The Sunflower v. 126 i. 17

/ The Sunflower

THURSDAY Dec. 2, 2021 Volume 126 Issue 17

WICHITA STATE’S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1896

@sunflowernews @thesunflowernews

www.thesunflower.com

Habitat for Humanity partners with WSU to build home near campus for family of five

BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE news@thesunflower.com / @JuliaNightengale

O

n Dec. 1, Habitat for Humanity and Wichita State University held a wall raising ceremony after partnering to build a home for a family of five in the community directly surrounding WSU. Speakers at the event included Danielle Johnson, Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity, Richard Muma, president of WSU, and Brandon Johnson, Vice Mayor of City of Wichita. The family was also there to speak and help raise the first wall.

Johnson thanked both Muma and Vice President of Student Affairs Terri Hall, vice president of student affairs, for seeing the importance of community and community partnerships. She said that WSU is showing up for the community with action, and not just words.

“Strong partners make strong partnerships and make strong opportunities within our community,” Johnson said.

Johnson also highlighted some of the WSU groups that will be volunteering to help build the home, including the WSU foundation,

“Strong partners make strong partnerships and make strong opportunities within our communities.”

BRANDON JOHNSON Vice Mayor of Wichita

the WSU Shocker Neighborhood Scholars, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, along with many others.

“We want to make sure that we continue to push that volunteer spirit so please make sure that you sign up,” Johnson said. “Right now our most critical time is these next few weeks so we want to make sure that you all here helping to build this amazing home… We’re able to help support another family.”

In Muma’s speech, he talked about different initiatives that WSU is working on in the community, including a full-ride scholarship program for high school students in the Shocker community as well as development of food options and other services in the neighborhood’s directly surrounding the university.

PHOTO BY JORDAN PLOWMAN / THE SUNFLOWER

Everyone helps raise the first wall at the Wall Raising ceremony hosted by partners Wichita Habitat for Humanity and Wichita State University on Dec. 1.

“Wichita State has been here for 126 years and we have been the foundation of this part of the community,” Muma said. “We’ve recently taken on new strides to further our commitment to the community … We’re so pleased to

be a part of this.”

Johnson, who represents district one where the house is located, said that today’s event kicked off a vibrant partnership between two entities that have a history of making long-lasting differences in

STILLWATER STUNNER

the city of Wichita and beyond.

“Everyday as I represent district one and meet with the people who call it home, I see the impact that SEE HABITAT PAGE 3

Student Health Services and Positive Directions recognize World AIDS Day with free testing

BY MITCHELL ADAMSON mxadamson@shockers.wichita.edu

PHOTO BY RACHEL RUDISILL / THE SUNFLOWER

Junior Morris Udeze dunks the ball during the game against Oklahoma State on Dec. 1 in Gallagher-Iba Arena. See the full story on Page 7.

On the 33rd anniversary of World Aids Day, the Student Wellness Center hosted Positive Directions, offering students free testing for HIV/AIDS, Syphilis, and Hepatitis. Later on in the day, the widely known event “Pee for Pizza” was held, testing for other STIs — an event that is recognized by many colleges across the country.

Positive Directions is a local non-profit organization that is located in downtown Wichita, focused on the “prevention, education, and testing for the most at-risk individuals.”

They have been working hard in the local Wichita community to educate members about the harms of different sexually transmitted diseases, allowing for a more positive and honest conversation to dispel fear.

Brett Hogan, executive director of Positive Directions, described the history of World AIDS day. He said that Positive Directions wants to create a positive image for a topic that has caused harm for so many people.

“It is acknowledged throughout the world as a remembrance of the past and the progress we have made,” Hogan said. “In the past we have done everything such as educational events, movies, big events. All kinds of stuff to mark the day of.

“It’s a rapid one minute test, in the past we have done a lot of other things...but really what it is, to get tested, it is literally a finger poke.”

The newer testing procedures have reduced testing time significantly, leaving less room for anxiety waiting for results. This advanced technology, along with many other facets, is part of the celebration of World AIDS Day. SEE TESTING PAGE 3

2 | THURSDAY, DEC. 2, 2021

NEWS

Lives of Courage founder Jessica Strong visits Wichita State to discuss staying centered

BY RACHEL RUDISILL rtrudisill@shockers.wichita.edu

Wichita State welcomed Jessica Strong for day two of Elliott School of Communication’s comm week, to share her story working as a life coach as well tips for college students to stay centered.

Strong is the founder of the life coaching organization, Lives of Courage, as well as the Lives of Courage Podcast. She holds a master’s degree in developmental psychology as well as a certification in life coaching, yoga therapy, and emotional coaching.

Strong has taken a step back from psychology to focus on life coaching. She prefers working with people and giving them options on how to overcome life’s obstacles instead of giving an individual a diagnosis and a strict list of items to fix these problems.

Strong knows that college can be a stressful environment, so she discussed the five obstacles life brings and how to overcome these obstacles. These obstacles include: primitive brains, living for 2021, spinning our wheels, and worry overloading.

“We are not taught how to feel our emotions,” said Strong. “What you resist persists.”

Strong said that anytime an individual attempts to resist an emotion, that emotion will continue to occur. This has to do with not being taught how to feel our emotions. An individual who does not know how to handle an

emotion — trauma, love, anxiety — will never truly overcome it. This is because mentally an individual may not know what that emotion may be.

To overcome resisting emotions, Strong gave steps to feel and absorb these emotions: name the emotion, locate the emotion in your body, give it a color and or shape, breathe into it, feel it all, and create a new intentional thought.

Strong used this method to overcome one of her challenges in college which was adding an extra year. She explained how she knows in an ideal life, an individual will complete a degree in four years. However, if this goal is not achieved, that is not the end of the world.

Strong said to not drop a course, or even worse, do not drop out of college. Instead, take a break and focus on mental health. Meeting with the CARE team or taking less credit hours are both options to help reduce stress.

One of Strong’s favorite activities, which she challenged her viewers to partake in, is journaling.

Whenever you are feeling happy, overwhelmed, or any type of great emotion, document it.

Strong, like many individuals, carries her phone more than a pen and paper. She speaks into her voice memos app to be able to document her emotions. She challenged her panel to parktake in journaling for seven days to see how their emotions better.

PHOTO BY RACHEL RUDISILL / THE SUNFLOWER

Jessica Strong discusses how to stay in a good mental state during her panel at comm week. Strong is a certified life coach and explained how to handle emotions.

“Writing down your feelings and emotions is the most beneficial therapy,” Strong said.

Founding Lives of Courage means Strong has to focus on communications. She had to do a great amount of research, as well as working with others who hold a communications degree, because Strong holds a master’s degree in developmental psychology.

“If I could do it all over again,” said Strong, “I would go and learn

communications because that’s all my business is.”

Communications has a variety of opportunities that someone cannot get with a business degree.

With a communications degree, an individual has the opportunity to gain an emphasis in journalism, marketing, and electronics.

A communications degree also offers an open emphasis meaning students can combine one or more of these emphasis together. They

are taught design, photography, and broadcasting. A communications degree can allow for an individual to be all of the workers in one.

Strong has had to meet with graphic designers as well as a marketing team. If she had the degree, she would have been able to do all of the work herself and even hire members to follow her directions.

How a Counseling and Prevention Services campaign became a symbol of hope for many

BY MIA HENNEN mbhennen@shockers.wichita.edu

During the annual CommWeek, those involved in the mental health awareness campaign “Suspenders4Hope” spread their message of support and hope for the future to staff and faculty.

The campaign, a partnership with WSU’s Counseling and Prevention Servces and other places in Wichita, began with an infrastructure grant opportunity from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). With the grant, the university bought training related to mental health and grew their mental health campaign.

The slogan “Suspenders4Hope” emerged after student orientation aimed to educate incoming students more about mental health resources.

WSU Assistant VP for Wellness and Chief Psychologist Jessica Provines said that Clinical Psychologist Christopher Leonard took his role as an educator at student orientation seriously, and, as a result, became “Dr. Suspenders” due to the suspenders he wore often.

“Students would see him on campus and they’d shout out ‘Hey,

“What we wanted to do was to shed light on hope and all the stories of recovery and resilience.”

JESSICA PROVINES CAPS Director

Dr. Suspenders!’ or he’d be in the community, and students would take a picture and post it and say ‘Hey, Dr. Suspenders sighting on campus,’” Provines said.

Utilizing their grant and this opportunity, “Suspenders4Hope” emerged a few weeks later. T-shirts with suspenders designed with words of hope were passed out to strengthen the program’s message.

“It’s a symbol of pride. It goes in the face of stigma where we’re hiding our mental health issues or previous suicide attempts,” Provines said. “What we wanted to do was to shed light on hope and all the stories of recovery and resilience.”

Provines said that they encourage people to talk openly about mental health and to be vulnerable as well as host events that spread the campaign’s message.

WSU and Provines partnered with Ascension Via Christi’s Director of Communications and

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 © 2021 The Sunflower. This newspaper, its design and its contents are copyrighted.

PHOTO BY MIA HENNEN / THE SUNFLOWER

Ascension Via Christi’s Director of Communications and PR Roz Hutchinson and WSU Assistant VP for Wellness and Chief Psychologist Jessica Provines answer questions about the “Suspenders4Hope” campaign on Nov. 29.

PR Roz Hutchinson to take the campaign further.

“It went from being transactional to relational,” Hutchinson said. “We have a shared passion for this work. This is really like a labor of love for both of us.”

Working together, Provines and Hutchinson produced public

service announcements through KWCH’s State of Mind mental health awareness series. Working with prominent members of the community like men’s basketball player Dexter Dennis, Provines and Hutchinson created a series of commercials that helped spread the message about mental health

EDITOR IN CHIEF Lindsay Smith news@thesunflower.com

DESIGN DIRECTOR Thy Vo design@thesunflower.com

NEWS EDITOR Julia Nightengale news@thesunflower.com

PHOTO EDITOR Khanh Nguyen photoeditor@thesunflower.com

OPINION EDITOR Jaycie Nelson opinion@thesunflower.com

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Lena Alhallaq photos@thesunflower.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Kyran Crist arts@thesunflower.com

MARKETING MANAGER Kaylee Stout marketing@thesunflower.com

SPORTS EDITOR Sean Marty sports@thesunfower.com

ADVERTISING MANAGER Rachel Thomas admanager@thesunflower.com

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Emmie Boese elboese@shockers.wichita.edu

FACULTY ADVISOR Amy DeVault amy.devault@wichita.edu

awareness.

Hutchinson said that the return on investment of the campaign and program was high.

“Is saving one life worth 100,000 dollars?” Hutchinson said.

“From my perspective, I would say absolutely—it certainly is.”

Contact Us 019 Elliott Hall 1845 N. Fairmount Ave. Campus Box 134 Wichita, KS 67260-0134 EDITORIAL

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.

NEWS

THURSDAY, DEC. 2, 2021 | 3

INDIA NITE 2021

PHOTO BY KHANH NGUYEN / THE SUNFLOWER

The Indian Student Association at Wichita State brought India to Wichita with a vibrant and culture packed event hosted at the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex on Nov 20.

PHOTO BY KHANH NGUYEN / THE SUNFLOWER

Priyanka Thakur of ISA performs during India Nite on Saturday Nov. 20. The event was hosted by the Wichita State Indian Student Association at the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

PHOTO BY KHANH NGUYEN / THE SUNFLOWER

Computer Science Master student Hari Chandana performs at India Nite on Nov. 20 at Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

Director of DEI for Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce shares her story

BY MELANIE RIVERA-CORTEZ mxriveracortez@shockers.wichita.edu

Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce Ricki Ellison spoke out during the annual CommWeek in the Elliott School about how the TV show “Saved by the Bell” characters influenced her perceptions of inclusivity.

Ellison’s favorite show growing up was “Saved by the Bell” because it included a diverse cast of characters who were unique in their own way.

Jessie Spano influenced Ellison by showing her hard subjects such as women’s inclusivity, feminism, and what a strong intentional and high achiever could be.

Lisa Turtle exposed Ellison to what race repression was and what a strong black woman could be.

The character of AC Slater showed Ellison what heritage activism is: the ability to take pride in one’s heritage.

All of these characters influenced Ellison in by showing her that people are all different, but her favorite character was Screech Powers.Screech was the character

TESTING FROM PAGE 1 “Within one minute we can give you the results,” Hogan said.

“The old one was you would wait a month and it could take a couple weeks before you get your results, we’re looking into a month or two months before you know, and that is pretty stressful.”

Hogan said that Positive Directions is not focused simply on testing, but giving care to those that are in need.

“If they test positive, or anything we test for we do linkage to care,” Hogan said. “There is a whole system to take care of individuals.

It’s not just, ‘Here is your result, now go deal with it.’ Here is the result: now this is what we need to do.”

The main goal of Positive

who was often picked on but showed grace time and time again to others around him.

By Screech showing grace and acceptance Ellison believed that it is not about punishing people for not knowing about diversity, equity, or inclusion but rather teaching them.

“Often times diversity, equity, and inclusion can get the standpoint of othering, and accusing or telling you what you are doing wrong,” Ellison said. “We really have to change that narrative, it’s about educating, it’s about activism.”

Championing a term referred to by Ellison, is a leader who fights for the cause of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Championing can come in many different ways such as when the characters spoke out, demonstrated representation, personal education of the self, and through grace.

“The thing that I loved about ‘Saved by the Bell’ was that it did expose to the viewers social problems,” Ellison said. “The characters lived lives that were not always perfects, and I think that was cool because you can connect to that.”

Ellison advocates for people to

Directions is to create a support group for those that have struggled or known someone who has struggled with HIV/AIDS. “We’re still here,” Hogan said.

We remember those that have passed, we acknowledge those that have fought for us. Really bring everybody within that system and the world of HIV/AIDS together.”

Heather Stafford, Director of Student Health Services, said the event has been happening for 20 years, through Student Health Services and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and encouraged students to get tested.

“As the student medical clinic on-campus, we are college health specialists that also work as a campus public health service by providing sexual health education and access to free STI testing through hosted events,” Stafford said.

PHOTO BY LENA ALHALLAQ / THE SUNFLOWER

Ricki Ellison is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Wichita Regional Chamber. Ellison discusses the importance of inclusion within companies during the “Championing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” presentation for Communication Week in the RSC on Nov. 29, 2021.

gain perspective through experiences and talk to people who are not in the circle.

Ellison, who is a former Elliot School student, received her Bachelor’s and Master’s in integrated marketing communications and now uses her degree to work with companies to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion in organizations within companies.

HABITAT FROM PAGE 1 Wichita State has here and beyond as well,” Johnson said.

Ann Patterson, a board member for Wichita Habitat for Humanity for over 16 years, said that the family worked hard to achieve this dream through 400 hours of “sweat equity” building the homes for others as well as taking 40 hours of financial literacy and home maintenance courses.

“The couple applied to the habitat program because they wanted to provide their children with a permanent, stable home,” Patterson said. “Andy has always lived in apartments, and his goal was to be a homeowner. He wants to live in a caring community where his family will know

“One of my big missions is to activate: How are we going to start activating our community to change these policies to look at things differently,” Ellison said.

Her goal is to make employers understand that not all employees are the same, such as an employee who does not celebrate holidays being invited to the holiday party.

In her new position, Ellison

their neighbors. The couple wants their children to be able to make friends with the children who live on their street, and I know that’s going to happen.”

Patterson said that the family is currently renting an apartment in an unsafe area where they hear gunshots at night. The house will have a 0% mortgage, and their monthly payment will be much less than what they were paying for rent, giving the family the opportunity to save money.

Andy Nugent, father of the family, said that they were blessed and thankful for WSU and Habitat for Humanity, and how they changed his life because he never thought he would own a home.

“I’d just like to thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ for creating me, and giving me this beautiful wife,” Nugent said.

is currently looking to start a Youtube channel to help people who are learning about diversity, equity, and inclusion to ask questions that they may have.

“We have to get together not only to have the conversation and to educate but to actually solve the problem,” Ellison said.

““I’m just getting goosebumps right now because it’s just such a miracle and such a blessing for the community to come together and give us this amazing gift. I can’t even put into words how thankful we are.”

Aliette Kayitesi, mother of the family, said that it was hard for her family to live in that apartment.

“My last home that I had in Africa was bombed, then we ran away and scattered so we didn’t have a home anymore,” She said.

“This is a very big miracle for me, I have a home again, praise the Lord.”

The last speaker, Hanisha Bahati, the homeowner’s 12-yearold daughter, gave a blessing to the project before the wall’s were officially raised.

4 | THURSDAY. DEC. 2, 2021

WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM

Opinion

HAVE AN OPINION?

contact The Sunflower’s opinion editor, Jaycie Nelson opinion@thesunflower.com

Stop blaming professors for your grade Mitchell Adamson Columnist meadamson1@wichita. shockers.edu

Recently I have encountered many who are disappointed with the grade that they received in the classroom. Much of the justification doesn’t go to personal failure of any kind, but immediate blame placed on the professor.

There have been many professors that I wasn’t a huge fan of, but I still performed well in their classes because of my work ethic.

Stop blaming professors and own up to your shortcomings.

For example, many students will comment that the professor didn’t give exactly every problem

that is on the test on a study guide or in preparation for the test. I understand that in certain circumstances you wouldn’t know, but how much of the problems are actually trying to make you use the information you have learned to solve a problem not explicitly written out.

Many people are disappointed with how they do in classes because they have poor work ethic. Students who generally get As in classes study anywhere from around 40-60 hrs a week.

You can claim to be an exception to the case, which some people are, but if you aren’t getting the results that you want, maybe you should study more, ask more questions with the professor or find someone with

“You can’t succeed if you never fail, you can’t say you really understand success unless you have truly been in the trenches.” better grades than you in the class to give a helping hand.

Sometimes, blaming the professor stems from the lack of moral strength in admitting failure. There is no shame in failing, it is how you recover from those failures and push on. I am definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I understand that even though sometimes I do really bad,

it isn’t the end. I must continue to keep pushing forward.

Most people never get any better because instead of improving on the skills that they are not good at, they blame others for their mistakes, never owning up to problems that they have. You can’t succeed if you never fail, you can’t say you really understand success unless you have truly been in the trenches.

As you finish your finals this week and prepare for next semester, keep in mind that you can do this! Own up to things that you aren’t doing well at, allow your professor some slack. You may not achieve everything that you wanted, but that’s life — learn from your mistakes and move on.

Please quit asking single people if they’re at the Thanksgiving table Kyran Crist

Arts and Entertainment Editor

arts@thesunflower.com

As we come back from the holiday week, many of us single folks may have been asked the question once (or a couple hundred) times if we have a “special someone” in our lives. You know, the comment followed by some eyebrow wiggles and giggles.

Obviously the answer is no, they know it’s no, but yet we still have to dig up an answer that justifies not bringing someone around for them to torment.

Maybe you had to use the good ol’ “No, I’m just too busy right now,” or the “Just working on myself right now.” Let’s be real, whether you are content with being single

or not, the questions can start to become annoying.

The worst part is — Thanksgiving is just the start, here comes Christmas and New Years (and talk about holidays that are romanticized). Now there’s Christmas light dates, New Years Eve parties, mistletoe and all the gushy events and activities.

Bottom line, this can be a tough time for people who aren’t seeing someone. We sit on the side, scrolling through Instagram and TikTok, watching these cute couples enjoy the season while we sit here like the Grinch.

The problem doesn’t seem to be the fact of being single, it is the fact that it’s an issue and a topic. Once you say “No, I’m not seeing anyone” the responses go to looking for an excuse or trying

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.

“You don’t have to be seeing someone to go see lights, bake cookies or watch a christmas movie with hot chocolate.” to find someone for you. (Thanks Grandma, love you, but I’ll pass on the new boy in your Sunday school class.)

It isn’t a bad thing to not have someone special this time of year, it’s just hard when others make it a bad thing.

Ever since it came out last year, I always watch the Netflix film “Holidate” around this time of year. One, because it’s hilarious. Two, because it perfectly showcases the ridiculousness

of thinking you have to have someone during the holiday’s to appease those around you.

So here is my entire message, romanticize the heck out of you and your life. You don’t have to be seeing someone to go see lights, bake cookies or watch a christmas movie with hot chocolate.

You could do all these things yourself, enjoy the time you have alone. Or invite a friend over you haven’t seen in a while, a coworker, a classmate, a grandparent or other family member. Being single doesn’t mean being alone.

Just enjoy your life and don’t feel like you can’t enjoy this time of year if you don’t have a special someone. You’re pretty cool on your own, so embrace that and have some fun.

Coaches that decided to leave need to treat their players with more respect Sean Marty Sports Editor sports@thesunflower.com

The college football season isn’t even over and there have already been coaches leaving programs, which really shouldn’t come as a shock to many. But the way these coaches are leaving should anger many.

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley just headed to the west coast to coach the University of Southern California (USC), just one day after his team lost to Oklahoma State, diminishing their shots at a return trip to the College Football Playoff. Riley decided to jump ship before the Sooners made the transition to the SEC in a couple years as well.

Luckily, Riley has garnered some negative publicity for the move but he’s doing just fine. USC paid him to become the highest paid coach in the country, making over $110 million. On top of that they’ll be buying both of his homes in Norman and a new $6 million home in Los Angeles.

This type of money being given out to college coaches is absurd, especially since they aren’t the ones playing on the field. They aren’t the ones getting tackled and on top of that having to balance schoolwork as well. In many cases, these athletes are being treated very poorly.

Brian Kelly, the former head coach at Notre Dame, was another coach that opted to jump ship when he saw the money being cashed out at LSU. Reports surfaced on late Sunday night that Kelly would be leaving Notre Dame and as a result he called a 7 a.m. meeting with his players the next day.

Kelly spoke with his team for four minutes, didn’t answer any questions and proceeded to leave after his speech. For me, this is totally unacceptable. These players were recruited by these coaches and they had to find out through social media that their coach was abandoning them.

These coaches need to do a lot better of treating their players with respect in these types of situations.

These players have laid it out on the line for their program and coaches just to be stabbed in the back when coaches decide to go somewhere else. These coaches are very selfish, which is perfectically communicated by Kelly’s farewell speech to his players.

You must be thinking that ND’s season must be over, with them being in a rebuilding season and Kelly on his way out, but that’s not the truth. The Fighting Irish have one blemish on their schedule – a loss to No. 3 Cincinnati – but are most likely not going to be considered for the College Football Playoff since their coach abandoned them in the most important part of the season.

All I ask of these coaches who decided to leave these programs is to just treat these players with more respect. You were the ones that convinced them to play for you but right now the respect is only one-sided.

SUNFLOWER HOT TAKES The Sunflower editorial staff gives their one-sentence opinions.

Lindsay Smith: Christmas is the only good thing about winter.

Jaycie Nelson: Winter break is going to be one long nap.

Sean Marty: Having a late December birthday sucks.

Julia Nightengale: We should all agree to stop giving gifts on Christmas and just enjoy the holliday without that pressure.

OPINION

THURSDAY, DEC. 2, 2021 | 5

Holiday movies are the best movies Jaycie Nelson Opinion Editor opinion@thesunflower. com

Winter break is approaching and it’s time to turn on those cheesy holiday movies. Holiday movies are light-hearted and help to spread holiday joy and cheer.

Hallmark movies especially add in jubilation that we can appreciate.

They’re great for putting us in a Christmas spirit.

While Hallmark movies are cheesy — it’s also something I appreciate about them. The endings are predictable, but this is also another positive quality in my opinion. Most people love happy endings, and Christmas movies almost always give you one.

Hallmark movies follow a steady plot and theme, which may seem boring to some, but can be relaxing to others.

Hallmark movies and holiday movies let us enjoy the moment and embrace the happiness present in the movie. The world can be stressful, tiring and saddening and these movies offer us a break.

Holiday movies allow us to zone out for a little and enjoy some holiday happiness.

I believe another reason some of us cherish Hallmark movies is because they’re simple. I love complex movies, but sometimes it’s nice to turn on a cozy movie and not deal with a complex problem.

It’s easy and gives our brain a break. We don’t have to have our mind in high-gear mode all the time. Especially as a lot of us will

“My family loves to binge watch Hallmark movies, and we love to joke about how cheesy they are, but we also admire them for it.” be using winter break to rest and prepare for the spring semester.

The holiday season is a time where people give, decorate their house in lights and glitter and jam to Christmas music. When we watch a Christmas movie we get a visual of all the aspects of the season that make us happy with the added bonus of a good story.

My family loves to binge watch Hallmark movies, and we love to

How to transition from finals to the holidays Rachel Rudisill

1. ICE SKATING! The Wichita Ice Center is a great way for students to stay active, while getting into the holiday spirit. The rink is located at 505 West Maple Street. Admission is only $5, Monday through Sunday afternoons, and $7 on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Shoe rentals are only $3.

Ice Skating is a great way to have a good laugh with your friends. Not everyone can skate, most people look like baby deer walking for the first time. The rink has walkers for first time

Jaycie Nelson Opinion Editor

Columnist

FILE PHOTO BY MANNY DE LOS SANTOS / THE SUNFLOWER

A fan dressed up as Santa Claus gets pumped up prior to the game against Oklahoma State on Dec. 17, 2016.

skaters, so don’t be scared to try something new. The rink also offers fun games for children and adults to participate in. Public skating has two sessions: 12:003:00 for early afternoon, 7:30-9:30 in the evenings and 7:30-10:30 on weekends.

2. CHRISTMAS LIGHTS! Christmas lights are one of the most beautiful parts of Christmas.

You can simply get in your car and drive down nearly any cul-desac to look at the lights. The lights bring joy. As a child, when we saw the lights, we were mesmerized.

The lights are also a great way to spice up your Instagram page.

One location where you can better interact with the lights is Illuminations at Botanica. There are three light exhibits with over two million lights.

Each exhibit has lights that interact to Christmas music.

Tickets are to be purchased strictly online and due to covid protocols, no walk-ins are available. The price range is $13

for adults, $9 for children and members, and two years and under are free. The lights will be displayed until Jan. 1.

3. SECRET SANTA!

As finals come to an end and we travel back home, we have to say goodbye to our friends. The friendships we make in college often turn out to be our families.

They see us at our breaking points and act as our support system in our college years.

A great way to say goodbye is with a Christmas party.

Invite your friends over to your apartment or dorm and turn on that holiday music. You can make TikTok hot cocoa balls, watch your favorite Christmas movies, rock those Christmas onesies and participate in secret santa.

Simply draw a random person’s name from a bowl and buy them a present.

Finals are a stressful time, but that does not mean the rush to finish classes has to complete chaos. Take in these next four

STAFF HOLIDAY MOVIE RECOMMNEDATIONS 1. Holidate 2. Animated Grinch Movie 3. Christmas with the Kranks 4. The Santa Claus 5. Home Alone 6. A Christmas Story 7. This Christmas 8. Die Hard 9. It’s a Wonderful Life 10. Elf

Finding opportunities through the university opinion@thesunflower. com

racheltaryn268@gmail.com

Thanksgiving break is officially over and we all know what that means, finals week.

Finals week is approaching at a fast pace at Wichita State.

Students and teachers are stressed to the max finishing school work and grading. These last two weeks of classes seem to be moving at hyper speed.

We are then thrown into the holidays after all of this chaos; however, we need a little more of a transition.

After finals week, students should have a support system.

That system can be family, friends or whoever a student feels comfortable with.

Here is a list of fun activities students can do to calm the stress that occurred from finals.

joke about how cheesy they are, but we also admire them for it. They make us smile and laugh, and get us even more into the holiday spirit.

In the past couple years, Netflix has been releasing original holiday movies that add an extra dose of holiday cheer. A lot of them resemble the plot of Hallmark movies, but I don’t mind — extra holiday movies are always a bonus.

Another reason Christmas movies tend to be so popular is they portray the world in a positive light, which gives us hope. Movies such as “It’s a Wonderful Life,” or “A Christmas Carol” have negative events or emotions that transform into something positive.

Take time to rest during winter break, make some hot chocolate and put on a cheesy Christmas movie to enjoy!

Where do opportunities come from? Dreams, psychic visions, a passing sign that tells you to “apply here.” But when opportunities are not found they need to be created. As a student you may not have the resources to create those opportunities. However, there are people on campus that can.

Coming into college, it can be hard to find exactly the resources you’re looking for. They might be there, but aren’t always easily accessible. Handshake is a tool that can help with this.

I’ve learned that a lot of people have blocked Handshake from their email list, however, consider unblocking them. If you’re someone that wants to gain experience and build a professional outlook it would be beneficial to meet with them.

My first experience with them wasn’t what I had hoped it would be. They were kind, but I was left unsure of possible internships.

However, this was only one scenario. I was then reached out to by another person and met with them to talk. Not only did they seem to genuinely care about my experience, but they helped me look at internships in a new light.

Originally, I thought if I wanted to work in publishing that I needed to get a publishing internship. However, that’s not the only option to gain experience. I can get an internship at other companies, even if they don’t specifically relate to publishing and I would still be

able to gain valuable knowledge to help me with future endeavors.

I realized a few things with this situation. One: don’t stop when you get stuck. After my first Handshake meeting I kind of gave up on using it, but after my other encounters I recognized that I should have kept pursuing options. Just because one option doesn’t work out, doesn’t mean you should stop searching for ways to gain experience.

You shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get what you need, but it might take more initiative. Showing eagerness and that drive to go further and do more is important if you want to find opportunities that may be hidden.

It was an error for me to give up after one meeting.

However, you don’t just have to use Handshake, you can reach out to your department, professors, or student organizations — ask everyone, and keep asking.

We’re allowed to ask for help, and there are people willing to help us.

We need to be more creative about how we create opportunities, but also how we find them.

Instead of looking at jobs and stopping there, use Handshake and if you don’t like what you hear, ask someone else. If we allow ourselves to step out of this bubble of what we think we want and open up to what we actually need, we’ll find resources there for us.

The opportunity might not look like what you had originally planned, but it could work out just as great. Do research, ask people and don’t be afraid to explore more options.

Reading poetry can be fun and beneficial Jaycie Nelson Opinion Editor opinion@thesunflower. com

The thought of reading poetry may feel like watching grass grow to some, but it doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Poetry is for everyone.

If you don’t like poetry — that’s ok. However, poetry can be very beneficial. It is mentally stimulating, causes us to process and think in a different light and can be fun.

You may think you’re not good at reading poetry, or have trouble deciphering its meaning, but that’s perfectly ok. We feel like we have to fully understand a poem to enjoy or benefit from it, but that’s not always the case. Rather, we can read it and just try to process it. We can still enjoy it or find it beneficial without having to learn or understand it completely.

Poetry enables our imagination and creativity, and it brings us

a new way to look at a sentence or word. Often, poetry tries to express something that’s been said multiple times in a unique way.

When we read poetry we engage with creativity and allow our brain to think in a new perspective.

Poetry can also make us a better reader. Poetry engages with the reader and gets you thinking about the words on the page, the sentence structure and what it means and why words are placed where.

Poetry also is shorter than novels and prose and may be a good way for people to take that first step to reading more.

Especially if that’s a resolution for 2022.

Poetries can be as short as four lines. This allows someone to pick one up, read a poem and go on about their day.

It can also be stimulating for the brain. After reading poetry, I find myself wanting to create.

I am a writer, so I often choose to express my creativity through writing. However, to others it may

create a solution to a problem or make you look at a situation differently.

If anything, reading poetry is simply fun (to me at least). You don’t have to read poetry in an academic light to “Read poetry right.”

Read a poem, enjoy it and leave it at that. It doesn’t have to be an answer to a solution. It can simply be a short message that brings you joy or peace.

If you want to get into poetry or reading, but have been putting it off, winter break is coming up and a great time to start. If you’re not sure where to start, you can go to sites such as PoetryFoundation. org, Poets.org and Poems.com.

These sites are all free and are just a few of the numerous sites out there.

Percy Shelley said, “Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar.”

Poetry adds beauty to everyday things, and lets us appreciate them in a new light.

FILE PHOTO BY EASTION THOMPSON/ THE SUNFLOWER

Becca Yenser reads from her book of poems to start off her literary set at the Let Us Attend event held at Eighth Day Books on Saturday, Feb. 23.

6 | THURSDAY, DEC. 2, 2021

WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM

Arts & Entertainment

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

Hock E Aye VI Edgar Heap of Birds spoke as Tuesday nights ‘Voices from the Vault’ Artist on Tuesday night, speaking about his work which showcases social injustice.

Hock E Aye VI Edgar Heap of Birds, an artist who focuses on social justice and the freedom to live within the tribal circle as an expressive individual, speaks at the Ulrich Musuem of Art on Tuesday night,

COUTESY PHOTOS BY KENDRA CREMIN

Hock E Aye VI Edgar Heap of Birds, shows his piece ‘Surviving Active Shooter Custer’ on Tuesday night.

Ulrich Museum of Art brings artist Hock E Aye VI Edgar Heap of Birds for ‘Voices from the Vault’ series showcases Native American injustice

BY KYRAN CRIST arts@thesunflower

The Ulrich Museum of Art continued their ‘Voices from the Vault’ series this month with artist Hock E Aye VI Edgar Heap of Birds, an Oklahoma based artist who focuses on social justice and the freedom to live within the tribal circle as an expressive individual.

Heap of Birds talked to the audience showcasing his work from many areas and universities early in his career. He also talks about the struggles he faced in arts school in Philadelphia, how there were no teachers of color and was in the angle of formalism but it made his art stronger.

“It was a tough go through

Philadelphia,” Heap of Birds said.

“You know, a very important art school but very much in the angle of formalism. So we didn’t have any professors of color at all at my art school.

“So I struggled, but it kind of gave me the impotence to be kind of in your face with my messages because people try to deflect the native history that I was trying to articulate” Heap of Birds said.

“And I guess I still do that, I’m still right in your face with a lot of things.”

He also discusses a piece called “Fort Marion Lizards’’ he had done. The piece muse is derived from the Washita Massacre, with the list of names from a list that Captain Pratt had written himself

“So I struggled, but it kind of gave me the impotence to be kind of in your face with my messages because people try to deflect the native history that I was trying to articulate” Hock E Aye VI Edgar Heap of Birds

when serving as a POW in Florida after being captured with about 30 other leaders.

The painting is an eight foot by eight foot list that shows many names, with Heap of Birds on the

top as the first name.

Heap of Birds explains that the tactic by the American government was to keep the people in line while they kept their leaders in prison. Some leaders made it back and some died in Florida, but they still struggle to regain their composure and leadership from that day.

His art took him around the world on scholarships, to places like Switzerland and the Netherlands, but in the end he made it back home to Oklahoma where he lived on his Arapaho grandmother’s land for about ten years and hunted and hiked every day.

“It was just out of necessity or boredom or whatever. But I

hunted every day and hiked every day,” Heap of Birds said. “I had no money, had no water to turn on, had no electricity to turn on, I had no road to drive on, an outhouse down the hill.

“But look back, romantically you know, but it was a very wonderful time, to learn from the earth. And that’s where indignity begins, in the earth, it’s not in the people,” Heap of Birds said. “So if you’re indigenous, and you want to really reflect on what that is, you need to love a place, you need to find a place. So that place in Oklahoma is my place.”

Heap of Birds brought his presentation to an end with a video he had made showing the land and how it has given inspiration and

‘Tick, Tick... Boom!’ sheds light on the stresses of the arts industry Kyran Crist A&E Editor arts@thesunflower.com

If you know me at all, I am not a musicals type of gal. I know very little about what goes on in the musical theater world and it takes quite a bit to get me into watching a whole musical. By quite a bit — I mean like Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron, I love me some ‘Greatest Showman’.

But this last weekend I was scrolling across Netflix and the movie ‘Tick, Tick… Boom’ caught my eye. It’s a film based on the autobiographical musical by

playwright Jonathan Larson. It follows Larson (played by Andrew Garfield) and his life leading up to producing his first musicals such as Rent.

The movie highlights the struggle of working in the arts and how it is a different and challenging field to have to work in. It seems to be a constant battle of following passion and heart, while getting little in return sometimes.

Garfield shows this very well with his character in the film. He has to quit his job at the time to be able to devote the majority of his time to working on his musical, then later as it goes on we see him have to give more and more time away from the people in his life and his girlfriend.

He begins to struggle with his bills, his relationships in life and his mental health. Writing for the production becomes time consuming and takes over every area in his life, and he takes it all on without seeking or asking for help.

Larson’s turning point in the film — to basically take a chill pill — is when his childhood best friend Micheal (played by Robin de Jesús) tells him that he has tested positive for HIV and has been trying to tell Larson for a while, but since he was so wrapped up in working on his production he wasn’t listening.

This forces Larson to take a step back and take a breath and try to work on other things in his life, as well as finish the play.

I did enjoy the film, though I initially clicked on it for Andrew Garfield and the description talking about the character struggling with Marfan’s Syndrome.

The film barely seemed to mention that and it basically only came up at the end when it talked about how Larson had died from a heart aneurysm at 35 years old.

I was hoping for a little more awareness regarding that topic, but I ended up appreciating how that was not the main focus of the film and think that it was really well done and captivating. I never felt lost or bored watching it and it really pulled on my heartstrings.

I would recommend it to anyone interested in musicals.

COURTESY PHOTO BY NETFLIX

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK THURSDAY 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Community Service Board Membership Meetings @ Rhatigan Student Center Cost: Free FRIDAY 11 a.m. - Noon Job Hunting Lab @ RSC Free 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. Grief Support Group @ Steve Clark YMCA & Student Wellness

6 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Madrigal Dinner @ Rhatigan Student Center Cost: $55 per person, $20 per student SATURDAY All Day Final examinations SUNDAY 2 p.m. Shocker Tailgate & Game Day Transportation @ Rhatigan Student Center Cost: Free

WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM

THURSDAY, DEC. 2, 2021 | 7

Sports

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

RESUME BUILDING Morris Udeze goes up for a dunk during the game against Missouri on Nov. 26 inside Mizzou Arena. | Photo

by Sean Marty / The Sunflower

How Udeze’s offensive breakthrough can help the Shockers’ offense

BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty

PHOTO BY RACHEL RUDISILL / THE SUNFLOWER

Junior Craig Porter Jr. goes up for a lay-up during the game against Oklahoma State on Dec. 1 in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Shockers pick up pivotal road victory over Oklahoma State

BY EMMIE BOESE sports@thesunflower.com

Turnovers, lack of finishing under the rim, and poor defense didn’t look promising for the Wichita State State Men’s Basketball team. That was until the Shockers started to make a comeback towards the middle of the first half to put themselves ahead before halftime.

The Shockers beat Oklahoma State University 60-51 on Wednesday. The Shockers turned a rough defensive start to the game, but turned it around, resulting in Oklahoma State turning the ball over 21 times which was a season high for them.

Head coach Isaac Brown said his team needed to be strategic in their defensive strategy to be successful against Oklahoma State.

“I looked back on it and the one game that they lost this year to Oakland, they played zone,” Brown said. “I went back and watched tape on five other teams and no one else played in zone. I kept going through my head, there’s no way I’m going to play man-to-man all night. We want to keep changing defenses and that’s our defensive scheme.”

By mixing up their defenses, WSU limited the Cowboys to 38% from the field and 29% from deep. WSU also limited star guard Isaac Likekele to three

“I just wanted to win the game and I did what I had to do. It’s just sad going on a two hour bus ride with a loss, you don’t want to do that.”

RICKY COUNCIL IV Freshman

points on 1-5 shooting.

“We tried to deny passes and I thought we did a good job when they drive the basketball, just getting in the gaps,” Brown said. “We wanted them to make the extra pass and force them to make threes, we did a good job of getting in the gaps, getting deflections, and creating turnovers.”

Offensively, Ricky Council IV stepped up for the Shockers by scoring 17 points off the bench.

Council put his effort on the court against Oklahoma State as just doing what needed to be done. The freshman guard stepped with OSU double-teaming Tyson Etienne for most of the game. Etienne finished with only three points.

“I just wanted to win the game and I did what I had to do,” Council IV said. “It’s just sad going on a two hour bus ride with a loss, you don’t want to do that. I just wanted to win the game.”

PHOTO BY RACHEL RUDISILL / THE SUNFLOWER

Freshman Ricky Council IV dribbles toward the basket during the game against Oklahoma State on Dec. 1 in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

However, what the Shockers needed most tonight was continued improvement from their inside game. Senior forward Morris Udeze had 13 total points and eight rebounds.

However, Udeze said he wasn’t successful at the rim in the first half.

“At the beginning, I wasn’t catching the ball obviously but I talked to my coaching staff and they said ‘calm down, just relax, it’ll come to you’,”Udeze said.

“I took my time just powering up, I was pump-faking so I just thought about going up strong.

I started going through their chest instead of fading away, so it worked out for me.”

The Shockers have now collected two straight road wins, including one against Missouri last Friday. WSU has built a

strong NCAA Tournament resume with these two road wins against Power-Five opponents.

“I told the guys before the game ‘every game’s important’,” Tyson Etienne said after Friday’s victory against Mizzou. “There’s no moral victories. We go out and lose, nobody’s going to be like ‘well, they played hard’. We need every single game, so to go on the road, Thanksgiving, focus could be going anywhere.

But I feel like we stayed locked in to the scouting report, to our game plan and we did what we needed to do.”

The Shockers will play the annual INTRUST Bank Arena game on Sunday against in-state rival Kansas State. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. with the game also broadcast on ESPNU.

Through Wichita State’s first five games this season, nothing was clicking for junior forward Morris Udeze. Udeze struggled with foul trouble and as a result never found a flow in the Shocker offense. But then something clicked last Friday against Missouri.

Udeze had his best game of the season during a road victory against the Tigers, scoring a season-high 15 points. He reached double-digit scoring for only the second time all season, while going 6-8 from the field.

“I took my time, kind of knew it was going to come,” Udeze said.

“I’ve kind of been in a little slump but every basketball player goes through that slump but it’s how you recover through it, how you keep your head stay in the gym and keep going day by day. At the end of the day you’ve got to trust your work.”

Udeze is fresh off his best season as a Shocker last year, averaging a career-best 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Head coach Isaac Brown said that Udeze returning to last year’s form will create more open looks for the offense.

“When Morris can score the basketball like he did last year, he’s one of the best low post scorers in our league, when he starts to score the basketball and get double teamed that makes it easier for our guards to get wide open shots,” Brown said.

Sophomore Tyson Etienne said Udeze’s performance was key for his confidence heading into WSU’s toughest stretch of the non-conference schedule.

“I think it’s just important for him personally,” Etienne said. “Just to see the basketball go through the rim, get a bunch of dunks during this game, it’s big for his confidence.

We need him in order to be successful so I’m happy that he was able to have a great game. He’s got a lot of momentum against a good SEC team so I know that’ll give him a lot of confidence moving forward.”

The Shocker guards didn’t struggle in finding Udeze for easy baskets, with the junior forward finishing with three dunks in the game. Udeze also went to the free-throw line in the contest, a season-best eight times.

“Anytime when you can get easy baskets for a big guy, when you can get a dunk or a layup and you don’t have to post up and work for that it makes your life easier,” Brown said. “Now when you get the ball on the offensive end, you see the ball go through the net and it’s easier to score the next you get it.”

The Shocker offense had one of its most efficient shooting performances of the season, shooting 47% from the field and 35% on three-pointers. WSU will need another quality performance from Udeze against Oklahoma State on Wednesday to keep a balanced attack.

“Basketball at the end of the day is a strategy,” Udeze said. “Inside out or outside in. I start making my shots inside, it makes it easier for the guards to shoot threes. When they start shooting threes, I stop getting double teamed in the posts, it’s going to be easier.”

SPORTS

THURSDAY, DEC. 2, 2021 | 8

SENIOR SEND-OFF

PHOTOS BY MIA HENNEN / THE SUNFLOWER

The Wichita State volleyball program celebrates after defeating Memphis in four sets on Nov. 26 inside Charles Koch Arena. The Shockers finished the season with a 19-10 record.

Volleyball wraps up 2021 season with victory over Memphis

BY EMMIE BOESE elboese15@gmail.com

A

fter being picked to finish eighth out of twelve teams in the American Athletic Conference in the preseason coaches poll, the Wichita State volleyball team wrapped up a fifth place finish in the American on Friday.

The Shockers lost to Southern Methodist 2-3 (25-19,25-18,23-25,1325 12-15) in five sets on Wednesday.

However, they bounced back for their last game of the season at home on senior night on Friday.

The Shockers beat Memphis 3-1 (27-29,25-14,26-24,25-12) in four sets.

The Shockers’ last two games of the season stand as an example to the competitive matches they played throughout the entire season. WSU had two injured middle blockers, loss of seniors in the program, and minimal scholarships for players.

“Not only were we going to be younger but most teams in our league were going to be historically older because of that,” head coach Chris Lamb.

Most of the teams in the AAC had a roster made up of mostly juniors and seniors. However, the Shockers starting lineup usually consisted of freshman, sophomores and one senior.

Lamb said the difficult situations his team was faced with this season, dealt with having other players stepping up. A player that stepped up in order for the Shockers to compete at a high level in their conference this season was sophomore setter Kayce Litzau.

Litzau finished the season with 111 total assists and a 10.18 set and assist percentage.

Litzau was encouraged to redshirt when she first got to Wichita State. However, she decided not to and it worked out for her. She faced times when she was not the starting setter on the court, but Lamb said she pushed past those setbacks.

“Kayce needed to be stable,” Lamb said. “Kayce needed to be good. Kayce needed to get better and I think we can answer yes to all three of those.”

Lamb said players on his team did not only need to “get better”.

They needed to adapt as well.

Sophomore outside hitter Brylee Kelly has been at Wichita State for four years and was originally recruited as a passer for the Shockers.

“So in the 5-1 you are hoping you’ve got an outside hitter that can be a 41 kill percentage kind of kid,” Lamb said. “Brylee is great and perhaps even cooler than that, we brought her along as a passer and back row player.”

Due to injuries in the middle, freshman middle blockers Natalie Foster and Morgan Stout needed to be able to adjust on the court and step up, according to Lamb.

Lamb said the progress from his middles might have been a moment when volleyball got easier for his team.

“I also think often about the play from our two middles,” Lamb said “We rode the wave there but there were nights when you could see next level and their freshman and I plan on being as good in the middle as anybody can be for a while. We have everything we need to do that.”

Kelly said she felt like this season was actually “fun” to play and to do it with her current teammates made the season even more special.

“It was a joy to play this year,” Kelly said. “Everyone on the team contributed to a growing year. We proved people wrong. We are only going to get better from here now and the seniors helped contribute to putting this team and this program in the right direction again so big thanks to them.”

Lined in the ceiling of Charles Koch Arena are banners from conference championships, national tournament finalists, and more. The Wichita State volleyball program is responsible for several of those banners. However, that is not something that sticks out from this season but rather the improvement of the program.

“I’m just really proud of where we were last year to the campaign we had this year,” Lamb said. “I told the team I hope this works for them. We don’t have a banner to hang but I’ve been here 22 seasons and this is the farthest we’ve gone from last season to the end of the season. We have a chance to have a very balanced offense for the next few years and that’s on my happy list.”

Senior Bryn Stansberry and redshirt freshman Skylar Goering embrace at their last game of the season on Nov. 26.

Redshirt senior Lexi Hogan embraces Head coach Chris Lamb at the senior send-off before the game against Memphis on Nov. 26.

SPORTS

THURSDAY, DEC. 2, 2021 | 9

Sophia Rohling finds her way back on the court

BY EMMIE BOESE elboese15@gmail.com / @elboese15

Earning First Team-All Conference as a freshman is exciting but for sophomore outside hitter Sophia Rohling, also put a lot of added pressure for her coming into her sophomore season with the Shockers.

Now that the 2021 fall volleyball season is over, Rohling said she has learned a lot as a player, and how to be successful going into her junior season.

Earlier in the fall season, Rohling was pulled due to her lack of performance.

Rohling said her breakout freshman season led to her trying to control the outcomes of her performance on the court. She said she felt like she had to “play a certain way” for her team, and she felt like she was letting her team down and her coaches down.

“Things started not working out and I started putting more and more pressure on myself because I wasn’t playing the way I needed to play and I wasn’t executing so I started getting really upset,” Rohling said.

Rohling said to get through this difficult time she relied on support from her teammate and best friend Natalie Foster, and her family. She said when she approached her coach, she got positive remarks.

“She’s confident and she knows she can dominate,” head coach Chris Lamb said. “What you want out of her is to know she can do it and even the great ones get blocked. You just keep hammering away and at the end of the day your stats are better than theirs.

Sophomore Sophia Rohling leaps to hit the ball during the game against Memphis on Nov. 26 inside Charles Koch Arena. | Photo by Mia Hennen / The Sunflower

That’s what talent and confidence can do for you.”

Rohling said she started letting go of the pressure she was putting on herself once she figured out that playing was also about having fun and not just being a standout player on the court.

“I went through a lot of emotions during that time and then I was like ‘you know what, you just have to have fun, remember what you’re doing this about, and the rest will come’,” Rohling said.

Rohling said the game that changed for her this season was the Shockers first matchup against Tulsa.

“They put me in the second set and funny enough the first thing I did was trip and fall on my face but after that I had a really good performance and it’s like maybe I am coming out of this so that was a good game for me to look at and say ‘you can do this and there you are again’,” Rohling said.

PHOTO BY LENA ALHALLAQ / THE SUNFLOWER

Mariah McCully looks to pass during the game against Oral Roberts on Dec. 1 inside Charles Koch Arena.

McCully’s season-high 24 points lead Shockers to best start in program history

BY MELANIE RIVERA-CORTEZ mrivera1047@gmail.com

The Wichita State women’s basketball team is off to their best start in program history, after picking up a pair of victories against Northwestern State and Oral Roberts this week.

WSU defeated NSU 70-61 on Monday and defeated ORU 78-62 on Wednesday.

“We just kept playing and chipping away, and it was a good win for us,” Head Coach Keitha Adams said.

Sophomore guard DJ McCarty led the Shockers by scoring 16 points during the second-half against NSU and set a team high for the night.

Five of her shots came from three-pointers.

“You always want to have a player that you bring in off the bench that gives your team a

lift,” Adams said. “She’s been playing with confidence and I think she’s been into it, and consistently having good practices.”

McCarty has been growing in confidence and believes that sticking to a pre-game routine is what keeps her focus on the court. She will drink a couple of gatorades and meditate with the team in the locker room.

“When I’m hitting a couple in a row it’s giving me more confidence to look for my shot.

But also I know that I’m starting to hit that my teammates will be open,” McCarty said.

McCarty has been working with assistant coach Kelli Bagley on pull-up shots, mid-range shots, and three-point shooting.

“Shout out to my teammates for finding me when I was open,” McCarty said. “I work a lot with Coach Kelli (Bagley) on pull-up and mid-range

(shots) and then my three-point shooting. I’ve been trying to incorporate that.”

During Wednesday’s victory against ORU, the Shockers were led by Mariah McCully, who scored a season-high 24 points.

McCully went 11-19 from the field and 2-3 from downtown.

For the game, WSU shot 41% from the field, while also going 25%. Seraphine Bastin and Asia Strong each provided 16 points to help the Shocker offense.

Strong’s 16 points came off the bench and she also scored WSU’s first six points of the game. Bastin’s 16 points were a season-high.

The Shockers also won the rebounding battle, 51-43.

Next up, the Shockers will go on the road to take on South Dakota on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Gabrielle Bozarth Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Caleb Krehbiel Honors Leadership Track

Darbee Chard Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Nhuy Le Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Jack Cook Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Wambura Moenga Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Maya Daniels Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Angelynn Ng Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Eleanor Dooley Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Lillian Nieman Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Jarod Ferguson Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Alexandra Olmstead Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Jorge Godinez Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Savannah Redfern Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Bernadette Hand Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Casey Reyes Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Abigail Jantz Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Madeline Spurlock Honors Law and Public Policy Track

Andie Keefer Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Adrianna Young Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar

Three Shockers named to all-conference team

BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty

Three members of the Wichita State volleyball team were named to the American Athletic Conference All-Conference teams, the league announced Tuesday.

Redshirt sophomore Brylee Kelly was unanimously selected First Team all-conference, while sophomore setter Kayce Litzau and freshman middle blocker Natalie Foster earned Second Team honors.

Kelly was a consistent presence all season long for Wichita State, posting double-digit kills in 22 of 26 matches for KELLY a team-best 3.54 kills per set that ranked fourth in the American. Kelly’s rate of 0.36 aces per set finished fourth in the AAC, and her 4.16 points per set were fourth. Kelly was the only underclassman ranked in the top five in both kills and points per set.

The 6’2 outside hitter provided several memorable moments during the season, including two 29-kill performances. The first came on the road at SMU on October 10, helping the Shockers to a thrilling five-set victory. She repeated the feat at East Carolina on November 21, establishing a new program record for kills in a four-set match.

Kelly showcased her versatility with ten matches of seven or more digs and recorded a career-best five solo blocks in the final match of the regular season against Memphis.

For the season, Kelly finished with a team-leading 368 total kills, hitting .241.

“So in the 5-1 you are hoping you’ve got an outside hitter that can be a 41 kill percentage kind of kid,” head coach Chris Lamb said.

“Brylee is great and perhaps even cooler than that, we brought her along as a passer and back row player.”

Litzau blossomed into one of the conference’s top setters in a breakout sophomore campaign, leading the conference with 10.18 assists per set. Litzau finished with 1,110 total assists, good for 36th

in the country.

The native of Greendale, Wis., had eight matches of 50 or more helpers, including LITZAU a career-best 61 assists in the win at SMU on October 10.

Her .375 set percentage ranked second in the conference among full-time setters, trailing only UCF’s Amber Olson.

Litzau also came into her own defensively, leading all American setters with 0.60 blocks per set in conference play, highlighted by a season-best seven blocks in a win over Tulsa on November 11.

The sophomore posted double-figure digs 14 times, good for 2.64 digs per set that also led all AAC setters in conference matches.

After notching just one kill during the spring season, Litzau tallied 72 this fall, including six matches with five or more.

“Kayce needed to be stable,” Lamb said. “Kayce needed to be good.

Kayce needed to get better and I think we can answer yes to all three of those.”

With Wichita FOSTER State’s middles bested by injuries, Foster shouldered much of the Shockers offensive load, leading all middles in AAC play with 197 kills.

Despite the increased workload, Foster finished sixth in the league with a .334 hitting percentage, best among all AAC freshmen. She was twice named to the American Weekly Honor Roll, including on the final week of the season when she hit .452 with 35 total kills against SMU and Memphis.

Foster posted two matches with double-digit kills in the spring, then fired off 11 such performances this season, all in conference play.

The 6’4 middle had four matches of 16 or more kills on less than 30 attacks.

On the defensive side, Foster collected 77 blocks, highlighted by a career-best eight stuffs at SMU on October 10. From November 11-24, she recorded seven straight matches of three or more blocks.

10 | THURSDAY, DEC. 2, 2021

ADVERTISMENT