/ The Sunflower
THURSDAY Oct. 7, 2021 Volume 126 Issue 9
WICHITA STATE’S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1896
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WSU memorializes football team’s plane crash 51 years later BY EMMIE BOESE elboese15@gmail.com / @elboese15
T
hey come to remember and honor but the heavy and eerie feeling never really goes away for players and staff on the anniversary of the October 2, 1971 plane crash of the Wichita State University Football Team. Amongst them were saddened community members, family, and friends. On Saturday, Oct. 2, Wichita State hosted a ceremony for the 51st anniversary of the plane crash at the Rhatigan Student Center. The event held several speakers including Wichita State President Richard Muma. The current Wichita State baseball team was also in attendance. The day started off like any other day for members of the Wichita State Football Team. Two planes named the “Gold Plane”and the “Black Plane” departed from the Denver airport, to head to Logan, Utah where they would play Utah State University. However, the gold plane never made it back home after crashing into Mount Trelease near Silver Plume, Colorado. The “Black Plane” landed safely in Logan, Utah.
“We’ve lost brothers and sisters, aunts, and uncles. When you’re 17, 18 years old and you go through a tragedy like this it stays with you forever.” ALLEN YOUNG Former WSU Football Player
Former Wichita State football player Allen Young said the memorial anniversary is significant to him and other players because it brings them all together. He said the football program went 40 years before losing their first teammate from the 70’s. “We’ve lost brothers and sisters, aunts, and uncles,” Young said. “When you’re 17, 18 years old and you go through a tragedy like this it stays with you forever. I think the early years after and since we went our own ways we might not be able to forget but as you grow older you grow closer together now because we are family.” The program lost 31 people in the plane crash. Among those who lost their lives that day were 14 players, 14 staff and boosters, and
PHOTO BY RACHEL RUDISILL / THE SUNFLOWER
Former WSU football player Bill Glasco points towards names of fallen Shocker players during the memorial held Oct. 2.
three crew members. Among the passengers in the plane, only nine of them survived the crash. Eight of them were players and one of them the co - pilot. Several players from “the Black Plane” were in attendance at the ceremony. One of them was Bill Glasco. Glasco is from Independence, Missouri. He said
he did not consider himself to be a great football player but that he was a great student and Wichita State gave him a scholarship to play football. He graduated Wichita State with a math degree. He said he lost many of his best friends in the crash, and felt fortunate to have been on the “black plane” but was deeply
saddened to experience loss at a young age. Wichita State continued their season which was known as “the second season” on Saturday, Oct. 24 against the University of Arkansas at War Memorial Stadium. The plane crash memorial can be found at 18th and Hillside on the Wichita State campus.
PHOTO BY MIA HENNEN / THE SUNFLOWER
Cameron Boyd discusses what Spectrum stands for and how they are a safe place on campus for students on Oct. 6 outside the Rhatigan Student Center.
PHOTO BY MONIQUE GAINES / THE SUNFLOWER
Student senators John Kirk, Ella Perkins, Tayton Majors and Omarion Brantley sit at the student government meeting on Oct. 6, 2021.
Updated SGA code of ethics and conduct receives first read from senate BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE AND LINDSAY SMITH news@thesunflower.com / editor@thesunflower.com
A bill regarding an updated SGA code of ethics and conduct received first read at the Student Senate meeting Wednesday. The code includes a set of expectations for individuals who serve in any of the three branches of the Student Government Association. “As campus leaders and role models, SGA Officials must be dedicated to increased campus unity and school spirit, to full and open communication with constituents, and to efforts for positive and realistic changes,” the bill reads. The bill was written by the Task Force on Association’s Ethics over the summer. Speaker Jacob Tubach said SGA’s current code of ethics needed more clarification. “There was some very vague language that we thought should be better defined,” Tubach said. The bill lists specific standards for “personal integrity” and “civic
behavior” for members of SGA. The main point of questioning was surrounding a section stating that, “no SGA official shall make, directly or indirectly, any oral or written public or private statements that are false and disparaging of the Student Government Association, any of its present officers, or its Constitution, Bylaws, Codes, procedures, and regulations.” Senator Michelle Bastian was the first to question the section, asking why SGA had control over what she said in private. “Why does SGA have control over my private statements?” Bastian said. Speaker Jacob Tubach said that the rule would only relate to conversations happening while performing duties as a student government member. Presented with a complaint in a formal way, they would have to reference the specific code they violated. The defendant would have a chance to defend their position. The case would be taken to the Senate Review Board and if the Board found it necessary, they
would pass it to the senate. Tubach said that the burden of proof is placed on the person who made the complaint. They have to provide robust proof and evidence. Addressing concerns surrounding the idea that members might use this to their own advantage, Tubach said that he trusts the process set by the Senate Review Board that only legitimate cases would make it to the senate. “The likelihood of a he said, she said case making it past the SRB is extremely unlikely,” Tubach said. Fonseca clarified that this does not apply to criticizing other senators and that removing a person from the senate will not be taken lightly. He said that people cannot “weaponize” the code of ethics. “There are checks and balances in place to ensure that [people aren’t] abusing the language just because it’s there,” SGA Advisor Gabriel Fonseca said. The bill will receive second read and vote at next week’s Wednesday meeting.
Spectrum: LGBT and allies group creates safe space for students BY JULIA NIGHTENGALE news@thesunflower.com / @JuliaNightengale
Spectrum is a group on campus that is open to students, as well as students at different colleges and community members. While all of their meetings were online last year, Cameron Boyd, president of the group, said that they have meetings every Thursday on campus from 7 to 9 p.m. “Our mission is simply to promote safety, security, general wellness for people on campus and those in the community for our LGBTQ members,” Boyd said. Boyd said that meetings range from doing “Gayme nights” to Kahoot nights to learn more about LGBTQ, women’s, and Black history. Boyd said students should not worry about showing up late and to show up whenever they are free. The group also sends out meeting reminders on Discord and Facebook with the subject of the meeting so people can decide if they want to attend or not. “We sometimes try to tackle sex education, the AIDS crisis,” Boyd said. “Some more informative meetings but some of them are more relaxed and discussion-based … We’ve had spa days for finals.” While the organization was
created in 2016, Boyd said that this is the 45th anniversary of LGBTQ clubs on campus. Boyd said that Spectrum is important to have on campus because it provides a safe space for students to be themselves and relieve stress from the week. “Some of the members are like ‘this is just what we needed today, I had such a long day, a long week,’” Boyd said. “It’s just like a nice winding down time and it’s a LGBTQ organization so people have that home, or if they are closeted at their house they can at least be open at some places on campus.” Boyd said they have had anywhere from ten to twenty students showing up to meetings this year, which is more than they had last year. Along with meetings on Thursdays, Spectrum also takes part in the Student Involvement Fair and helps ODI with events such as their Drag Show. “We just want this place to be on campus so everyone can come here and learn, and properly develop skills for professional life and how to help your own community,” Boyd said. “Also make friends of course and just build connections.” To stay up-to-date on the location and topic of weekly meetings, follow WSU’s Spectrum: LGBTQ and Allies on Facebook.