/The Sunflower
MONDAY, SEPT. 23, 2019
WICHITA STATE’S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1896
@sunflowernews
VOL. 124 • ISSUE 12
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@thesunflowernews THESUNFLOWER.COM
Regents request state support in effort to keep tuition flat again BY MATTHEW KELLY
The Kansas Board of Regents is asking for $95.3 million in support for the 32 public institutions in the Kansas higher-education system. If approved by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Laura Kelly, $50 million of that money would go to Kansas’ six state universities. In response to the Kansas Legislature’s restoration of $34 million in base funding for state universities last year, the Regents called on universities to keep tuition flat for students. It was the first time in at least 30 years that Wichita State students didn’t see a tuition increase. An instate undergraduate student taking
15 credit hours at WSU this semester is paying $3,354.30 in tuition. A Regents press release says KBOR’s request for additional funding next year represents an effort to maintain flat tuition for the second year in a row. “When you look at state funding, it’s crucial to keep our institutions accessible,” Elaine Frisbie, vice president of KBOR finance and administration, told The Topeka Capital-Journal. Interim President Andy Tompkins told The Sunflower last month that keeping WSU financially healthy will likely be one of the next long-term president’s most difficult undertakings.
“The state hasn’t been generally giving lots of money, and on this side, we have always got the pressure on the student saying, ‘You know, I don’t want any more tuition if I can keep from it,’” Tompkins said. He said KBOR universities shouldn’t get used to increased financial support from the state. “We’re in a little better time now where we got a little state aid,” Tompkins said. “We might get some state aid another year, but I’m just telling you, that’s not going to be consistent over a number of years.” He noted that WSU is already below the market on staff salaries, and keeping on top of facilities needs is always a struggle.
“All of us are going to have to make difficult decisions over time about programmatic efforts — any place that you can look to save some money,” Tompkins said. He said enrollment will also play a big factor in WSU’s effort to keep college affordable. More students enrolled in more credit hours bring in more money. The Regents have not yet released official fall enrollment numbers for state universities. At a WSU Board of Trustees meeting Friday, Tompkins said he expects the enrollment report to be released the first week of October.
OPENING UP
WICHITA STATE TUITION (per semester for in-state undergrad students taking 15 credit hours)
2014-15 - $2,934.75 2015-16 - $3,040.50 2016-17 - $3,192.60 2017-18 - $3,272.40 2018-19 - $3,354.30 2019-20 - $3,354.30
Gay pride flag burned in Riverside in apparent hate crime BY BECCA YENSER
EASTON THOMPSON/THE SUNFLOWER
Artist Richard Cook adds sunrays to his mural during Open Streets ICT on Sunday just off of Douglas Avenue. Cook said that this would be the first mural he has completed. The mural is one of 16 different murals that were commissioned for Avenue Art Days.
Pedestrians, cyclists explore Downtown Wichita BY DANIEL CAUDILL
Instead of the usual bustle of downtown traffic, Wichita’s Douglas Avenue was filled with the sounds of clicking bike spokes and conversation Sunday at Open Streets ICT. The annual, all-ages event blocks off a stretch of Douglas Avenue from Seneca Street to just past Clifton Square to motor vehicles to promote walking and bike-riding in one of the city’s most dense commercial areas. Vendors and community organizations set up booths and tables outside, with some businesses opening their doors to event-goers. Live performances and DJs provided the soundtrack. This year’s event also coincided with Avenue Art Days. Avenue Art Days seeks to cover buildings along Douglas in murals. This year, 16 new murals will adorn downtown establishments. Open Streets began last year and is now being planned as an annual event in Wichita, along with another event during the spring that shuts down parts of the NoMar neighborhood in the northwest part of the city.
EASTON THOMPSON/THE SUNFLOWER
Event-goers cross Washington Street as they move west down Douglas Avenue during Open Streets ICT on Sunday in Downtown Wichita.
Zachary Gingrich-Gaylord woke up on Saturday to find that his family’s gay pride flag had been burned to a nub on the porch of their Riverside neighborhood home. The 3x5-foot flag, which was attached to their house by a flagpole, was completely burned, with the flagpole singed a mere six inches from the house. Zachary has lived in Riverside for seven years with his wife, Micala, and their family. He said this was the first time his family has experienced an apparent hate crime, a crime motivated by prejudice on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, or other grounds. Police responded within the hour. The Gingrich-Gaylord family filed a police report with an officer who stated it would be classified as an aggravated arson and hate crime. They were told that the neighborhood police would be posting flyers of the crime around the neighborhood. Additionally, the police force’s LGBT liaison sergeant, Vanessa Rusco, has been contacted and is aware of the situation. The offense, committed some time between midnight and 7 a.m. Saturday morning, has left the family rattled. “It’s a scary thing,” Micala said. “My husband thinks they wrapped the flag around the pole before they set it on fire.” That would indicate that time and care went into the act. But this wasn’t the first time someone messed with the family’s flag. Two weeks ago, the family noticed their flag had been stolen. A few days later, a neighbor returned it, saying she had found it in her yard. They put it back up. They also ordered two more flags and gave them to neighbors on the 1100 block of Coolidge Street. In the wake of this offense, several more rainbow flags popped up on the block, in a show of solidarity. “I felt this real good energy about seeing all the flags go up in the neighborhood,” Micala said. She said that show of solidarity is likely what inspired the crime. “What I think happened was, they saw all these flags put up in unison, and then decided to set ours on fire,” Micala said. The news has already swept across the Riverside Facebook page, with the majority of commenters showing their support for the Gingrich-Gaylords.
SEE PRIDE PAGE 2
WHAT’S INSIDE CAR SHOW
DIVE BARTENDER
JENNY WOOD
BLOWOUT WIN
The 25th annual “Shoe-NShine” car show was hosted at WSU Sunday.
A former visiting performer, Brandon Pittman now bartends at Kirby’s.
Months after her tragic accident, local legend Jenny Wood took the stage.
Shocker softball won their fall season opener 18-3.
SEE NEWS • PAGE 2
SEE ARTS • PAGE 3
SEE ARTS • PAGE 5
SEE SPORTS • PAGE 7