THE
SUNFLOWER WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT-RUN NEWS SOURCE
WEDNESDAY • SEPTEMBER 10, 2014
WWW.THESUNFLOWER.COM
VOLUME 119, ISSUE 19
News: Photography at the RSC Page 3 | Sports: Shockers of the Roundhouse Page 4
Students react to reported rape By Shelby Reynolds STAFF REPORTER @_shelbyreynolds
M
ore than a week after a reported rape at Shocker Hall, students and dormitory residents are finding out about it. Wichita State made a “judgment call” last week to not notify students and employees of the incident — which occurred at 11 p.m. Aug. 31, according to a university police crime log — because “both individuals were known and it was an isolated incident,” chief of university police Sara Morris said Sunday. Under the Clery Act, universities are required to provide timely warnings if an incident — such as sex offenses — represents a “serious or continuing threat to students and employees,” according to WSU’s 2012 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. “Based on all the facts that we have, the individuals involved and the actions that had been taken, a determination was made that an ongoing threat didn’t exist,” said Wade Robinson, vice president of student engagement. “It is subjective and so that’s a decision we have to make each and every time.” Kari Nilsen, a WSU grad student, found out about the reported alleged rape on Twitter. She said she was appalled. “Rape happens and to just say that it was isolated and this is the only time that it will happen and to gloss over it…doesn’t mean it’s still not a problem,” Nilsen said. “Murder is still an isolated incident but they would tell us about that. “It just seems really, really suspicious.” In the five years that Robinson has been at Wichita State, he said the university has used a campus-wide notification system two or three times. Two years ago, students were notified that vehicles were being stolen out of campus parking lots, and before that, an individual with a weapon was walking around just south of campus. “The person was unknown,” Robinson said, “they were not captured, they ran away. An existing threat existed. So there was a cam-
pus-wide notification.” Taylor Mooradian, a freshman living at Shocker Hall, said it shouldn’t have taken so long for dorm residents to find out. “I think we should be notified of something like that because we live here and we need to know what’s going on,” she said. “It happened like a couple weeks ago, we should have known by now. We shouldn’t have to find out from a school newspaper.” One WSU senior — who wished to be anonymous — said she knows what the alleged victim is going through. “This very thing happened to me against my will,” she said, at the University of Kansas. “I would say don’t do what I did and be scared to talk about it. It sounds ridiculous to go and get therapy or a lot of times you feel embarrassed. “I felt guilty even though the person did what they did … Now that I’ve lived through it, you can’t feel guilty for that person at all.” The student said she left KU because of the lack of support she found there. In her first semester at Wichita State, she said she’s felt safe, even if walking to her car after class at 10 p.m. Aidan Cattermole, a WSU freshman, said he understands the university’s decision but said it hides current trends in rape culture. “It makes sense for them to say that ‘oh, because the two students were known, then there wasn’t as much of a reason for panic, because we know and have identified the two students involved.’ “What doesn’t make sense, is that federal regulation, like the Clergy [sic] Act, shouldn’t be the reason that universities tell students when there are sexual assaults on campus.” Chelsea Thomas, a graduate student, said she didn’t understand why an alleged rape is considered “isolated.” “As a woman, it is very disheartening to know that WSU authorities called this an isolated incident and that no other students were at risk,” Thomas said. “Rape is a violent crime and the statistics show that is grossly under-reported, both of which imply risk to others and the potential for this to not be an isolated incident.” See REACTION on page 3
Photo by Manny De Los Santos
A WSU student makes his way onto the shuttle bus near Elliott Hall Tuesday evening. Shuttle buses give students rides to off-campus parking lots.
Mixed reviews for shuttle system among students By Paulo Lazo STAFF REPORTER @Paulo_JLazo
Thirteen months later, the Wichita State shuttle system still generates mixed feelings within students. When senior Trevor Macy learned he would need to purchase a green parking permit, parking at the Metroplex on 29th and Oliver seemed like the cheapest, most reasonable solution to his troubles. Nevertheless, he finds the overcrowding and pace to be two of the program’s least enticing aspects, which has subsequently forced him to consider other options. “I think it’s a nice gesture on behalf of the administration to alleviate some of the issues with parking. I’m not sure that it’s as effective as they’d hope, though,” Macy said. “I typically ride the Metroplex route, which tends to run kind of slow. That, added with the number of people always vying for a place to sit, makes it hard to get to class on time — especially when you have to ride from 21st and Oliver, down
to the Metroplex, then back to 21st and Oliver, then finally over to campus. If you make it early enough, you can usually get to class on time but at this point, I’m wondering if a parking pass would be more beneficial to me.” Alex Foust deemed the initiative disastrous when it first started back in August 2013, though he finds that it has improved the last few months. “The first day was awful — there was a ton of people — and then it died a little bit because everyone came at the same time,” he said. “If the population gets crazy, they might need another bus.” On the other hand, Shocker Hall resident Scott Brazil said he believes there exists a major flaw at the core of the shuttle system that has an adverse effect on students who live at the brand new dormitories: they can only park at the Metroplex. “It’s stupid. It’s a hassle. It’s time-consuming,” Brazil said. “They should have Shocker Hall residents be able to park at the dorms instead of the Metroplex.”
Man on the street
Remembering the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks By Rahim Thompson STAFF REPORTER @RahimLegend
This Thursday marks 13 years since the tragedy that took place on Sept. 11, 2001, and while many families have recovered, Wichita students still remember where they were when it all happened. “I was in second grade,” junior Drew Johnson said. “I remember waking up to my mom crying and seeing everything on the television. I was so young that I couldn’t really comprehend the true tragedy everything was. You know, there are some things you just don’t forget. Now that I’m older I can see how horrible it actually was.” Johnson expressed his deepest sentiments when thinking of the families that were ruined because of terrorist attacks. Johnson said he feels bad every time he thinks of it because it can happen again at any time. Junior Ben Shaw said he was in Hawaii when everything happened,
but he said he still feels sadness every time September 11 comes. “I was about eight years old in Hawaii when my mom woke me up in tears,” Shaw said. “She told me that the towers were hit and that we needed to call our family in the city. I didn’t lose anybody, but I know many people that did. It’s just terrible how people can do such horrible things to the human race.” Shaw, Johnson and one other student, Amad Ali, were willing to speak on record because of the sensitivity of the subject. “I was confused, because I didn’t even know what was going on until the teacher told us after we saw footage on television,” Ali said. “It was being shown all day long. It was strange when I got home, being that I’m Arab it was really awkward since my mom was upset but my dad and his Arab friends weren’t at all. I witnessed my mother cry many tears. I was worried because I thought it meant a war was going on in our own country”
“You know, there are some things you just don’t forget. Now that I’m older I can see how horrible it actually was.”
Drew Johnson
Ben Shaw
“I didn’t lose anybody, but I know many people that did. It’s just terrible how people can do such horrible things to the human race.”