The Sunflower v. 128 i. 30 Graduation Edition (May 2, 2024)

TO THE STARS

In the closing days of the semester, the next set of Shockers will graduate, taking off for new beginnings. Gaze inside to view the stories of some of Wichita State’s star graduates.

‘TAKE ACTION’

Indigenous organization gathers in memory of actor Cole Brings Plenty

BY ALLISON CAMPBELL

news@thesunflower.com

The faint glow of candlelight could be seen from outside the Grace Memorial Chapel Friday evening as members of the Indigenous Student Collective (ISC) gathered in memory of Cole Brings Plenty, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and an actor in the “Yellowstone” spin-off “1923.”

ISC President Hannah Domebo, with the help of ISC adviser Stefanie Coronado, coordinated the memorial to bring attention to the ever-growing number of missing and murdered indigenous people.

“I feel like, whenever they (Native Americans) pass away, it’s often overlooked just because it’s kind of, like, a minor group,” Domebo, who has ancestors from the Ponca, Kiowa and Quapaw tribes, said.

Brings Plenty was found dead outside Kansas City earlier this month after he was suspected in an alleged incident of domestic violence. He was reported missing by

his family and was discovered nearly a week later in a wooded area.

Brings Plenty was a student at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, and was 27 years old when he died. An emerging actor, Brings Plenty was known for his roles in Western and biographical TV shows in which he represented Native American characters.

Controversy surrounded Brings Plenty’s death after it was discovered that his braids, which hold significant meaning in some Native American communities, had been cut without his permission.

“To some people, it’s just hair. (For Native Americans) it’s different,” Domebo said. “Some hold it sacred to them. When that gets cut off, that’s like a very significant piece of them. And it’s obviously not just something to be played around with.”

The night he went missing, Brings Plenty attended a concert in Lawrence. According to the Los Angeles Times, witnesses saw his

braids get caught in a microphone cable before a patron attempting to free him cut his hair. Others claim that a woman was seen cutting his braids during an argument after the concert.

Sophomore Casey Henderson, a member of ISC, said while she can’t be sure of what happened to Brings Plenty, the significance of his death and the cutting of his braids still merits attention.

“The fact that his hair was cut is still something that we need to speak about,” she said.

Henderson joined ISC not long after it was recognized in the fall of 2023. She said the sense of belonging she feels from the group is integral when it comes to coping with the loss of a community member.

“Having a community is deeply embedded in who we are … So it helps to, like, share your thoughts and just genuinely how you feel about things and know that other people are helping you go through that and also feel the same

way,” Henderson said. “It’s very validating.”

Henderson said having other Native American peers is important, now more than ever, as indigenous people face increasingly high rates of violence.

“It’s a topic that I feel … needs to be talked about. Not a whole lot of people realize that there’s a … very large percentage of indigenous people who go missing and end up murdered,” Henderson said. “It’s, like, rampant. It’s always been like this.”

Since Bring Plenty’s death, the court documents associated with the investigation have been sealed by a Johnson County judge. While a cause of death for Brings Plenty was not disclosed, police said they did not suspect foul play.

“I feel like there’s no definitive answer, and since the police aren’t looking into it, it’s hard to (know) ... what actually happened, so it’s hard to tell if it was motivated by his race,” Domebo said. “It’s just kind of, like,

up in the air.”

Domebo said she hopes through other events, ISC can raise awareness for missing and murdered indigenous peoples. Because of Bring Plenty’s fame, she said the movement has greater potential to gain traction and engage more advocates.

“It’s not like you want things like this to happen, but … these are the things that bring awareness. When you have these things happen, I feel like you have to take action,” Domebo said. “It sucks that it has to be that way, but that’s the way to get people to start listening.”

After a brief speech expanding on the context of Bring Plenty’s death, members lit candles to honor his memory. In her handmade ribbon work skirt, Henderson sang the first verse of “Amazing Grace” in Cherokee.

Group members paused for an extended moment of silence before exchanging hugs and walking each other to the parking lot.

Twenty cars broken into at Shocker Hall raises security concerns

BY ALLISON CAMPBELL news@thesunflower.com

Twenty students’ vehicles were reported as damaged early Tuesday morning after an at-large individual or individuals shattered several car windows and brake lights.

The Sunflower requested the police reports in person but was referred to the online record request portal; the police station was unwilling to provide copies at the time.

The Sunflower is currently waiting to receive the police reports for the incidents.

Lauren Hughes, a student living at Shocker Hall who had her car broken into, said she was notified at 4:45 a.m. by police that her car had been “involved in criminal activity.”

She arrived at Lot 3N, where most of the affected vehicles had been parked, around 8 a.m., where police briefed her and other students on the situation.

“They had been out there all morning,” Hughes said. “They called everyone who had this happen … to them.”

Hughes said the smallest window – the vent window – on the backseat passenger side of her 2018 Hyundai

Santa Fe had been smashed.

“That’s what they smashed in all the cars. It’s the most expensive window to replace because it’s weirdly shaped,” Hughes said. “It’s also the least visible. You notice if a windshield’s gone, but you don’t notice if a little back window’s gone.”

Hughes said she was “lucky” that her brake lights hadn’t been broken, like some of the other vehicles had been. Hughes said her car sustained $800 in damages, which won’t be covered by her insurance company because the amount of damages done was “right under the threshold.”

She said between herself and three other friends who had their cars broken into, the damages were more than $3,000. Due to the extent of the damage, the parties responsible would be charged with a felony.

Hughes, who has more than five years of legal experience from part-time jobs, said the break-ins had several strange aspects. She said it was “weird” that both cars on the edges of the lot, as well as in the middle of the lot, were broken into.

She said it was clear that money wasn’t the goal of the break-ins, but

rather to inflict the most amount of damage possible.

“One of the girls who I was parked next to, her car got smashed as well, and she had like $500 in cash in her car,” Hughes said. “No one took that; they just smashed her car.”

When Hughes asked the police for advice on how to keep her car safe, she said they gave her an unrealistic solution.

“They told us, ‘You may park in the parking garage because people might break into it more now that it’s broken,’” Hughes said. “But I’m like, ‘Well, I can’t put it in a parking garage because it’s like $18 for 10 hours.’ Like, I can’t do that every day.”

Parking in the garage is $1.50 per hour on the second and third floors, and $275 per semester on the first floor.

In hopes of finding the individual responsible, Hughes asked police if there were any nearby security cameras. She was told the nearest security camera, at the intersection of 21st and Hillside, was between 50 and 100 feet away and only measures about 10 feet out.

“They won’t be able to see anything,” Hughes said. “Those parking

lots are just completely unprotected, and parking lots (are) one of the most dangerous areas.”

In response to the car break-ins, Student Body President Kylee Hower and former president Iris Okere, the owner of one of the damaged vehicles, presented a resolution Wednesday evening to install additional security cameras in campus parking lots.

Okere emphasized adding cameras to lots 1, 3N — where Okere’s car was “hit” — and 5. Okere said the small back window of her car — the same as Hughes’ — was shattered.

“Because there are no cameras in these lots, I wrote this resolution very fast because I know Student Government — we can make things happen,” Okere said.

The piece of legislation acknowledged the break-ins, which Okere said occurred around 2 a.m. Tuesday morning, and she said the resolution aims to give “top priority for the safety and security of both campus residents and commuter students.”

The resolution was approved with 29 votes in favor and one in opposition. While only a suggestion to the university and not a required

call to action, the resolution said the Student Government Association should collaborate with campus police to determine the best places to install the cameras.

Hughes said installing additional security cameras is a long-overdue step in the right direction and holds the university accountable for the safety of students and their property.

“Having an ability to know that ‘Hey, if something happens in this parking lot, whether or not it’s someone breaking a car or someone hurting someone or stalking someone, that needs to be caught and seen, so we need those cameras,’” Hughes said.

In the meantime, Hughes will be left without a vehicle until she can get repairs done on Thursday. She has duct-taped her window shut, which she said “looks horrific.” She said until the cameras are installed, she hopes others are spared from the same misfortune.

“The problem isn’t that it happened; the problem is that there’s nothing going to be done about it happening,” Hughes said. “I just want to know that this isn’t going to happen to other people.”

Members of the Indigenous Student Collective pause for a moment of silence during a memorial held for actor and Native American Cole Brings Plenty. Members met last Friday to say a few words on Bring Plenty’s behalf and mourn other missing and murdered Indigenous people. | Photo by Allison Campbell / The Sunflower

Jade Driggs balances military, machines, motherhood and more in doctoral work

BY JACOB UNRUH assistantsports@thesunflower.com

During her time in the Air Force, Wichita State doctoral student Jade Driggs has traveled around the country and the world. She’s studied at a few universities and lived a life of controlled chaos between her full-time education, service and family with two kids.

And yet, considering her wide variety of experiences, Driggs calls her time earning a doctorate in human factors psychology at WSU “the most transformative three years of my life.”

Driggs said she’s been wearing a uniform since she was 14 years old. She joined the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program in high school out of a desire to serve the country.

“I really knew at a young age that I wanted to join the military … I really wanted to be a part of something that was bigger than myself,” Driggs said.

Driggs graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs in 2011, serving as a second lieutenant and program manager, primarily overseeing GPS satellite operations.

She bounced around the world, eventually stationing in Afghanistan in 2014, where she helped with American troop drawdowns from that conflict. After that, Driggs remained in the Air Force but focused on her education, earning a degree from Arizona State before coming to Wichita just before the COVID-19 lockdowns began.

TRUST IN TECHNOLOGY

Wichita State has a renowned human factors program, a field of psychology that focuses on how humans interact with machines.

WSU’s pedigree, alongside Driggs’ husband flying for the McConnell Air Force Base, made the decision to come to Wichita a “no-brainer” for her.

She said her experience with the Air Force, where pilots operate multi-million dollar planes at over 1000 mph, enhanced her interest in human factors.

At Wichita State, Driggs focused on human trust in technology. In March, Driggs won an award at a Topeka summit, where she had to present her research ideas before state legislators.

In her study, participants took a visual search test after observing an automated system complete a task. Driggs found that participants offered far more excuses for the computer’s poor performance than their own.

“When I was looking at some of the verbal responses that people were giving to explain the cause of the automated systems performance, they were like, ‘Oh, maybe it was programmed incorrectly,’”

Driggs said. “They were not so quick to blame the automated system, and they made all these excuses.”

The research could suggest that we over-trust automated systems and don’t have a coherent understanding of why they go wrong. Driggs said people are starting to realize that, like humans, machines are also flawed.

“It’s almost like there’s this subtle acknowledgment that’s happening in society because we’re using automated systems more and more every day,” Driggs said. “And because we’re using them more and more every day, we’re starting to realize they’re not perfect all the time.”

A COLORED CALENDAR AND A DIVERSE CAMPUS

Driggs described her home life as “chaotic.”

With a 4-year-old and a 2-yearold at home and a husband who is gone for half the month while flying for United Airlines, Driggs

said she relies on communication and planning with her family.

“When you walk into our house, we have a huge calendar whiteboard, and we each have our own colors,” Driggs said.

Driggs said she never felt judged at Wichita State for being a mom and taking care of her kids — something she attributed to the campus’ diversity. She said diversity is another aspect that attracted her to WSU.

“As a person of mixed race, I’m half-Filipino, half AfricanAmerican … I’m really passionate about diversity in education, about accessibility to education,” Driggs said. “And so I think that just really struck personally to me, that this place is really special.”

INFINITE POSSIBILITIES OF WONDERFUL THINGS

During her studies, Driggs worked closely with adviser Lisa Vangsness, who moved to the University of Alabama in Huntsville after Driggs’ first year at Wichita

State. Vangsness said she gave Driggs the option to follow her to Alabama. Driggs said no but wanted to continue working with Vangsness remotely.

“Jade is one of the most consistent people that I have ever met in my life,” Vangsness said.

Vangsness used a flood of complimentary terms to describe Driggs: “dedicated,” “professional,” “thoughtful,” “mature,” “positive,” “even-keeled,” “creative,” “driven,” and even “a little bit goofy.”

She said it was a privilege to work with Driggs and see her journey through college.

“I know that she’s going to go on and do wonderful things,” Vangsness said. “The only question is, which phenomenal things is she going to do? Because there’s infinite possibilities out there, and I know we’re all waiting to see what amazing things she decides to do next.”

Driggs said she plans to work at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, a place she calls the main hub for human factors research. While she gets “bored if we’re somewhere for too long,” Driggs said her family will likely settle in Colorado Springs after she retires from the Air Force.

Between her years of service, passion for diversity and research into human factors, Driggs encouraged Wichita State students to “consider the perspectives of others.”

“Whether you’re talking about the perspectives of others when it comes to a cockpit … whether you’re taking into account someone with color deficiencies in their vision … it’s important to be considerate of the perspectives of others,” Driggs said. “It’s important to be in a place where people are so diverse because you get exposed to those differing perspectives.”

Senior English major talks pros and cons of remote learning

BY SALSABILA ATTARIA arts@thesunflower.com

Currently finishing a degree in English, senior Lauren Vuytecki’s academic experience had so far been limited to an online education before her final semester at Wichita State.

“I only came to campus very rarely to meet with a professor or some other random occurrence, but really, I was hardly ever on campus,” Vuytecki said. “So I really couldn’t say I had any involvement in campus life or anything like that.”

After starting at Wichita State in 2021, Vuytecki elected to pursue an English major with a minor in psychology. When she took a full time position at KSN-TV, Vuytecki found herself taking all online courses to be able to balance work and school.

Vuytecki said a remote learning student needs to be self-motivated and independent to stay on top

of class work. While this was not a problem for her, she said some aspects of a physical class cannot be replicated remotely.

“It doesn’t matter how many discussion boards you have,” Vuytecki said. “There’s no faces to names, and there’s no real connection that you can achieve. Discussions you have in a classroom are always going to be more organic than anything you can produce in a discussion board.”

Being on campus this semester has given Vuytecki the opportunity to experience the social aspects of campus that remote students rarely access.

“I’ve been able to actually interact with my professor in a meaningful manner that’s not just emails as well as just appreciate the campus and actually want to go and look at the Rhatigan Student Center,” Vuytecki said.

Because remote learning was not a choice for Vuytecki due to her work schedule, she said

Wichita State should look into expanding remote options for students like her who need it.

Vuytecki said the online education experience at WSU could be improved in a more complete transition to Blackboard Ultra because it is more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. According to Vuytecki, some professors have chosen to use the new version while others still operate on the old.

“One of the downsides of online classes is the limited selection at times,” Vuytecki said. “There were quite a few in-person classes that I would have loved to have done, but I couldn’t.”

Jacquelyn Johnston, director of online and adult learning, said that online learning opportunities have been growing since 2014. Now, Wichita State students can find online classes in a wide variety of subjects.

“It just allows students additional opportunities, no matter

where they are physically, or sometimes even mentally and emotionally, to be able to continue their coursework,” Johnston said.

Without the physical reminder of sitting in class for test dates and assignment deadlines, both Vuytecki and Johnston agree that online learning requires a student to be self-motivated and independent to be successful.

“But the truth is that a lot of times, it’s more work because you’re not physically going to

class. And especially because of the personal accountability that it takes to get the work done,” Johnston said.

Moving forward, Vuytecki plans to continue her job at KSN-TV before applying to a graduate program with hopes of working as an editor.

Now that she has experienced both online and in-person learning, she said she hopes she can experience the best of both in future education.

Jade Driggs talks to a reporter. She spoke about how she found passion in a psychology. | Photo by Charith Surya Kotti / The Sunflower

Senior Lauren Vuytecki speaks in her first in-person class on April 24. | Photo by Garima Thapa / The Sunflower

Sophie Martins jumps from graduation to law school

BY COURTNEY BROWN newsprojects@thesunflower.com

Sophie Martins said it was a “wild day” when she learned she’d been accepted into not one, but two law schools — just hours before she interviewed CBS News Anchor Norah O’Donnell.

Martins, who just finished serving as student body vice president at Wichita State, plans to attend the University of Kansas School of Law after her graduation in May. She’s excited enough for all things Socratic method and career exploration that she plans to start early — in the summer.

The Wichita State senior said she found her drive to become a lawyer while attending Newman University. She decided to major in criminal justice after her adviser told her about the program and recommended Martins look into law school.

“I had never thought of law as an option because no one in my family had ever done that,” Martins said. “And I just started thinking about it more and more, and it sounded like the absolute perfect thing.”

Her adviser also told Martins about Wichita State’s Legal Education Accelerated Degree program, which helps students interested in law prepare for attending the KU School of Law. The program appealed to Martins, who decided to take a tour.

Soon after, she was filling out the paperwork to transfer.

After the switch in schools came a change in majors. Martins said when looking over the course descriptions for political science classes, she found herself getting “really excited.”

“(My parents) were like, ‘Why do you want to do politics?’” she said. “And I said, ‘Because I don’t know anything about it … And I would really like to know because I could tell I had a passion for civic engagement, but I didn’t understand how to necessarily articulate it.’”

Martins had already put her passion into play as a social sciences senator in Newman’s student government, but upon transferring to Wichita State in fall of 2022, she also had a more open schedule due to an injury cutting her softball career short.

Having played since age 3, Martins said she had an “identity crisis” of figuring out who she was outside of “throwing a yellow ball.”

Wanting to help others, Martins joined Wichita State’s Student Government Association (SGA) as an appointed at-large senator. She quickly grew to love the work — she “was in a sorority for two days” but dropped it to prioritize SGA.

“I clearly cared more about SGA because that was like, ‘It’s cutting into my committee time. I don’t think that this is for me,’”

‘Keep spinning’: Olivia Malanchuk reflects on competing in winter guard in Kansas

BY MALEAH EVANS maleah.evans04@gmail.com

Olivia Malanchuk is part of the ICT Independent Winterguard, the only competitive winter guard team in the Kansas area, according to Malanchuk.

Malanchuk, a senior studying integrated marketing communications, is in her last year to compete in Winterguard before she ages out at 22. Since the scene is so small in Kansas, she would have to move to a larger city and join a world guard.

“I did color guard all throughout high school, and I knew I wanted to do it since I was, like, 4 years old and saw it at a football game,” Malanchuk said. “I had known about ICT, and I saw that they were having auditions, and I really wanted to keep spinning.”

Winterguard is similar to high school color guard and is derived from military performances.

“Color guard is what you do with a marching band, on a football field or marching field,” Malanchuk said. “Winter guard is specifically an indoor activity, but it is just like the more advanced version of color guard. Since you’re inside, you have to be more detail-oriented with the moving pieces.”

The practice season for the ICT Independent Winterguard starts in November, and competitions start in February.

The ICT team is completely independent, meaning it has no sponsors, which often puts the team at a disadvantage when competing in larger competitions.

“We don’t have a solid rehearsal space that we can spin in all the time,” Malanchuk said.

“We rehearse at whatever church or school will let us use their gym.”

The lack of permanent rehearsal space doesn’t stop Malanchuk or the team. During competition season, the team travels to Missouri to compete in the Mid Continent Color Guard Association (MCCGA) in Missouri.

Martins said. “And I thought, ‘How nerdy is that?’”

Martins’ advocacy has also extended to being a student assistant in the Student Engagement, Advocacy & Leadership (SEAL) Office.

Gabriel Fonseca, SGA adviser, said he admired Martins’ ability to fully realize an idea or project without being given many details.

“I definitely appreciated her creativity, but also her drive to see things happen,” Fonseca said.

In the SEAL Office, Martins helped with the Shocker Support Locker, a supply pantry for the

WSU community. She said seeing people in need get food items “lit the spark” of her wanting to “get big into SGA.” Both Methodist and spiritual, Martins said she thinks whatever is meant to happen will (“I’m an 85-year-old person, I’m telling you.”) So when Iris Okere, former student body president, asked Martins to run as her vice president, she was ready.

“It took me two seconds to say yes,” Martins said. “Because I thought this is one of those moments of someone is like laying it on a platter for you of ‘here’s an

amazing opportunity.’”

NEXT PATH

Graduating a year early, Martins said she’s not sure which path she’ll take yet — she mentioned business, corporate, constitutional and tax law, to name a few. But she prefers being “crazy busy” and will start law school on May 16, only five days after walking across the stage on May 11.

“I just know that I’m so excited for law school to help me figure out exactly what my passion is because I can tell I have a clear drive to advocate for people,” Martins said.

International student accomplishes dream to study in U.S.

BY JACINDA HALL podcast@thesunflower.com

Fabi Ayarza came to Wichita State from Lima, Peru, with a childhood dream to study in the United States. In 2018, her dream came true when she arrived at Wichita State to start the Intensive English Language program. Now, she’ll fully realize that dream as she graduates with her bachelor’s in May.

Ayarza came to Wichita State after visiting her fiance, Marcio Muñoz, when he was a student at Friends University.

“It was so interesting to travel and see him and see how Wichita is,” Ayarza said. “(I’d) never been (to) Kansas before.”

said.

In April, the team placed second at the MCCGA Championships. Malanchuk said that this year has been the most successful for the team.

Recently, Malanchuk’s team went to Dayton, Ohio, to compete against other winter guard teams from across the country in the Winter Guard International World Championships. The team competes here every other year.

As a student, Malanchuk often finds it difficult to balance her school work and competing in winter guard.

“I pretty much know that I’m going to have a few missing assignments every spring semester,” Malanchuk said. “It’s a give-and-take that works for me since I only have so long to do this activity before I age out.”

In her time competing, she has found that her professors are mostly understanding, not questioning when she misses classes as long as her work gets done.

Malanchuk’s teammate Kaitlynn Morel, a junior majoring in finance and minoring in accounting, said Malanchuk is a great leader.

“She’s very motivating and very fun to be around,” Morel said. “She really lifts the spirits of everyone, which is really nice.”

Morel also said that the team can never tell if Malanchuk is having a bad day because she doesn’t show the team.

“That’s a big part of our culture; at practice, you don’t bring that (negative) energy because it brings down morale,” Morel said. Because Malanchuk is in her last year of competing in her current winter guard circuit, she is looking at what her plans are after graduation.

“If I wanted to keep competing, I would have to move to a larger city like St. Louis or Dallas, places with open circuits,” Malanchuk said. “Maybe in the future, I’d move, but for right now, I want to stay in Wichita.”

Following this, Ayarza began her undergraduate career with a major in human resource management before adding a second major: management. Ayarza said she decided to double major in management to complement the human resources aspect.

“I had found that for (the) Barton School of Business, we have to be majoring into different types of set skills of leadership,” Ayarza said. “And the management major complements that.”

Ayarza also works in the human resources department, something she’s dreamed of doing since coming to the university.

“I had my orientation day that day, (and) I said, ‘One day I’ll be working in that building,’” Ayarza

Ayarza also said that her job allows her to apply her skills outside of the classroom working in the human resources office and handling paperwork.

“It’s wonderful because we are not only learning what we are (while) listening in classes,” Ayarza said. “We also are applying those learning skills in the real world.”

Ayarza is the president of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), and she credits Coleen Beckley, her friend and coworker, for helping her bring the organization back to life.

“(Beckley) helped me on this journey since 2022 since we brought back the SHRM organization to Wichita State after the pandemic,” Ayarza said. “Which has been a very long transition for all of us.”

Beckley said she is grateful for

her friendship with Ayarza, as it helped her develop relationships.

“We need more students like Fabi,” Beckley said. “Being a returning adult student, I did worry about interactions with younger students and how that was going to work, and she bridged that gap.”

Beckley describes Ayarza as vivacious, bubbly and always positive.

“She has overcome adversity and does not let anything stop her,” Beckley said. “When she sets her mind on something, it’s gonna happen.”

Muñoz, who met Ayarza in their home country Peru via Facebook, describes Ayarza as crazy, but in a good way.

“She wants to get involved in any kind of activity,” Muñoz said. “She wants to help everyone — students, people outside on the street, everyone.”

Olivia Malanchuk performs with the ICT Independent Winterguard | Photo courtesy of Olivia Malanchuk

Fabi Ayarza discusses her educational journey as an international student during an interview on April 11. | Photo by Shelby DuVall / The Sunflower

Outgoing Vice President Sophie Martins gives her last executive report at the April 17 Student Senate meeting. | Photo by Allison Campbell / The Sunflower

Retirement is only the beginning for biological

BY TRINITY RAMM managing@thesunflower.com

Wichita State’s last print course catalog, an old darkroom sign and not one but two places reserved for snake skins are some of the few things that remain in the increasingly empty office of Maria Martino.

After over 40 years at Wichita State, Martino, a biological sciences adviser and instructor, is retiring in July.

With the ever-changing landscape of academia, Martino said that it felt like it was time for her to move on.

“I think that there are times to pass the baton on to the younger crowd,” Martino said. “It’s a whole different ethic, and how you grew up, and what you know — it’s completely different for me for that.”

Martino received both of her degrees from Wichita State, a bachelor’s in biology in 1985 and a master’s in biology in 2020.

During her four decades at the university, Martino has seen a lot of change. When she first arrived as an undergrad, roads used to run through campus, over half of the buildings didn’t exist, and there was parking pretty much anywhere.

“The library used to have a dropoff box,” Martino said. “You could pull your car up and drop books off. And I’m like, ‘Wow, I miss that.’”

Although, she said her home hub in Hubbard Hall hasn’t changed much at all, not counting the discontinuing of some spaces like their greenhouse on the roof or getting rid of their X-ray labs, the former home of her darkroom sign.

“I never really saw myself as being that nostalgic, but everybody’s

like, ‘Throw that away,’ and I’m like, ‘Darkroom, are you kidding me? People pay good money one of these days for this,’” Martino said.

“ “

Along with her advising job, Martino is currently charged with a section of an Intro to Microbiology lab.

This is where you can see Martino in full form, walking back and forth while lecturing and aiding her lab students with their work on bacterial cultures, all while a long, rainbow headband is tied around her head like a Vietnam-era soldier charging into battle.

As her students work, they’re not afraid to pull her aside to ask a question, show her a cool find under the microscope or just swap stories about life. Martino said she suffers from “logeria” — the acute ability of talking too much.

Nyai Jackson, pre-nursing

‘Just like a machine’: Debate twins share inner workings of college collaboration

BY GENESIS MERRIETT genserudition@gmail.com

The debate-team duo Thomas and Travis Babcock describe their partnership as a scrappy, unique team of underdogs.

The Babcocks are twins, and both are political science majors. They do a lot together, including debating on Wichita State’s team, peer-reviewing each other’s work and watching the Dallas Cowboys and Formula 1 racing.

When they started college, one of their main goals was to “break 16” in the National Debate Tournament (NDT), which they have done all four years, according to Thomas.

“We … got to the finals round of the National Debate Tournament, which is the top 16 teams,” Travis said. “Our seating placed us at 12 in the nation.”

They also broke 32 in the NDT twice and competed in the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) National Tournament while making Shocker history.

All three WSU teams that participated in the CEDA National Championship placed in the top 32. According to Thomas, this is a first in Wichita State history. The brothers also made it to the octofinals, the first time Wichita State has accomplished that in 12 years.

The Babcocks said WSU’s debate team has positively influenced their lives.

“I don’t think me and Travis could ever say enough words to the people on the debate team for their assistance this year,” Thomas said. “I don’t think they’ll ever know how useful and helpful they’ve been, but I don’t think we would have ever achieved what we had achieved without all of the support around us.”

Debate members who didn’t qualify for the national tournament

still flew out to help and be there for the Babcocks.

“I remember that meant a lot,” Thomas said.

Both Thomas and Travis said their time at WSU was unique because they are twins who always knew exactly what the other wanted and how to get there.

“It got to the point at our last ever debate tournament, where during prep, we said maybe 10 words to each other every debate, which is unheard of,” Thomas said. “We work just like a machine.”

With more than 400 collective debates under their belt, Thomas said he and his twin have grown more independent in some ways and more dependent in others during college. The twins have several hobbies independent from each other. Thomas enjoys bowling, painting and cooking, and Travis likes to go thrifting and play disc golf.

“We probably see each other now less than we’ve ever seen each other in our entire lives,” Thomas said. “We’ll go months without even talking to each other, but it’s kind of weird because when you get into debate round or prep or anything like that, it feels like we are closer than we’ve ever been

before in terms of understanding each other.”

After graduating, Thomas will become a graduate teaching assistant for the Elliott School of Communication and be an assistant coach for the debate team next year. He plans to get a master’s degree in communication and eventually a doctorate and continue working with debate students.

“(I want to) just become a director of debate somewhere at a university and continue to provide what I was given … help students along their way to their goals as well,” he said.

Travis will be a graduate research assistant for the public administration department at WSU and pursue his master’s degree in public administration. He also plans to complete graduate school and get a job in Cedar County.

Thomas said having a built-in partner since childhood has motivated them both — in and out of debate.

“We’ve been competitive since we were like 2 years old, and so having somebody or having that sort of innate competition driven into you with somebody in your life really makes you want to work harder.”

sciences adviser

sophomore and fellow self-diagnosed sufferer of logeria, said Martino’s energy and passion for teaching “makes it fun to come to class.”

“She’s passionate, and she cares about you, and she’ll make sure that that’s known,” Jackson said. “She’ll teach you all about stuff (and) wait for that lightbulb moment where you’re like, ‘Oh my God.’” Jackson and Hope Delgado, a pre-nursing junior, are typically the last to finish their lab work for the day, according to Delgado. But she never feels pressure from Martino to rush through everything, and she feels like she has a “support system” in her lab with Martino.

“I haven’t had a lab in seven years and just being able to have someone that actually cares is actually really important to me,” Delgado said.

Danielle Sands, pre-dental hygiene junior, said she’s sorry that

other students will miss out on Martino’s personality in the classroom and will always remember her encouragement.

“When she comes up to me while I’m doing something, and she’ll be like, ‘You have good technique,’ or I’m doing something good, it just gives me motivation,” Sands said. “I’m gonna miss her.”

As m2 – Martino’s STEM-fitting email signature – prepares to sign off for the final time, she looks ahead to the future.

A few of Martino’s potential retirement plans: she wants to take calculus (she’s been “dying to take calculus”), make multi-purpose clothing with her new sewing machine, and put an inflatable mattress in the back of her car and “just drive.”

“I can do anything I feel like,” Martino said. “It’s so amazing.”

Business student strives to ‘take every opportunity’

BY AVERY GATHRIGHT averygathright@gmail.com

In four years, senior Ebony Moore has been involved in almost every way on campus. Majoring in business management and human resources and guided by her faith, Moore has been involved in internships, study abroad trips and other opportunities at Wichita State.

After receiving the Rudd Scholarship, a full ride, in 2020, Moore decided to attend WSU. She said the program also provided her with additional support and training throughout college.

“I did not think I had a shot getting that scholarship whatsoever,” Moore said. “It’s a beneficial part of my college experience because of their mentorship, they’re always there … They’ll be with you every aspect of the way and help support you through it all.”

A self-proclaimed “God-fearing woman,” Moore said she struggles with imposter syndrome and that her faith has given her strength and confidence.

“Sometimes, I don’t feel like I’m the best either because I am Black, or sometimes I feel like I’m here because of that,” Moore said. “I lean strongly on my faith that God made me who I am … Everything I do; I pray over it. If it’s for me, God, give it to me. If it’s not for me, take it away.”

Moore has completed two study abroad trips in college, one in Europe and one in Africa.

In January 2023, Moore visited London, Paris, and several Italian cities, learning about European art.

In January 2024, Moore studied abroad again, visiting South Africa to learn how businesses can grow in developing nations. Moore said both experiences were beneficial, helping her improve her worldview.

“I think just having a more of a global mindset is definitely

something I took away from my experiences,” Moore said. “Being abroad, you have to quickly learn how to adapt to how our culture and our norms may be different from other people’s or other countries’ norms.”

While at WSU, Moore has interned for Deloitte, Apple and Tesla. Moore is currently signed on to work as a strategy analyst consultant at Deloitte after she graduates in May.

Moore said the university, specifically the Shocker Career Accelerator, helped her develop the self-assurance and other skills needed to get these opportunities.

“Wichita State gave me the platform to be more confident in myself,” Moore said. “I am worthy of being at a table, and I do deserve to have these opportunities. Talking to my professors and talking about my jobs … really impacted my life.”

Moore would advise other students to be “the most authentic version” of themselves and to look for opportunities around them.

“Don’t pretend, and don’t fake anything or anyone that you’re not,” Moore said. “What’s for you will come to you with peace and clarity … Take every opportunity that you get at Wichita State. Take it for your advantage. You have to embrace and dive into these opportunities as much as you want them to come to you.”

Using a microscope, Maria Martino focuses in on cells in a student’s dental swab. Martino teaches microbiology whenever the department has a need. | Photo by Trinity Ramm / The Sunflower

Thomas Babcock and Travis Babcock pose for a photo during the National Debate Tournament Awards Ceremony. | Photo courtesy of Thomas and Travis Babcock

Ebony Moore, a business management major, answers questions during an Interview. | Photo by Monique Bever / The Sunflower

We are so proud of you.

You’re ready to take on the world. As you navigate your future endeavors, may you continue to bloom and thrive in every opportunity. The Barton School of Business is proud to have been part of your journey. We can't wait to see the incredible heights you'll reach!

ARTS & CULTURE

Animation major practices ‘playing God’ in studies

BY CHEYANNE TULL earth2chey.info@gmail.com

Animation major Takota Jay bears a unique connection to Disney’s 2003 film “Brother Bear.” His name is inspired by the little bear named Koda, which his mother adapted into Takoda.

When deciding what to study in college, he had doubts, wanting to stick with the STEM field, such as engineering. Instead, Jay “trusted his gut” and pursued animation anyway.

Jay describes his style as more simplified and less detailed, comparing it to “The Tom and Jerry Show.”

“Ever since I was a kid, I loved

doing art,” Jay said. “Over time, when I got to high school, I was like, ‘Digital art and filming is really becoming popular like Disney, Pixar and those other bigtime companies.’ I was like, ‘I will try animation.’”

Jay chose this path after years of drawing and growing up with the styles of Disney and Universal Studios.

“All in all, the reason why I chose animation is because, in a way, it feels like playing God,” Jay said. “You’re just controlling a motion of someone’s movement or emotions to tell a whole story.”

With an added graphic design minor in his sophomore year, Jay

took classes at Shocker Studios and Art, Design and Creative Industries (ADCI) in McKnight. He has focused on classes that help him excel when creating short films.

“I helped with some short films and little stuff of my own with animation,” Jay said. “Right now, I am doing a practicum three (course), and I think I have to have 145 hours of just work, so it’s a lot.”

Beyond animation, Jay has many other interests. In high school, Jay played the trumpet in the band and participated in football, wrestling and track and field. He knew he wanted

Untangling thoughts: Math major channels anxiety into podcasting

BY PIPER PINNETTI piperpinnetti12@gmail.com

The room is quiet, and her old wired headphones are tangled together. Her brain is scattered, and all she needs is a moment to air out her thoughts. Before she knows it, she is debriefing on her very own podcast, “ashley unedited!”

Wichita State senior Ashley Thompson has caught the attention of students and friends with her unique approach to tackling her anxiety: turning her anxious dialogues into a podcast.

With her impending graduation in May, Thompson reflects on finding solace from changing her aerospace engineering major to mathematics and starting podcasting.

“Aerospace specifically was just such a narrow field, and I was like, ‘I do not want to do this for the rest of my life,’” Thompson said, reflecting on the switch she made in her junior year.

Amidst the whirlwind of academic pursuits and personal growth, Thompson found herself grappling with anxiety and racing thoughts.

“Before I started going to therapy, a way for me to deal with if I was having an anxiety attack would be to talk to myself,” Thompson said. “I would literally look in the mirror and just air out what’s on my brain.”

She often found herself using Snapchat videos to get further out of her head and into the notification bar of her friends’ phones. Amused by the therapeutic conversations with herself, Thompson’s friends presented an idea to her.

“I occasionally send them to my friends, and then they were like, ‘You’re so funny. I love when you send me these videos because it’s always entertaining to watch,’” Thompson said. “My friend Mikala was like, ‘You should just turn this into a podcast,’ and I was like, ‘You’re so right.’”

Being able to be on my podcast is definitely a creative outlet for my time.

Thompson embarked on sharing her experiences through podcasting with casual, relaxed episode drops on Spotify.

“I started very unserious,” Thompson said. “I didn’t even post about it. I published my first five episodes without ever even posting about it because I was scared of people finding it. Then, I was eventually like, ‘You know what?

I’m just going to own this.’”

Jaklyn Reibenstein, a December 2023 WSU graduate, met Thompson almost four years ago when they were roommates in Shocker Hall. She said it was no surprise when Thompson debuted her podcast.

“When Ashley let me know she was thinking about doing a podcast and decided to release her first episode, I was super excited,” Reibenstein said. “She has such eclectic interests and is so smart and articulate.”

Reibenstein said Thompson’s podcast has become a staple in her schedule.

“It has impacted me in a positive way. I always look forward to a new episode I can listen to at work,” Reibenstein said. “It makes my day more exciting to listen to my friend’s opinions on fashion or the history of a topic that piques her interest.” Thompson’s podcast, which predominantly focuses on random topics of her choosing, has become a sanctuary for her when life feels too predictable.

“I feel like because so much of my everyday stuff is very analytical, like strict, rigid stuff,” Thompson said. “Being able to be on my podcast is definitely a creative outlet for my time.”

Thompson has talked about the history of Anastasia Romanov, a Grand Duchess of Russia who inspired the Disney movie “Anastasia.” Other subjects have included her dating “icks,” death row meal and even her experiences having divorced parents.

“My favorite episode is definitely ‘these habits changed my life,’” Reibenstein said. “I am huge into self-improvement, not just on the physical but emotional and spiritual levels, and it was enlightening to hear what she (Thompson) is prioritizing and why.”

Thompson said her favorite episode to record was ‘falling behind and dating apps,’ an early episode where she discusses comparing her life to others.

“That week I recorded that episode, I found out about three more people from my high school have become engaged,” Thompson said. “I was in the heavy headspace where I was comparing my track of life to anyone else.”

Despite her initial apprehensions, Thompson’s podcast has garnered a dedicated following, spanning various age groups and including friends and acquaintances, some of whom find themselves in the same situations.

“I had so many people that reached out to me, like friends who listen to it, and say it was so reaffirming to hear someone else in the same boat,” Thompson said. “I thought I was the only one in my space of life … then it turns out, I’m not, like there’s other people in the same boat.”

As she prepares to graduate, Thompson urges other students to prioritize self-care and authenticity.

“Try not to put so much pressure on yourself for a multitude of reasons,” Thompson said. “The world is going to keep on turning. Life is going to keep moving. Do what makes you happy; cut out what doesn’t make you happy.”

to continue extracurriculars in college, so he joined Shocker Sound Machine for Wichita State during his freshman year and will perform until his graduation in May.

“I was skeptical at first, but after going throughout the years, it is really fun to do,” Jay said.

In addition to marching band, Jay plays two intramural sports, basketball and softball, with some of the band members of Shocker Sound Machine.

“Imagining band kids playing sports … is not the best,” Jay said jokingly.

After graduation, Jay said he hopes to put the short films and

work he has done in school in film festivals to showcase all he’s learned in his four years at WSU.

“I am hoping to go somewhere in Texas because that is where there are bigger opportunities,” Jay said.

While his childhood dream was to work at Disney, as he got older, Jay realized his ideals didn’t align with the company. Jay said he wouldn’t mind working at Netflix, Amazon, Adult Swim or even the gaming industry.

“I would like to just go into the movies, look at the credits and see my name,” Jay said. “I think that is my goal now.”

JAPAN FESTIVAL

Members of Asian Student Conference dance perform traditional Yosakoi Dance at Japan Fest. The Japan Festival was held on the second floor of the RSC on April 26 and featured traditional Japanese dance and an assortment of activities. | Photos by Monique Bever / The Sunflower

Students showcase traditional Japanese swordmanship at Japan Fest.

Takoda Jay, an animation major, works on his coursework. He also does intramural sports and plays for the Shocker Sound Machine. | Photo by Brianna Cook / The Sunflower

ASHLEY THOMPSON Math major

Creative writing student explores self-identity as drag artist

BY LOREN AMELUNKE

Trey Freund says he dreams of being a tenured English professor by day and a drag queen by night.

“I want to do a manifesto of ‘what does queerness look like as an expression?’” he said.

His published works touch on themes of queer identity, religious imagery, home in the Midwest, Hispanic identity and self-discovery.

But there’s still one he has yet to publish: a more than 50-page chapbook with paintings, photographs and his writing. It was an in-class assignment for which he created a more than 50-page

“I just kind of pushed it to the max, and I want to keep doing that,” he said.

His in-class writing caught the attention of assistant English professor Katie Lanning. She said she had assumed by the quality of his work that he was a senior, and she wanted to recommend him for WSU’s English master’s program. At the time, it was only Freund’s freshman year.

Now, Freund is finishing his final year as an undergraduate creative writing student while simultaneously working on his master’s in English Literature.

“He’s not, you know, waiting around for opportunities … Trey goes out and finds the opportunities,” Lanning said.

Freund performs in drag shows on Sundays at XY Bar, a local gay bar. He said he’s been brainstorming ways to incorporate his writing onstage.

One of Freund’s role models, modern poet Paul Tran, performs their writing with choreography. Freund said he loved the idea.

“You're taking your work and going, ‘How do I push this further? What more can I do that hasn't been done with this?’” Freund said.

Freund — known as “imele format” at shows — spends so much money on creative props to make his show better that he doesn’t make a profit from the gig itself. But he said it’s worth it because the second he starts getting ready for one of his shows, it brings him closer to himself.

“It's such an intimate gesture of, like, your own creation,” he said. “It's like, how do you go about your own genesis?”

Freund said he “paints a

heavy mug,” which is why he calls himself the “mug queen of the city.” He says his heavy drag makeup is a stark contrast to the more introverted presence he brings in an academic setting.

“I’m a completely different person,” he said. “It's a lot easier to just relax and go crazy, and do flips and … do performances where people just celebrate you for being there.”

Freund said his drag shows are meaningful to him because they are a performance of himself as a person.

“I love the expression of self through that (drag),” Freund said. “The art of being able to recreate yourself in any way that you want to is so precious to me.”

He said one self-identity struggle he feels as a queer

person is the pressure “to become accessible, and filtered and be malleable to a society that doesn't necessarily care if we fit in or not.”

Freund’s favorite literary resource, “Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity” by José Esteban Muñoz, explores how queerness would be able to manifest in an accepting society and what building that society would look like.

Freund wants to write a criticism of Muñoz’s text for his dissertation when he graduates with his master’s next year.

“I’ve never seen … a drag artist that has a tenured professor track job,” he said. “And I think I want to be that vision for other people and show … it’s not fantasy.”

‘Soul work’: One of first to graduate with acting degree looks to future

Midwest? Nowhere.”

BY MIA HENNEN editor@thesunflower.com

acting; the university didn’t even have the major at that point.

It took Auryona Webb some time to figure out she wanted to — or even could — be an actor. She began her journey into performing and digital arts in high school, starting in a choir before being asked to help the theater department in her junior and senior years. This switch “hooked” Webb.

“I did (theater) shows those last two years, and it was like, ‘I might be onto something,’” Webb said. “Because for some reason, my brain didn’t connect the idea that I could be an actor as a viable career.”

When Webb got to Wichita State as a game design major, she still hadn’t decided on pursuing

“I was going to be a character artist,” Webb said. “And then once the acting for digital arts program came out, like officially debuted, I was like, ‘It’s a sign, surely.’”

Nearing the end of her final semester at Wichita State, Webb will be the first of two students to graduate with a bachelor’s in acting for digital arts, which focuses on teaching students acting skills in the video game, film or recording industry.

The soon-to-be graduate said much of her class time is spent at Shocker Studios, attached to WSU Tech.

“It’s really a project-based degree path,” Webb said. “Half of it’s not even, like, learning how to do it. It’s just, ‘Here’s a project, go.’”

Throughout her time as a student, Webb has dabbled in various areas of the arts.

Some notable projects include doing voice acting for Tanganyika Wildlife Park and Vizling, an app that aids visually impaired people with reading comics.

Webb has also done plenty of other work involving game design, motion capture and more.

“Auryona was one of those students that she came in, and she really kind of took the bull by the horns when it came to what she wanted to get out of her education,” Shocker Studios Director Justin Rorabaugh said. “And I saw her do that at a voracious rate.”

Webb said she is motivated by “having the opportunity to learn something that, one, I wouldn’t be able to afford, and two, wouldn’t know where to begin.”

“I’ve been doing projects to really test if this is what I want to do,” Webb said. “I mean, where else can you get training for motion capture work in the

COMMUNITY

Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Webb said it was a “culture shock” coming to Wichita State.

“For a long time, when I was down there, I was the only African American woman,” Webb said. “So it was strange coming to Wichita State, which is a PWI (predominately white institution).”

Despite this, Webb said the environment was “welcoming.”

“The community down there (at Shocker Studios) — because it’s so small and tight-knit — it’s like a little family,” Webb said. “Especially with the acting classes, you see the same five people, and for a time, it was just the same three people.”

Molly Strickler, the only other student about to graduate with a bachelor’s in acting for digital arts, said she and Webb were often partners.

“We’ve definitely gotten close,

and she’s really fun to work with,” Strickler said.

Webb and Strickler said being one of the first students to graduate with a new degree comes with its challenges.

“Just in the three years I’ve been doing the program, they’ve already improved on things; they’ve gotten new faculty to teach things,” Webb said. “That’s what’s frustrating is that the opportunities are coming later, and we kind of missed it. So we’re getting the weakest version of the education.”

Webb said there can be pressure to perform at a level that validates the new program’s creations.

“If it fails, it’s like history dies with it,” Webb said.

Despite this, Webb said she and other acting majors are doing their best.

“We did it because we loved it,” Webb said. “Once it’s all over and done, we can make the faculty proud.”

Photo by Mia Hennen / The Sunflower

OPINION

How I found and left The Sunflower

BY TRINITY RAMM managing@thesunflower.com

During my isolated freshman year, my eyes darted around the wildly outdated myWSU homepage and landed on a curious blue link called “The Sunflower.”

I clicked on this link, which took me to the front page of The Sunflower’s website, and I saw this column resting at the top: “The Sunflower’s letter to recommend Jay Golden.” Within this column is a defense of former Wichita State President Jay Golden after his supposed resignation (more like firing).

The column itself was flanked on every side by stories of American Athletic Conference sports, College of Fine Arts productions and student government clashes. It was real news.

Now, I more than dabbled in high school journalism, but I could never write stories like these. I was too awkward and shy and certainly didn’t have the skills required.

Well, here I am four years later with two years at The Sunflower

under my belt after I finally mustered up the courage to fill out a staff application that I flirted with during my freshman and sophomore years. (I’ll also extend thanks to Dr. Fran Connor, for without his final push, I would have never stepped foot into Elliott Hall.)

What was only supposed to be a job writing movie reviews, a qualification that I so deeply harped upon during my interview (sorry, Jaycie), quickly snowballed into a phone call with our sports editor as I was boarding a plane back to Wichita from winter break in 2022.

What do you mean you want me to be the sports editor?

For that very rough semester at the sports desk, I am deeply apologetic to the Wichita sports community and grateful for the opportunity to overcome my own anxieties for the sake of the paper and to Madeline Bell, who was a rockstar photographer in my many times of need.

This past year as managing editor has been far better, and I’ve

Brown: I second guess a lot, but not The Sunflower

BY COURTNEY BROWN news@thesunflower.com

I’m the kind of person who overthinks everything. I’ll reread my article just one more time before submitting, and I once gave my editorin-chief whiplash when trying to nail a specific story detail.

That’s to say that I’m also overthinking this goodbye column,.

But I don’t question the time I’ve spent at The Sunflower, or even the lack of it.

I’d thought about joining before, though, as an incoming freshman. But I entered Wichita State during fall of 2020, when the campus was mostly empty. I decided against The Sunflower and instead focused on creative writing and working.

When sophomore year rolled around, the return of in-person classes meant learning to renavigate college. It was exhausting, and on the heels of an already draining freshman year, gave me a one-way ticket to burnout. But somehow, I started reading The Sunflower again that year. I’d always admired the newspaper, and I’d done journalism in high school, briefly. I’d loved it. As I picked up issues that spring, I don’t know what shifted, but suddenly, I wanted in.

Yeah, so that didn’t happen.

Not yet. I knew that it would be self-destruction to take on another responsibility when I was already struggling. Instead, I focused on myself, choosing to work on healthier habits that would probably make me sound too much like a “positive energy your problems away” guide — which, please no.

That doesn’t work. Instead, another year passed before I felt ready for the workload that comes with The Sunflower. I knew if I didn’t take the leap that I’d regret it.

So I did.

The Sunflower became my passion, and my first semester was amazing and grueling because of it. It was a lifeline, an anchor.

In a semester where my anxiety peaked, The Sunflower held me accountable. I had deadlines to make, articles to write, people counting on me.

I had a reason to keep going. And joining then felt right. I’d already honed my writing skills, and most importantly, the staffers around me were great. It was immensely gratifying to

finally learned that while I really like watching sports, I can’t stand to write about them.

If I could describe my time with The Sunflower with one morbid metaphor, it would be drowning in the deep end. And I’m thankful for that opportunity, too.

Because I couldn’t have been drowning with more talented, kind and wickedly funny people — Jaycie, Mia, Sascha, Thy, Natalie, Melanie and Kristy.

You all have had an impact on me that I will not be able to express in words years from now. Just know that I love you all, and I’m always rooting for you (even when it sounds like I’m not).

While I’m probably still too 3 a.m. infomercial for The Sunflower’s Sunday night, HBO primetime status, I deeply encourage you, reader, to take chances on yourself, even if you never quite fit the status.

They say journalism is a calling, and here I am, hanging up the phone again.

Yet it still rings.

receive genuine critical feedback on my stories. Mia, the editor-in-chief, is an incredible journalist, and their editing skills sharpened my writing and pushed me to improve.

Not only that, but Mia and Jaycie, the then editor-in-chief, acknowledged my work ethic, too. I felt valued. Seen. And whenever I was included into a conversation after hovering awkwardly nearby (thanks, Mia) or given a compliment on my positivity (that one’s on Sascha), I felt accepted for me.

I still feel that way.

In the fall of 2023, I was thrilled to become news editor and not only become more involved in something I loved so deeply, but be around staff more.

This past year, I’ve spent more time in the newsroom in Elliott Hall than anywhere on campus. The haze of exhausting weeks and stressful work nights has also been filled with so much joy because of the people here.

I’ve gotten overly excited and way too loud, or become vulnerable or panicked over a story — and way too loud. But with The Sunflower staff, there’s been nothing but acceptance.

The Sunflower is more than just work experience on my resume or awards I’ve won. I genuinely love journalism, and I’ve been ecstatic to dig into topics I find interesting and honored to hear moving, personal stories from students.

Thank you to Jaycie for hiring me, running The Sunflower so smoothly and driving me to the Kansas Collegiate Media Conference.

Thank you to Mia for being a wonderful editor-in-chief and friend. I truly think I came to The Sunflower at the right time to be under your leadership, and I’ve appreciated how you’ve supported me through every sto.

Thank you, Allison, for being my fellow news editor and the other half of our collective brain. Thank you for tagteaming with me on news events and late SGA meetings, for our wonderful discussions that never last long enough and for all your support.

Thank you to the many people who make The Sunflower so wonderful: Melanie, Sascha, Trinity, Thy, Garima, Kristy, Salsabila, Jacob and so many others.

I might be an overthinker, but I’ll never doubt the time I’ve spent at The Sunflower — not when the people here have made each hectic news week worth it.

Rivera-Cortez: You are in the room because you belong there

BY MELANIE RIVERA-CORTEZ sports@thesunflower.com

After almost three years of writing for The Sunflower, I have done everything from covering news and sports to writing opinion pieces and reviews and even taking an occasional arts and culture story. I am finally writing about something that I have never covered: myself.

I worked for The Sunflower after being the editor-in-chief of my high school newspaper. When I first started at The Sunflower, though, I was nervous — terrified even.

The idea of writing for a bigger audience and talking to important people intimidated me. Through the mentorship of the editors and professors, I came to understand that I had a right to be in the room and ask questions.

By my second year working at The Sunflower, I understood the craft and learned to take chances. I was offered one of the greatest opportunities to date by my teacher and mentor Tom Shine to intern at KMUW. Despite not thinking I was good enough, I took the chance to learn a new medium: radio.

At KMUW, I worked on Radio Real, KMUW’s Spanish newscast. Within my first week, I was already voicing cuts. After spending almost a year there, I decided that I wanted to focus on school and my work with The Sunflower.

In my final year, I applied to be the sports editor, still thinking I was not good enough. Alongside my support system and the current editor-inchief Mia Hennen, I grew to understand that I did not have to be perfect. As long as I put in the work, good things would

come my way.

My time in college as a first-generation Latina student did not always go the way it was supposed to. I always felt like I was not enough because, most of the time, I was the only person of color in the room. In some press conferences, I was the only woman.

My advice to those who feel the same way is that you are not alone. Your feelings are valid, but they should not limit you. You are in the room because you belong there.

Being a journalism and media production major and The Sunflower opened so many doors for me and allowed me to grow not only as a journalist but also as a person.

Growing up in a not-so-nice area of Los Angeles, I could have never imagined myself actually attending college or even as the sports editor for an award-winning collegiate newspaper. But I held on to my dream of being a journalist, and I advise the same for everyone out there having doubts.

Hold on to your dream and work to perfect your craft. You will surprise yourself with what you are capable of.

My time as the sports editor has felt like an entire lifetime, but I feel bittersweet now that it is coming to a close.

I’m going to miss the Wednesday night production delusions and jokes, the late night basketball press conferences, the long softball doubleheaders and, most of all, my fellow editors who have really seen me at my best and worst.

To current and future members of The Sunflower, take chances. Don’t sit in what’s comfortable. It can be easy

to sit with what you know, but in taking chances, you are opening yourself to new experiences. Take pride in the work you do and know that you are still a student and still growing.

I want to thank Amy DeVault for not only being a great adviser but for being a great friend. Thank you for hearing me out when I was stressed, nervous or even crying in your office. Your love for journalism has inspired me to keep asking questions.

To Debra Fraser and the entire KMUW staff, thank you for taking a chance on me and mentoring me along the way. Thank you for letting me teach you Gen Z slang.

I also want to thank Lindsay Smith and Mia Hennen. Lindsay, thank you for hiring me and giving some really good advice about life postgrad. Thank you, Mia, you are definitely one of the most cool, calm and collected people I know, and I aspire to be like you. Thank you for hearing me out when I was concerned and needed advice and also for listening to my crazy dreams.

I want to thank Kristy Mace, the current photo editor, for sitting with me through long sporting events and tag-teaming with me during game days. You grounded me in moments of need and always encouraged me to ask questions even when we were both exhausted. Who would have thought we would have become so close by spending so many hours together?

Last but not least, I want to thank every person I have interviewed. Thank you for letting me tell your story. Now, it’s time to explore mine.

TRINITY RAMM

MELANIE RIVERA-CORTEZ

COURTNEY BROWN

‘Dark

Piper Pinnetti

piperpinnetti12@gmail.com REVIEW

Cigarettes After Sex, the ethereal indie band led by Greg Gonzalez, has once again graced our playlists with the band’s latest single, “Dark Vacay.” This track serves as the second glimpse into their forthcoming studio album, “X’s,” (like exes, get it?) slated for release on July 12.

The band previously teased their project by releasing “Tejano Blue” in February. While that track focused on Texas adventures, “Dark Vacay” unfolds like a dreamy summer reverie. The reflection is tinged with the bittersweet memories of a past romance.

Gonzalez lyrically navigates through the haze of selfdestructive behaviors intertwined with moments of euphoria. This is all set against the backdrop of European escapades, specifically in the enchanting streets of Prague.

As Gonzalez reminisces on the whirlwind tour with an ex-lover, the song encapsulates the paradoxical blend of exhilaration and negative emotions.

Despite the melancholic undertones, “Dark Vacay’’ retains the signature atmospheric sound that has become synonymous with Cigarettes After Sex. The undertones do not stop it from being a comforting song from one of my favorite bands. They successfully distract from some of the darker themes with a dreamy background melody for me to get lost in.

Gonzalez’s hushed vocals intertwine seamlessly with the guitar chords, crafting sonic landscapes that are both introspective and hauntingly beautiful.

While some listeners may find familiarity in the band’s sonic palette, others appreciate the subtle nuances that breathes new life into their evolving sound.

The inclusion of the lyric “We don’t need Brazzers” felt weird and unnecessary for the song, especially with the direction in the storytelling. But as I listened to it more, it felt like the casual sexual innuendo had a deeper meaning.

Someone who goes on that site is looking to disconnect from reality and immerse themselves in that world. The song continues with “Feel the world around you.” He is saying — likely specifically in this relationship — to stay in touch with your reality and that they also probably do not need the site.

This song is so classically Cigarettes After Sex.

The band repeats their typical innuendos at random and sporadic times throughout their lyrics while still creating a track with dreamy, spaced-out background music.

“Dark Vacay” offers a narrative rich with imagery in the lyrics as well as symbolism. References to previous tracks, such as “Pistol,” add depth to the lyrical landscape, creating a cohesive narrative thread that binds the body of work together.

At this point in the song we have heard about the growing relationship of the singer with a romantic partner during a tour. He advises to “Feel the world around you,” by which he means to stay in reality and appreciate the little moments presented before them before it is over.

The track concludes with a reminder of the transient nature of relationships as the couple’s romance whirlwind comes crashing down in the song’s outro, “Crash and fall.”

Amidst the wreckage is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of heartache.

As Cigarettes After Sex continues to tease their upcoming album, “X’s” with “Dark Vacay,” one thing is certain: their ability to capture the complexities of love and loss in a sonically mesmerizing way remains unparalleled. Their years without releasing an album seems to be worth the wait so far.

Melanie Rivera-Cortez sports@thesunflower.com REVIEW

Grammy-award-winning artist Taylor Swift released her latest album, “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” just a little more than a week ago, and sitting with the standard 16-track album had me bawling in my bed past midnight. The tragedy Swift writes about is that of understanding what loss is and how she coped with it.

After she ended her six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn, Swift jumped into a new one almost immediately, but it was still not enough — she knew what she wanted from a relationship and ignored red flags.

After the release of her standard album version at midnight Eastern time, on an Instagram post, she said, “Once we have spoken out saddest story, we can be free of it.” As I clicked “like” that’s when I knew I was in for an emotional rollercoaster.

After the initial release, though, fans quickly realized there was a secret countdown on her Instagram that led up to 2 a.m.

At 2 a.m., after my eyes were dry from listening to songs like “So Long, London” and “loml,” Swift released “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY.” Little did I know that the tears would return, and I would have to apply eye drops. Regardless, I had to power through.

After a 40-minute timeout, I went back in to listen to the album’s deluxe version. Just a few minutes in, I felt like I was drained — it could have been because it was almost 3 a.m. when I finished listening.

I knew from listening to the deluxe album’s first new song, “The Black Dog,” that I was going to need another box of tissues. In the deluxe version of the album, she left no stone unturned and showed all the ugly that she herself brings to a relationship, something that made this album deeply human.

Sonically, the album and

its deluxe version sound like the product of past albums “Midnights” and “evermore,” which makes sense as she collaborated with Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner once again.

With 31 songs, the album could have used some fine tuning. Some songs like “Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?” and “How Did It End?” are overwritten and ultimately fall flat.

Some of Swift’s more popular songs, such as “Look What You Made Me Do” from “reputation,” stand the test of time because the metaphors used in the song are simple and referenceable. Yet, in trying to sound like a deep-thinking writer, she uses long, drawn-out metaphors that confuse the listener.

“Peter,” sitting at almost five minutes, could have been trimmed down; Swift repeats the chorus over and over again for the entire last minute. Despite the

song meeting expectations in the bridge, she stales it by overwriting it and ruining it in its entirety.

Now, enough of the hating, let me get into some of the top tracks. “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” is my favorite song on the album. The only bubble gum pop track on the record, the song addresses the sadness Swift felt at the start of the Eras Tour when it had not yet been revealed that she and ex Joe Alwyn had broken up, with the standout lyric being “I am so depressed, I act like it’s my birthday every day.” This song is the older sister of “Bejeweled” from “Midnights,” with its fresh and fun feel with heartbreaking lyrics.

Upon a first listen, the album did not deliver until I got to track four, “Down Bad.” The track explores the narrator’s desire to go back to a partner who had previously abandoned her.

Swift uses the metaphor of

being abducted by aliens and the idea of being introduced to a whole new galaxy, but ultimately, her partner takes her back to where she was, “Crying at the gym.” Swift is known for her breakup songs — this is the breakup song of her latest era.

While listening to the album, in order for the first time, “The Bolter” was the break I needed to recover from the piano and was served with a guitar melody that builds as the song progresses. The powerful ballad explores the difficulties of escaping destructive relationships and the addiction to toxic patterns within a relationship with a romantic partner.

Despite not being her strongest work of art, like “folklore,” or sonically, like “1989,” I clapped and cheered for what it was — a sad retelling of what love is and is not because the story is not her’s anymore — it’s mine.

Sabrina Carpenter caffeinates us for another hot girl summer

Piper Pinnetti piperpinnetti12@gmail.com REVIEW

A blond barista with vocal talent and bright pink blush brewed a hot cup of espresso to share with her fanbase. Sweet and fun, the drink keeps them up all night — singing, obviously.

Singer and actor Sabrina Carpenter released her hit single “Espresso” after opening for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and performing at Coachella recently. To say she’s been “busy” is an understatement.

“Espresso” definitely helped her through this, and now she is savoring her main character moment.

The single dropped on Friday, April 11 and by the next day, her fans buzzed around the single like bees around a honey latte. It had over 1.5 million listens on Spotify within 24 hours. It was on top charts immediately, currently residing in the USA top 50 Spotify playlist.

Carpenter’s single is bound to be a summer hit, considering its rising popularity over just the first weekend.

In the chorus, Carpenter sings, “Now he’s thinkin’ ‘bout me every night, oh / Is it that sweet? I guess so / Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know / That’s that me, espresso / Move it up, down, left, right, oh / Switch it up like Nintendo,” stirring playful charm with caffeinated energy.

The song is infused with Carpenter’s signature attitude and confidence. The lyrics read, “I can’t relate to desperation / My ‘give a fucks’ are on vacation,” before adding some fun wordplay; “Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya / I know I Mountain Dew it for ya.”

The lyrical brew gives a powerful Megan Thee Stallion “Her” vibe with a delightful blend of humorous lyrics and girly-pop beats. Discussing the genesis of “Espresso” with Apple Music, Carpenter revealed its French origins and the thought process behind her work.

“There was something really exciting about the fact that there was so much personality throughout the entire song,” Carpenter said. “Because those are the ones that are really, really fun to sing live with a crowd.” Carpenter performed the second week of Coachella on April 19. She was at the Coachella stage where she made her usual funny “nonsense” outros, and also made some cheeky “Saltburn” references nodding to her boyfriend and actor in the film, Barry Keoghan. WSU junior Yarid Pizarro packed up with seven friends and traveled to Coachella for the

second year in a row and saw her performance live.

“This was my first time seeing her live, and you can see how much of a presence she has,” Pizarro said. “She knows her way around a crowd and how to maximize her performance as a pop artist.”

The group watched from the middle area of audience at the music festival. They saw her hit songs like 2023’s “Feather” and “Espresso.”

“Her set up with the ‘improv’ choreography was cute,” Pizarro said. “Sabrina knows her place as a pop girl, not a vocalist or a choreographer, but a pop girl.” Pizarro said she delivered to the hefty weight of performing on the main stage of Coachella.

“I thought her whole performance was great,” he said. “She and her team milked the hell out of this opportunity.”

Carpenter further poured into the meanings and connections she has with the new track in an interview with Vogue.

“The song is kind of about seeing femininity as your superpower and embracing the confidence of being that bitch,” Carpenter said. Between the addicting, bubbly lyrics and empowering message, I am caffeinated and ready for the summer time.

If you need me this summer, don’t reach out. I will be sprawled on a beach towel blasting “Espresso” with a silly iced coffee in my hand in celebration of yet another hot girl summer.

Photo courtesy of Taylor Swift

Photo courtesy of Island Records

Softball’s Kristi Bredbenner reflects on coaching, changing the culture

BY MELANIE RIVERA-CORTEZ sports@thesunflower.com

When head coach Kristi Bredbenner was a little girl, she played many sports but found that softball was the perfect fit for her.

“I wasn’t gifted with speed, and it was a sport that allowed me to hit the ball over the fence and not have to use my speed,” Bredbenner said. She played travel ball before committing to Truman State University in Missouri, where she was named a four-time AllMIAA pick, two-time Division II All-American, and MVP of the conference in 2000.

In her fifth year with the Bulldogs, she helped coach the team after head coach Kristi Schroeder left. Bredbenner said the administration felt comfortable with her leading practices and gave her the position of head coach for the year after a failed open search.

“I fell in love with coaching, and (I) was originally going to do something in the business world and ended up deciding that coaching was what I wanted to do,” Bredbenner said.

Bredbenner was an assistant coach at UC Santa Barbara before becoming the head coach at Emporia State University.

She said coaching a Division II school is not substantially different from coaching a Division I school;

both revolve around the fundamentals and foundation to help players get better at the game.

Bredbenner joined Wichita State for its 2012 campaign, taking over a young team in a season that saw many injuries. She said when she first arrived, she worked on changing the culture of the team.

“I think the biggest thing … was just working and getting the athletes to buy into the fact that they could be good enough,” Bredbenner said. “I think we started off when we first got here with much more of a disciplinarian like, ‘Hey, we’re going to do all the little things right.’”

Getting the little things right meant changing the way players dressed, acted, practiced and how they went to school. Bredbenner said that although the changes seemed like a lot at the time, she thought that it would create an expectation level that the players could meet.

“The first couple years were tough,” Bredbenner said. “The kids worked really hard, but we didn’t see a ton of results. And you know, it was just more getting the kids to believe in being winners.”

In her first three years at Wichita State, Bredbenner took the Shockers from a 15-40 record in 2012 to 34-21 in 2014, winning the American Athletic Conference regular season title for the first time in program history.

Bredbenner said she has gotten less strict with the players over time, something she attributes to the hard work she put in in her early years. She said in the first six years, she personally handled conditioning the players because there was no one else to do it.

“We were in great shape, and that was a part of the area to me where we worked hard, and we took pride in it and kind of weeded out the kids that didn’t want to put the time and effort into being in good shape,” Bredbenner said.

She said she has not changed much in her expectation level but thinks that veteran players have done a great job of teaching the younger players that when “Coach B yells,” it’s coming from a place of teaching and learning.

“I think that we have a very close-knit team that has really learned to pick each other up, and they know at the end of the day that their coaching staff’s fighting as hard as they possibly can for them,” Bredbenner said.

Redshirt senior Madyson Espinosa said that fans do not get to see Bredbenner’s soft side and how much she cares for her players’ mental health outside of the field.

“She’s never somebody that is going to give up on you,” Espinosa said.

Espinosa said Bredbenner will be first to tell a player to “pick it

up,” but also the first person to praise the player as well. Espinosa said players have to pay their dues and respect to the success Bredbenner has brought to Wichita State.

“She’s really changed the whole thing around,” Espinosa said. “I really don’t see Shocker softball without Coach B. I think that the reason we have become so successful is because she is a great person on and off the field.”

Bredbenner said that although she has received offers from different schools, she loves the City of Wichita and Wichita State.

“The people in the community are very involved in Wichita State; they want to see it be really successful, and so if you’ve been a sport that has had success. They really make you feel special,” Bredbenner said. “And it’s that piece of it to me from the community aspect of. It’s really hard to walk away from.”

She said she loves her staff and student-athletes and thinks Wichita State is a great fit for her.

“When something’s a really good fit, maybe the opportunities that come along sound really good,” Bredbenner said. “But when you start to dig deep, you (have) got to do what’s best for you professionally and personally, and I just haven’t had that opportunity yet; Wichita State’s been able to beat them out in many different areas.”

Women’s bowling wins 11th national title

BY MELANIE RIVERA-CORTEZ sports@thesunflower.com

Wichita State women’s bowling exited the intercollegiate level with a televised final win at the Intercollegiate Team Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. Last week, the team added its 11th national title to its collection before transitioning to the NCAA later this year.

Wichita State won four straight matches before facing off against Jacksonville State in the final round. The Jacksonville State Gamecocks won the NCAA championship a week before the matchup.

Wichita State did not disappoint, winning its first two games in a best-of-five series. Jacksonville State fought back, winning the next two matches to tie the series, 2-2.

The decisive fifth match was a walk in the park for the Shockers, who made nine straight strikes to lift the Helmer Cup and win its 11th national title, 264-199.

Head coach Holly Harris said despite not having any children of her own, she felt like a “proud mom” to the team.

“They just worked so hard and to see them be rewarded was really cool and gratifying,” Harris said. “We went to tournaments, and they won one of them in kind of a pretty, like, back and forth way and to watch them just snowball from that to the national tournament

was just special.” Despite having a great spring season, Harris said she internally questioned whether the group would win a national title.

“I would say the first month of team practice, if you would have asked me if we were going to win, there would have been a lot of hesitation in my answer,” Harris said.

In December 2023, women’s bowling won the Las Vegas Invitational. Harris said she saw a huge confidence shift with the win as the team progressively improved.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re down in a match or up in a match, they bought into the idea of just being present and just focusing on the next good shot,” Harris said.

Senior bowler Mary Orf said the team said the team did not click at the beginning of the season, but as the year progressed they got to show out on and off the lanes.

“I think ... the more we got to know each other and got to be like goofy around each other and the more we got to hang out — it’s just that that’s really what brought us together,” Orf said. “(It) didn’t really fall on one person; we all just did it together.”

During the tournament, Orf said the team primarily focused on visualizing a victory. She said through visualizing, she was able to focus on the glory of a win and it ultimately booster her confidence.

Orf was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament, something she said she was not expecting.

“I thought it was a surprise,” Orf said. “I didn’t really care what I did, as long as we did it together.”

Harris said Orf’s experience of playing in a national tournament before has only let her grow and know what works for her.

A standout, freshman Sarah Duque won the individual national championship. Less than 90 minutes after winning, Duque had to make a shift and focus on the team match.

“That’s really hard for anybody to be on that sort of cloud nine and

Baseball blown out in two road midweek games

BY OWEN PROTHRO owenprothro@gmail.com

Wichita State baseball played two road games over the weekend, losing both by wide margins.

TUESDAY

For the first time since the 2001 season, Wichita State baseball allowed more than 20 runs during its road loss on Tuesday against No. 14 ranked Oklahoma State University, 21-6, with the game being decided in the seventh inning by run rule.

The last time the Shockers gave up more than 20 runs was on April 14, 2001, in a 23-7 loss against Indiana State University. The last time Wichita State lost by 15 runs was on April 6, 2018, against Tulane University, 19-4. The No. 14-ranked Cowboys’ record improved to 30-14 overall. Oklahoma State came out swinging, piling on 11 of its 21 runs in the first inning.

After the Cowboys managed two runs in the second inning and three more in the third, the Shockers found life in the fourth as junior Derek Williams sent a solo shot over the left-field fence to make the score 15-1.

Wichita State scored four in the fifth inning, but Oklahoma State brought its lead back to 15 runs in its half of the fifth, sending two home runs over the fence to make it 20-5.

The Cowboys scored another run in the sixth and Wichita State responded with one in the seventh to decide the final score.

Sophomore Daniel Zang earned his fourth loss of the season on the mound, giving up six runs in ⅓-innings pitched. All five Shocker pitchers gave up a run during the game.

Durnin and Williams each hit 2-for-3, and Rogers hit 1-for-3 with his RBI double. Durnin nabbed three RBIs on a double and a home run, and Williams added two RBIs and a home run to his season totals.

WEDNESDAY

Wichita State’s baseball team traveled to Lawrence, Kansas, and met a flock of Jayhawks during an 8-1 loss against the University of Kansas. The loss against the Jayhawks is the 10th straight loss on the road for the Shockers this season.

Wichita State dropped to 22-25 overall. Kansas’ record improved to 26-15 overall.

The game was scoreless until the fourth inning, when the Jayhawks took a 3-0 lead.

Kansas scored another run in its half of the sixth inning to make the score 4-0. In the seventh, the Jayhawks tacked on its last four runs with the help of a three-RBI home run.

just have to boom switch it over to a new competition,” Harris said.

Harris said while the transition to the NCAA is a “really cool,” the players did not think of the tournament as their last in intercollegiate.

“It’s really just been the norm for us for so many years,” Harris said. “We’ve been to that national tournament 49 times.”

Harris said the win gave the team more confidence as they prepare to transition to the NCAA on July 1.

“We’re not just a club team joining an NCAA program,” Harris said. “We’re an elite-level team, and we’re here to compete.”

During the ninth, Wichita State scored its only run to decide the final score. Redshirt junior Jordan Rogers led off the ninth inning with a triple to left field, and senior Dayvin Johnson drove in Rogers on a sacrifice flyout. The Shockers hit 3-for-29, an average of .103 against Kansas, a season-low in hits.

Wichita State baseball will round out its five-game road trip with a series over the weekend at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The first pitch is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m.

Softball head coach Kristi Bredbenner makes a short appearance as she walks through the Tailgate Party in April 2023. |

Photo by Madeline Bell / The Sunflower

Freshman Camden Johnson slides into third base against KU on April 3. | Photo by Bryan Chavez / The Sunflower

The Wichita State women’s bowling team poses with their Intercollegiate Team Chamipionships national title trophy. | Photo courtesy of Wichita State Athletics

Track and field sees weekend successes at Drake and KSU

BY TALIYAH WINN

tmwinn03@gmail.com

Nearing the end of their season, the Shockers set seasonbests with multiple wins at the Ward Haylett Invitational at Kansas State University and season-bests at the Drake Relays. DRAKE

On Thursday, four Wichita State runners traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, and returned with four season-bests. In the women’s 3000-meter steeplechase, juniors Jenna Muma and Miranda Dick placed 21st at 10:53:25 and 22nd at 10:53:33, respectively. Junior Lucy Ndungu placed 21st in the women’s 5000-meter race with a time of 16:29.17. In the men’s 5000-meter, Adam Rzentkowski got 14th at 14:31.75.

WARD HAYLETT INVITATIONAL

In a two-day tournament, Shockers at the Ward Haylett Invitational won multiple categories. Freshman Josh Parrish won the men’s long jump with a height of 7.58m/24’8.5”. In the women’s pole vault, sophomore Arantxa Cortez got second at 3.91m, qualifying for the U23 South American Championships.

Junior Chidera Okoro won the triple jump with a height of 12.39m/40’7.75”, a personal best; she also won the long jump with a distance of 5.88m/19’3.5”.

Shockers Open, the senior day meet, is May 3 in Cessna Stadium; it will be the last home meet of the season.

The team will then go to San Antonio, Texas, for the AAC Outdoor Championships.

Wichita State alum Andy Sykes ‘amplifies’ health

and wellness on individual level

BY MELANIE RIVERA-CORTEZ sports@thesunflower.com

Andy Sykes, Wichita State adjunct professor for human performance studies and a previous associate director of the Heskett Center, stepped way from his university duties to focus on his new training business, Amplify My Training.

“I’ve decided to step away in the last year (and) I developed Amplify, which is my new training company and it is exactly that, a training center that covers everything from athletics to rehab,” Sykes said.

His dream of starting a training company began before the COVID19 pandemic when he began gathering equipment into his garage gym and inviting friends to work out with him.

Sykes said he is sad he has to leave teaching but is excited to put all his effort into his business. He said trying to manage eight hour days, going home, preparing lectures and trying to start a business all at the same time was difficult.

“It’s exhausting, and so I think my work life balance is going to improve, my health is going to improve, but just this the stress level is going to be more manageable and I’m excited for that,” Sykes said.

When coming up for a name and logo for the business, Sykes commissioned a student who he had worked with that was majoring in graphic design. He said he wanted to include a curve known as the supercompensation curve.

“So basically its where training

stimulus happens, fatigue happens and recovery happens to a point that’s higher than your initial training stimulus, so it’s about growth and development,” Sykes said.

He taught sports nutrition and strength conditioning at Wichita State, but is also a member of the coaching staff for the Shocker bowling and rowing teams, training athletes three times a week.

“My role there is making sure they don’t get injured,” Sykes said. “It’s making them be stronger, fitter, healthier and move correctly. “Being able to make sure that they move correctly so that they can create good vvv is foundational to what I do with them.”

Sykes’ involvement with Wichita State began when he moved from England to be a part of Wichita State’s bowling team in 2010.

He pursued a degree in exercise science and got his master’s in exercise physiology. During the completion of his master’s, he was asked to teach for his graduate assistantship.

“We come to college to be improved and become more educated, and I did the same and took on teaching opportunities,” Sykes said. “I’ve got to a point where I’m not growing anymore. and so I have to then take that step is to what is next for me to continue my growth.”

Sykes will continue to train the bowling and rowing teams but is saddened to leave his students.

He said because he’s been at

Wichita State for 10 years, he still interacts with past students who are doctors of chiropractoric or physical therapistsy.

“Now I get to collaborate with them and they’re more certified than I am; they’re more credentialed than me,” Sykes said. “They remember the way I treated them and the way that we interacted and it’s important that you always present your best self and be nice to people.”

Wichita State graduate Jerod Hromek was a member of the bowling team on campus, where he met Sykes.

Hromek connected with Sykes, wanting to elevate his training and strengthen his knee. He said he thought training at Amplify beat other competition because Sykes makes a catered plan for every member.

“When I’m training, I don’t want to think,” Hromek said. “Each plan is individualized (and) are not cookie cutter.”

Sykes also owns a supplement brand and opened a cafe at his gym over the weekend that serves clean healthy meals and protein smoothies.

He said the sky is the limit for Amplify and encourages everyone to give training a chance.

“Reach out and be part of it because it’s really cool. I already train deans and professors, retired faculty (who have) known me as they retired and they know the quality of what I pursue.”

Another guard transfer: Men’s basketball sign Justin Hill

BY JACOB UNRUH assistantsports@thesunflower.com

Wichita State men’s basketball beat out an offer from a Big 12 school to land senior guard Justin Hill from the University of Georgia.

Hill announced his intention to play out his final year of college eligibility for the Shockers on Monday afternoon, turning down an offer from the power-five school University of Utah.

A Houston, Texas, native, Hill played his first two seasons with Longwood University in Virginia. He transferred to Georgia before the 2022-23 season, starting in 13 games during his two years with the Bulldogs.

Hill functioned as a point guard last season, averaging 24 minutes, 9.5 points and 3.2 assists per game with only 1.5 turnovers. Hill also shot 33% from the 3-point line last season on 117 attempts, a percentage that would have ranked third on the Shockers last season behind the departed Colby Rogers and Isaac Abidde. Hill is the ninth guard on Wichita State’s 2024-25 roster and sixth senior.

He is the second player to transfer to the Shockers during this offseason, following junior guard A.J. McGinnis.

Only two scholarship players on the roster stand taller than 6’5: seniors Quincy Ballard and Ronnie DeGray III. Head coach Paul Mills has two scholarship spots that remain unfilled for next year’s roster and an extra walk-on spot.

According to The Wichita Eagle’s Taylor Eldridge, Saint Peter’s forward Corey Washington and Longwood center Szymon Zapala are scheduled for recruiting visits to Wichita State next week.

Andy Sykes poses in front of his logo on April 26. | Photo by Bryan Chavez / The Sunflower HILL

Redshirt freshman Kinslee Stokely pole vaults on March 30. | Photo by Garima Thapa / The Sunflower

Outfielder Bailey ‘the softball player’ Urban overcomes adversity, injury in her last season

BY MELANIE RIVERA-CORTEZ sports@thesunflower.com

Inside Wilkins Stadium, Wichita State softball fans can see redshirt senior outfielder Bailey Urban wearing the number seven on her jersey and a brace on her right knee.

During her junior year, Urban had her best statistical season, starting 13 of 16 games and hitting .333 with three home runs, five doubles and 13 RBIs.

In a practice before a game against the University of Nebraska Omaha, Urban heard a haunting sound — a snap — Urban had torn her right ACL. The injury would sideline her with a ninemonth grueling recovery. Urban was no stranger to the recovery process as she had previously torn her ACL during her senior year of high school.

Having gone through recovery once, she contemplated if she even wanted to return to play her final year of eligibility. Ultimately, Urban decided to end her career on a high note.

“It was mostly just thinking about all this softball I’ve worked so hard (at) my whole life; it’s been everything I’ve done since I was 5 years old,” Urban said. “It was really important to me to try and end it on a positive.”

Urban said having a support system allowed her to not feel so alone in her recovery. She said

the coaching staff and teammates reassured her to take it one day at a time.

“Recovery takes nine months, and it can drag, and you can’t do a lot of things that you feel like you can do,” Urban said. “So having people behind you and saying a lot of reassuring things like that really helps; it really meant a lot.”

Her roommate and teammate, senior Madyson Espinosa, said it was admirable to see Urban return after facing adversity.

“I think it’s just amazing

that she’s able to just persevere through everything,” Espinosa said. “She considered not coming back and thank God she did because Shocker softball wouldn’t be the same without her.”

Head coach Kristi Bredbenner said Urban’s confidence and desire to play was the culmination of her comeback of the previous season.

“Her best years are going to be her last year because of all the work that she’s put in, and so I just think that she’s persevered,

Softball drops two

games against North Texas

BY MELANIE RIVERA-CORTEZ sports@thesunflower.com

and if anything, she’s an inspiration,” Bredbenner said.

Urban will graduate this spring with a degree in accounting and has begun to think about life outside of softball. With a potential job and lease lined up, Urban, better known to her family as “Bailey, the softball player,” said the change and transition will be “weird.”

“I’ll have to kind of figure out who I am as a person instead of as a softball player,” Urban said.

Pitcher looks back on three years of WSU baseball

BY AINSLEY SMYTH

ainsley.smyth3@gmail.com

Nate Adler describes himself as “a big family guy,” something that got him to where he is today.

“(I’ve) got a big family,” he said. “All of us played sports growing up. So sports have always been a big portion of my life.” Adler is a senior relief pitcher for Wichita State baseball in his final year of eligibility. He said what he loves about his role on the team is how it brings out his competitive side.

“Being a pitcher, it’s always you versus the hitter,” he said. “It’s always fun when you can strike them out or just get them to look dumb on a pitch.”

Adler has served as Wichita State’s primary closer this season, pitching 21 ⅓ innings with a 2.53 ERA and five saves.

“He’s been one of our most important pitchers this season,” head coach Brian Green said.

Growing up in Andover, Kansas, Adler said he dreamed of playing DI baseball. Now, it’s a dream come true that he doesn’t take for granted.

“Seeing myself in the mirror with the whole getup and being a WSU baseball player was kind of a revelation in a way,” he said.

“It was kind of like, ‘Oh, wow, I’m actually doing this right now.’”

On top of the hours he puts into baseball, the academic side of

Adler’s life is just as challenging.

Never one to shy away from a challenge on or off the field, Adler is majoring in aerospace engineering. It’s something Green said is rare in college baseball.

“There are some baseball programs that won’t have players (who) major in engineering because there’s too much time required,” Green said.

Adler handles the pressure and challenge of his program with determination and with a lot of support.

“It takes a village,” he said, adding that he works with professors and gets support from classmates to complete his degree around his demanding baseball schedule.

Adler said coming to the end of his WSU baseball career feels strange.

“I’ve spent a great portion of my life just trying to improve in one aspect,” he said. “And then in a month, that will most likely be done. That’s going to be a little hole that I have to fill.”

But Adler said he’s not too worried about filling his time. Between finishing his degree, working an internship and launching his new career, Adler still has plenty on his plate.

And, if all that isn’t enough, “I’ll probably just start lifting and playing golf all the time,” Adler said.

Computer engineering senior sets sights on career in the octagon

BY OWEN PROTHRO owenprothro@gmail.com

Tyrell “The H3ro” Burns is graduating this semester as a computer engineering major, utilizing his skills at Koch Industries in the Information Technologies department.

Despite this, Burns said he has another career path in sight outside of computer engineering.

Burns is an amateur mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and said his ultimate goal with MMA is to make it to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

“I think it’d be cool to make it to the UFC from Wichita,” Burns said. “The MMA scene in Wichita isn’t as grand as it is in other places, and I want to try to

I want to take this last semester just to be a college student “

Computer engineering major

shed some light on that by going to the UFC.”

As of now, Burns holds a 3-3 record in the cage, and according to Tapology, he is ranked No. 11 in Oklahoma, No. 25 in Kansas and Missouri, and No. 41 in the United States Southwest.

Burns has been training for four years, fighting for the last two, and said his coaches, Cody Bitler, David “Caveman” Rickels and Chris Harris have helped him achieve his success. “I met him (Harris) last

year,” Burns said. “He’s helped me elevate and learn more principles, learn more about my foundation of fundamentals, and overall, become a better fighter.”

Burns trains as a striker, employing boxing and kickboxing techniques.

He said his strong suit in the octagon is keeping his distance, making his opponent fight his fight and being open to whatever his opponent gives him.

Despite throwing punches and leg kicks, Burns won his matches by guillotine submission; he could put a choke hold around the front of his opponent’s neck and lock his legs around him, forcing his opponent to tap out.

“I was going against people that were strikers,” Burns said.

“And because I outstruck them, they wanted to shoot on me and try to engage in grappling, and that’s where I got the upper hand.”

Burns said he is improving his wrestling skills and jiujitsu bottom game, trying to get off the mat quicker.

“That’s the fault of my last couple of fights,” Burns said.

“Not getting up quick enough. Or being too comfortable on my back, trying to get a submission.”

Burns said he is taking a break from competitively fighting until after graduation.

“I want to take this last semester just to be a college student,” Burns said.

Wichita State softball traveled to the University of North Texas (UNT) to play a doubleheader on Friday and another game on Saturday. The Shockers lost both games in the doubleheader, 4-3 and 1-0, but managed to close out the series with a 6-0 win.

After the series, Wichita State sits at 13-11 in American Athletic Conference play and 22-21 overall. With the loss on Saturday, UNT has a 17-7 record in the conference.

GAME ONE

The action didn’t start until the bottom of the second when North Texas snatched the lead on a solo home run. In the third, two walks and a bunt loaded the bases, but the Mean Green only capitalized with one run, 2-0.

The starting pitcher for the Shockers, senior Lauren Howell, was relieved by sophomore Alex Aguilar to prevent further damage. She struck out the first batter to end the inning.

At the top of the fifth, Wichita State added to its lead with a two-out solo home run from junior Caroline Tallent, 2-1.

In the sixth inning, junior Krystin Nelson, graduate student CC Wong and senior Addison Barnard all hit singles to load the bases. A sac fly from sophomore Taylor Sedlacek tied the game, 2-2. Redshirt senior Bailey Urban then hit a single in the center to give the Shockers the lead, 3-2.

North Texas responded with a solo home run from Kailey Gamble to tie the game 3-3. Aguilar would hit her marks and strike out the next three hitters to send the game to an extra inning.

Junior Alison Cooper went in for Aguilar and sent the game into the ninth, where North Texas’ Molly Rainey hit a walk-off solo home run finished the game, 4-3.

GAME TWO

Freshman Chloe Barber pitched a stellar game with 14 strikeouts and one run on three hits and no walks.

She had a perfect game going into the fifth, where North Texas’ Mikayla Smith hit a one-out solo home run, 1-0.

Wichita State managed nine hits, all singles. The Shockers loaded the bases in the first two innings but did not manage to score.

GAME THREE

In the third game, Barber pitched a shutout, and three home runs from Sedlacek allowed Wichita State to run away with the win, 6-0.

Barber carried a no-hitter until the bottom of the fifth when backto-back singles broke it. The score remained blank until the third inning when three walks from Nelson, Wong and Barnard found the bases loaded. A 2-1 pitch allowed Nelson to score, and two pitches later, Sedlacek hit a homer and added three more runs to make it 4-0. At the top of the seventh, RBI doubles from junior Caroline Tallent and Nelson secured the Shockers win.

Softball will be back in action from May 3 through May 5 as the team faces off against Memphis at Wilkins Stadium. The first pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Senior Bailey Urban celebrates after hitting a double on April 5 against Tulsa. Urban had one hit during the game. |

Photo by Bryan Chavez / The Sunflower

Senior Nate Adler throws up the W sign after winning their first game on the series on March 28th against Rice. | Photo by Bryan Chavez / The Sunflower

Junior Caroline Tallent runs down to home plate after hitting a home run on April 26th against UNT. | Photo by Bryan Chavez / The Sunflower

TYRELL BURNS

DANCE AWAY

The School of Performing Arts presented Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre, a show filled with dances and performances by students, faculty and more.

LAST DAY OF SPRING CLASSES

THURSDAY, MAY 2 Wichita State University

INFORMAL

MAY

MAY 3

- 9 p.m. | Harvester

VS. MEMPHIS FRIDAY, MAY 3 6 p.m. | Wilkins Stadium

POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT LUNCHEON FRIDAY, MAY 3 9 - 10 p.m. | Rhatigan Student Center

EXAMS FRIDAY, MAY 4 - FRIDAY,

Student Center

ANNUAL FYRE IN STEM RESEARCH SHOWCASE! MONDAY, MAY 6 4 - 6 p.m. | Ablah Library

IGNITOR 2.0: EMPOWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH FEEDBACK AND STRATEGY TUESDAY, MAY 7 5:30

HAVE AN EVENT YOU WOULD LIKE LISTED? CONTACT THE ARTS EDITOR: arts@thesunflower.com CONTACT THE NEWS EDITOR: news@thesunflower.com

Macias

Dancers perform “Respite” choreographed by Mina Estrada at the Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre on April 25. The Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre ran through April 25 to April 28.

A dancer from Raices De Mi Tierra Ballet Folklorico performs “Veracruz: La Bruja” at the Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre show on April 25. Raices De Mi Tierra Ballet Folklorico performed on April 25, 26, and 28.

Piper Patterson performs “no party,” choreographed by herself at the Contemporary Dance Theatre show on April 25. The song was set to “Think of Me Once In a While, Take Care” by Take Care and “39.28” by Childish Gambino.

Students perform “A Pale Blue Dot” choreographed by Sabrina Vasquez in collaboration with the dancers at the Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre on April 25. The dance was set in the Wilner Auditorium.

Dancers from Raices De Mi Tierra Ballet Folklorico perform “Canto Nahuatl: Xochipitzahuatl” at the Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre show.

Hannah Chandler performs “Reverie” choreographed by Denise Celestin at the Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre on April 25. The show ran from April 25 to 28 in the Wilner Auditorium.

Dancers from Raices De Mi Tierra Ballet Folklorico perform “Concheros: Caracol de Guerra” at the Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre show.

Tabitha Buffalo leaps across stage performing “Clear Elevation (world premiere)” by guest choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie at the Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre show.