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THURSDAY Feb. 10, 2022 Volume 126 Issue 21
Fresh off the softball program’s first AAC regular season and tournament championship last spring, the Shockers look to repeat with increased expectations. For full coverage and the softball preview flip to pages 7-10.
Softball prepares to defend AAC title BY RACHEL RUDISILL rtrudisill@shockers.wichita.edu
The Shockers are heading into the 2022 season with an enormous target on their backs as they are predicted to be the conference winners. “We’ve got a pretty big target and you know this team knows it,” Bredbenner said. “I think last year was a special year and what
we’ve got to figure out is how to put together our own special year because it’s a new year.” Overall, the Shockers went 41-13-1 and 18-5-1 in the conference season. They were undefeated in the American Athletic Conference Championship and went 2-2 in the Norman Regional. The Shockers were ranked 25th in the rpi poll above and were ranked first in their conference.
“We’ve got a bunch of girls that are working hard every single day and understand that target’s getting bigger and bigger.”
- Kristi Bredbenner
“We’ve got some people that were obviously big losses for our
program last year that people are gonna have to step in and fill, but we’ve got a bunch of girls that are working hard every single day and understand that target’s getting bigger and bigger with the more national publicity that we’re getting and I haven’t seen a lot of fear in them,” Bredbenner said. “I’ve seen excitement and they’re wanting to pave their own way and show that they can be just as good
as the team last year, but it’s going to take us a little time.” The Shockers lost a lot of big players including Kaylee Hucker and Madison Perrigan. The starting lineup is not set for the season. In and out of practice, each athlete is working to earn their spot on the starting lineup. “I think the biggest thing for our program is the experience SEE AAC PAGE 10
Applications open for six different SGA scholarships BY MELANIE RIVERA mxrivera-cortez@shockers.wichita.edu
Scholarships are the way to a student’s heart. Wichita State’s Student Government Association offers six scholarships to students who are in need of financial assistance. SGA offers six different scholarships and the International Student Hardship Fund. Students who look over applications are chosen through a committee and host interviews to see who is the best candidate for each scholarship “Depending on the scholarship we have different committees, the Budget of Finance committee looks after some scholarships, I myself, along with our Director of Public Relations as well as others,” SGA Treasurer Zachary James said. The International Student Hardship Fund is different from the other scholarships because it is catered towards international students who are going through financial difficulties. They will receive a one-time award, which will not exceed $1,000. Some scholarships, like the SGA & SLB Dreamers Scholarship, are put together collaboratively between SGA and Sigma Lambda Beta. “For our Dreamer scholarship, that’s a committee made up of myself, our Director of Public Relations, the Chapter president for Sigma Lambda Beta, their treasure, as well as our advisors,” James said. SGA can receive anywhere from $1,000 to $6,000 for the Dreamer Scholarship. Depending on the information they receive from applicants, they can divide the money to do two $3,000 scholarships each or six $1,000 scholarships. The Dreamer Scholarship is opened to every student, with priority going to undocumented and DACA-affiliated recipients. The SGA McKinney-Vento
Scholarship is open to students who qualify under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act. This scholarship is designed to assist students who are homeless and are struggling financially. The James J. Rhatigan Leadership Scholarships is open to students who hold a leadership position, have leadership qualities or skills and can maintain a 3.0 GPA throughout the time that they have the scholarship. The Endowed Scholarship, Summer-Endowed Scholarship, and the International Student Scholarship are all need-based scholarships. “By awarding these scholarships, we’re doing as much as we can to give back to the student body to ensure that our students are able to get an education and not worry about paying for books or paying for a meal plan,” James said. “We as students, we know that paying for college is not easy,” James said. James said that SGA should be doing their part to give back to students as the highest ranking organization on campus. “We know that every student deserves an education, whether or not they can afford it,” James said. SGA receives money for these scholarships mainly from student fees and the Equal Opportunity Fund. “Most of the money from these scholarships come from student fees anyway, so essentially we are giving back and taking from the students to give back to the students,” James said. Applications for SGA Scholarships are due March 14, by 5:00 p.m.. “There is no harm in applying for a scholarship,” James said.“Better to apply and know, than to not apply and wonder what could have been.”
President Rick Muma gives a speech at the announcement event for the scholarships on Feb. 9, 2022. He thanked Sondra Langel, widow of Dick Smith, for her families generosity. | Photo by Monique Gaines / The Sunflower
Late Richard Smith gifts $11 million to KU and Wichita State for scholarships BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE news@thesunflower.com
Wichita State was gifted the sixth largest endowment in WSU’s history, in the amount of $5.5 million from the late Richard ‘Dick’ Smith. The money will be put toward full-ride scholarships for underserved, undergraduate students of any major. Smith, founder of Range Oil Co., died on January 21 at the age of 87 and left behind an estate gift of over $11 million split between KU and Wichita State. “Dick specified that the scholarships at both institutions cover all expenses related to college,” Elizabeth King, president and CEO of the Wichita State University Foundation, said. “So it’s tuition, fees, books, housing. These full ride scholarships are considered among the most prestigious a university can award.” King, who knew Smith for
decades, said that she remembers him telling her about being interested in dating Sondra Langel, his widow. She said he admired her dedication to volunteerism and supporting the community. Langel opened up her speech with a quote from Joseph Condrad, his favorite author. “These are the words of Joseph Conrad, his favorite author,” Langel said. “His books were with us wherever we went. I tell you some things because I think students who will benefit from these scholarships will never know the man he was, and he was a man worth knowing.” Langel described how he was a well educated man whose opinion was valued by others. He didn’t tell jokes, but had a knack for seeing the silliness and irony in everyday things. “Dick believed a college education could have an incomparable impact on the direction a child’s
life could take,” Langel said. “His family and friends join in celebrating the opportunities these scholarships will create for thousands of young Kansas students.” Rick Muma, president of WSU, thanked Langel for her family’s generosity and support to the universities, and discussed the benefit to Kansas families. “When we give people access to affordable higher education, when we open that window of opportunity for them, our students’ achievements and successes are remarkable and limitless,” Muma said. As the event ended, King said that investing in future generations is essential, and this gift does just that. “I have been dying to say this, we have an expression here at Wichita State, I’m just gonna adapt it a little bit. It is a great day to be a Jayhawk, it’s a great day to be a Shocker,” King said.