James “Jim” Rhatigan made a daily habit of writing “thank you” notes to people throughout his career.
Christine Schneikart-Luebbe, the former associate vice president of Student Affairs at Wichita State, said it was just one of many ways her former boss would connect with students, faculty and staff. She recalled an instance where Rhatigan gave a speech about this practice.
“From the podium, he wrote three thank you notes, and he had me time him,” Schneikart-Luebbe said. “And his point to everyone in the room was it took less than 10 minutes. And if you wrote three ‘thank you’ notes every morning to start your day … he did the math, how many that was in a week, how many it was in a month, how many it was in a year, and the impact that you could have.”
From phone calls to emails to handwritten notes, Schneikart-Luebbe said each personalized message showed that the former dean of students and vice president for Student Affairs cared. Rhatigan, once referred to as the “grandfather of the student affairs profession” by former Student Body President Matt Conklin, worked for nearly 50 years at Wichita State University. Rhatigan was still alive — and employed at WSU — when the Campus Activities Center was renamed as the Rhatigan Student Center in his honor.
UNRELENTING ADVOCACY
After his retirement, Rhatigan served as a consultant to the WSU Foundation before his “final” retirement in 2014. Rhatigan died on Sunday, Oct. 27, at the age of 89 after being admitted to hospice two days prior.
In the wake of his death, former WSU students and staff remembered the ways Rhatigan advocated for and supported them.
Schneikart-Luebbe said Rhatigan deeply cared for and prioritized every individual who crossed his path.
“I just think Jim had an incredible ability to want to get to know people,” Schneikart-Luebbe said. “He was a huge student advocate.”
Rhatigan was hired as WSU’s dean of students in 1965. At 30, Rhatigan was the youngest to reach the position at any university with more than 10,000 students.
Gretchen Torline, the director of Student Athletic Services at WSU, said she always knew she could depend on Rhatigan when she was an adviser.
“If I had issues with (students) — maybe they couldn’t pay their bill, maybe they were in a class and it was past the drop date, but they were having issues — we just knew that we could take them over to Dr. Rhatigan, and he listened to them, cared about them,” Torline said. “He always found a way to help them.”
Nowadays, she uses Rhatigan’s philosophies and practices to guide her mentorship.
“When I kind of want to be harder on (students) and maybe don’t want to listen to what’s … going on in their life, I think about, ‘What would Dr. Rhatigan do?’” Torline said. “I’ve said that several times in my career, and I think it’s helped me be a better advocate for students and help my students.”
In 1970, Rhatigan was named vice president of Student Affairs, then later a senior vice president until he retired in 2002.
Bobby Gandu, who currently works in admissions, was an undergraduate student in the years leading up to Rhatigan’s retirement. He remembered how he always saw Rhatigan at events, encouraging students and meeting them where they were.
“He would find ways to impact individual students,” Gandu said. “Of course, he would speak at large events and engage (in) ceremonial activities. But I think as I got going through my career at Wichita State, more often than not, he would call me about individual students that he would … advocate for … and to make sure that those students’ voices and needs were being taken care of by the university.”
Gandu was one of those students that Rhatigan personally advocated for. When Gandu realized he was having trouble enrolling in a class that he needed to graduate, Rhatigan came to the rescue.
“Somehow, Dr. Rhatigan heard about this, that I was trying to get into a particular class, and he said, ‘Bobby, I’m going to call for you,’” Gandu said. “So he did. He called the person who was overseeing business advising at the time
and advocated for me to be allowed into that class.”
Reflecting on his legacy, Gandu said Rhatigan “put Wichita State on (the) map.” But his mission was always to connect with students, not to receive accolades and recognition.
“He’s a pillar,” Gandu said. “He’s someone that we are so fortunate to have crossed through Wichita State and really made his professional home here. And I personally am going to miss having his calls to check on me. And you know, hearing his voice.”
Rhatigan worked for the WSU Foundation until 2014 and continued to hold the titles of professor of education and senior vice president emeritus.
DEFENDING THE PRESS
Rhatigan advised the Student Government Association during his tenure. He consistently helped to protect funding for Wichita State’s student-led news publication, The Sunflower.
“Whenever there was an effort to try to flush the budget or in any way punish student journalists, he was always in the forefront of defending freedom of the press and defending student journalists,” said Laura Kelly, a former Sunflower news editor and later, opinion writer for The Wichita Eagle.
“I was so grateful for that support because he understood how important it was that the entire campus be able to rely on the free flow of information.”
Chance Swaim, reporter for The Wichita Eagle and former editor-inchief of The Sunflower, said Rhatigan’s support for student journalism was just one aspect of his advocacy for student voices.
“I didn’t live through it, but from what I’ve read from The Sunflower and from conversations, this (was) during a time of massive campus unrest and administration throughout the country, cracking down on protesters and student movements,” Swaim said. “I think Dr. Rhatigan was able to bridge that gap … and say, ‘The students of Wichita State are Wichita State. That’s what matters most.’”
Rhatigan’s support for The Sunflower extended beyond protecting funding; he also checked in on editors and reporters personally and throughout their careers. Swaim said Rhatigan wrote him a letter of recommendation for any newspaper job when he graduated from Wichita
State University.
“It was a blanket endorsement letter saying, ‘I believe in Chance and that he has shown his chops as a reporter,’” Swaim said. “I still have a copy of that somewhere at my house. I actually made copies, so I would never lose it.”
BRINGING JOY
Rhatigan’s grandson, Reid Linot, remembers him dressing up as Santa Claus every year for family Christmas gatherings.
“It was very fitting for him because he was shaped like Santa Claus and just known for the joy that he brings anyways,” Linot said.
Linot also shared a memory from grade school in which he announced to his class that his grandfather was named after a bowling alley — the one located in the basement of the Rhatigan Student Center.
“That is, of course, the inverse of the truth,” Linot said. “But he loved that story and would always share that.”
Aside from putting the “R” in the RSC, Rhatigan would continue to represent WSU locally and nationally.
“He’s kind of inextricably linked to the university in a number of ways,” Linot said. “I don’t think Wichita State would be where it is without him, and that goes for his work as the dean all the way until his work at the foundation and all that he did there.”
Linot and his grandfather had a podcast together called “Lessons from the Dean.” He said Rhatigan was “my grandpa and best friend.”
“He’s such a large presence still on campus to this day; a lot of people talk about how much he meant to them,” Linot said.
Schneikart-Luebbe said she spoke with Rhatigan the week before he died.
“I just think the world is a sadder place without Jim Rhatigan in it,” she said. “He brought so much joy, so much kindness, so much love to so many people, and I just think that those kind of people don’t come around as often as we’d like, and so when we lose someone like that, it’s a real sad day, it’s a real loss, and I miss him already.”
A memorial service for Rhatigan will be held at the University Congregational Church on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 1 p.m., followed by a reception at the Rhatigan Student Center.
Photo illustration, source photo courtesy of Wichita State University
Meet the three final contenders to be Wichita State’s next provost
BY AINSLEY SMYTH & MALEAH EVANS news@thesunflower.com & maleah.evans04@gmail.com
Wichita State will soon get a new executive vice president and provost after Shirley Lefever retires in a few months. The individual who fills the role is in charge of several areas of campus, from academic leadership to enrollment to research.
Three candidates are finalists for the position. Each visited the campus in recent weeks.
THE SEARCH FOR A NEW PROVOST
The university hired the search firm Isaacson, Miller to conduct the initial steps. A 16-person search committee interviewed eight semi-finalists before identifying the three final candidates.
Shelly Coleman-Martins, WSU’s vice president of Strategic Communications and marketing, said the committee will help ensure different voices on campus have a say in the result.
“We want to know the opinions and voices of all the different groups on campus so that when the final decision is made, we hear all the different opinions,” Coleman-Martins said. “If you’re on the search committee, your job is to speak up and advocate for those that you represent.”
Coleman-Martins is the committee chair. Other members include college deans, staff and faculty members, members of the president’s executive team and Student Body President Kylee Hower.
Coleman-Martins said a final decision will likely be made by mid-November by Richard Muma, the university president.
Lefever will leave the university in December.
Coleman-Martins said the university’s goal is for the next provost to start in January.
According to Lefever, the day-to-day work includes various meetings with deans and other administration.
In these meetings, university leaders sometimes discuss academic trends or how they can best prepare for students.
LESLIE DURHAM
At a forum with faculty and staff, Durham said she is inspired by the emphasis Wichita State has on both access and innovation.
Durham is the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Boise State University.
“I’m impressed by your commitment to applied learning,” Durham said. “You want them (the students) to thrive here, and you want them to thrive after they’ve left here.”
At Boise State, she served in various roles, including as an associate dean of arts and humanities, director of the School of the Arts and a professor of theatre history and dramaturgy for the Department of Theatre, Film and Creative Writing.
Durham has written articles as well as three books relating to theatre.
In her discussion, Durham mentioned her desire to have equality between disciplines in the colleges. She wants to close the gap often seen between the
MISSION
The Sunflower — both in print and online — will be a timely resource of information about the Wichita State University community. It will report on news, issues, activities, academics and athletics, in addition to offering a forum for discussion, reviews and commentary. It will also be an effective learning experience for students, who will have the final authority over what is published.
The Sunflower is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, College Media Association and the Wichita Journalism Collaborative.
LEGAL One free copy of The Sunflower is available to members of the WSU community. Additional copies may be obtained from the newsroom, Elliott Hall 019. The Sunflower is private property and unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable. The Sunflower is funded by a combination of print and online advertisement sales and student fees allocated by the Student Government Association.
humanities and science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
“It really frustrated me that the arts, humanities and social sciences didn’t have those same opportunities,” Durham said. “I’ve been working to be able to propagate some of the really good ideas that are coming from the STEM side over to the arts and humanities side.”
Durham said that if she were to be hired as provost, she would want to continue the tradition of meeting with the Student Government Association to listen to its proposed issues.
In her cover letter, she wrote that she “led an inclusive, consensus-based strategic planning process” inviting faculty and staff to work together to identify goals and strategies for the School of the Arts to close equity gaps for students, evenly distribute work between staff and faculty members and obtain funding for research and other initiatives.
Durham also wrote that she launched “Bronco Gap Year,” an initiative to help students navigate the best educational path. She also adapted the program to help students who already had credits, but had to leave university come back and continue their degrees.
She said that she started diversity and inclusion initiatives at Boise State and looks forward to furthering Wichita State’s Hispanic-Serving Initiatives.
JAMES GREGORY
At his WSU forum, Gregory said he is looking for opportunities to grow his leadership skills and use his talents to impact a broader community.
He works as the dean of the College of Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Daytona Beach.
“I’m passionate about human(s) flourishing,” Gregory said. “I really want to see the flourishing of faculty, staff, students and the whole academy together.”
In his cover letter, Gregory wrote that he increased first-year retention in the College of Engineering by almost 10% in two years and helped establish a Boeing facility on his campus, creating jobs and internships.
Gregory also discussed some of his plans if he were to be accepted into the provost position, including building collaboration between students and the workforce.
He proposed building airlines between Wichita and states with high student traffic and then employing engineering students to offer them hands-on experience.
“Building a partnership with, say, Allegiance or Southwest, both of which operate nonstop flights,” Gregory said. “We can ask ‘Can you come and leave your plane here for a little bit, and we’ll service it through our maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO) facilities.’ … The university benefits because we can tap a population that would otherwise not be interested in coming to Wichita State.”
He was previously chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at
Ohio State University, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the Aerospace Research Center.
Gregory said that he increased investments in research at Ohio State and helped grow the engineering department by more than 28% in three years.
Gregory wrote that he “appointed the firstever Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee in the college,” and piloted a program “to shape male students’ empathy, professionalism, and perceptions of gender equity in STEM disciplines.”
Much of Gregory’s research centers around drones. He received the Frank G. Brewer Trophy for “significant contributions to aerospace education,” according to Embry-Riddle.
MONICA LOUNSBERY
Lounsbery shared her interest in the role and possible goals for WSU. Lounsbery is the dean of the College of Health and Human Services at California State University, Long Beach.
She was previously an associate dean for Faculty Affairs in the School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She also served in vice and associate provost and department chair positions.
Lounsbery discussed the approach she would take in university leadership if she became WSU’s provost.
“If we have a strategic plan, we can understand what we want, what we need to do and why, and we can think collectively about how to reengineer our structures, systems, procedures, practices to achieve goals,” she said. “For me, I really adopt a growth mindset.”
Lounsbery has published research centered around increasing physical activity in schools.
In her cover letter, Lounsbery wrote that she made “strong investments in our research infrastructure” and helped increase new grants by five times for her university.
Lounsbury wrote that she helped implement “affiliation groups, streamlined degree unit requirements, strengthened the connection between degree programs and career pathways, and improved communication, advising access, and basic needs support,” as well as establishing a peer mentoring program for students with Mental Health America, Los Angeles.
She also wrote that she helped partner with a local health care provider to create a clinic that served an educational role as well as offering health care to the patients.
Lounsbery praised WSU for its “comprehensive educational focus aligned with economic development and workforce demand” and for emphasizing partnerships with businesses.
In particular, she cited the new Biomedical Campus.
“We have to change health care in this country, and I think that the Biomedical Research Center can be an engine for that,” she said.
More information about each of the candidates, including their cover letters, can be found at tinyurl.com/yf22n9zw.
The Sunflower is committed to accuracy in its publications. If you find an error in any of its publications, please email the editor at editor@thesunflower.com immediately.
Leslie Durham, James Gregory and Monica Lounsbery. |
Photo iIllustration
OPENING TIPOFF
Men’s basketball flashes potential in exhibition blowout of Emporia State
BY JACOB UNRUH sports@thesunflower.com
If Wichita State’s men’s basketball team plays anything like what they showed during the Sunday night exhibition against Emporia State University, year two of the head coach Paul Mills era will be significantly more successful than year one.
The Shockers never trailed against the Hornets, winning a blowout, 99-53. The scoreline represents an improvement over last year’s preseason game, a 74-53 victory against Rogers State.
Mills played all 13 of his available players in the game, with all Shockers receiving between nine and 21 minutes.
Wichita State started the game on fire, as the team connected on its first five shots from the field to open ahead, 12-2. The run included junior forward Corey Washington’s first four points in a Shockers jersey and two 3-pointers from senior guard Bijan Cortes. Cortes has worked on his 3-point shooting over the offseason.
“It’s something I’ve worked on for sure a lot this summer,” Cortes
said. “Just being consistent, trying to make sure when it’s open shots, I can make them and stuff like that.”
Emporia State briefly rallied for eight straight points, but the Shockers responded with an 8-0 run of their own to open up another 10-point cushion, 22-12, that they wouldn’t relinquish.
Wichita State closed out the half doubling up the Hornets’ scoring, 52-25. The Shockers shot better from 3-point range (38.5%) than Emporia State did from the field (33%) in the first half. In addition, Wichita State committed only one turnover during the period and forced seven.
Leading 57-28 in the second half, the Shockers went on a 9-0 run where they forced three turnovers, and senior center Quincy Ballard recorded a block.
The run was symptomatic of a second half where the only real drama was finding Wichita State’s final margin of victory.
With nine minutes left in the game, Mills subbed out his remaining starters to give reserve players sophomore forward Henry Thengvall and redshirt freshman guard Yanis Bamba game time,
a trademark of a Wichita State blowout win.
Five players — Washington, Ballard, senior guard Xavier Bell, senior forward Ronnie DeGray III and senior guard Harlond Beverly — scored more than 10 points for the Shockers.
Bell and Cortes combined for 5-6 shooting from 3-point range. Transfer fifth-year guards Justin Hill and AJ McGinnis, who were recruited in part to provide improved 3-point shooting, missed all six of their shots from beyond the arc.
Ballard secured eight rebounds, five of which were on the offensive glass. He added one steal and a block.
Beverly said it “was great” to finally see this Wichita State team get to play in front of a crowd this season.
“You get used to seeing people in the practice jerseys,” Beverly said. “You get to see how good people like Corey and Justin … look good in yellow and white. So it was just fun to have all the new guys and all the returners just come together for a game.”
Mills had some criticisms of
the game from Wichita State’s perspective — some players are still adjusting to the pace of the game, players hung too much on the perimeter and the offensive execution was “choppy” at times.
But on the whole, he said “there’s a lot of good to take away” from the game in anticipation of the road season-opener against
Western Kentucky University on Monday, Nov. 4.
“We’ve got a number of things to clean up in order to be able to compete against Western Kentucky, so we’re excited to do that, but I’m glad this one is under our belt.”
Tipoff against Western Kentucky is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Women’s basketball outruns Northeastern State in preseason exhibition
BY EVAN TONG evantong3@gmail.com
Wichita State women’s basketball showed off a frenetic pace as the team disrupted any sense of offense by Division II Northeastern State University on Wednesday night.
The Shockers won the seasonopening exhibition game, 81-46.
“We played a little bit faster this year to showcase our new people,” head coach Terry Nooner said. “Get all our players a chance to play in front of a crowd.”
The new identity showed almost immediately as the Shockers forced a five-second inbounding violation on Northeastern within the first 30 seconds of the game. The Shockers would go on to force three violations in the game.
Wichita State made only one 3-pointer in the first quarter, but it did not matter as the Shockers imposed their will inside, leading 25-9. The French-speaking frontcourt pair of Ndour and junior forward Maimouna Sissoko combined for 10 of Wichita State’s 25 points in the period. Despite starting the game, Ndour would only play 10 minutes due to foul trouble.
The 3-point shooting came alive for the home team as graduate student guard Taylor Jameson
knocked down two 3-pointers in the second quarter, raising her fingers in the air to celebrate.
“Growing up as a kid, I always used to look up to the (Shocker) players,” Jameson said. “So being able to finally put my actual uniform on and see my name on the back of the jersey, it means a lot being able to do it in front of my family.”
Free throw shooting was a question mark as Wichita State shot an abysmal 45.9% from the charity stripe.
“I think the blessing and the good part of it is that we were able to create 37 free throws,” Nooner said. “We want to shoot over 70%, so if we can get our percentage up, then that’s going to be huge.”
The Shockers kept their hands busy on defense, making 14 steals and forcing 31 turnovers from the RiverHawks.
After a foul call went against Northeastern State, a warning was given to the RiverHawks head coach in the first half for arguing with the officials, causing the WSU student band to chant, “Coach, get back!”
The Shockers closed out the half leading, 44-23. The Shockers shot 48.5% from the field compared to a putrid 28.6% by the RiverHawks.
The suffocating defense by the Shockers shut the RiverHawks out
for four straight minutes to open the second half.
Junior guard Jasmine Peaks came down hard holding her ankle after committing a foul but came back toward the end of the third quarter.
“I think she twisted her ankle a little bit,” Nooner said. “That’s been a lingering thing prior to the past week or so. But she’s kind of
used to it, so she bounced back.” The Shockers went cold from the 3-point line in the third quarter, going 1-6 from deep. Despite being up 30 in the fourth period, the
relentlessly chased with the fullcourt press. The aggressive defense forced turnovers but did result in six
ending with three or more fouls.
“Forcing turnovers is definitely something that we look to do, and it helps our offense,” Jameson said. “It helps us to be able to score in transition and be able to get out and play fast, like we’d like to do.”
will
11 a.m.
Senior center Quincy Ballard secures the opening tipoff of the Wichita State exhibition game against Emporia State on Oct. 27. The Shockers secured the blowout victory, 99-53. | Photo by Kristy Mace / The Sunflower
Shockers
Shockers
Wichita State’s regular season
tip off in Charles Koch Arena against Oklahoma Christian University on Monday, Nov. 4, at
Junior Jayla Murray plays offense against Northeastern State on Oct. 30. Murray scored 10 points as Wichita State won the exhibition game, 81-46. | Photo by Aubri Baker / The Sunflower
Guard Justin Hill runs past the Emporia State defense on Oct. 27. Hill scored four points during his 14 minutes of play time. | Photo by Kristy Mace / The Sunflower
It’s not a trick — College kids should get treats
If students attending university get the title “college kids,” then we should get the same privileges a kid would, like being able to trick-or-treat.
But as we get older, we’re expected to give up this night of fun, with Halloween being seen as a children’s event.
But, we’re still kids, and we deserve to have the same amount of fun we did when we were younger.
I’d argue that college students need this experience more now
than when we were kids.
The most stressful thing I had to worry about when I was in my prime trick-or-treating era was trying to remember the multiplication tables. Now, college students have to worry about classes with unrelenting homework, how to pay for said classes, as well as housing, car insurance, gas and the list keeps going.
Life is far more stressful than it was when we were children.
We need a night of juvenile fun to take our minds off real-world problems.
Trick-or-treating on Halloween is also an easy way to hang out with friends. It’s hard to make time for a social life as a student. Walking the streets in
Pumpkin seeds
costumes is a time for hanging out with friends, having fun and hopefully getting some free candy.
I’ve been told multiple times over that we’re the younger generations’ role models.
I’ve never seen a 5-year-old upset that an 18-year-old was out trick-or-treating. When I was 5, seeing my role models doing the same as me would have made my night — more than the bag of candy I got.
Children learn from watching us. If I had kids, I’d want them to learn to go trick-or-treating rather than participate in other potentially dangerous Halloween activities.
Halloween parties are a common occurrence, and let’s
be honest, you can find alcohol at most of these. According to a survey done in 2023, men and women over the age of 20 all reported drinking an average of at least two drinks on Halloween, with men and women 20 to 24 years old drinking the most of any age group. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2022, nearly half of the fatal crashes on Halloween were alcohol-related. Safe to say, parties shouldn’t be the default way to celebrate Halloween for college students, but they’ve been perpetuated as a normal occurrence in movies like “Mean Girls.” Trick-or-treating is a safer alternative to Halloween parties. Not completely safe, but
hidden Halloween traditional treat
As a child, an annual activity for my siblings and me was carving pumpkins and enjoying baked pumpkin seeds afterward. It was never a tradition I questioned other kids having, I assumed this was the norm among other households come autumn.
It has only just come to my attention — as a college student — that many people don’t experience this seasonal treat. Growing up, the seeds were baked in the oven and were a safe go-to for kids with different taste preferences. The olive oil and salt-roasted seeds were simple and delicious.
Now, I have experimented with savory and sweet. The cheapest and most fun way to make this snack starts with buying a pumpkin and carving it, instead of buying a sad, puny bag of pumpkin seeds at a store. You get a lovely pumpkin and a tasty treat afterward.
HERE ARE THE INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of pumpkin seeds
• ¼ teaspoon of ghee, butter or olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon of each seasoning
HOW TO MAKE:
• Carve your pumpkin and collect the seeds. Rinse off the extra pumpkin pulp.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
safer than getting drunk and then getting behind the wheel all in the name of having the “college experience.”
I just want to dress up in a silly costume and get free candy. Is that so wrong? I’m a broke college kid, and sometimes I need a candy pick-me-up. Especially with Halloween falling in the middle of a semester, that sweet treat could mean the difference between a good day or me sobbing in my room.
So maybe instead of passing unnecessary judgment on your peers who go trick-or-treating, maybe you and your friends should try it again.
You may just have the fright night of your life.
Apple cider squashes pumpkin spice every time
• With seasonings of choice, generously sprinkle the flavors on the seeds and mix again. Place a baking sheet over a pan and spread the seeds flat. Make sure there is no overlap to ensure seeds bake evenly. Cook for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Take the seeds out, and let the seasonal aroma fill your kitchen. Make sure to let them cool before enjoying.
For Shockers without access to ovens, use an air fryer. The air fryer method takes a shorter period of time but closer attention should be paid to avoid burning.
THE AIR FRYER STEPS:
Follow the above steps one through six. Don’t worry if your seeds touch. Fry the seeds at 365 degrees for 15 minutes.
Halfway through cooking, take the basket out and shake the seeds. This ensures an even fry, especially since there isn’t room in an air fryer to spread them out perfectly. Continue cooking until the desired toastiness is reached.
Pumpkin seeds are nutritious — surprisingly containing a great amount of protein, and cooking them is a hands-on adventure to try with friends and to further enhance the seasonal excitement.
• Get a cauldron or bowl to hold the seeds. Mix the seeds in either a tablespoon of melted butter, olive oil or ghee and spread it evenly.
Mya Scott mds.200624@gmail.com COLUMN
Every fall, I brace for two words that will appear everywhere. Pumpkin spice suddenly becomes inescapable. It is in lattes, coffees, donuts and more.
But, there is a superior flavor to this fall fad: apple cider.
Apple cider tastes like home. Its rich apple flavor mixed with cinnamon dances on the tongue, making me crave glass after glass.
It’s also delicious warm or cold, which I can’t say about pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice is a warm drink flavor. Pumpkin spice drinks being anything short of scalding brings out a graininess.
Besides apple cider, there are also a multitude of apple flavored items that are just as delicious. Apple donuts, apple pie and, my personal favorite, apple fritters.
Apple cider flavoring has a smooth feel in the mouth. Pumpkin spice makes you feel like you’re swallowing sand with the heavy spices.
Pumpkin spice isn’t even made with real pumpkin — it’s just different spices mixed together. It doesn’t successfully execute the taste of an actual pumpkin. Pumpkin has a nutty flavor that the pumpkin spice flavor lacks.
Apple cider is made with real apples. The spice is then added after the pulp is strained out. Apple cider can also be made from a variety of apples. It’s the perfect amount of sweetness.
Maybe next time you think about the autumn season, instead of thinking of it as “Pumpkin Spice Season” change your thought to “Apple Cider Season.”
Illustration by Emma Wilks / The Sunflower
Illustrations by Cameryn Davis / The Sunflower
THE EXPANSIVE LGBTQIA+ HISTORY OF WICHITA STATE
As
the conclusion of LGBTQIA+ history month rapidly approaches, learn about how pride has evolved
BY MYA SCOTT mbscott2204@gmail.com
To most, Wichita isn't known as the pillar of improvement or advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights and people. At a local level, though, dozens of students have helped pave the way for the modern acceptance that many benefit from.
From student organizations to parades to queer-centric events, Wichita State students have contributed to the LGBTQ+ community’s presence in Wichita.
STUDENT HOMOPHILE ASSOCIATION
The ‘70s were the beginning of a cultural change for LGBTQ+ individuals nationwide. The first pride parade started in 1970. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association no longer considered homosexuality a mental illness. On a local level, Wichita State students were making changes, too.
Gay organizations at WSU started with Gary Gardenhire and Bruce McKinney. They both had been involved in different gay groups off-campus and were disappointed to find that WSU had none.
The pair founded the Student Homophile Association, which was the first gay student organization recognized by the Student Government Association in September 1976.
“One of the founders talked about seeing their friends get beat up and just needing a safe space for people to come together,” said Jennifer Pearson, the current faculty adviser of Spectrum: LGBTQ & Allies. “But then also, many of those members were more politically active and (were) wanting to work to end discrimination and … communicate with administration.”
The first event the group held was a dance where everyone wore pink roses and danced under a disco ball borrowed from a local bar.
Throughout the year, the group regularly held meetings and formed a sense of belonging.
This continued until 1977 when most of the original members moved away.
The LGBTQ+ community, locally and nationally, began to struggle with the AIDS pandemic in 1981. Queer people also faced the criminalization of gay sexual activity with legal rulings such as Bowers v. Hardwick, which criminalized certain sexual acts between same-sex partners.
During this time of crisis and uncertainty, queer student organizations at WSU adapted.
GAY/LESBIAN RESOURCE ASSOCIATION AND STUDENTS FOR EDUCATION ON LIBERAL CONCERNS
According to Robert Teutsch’s dissertation, “Contextual History of LGBTQ Student Groups at Wichita State University,” Doug Glaze founded the Gay/Lesbian Resource Association (GLRA) in 1984. Glaze found it necessary to create an organization that could provide resources, like a crisis line, to the LGBTQ+ students at WSU.
The organization held the first annual Gay Pride Week at WSU in 1985. They also had various guest speakers who discussed topics like coming out and discrimination.
According to Teutsch, through the lectures and activities, the GLRA asked the Student Government Association (SGA) for funding on multiple occasions, only to be denied by SGA President Jeff Kahrs, who thought it was primarily a social group and not enhancing the academic community.
The group lacked involvement after Glaze dropped out of college, and members began to fear for their safety while attending meetings, according to Teutsch.
STUDENTS FOR EDUCATION ON LIBERAL CONCERNS
In 1987, the GLRA was rebranded as the Students for Education on Liberal Concerns (SELC), which offered resources to a broader range of students WSU, and offered a space for discussions about LGBTQ+ issues. They also had lectures on feminism, free speech and many other political topics. According to Teutsch, this helped them gain funding from SGA.
This organization didn’t last very long and, in 1989, the student participation level dropped.
RESPONSIBLE ACTIVE GAYS (RAG)
In 1989, after the fall of the SELC, Debbie Carruth and Julie Bayes founded Responsible Active Gays (RAG) to support gay students, according to Teutsch’s dissertation.
RAG participated in many campus activities, such as National Coming Out Day and a gay rights parade.
Eventually, the group dwindled to non-existent, and the last record of the group was in 1991.
In 1994, former U.S. President Bill Clinton signed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which Clinton labeled as a “compromise.” It allowed gay and lesbian people to serve in the military as long as they did not disclose their identity.
Shortly after, in 1996, Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which made it so gay couples weren’t federally recognized.
This was an era where anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment was widespread, but the community's issues were garnering national attention.
ACT-UP, CHOICES AND 10 PERCENT
According to Teutsch, Scott Curry and Todd Wesche founded the WSU chapter of Act-Up, designed to help spread awareness on the dangers of AIDS, in 1990. Act-Up WSU was only around for a little over a year before it became Act-Up Wichita.
At the end of RAG, Scott Smith founded Choices in the spring of 1991, a group for members to meet for discussions on homosexual experiences.
The group was rebranded as 10 Percent in 1993, referring to a study in which it was reported that 10% of the United States population was gay.
The group requested recognition from SGA but was denied due to the claims that the group promoted sodomy. According to Teutsch, some of the WSU community expressed disapproval of SGA's decision.
Nevertheless, 10 Percent maintained a presence on campus until its demise in the 2000s.
TRANSGENDER UNION
Denise Hemmingway founded the Transgender Union in 1991, as no group in WSU’s history had openly addressed trans issues.
There is not much information on the Transgender Union but, according to Teustch, it wasn’t around for more than a year.
Despite the majority of the 2000’s operating under a conservative Presidential administration, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004.
THAT GAY GROUP!
In 2000, WSU’s activities director Michael Madecky and a WSU student named Fabian began to pass out blue cards, which became a signature for That Gay Group!.
In the fall of 2000, the group
was recognized as a student organization.
The group hosted events around campus such as miniconferences, pride weeks and an annual drag show.
In 2009, Pearson, whose area of research was on LGBTQ+ youth, became the faculty adviser for That Gay Group!.
According to Pearson, the support for the group was a slow, gradual process.
“I’d say early on, That Gay Group! felt like they were on their own in terms for being supporter(s) for LGBTQ students at Wichita State,” Pearson said. “Over time, there’s been much more support from other offices and departments across campus.”
Brad Thomison, the president of That Gay Group! from 2008 to 2009, said that while there were plenty of struggles, it was indicative of change.
“I would find myself at the table, reminding folks that queer identity is part of it, there were struggles in some places for folks to bring that into the same level of agreement, the same level of acceptance,” Thomison said.
During the 2010s, the Obama administration signed progressive policies. In 2010, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed, and in 2013, the Defense of Marriage Act was deemed unconstitutional.
Additionally, in 2015, the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court ruling banned states from denying same-sex marriage.
And, at the local level, hope developed for the future of LGBTQ+ organizations and movements at WSU.
“I loved my colleagues at the diversity office,” Thomison said. “I still believe that all of us were there with the heart and mind and mission to reach out to marginalized students and give them an incredible college experience. And since I had the privilege of having one, I wanted to, again, create that space for others.”
SPECTRUM: LGBTQ & ALLIES
In 2014, That Gay Group! realized that the word “gay” did not include everyone under the queer umbrella, so the group decided to change its name to Spectrum: LGBTQ & Allies.
Spectrum, in 2015, held its first “Gaypril” and they also threw the first Pride Prom and Lavender Graduation. Beyond just the social events, Spectrum members think the group has made an impact on the WSU community.
“(Spectrum offers the space) for even straight and cis students to come and learn about the queer experience,” Spectrum Treasurer and Vice President Iz Ahmed said. “So I believe we do (have) a positive impact just by having the space and room for these students who may not feel safe otherwise.”
In 2021, Rick Muma was announced as the 15th president of WSU, making him the first openly gay president in the campus’ history.
at WSU.
“I think it’s historic; I think it’s important for Kansas,” Muma said when he was first selected for the role in a previous interview with The Sunflower. “I think it’ll say a lot of things to a lot of different people in different ways about inclusions, diversity and just the way our society is.”
But progress also came with caution. After 12 years of the annual drag show, an age limit was imposed for the first time in 2023. Wichita State administration required attendees to be at least 18.
Kansas Senate Bill 180 was also passed in 2023. This new bill bars individuals who were not assigned the female sex at birth from being able to use women’s restrooms, women’s locker rooms, and other gender-specific areas. When the bill was first passed, Zach Gearhart, chief of staff for President Muma, said there would be no changes “in either policy or practice.” Under state law, though, any student at WSU can report a trans individual using a form provided by the Title IX office. SGA, in response to this bill, partnered with Spectrum to help ensure gender-neutral bathrooms would be available around campus.
“I really feel that the administration that we worked with really closely to make sure our students felt safe, pre-passing legislation in SGA and afterwards, were amazing,” said Dawson Jacques, former president of Spectrum.
UPCOMING INITIATIVES
In 2023, a group of graduate students with WSU’s Department of History decided to go ahead with a project chronicling the history of the LGBTQ+ community in the Wichita area. The department is collaborating with Jay Price, the chair of the history department. Price created previous photo books through Arcadia Publishing.
Price said that the goal of this photo book is to collect stories, photographs and more to help convey the history of the community. Price aims for the book to be released in 2025, around or during Pride Month.
“I think the greater awareness (is) that this was a community that had a very distinct presence in the ‘90s and early 2000s and that presence has changed,” Price said. “And so documenting that brought to the fore(front) that if you don’t do it now, it’s not going to be here in five (or) 10 years from now.”
Students can get connected with Spectrum through their Instagram or by going to meetings. Spectrum holds weekly meetings every Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the RSC.
“It’s not just to get people together or have food or something,” Farwell said. “It’s really providing a safe space for queer individuals, and I think Spectrum is a great place to start.”
The unsettling stories of spirits at Wichita State
BY ALLISON CAMPBELL &
WINN
Police support captain Kyle Garwood was working a graveyard shift with another campus cop two decades ago
HENRION HALL
The home of the first permanent gymnasium on campus, Henrion Hall, was built in 1921. The Memorial Gymnasium was dedicated to students who served in World War I. It saw Wichita State’s men’s basketball games, military balls, and physical education classes inhabit its halls.
Several sources claim that a maintenance worker was electrocuted in the building while on the job in the 1950s. However, no records identifying this employee or describing this incident could be found.
Megan St. Clair, an adjunct art instructor and WSU alumna,
when the pair received a call. Two girls reported that screams could be heard coming from Henrion Hall.
Upon arrival, Garwood and his partner heard the voice for themselves — a female, likely in her late teens or early 20s — calling for help.
said she saw this spirit — or, potentially, a different ghost altogether — while preparing for her senior showcase as a student.
“I’m working, pulling sheets of paper hunched over. I look up, and I see a figure of a man in work coveralls,” St. Clair said.
“He was there for a second, and then he disappeared.”
Years later, St. Clair returned as a videographer for the Wichita Paranormal Society with her team to collect and document evidence from Henrion Hall. While doing the initial walkthrough of the building, with no audio equipment recording, she said they “audibly heard a male’s voice,” but they
“We searched that building from top to bottom,” Garwood said. “I heard it as plain as day, this young lady screaming for help, clearly inside the building.
“We never found anything.” Garwood’s experience is one of many paranormal encounters that students, faculty and
“couldn’t make out what it said.”
St. Clair recently led Wichita State’s first ghost hunt, walking participants through some of the campus’ allegedly most haunted buildings while sharing personal accounts. She said she’s excited to share her experiences with others and ponder the unknown, even though she’s now familiar with the world of spirits and ghosts.
“It’s been tangible experiences that I have proof of, or I can believe in it,” St. Clair said. “For others, I can see how there’s critics and people that … just don’t know. Since I’ve had such extensive experiences with the other realms, it’s not anything that I doubt.”
FISKE HALL
The oldest surviving building on campus, Fiske Hall, has served as the men’s dormitory, an influenza infirmary, and now the hub for the history and philosophy departments in its more than 100-years.
Fiske is one of the buildings Johnston and her team are responsible for maintaining. Over the last year, she said she’s had more than a few eerie experiences.
“(Once), me and my coworker were working on the floors,” Johnston said. “Everyone was gone. Everybody. The doors were closed, locked, the lights were off, everything … and then I heard a laugh, a woman’s laugh.”
Johnston said she first thought she was going crazy — until she heard footsteps.
“Now I got up and checked
again,” Johnston said. “Like, I went through room to room (and) checked, (and there was) nothing … Then we didn’t hear anything after a while, but when I came down here by myself, there were times where I feel like someone is looking at me.”
On other occasions, Johnston has heard doors opening and closing and seen shadows through the third-floor windows.
She said it’s incredibly unlikely for these to be students or faculty members, as she keeps careful track of who is in what building and for how long.
“I pay attention to names, rooms, like, descriptions,” Johnston said. “I pay attention to my students because I actually care for them.”
Johnston believes several spirits still linger in the building; she even affectionately refers to one as “Barbara.”
“I don’t know if it’s a female or male, but I’m just like, ‘Hey, Barbara,’” Johnston said. “Call me crazy, but sometimes … I’ll say ‘Hi’ to them because I don’t know if they’re friendly or not.”
Johnston and St. Clair said that it’s important to respect the spirits that may inhabit campus spaces. Exercising caution is the best practice when potentially interacting with spirits.
“It’s just about setting healthy boundaries and putting out protections of yourself,” St. Clair said. “You’re not just a dumb teenager, asking for anyone to communicate on the Ouija board.
I’ve learned a lot of healthy, respectful practices, (about) setting good intentions, and also maintaining strict boundaries, which is important in every aspect of life.”
staff have had on campus. From unexplained sounds to shadowy figures, Wichita State University is home to its fair share of spectral sightings and occurrences.
Most of these sightings are limited to the historic southwest portion of the university, which
served as the core of campus in the early 20th century. Accounts of paranormal activity dominate
Wilner Auditorium and Fiske Hall, as well as Grace Memorial Chapel and Elliott Hall.
WILNER AUDITORIUM
George Wilner, the namesake of Wilner Auditorium and the former head of the speech and theatre programs, is said to still remain in the performing arts building. The professor worked at WSU for nearly four decades before retiring in 1959 and dying in 1976. Campus legend has it that his spirit lingers to ensure the building is properly maintained.
While most accounts say that Wilner’s spirit is friendly, some experiences are more unsettling than others.
Garwood said that, later in his career, he was training a young officer on flashlight techniques when they both saw a shadowy figure in the auditorium’s balcony.
“And out of the corner of both of our eyes, we see a shadowy
figure up in the light box,” Garwood said. “So this is in the middle of the night, third shift. There should not be anyone in that building. The doors are locked … We knew that there was not supposed to be anyone in there. So we go, we search that area top to bottom and didn’t find anything.”
Dariane Johnston, a lead custodian at Wichita State, said that while she isn’t responsible for the upkeep of Wilner, she’s heard eerie stories from other custodians of disembodied red eyes in the shadows of the stage.
“There was some people that were saying that in the auditorium they’ve seen red eyes,” Johnston said. “(There were) some people that was saying there were red eyes and (it feels) like someone’s staring at you.”
Photo illustration by Savanna Nichols / The Sunflower
Henrion Hall,
Photo illustration by Savanna Nichols / The Sunflower
Photo illustration by Savanna Nichols / The Sunflower
‘RING RING,’ SHOWTIME
Performers balance student strife and creative novelty at Student Choreography Showcase
BY TIMOTHY SHADE TUESDAY, NOV. 5
7:30 - 9 p.m.
Miller Concert Hall
Join the WSU Wind Ensemble in a variety of classical to contemporary pieces. This concert is focusing on showing the advancement in the art of wind band. The event is free to all WSU students.
CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY COLLOQUIA SERIES: PROF. TIGLET BESARA WEDNESDAY, NOV. 6
3:30 p.m.
McKinley Hall, room 224 Professor Tiglet Besara from Missouri State University is presenting as part of the Fall 2024 Colloquium series. The series continues for two more weeks on Wednesdays before wrapping up with student presentations on Dec. 4.
ARTIST TALK: DAVID ALABO
THURSDAY, NOV. 7
Reception at 5:30 p.m.
Program at 6 p.m.
Ulrich Museum of Art Ghanian-Moroccan multidisciplinary artist David Alabo will discuss his inspiration and works in relation to Afrofuturism and Afro-Surrealism. His work is featured in “Dream Machine: Fantasy, Surreality, and Play.” The event is free and all are welcome to attend.
WSU OPERA THEATER PRESENTS ‘DECEMBER NIGHT’
THURSDAY, NOV. 7 & FRIDAY, NOV. 8
6 - 8 p.m.
Duerkson Fine Arts Center, Miller Concert Hall
Based on Willa Cather’s “Death Comes for the Archbishop,” “December Night” is a new opera composed by Lance Hulme. The world premiere of the opera, the show features a libretto by Alicia Richards based on Willa Cather’s “Death Comes for the Archbishop.” The story involves the complex spiritual journey of a bishop and a Mexican slave in New Mexico. WSU students can receive a ticket for free online or at the box office.
THE SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTS THE ‘TWELFTH NIGHT’ THURSDAY, NOV. 7 THROUGH SUNDAY, NOV. 10
7:30 - 9 p.m.
Wilner Auditorium
Hisorically viewed as the “perfect comedy,” William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” tells the tale of Viola, a shipwrecked maiden who finds herself in a love triangle. WSU students can receive a ticket for free online or at the box office.
BIBLE STUDY
THURSDAY, NOV. 12
7 - 8 p.m.
Grace Memorial Chapel
Join Wichita State student organization Redeemed Campus Fellowship for a time of fellowship and discussion on how God’s word translates to modern college life.
CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY COLLOQUIA SERIES: PROF. PIERRE THIBAULT
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13
3:30 p.m.
McKinley Hall, room 224
Professor Pierre Thibault from University of Montreal is presenting as part of the Fall 2024 Colloquium series. The series continues for two more weeks on Wednesdays before wrapping up with student presentations on Dec. 4.
Eris Bishop and Shawn Gordon deliver their own choreographed performance, “Between Her Hands,” on Oct. 24. The Student Choreography Showcase took place on Oct. 24-26 in the Litwin Studio Theatre in the Heskett Center. | Photos by Zachary Ruth / The Sunflower
Senior Madelyn Dunne performs “This Empty Northern Hemisphere” to open the 2024 Student Choreography Showcase. The event was held in the Litwin Studio Theatre inside the Heskett Center.
Jyavon Hill lifts Eris Bishop into the air while performing “The Lucky Ones” on Oct. 24. The performance was choreographed by junior Kaete Mokrynski. The showcase featured nine performances overall.
Kaete Mokrynski and Sophie Achey spin together on stage at the Student Choreography Showcase on Oct. 24. The performance features the song “Be the One” by Dua Lipa.
Sophomore Cooper Green performs “Sweet Sunrise” to the song “Sweet Thang” by Chuggie. Green and her partner, senior Olivia Lockwood, choreographed their performance.
Senior Olivia Lockwood and sophomore Cooper Green lie on the stage together in the beginning of their performance, “Sweet Sunrise.”
