NEWS | 2
OPINION | 4
SPORTS | 6
PASS/FAIL
‘OFFICE LADIES’
ROSTER
Students push for a new grading system amidst COVID-19.
Managing editor Morgan Anderson highlights key moments from the podcast.
A look at the 2020-2021 men’s and women’s basketball roster.
WICHITA STATE’S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1896 MONDAY
Volume 125
www.thesunflower.com
Nov. 16, 2020
Issue 12
KAYLEE STOUT/THE SUNFLOWER
Joe Kleinsasser laughs during an interview with The Sunflower at the Rhatigan Student Center on Monday, Nov. 8. Kleinsasser, the co-director of News and Media Relations at the Strategic Communications office, is retiring in December after 34 years at WSU.
34 years at WSU: Retiring faculty member reflects on the lessons he’s learned BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_KSmith
O
n Joe Kleinsasser’s desk is a book called “The Interesting Things to Remember in Kansas.” Kleinsasser, the co-director of news and media at the Strategic Communications office, makes it a habit to hand it to every new person who walks into his office. “I tell everybody, ‘Hey, here’s a book I wrote.’,” Kleinsasser said. When they open it, much to their surprise, every page is blank. “The joke is that there’s nothing really interesting about Kansas,” Kleinsasser said. Kleinsasser got the book as a gag gift, but he always finds a way to put it to use— much to his co-workers’ dismays. “My co-workers always go, ‘No, run!’” Kleinsasser said. “I say, ‘Wait
a minute, it’s funny the first time. You’ve just seen it a few times so it’s not as good.’ “When I tell them, ‘I got a million jokes!’ they’ll tell me, ‘No, you have one you tell a million times.’ I say, ‘Well, the key is to have a different audience every time.’” Kleinsasser is retiring after 34 years at Wichita State. He said during that time period, he’s become known for his humor. “It helps to have a sense of humor,” he said. “I do like to joke around in the office. I pick on a lot of people, I get picked on a lot.” Kleinsasser began his college journey at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas. Shortly after graduation, he worked at a Christian radio station in Newton, Kansas for eight years. He soon moved back to Tabor College where he served as the director of
“It helps to have a sense of humor. I do like to joke around in the office. I pick on a lot of people, I get picked on a lot.” JOE KLEINSASSER
Co-Director of News and Media Relations at Strategic Communications
information services and publications for three years. He moved to his job at WSU in 1986. When Kleinsasser initially interviewed, he did not think he was going to get the job. “When I was hired, I wondered why. I thought, ‘I don’t know how I got here.’,” Kleinsasser said. He then asked his boss to give him a hint as to why he got
chosen over the roughly 70 other candidates. “She said ‘Frankly, you were one of the only candidates that had both media experience and working in higher education in public education.’,” he said. “So it turns out, the experience I had on both sides, even if it’s small, ended up being a turning point of favor for me.” Kleinsasser said that he uses that experience to give college students advice. “Always take the opportunity to do something, even if you don’t know how it’s going to pay off down the road,” he said. Kleinsasser said in 34 years, he has watched the world change drastically. “The big invention when I started in ‘86 was the fax machine— we thought that was
the greatest thing since sliced bread,” he said. “You can see how much more we’ve come along since the fax machine.” Working in the news is a hard job, Kleinsasser said. He has to be available for a call 24/7, seven days a week. But through all the long days, he said he believes the local media has grown a respect for him and the Strategic Communications office. “I have always felt my job is to be as open, accountable, and accessible as possible,” Kleinsasser said. “I think that accessibility with the media has gone a long way towards developing positive relationships with the media and the university because whether they agreed or not they at least knew that someone would talk to them.” SEE KLEINSASSER PAGE 3
Gregg Marshall and Wichita State expected to part ways BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty
Gregg Marshall and Wichita State are expected to part ways by the end of the week, according to a report from Stadium’s Jeff Goodman– who wrote a report about Marshall’s behavior after a six month long investigation— and CBS Sports. Marshall had been WSU’s head coach for the past 14 seasons prior to this decision. When The Sunflower asked for a statement, the president’s office said they would call back later. The Sunflower didn’t get a response from Wichita State Athletic Director Darron Boatright. The Sunflower was able to confirm that Marshall wasn’t at Friday’s practice through a university spokesperson. According to
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the Wichita Eagle, Marshall hasn’t been present at practice all week due to “personal reasons”. This report follows roughly two months after WSU launched an investigation into Marshall for misconduct allegations. On Oct. 8, multiple reports surfaced with allegations into Marshall’s behavior. The allegations include Marshall reportedly punching former men’s basketball player Shaq Morris during practice and choking former assistant coach Kyle Lindsted, among other allegations. Ten players have transferred from WSU in the past two seasons, including the seven players who transferred this offseason. In two seasons prior, only four scholarship players had transferred out of the program.
/ The Sunflower
@sunflowernews
In an exit interview with a former player from the 2017-18 season, the student-athlete did not have rave reviews for Marshall. As a requirement from the NCAA, the athletic department must conduct exit interviews with some student-athletes whose eligibility has expired. The exit interviews are made anonymous for privacy reasons and only show the player’s gender, sport and race. The student-athlete said that there was inappropriate verbal communication from the coaches but there was no inappropriate physical contact. The student-athlete also said that Marshall’s performance as a positive example of ethical behavior was “very poor”. He also gave that same rating to Marshall’s belief that “winning @thesunflowernews
FILE PHOTO: SELENA FAVELA/THE SUNFLOWER
Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall reacts to a call made during the game against Houston at Charles Koch Arena on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2019.
isn’t everything”. When asked if he would still attend WSU, the student-athlete
said “yes” but said “no” when SEE GREGG PAGE 5