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Students lead charge in ‘Wrong Window’ performances this weekend | PAGE 3
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2015
VOLUME 120, ISSUE 32
THESUNFLOWER.COM
Shepard: ‘I was prepared to resign’ Student Body President surprises SGA with self-authored resolution to resign from position TJ RIGG
REPORTER
@tj_rigg
Photo by Manny De Los Santos
Student Body President Joseph Shepard gives an emotional speech addressing issues at Wichita State and updating students on the Student Govenment Association during a State of the Union Address on Wednesday in the Rhatigan Student Center.
Demands
Shepard cancels protest, reaches ‘happy medium’ with administration
A
movement to address the diversity of Wichita State’s adminstration resulted this week in a list of five demands, plans for a protest — which were later called off — and a self-proposed resolution to remove the student body president from office. Roles were shuffled and plans were drawn to address student concerns, while others watched in confusion from the sidelines.
SHELBY REYNOLDS
EDITOR IN CHIEF
@_shelbyreynolds
Student Body President Joseph Shepard announced a list of five demands Monday that were to be presented to university President John Bardo during a Kansas Board of Regents meeting Wednesday. But after a two-and-a-half hour meeting Tuesday, Shepard and Bardo reached a “happy medium” and the protest was called off. Here’s what we know so far about what was originally asked of the administration, and what actions the university plans to take to respond. Demand 1: Sexton removed as vice president of Students Affairs and a search conducted for a new vice president with student leaders serving on the search committee. Eric Sexton will remain as vice president of Student Affairs, but will no longer serve as director of Athletics or adviser to the Student Government Association. Sexton replaced Wade Robinson as SGA adviser in April. Shepard said in a six-page document explaining the demands that Sexton has missed four SGA meetings this semester. At a State of the Union address Wednesday, Shepard said it “doesn’t matter if [Sexton is] African American, it doesn’t matter if I have a personal relationship with the Sexton family ... The fact of the matter is that it’s unrealistic to expect someone to hold two positions.” Bardo said Sexton will transition to a full-time position in Student Affairs in a “reasonable and timely manner.” Sexton was not immediately available for comment Wednesday afternoon. Sexton has been Athletic director since 2008. Marche Fleming-Randle, assistant dean of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will replace Sexton as adviser. Demand 2: Response from the Administration and Finance department pertaining to the email sent on Sept. 29 inquiring about student fees and supplemental fees. An SGA treasurer inquired about the distribution of student fees early in the semester to find out why
some numbers didn’t add up. Twenty-three days after the initial email was sent, Administration and Finance responded to three of the five questions the treasurer asked. SGA has yet to receive the answers to the remaining two questions, plus clarification on the first three, according to Shepard’s six-page document. “It became a pass the buck game,” Shepard said Wednesday. In their meeting Tuesday, Bardo told him, “There is no excuse or reason as to why SGA did not get the answers,” according to a Facebook post from Shepard. The Facebook post said SGA should expect a response to all five questions by the end of the day Tuesday. At the State of the Union address Wednesday, Shepard indicated he had still not received a response. Demand 3: Public apology issued to student organizations and students who were attacked verbally by alumni, community members and donors in regards to the interfaith prayer space. Changes to the Grace Memorial Chapel last spring sparked a delayed backlash in early October as alumni, community members and people from across the country took to social media to express their opinions about a “Muslim takeover.” Shepard has said that students were accused of being part of a “Muslim Brotherhood,” called terrorists and told to “go to hell.” “These students not only never received an apology, but the President never privately visited with them as a collective to let them know that the administration supports them and is available for anything,” Shepard wrote in his six-page document. “We constantly stress the safety and security of our student is our number one priority. However, when political interest and money is involved we drop the ball.” In their “happy medium,” Shepard and Bardo agreed that a letter would be sent via Shocker Blast apologizing to those “who were attacked verbally in regards to the interfaith prayer space situation,” Shepard said in a Facebook post.
SEE DEMANDS • PAGE 4
About two minutes before Wednesday’s Student Government Association meeting, a resolution appeared on SGA’s Orgsync page. The document was titled “Resolution for the Removal of Joseph W. Shepard as Student Body President.” The resolution was authored by Shepard and sponsored by SGA Chief of Staff Kiah Duggins and academics committee chairman Dalton Glasscock. “I thought, ‘If senators are shaking with my leadership, if they don’t know whether or not they want me to be their leader, let me give them the opportunity to take me out of office,’” Shepard said. Senators discussed the matter for about 45 minutes and ultimately decided to delay the resolution until the Dec. 2 meeting. The resolution states if Senate felt Shepard could not longer serve in his role, then Senate encourages him to resign, effective immediately. Shepard said he thought about authoring the bill after the SGA
cabinet meeting earlier in the day Wednesday. He said it came about after learning about several social media group chats advocating for his removal as student body president. He said those chats included some members of the senate, but would not name anyone specifically, citing the senators’ safety and out of respect for them as individuals. However, the resolution could not be read, because it was posted well shy of the 48-hour rule, which SGA passed earlier in the semester. The 48-hour rule states no resolution can be read by Senate if it is not made available to senators at least 48 hours in advance. In order to be read, a twothirds majority of senate had to approve reading the resolution. The resolution failed to get that majority, delaying it until Dec. 2. Two different sides SGA entered into heavy debate Wednesday regarding reading the resolution. Two clear sides existed: those in favor of reading the bill Wednesday and those opposed. Sen. Paige Hungate was against the bill being read.
SEE RESIGN • PAGE 5
Shockers on the street: On the President Bardo protest
Angela Skelley, senior, sociology and religion
Hunter Rondeau, freshman, biochemistry field major
“I could see some of the valid arguments that the students have. As far as them protesting, it’s probably good, but to me, I think they should probably meet with [Bardo] again before they do something like that, but that’s just me.”
“I would want to aim more based on merit because if you’re hiring someone just to appease the student body are you sacrificing, ‘Oh we could have this great professor in this topic,’ or someone else just to satisfy diversity needs.”
Tracey Hackney, junior, Liberal Arts and Sciences
Haneen Aburab, grad student
“Yeah I do support [the protest], for sure. I definitely think that we do need changes here on campus. It’s long overdue. We’ve requested some answers from Bardo, and we haven’t gotten answers — the big one being the question on the student fees, like, where are our student fees going?”
“Yeah I think they’re great things to do (the five demands). Especially since we have so many international students in Wichita State. This point is really good: Agree to hire more faculty and staff that is reflective of the student body at WSU. I think this is the main goal of diversity in the school. And provide more scholarships for in-state tuition is a good thing.”
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