The Sunflower v. 124 i. 1

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019 • VOL. 124, ISS. 1

THESUNFLOWER.COM

SEE RIVERFEST PHOTOS ON PAGE 3 WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1896.

Meet Wichita State’s presidential search committee chair

co-chair

STEVE CLARK

MARK HUTTON

BRANDON ECKERMAN

CAMILLE CHILDERS

KBOR member Founder of Hutton Construction Co.

WSU Student Ambassadors Society President

WSU Student Health Services Director

BLAKE FLANDERS

KITRINA MILLER

RHONDA LEWIS

SHIRLEY LEFEVER

LOU HELDMAN

KBOR president and chief executive officer

Student Government President

WSU Psychology Department, professor, chair

WSU College of Applied Studies Dean

Strategic Communications vice president

Clark Investment Group

DAN UNRUH InSite Real Estate Group partner

SHERYL ALEKSANDER WOHLFORD STERNFELD-DUNN Automation-Plus, Inc. president, co-owner

WSU School of Music Director

JOHN O’LEARY

LYNDON WELLS

Airbus Americas vice president of engineering

WSU Tech’s advisory board chair Ascension Via Christi Health, Inc. Board of Trustees chair INTRUST Bank retiree

TOM GENTILE Spirit AeroSystems president, CEO

JERRY AARON

DAVID MITCHELL

STEVE FEILMEIER

DEBBIE HAYNES

Lone Star Steakhouse, Saloon, Inc.

managing partner of Mitchell & Richards, CPAs

ALICIA THOMPSON

Koch Industries, Inc. executive vice president, chief financial officer

Wichita Public Schools Superintendent

WSU Foundation Board of Directors chair

retired general counsel, senior vice president

Koch Industries Board of Directors member

WSU will spend roughly $95,000 on presidential search

BY KYLIE CAMERON

A

ccording to the contract between Wichita State and Wheless Partners that was obtained by The Sunflower, the search firm is charging the university $80,000, plus expenses, to find the next president of WSU. The professional fee, $80,000, will be paid in three installments. The first installment was paid on the date of the agreement, May 22, according to the contract.

More fees will be paid on top of the remaining $80,000 the university owes the firm. According to the contract, the estimated average of additional fees is $15,000.

These fees, according to the contract, are for “candidate research, sourcing, advertising, direct

Faculty lead public input at forum on presidential search

outbound advertising, research materials and directories, videoconference interviews, and candidate management.” The university will also pay for traveling expenses. $7,500 of those fees were also paid upon execution of the agreement, according to the contract.

Late Wichita State president John Bardo was paid $330,000 in fiscal year 2013. In fiscal year 2018, Bardo received $384,000, according to the KanView database.

Wheless Partners also assisted in the president’s search for Fort Hays State University that ultimately hired Tisa Mason for the position.

According to the contract between FHSU and Wheless Partners, Fort Hays paid a $70,000 professional fee, along with an additional $40,000 in expenses. In 2018, Mason’s salary was $132,500, according to KanView.

BY DANIEL CAUDILL

L

ongtime history professor John Dreifort has been at Wichita State University through five of its presidencies, and he knows what he wants to see in the sixth: a president who understands the university’s story and identity.

“We should not try to become a vocational, technical college serving the needs just of industry and commerce in the city,” he said. “A real university can serve [Wichita] in multiple ways beyond simply serving business.”

Dreifort was among a crowd of faculty who attended the first of four public forums Thursday in the RSC to share their thoughts on the search process for WSU’s next president.

Emceeing the forums was Michael Ballew, a senior partner with Wheless Partners — the search firm WSU is paying to help find candidates for the presidency.

He said feedback provided at the forums and by members of the presidential search committee will be used to shape a job description sent out to potential applicants.

“We build a profile from [feedback] that is a marketing document … that will cast a wide net and bring in as many people as we possibly can,” Ballew said.

“And then we begin to narrow down from there based on the parameters we identify in working with the client.”

The firm will release the document to the public at some SEE FORUM PAGE 4

INSIDE

EDITORIAL

HELP IN THE SUMMER

NEW FACE

DRAFTED

Wichita State students should have more room at the table during the presidential search.

The Shocker Support Locker remains open during the summer.

WSU’s new baseball coach’s is a new, familiar face.

Four WSU baseball players drafted in the MLB.

OPINION • PAGE 2

CULTURE • PAGE 3

SPORTS • PAGE 4

SPORTS • PAGE 4

2 | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019

OPINION

www.thesunflower.com

www.thesunflower.com

Presidential search lacks student representation

THE STAFF EDITORIAL

Editor in Chief Kylie Cameron Summer News Editor Daniel Claudill

ADVERTISING

Advertising Manager Madeline Deabler

ADVISING

Faculty Adviser Amy DeVault

JOSEPH BARRINGHAUS /THE SUNFLOWER

Morrison Hall on the campus of Wichita State University.

STAFF EDITORIAL

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Send letters to the editor to editor@thesunflower.com or submit at thesunflower.com. Please keep letters to 400 words or less. All letters are edited for clarity and length. Please include your name, WSU affiliation and a phone number for verification purposes.

Our 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 learnig experience for students, who will have the final authority over what is published.

T

he Kansas Board of Regents named members for Wichita State’s presidential search committee on May 16. Only two students were named in the 20person committee.

That means only two students will represent the 15,000 students that attend the university.

Kitrina Miller, student body president, and Brandon Eckerman, Student Ambassador Society president, will be the only students to serve on the committee and be involved in the closed search for Wichita State’s new president.

Only two students were also

An open letter to the SGA and SAS presidents appointed to the presidential search committee in 2011 that ultimately chose late President John Bardo. However, it’s different this time.

With the search being closed, and not open like in previous years, no other students will be able to meet, interact or even look at a candidate’s resume. In fact, there’s more representation for Wichita State’s public-private partnerships on the committee than students with Koch Industries CFO Steve Feilmeier, Spirit AeroSystems President and CEO Tom Gentile, and Airbus Americas Vice President of Engineering John O’Leary all on the committee. Not to mention

the people on the committee that also serve on Wichita State’s Innovation Alliance Board, the governing entity that oversees Innovation Campus.

This isn’t how it should be.

Wichita State prided themselves on getting “student input” for the Shock the Future referendum, but where’s the student input for the most important job on this campus?

So, Kitrina and Brandon, as the only students on this committee — use your voices. Talk to students about what they want in their new university president. Do not be intimidated by the other voices in the room.

As student representatives of this committee, and in your respective roles as SGA president and SAS president, it’s your duty to make sure student voices are heard in a decision that will affect the university for years to come, well past most students’ four-year careers here.

Legal

The Sunflower (published for use by WSU students, faculty and staff) is private property and unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable. One copy may be taken for free. Additional copies must be purchased for $1 each. The Sunflower is also partially funded by the Student Government Association at WSU. 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 university. The Sunflower reserves the right to edit or reject any submission. We also reserve the right to edit or reject any advertisement.

CONTACT THE SUNFLOWER 019 Elliott Hall 1845 N. Fairmount Ave. Campus Box 134 Wichita, KS 67260-0134 ----------

SUNFLOWER OFFICES Front Desk: 316-978-3640 ADVERTISING Kylie Cameron: 316-978-6906 admanager@thesunflower.com EDITORIAL Matthew Kelly: 316-978-6905 editor@thesunflower.com ADVISER Amy DeVault: 316-978-6052 amy.devault@wichita.edu ---------ONLINE www.thesunflower.com FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/sunflowerwsu TWITTER @sunflowernews INSTAGRAM @thesunflowernews

First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

CLASSIFIEDS

Clean out house & garage Box, toss, carry. 2-4 hrs this weekend.

$16/HR. 316 682-5209 leave voicemail

CORRECTIONS This space is reserved for corrections.

Spot an error? Call us at 316-978-6905.

Walk-a-little The first time I noticed Wichita’s collective revulsion to walking was on the evening news, when a debate was aired over whether or not Delano’s new baseball stadium would have enough parking. Citizens were interviewed, and they seemed flabbergasted that baseball goers might have to park in the neighborhoods and walk to the field. I think I tilted my head. I think I muttered to the TV a little. These people don’t want to walk from a close, nice neighborhood to a baseball game? Why on Earth not? What am I missing?

It’s easy to dismiss me as a backwards newcomer. I am, after all, from Portland, Oregon, a city that loves to remind each other to “Keep Portland Weird.” But walking can’t be that weird, right?

Why is Wichita’s car culture sabotaging its potential to become the city it wants to be? In a few words, attachment to the past. Wichitans are slow to part with their dependence on the automobile.

However, city developers are working to realize a vibrant downtown, most noticeably with the Douglas Design District. The blueprint exists to promote a strong economy by showcasing local business, art and progressive changes. At the same time, Wichitans are slow to part with their dependence on the automobile. This resistance to change is holding Wichita back from claiming its identity as a true

BECCA YENSER COLUMNIST

“college town.”

The origin of the city’s car culture is hard to pin down. Maybe it’s the fact that Route 66 claims twelve miles of Southeastern Kansas highway. Back in 1926, this highway system allowed locals to see such cities as Chicago and Los Angeles. Route 66 might still hold romantic sway over the older generation. It’s true I see cars “scoop the loop” on Douglas in Delano, but showing off your car on a beautiful summer evening is one thing, being too stubborn to walk or bicycle is another.

I can’t count the number of times someone has complained to me when they have to walk more than a few yards to a restaurant or event. Just the other day at work, a client insisted on talking with me for fifteen minutes about how hard it was to find a place to park.

In that time, she could’ve parked on the other side of the bridge and walked over. Walk a little!

There is a future WSU colleague of mine who emailed me about moving to Wichita. She

wanted to know what neighborhoods were good, the best way to find apartments, and oh, she didn’t have a car, would that be an issue? Tears struck my keyboard as I typed, “Yes, that will be an issue. Nevermind living in Riverside. Just live as close as you can to campus.”

Maybe this insistence on driving is a Midwestern thing? I’m from Oregon where it is virtually raining all the time and I still walked everywhere. Can we talk about the weight gain? Let’s talk about the weight gain. Walking, it turns out, is good for you. Yes, I see people walking on the river trails day and night, but the sidewalks in this city are eerily empty.

Hello, is anybody out there?

A friend of mine walks, and she says people slow down and ask her if she’s okay. God forbid a human is getting around on two legs.

Now, I admit I’m starting to see the appeal of sitting in a car. I’ve even started eating meals in mine.

Cheeseburgers taste especially delicious when consumed next to a roaring river. Park the car, turn up the music, eat. No need to get out at all. Why enjoy the fresh air when you can catch a whiff of your Vanilla Little Trees?

But seriously, I think this town is missing out on the pleasures that come from a healthy infrastructure. With more foot, bicycle and scooter traffic, downtown businesses will thrive. With people willing to walk a little more, maybe our bus system could expand and improve (ahem, City of Wichita, are you listening?)

We all deserve a city we are proud to live in. And then I can finally email my colleague back and tell her, don’t worry about not having a car. This is a college town.

Join us and make a difference

Open Interview Fair June 26th, 2-6 p.m.

8428 West 13th, Suite 120, Wichita, KS A variety of Full and Part-time positions available $500 Hiring Bonus $$$ Tuition Assistance Available $$$ For Technical and/or College Courses • CNA positions - Starting at $12/hour • Direct support positions - Starting at $9.75-12.48/hour *Most direct support positions require no experience

• Dental, Health and Vision • Paid training, time off • Discount YMCA membership • Positive work environment • Holiday pay • Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Program • Referral Bonus

Requirements: High school diploma or GED/Silver Level WorkKeys certificate, valid drivers license and good driving record.

Must be at least 18 years old

Apply at: starkey.org EOE

CULTURE

www.thesunflower.com

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019

1

ELLA DOMINGUEZ/THE SUNFLOWER

3

|3

2

ELLA DOMINGUEZ/THE SUNFLOWER

down by the river

4

ELLA DOMINGUEZ/THE SUNFLOWER

5

AUSTIN SHAW/THE SUNFLOWER

6

ELLA DOMINGUEZ/THE SUNFLOWER

ELLA DOMINGUEZ/THE SUNFLOWER

7

8

AUSTIN SHAW/THE SUNFLOWER

ELLA DOMINGUEZ/THE SUNFLOWER

1. A fan crowd-surfs during The Cavves’ set at Riverfest on Thursday, June 6. 2. Gogol Bordello at Riverfest on Friday, June 7. 3. Logan Bush of Kill Vargas performs at Riverfest on Thursday, June 6. 4. The ferris wheel at Riverfest on Friday, June 7. 5. Wichita State’s Hallie Linnenbur helping art students show off their work during the opening parade. 6. Sublime with Rome at Riverfest on Saturday, June 8. Sublime headline the final nigh of Riverfest. 7. The Wichita State art students showing off their project at the opening parade. 8. Fans sing-along during The Cavves’ performance at Riverfest on Thursday, June 6.

Shocker Support Locker is open through the summer

BY DANIEL CAUDILL

While most students are on break, Wichita State University’s community food pantry will be open through the summer.

Started in 2015 by Student Government Association, the Shocker Support Locker provides more than just non-perishable food items. Students, faculty and staff can also take hygiene products, clothing and textbooks from the pantry.

Each person is allowed 15 food items and 10 hygiene items per week. Students can take two textbooks per semester, including the summer. Students who use the locker should bring their Shocker ID to prove enrollment.

The locker, located in 103 Grace Wilkie Hall, will be open in the

summer from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday through Thursday, excluding days when campus is closed.

Those who wish to donate should bring items directly to the locker.

Graduate Haley Ensz and student Daniel Chikwendu are managing the locker over the summer. Other students can help manage the locker by volunteering.

Despite less activity on campus, Ensz and Chikwendu said the locker is still seeing steady use.

“Especially [Monday] because classes started,” Ensz said. “There were like 26 people that came in and used it, so that was quite a bit.”

Ensz said the locker is in need of clothing items that are not usually donated secondhand, such as socks and underwear. “[They are] essential but not anything people usually give away

DANIEL CAUDILL/THE SUNFLOWER

Stacks of soup cans line one of the shelves in the Shocker Support Locker.

Besides non-perishable food items, the pantry also offers hygiene products, clothing and textbooks.

in donation drives,” she said.

Because those items are small in size, they would be held at the locker. Other clothing items are currently being held at a different location due to a lack of space.

Members of the 58th SGA session formed the locker following

a Qualtrics survey of 100 WSU students. One in three domestic students who responded to the survey admitted to skipping a meal because they could not afford to eat.

That rate was double for international students.

Having worked at the locker

throughout the 2018-2019 school year, Chikwendu said the locker continues to serve an important role in fighting hunger on campus.

“Sometimes people just come to take snacks for the day, but then you come in and you see people who pick certain things, like pasta, pasta sauce, and seasoning,” he said. “You see that they’re trying to make a meal out of what they find in the locker, and that makes sense.”

Along with individual donations, the locker’s inventory is supported by regular donations from businesses and on-campus organizations like Dillons, Chartwell, and the Child Development Center.

An international student from Nigeria, Chikwendu said he used the locker when he first came to campus in summer 2016.

“I hadn’t completely set up my account yet and I hadn’t gotten a job, so it was really beneficial to just get something I needed,” he said.

For questions about the locker, contact sga.supportlocker@ wichita.edu.

4 | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019

SPORTS

www.thesunflower.com

ERIC WEDGE’S CAREER PATH JUNE 1989

Wichita State wins the College World Series with Eric Wedge as a senior catcher Drafted to the Boston Red Sox

OCT 5, 1991

Makes major league debut

NOV 1992

Colorado Rockies select Wedge in the MLB extension draft

‘THIS IS A HOMECOMING FOR ME’

MAY 2, 1994

Re-signed to the Boston Red Sox

1996-97

Finishes his playing career in the minor leagues for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies

1998

KHÁNH NGUYỄN/THE SUNFLOWER

New Wichita State baseball coach Eric Wedge pledged during his introductory speech to push the program back to its winning ways.

Wedge formally introduced as new head baseball coach

F KHÁNH NGUYỄN/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State women’s basketball head coach Keitha Adams asks Eric Wedge about his College World Series championship in 1989. Wedge made his first appearance as the new WSU baseball coach on June 4 at Marcus Welcome Center.

KHÁNH NGUYỄN/THE SUNFLOWER

Wichita State volleyball coach Chris Lamb shows support to Eric Wedge as he made his first appearance as the new WSU baseball coach on June.

ormer Wichita State catcher Eric Wedge has been formally introduced as the new head baseball coach. He is the third coach in WSU baseball’s modern era.

The former All-American, and National Champion, took the podium for his first public appearance as the face of the Shocker baseball program on June 4, discussing an array of topics. One thing he made sure to bring up is that he is excited to be back in Wichita.

“There’s no where I’d rather come back to coach than here,” Wedge said. “It’s more than the program, it’s the university.”

“This is a homecoming for me.”

The seed was planted for Wedge to come back to his alma mater when he was the manager for the Seattle Mariners from 2011-2013. Wedge had heard about the firing of his former head coach Gene Stephenson and thought to himself: “What’s going on?” When the search opened up for a new head coach, Wedge was informally offered the job. He politely turned it down to continue his MLB coaching journey.

“I said, ‘I’m busy right now, but I appreciate it,’” Wedge said jokingly during his introductory speech.

Wedge did credit that moment as him starting to think about coming back to the program someday.

After Todd Butler was fired from the program on May 26, Wedge’s name

Four Shockers selected in the MLB Draft

BY SEAN MARTY

Wichita State had four players selected in the 2019 MLB Draft. The Shockers had two seniors, Luke Ritter and Clayton McGinness, along with two juniors, Alex Segal and Mitchell Walters, selected in the three days of the draft.

Luke Ritter- 7th round No. 208 overall by the New York Mets Ritter returned for his senior season after being picked by the Minnesota Twins in the 37th round following his junior season.

Ritter followed that up with a strong senior campaign which included an all-conference selection.

Clayton McGinness20th round No. 558 overall by the Baltimore Orioles Despite struggling out of the gate, McGinness finished his senior campaign strong and threw a complete game against nationally ranked East

Carolina on Senior Day, May 11. McGinness pitched to the tune of a 3.89 ERA in 74 innings of work.

Alex Segal- 22nd round No. 667 overall by the Atlanta Braves Segal’s role became more prominent as the season continued on. The lefty was counted on to get big outs in the AAC Tournament and recorded 47 strikeouts in 36 innings of work.

Mitchell Walters- 35th round No. 1,058 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays Despite only being a Shocker for one season, Walters made an immediate impact as one of the pitchers used at the back end of games. Walters collected eight saves in 34 ⅔ innings while striking out 44 batters.

Both Segal and Walters will have important decisions in the coming days as they both have eligibility remaining. Segal has two years left while Walters has one year left.

immediately sparked interest from the community, and the university. Three days later, on May 29, Wedge would sign a five-year contract to become the new head baseball coach. Wedge noted that the program has been on a decline from past years, but he wants that to change.

“Sometimes there’s a blip on the screen–that’s what happened here,” Wedge said. “However, there’s energy in this city, and it’s humbling. We are going to keep pushing, keep plugging and knocking on that door.”

Wedge emphasized that a transition could take time.

“It’s going to be something to count on,” Wedge said about the future of the program. “But we have to develop a culture – I don’t know how long that is going to take.”

Wedge has 10 years of major league coaching experience as manager of the Cleveland Indians (2003-09) and the Seattle Mariners. In 2007, Wedge was awarded the AL Manager of the Year after leading the Indians to the ALCS, and by winning 96 games. This is his first time being the coach of a college team.

The Shockers finished this past season with a 28-31 record under Butler. During Butler’s tenure with the Shockers, the team only finished above .500 twice in six years. His overall record at the school was 169-180-1, and he failed to make the NCAA tournament every year.

FORUM FROM PAGE 1 The firm will release the document to the public at some point during the search process, he said.

In May, the Kansas Board of Regents appointed 20 members to the search committee. Since the regents opted for a closed presidential search, candidates will not visit campus or be announced publicly.

One faculty member said he was concerned with the closed search because it could make it difficult to get a “good idea of the people [the firm is] bringing in.”

Ballew said closed searches are beneficial because they allow people with jobs to apply for the position without fear of retaliation from their current institution, emphasizing the firm’s plan to focus on candidates who are “happily employed.”

Faculty at the forum frequently spoke in favor of a president who is transparent and communicates openly within university ranks.

“I think sometimes we’ve gotten confused about the quantity versus the quality of information that is sent out,” Dreifort said. “And this results in, I’m afraid, … a great deal of effort to try and spin the decisions that are being made.”

Betty Smith-Campbell, professor at the WSU School of Nursing, said innovation on campus is important but said some developments were “sold” to faculty rather than presented

for feedback.

“When you do the innovation, such as businesses, … clearly state how is that going to impact the university,” she said. “Is it just for students? Is it for research? Is it that we spend money now so we get money later? All of those are good, but they have not been very clear.”

“The more voices in the room, I think the better,” said SmithCampbell, outgoing president of Faculty Senate.

Other faculty stressed finding a president who values all areas of the university, including research and graduate programs, liberal arts and sciences, and Ablah Library.

Kerry Wilks, interim graduate school director, said the university can not be a credible research institution without a strong graduate program.

“We want to continue the growth of our research, we want to continue the growth of our grants where appropriate … and that is not possible if we are a vocational school,” she said.

‘A collaborative effort’ Several members of the search committee were present at some or all of the forums, including Student Body President Kitrina Miller and Steve Clark — namesake of the Steve Clark YMCA and WSU Student Wellness Center.

During the staff forum, a staffer asked if any search committee members would have more weight in selecting candidates than others.

Clark, chair of the committee, said

Wedge makes his managerial debut for the Columbus RedStixx, Cleveland’s single-A affiliate

1999

Named manager for Cleveland’s Carolina League affiliate and named Manager of the Year in the Carolina League at the end of the season

2000

Promoted to manage Cleveland’s dougble-A team, Akron Aeros

2001

Promoted again to the triple-A team, Buffalo Bisons and named the International League Manager of the Year and Baseball America’s Triple A Manager of the Year

OCT 29, 2002

Makes his managerial debut in the majors with the Cleveland Indians

SEPT 30, 2009

Let go by the Cleveland Indians

OCT 18, 2010

Named manager of the Seattle Mariners

FEB 6, 2016

Hired as a player development advisor for the Toronto Blue Jays

MAY 29, 2019

Named head coach at Wichita State

each member has an equal say and will get one vote.

“It’s a collaborative effort on the committee,” he said. “Nobody’s going to be forced to do anything.”

Clark also chaired the university’s 2012 presidential search that identified John Bardo as one of five finalists for the position.

Thursday’s forums represent the only public opportunity for members of the university to share feedback on the presidential search. Faculty and staff forums were nearly full. Student and community forums each had around five people in attendance.

After sending out a document to solicit applications, Wheless Partners will meet with the search committee in September to select a group of about 10 to 12 candidates. Those candidates will then do video interviews with the committee in October.

After face-to-face interviews, the search committee will present about 3 to 5 candidates to KBOR, who will select the next president in the fall.

An anonymous survey about the presidential search opened in May on the university’s website and closed Friday. On Thursday, Ballew said the survey had garnered an unusually large amount of responses, with just over 400.

WSU is searching for a new president after Bardo, the university’s 13th, died in March of a chronic lung condition. Andy Tompkins, KBOR president from 2010 to 2015, is currently serving as interim president at the university.