Issuu

/ The Sunflower

WICHITA STATE’S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1896

@sunflowernews @thesunflowernews

THURSDAY Sept. 30, 2021 Volume 126 Issue 8

www.thesunflower.com

Professor wins grant to research facial recognition alternatives BY MITCHELL ADAMSON mxadamson@shockers.wichita.edu

PHOTO BY RACHEL RUDISILL / THE SUNFLOWER

Jillian Newfield, a student worker at the Innovation Hub, examines and explains the differences between figurine ships made at the hub.

‘Fail fast, learn faster:’ Innovation Hub gives students the opportunity to learn BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE news@thesunflower.com / @JuliaNightengale

At the heart of the Innovation Hub — a space for students to turn their creation ideas into reality — are the student workers, who are passionate about the hub and want to share the valuable knowledge and lessons they have learned for their futures in engineering. The Innovation Hub is located in the John Bardo Center on the innovation campus, with three floors including quiet space on the second floor to brainstorm ideas or have private conversations about projects. Senior Jillian Newfield said that safety is important at the Innovation Hub. All PPE equipment, such as safety glasses, face shields, and safety gloves are provided to students at the hub. Every machine in the Innovation Hub is ranked based on usability. For example, level 4 and 5 machines require more training and practice. “Our first couple of levels, you can use them as long as you are safe and you know what you are doing,” Newfield said. “Most people know how to use a

screwdriver.” Newfield said that they want to make sure the machines and the people who are using them are okay. Joshua Stoner, a senior in physics, said that students shouldn’t let their fear of breaking something stop them from coming in. “We would prefer if a student fail a job to learn why it failed, why this happened this way,” Stoner said. “We would see it more as an opportunity for them to learn … If they break it, we have money to replace that.” The Innovation Hub workers usually see STEM, engineering, and art students coming in to use the lab, but want to emphasize that the hub is open to students of all majors, and they work side-byside with students to teach them what they need to know. They also see more upperclassmen and want to encourage freshmen to visit as well. “Part of it is just gaining confidence with these tools, because some of them are a little imposing … by using it and learning to use it safely, it gives you confidence in yourself that you can not only design something on a computer, but you can actually build what you could conceive of,” Dean of

“You are going to mess up at some point, things aren’t going to be perfect. I think that this lab is a great place because it exemplifies that it’s perfectly fine for you to fail.” THOMAS NGUYEN Mechanical Engineering senior

Engineering Anthony Muscat said. Stoner said that they see a wide variety of projects, from students coming in to make Christmas presents for their families, to a student who has been working on a carbon-fire rocket from scratch for over a year now. Along with learning the technical skills, Stoner said that he has also learned how to tell if something is going to fail before it actually does, which can save valuable time and money when students enter into the workforce. Newfield said that she came into this position only this semester, but she had decided in seventh grade that she was going to go into engineering.

“When I was in seventh grade I took an engineering class and my instructor said that engineers solve problems and all I’ve ever really wanted to do was help people and I was like, ‘that makes sense, that’s what we’re doing,’ and I have stuck with it since,” Newfield said. Newfield said that she loves WSU’s focus on hands-on experience, and enjoys working at the Innovation Hub because she has more creative freedom than working at an internship. She said she enjoys interacting with peers and is very interested in innovation and design. “I think it’s given me more freedom on where I want to go as an engineering major, and it allows me to do a lot more projects than just doing things that don’t bring me joy,” Newfield said. Thomas Nguyen, a senior in mechanical engineering, said that he started volunteering at the Innovation Hub back in 2017 because the Innovation Hub needed help getting started. He spent two months training and said it was a fun experience. “I failed a lot, and I think it’s really important to fail,” Nguyen SEE INNOVATION PAGE 2

The National Science Foundation recently awarded assistant professor Ajita Rattani a $200,000 grant to research alternatives to biometric facial recognition. Rattani is an assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and is currently working on understanding new biometric ocular technology. “Occurlar consists of iris and the region around iris. So iris consists of RATTANI patterns that differ across people. There are some race factors that may be involved,” Rattani said.

“We need to investigate this pressing need of finding solutions to biometric biases across demographics.” AJITA RATTANI WSU Faculty member

This region around the eye would include parts of skin to help identify race, along with the particular individual’s iris pattern. Current facial technology is falling short due to the mischaracterization of constituents. “Current face recognition systems are not working equitably across gender and race,” Rattani said. “For instance, females tend to underperform than males, and people with dark skin color tend to underperform. “This had led to temporary ban of this technology by various states, San Francisco being the first. However, this temporary ban is not the solution. We need to investigate this pressing need of finding solutions to biometric biases across demographics.” Rattani said the reason why people of color tend to underperform may have to do with the SEE PROFESSOR PAGE 2

Students from Paraguay get a taste of Wichita BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_KSmith

It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic took many opportunities away. Whether that be graduations, weddings or vacations — everyone made significant sacrifices. For some students, the pandemic took away something they were craving: study abroad opportunities. But now that the world is looking more hopeful, more and more students are now able to travel internationally. The BECAL program is bringing a part of this back to the Wichita State community. Through this specific program, a group of students from Paraguay get the opportunity to travel to Wichita and attend the university for a semester. “It’s a scholarship that the

Paraguay government provides for their students to go to study in another country,” Ann Burger, associate director of study abroad and exchange programs, said. “There’s a Kansas Paraguay partnership … They specifically coordinated this program a few years ago for students to come to Kansas and receive a full scholarship.” The BECAL program was affected heavily in March of 2020 when the pandemic first hit. The group of students who were studying at WSU that semester had to leave early and complete their courses online. But in Spring of 2021, students were able to come back to Wichita State. “They came, even when we were still dealing with quite a bit of SEE BECAL PAGE 2

COURTESY PHOTO

Students from the BECAL program pose on top of the Rhatigan Student Center

2 | THURSDAY, SEPT. 30, 2021

NEWS

Students gather together to voice opinions about the Black experience at Wichita State during town hall BY MITCHELL ADAMSON mxadamson@shockers.wichita.edu

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion recently hosted a Black Excellence Town Hall meeting to discuss the implications of the recent year, how it has affected Black students and how they have adjusted. Aaron Austin, dean of students, addressed the group first, underlining some of the major events of the past year. First with COVID changing the learning experience, to the death of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, the past year has been

Campus Credit Union to host two Toys for Tots dropoff locations BY LINDSAY SMITH editor@thesunflower.com / @Lindsay_KSmith

Campus Credit Union is holding two different drop off locations for Toys for Tots this year — one will be located at the credit union branch on campus and another at their new location, 4960 East 21st. Toys for Tots is a program that provides children with brand new toys for Christmas when their parents cannot afford to purchase them themselves. WSU Student and Credit Union employee Conner Ray said that the partnership fits with the mission of the union as a whole. “One reason we do enjoy putting this event on … as a credit union our big thing is to educate and serve our community and Toys for Tots is a great opportunity to help give back to our community,” he said. The Toys for Tots and Campus Credit Union partnership is not a new one. “We have partnered and been a drop off location for a few years with Toys for Tots and I think we’re one of the only places on WSU campus you can donate at,” Ray said. People can drop off any toy that is unused and unopened, as long as it is not weapon-like. People can also donate money. “If you’re not able, and if you do not have a toy, we actually have a QR code with the drop box and you’re actually able to donate online, just donate a couple of dollars,” Ray said. “That way it’s very easy and convenient if you don’t … have a brand new packaged toy on you.” Ray said that while the Campus Credit Union does not have a specific goal they want to reach, he hopes that the boxes will be filled. “My simplest goal is to fill up both of those boxes with as many toys, because we can get new boxes,” Ray said. The drive officially starts on Oct. 4, but because the boxes arrived earlier this year, people can start donating now. The boxes will be open through Dec. 14.

tough on students and faculty alike. Austin claimed “being Black was already hard enough” now everything just seemed to get even worse. Bobby Berry, the faculty facilitator of Black excellence, went through and addressed how his perspective in life had changed since he went through the pandemic. Acknowledging that the isolation had brought something out of him that he was thankful for. When the students in the group were to address their lives and how they had changed over the pandemic, they talked about how hard it was for them to adjust to

going to class over Zoom. With so many distractions in the way, it was hard to focus on school. Many students also voiced their opinions on the difficulty of trying to learn online, many had to resort to teaching themselves — because the professors were not able to get back to them in time or when the assignments were due. As one student noted “I am on autopilot” describing the situation of many of the students, just trying to balance everything. When addressing how their learning had been affected directly, students gave answers pointing out that they didn’t feel like they were

really learning anything, and that it was hard to manage their time. All of the students were given a sticky note and were asked to answer questions regarding how they felt supported and how they could be better supported, and in current news how they felt the campus as a whole responded. When reading the sticky notes to the entire group Berry was able to reach a consensus with how students felt. Many said they thought Black faculty and students were helpful, whereas non-black faculty and students were not supportive. Many wanted more resources to be able to feel supported and reach

BECAL FROM PAGE 1 pandemic … but they were able to still come and have a good experience and a good semester here last spring,” Burger said. Student Celine Sanabria Ferreira is one of the students awarded the BECAL scholarship. “Everything has been amazing so far, I’ve met a lot of people from different countries, from here to far away,” Sanabria Ferreira said. “I love my classes.” Sanabria Ferreira is taking a handful of different classes, including Creative Writing — which she said is one of her favorites. “I express myself better in Spanish,” she said. “But when I started here and we had to write our first poem, it was kind of difficult, but the professor gave us some tips and everything and now I’m writing my fourth one and I feel confident.” Yumi Kikuchi is another one of the fifteen students studying at WSU from Paraguay. She said going through the pandemic has made the experience even more exciting. “We all were so self isolating for a long time, and now like going back again, travel internationally, have the opportunity to not just know the culture of one country but different countries,

out to friends that they had that might be feeling stressed. Many said they felt supported especially by the Black Student Union, and Greek life activities, but said that in other areas the university fell short. Many students also said they felt like the university did not take the proper steps in addressing some of the issues in the news, and really just piggy backed on what other universities did. “Struggling is okay, this has been hard, it is hard for me, don’t feel bad, reach out for help when you need it, help that is available to you,” Austin said.

PROFESSOR FROM PAGE 1

I think it makes it more special,” she said. Kikuchi said she would recommend studying abroad to anyone. “It’s really different from going for like vacations for two weeks, and just going around. It’s really interesting for me, we came here and everything was new, but now it’s like ‘Oh my God, we’re here for the full semester.’,” she said. Paraguay student Joel Pereira said that his favorite aspect of WSU is the overall diversity. “You’re walking around campus and you can meet some people from India, some people from Pakistan, some people from Spain … and you’re being friends with them and talking to them and that’s something very, very special to me,” Pereira said. Pereira said that the United States has gone more back to pre-pandemic than Paraguay. He said this is one of the reasons why he has enjoyed his experience. “We can take classes in person here, that is something that is not happening [in Paraguay]. Here you have the opportunity to go to classes to meet your classmates and meet your professors and talk to them,” Pereira said.

morphology that has to do with their faces being a darker shade. There is a dire need to provide equitable systems that don’t underperform for people of color and across gender. Rattani said that while ocular technology might be easier and less costly to develop, there are reasons why face biometrics are the direction we are moving in. “Face biometrics have received popularity in comparison to other modalities because the face has human beings to cross validate the source. Face also enjoys major benefits because it can be captured at a distance.” The major concern again is to avoid biases. “Bias are recent that have evolved over the past few years,” said Rattani. These biases can lead to problems in identification by law enforcement. “The problem is a very big problem that is why people have put a major ban on this technology. The problem, let’s say African American that are mostly misclassified as another African American, could actually lead to someone going to jail, because of the false positive of the system. This biometric technology is

utilized by law enforcement, border control, everywhere, this is not working equitably everywhere.” “We are still trying to investigate what is going on, but basically what I think is going on is the reflective properties of the skin in different illumination conditions along with the facial morphology,” said Rattani. In a study done with her Ph.D. students she was able to see that black females are misclassified as black males. White females are not classified as males. To protect privacy human supervision is key. People are developing solutions. “Ocular Technology is mostly already established, but we do not know if it has any biases, across gender we did not see much difference but we haven’t done any studying across races yet.” That is what in essence the grant is provided for. “I have been working in biometric technology for the past 10 years, I am following the latest developments and issues involving biometric, although widely deployed, there are issues that we are still trying to address,” she said.

INNOVATION FROM PAGE 1 said. “In a sense, when you go to applied learning and you’re putting the knowledge from your academic, through your outside time into reality, you’re gonna find that things don’t work out the way you expected it to be. “You are gonna mess up at some point, things aren’t going to be perfect, and I think that this lab is a great place because it exemplifies that it’s perfectly fine for you to fail.” Stoner, who has been working at the lab for two years, said that the most valuable lesson he has learned is that projects will never come out perfect on the first try or even the next one. He said that he will usually go through at least seven iterations, and a couple more after that to get the perfect

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.

final product. “The amount of iterations that you have to go through to actually have something work is by far the number one thing I have learned through here is that it is never going to work on the first time,” Stoner said. “If it does, it’s a lucky bloop or someone has done it multiple times and they gave you a little insight.” Muscat said that future plans for the Innovation Hub include having laboratory classes use the tools in the hub to create and design a product, with the professor acting as a customer. “Students would design, build, and then make some measurements that would illustrate some fundamental principle that is in their classes,” Muscat said. “The

PHOTO BY RACHEL RUDISILL / THE SUNFLOWER

Students work in the Innovation Hub, located in the John Bardo Center on the innovation campus

professor could pick the project in order to point the students in the general direction of the theory or

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

fundamental principle.”

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, SEPT. 30, 2021 | 3

Sports

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

Men’s basketball’s season underway with first practice BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty

COURTESY OF WSU ATHLETICS

Nick Taylor brings Paralympic experience to Tennis Program BY EMMIE BOESE elboese15@gmail.com / @elboese15

The process of elimination worked out for Nicholas Taylor when trying to find a sport to play before his freshman year of high school. Taylor began hitting tennis balls against a garage door when he was 13 years old. From there, the rest is history. Taylor is a Wichita native who graduated from Wichita West High School in 1998. After high school, he graduated with a masters degree in Sports Management from Wichita State University. He has been involved with the Wichita State Men’s Tennis program since 2004. He has held the title of Volunteer Assistant and Director of Operations. However, he described his role in the tennis program as a utility baseball player, meaning he is willing to fill many shoes to make the program successful. “You know basically working with the program here is my life,” Taylor said. “When people ask me what I do for the team my basic answer is whatever it takes. Wherever I can help that year, that day, that week, that moment, that’s what I’m going to do.” However, if you have been following the Paralympic Games these past few years, you probably know him as a paralympian in wheelchair tennis for the United States of America. Taylor has been to five paralympic games for the United States and has 11 grand slam titles. He has won three gold medals in doubles, one silver in doubles,

and one bronze in singles. Taylor said some of his favorite memories that come from the games is the opening ceremony because it represents a defining moment for him in his tennis career. “It’s a moment and a feeling that there’s just no way to describe,” Taylor said.“It’s a culmination of years and years of work and sacrifice and not only from yourself but from coaches you know friends family, you know so many different people that got you there and it just kind of hits you that you are there and who you are representing. It’s not that you are just representing yourself.” Taylor is just one of two people from Wichita that have represented the United States in wheelchair tennis. Casey Ratzlaff is also a Wichita State graduate who represented the United States in the 2020 Paralympic games in Tokyo. Wichita is considered a smaller city compared to some other cities in the United States. This is an important factor that Tayor considers when sending olympians and paralympians to the games. “I’m a very very patriotic person when it comes to the United States. I love Kansas, I love Wichita, I love Wichita State, and you know that means a lot to me to not only represent the country but the city, the state [and] the school,” Taylor said. “There are not a lot of cities in the world that can say they keep putting out olympians or paralympians in the same sport.”

The Wichita State men’s basketball program officially started practice for the upcoming 2021-22 season. The Shockers are six weeks away from the start of the regular season and coaches now have 20 hours a week for basketball-related activities. The Shockers entered last season with limited expectations after being picked to finish seventh in the American Athletic Conference. WSU went on to win the AAC regular season title and made a trip to the NCAA Tournament, finishing with a 16-6 record. “I think this year everybody’s going to be expecting us to win at a high level,” head coach Isaac Brown said. “We’ve just got to do a good job what we’ve been doing at Wichita State for years. That’s defending, rebounding, playing with confidence, sharing the basketball on offense, and we’ve got to get off to a good start. That starts today in practice.” The Shockers return six players from the 2020-21 roster – Dexter Dennis, Tyson Etienne, Chaunce Jenkins, Craig Porter Jr., Ricky Council IV, Clarence Jackson, and Morris Udeze – and added a mixture of transfers and freshmen to round out the roster. “I’m really excited about the team,” head coach Isaac Brown said ahead of the team’s first official practice. “I still think we’ve got a new team and a young team because we’ve got six newcomers, but we do have some veteran guys back. We’ve got some guys with NCAA Tournament experience, we’ve just got to be ready to go.” One of the major challenges that WSU dealt with last season was COVID-19 postponements. Games will not be postponed this year but rather a forfeit will be issued to a program dealing with COVID-19 issues. Brown said he left it up to the players to get vaccinated but the Shockers will be fully vaccinated by Wednesday. “Now, if you’re vaccinated and a guy besides you gets COVID, you don’t have to sit out unless you have some symptoms,” Brown said. “So, that’s why I’m super excited

PHOTO BY SEAN MARTY / THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State head coach Isaac Brown gets excited during WSU’s first official practice on Sept. 28 inside the Charles Koch Arena Practice Gym.

that these guys went and got vaccinated because now you get losses when you lose a game, you don’t forfeit anymore, they just cancel the game and you get a loss when your team isn’t ready to go.” The Shockers have kept their team’s core in tack over the offseason, which has become a rarity in college basketball in the age of the transfer portal. WSU will return four of its top five leading scorers from last year. Tyson Etienne, Dexter Dennis, and Morris Udeze are entering their third season together, which Dennis said is special. “These are guys I’ve been around for three or four years,” Dennis said. “We know how to get on each other, how to push each other. Obviously with these new guys, trying to give them some tips, things to learn on the way and it’s a great group of guys.” The Shockers will return the reigning AAC Player of the Year this season, Tyson Etienne, after he initially entered his name into the NBA Draft. Etienne increased his scoring by 6.9 points per game last season and Brown said that he anticipates Etienne to take another leap this year, with him playing more point guard. “The game is slowing down for him,” Brown said. “I think he’s getting used to the double-teams and used to being denied the ball,

Softball improves to 3-0 in the fall BY EMMIE BOESE AND RACHEL RUDISILL

The Wichita State softball team picked up a pair of victories this past week, improving their fall season record to 3-0. The Shockers earned a sweet victory against Southern Nazarene 24-0. WSU started strong as sophomore left fielder Lauren Lucas, and junior designated hitter Lauren Mills hit a homerun and grand slam in the first inning. When a player hits a homerun, Head Coach Kristi Bredbenner tosses each girl a Hi-Chew. “With COVID, you try to avoid a little bit more hand contact, so we went with Hi-Chews last year. It worked, so we decided to keep it going. Hi-Chew, high five. The girls enjoy it and they get into it, so anything I can do to get them to hit homeruns I’ll do it.” Sophomore left fielder Lauren Lucas hit her first career home run as a Shocker against Nazarene. As a result, she received her first Hi-Chew as well. “[I received] a little bit of validation from the coach and it feels really good to have that extra confidence,” Lucas said Both Lucas and Mills had great support not only from the crowd, but their teammates as well. When

in the dugout, waiting to bat, the Shockers yell chants for each of their teammates. Each chant is uniquely designed for every player. The point of chanting is to encourage the player up at bat. “It’s a reward hearing the crowd say nice things about you,” Mills said. “I am happy we have fans cheer for me and cheer for my team. They’re constantly supportive and that’s what makes this program so great. It is a better reward to see your teammates cheering behind you. We are all one big family.” In their second game of the week, the Shockers beat the University of Kansas – their first Division-I opponent of the fall – 5-1 on Saturday. All five pitchers on the pitching staff each got a chance in the circle and they allowed nine hits all game, which was less than one hit in some of the innings played. “I thought we did really well in the circle,” Head Coach Kristi Bredbenner said. “ I mean obviously we got to throw off five pitchers, and you know those are some of the best hitters we are going to face in this fall and I think we did a nice job.” Senior pitcher Caitlin Bingham got the start for the Shockers in the circle. She allowed no runs on three hits in 3.0 innings. However, senior pitcher Erin McDonald

so he’s starting to do other things like creating shots for other guys on the team. He’s moving better without the ball and learning to use screens. He’s gotten himself in tip-top shape, and he’s better at creating shots off the bounce.” One of the question marks that remains about WSU’s roster is the depth behind junior Morris Udeze at the center position. The Shockers landed junior-college transfer, Matthew McFarlane, this offseason but he ultimately left the program due to “personal reasons”. Brown said that he’s been impressed with Kenny Pohto, a 6’11 center, and Isaac Abidde, a 6’9 forward, and feels they can step in both as true freshmen. “I think we’re good at that spot,” Brown said. “Kenny Pohto has had a great summer, you could tell he had good coaching at Sunrise. He can defend, he’s got a good strong body, he can make threes, and he understands how to run offense. Isaac (Abidde) can also play the four and five spots. He has a big body, he can step out and shoot threes.” “Morris will get a lot of minutes at that spot, so we’ll be good. We’ve got a lot of depth. Guys will be playing at the four and the five – multiple positions. The Shockers will start its season with an exhibition game against Missouri Southern State on Nov. 3 inside Charles Koch Arena.

SPORTS IN BRIEFS WSU TO HOST 2022 TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS The Wichita State track and field program will host the 2022 American Athletic Conference outdoor championships, from May 13-15, at Cessna Stadium, the team announced in a release on Monday. The University of Houston was previously slated to host the event, but relinquished its rights to host a Conference Championship, with the announcement last month that they would be leaving the conference in 2023.

PHOTO BY RACHEL RUDISILL / THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State junior Neleigh Herring takes a swing during their game againsr Southern Nazarene on Sept. 24 at Wilkins Stadium.

struck out seven batters in 3.0 innings of relief after the four pitchers who got an opportunity in the circle as well. Bingham said the pitching staff scenario of Saturday’s game really played into her hopes for the pitching staff in the spring. “I think that in years past we’ve stuck to the two or three that are really going into a game and I think that we have the tools to really mix pitchers’ speeds, arms, and sides of the plate,” Bingham said. “I think all five of us need to be ready to go and not just me and Erin or Jordyn [Pipkin] or just Alli [Alison Cooper]. I think getting everybody’s game

ready, 100% I can start this game.” Offensively, Bredbenner said that the team needs to work on making adjustments at the plate moving forward. “You know when you are playing a high level team and another division one program you know you’ve had a good rivalry with, then you are going to have to play up to their competition, play up, be ready to go but make adjustments because there’s no secrets,” Bredbenner said. The Shockers have five more games on their fall schedule. They will play Seminole State University on Wednesday, Oct. 6 at Wilkins Stadium.

MEN’S TENNIS OPENS FALL SEASON IN STILLWATER The Wichita State men’s tennis program opened up its fall season this past weekend with the OSU Invitational. Ray Lo and Alex Richards went 3-0 in doubles throughout the weekend, picking up victories over OSU, Nebraska, and Tulsa. Jackie Lin had a strong debut, winning two singles matches over Tulsa and OSU.

GOLF PROGRAMS RETURN TO THE COURSE Both the men’s and women’s golf programs took part in their second tournamentsof the fall

SPORTS

4 | THURSDAY, SEPT. 30, 2021

PHOTO AND ILLUSTRATION BY SEAN MARTY AND THY VO / THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State freshman Morgan Stout celebrates after scoring a point during their match against Creighton on Sept. 18 inside Charles Koch Arena.

After three years of injuries and challenges, Stout poised to be WSU’s next hidden gem BY SEAN MARTY sports@thesunflower.com / @TheSeanMarty

organ Stout’s journey into the sport of volleyball was much different than most. Stout, a native of Fowler, Kansas, grew up in a basketball family and hadn’t touched a volleyball until her freshman year of high school at Nickerson High School. Stout, now a WSU freshman, was convinced by her friends to try out for volleyball and she hasn’t looked back since. Stout earned second team all-league honors during her freshman season and went on to become a team captain and first-team all-state honoree by her senior season. “I always thought volleyball was a super boring, weird sport but my friends convinced me to try out and I was like ‘okay I’ll try out for it’,” Stout said. “I actually ended up loving it a lot, I really liked it, I wanted to go far.” During Stout’s sophomore year while playing for Shockwave Volleyball Club, Stout’s athleticism garnered the attention of Chris Lamb and the rest of the WSU coaching staff. “I always looked up to them but I was also really scared of them because I was like ‘They’re D1 college coaches’, I don’t want to mess up in front of them,” Stout said. Lamb then decided to offer Stout a full-ride scholarship after seeing her play. Stout committed a few days later. “From the first time I ever saw her, this girl could be as good as she wants to be,” Lamb said. “We’ve got to pick a position for her and train her.”

‘WHAT’S MY WHY’ During Stout’s junior year of high school and less than a year after she

“I count my blessings and I’m very thankful for everything God has put in my life and for the people in my life and my teammates. I’m just extremely blessed for those people.” MORGAN STOUT Freshman

committed to WSU, she tore her ACL and underwent surgery. Stout’s mind initially thought about her future with the Shockers. “I thought they were going to take away my scholarship, but luckily they didn’t,” Stout said. “That was a confidence booster for me knowing that my coaches wouldn’t give up on me for something like that.” Stout made a full recovery following her surgery but injuries continued to follow her once she came to Wichita. After eight months off due to COVID-19, Stout didn’t make it through the first week of practice due to a wide array of injuries. Stout had two stress fractures in her navicular bone in the left ankle, two floating bone chips, and a bone split in her arch. Stout had to get her bone chips taken out to replace the stress fracture, ending her freshman season. Stout initially suffered the bone split in high school but delayed the surgery because her volleyball career could be put at risk. “I was told that surgery would take away my whole volleyball career if I did that, so I avoided that surgery and never thought I’d continue to play because I’d been in so much pain,” Stout said. “My trainers, my

coaches and the doctors have been extremely cooperative with me. I’m extremely blessed right now.” Stout worked tirelessly to get back to court and spent the season watching practices and games from afar. She said the rehab process pushed her even more to make her return. “I always think ‘what’s my why’ every time I come to the gym,” Stout said. “Why am I here? And my why is because it makes me happy, because it’s a break from reality, honestly. I’d honestly try to work so hard in practice so that games feel easier to me. I just want to get to the spot on the videos of us winning a championship game and I want to be that person that pushes everybody.” While she was recovering, Stout said she found herself in a dark place, having to sit on the sidelines with the uncertainty of her future. “I was so depressed and I was just going through so much,” Stout said. “I had my teammates, my family, everybody to depend on me and be there for me. Looking back at that now, I’m extremely blessed that I can walk around and play because I feel people take advantage of those really small things that could determine whether or not you’re happy for the rest of your life. I’m extremely blessed and I’m so much happier now than I was about a year ago.” Stout said during that time she took the sport of volleyball for granted and is blessed to have it back in her life. “There are days that I wake up exhausted and then I think ‘what’s your why’. That’s the first thing I think about, why are you doing this? Today, I count my blessings and I’m very thankful for everything God has put in my life and for the people

in my life and for my teammates. I’m just extremely blessed for those people.”

‘WE HAVEN’T SEEN THE BEST OF MORGAN STOUT’ After months of recovering and patience, Morgan Stout has returned to the court this season. Stout saw limited in the season-opening tournament but was called upon when Lauren McMahon went down with an injury. Stout started in all three games in the Shocker Volleyball Classic and against South Dakota, she contributed five kills and tied for the team lead with four blocks. She led the Shockers with six blocks against Wyoming and added eight kills with a .238 hitting percentage. “She’s just a freak athlete, if you see her out there she had a block that she hung in the air for like 10 seconds but she can just fly,” sophomore setter Kayce Litzau said. “So, just knowing where she is and helping her out with the strategy because she’ll get the athletic part down so easy. She’s there all the time so just talking to her in between every game and every point is really important. She’s made a monsterous leap and it’s really cool to see.” Teammates and coaches have raved about Stout’s potential on the court. Redshirt sophomore Brylee Kelly said that Stout has shown glimpses in practice and it is only a matter of time for it to transfer over to game-action. “We haven’t even seen the best of Morgan Stout,” Kelly said. “She’s so raw, that’s the way I describe her. One more year under her belt or maybe even next week, she’s going to be unstoppable.”

WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM

Arts & Entertainment

THURSDAY, SEPT. 30, 2021 | 5

HAVE A STORY IDEA?

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

COURTESY OF WSU OFFICE OF ENGAGEMENT

National Good Neighbor week begins with the community coming together to create DIY sunflowers and participate in working to make Wichita a more neighbirly city.

COURTESY OF WSU OFFICE OF ENGAGEMENT

Community memebers gather on Monday to create DIY sunflowers.

COURTESY OF WSU OFFICE OF ENGAGEMENT

In efforts to work on neighborhood love, WSU office of engagement starts off National Good Neighboor week.

‘National Good Neighbor’ week kicks off with community sunflower making

BY KYRAN CRIST arts@thesunflower.com

National Good Neighbor took place this year on Wednesday the 28th, which kicked off a week of events at WSU. Wichita State Strategic Planning and Engagement committee began this week off with Good Neighbor Bingo, with other events starting and planned such as a sunflower making workshop and a morning neighborhood walk. The week was spurred off of the Chung report “Why Good Neighboring Matters’’, which surveyed 108 cities and then ranked them. Wichita ranked 11th lowest on talking to neighbors, ninth-lowest on doing favors for neighbors frequently and the lowest on seeing and hearing from friends and family frequently. Naquela Pack, the director of engagement for the office of engagement, said that Good Neighbor Week looks to change — or at least help that in Wichita. Hoping to get people talking to one another and be better neighbors. “We’re looking to celebrate and elevate what a good neighborhood this is,” Pack said. Pack said that the community has been showing great support for the week and has a lot of volunteers planning to show up. “So far the events have been pretty great,” Pack said. “We’ve had so many conversations about it and gotten so many emails about

it from students asking how can I get involved and outside organizations saying ‘Hey I’d like to get on that panel, I’m an outside service

“We’ve had so many

conversations about it and gotten so many emails about it from students asking how can I get involved,” Naquela Pack Director of engagement

provider in the area’.” They have worked with several organizations and neighborhoods to show their community care, Pack said. The week includes WSU being present and in this year’s Riverfest parade, Pack said it is the first time the college has been in the parade. This year’s is a reverse parade, where the parade will stand off to the side and the viewers will drive through. The organization is excited for the opportunity to participate and represent WSU. “We’re going to be in the Riverfest parade on Friday,” Pack said. “We’ve had support with the office of admissions, the Shockers studio, the dance team are all going to be part of that.” Pack said that the college has been in support of the week. It will finish on Oct. 4. with highlights from their neighborhood events.

COURTESY OF WSU OFFICE OF ENGAGEMENT

WSU office of engagment works with community members and others to work on Wichita’s community love and participation.

GOOD NEIGHBOR WEEK UPCOMING EVENTS SEPT. 28 TO OCT. 4 Third Annual faculty versus staff Stock the Shocker Support Locker Challenge

SEPT. 30 Student Government Association Food Insecurity Panel @ 6:30 p.m.

OCT. 1ST Riverfest Parade @ 5:00 p.m.

OCT. 2 Morning neighborhood walk @ 8:30 a.m.

OCT. 3 Campus community discount bowling all week at Shocker Lanes

OCT. 4 Highlighting stories from our neighbors event

6 | THURSDAY, SEPT. 30, 2021

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Nancy Davidson’s ‘Buttress’ serves as a ‘Celebration of the human condition’ BY MITCHELL ADAMSON mxadamson@shockers.wichita.edu

The Ulrich Museum continues their series “Voices from the Vault” featuring the work of Nancy Davidson Tuesday night. The “Voices from the Vault” series highlights decades leading up to the 50th anniversary of the Ulrich Museum, which is steadily approaching in 2024. Nancy Davidson is a very accomplished artist, “a sculpture, installation artist, and photographer that uses inflated weather balloons to challenge the notions of contemporary monumental sculpture.” Her art has been featured in the Krannert Art Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and Walker Art Center. Her work on display was titled “Buttress” a 15 ft tall, 5 ft wide, large display of inflated weather balloons, that stacked from the floor to the ceiling. The balloons were covered with garment that went around it, revealing a major part of the human body. “Buttress” displayed 5 red weather balloons that were used in a rotational pattern, showing the differences of the human

body. Nancy described it as “a celebration of the human condition,” as it showed both men and women’s gluteus maximum’s. Nancy was in New York when the World Trade Centers were hit on 9/11, and has used it as a motivation to create art. She began to discover her own mythology and became enraptured by the midwestern Cowgirl. Much of her work has been dedicated to portraying the Cowgirl, using weather balloons to achieve her goals. She vitalizes humor to allow the audience to be engaged with the work. She described her work as “supporting the room, taking over the room…. the stacked form with gender differences, I am bringing the body back into abstract form.” The work was very different from much of the art displayed already in the Ulrich, having both serious and comedic elements. There is a sort of humanness that is both funny, but also displays the distinct differences that set us apart as humans. The design aspects were also very different, Nancy took a different approach to modern works of sculpture, using creativity to guide her. There was

a simpleness and complexity at the same time, alluding to not only the deep issues of what Nancy described as “fleshiness,” but also pointing to the fact that societal standards are somewhat ridiculous. For students of art Nancy gave the following recommendation: “The most important thing is to think about what it [a piece of art] means to you, I think what happens with young artists is we all get taken up with other people’s ideas or what we see in the magazines or what we hear. What does it mean to you though? What do you want your work to mean? This is hard for young artists because faculty and friends might say ‘I don’t like this work of yours’ or ‘you should try something else’. I think it is important to hear what people are saying, I think it is important to write down what you think about and hear. Don’t make changes to your work until you have written about it and thought about it, and if that makes sense to you then go ahead and make the changes. If not, then keep looking at what you’re doing and try to understand why. “ The next event in the “Voices from the Vault” series will be on November 30th.

PHOTO BY MITCHELL ADAMSON / THE SUNFLOWER

Nancy Davidson displays her work “Buttress” at the Ulrich Museum of Art Tuesday Night.

TikTok’s #BookTok lied and gave me trust issues BY KYRAN CRIST arts@thesunflower.com

Among the many books gaining popularity through TikTok and the #BookTok community, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is one that has been recently praised for being a great young adult and enemies-to-lovers fantasy trilogy. The book begins with 17-yearold Jude Duarte, a mortal girl being brought into a magical land against her will with her twin sister Taryn and older half sister Vivienne. The land is ruled by the Fae folk - immortal beings with enhanced beauty and senses that hold magical powers - who have little respect for mortals. The twins are relentlessly mocked for being mortal, especially by a group of classmates. This is where we meet Cardan Greenbriar, the youngest prince, and our enemy-to-lover protagonist. The group is much like your basic high school bullies — except they don’t mind if they kill the girls or seriously harm them. Their characters had very little depth throughout the book and little to the story aside from roughing the girls up.

My expectations were high for this book, as TikTok readers had compared it to writings such as A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas — a book I thought was very well written and did the enemies-to-lovers twist very well. However, this one did not. Cardan himself barely cares what happens to Jude — not when they throw her in a lake, not when she eats an apple that will kill her, he barely shows any care throughout the book — even after they’re in some sort of situation-ship and he confesses his “feelings” Jude herself doesn’t seem to care for Cardan much either, she seems to simply think of him as another challenge. One that she could win to prove herself just as worthy as the fae. When the two were finally together, there was either lust-like love, where they were cute and head over heels, or they were actual enemies. There was no in-between that you see with many plots like these. I feel as though the book wanted to center around the story of Jude and Cardan as individuals, but had to make them tie together somehow, so they threw in a relationship and called it good.

I wish the characters could have matured more on their own and then together and actually worked for something, instead of going back and forth on stabbing each other in the back. I do like the ideas behind the characters. Jude was a warrior with anxiety who had panic attacks, as someone who struggles with anxiety it was neat to see someone overcome it. Cardan was a character who showed darkness and cruelty, but at times vulnerability, and I am always here for a wicked good-guy. The writing itself just didnt seem to do the book or its ideas justice. It feels as though Black was writing for a younger group of readers than those who typically read YA, or at least the younger end of YA. In conclusion, the book lacks depth and character development. I didn’t feel as though the characters grew mentally, just revealed more about themselves as the book progressed. I think with a couple hundred more pages, this book could have been excellent. As it is, it wasn’t horrible, it just wasn’t worth the hype. COURTESY OF LITTLE BROWN BOOKS

Fun things to do off-campus when you need a break BY ELENA KUCKELMAN emkuckelman@shockers.wichita.edu

As we approach midterms week and the back-to-school rush finally wears off, it can be necessary to find a way to escape the hectic cycle of homework. Luckily, Wichita has a lot to offer for an easy, fun getaway. This time of year is perfect for you and your friends to head to the pumpkin patch. The Wichita area has several pumpkin patches to choose from including the Applejack Pumpkin Patch in Augusta, Cedar Creek Farm & Pumpkin Patch in Maize, and Marietta Farm in Andover. Another good way to take a break from school is to go see a movie. Nothing beats the feeling of actually going to the movie theater to see a movie, and now that theaters have opened back up, it’s

the perfect opportunity to spend a couple of hours away. If you are a person who likes museums, Wichita has plenty of options. From the Museum of World Treasures to the Old Cowtown Museum to Exploration Place, you are sure to find something that interests you. And, if you bring your Student ID, you can get a discount on your admission ticket at a few of these places. Botanica Gardens can also be a great way to help you destress as you walk around their gardens. They even have a $3 admission night on Thursday evenings. Wichita also has a good selection of bookstores for all you bookworms out there, including Barnes and Noble, Half Price Books, Watermark Books & Cafe and Eighth Day Books. With the Towne East Mall, Greenwich Place Shopping Center,

and all the shops in the Old Town area, you can go shopping for almost anything you might need, all within 15 minutes from campus. Live music and concerts are always happening around Wichita between Riverfest, Hartman Arena, Wave, and INTRUST Bank Arena. Finally, Chicken N Pickle and The Alley have many activities for you and your friends to spend a fun weekend playing yard games and arcade games, bowling, racing go-karts, and even doing an escape room. No matter what you are interested in, Wichita has something for everyone to enjoy, while taking a nice break from schoolwork.

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK THURSDAY SEPT. 30TH Dr. Timothy Church 3:00 p.m. Free event at the CAC Theater

Keeper of the Flame 7:30 - 9:30 Doors open at 7:00 p.m. “A musical celebration of legacy and light” at Wilner Autiorium.

FRIDAY OCT. 1ST Film Screening - Paris is Burning 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Hubbard Hall, room 208 Keeper of the Flame 7:30 - 9:30 Doors open at 7:00 p.m. “A musical celebration of legacy and light” at Wilner Autiorium.

SATURDAY OCT. 2ND Memorial ‘70 9:00 a.m. Shocker ’70 Room, 202 Rhatigan Student Center.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 30, 2021 | 7

WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM

Opinion

HAVE AN OPINION?

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

FILE PHOTO BY BROGAN GILMORE / THE SUNFLOWER

Volunteers work to fill in gaps of information regarding Art and Feminism at the Ulrich Museum’s Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon in March 2020.

WSU needs to create more opportunities for majors besides business and engineering Jaycie Nelson Opinion Editor opinion@thesunflower. com

No one can argue that Wichita State University has some astounding programs, opportunities and organizations for students. However, we should continue to push for more opportunities for a variety of degrees. Although Wichita State is known for engineering, it doesn’t mean it can’t expand and be known for a variety of programs. A diverse school filled with diverse and equal fields. Coming into Wichita State, I was excited to use Handshake — a resource for students to gain internships, create resumes, and perfect the interview — as a way to find an internship with publishing. I set up an appointment and came to find out there weren’t

any around Wichita. While the advisor helped me find some that were remote, they didn’t know of any opportunities for me to find experience for my career. I discovered The Sunflower, and am glad to have found it, however, my advisor never recommended it to me when I was looking for opportunities. I understand an advisor won’t know everything; I’m okay with doing some digging on my own. Still, I was disappointed with the lack of opportunities, resources, and information WSU and the advisor’s had. And even if there are opportunities, they are hard to find. They need to be more easily accessible. With a new Netapp building being built on campus, the business building being redone, and the creation of the Innovation Campus, it leaves me thinking — what about liberal art accommodations? While money was donated

MEET THE STAFF

Columnist, Mitchel Adamson Major: Economics Year: Sophomore Favorite Color: Red Hobby: Piano Favorite type of Music: Pop Punk Favorite Song: Darkside by blink-182 Life Motto: “Why would pain make me quit?”

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.

as heavily. When you go on to the Wichita State site, you can easily see the emphasis on engineering and it’s research. I was in a seminar discussing research opportunities for science and engineering majors, and when I asked about humanity based research opportunities; they had none and didn’t know where I could find any. Wichita State’s culture is centered around diversity and innovation and this should extend to different majors and create new opportunities for them as well. The innovation campus was built to draw in more students and raise admissions, but it only added on more resources for the school’s most popular programs — engineering and business. While these are extremely important and I believe having the innovation campus is wonderful for those students — it leaves the rest of us out.

“If WSU truly wants to grow as a campus, it’s time to start building up other programs with internships, organizations, and research.” for the Innovation Campus, a campus that is only innovating for Engineering and Business majors, there was a push to receive that funding. The new business building was slated at around 60 million dollars to build — Where’s the push for funding for new humanity buildings? Wichita State has a lot of resources for engineers and business school majors, but they lack the tools to support other majors. If they do have the tools, they’re harder to find and not promoted

For something to truly be innovative, it should integrate all of the campus’s programs, and give rise to new opportunities for them as well. If WSU truly wants to grow as a campus, it’s time to start building up other programs with internships, organizations and research. It should also promote opportunities it does have stronger. I can’t see the reasoning behind not building up other majors; unless some things are easier and cheaper to ignore. I truly admire Wichita State and it’s programs. I say all of this not to bash on the school, but because I want to see it thrive and cater to students within a variety of majors. I want Wichita State not to be innovative and grow in one field, but in all fields.

A change needs to happen to end rape culture “There must be reform. There must be people who speak out against these injustices or things will never change.”

Mitchell Adamson Columnist meadamson1@shockers. wichita.edu

Across campuses in the United States there is a problem that causes destruction in the lives of young women: sexual assault and rape. Although I don’t believe that our institutions in any way incentivize a “rape culture,” I implicitly believe that by not providing justice allows for a culture of rape to persist. No one in their right mind thinks that rape is something acceptable; however, that does not mean everyone’s actions always agree with their morals. I think that the solution to the problem is much deeper, relating to trying to solve problems with the human condition. That does not mean we cannot make steps to better protect and provide justice for the people around us. After reading “Missoula” by Jon Krakauer, I was enlightened with how far our criminal justice system has fallen in its pursuit of providing justice. Not only is there a problem with our criminal

justice system, but also with the culture that is created on college campuses. Krakauer states in his book that “carefully conducted studies consistently indicate that at least 80% of rapes are never disclosed to law enforcement agencies.” A startling fact that provides reason why many victims of rape and sexual assault don’t report their perpetrators to the police. Other research by Krakauer shows “when an individual is raped in this country, more than 90% of the time the rapist gets away with the crime.” Even when reported, the rapist gets away with the crime scotch free and the victim has to deal with the consequences. There must be reform. There must be people who speak out

against these injustices or things will never change. With the recent report on Wichita State’s campus, it is important as a student body that we are here to back the victim up by holding the University and the Wichita Police Department accountable. We need to continue to watch to see what will happen, so that justice will be upheld. We need to take active steps in creating an environment that fosters respectful and heartfelt human beings. When finishing Missoula it was hard for me not to be despondent. The women’s lives described in the book were forever changed. They couldn’t go back to where they used to be, and they would always have to live with what certain men did to them. The hope that I can look to is that of the awareness that has been brought to the cause. I also find hope in the men and women that protested on campus earlier this month. They are the ones that are making sure that victims are able to feel supported. They are the ones that will bring about real and lasting change.

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

Lindsay Smith: It’s the Arkans-ah river, not the Are-Kansas river. Julia Nigthengale: Crossing 17th street to campus is by far the scariest part of my day. Sean Marty: Kansas City Chiefs fans are delusional. Jaycie Nelson: Diet coke is the best pop out there.

8 | THURSDAY, SEPT. 30, 2021

OPINION

Street DO YOU THINK WSU SHOULD HAVE A PROM?

FILE PHOTO BY MANNY DE LOS SANTOS / THE SUNFLOWER

Bring back Wichita State football Rachel Rudisill Columnist editor@thesunflower.com

MICHAEL NGUYEN FRESHMAN, HEALTH SCIENCE “Yes, I beleive that WSU should have a prom because it’ll bring up some like old high school memories and I think it’d be a nice formal event for everybody to gather and dress up to have fun.”

OSCAR AVILA SOPHOMORE, GAME DESIGN “They should because I didn’t have a prom for my senior year, and I think it should be a good idea to pull back to old times.”

In 1986, Wichita State University made the decision to disband their football program, due to lack of funds and the lower attendance. However, now’s the time to bring it back. During the time it was disbanded, football was not important to the school or Wichita area. WSU had an extremely successful basketball and baseball program and their goal was to not “waste” money on programs that did not matter or bring in a great amount of funds. Without having a successful season in over 20 years, the school lost hope. This was not the program’s fault because they went through a great amount of adapting and change from 1970 until the disbanding of the program in 1986. In 1970, the football team was preparing to travel to Logan, Utah to take on the Utah State Aggies. Unfortunately, the plane crashed killing 31 individuals. Losing players in such a tragic way can cause PTSD. Imagine seeing your friends, your teammates, and your family die so suddenly. Not many people wanted to attend football games at

the stadium because the stadium represented loss and death. Ben Wilson, head coach, was one of the individuals who passed away in the crash. Not only did WSU have to spend extra expenses on more incoming recruits, but new coaches as well. Because the school had to pay more expenses than what was planned in the original budget, they went into debt. To recover from debt takes around 7 years, depending on how severe the loss was. WSU, financially, did not have the time to come out of debt within this time period because in order to receive funding and sponsorships, a program needs a winning team. Twelve years after the crash, a glimmer of hope was finally seen for the WSU football program. The 1982 football season was known as “The Last Great Season.” Under the direction of Headcoach Willie Jeffries, the first African American head coach to lead an NCAA Division1-A program at a predominantly white school. Jeffries led the school to an 8-3 record. Fans began to feel the excitement once more and attendance per game was over 23,000. After the 1982 season, the Shockers began to struggle to win. The school lost patience and after receiving NCAA probation, the school made the decision to

ANDREW HODGKINSON JUNIOR, MUSIC EDUCATION “I don’t think I would go, but I think it would be fun for some people.”

Jaycie Nelson Opinion Editor opinion@thesunflower. com

“I think it would be nice for people who want that nostalgic aspect, I guess of like high school. I think it’d be a good idea and I think it’d have a good turnout.”

OLIVIA ECK JUNIOR, EXERCISE SCIENCE “Why not? I mean, there’d be a way for people to socialize.”

disband the team. I feel as though the Wichita community has evolved enough to have a great fanbase. Football is a major part of the average American’s everyday life. There are Kansas City Chiefs walking around every corner of this city, but who will they support in college? Rival basketball colleges? No, the Shockers fan base should have a football team and not need to travel to another school to watch. One appeal of going to college is the community aspect of sports, adding on a football team would help to draw in more enrollment and create even stronger Shocker pride. Not only has the community evolved, but so has student life. On Saturday nights, students travel to various colleges such as Friends University or Bethel College to attend football games. If WSU had

a football program, students would not need to pay other schools to attend football games. The money earned from the student life would go right into the football fund. If WSU created a new football team, I feel as though they would easily earn sponsorships. Under Armour is a major supporter of WSU athletics. Because of their support to our sports team, we can build a football team they’d support as well. The WSU Shockers are not only known by Under Armour, but the whole country. Big celebrities like Leonardo Dicaprio have been seen wearing WSU basketball merchandise. Having a football team could also help student athletes tremendously. Many young men and even women wish to play for the NFL one day, and with the opportunity of playing football at WSU this would help make dreams come true. Wichita State has created successful athletes in football in the past, 42 athletes have been drafted to the NFL. WSU has created other successful athletes in various sports because we put our heart into supporting them. Now it’s time to build a football team we can support as well.

ILLUSTRATION BY THY VO/ THE SUNFLOWER

WSU needs a prom

GRACE PASTOR FRESHMAN, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

“Many young men and even women wish to play for the NFL one day, and with the opportunity of playing football at WSU this would help make dreams come

Let’s celebrate the end(ish) of this pandemic and start to get back to normal with a party. Prom. However, instead of having high hopes for prom like we foolishly did in highschool, we can have more realistic expectations toward the event -- and we get to dress up. After sitting in sweats during quarantine and becoming the opposite of a social butterfly (unsocial caterpillar?) I’m ready to get dressed up, meet my classmates, and have some fun! Prom, ball, dance; whatever you want to call it, is exactly what our college needs. A way to celebrate and appreciate what we have, the degrees we are working for, and being able to see each other in-person. As midterms approach, students start to get stressed, worried and tired. They need a way to relax and let off some steam from the hard-work they have put in for the semester. People may find it silly or irrelevant to hold a school dance; okay, don’t go. Several people I’ve talked to would love the chance to dress up, dance and mingle. One of the main reasons colleges don’t host dances is because of the population size. Some ways

Prom, ball, dance; whatever you want to call it, is exactly what our college needs. A way to celebrate and appreciate what we have, the degrees we are working for, and being able to see each to fix this is to have it in nicer weather like fall or spring so it can be held outdoors. Or, have different dance’s for different fields, or split them up by year in school. It may seem trivial to you, but dancing and smiling with friends seems like a great time to me. This event would be an exciting way to celebrate the school year and being back on campus. Instead of hearing the mediocre music often played at high-school proms, we could find college students who love to DJ, or bands that want to perform. We could plan it with volunteers from different fields at WSU, and they could design it. This event would be an opportunity for students to volunteer and use their creativity to build their dream prom. It’s time to follow Lady Gaga’s wise words and “just dance.”

Use the pandemic to grow Rachel Lyons Columnist

raylons@shockers.wichita. edu

I will not deny that being optimistic in a pandemic is both difficult and potentially dangerous. But at the same time, optimism can lead to seeing the world in a different way -- a way that doesn’t simply focus on the poor or negative aspects, but expands to what good you’ve seen in the world recently. 18 months ago, we believed that a pandemic meant two weeks of lockdown and then a return to normal. Now, we struggle to find the beauty within what we are going through. Even though it may be easy to criticize others, we shouldn’t. We may fail to realize that the person on the other side of the plexiglass might be having just as bad, if not worse, of a day as we are. Optimism in a pandemic means embracing something that has been gaining momentum over the last 5-6 years; a growth mindset. Yes, there are times where we feel negative and are going to have a negative attitude about everything going on, however, it isn’t an excuse to be rude or a pessimist. The definition of growth mindset is simply the belief that with hard work and dedication, anything can be done. This turns

“Optimism in a pandemic means embracing something that has been gaining momentum over the last 5-6 years; a growth mindset.” a statement from a negative and stuck mindset into a transformed and optimistic mindset which reflects more of an upward look on life, not necessarily positive. Yes, sometimes we need to feel the negative emotions we go through during this pandemic. Primarily, because even though we don’t want to admit it, we are human. The importance of optimism in a growth mindset is just what’s in the phrase. Growth. Maybe today you didn’t have much optimism and you found that you’ve got more of a fixed mindset -- but there is always tomorrow. Walt Disney himself knew this, he was the one who said “There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day.” There are a little less than 100 days left of 2021. Can we challenge each other as shockers, community members, friends, and families to embrace a growth mindset and be optimistic? That is my challenge for you. Do something each day to be more optimistic.