The Shocker offense has been focused on bringing a more aggressive approach to the plate, with Rodden leading the charge. Rodden has consistently put the ball in play this season, only striking out in 28 of his 31 at-bats.

“He’s in the dirt with every pitch, whether it be at home plate or in the field. He’s hard nosed. He epitmizes what Shockers are.”

- Eric Wedge

“I just try to think driving the baseball, hit line drives that have good enough launch angles to get over outfielder heads to get a base hit but not high enough to get hung up,” Rodden said. The Shockers have hit a rough patch this season, dropping six of their last seven games, including a 2-4 record to start conference play. Rodden and the rest of his teammates remain confident in their talent and ability to get back on track to end the season. “We’ve got some dogs for sure,” Rodden said. “We’re finding out now more than ever who the dogs are and who we’re going to have to ride with for the rest of the year.”

Shocker baseball’s ninth inning rally was short lived as they fell to No. 5 Oklahoma State 8-5, for the second time in the last week on Tuesday. Heading into the bottom of the first, OSU took an early lead, with two scoring on RBI’s from DH Griffin Doersching and first baseman David Mendham. Allowing two runs off one hit, starting pitcher, freshman Jace Miner, appeared for only one inning, before he was relieved by freshman Robert Cranz for a single inning. Cranz limited the damage with a scoreless outing. For the remainder of the game, the Shockers continued to go through the bullpen arms, having eight pitchers take the mound, none for longer than 1.2 innings. OSU also had their difficulties in the pen having seven pitchers make appearances. Leading into the second inning

UP NEXT

THURSDAY, APRIL 14 WSU vs Cincinnati 6 p.m. Eck Stadium

Brock Rodden stepped up to the plate. The sophomore hit his seventh home run of the season over center field. From there, WSU went without a run until the top of the ninth. Going into the bottom of the sixth, the Shockers trailed 2-1. However, Doersching had another big play as he helped the Cowboys to extend their lead 5-1. The sophomore outfielder swung a two-run 500 foot home run down the left field line. OSU continued to build their lead, obtaining three more runs by the ninth inning. The Shockers did not finish the game without a fight. With the bases loaded, sophomore Seth Stroh finished the night for the Shockers, hitting his second grand slam of the 2022 season.

Softball drops first conference series BY EMMIE BOESE opinion@thesunflower.com

After dropping a four game series last season to USF’s ace pitcher, Georgina Corrick, the Shockers came home from Tampa, Florida with a 2-1 win against Corrick on Sunday. The Shocker softball team went 1-2 in Tampa this past weekend. However, they pulled off a win against one of the nations top hitters. Corrick is second in the nation in earned run average. She currently sits at 0.42 right behind OU’s Hope Trautwein. Before their victory on Sunday, the Shockers struggled against Corrick in game one on Friday. The Shockers had a season high 14 strikeouts at the plate. The Bulls jumped on WSU early by scoring seven runs before the fourth inning. The Shockers started to make a comeback in the third by scoring one run a piece before the sixth and seventh. Senior Neleigh Herring collected her tenth home run of the season. The Bulls walked away with a

UP NEXT

THURSDAY, APRIL 14 WSU vs Houston 6 p.m. Houston, Texas

7-3 win in game one. On Saturday in game two, the Shockers dropped a 5-3 loss to the Bulls. At the plate though, the Shockers had a lot of scoring opportunities. Junior Zoe Jones went 2-4 at the plate with a home run, and two RBI’s. WSU left the bases loaded twice and left 10 players from the lineup on base. Senior pitcher Caitlin Bingham had a season-high of seven strikeouts despite the loss. On Sunday, the Shockers started freshman pitcher Alison Copper. Before Sunday’s win, Cooper only threw 2.o innings in five of her last six appearances. Cooper threw a complete game and allowed four hits and one run. The Shockers scored two runs with two solo shots a piece. The Shockers now have a 4-2 record in conference play.

Track and field finds success at KT Woodman Classic BY EMMIE BOESE opinion@thesunflower.com

Personal records were set, records were broken and national standings shifted for the Wichita State men’s and women’s track and field teams last week. The Shockers competed Wednesday through Saturday in the KT Woodman Classic at Cessna Stadium. Several schools from the midwest area competed against the Shockers including several Division-II schools, junior colleges and NAIA colleges as well. The meet also featured four division one schools including the Shockers. “So that makes this track meet wonderful for all the athletes involved,” Head Coach Steve Rainbolt said. “As teams, the athletes from those three Division-I schools benefited from a wide array of small college athletes that here and there provided some terrific competition .” On the men’s side for the Shockers, freshman Brady Palen

took first place in the high jump and set a personal record of 2.18 m/7-1.75. “Brady has done some things in practice and other meets where if you are a high jump enthusiast like I am and you know what you are looking for, you can see evidence at the takeoff,” Rainbolt said. “You can see evidence over the bar. Sometimes at 6’10 you go that guy is ready to jump 7’1 or 7’2 or higher.” Freshman Joakim Genereux also set a personal record of 20.9 seconds in the 200m dash and moved up to No. 3 on the Shockers all-time list. Michael Bryan produced a strong performance in the hammer throw, in addition to other strong performances this season. Bryan also competed in the John McDonnell Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Thursday, April 7 and won with a throw of 70.33m. On the women’s side, freshman Faith Turner jumped a personal best 12.18m/39-11.5 in the triple

UP NEXT

APRIL 15-16

Sooner Invitational & Multi Norman, Oklahoma

jump. Her jump marked her fifth triple jump time this season. Junior Abeba Sullivan finished second in the women’s 5000m with a time of 16:58. 30 minutes. Hunter said Sullivan potentially cut 40 to 50 seconds off of her personal record in the 1500k. She recorded a personal best of 4:34.12 minutes and finished seventh. “She became a big hitter in the conference just off of that one run,” Hunter said. Freshman Rylie Vandaveer and Bryce Merriman finished in the top two spots of the men’s 1500m. Vandaveer won with a time of 3:53.61 minutes. “I was really excited about the group,” Hunter said. “They had a wonderful night to run first of all. The weather was absolutely perfect and that led to some really good performances for our team.”

Nerea Quiros runs during the KT Woodman on April 9 at Cessna Stadium. | Photo by Baswanth Naidu / The Sunflower

SPORTS

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2022 | 5

WSU Bowling looks to defend National Championship BY RACHEL RUDISILL rtrudisill@shockers.wichita.edu

Last season, Wichita State’s bowling program collected two national championship victories in both the men’s and women’s division. This year, the Shockers are looking to repeat history. WSU houses the most accomplished collegiate bowling program in the nation with 22 men’s and women’s national championships. They are also the only team in history of the International Bowling Media Association to rank in the top-10 of every poll since its inception. The women’s team has been top-tier in the nation for over four decades. The team has won ten national titles with the latest in

May 2021, under the direction of Holly Harris. Heading into this season, Harris and her bowlers are staying calm and collected to finish off their season. “We throw really good shots over our targets and just really try to focus on trying to stay in control,” Harris said. HARRIS “Our process and preparation to get there is really good. We’ve talked a lot about how fun the tournament is and how we play so much better when we’re having a good time, so we’re really putting the focus on just us doing our thing and having a good time and the rest will take care of itself.”

On the men’s side, they hold the history as the first ever “threepeat” team winning back-to-back national championships from 1993-1995 and again in 2008-2010. The team has ranked No. 1 41 times out of 107. No other men’s team has ranked more than 13. This season, they hope to build their winning streak. “We had a good season this year,” Men’s Head Bowling Coach Rick Steelsmith said. “They’ve been bowling really well here towards the end of the season.” Both the men’s and women’s team had returning players who played as major assets to the teams. “They can share that with the players that are new,” Steelsmith said. “Once you experience that feeling you want to experience it

again. They’re pretty motivated, pretty driven and they’re really anxious to get going.” The women’s team has four returning players, who have bonded with the five new players sharing their experience at the tournament STEELSMITH and holding the trophy. “I think it kind of gives them the confidence that we did it before, so we can do it again,” Harris said. “Last year, not that we’re sitting and dwelling on that, but it brings kind of the good stuff and the good energy.” Due to COVID protocols, the teams were forced to cancel their

Men’s Tennis falls to South Florida

fall 2020 schedule, where they compete in the majority of their tournaments. When the tournaments returned in the spring of 2021, parents and spectators were not allowed to attend. With both teams running in full operation, they were able to compete in all of the tournaments and meets this season. As they head to the National Championships, spectators are welcomed to cheer on their Shockers. “It was definitely a little shorter window last year to prepare everything and get ready, so [this season is] kind of more just a normal feeling of having enough tournaments to have us settle in a little bit and get the equipment that we’re looking to use at nationals,” Steelsmith said.

Golf programs finish regular season with two top-10 finishes

BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com

BY RACHEL RUDISILL rtrudisill@shockers.wichita.edu

The WSU men’s tennis team lost 7-0 to South Florida on Friday at Genesis Health Club in Wichita. The Shockers dropped the doubles point after 6-3 losses at courts two and three. Luka Mrsic and Orel Ovil were trailing, 5-4 before the Bulls clinched the doubles point. In singles, the Bulls clinched the match with three straight wins at five, six and two. Playing the matches out, Alvin Tudorica defeated Alex Richards at No. 4, 6-4, 6-4. Kristof Minarik and Ray Lo picked up first-set wins at No. 1 and No. 3, but they ultimately fell in three. Lo battled hard in his second set, falling 7-6(10), and his opponent claimed victory in the super tiebreaker 10-5. The Shockers prepare for another home match Thursday, April 14 against Tulsa at 1 p.m. at Coleman Tennis Complex.

Women’s tennis closes out regular season with win over UMKC BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com

The Shocker women’s tennis team rallied from behind to win the doubles point and rode that momentum to a 6-1 dual victory over Missouri-Kansas City on Sunday afternoon at the Plaza Tennis Center. WSU has been playing fiveon-six tennis for the past month due to injuries, but will take some momentum into next week’s conference tournament with back-toback wins to finish out the regular season. The Shockers have 10 days off before taking part in the American Athletic Conference Championship, on April 20-23 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Clarence Jackson commits to Jacksonville State BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com

Former Wichita State forward Clarence Jackson announced his next destination on Monday and committed to Jacksonville State. Jackson becomes the second of the six Shockers to enter the transfer portal to announce his next destination. Chaunce Jenkins committed to Old Dominion last Friday. This past season was Jackson’s second season in a Shocker uniform, playing in 28 games and averagJACKSON ing 3.8 points per game. Jackson arrived as a junior college transfer last year from Polk State College and has two years of eligibility remaining. Currently, the Shockers have seven scholarships available, following the commitment of Wichita native Xavier Bell last Friday.

Former Drexel guard Xavier Bell goes up for a lay-up during the CAA Championship against Elon on March 9, 2021. Bell committed to WSU on Friday for the 2022-23 season. | Courtesy of Drexel Athletics

Xavier Bell comes home to play for WSU BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com

Wichita native Xavier Bell is coming back to where it all started. After playing the past two seasons at Drexel, Bell announced through social media last Friday that he would be transferring to Wichita State for the 2022-23 season. Bell has three years of eligibility remaining. “It was the right decision for me,” Bell said. “It was a big emphasis since entering the portal to move closer back home and I think as the process went on, I kept my mind open to pretty much everywhere but narrowing it down and talking it over with my parents, we felt it was the right decision.”

“I kept my mind open to pretty much everywhere but narrowing it down and talking it over with my parents, we felt it was the right decision.”

- Xavier Bell

Bell’s commitment comes after six WSU players entered the transfer portal — Chaunce Jenkins, Clarence Jackson, Joe Pleasant, Qua Grant, Dexter Dennis and Morris Udeze — following a 15-13 season. Ricky Council has also declared for the NBA Draft, while maintaining his collegiate eligibility. Bell is the first player to join the Shockers this offseason and is in a position of need. With the anticipated departure of Tyson Etienne, Bell will join Craig Porter and Jalen Ricks as the lone guards on scholarship. “I’m excited,” Bell said about returning home. “I know the energy in the arena is always crazy, especially when I attended a couple games when I was younger, but really just looking forward to competing every day with the group of guys that will be coming in and trying to win.” Bell played his high school basketball at nearby Andover Central, scoring 1,710 points during his career. Bell averaged 24.6 points and 7.3 rebounds during his senior season.

The 6-foot-3 guard took a big leap with Drexel this past season, averaging 11.0 points per game on 49.2% shooting, both career-highs. Bell also shot 35.7% on three-pointers during the 2021-22 season, which is higher than any Shocker’s percentage this past season. “I feel like I took a step forward as far as developing my game as far as on the offensive end and on the defensive end, I feel like I can impact the game in multiple ways,” Bell said. “Whether that be scoring and if not, I can create for my teammates, get downhill and on the defensive end, just being a good defensive wing. Just helping my team wherever I need to be. Bell said he’s focused on continuing his improvement now at a higher level of competition in the American Athletic Conference. Bell thrived against a higher level of competition while at Drexel, with his offensive improving to 116.2 against top-100 opponents, according to KenPom. Bell also scored 12 points off the bench against Illinois during the 2021 NCAA Tournament. “Just continuing what I’ve been doing, I don’t want to hit any bumps in the road,” Bell said. “I just want to keep working hard and developing my game in every way that I can and bringing the right energy to practice and that winning attitude.” Bell becomes the fourth Shocker to return home in the past four years, joining Semajae Haynes-Jones (2017-19), Grant Sherfield (2019-20) and current Shocker Steele Gaston-Chapman, who earned a scholarship with WSU last season. “That’s my boy,” Bell said of Gaston-Chapman. “I grew up playing basketball with him, we grew up going to the same summer school so, it’ll definitely be fun playing with him too.” If Council opts to return from the NBA Draft, WSU will have seven scholarships available for next season, with Bell figuring to be in the rotation. Head Coach Isaac Brown and the rest of the Shocker coaching staff have been active in the transfer market, looking to fill out the rest of the roster. “It’ll be fun,” Bell said. “I think this summer is a big summer for us as far as taking the right steps into having the right attitude coming in toward the season and the right momentum.”

On Tuesday, Wichita State’s golf teams finished with top 10 placements, men’s with second and womens with sixth, at their final tournament before their AAC Championship. On the men’s side, the Shockers held their best team outing of the 2022 season with a runner-up performance at the MU Tiger Invitational at The Club at Old Hawthorne. The team tallied 65 birdies, trailing only Missouri’s 73 and finished 12 strokes under par. WSU secured their second place victory as they held off Oral Roberts (-7). The Shockers were one of the only three teams that finished the tournament below par. On Monday afternoon, the Shockers finished with a dominant second round. The team put together an overall 272 score that paced the field. Redshirt freshman Joe Bultman fired a career-best 65, tying with ORU’s Lane Wallace for the low round of the entire tournament. With four birdies in five holes and only one bogey, he finished the tournament in 28th place. Junior Brock Polhill excelled setting a career best with a second place finish in the individual competition and was also named AAC Men’s Golfer of the Week on Wednesday. Polhill, finishing 67-68-69 — 204, ended the tournament with just one stroke back of Missouri’s Jack Parker. The junior racked up 19 birdies over 54 holes, the second-highest total in the 90-player field. On the women’s side, junior Megan Lucas is heading into next week’s AAC Championship on a high after she finished with her first top 15 finish of the season tying for thirteenth. Lucas completed an 11-over par, 277 (74-78-75). Her 10 birdies recorded for the tournament were the second most with six coming in the first round. As a whole, the Shockers finished sixth at 62-over par, 926 (305307-314) falling short to Arkansas State and Oral Roberts. Up next, the women’s team opens the AAC Championship starting on Sunday at the famed Pinehurst Resort and Country Club. The men’s head to Brooksville, Florida to compete at the Southern Hills Golf Club on Friday.

SPORTS IN BRIEFS BYE WINS AAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK Sophome pitcher Cameron Bye was named American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week, on Monday. Bye lowered his ERA to a microscopic 0.24 over 37.0 innings with eight scoreless innings against East Carolina.

POHILL NAMED AAC MEN’S GOLFER OF THE WEEK Junior Brock Polhill was named American Men’s Golf Player of the Week on Monday. Pohill secured his highest career finish of his career, finishing in second at the MU Tiger Invitational on Tuesday. It’s Pohill’s third top-five finish of his college career.

6 | THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2022

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Arts & Entertainment

HAVE A STORY IDEA? contact The Sunflower’s A&E editor, Kyran Crist arts@thesunflower.com

BACK AT LAST Courtesy of Prime Video

Lizzo’s ‘Watch out for the Big Grrrls’ teaches viewers self love and confidence Allison Campbell Reporter

campbellnallison@gmail. com

Many Lizzo fans may remember when the U.S pop and hip-hop icon announced that she was looking for new backup dancers. Women across the country were given the opportunity to submit their own audition tapes in hope of being selected to twerk alongside one of the biggest names in music. Many of us, especially the not dancing type, pushed it to the back of our minds. However our attention was quickly drawn back in when the artist released a new Amazon Prime special, “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls”, which is ranked #4 in the U.S on Amazon Prime. Every episode of the eight part series, Lizzo and her professional team determine if contestants have what it takes to dance onstage with the original “100% that Bitch” herself. Thirteen women were selected and flown to Los Angeles to compete and practice as backup dancers for Lizzo’s upcoming Bonnaroo performance. Entitled “Big Grrrls”, these plus size dancers come from every walk of life but all share the same passion for dancing on stage. Viewers can see advocates, mothers, social media stars, college students and more all work and grow with each other to become better dancers, and better women overall. Because there are only 10 available spots in Lizzos team (and not every girl is guaranteed a place), each episode has viewers in suspense wondering whether their favorite dancer will be sent home, fast-passed to a career as a ‘Big Grrrl” dancer, or will receive “The Juice” or “100% That Bitch” awards. However, the most beautiful part of the show is the representation and diverse women featured. All of the dancers are plus sized, with more than half being POC, and includes a plus size trans woman dancer, showing beautifully diverse representation on all fronts. When was the last time you saw a TV show that didn’t use full-figured women as the butt of a joke? Each dancer can be seen going on her own self-love journeys whilst also pursuing their childhood dreams. The show takes massive strides in showing diversity, encouraging healthy mental behavior and proving that asking for help is not a weakness. Watching talented women be vulnerable and support each other is such a beautiful, healing concept to view that we just don’t get on reality TV anymore. They touch on serious issues such as discrimination in the dancing field, insecurities and old injuries due to improper teaching that doesn’t match with their full bodied figures. You can see the damage that racism and fat-shaming has on real women, women who are gorgeous and confident and beautiful yet have been torn down again and again. It also avoids the stereotypical trope of putting Black women against each other and instead shows the real frustrations and challenges that come with dancing in a professional group. This show was so beautifully open about real life issues, but it will definitely make you cry.

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, Ethan Manlove, lies dead while Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl, Ashley Ruckman and Taylor Lewis, watch him. | Photo by Mia Hennen/ The Sunflower

School of music brings american literature classic to WSU BY MIA HENNEN mbhennen@shockers.wichita.edu

In one of the biggest performances since the start of COVID times, WSU’s School of Music presented “The Scarlet Letter.” The opera theater students stepped into the shoes of the characters and the symphony orchestra added suspenseful music to the show. “We were just so excited,” Cole Bellamy, who played Governor Bellingham, said. “It’s been two and a half years since we were able to do a fully staged opera.” “The Scarlet Letter,” based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, centers on Hester Prynne’s ostracization by the townspeople and local officials after committing an act of adultery with an unknown man and having his child. The show followed Hester and her daughter Pearl’s, life. To get into his role, Bellamy analyzed Bellingham’s actions and the motivating force for them.

“It’s been two and a half years since we were able to do a fully staged opera.”

-Cole Bellamy

“He’s kind of obsessed with the following of these puritan laws,” Bellamy said. “That obsession, I think, is a projection of his fear of Hester. Bellingham can’t stand her being out of his sphere of control and that prompts him to do these evil things to her.” Bellingham was only one of the many morally gray characters in the show adapted from the novel. After successfully holding the show two nights in a row, Bellamy said it was pure relief. “It is my last show at WSU. It’s a very sentimental feeling,” Bellamy said. “Now that it’s done, I feel really proud of all that I have accomplished in my time here.”

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, Ethan Manlove, battles his inner conflicts while Mistress Hibbons, Amira Coleman, casts her judgement on him. | Photo by Mia Hennen/ The Sunflower

Ethan Manlove and Ashley Ruckman, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne, profess their love for one another and make plans to escape from the townspeople’s judging eyes.| Photo by Mia Hennen/ The Sunflower

As the sailor, Wes Kelley speaks to the townspeople during the opera theater’s “The Scarlet Letter.” | Photo by Mia Hennen/ The Sunflower

The townspeople sing together after seeing Hester Prynne standing on the scaffold. | Photo by Mia Hennen/ The Sunflower

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2022 | 7

Courtesy of Disney+

Moon Knight has potential to be the first good Marvel show on Disney+ Kyran Crist A&E editor arts@thesunflower.com

Biology majors Ashley Dinh and Cam Ta laugh together during the Boba Social on April 8. The event was open to all students and allowed them a free boba drink. | Photo by Mia Hennen / The Sunflower

ODI kicks off InspirASIAN month with Boba Social BY JACINDA HALL jacinda.hall@live.com

On April 8, Wichita State’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted a night of boba and friends for students and faculty of Asian, Pacific-Islander and Desi descent. Asian American and PacificIslander Heritage month is usually celebrated in the month of May, but because students are usually out of classes for the Summer break or have finals during that time, ODI chose to celebrate it in April. “It’s just a nice way to get everyone together,” ODI Retention Coordinator, Trang Bui said. “Celebrate and kick off the month.” Bui mentioned that the ODI has a full month of events planned for InspirASIAN month, including the ODI listening session for APIDA students. “We want to make sure their identities are recognized, they are celebrated at Wichita State University,” said ODI Marketing Specialist, Quang Nguyen. “We do a whole month of events to make sure that their identities are

known.” ODI’s purpose for this boba social is to not only kick off the month, but to celebrate this year’s theme for InspirASIAN month – building connections. “We have gone through two years of the pandemic, students have been very disconnected,” Nguyen said. “We want to make sure students are more connected and branch those connections with our faculty and staff on-campus as well as getting them connected to the community of Wichita.” This year was the first year that the ODI hosted the Boba Social for InspirASIAN month. This event was free and open to everyone. Amanda Phanivong and David Liu both serve as Ambassadors for the ODI and were at the event to support the organization. “We support the mission and activities at the Office of Diversity and Inclusion,” Phanivong said. “We want to meet more people from the Asian-American community and we also just want to encourage Asian youth to come out and support ODI.”

A Kung Fu Tea worker rings in freshman Ella Miley’s order at the Boba Social on April 8. | Photo by Mia Hennen / The Sunflower

Trang Bui and Alondra Aguilera pose for a photo taken by Alexus Scott at the Boba Social. They were all involved in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion which hosted the event. | Photo by Mia Hennen / The Sunflower

Society of Cosplayers members prepare for their Maid Café event, serving pancakes, ice cream and stir fry. | Photo by Allison Campbell / The Sunflower

‘Homaid’ food served at Society of Cosplayer’s Maid Cafe BY ALLISON CAMPBELL campbellnallison@gmail.com

Anime characters, a variety of maids and first-time cosplayers were just some of the costumed characters in attendance at Maid Cafe, the Society of Cosplayer’s first major event. More than a dozen members were dressed in elaborate Japanese-styled maid outfits as they served homemade curry, stir fry, pancakes and ice cream parfaits to WSU students and guests. While there were a few hiccups, including a late start and a table shortage, SOC President Anthony Vu and his volunteers were able to successfully serve

almost 100 guests during the three and a half hour event, hosted on April 8 in the RSC. After a two year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Society of Cosplayers is eager and ready to leave their mark,not just on campus, but on the cosplaying community. The event was heavily advertised and a huge success, as the group exceeded its expected attendance by more than 40 within the first half hour. “When COVID happened, we weren’t able to do any events that we were planning on doing,” Vu said. “So suddenly we’re able to do so much. This year, we’re taking off and we’re running with

it.”

While several attendees were upset regarding the late start, the promise and wonderful smell of homemade curry and stir fry quickly put their angry stomachs to rest. President Vu himself was making rounds, introducing himself and the organization and apologizing to each and every table. Once underway, the service was fast and the maids were incredibly kind and courteous. Not only did the club hire professional photographers, but they also made adorable gift bags which contained handwritten thank you cards, flower

arrangements and other goodies. Maid Cafe was the first of many events that the club plans to host on campus. The 24+ member organization will soon be traveling to Kansas City to participate in Naka-Kon, a three-day anime convention, where they will compete in cosplay competitions. However the main goal, according to Vu, is to grow the cosplay community in Wichita and create support between communities. “Seeing all the hard work that goes behind the scenes and… all the different groups and communities coming together and supporting one another, I’m very thankful for it,” Vu said.

The end of March marked the beginning of an adventure for Marvel fans, as the first Moon Knight episode aired on Disney+ on March 30. The series follows the Marvel comic book character Moon Knight, also known as Marc Spector, played by Oscar Issac. But we’re introduced to him as Steven Grant, a worker at the local Egyptian museum who battles with what he thinks is severe sleepwalking. Near the end of the first episode, we are introduced to Spector, who is the host of the body. We then learn that Spector has Dissociative Identity Disorder. While Grant is a happy-go-lucky British museum clerk, spending his days at the museum and feeding his mother’s goldfish. Spector is a Jewish-American mercenary. The two personalities could not be farther from alike.

“The biggest advantage that Moon Knight has right now is that the character is new, we haven’t seen him in a previous Marvel movie. He has a wow factor. And for many who have read the comic books, he is a new character brought to life on the screen.” Spector is what Issac described in previous interviews as the jerk, he is the un-feeling mercenary that gets the job done. Grant simply wants to be a normal dude. He wants to feed his goldfish and give tours around the museum. While we haven’t spent much time with the characters, the show paints a clear picture of the distinction between the two. Grant learns of his other personality and the other life Spector lives. Viewers watch not only a literal battle between Moon Knight and his enemies but also the mental battle of one living with DID. The Moon Knight is Spector’s hero name when he becomes the avatar for the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, while Mr. Knight is Grant’s hero name. The two heroes are much like the two personalities, from tactic to wardrobe. While the show only has two episodes out, the show has the potential to be the first good Marvel series that Disney+ has aired. Loki, WandaVison and Hawkeye all have seemed to lack the impact and feel of a good Marvel series. Though I think those particular ones had the disadvantage of using already known and beloved characters. The biggest advantage that Moon Knight has right now is that the character is new, we haven’t seen him in a previous Marvel movie. He has a wow factor. And for many who have read the comic books, he is a new character brought to life on the screen. So far, the first few episodes have been great and everything one expects from a Marvel series. Issac and the rest of the cast are perfect for their roles, and the story offers a lot to viewers. I look forward to the release of the rest of the season and pray Disney continues to do the character justice.

8 | THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2022

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Opinion Street

A&E editor

PAULINE OROPESA Junior, business

“I think the public safety here is pretty good compared to larger campuses. I like that they have the blue emergency buttons.”

GAGE BARNETT

Freshman, mechanical engineering “I feel pretty decently safe on campus with the presence of police officers around campus. They can definitely make it more obvious where the emergency buttons are. because there is no easy resource to know where they are.”

contact The Sunflower’s opinion editor, Emmie Boese opinion@thesunflower.com

Hookup culture complicates dating Kyran Crist

HOW EFFECTIVE DO YOU THINK PUBLIC SAFETY IS ON CAMPUS?

HAVE AN OPINION?

arts@thesunflower.com

Tinder, Bumble, Grindr and Hinge. If you ask Gen X and Boomers, those are called the “hookup apps”. If you ask Millennials and Gen Z, they’re dating apps. This pretty well shows how blurred the line between hookup culture and relationships in this day in age really is. Hookup culture is a current buzzword. A simple definition of hookup culture is when involving parties or partners participate in casual sexual encounters. Casual sexual encounters are especially popular among students and the younger generations. There is positives in this culture — it is refreshing to finally see that we are moving away from shaming those for sex. But on the other side, it is also frustrating to see sex become an expectation and almost a requirement for women. “Friends with benefits” and “sneaky links” are built off of the same basis as they were before — simply to please men and rarely women — then have no strings attached to the person. The basis that hookup culture was formed on, is to put in as little effort into a person and only for

the pleasure of oneself. This has created an even easier way for someone to find easy sex where they do not need to think about their partner. I’m not here to preach the idea that one can’t have sex. Instead, hookup culture can lead to problems when looking for a serious partner. The dating scene seems to now be a guessing game of “Are they seeking a relationship or a hookup?” Dating apps have tried to slim this problem down by adding the option to profiles to add what a person is looking for. But for the dating world outside of the apps, there aren’t those profile features, and it really isn’t common to just go up and ask “Hey do you want to pursue something or just sex?” When we’re constantly left confused and feeling discarded, or simply feeling like the sex appeal is all that partners are searching for, the dating world becomes slimmer and interest becomes dimmed. The next time I get a drunk text at 3 a.m. asking if I’m awake, I’m going to become celibate. Someone shouldn’t simply be interested in somebody for their body and sexual appeal. Get to know someone. Be clear with your expectations and desires. Don’t be ashamed of what you want, and don’t be afraid to tell someone that isn’t what you want.

Illustration by Wren Johnson / The Sunflower

Wichita State’s bowling team should be a sport – not a club Emmie Boese Opinion editor opinion@thesunflower. com

ELYSE GORDON

Sophomore, biomedical engineering “During the day I feel pretty safe because I see a lot of police cars and it is nice to know that they are there. At night it is a bit sketchy and I feel a lot less safe especially when someone is walking by me.”

ALEXANDER DEWERFF

Junior, aerospace engineering “I feel like public safety on-campus resources are there. Whether it is the blue lights around campus or the campus police, I have never felt unsafe on campus.”

TRENT OBERLANDER

Junior, aerospace enginering “With the resources available around campus, I personally feel very safe. My property is not safe because I have had $1,500 worth of bicycles stolen on campus.”

Every college sport that Wichita State offers is listed on the website on goshockers.com. However, the bowling team is not a part of this list. The Wichita State bowling team has won 12 men’s national titles and 10 women’s national titles at the Intercollegiate Team Championships which all teams must qualify for in order to participate. WSU also has several alumni that have gone on to compete at the professional level. For example, Gordon Vadakin was the bowling coach from 1978-2019 at WSU and coached 15 professional bowlers during his career. Vadakin was recently inducted into Wichita State’s 2022 Pizza Hut Sports Hall of Fame which was recognized by the athletic department. Despite their success competing at the collegiate level, the bowling team has never been recognized as an official sport. Collegiate bowling is considered to be a nationally sanctioned sport by the USBC Collegiate Program. However, bowling is considered to be a club at Wichita State. Bowling is widely popular in the United States and internationally. The United States Bowling Congress states on their website that more than 67 million people in the United States compete in bowling, and more than 1.2 million people compete in a sanctioned league. Internationally, 95 million people participate in bowling in

Opinion LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters should concentrate on issues, not personalities, and must be fewer than 400 words. Letters may be edited for accuracy, clarity and length. Please include your name, WSU affiliation and a phone number for verification purposes. To submit letters, email opinion@thesunflower.com or submit at www.thesunflower.com. 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 reserves the right to edit or reject any submission. We also reserve the right to edit or reject any advertisement.

Wichita State freshman Nick Sommer practices with his team on Feb. 12, 2019 at the Rhatigan Student Center. Sommer wants to own his own business after college, preferably in the bowling industry. | File Photo by Joseph Barringhaus / The Sunflower

more than 90 countries. On the collegiate level, more than 3,500 students compete on intercollegiate bowling teams and more than 100 schools offer bowling scholarships. An argument that could be made is that all teams in the Wichita State Athletic Department compete in the American Athletic Conference. Therefore, if WSU were to become an official sport, they would possibly have to join the conference.

The issue with the bowling program joining the conference is that the AAC doesn’t have a bowling league. However, several teams in the conference do have a bowling program at their university, such as USF and UCF. Despite not having a bowling league in the AAC, bowling could still be recognized by WSU’s athletic department on their homepage. The University of Nebraska is a part of the Big 10 Conference in college athletics. Even though

the Big Ten does not have a league, Nebraska’s women’s bowling team is recognized by their athletic program on their website, and competes in the NCAA Regional and Championships. Overall, treating bowling at Wichita State like any other sport would show that WSU is an inclusive university that is supportive of all sports and the recognition and attraction they bring to the university and college athletics.

STUDENT OPINION OF THE WEEK GABE KIMURI JUNIOR, AEROSPACE ENGINNERING Q: How helpful do you think WSU’s diversion and inclusion office is on campus? A: “With my experience with diversity and inclusion, they do a good job with presenting themselves to the perceptive students of WSU. Both as a previous prospective student and working with prospective students, I have seen the level of engagement towards making everyone feel comfortable as they come to the university.”