University president denies academic misconduct allegations
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This week, Wichita State President Richard Muma’s academic integrity was called into question after evidence of plagiarism was published by a Kansas news organization.
BY ALLISON CAMPBELL, MIA HENNEN & AINSLEY SMYTH
editor@thesunflower.com, managing@thesunflower.com & news@thesunflower
Wichita State University students and faculty are considering what academic misconduct allegations made earlier this week against the president may mean — if anything — for the integrity of the university.
Some at the university are questioning the severity and validity of the plagiarism accusations facing President Richard Muma.
“Looking at the evidence, honestly, I think it’s absolutely trumped up,” said Francis Connor, associate professor of English. “I would not call it plagiarism. He should have been more accurate in putting things in quotation marks, but he absolutely cited everything … It’s not plagiarism; it’s bad citation.”
WSU’s Policy and Procedures Manual defines plagiarism as “representing the words, ideas, graphics, or any portion of another’s work, whether published or unpublished, as one’s own and/or without appropriate and/or accurate citation/ attribution.”
TAKING A STEP BACK — MUMA’S 2004 DISSERTATION
Twenty years ago, Muma — already a tenured faculty member and department chair at Wichita State — submitted an 88-page dissertation to a faculty review panel at the University of Missouri-St. Louis for his doctorate in higher education.
Two decades and several big promotions later, Muma’s dissertation is now subject to scrutiny over his failure to attribute 55 passages, more than 750 words, according to the Kansas Reflector.
While Muma did use parentheses to cite sources and included a complete bibliography, segments of his dissertation lacked quotations or other forms of attribution. Copied areas lacking quotations ranged from the opening sentence to paragraph chunks throughout the dissertation.
According to a statement from Muma sent to faculty, staff and students
immediately following the publication of The Reflector story, this lack of attribution constituted 5% of his 88-page dissertation — approximately five pages.
“To be clear, I attributed and cited all sources in my dissertation, and I have complete confidence in the integrity and originality of my research,” Muma said in the statement. “These are technical oversights where text was reused, and those attributions did not have quotation marks, and I am taking steps to make corrections.”
The letter did not specify what steps were being taken.
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT OR ‘TECHNICAL OVERSIGHT’?
Assistant professor and chair of the philosophy department Patrick Bondy said the real debate depends on what is considered academic misconduct and what is considered a “technical oversight.”
“That (mistakes) happens here or there; it’s not a big deal,” Bondy said. “That’s the main thing: if you provided the records and if you didn’t include the quotation marks, then, well … that is a technical error … but not a violation of ethical standards.”
Nickolas Solomey, a professor of math, statistics and physics at WSU, agreed.
Solomey said he saw Muma’s response before attempting to read the Kansas Reflector story.
“I started it, but then I thought, ‘This is just ridiculous,’” he said.
He said it’s not unusual for small parts of papers, even theses and dissertations, to be incorrectly cited.
Associate history professor George Dehner said such practices likely wouldn’t fly in the history department.
“Anytime you’re using the language of somebody without proper attribution, it’s a problem,” Dehner said. “(Muma) did have citations saying … ‘This is where I got it from,’ but not enclosing it in quotation marks would be something that we would more than frown on in the Department of History.”
Upon hearing the allegations of plagiarism four weeks ago, Muma said he called for the university to conduct an inquiry to weigh the validity of the claims.
WSU Provost Shirley Lefever conducted
If you provided the records and if you didn’t include the quotation marks, then, well … that is a technical error … but not a violation of ethical standards.”
PATRICK BONDY Assistant professor and chair of the philosophy department
the inquiry with the help of the university’s research officer, John Tomblin. The review also had an external section, with a “leading expert in plagiarism, who is unaffiliated with the university,” according to the statement.
“The facts led to a determination that these were technical omissions that did not rise to the level of misconduct, and the matter was closed,” Muma said.
Dehner said he’s unsure what percentage of plagiarism would be acceptable.
“I would say that mistakes of that nature are things that do not reflect well in scholarship,” Dehner said.
STUDENTS REACT
The Sunflower asked around 20 students how they felt about the situation. Some declined to speak, citing their employment at the university and fear of retaliation.
After a Sunflower reporter visited the Shocker Success Center on Monday, an email was sent out to staff, telling them not to speak with reporters at work, although they were free to speak off the clock.
“If they ask you questions while you are on the clock, please respond to any questions with ‘I don’t know, and no other staff are able to answer your questions,’” the email said.
Many students confessed they had little knowledge of the allegations. What most had heard was prompted by the letter from Muma.
Jay Russell, a second-year journalism and media production major, said he’s “very interested” in the story but doesn’t think the instances of missing quotations in Muma’s work are necessarily academic misconduct.
He clarified that he had not read the original story yet, only the letter from Muma.
“I am interested to see what the university does since they take plagiarism so seriously,” Russell said. “If it was just a technical issue where there was no quotation marks and the work was still cited in the work cited, then I don’t think that that is an issue.”
Senior creative writing student Jay Dewiel was completely indifferent.
“When I saw that, at first, I was like, ‘Oh, here’s someone that fucked up again.’ And I saw it was 20 years ago, and it seems so small and like, genuinely, who gives a fuck?” Dewiel said. “Maybe I’m the odd one out. I don’t care. I do not care. Like, I basically just deleted the email as I read it.”
Undergraduate political science student Jerica George questioned the intention and relevancy of the Reflector article.
She said she didn’t suspect “malintent” in Muma’s mistakes and that his decision to correct his dissertation speaks to his “integrity and his being as a person.”
WSU’s Academic Integrity policy states that “unless specifically noted in the policy definition, intent is not a required element to establish a policy violation.”
“It’s an unfortunate happening,” George said. “But again … it’s one of those things where the technical error doesn’t (overshadow) how he came (up) with the research and the validity of the research he did.”
WICHITA STATE’S POLICY ON STUDENT ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Wichita State’s policy on plagiarism asserts that those who violate it could receive a failing grade, a warning, probation, suspension or expulsion from the university. Teachers are responsible for voicing plagiarism concerns and these concerns vary by individual.
All students and student groups are expected to abide by the policy.
Students are barred from doing anything that violates the university or their degree’s integrity.
Violations include plagiarism, unauthorized use or possession of materials like textbooks or cheat sheets, unauthorized collaboration or consultation, interfering with others’ work, helping others violate the policy in any wayand selling or distributing materials.
Richard Muma speaks at a press conference after being selected to serve as the new president of Wichita State University on May 6, 2021. | File photo by Lena Alhallaq / The Sunflower
Annual Shocker Madness event rallies ‘school spirit’
BY ALLISON CAMPBELL editor@thesunflower.com
When Matthew Phan was in high school, he said he spent more time hosting and coordinating school spirit events than being recognized at them.
But Wichita State’s student body vice president got “a different side of things” that he’d “never experienced” when he was named Shocker Royalty during Shocker Madness on Saturday night.
“It wasn’t something that was on my radar,” Phan said. “I knew I was really excited for the events at Shocktoberfest, but I really never would have thought about being on the court.”
Phan and Riley McMillan were named Shocktoberfest Royalty, a school sprit tradition dating back decades. The student body voted for the pair out of 12 total candidates, who were selected based on their leadership roles and presence on campus.
“I was pretty surprised (to be nominated),” Phan said. “It was a really amazing week.”
To celebrate the conclusion of Shocktoberfest, a range of festivities, from a performance by the Shocker Sound Machine to the crowning of homecoming royalty, brought a small rally of parents, students and die-hard basketball fans alike to the roundhouse.
Following the Shocktoberfest
Pathway created by nursing school to combat growing need for mental health professionals
BY SOPHIA BEST sophiadapbest@gmail.com
Wichita State is offering a new pathway in its nursing program specialized to help combat the need for more mental health professionals in Kansas.
Debra Pile is the associate dean for Nursing Practice, and Claudio Ferraro serves as the president of Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph Hospital. The two are overseeing the implementation of the new pathway.
Kansas has seen a rise in the need for mental health professionals, especially in rural, lesser populated areas. More than a quarter of Kansans struggling with mental illness and only 431 psychiatrists actively licensed to practice within the state.
“Mental health issues are on the rise,” Pile said. “More and more people are needing assistance. The services, and those who provide (them), are pretty low.”
The School of Nursing will launch the mental health technician pathway in the Spring 2025 semester.
While there is no degree or certification attached to the pathway, students can earn credits through the pathway and apply them toward a health care
MISSION
degree program, like nursing or psychology.
Kansas has recently faced a staggering lack of health care workers for mental health. The Rural Health Information Hub found that 80% of Kansas counties lack proper staffing of these professionals, and there are only 58 federally qualified health centers within the state as of July 2024.
The coursework is completely online, allowing students all over Kansas to enroll. Hands-on clinical experience will be hosted at certain mental health facilities, such as Ascension Via Christi and Camber Children’s Mental Health Hospital.
The pathway also prepares students to take the licensing exam through the Kansas State Board of Nursing.
While there are no specific scholarships yet, Pile said she and her team are looking into different financial options.
Enrollment is currently open for the pathway’s first semester through a rolling process, meaning there is no firm deadline for admission. Students interested can contact Pile via email.
“We think it’s really exciting to have this program,” Pile said, “It’s a great pathway to other professions, and it’s a great service to the state.”
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.
parade, fans got autographs from the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The Shocker Sound Machine played tunes from their Queen-inspired show and later took to the court to perform several marching routines.
After cheering for more than 10 events, practices and scrimmages earlier in the week, the Wichita State Spirit Squad performed a floor set complete with splits, flips and chants. The group was later named the 2024 Shockerberfest Spirit winners, earning a $1,000 prize and a towering trophy.
The conclusion of the spirit week also saw the Wichita State women’s bowling team receive their rings for the ITA national
championship that the team won in the spring. With 11 national championship wins, the team has only recently finished transitioning into the NCAA after receiving news of the move earlier this year.
Head bowling coach Holly Harris was not available for comment but later posted on her personal Facebook how proud she was of the “incredible nine women” on the championship team.
Players from the men’s and women’s basketball teams made their season debut with scrimmages pitting members of the same team against each other, offering a sneak peek of what the upcoming season may offer.
After a few scrimmage matches, a 3-point contest saw fifth-year guard and recent Shocker basketball transfer AJ McGinnis win shootout after shootout. Junior women’s basketball guard Kyleigh Ortiz trailed close behind, but McGinnis was named the champion, much to the audience’s enjoyment.
“Shocktoberfest is really important to student life in terms of engaging students,” Phan said. ”I thought it was a really great opportunity to really let students know what athletics was about, but also to get them really acquainted with the rest of campus. And I’m hoping that we can continue the school spirit and engagement across campus.”
Student Government sees low turnout in first midterm election
BY AINSLEY SMYTH news@thesunflower.com
Wichita State’s Student Senate held its first midterm election last week, with just 77 students — less than 0.6% — participating out of more than 14,000 eligible students.
This was the Student Government Association’s (SGA) first midterm election after implementing midterms and several other changes to election proceedings in August. Midterm elections were added in order to fill empty Senate seats.
Kaitlyn Kralicek is a criminal justice student. Criminal justice is part of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,
one of the six schools of study looking for Student Government representatives. Kralicek said she didn’t know the elections were happening.
“To be honest, I forgot that Student Government existed,” she said. “I feel like there’s not really a good way to contact all the students, so we just don’t know about any of it.”
The preliminary results were announced via Instagram livestream on Oct. 2. They were certified on Monday, Oct. 7. Abbi Whistler, the student governance coordinator for Student Engagement and Belonging, and three other SGA members gathered in the Rhatigan Student Center to
announce the uncertified results. SGA’s usual room in the RSC, 233, was locked, causing the group to move to a room across the hall. None of the midterm candidates attended, although Whistler said the announcement, which was made via Instagram a few hours prior to the meeting, was open to the public.
SGA’s Senate meeting on Oct. 2 was canceled, which Whistler said may explain why other senators and candidates were not in attendance.
“There’s usually more people just because it's a Senate night,” Whistler said. New and returning senators will reconvene on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
MIDTERM ELECTION RESULTS
LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES
Nami Foster retained her seat and received 23 votes
HEALTH PROFESSIONS
Jennifer Diaz-Reyes with four votes Diana Grajeda retained her seat and received three votes
ENGINEERING
Andrew Sauls with six write-in votes
Seventeen students abstained, choosing to vote for no one
FINE ARTS
Layton Maienschein with one write-in vote
Four students abstained
BUSINESS
Gavin Barnes with six votes
Victor Luna with three votes
Four students abstained
GRADUATE
Rizwan Raisulhaq with seven votes
Katrina Henley with four votes
ASSISTANT
ADVERTISING MANAGER Kiona Brown admanager@thesunflower.com The Sunflower, founded in 1896, is the student-run newspaper covering Wichita State University. The print edition is published Thursday during the fall and spring semesters. The staff publishes daily online at www.thesunflower.com.
EDITOR IN CHIEF Allison Campbell editor@thesunflower.com
MANAGING EDITOR Mia Hennen managing@thesunflower.com NEWS EDITOR Ainsley
OUT OF STATE
Tyler Beatty with three write-in votes
Nine students abstained
INTERNATIONAL
•Maneja Ahmed with 13 votes
•Dion Samuel retained his seat and received 11 votes
FRESHMAN
•Levi Carlson with 11 write-in votes
•Seven students abstained
CONTACT US 019 Elliott Hall 1845 N. Fairmount Ave. Campus Box 134 Wichita, KS 67260-0134
EDITORIAL Allison Campbell: 316-978-6906 editor@thesunflower.com
ADVERTISING Kiona Brown: 316-978-6905 admanager@thesunflower.com
FACULTY ADVISER Amy DeVault: 316-978-6052 amy.devault@wichita.edu
PODCAST PRODUCER Taliyah Winn podcast@thesunflower.com
The Shocker Sound Machine performs a routine at the beginning of Shocker Madness. The band performs at all the Wichita State home games in Koch Arena. | Photos by Kristy Mace / The Sunflower
The Wichita State dance team poses during their routine on Oct. 5. The team performs at all basketball home games in Charles Koch Arena.
Justin Hill plays for the black team during the Shocker Madness scrimmage on Oct. 5.
Volleyball plays to expectations in weekend split vs. UAB and Rice
BY JACOB UNRUH &
Volleyball played games against both sides of the American Athletic Conference standings over the weekend.
The Shockers beat the lastplace University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) on Friday and lost a tight matchup against firstplace Rice University on Sunday.
The Shockers sit at 8-8 overall and 3-1 in the AAC after the two games.
@ UAB
Prior to the season, Wichita State was picked to finish second in the AAC, while UAB was predicted to end up last.
The matchup between the teams on Friday night matched what one would expect given the preseason predictions, with the Shockers winning a 3-0 sweep on the road (25-15), (25-22), (25-22).
Wichita State notched its first sweep of the season, having won the two previous conference matchups in four sets.
The Shockers continued a run of solid offensive efficiency in the
conference, ending with a .333 hitting percentage as a team while holding UAB to .185.
Redshirt freshman outside hitter Alyssa Gonzales continued her hot streak, leading the team with 10 kills on a career-high .476 percentage. Fifth-year setter Izzi Strand was a menace defensively with five block assists — a seasonhigh — and six digs.
The two teams traded kills in the first set with neither unable to take more than a 2-point lead. The score was tied at 14, but from there, the Shockers ran away with the set on an 11-1 run.
The second set followed a similar script at first. UAB went on a 7-1 run to take an 11-10 lead and hung around long enough to keep the score tied at 19.
Wichita State closed the set by taking three of the last four points.
In the set point, senior middle blocker Morgan Stout mishit a kill attempt that found the UAB side of the net anyway.
UAB took an 11-8 lead in the third set, forcing Wichita State head coach Chris Lamb to call the Shockers’ first timeout of the game. WSU responded with a 7-3 run to take their first lead of the set, 15-14. From there, WSU closed
Women’s bowling excited for NCAA leap and national competition
BY JACOB UNRUH sports@thesunflower.com
Wichita State women’s bowling coach Holly Harris said the team’s move to NCAA competition this year didn’t feel real until the team’s media day.
“We’ve never had something like that,” Harris said. “And it was cool to watch the girls be so excited and just kind of sit back and watch them feel important and feel included in something.”
The anticipation from Harris and other team members is palpable as Wichita State bowling prepares for its first NCAA tournament this weekend.
ROSTER CONTINUITY
The Shockers won the Intercollegiate Team Championship in May, the program’s 11th national title, after defeating Jacksonville State in the final round.
Eight bowlers on that national championship squad are returning, including individual national champions junior Paige Wagner and sophomore Sara Duque. Harris said that level of continuity makes the jump to NCAA “a little bit easier.”
“They know what they had to do and how hard they had to work last year to get to the national championships,” she said. Harris mentioned graduate student Mary Orf and senior
Piper Reams as players who have improved greatly over the summer.
Though, Harris said it was difficult to pick just a few players who have met expectations.
Freshmen Morgan Kline and Beau Anderson are joining the team this year. Harris praised both players but said with how many of last year’s bowlers remain on the team, they might not get much playing time.
“They’re both really hard workers, and they want to get better,” Harris said. “They’re like sponges, and they ask a bunch of questions, and are willing to learn.”
EXCITEMENT
Wagner said when she joined the team in 2022, becoming an NCAA athlete “was not even in the picture.”
“I didn’t expect anything of it, but I’m really excited for it, and it’s going to help the team out a lot,” she said.
With the jump to the NCAA, Duque said women’s bowling gained legitimacy on campus.
“We feel like a sport,” she said.
“We didn’t feel like a sport before, at least my mindset was that. So I think it’s very nice to be with all of the Shocker athletes around.”
Harris described the process of becoming an NCAA sport as a “snowball effect” where every step in the process has fueled the team’s readiness to compete.
“It’s like every little piece has
out the game in a workmanlike fashion.
VS. RICE
A clash between undefeated AAC teams ended with Rice taking a hard-fought five-set win in Charles Koch Arena (25-23), (18-25), (22-25), (25-15), (15-10).
“We had our chances,” WSU head coach Chris Lamb said.
The Shockers finished with a .189 hitting percentage for the game, their first mark under .300 in conference play. Strong displays in sets four and five put Rice at .246 for the game.
Neither team was able to get a decicive edge in the first set as a Wichita State rally tied the game at 20. The teams tied three more times in the set, but Rice scored the final two points to win it.
Strand had nine assists and seven digs in the set and ended the game with a team-high 14 digs.
“(I’ve been) working a lot on my defense, making my range bigger,” she said.
Wichita State ran away with the second set and took an early 9-3 lead in the third.
The Owls scratched their way back with a 3-0 run. Another 4-1
run later tied the game at 12.
After adjustments and some back-and-forth scoring, WSU eventually squeaked out the set.
Coming out of the break, the Owls looked like the most composed team on the court, running away with the fourth set to set up the final frame.
Rice took a 7-3 lead, forcing Lamb to call his first timeout.
Coming out of the break, the Shockers answered with a 3-0 run, capped off by a Gonzales kill that cut the Owls’ lead to a point.
Rice ended the set on a 5-3 run to win, as the Shockers hit just .190 during the frame.
Strand said the loss put a “sweet and sour” taste in her mouth.
“I’m proud of us,” she said. “I really am proud of how we played. I feel like this is one of our top performances. Sometimes the ball can’t bounce the right way and you lose one.”
Lamb said he has moved past the loss against Rice and has shifted focus to the next game against the University of South Florida — another undefeated AAC team.
That game will take place on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. in Charles Koch Arena.
just been a little bit sweeter,” she said. “And I think we’re pretty anxious to get on the plane and jump right in.”
EXPECTATIONS
Wichita State is joining Conference USA as an affiliate member for women’s bowling this season, as the American Athletic Conference does not host the sport. Harris said C-USA is “the hardest conference in college bowling,” but Wichita State can stack up with the best programs.
“We’re certainly up there,” she said. “I don’t know that we can put a number on it, but we’re going to be competitive, for sure.”
With the move to the NCAA, bowlers on the team will receive wellness support and fitness training, which are given to all athletes under the Wichita State Athletics umbrella. Harris said those resources are especially
BY OWEN PROTHRO
owenprothro@gmail.com
Xin Tong Wang, Alejandro Jacome and Kristof Minarik made Wichita State tennis history at a collegiate national championship tournament last month.
They became the first Wichita State tennis players to advance out of the pre-qualifying stages of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Championships in over a decade.
Wang, a sophomore, competed for the Shockers in the women’s singles tournament in Cary, North Carolina, becoming the first woman to advance out of pre-qualifiers since 2009. Jacome, a junior, and Minarik, a redshirt junior, competed in both singles and doubles in Tulsa, Oklahoma, becoming the first male duo to make it to the qualifying round in doubles since 2011.
WANG’S WINNING WAYS
Wang said the ITA AllAmerican Championship was the biggest tournament she’s played in since leaving China to attend WSU last year.
She described the tournament as a “business trip” where her goal was to “just win.”
The ITA selected her to compete in the tournament after a freshman campaign at WSU where she won 27 matches and was an All-American Athletic Conference first-team selection.
During the tournament, Wang beat four power-four conference opponents, making it to the second qualifying round in singles.
Wang said the matches put a little pressure on her, but ultimately helped push her game further.
“(They) helped me,” she said. “Because I saw some places I can improve (more), where I should (work) more during practices.”
JACOME AND MINARIK FIND CHEMISTRY
The pair of men’s players competed in singles and doubles. Each were knocked out of the singles side of the tournament after both of their first pre-qualifier matches. In doubles, the pair achieved much more success, pulling off a few upsets before losing in the qualifying round.
Minarik said that his and Jacome’s performance during the tournament could give more players in the WSU tennis program confidence that they can achieve goals.
“It shows that it’s possible for the other guys as well, not just for us,” Minarik said. “It gives them the confidence that if we can do it, they can do it.”
important given the length of NCAA competition days, which can last up to eight hours.
“It’s important to have strong legs and some stamina,” Harris said. “It’s far more important than I think the average person realizes.”
The Shockers were ranked 17th nationally in the preseason National Tenpin Coaches Association coaches poll. Harris said while she expects Wichita State to compete for a national title, the team “can’t put a whole season on one tournament at the end of the year.”
“We’re in it to learn a bunch this year, and we’re also in it to be competitive,” she said. “So I think just sticking to our process and learning how to make it better is going to be the biggest decider on success for us.”
The women’s bowling season will begin with the Penguin Classic in Struthers, Ohio, from Friday, Oct. 11, to Sunday, Oct. 13.
Maddie Wilson jumps to attempt a kill in the second set against Rice. Wilson had nine kills and seven blocks during the game. | Photo by Kristy Mace / The Sunflower
Sara Duque, 2024 Intercollegiate Singles Championship winner, bowls for Wichita State. | Photo courtesy of Wichita State Athletics
ARTS & CULTURE
Roxy’s Downtown offers a queer and comedic twist on the classic ‘Dracula’ tale
Overly cautious and meek
real estate agent Jonathan Harker makes his way to Transylvania to meet his new, mysterious client, who happens to be Count Dracula. After selling Dracula some London properties, unaware of the Count’s affliction, Harker travels back to London on his own — with Dracula following in pursuit.
As expected, Dracula begins causing trouble around town, charming people into being his servants and turning others into vampires.
Harker and his merry gang made up of his fiance, her father, and vampire hunter Jean Van Helsing must track Dracula down before it is too late, and — of course — shenanigans ensue.
Although the Roxy’s cast was small, with just five actors on stage, this did not discourage the production, with all but one cast member playing multiple characters at once.
Not only were they talented in their role, but their commitment to their audience’s entertainment was undeniable.
The cast skillfully performed quick changes on-stage as they spun in circles for comedic effect, while simultaneously conversing with two or more characters.
My favorite instance of this was a conversation between Dr. Westfeldt and Renfield — both played by Megan Parsley. While on stage, she spun in a circle and put on a hat to indicate a change
in character. As if that wasn’t enough to juggle, Parsley also changed her voice and posture to distinguish the two characters for the audience.
Zeke Thompson, who embodied Dracula, made an amusingly flawless rendition of the classically hypnotic character, as he played the charmer who knows how drop dead gorgeous he is. Keep your wooden stakes and garlic cloves at home, this is one
The show was full of gothic trivia references, with mentioned cousins Mary and Shelley (a play on the name of the author of “Frankenstein”), an estranged Dr. Jekyll, and the S.S. Stoker (a play on the name of the author of the original “Dracula” novel).
Another advantage to the show’s informal nature was its freedom to make sometimes
off-hand, yet personable comments.
It was a show that was keenly self-aware, with male actors wearing dresses, making comments about how they hate shows with men in dresses.
To show the “ghosts” floating through the castle, cast members sped across stage on scooters and vampirism was shown through revealing leather (or pleather) clothing.
GRUB AND GARBA
This show is 100 minutes of queer, gender-bending, campy fun that will keep you laughing (and a little warm under the collar if you catch my drift).
If you want to see men in dresses and a well-built man make out with people while shirtless, “Dracula a Comedy of Terrors” is the show for you.
Wichita State students get a discount on tickets via phone until the show’s last run on Oct. 12.
Dracula you want hovering near your neck.
Lakshmishree Sivakumar twirls in a Garba line at the Garba Night. The dance involves a series of synchronized steps performed by the entire group.
Dipal Brahmbhatt and a community member perform Dandiya Raas during Garba/Dandiya Night on Oct. 5, as part of the 9-day Navratri festival celebrations.
Sajani Bhakta shows amusement as they participate in the Dandiya Raas dance. Dandiya Raas is danced to commemorate the Hindu goddess Durga’s victory over Mahishasura, with its roots in the festival of Navartri.
A community member laughs during the Garba Night celebration. Garba is a traditional circular folk dance that celebrates the rich cultural traditions of Gujarat.
A community member performs the Garba dance, which is typically done at the beginning of the night. Garba is primarily danced by women and honors the feminine form of divinity. | Photos by Aubri Baker / The Sunflower
Two children hit sticks together during the Dandiya Raas dance. The celebration was held by AHINSA to celebrate the religious festival of Navartri, a Hindu tradition.
Photo courtesy of Jacob Workentine
During the celebration, the Association of Hindu Students in America (AHINSA) provided attendees with traditional Indian cuisine.
OPINION
Students get punished for plagiarism. Our president should, too.
At Wichita State University, students are constantly reminded of the importance of academic honesty with stern warnings about plagiarism.
The words echo through classrooms and syllabi, creating an atmosphere of zero tolerance. It seems WSU administration should have heeded their own advice, as evidence of WSU President Richard Muma plagiarizing sections of his doctoral dissertation has emerged.
Muma’s failure to properly attribute sources in his 2004 dissertation is troubling on multiple fronts.
Despite his claims in a letter sent to the student body that these mistakes were “technical oversights” and that less than “5%” of
The Student Government Association’s midterm elections last week showed just how disconnected SGA is from the rest of the student body.
Only 77 students cast a ballot in the election out of more than 14,000 who could have voted.
While 11 new senators were elected, none received more than 13 votes, with one student receiving a position in the body with the resounding victory of a single write-in vote. More fine arts students who voted chose to abstain from picking anyone rather than vote for the candidate who ended up “winning.”
While the midterm elections cut the number of vacant Senate seats in half, many of these new senators will stop showing up to meetings. Of those that remain, most will not care much about student government, using the body as a means to socialize and improve their resume.
I know because I used to be one of these senators.
The Student Senate is plagued by indifference. The solution is simple: SGA must dramatically reduce the number of Senate seats and make elections actually matter.
the text had attribution issues, the fact remains that any instance of plagiarism is inexcusable.
If we can’t expect a post-graduate professor to cite correctly, then certainly a student cannot be expected to.
This dissertation, which earned him a doctorate in higher education, set him on the path to power, influence and a 4% raise this July, which has him earning a half-amillion-dollar salary.
WSU’s own Code of Conduct Policy states that plagiarism is “representing the words, ideas, graphics, or any portion of another’s work, whether published or unpublished, as one’s own and/ or without appropriate and/or accurate citation/attribution.”
The punishment for plagiarism ranges from warnings to expulsions. If university policy would harshly penalize a student for similar infractions, the president should be held to the same standard.
WSU’s Academic Integrity Policy is crystal clear: plagiarism is unacceptable. What’s even more disturbing than this alleged plagiarism is the culture of silence being fostered around this issue.
According to The Sunflower, university employees —specifically students — are being pressured not to speak for fear of retaliation. This discourages open discussion and transparency. The plagiarism allegations are a red flag that demand more scrutiny and curiosity, not less.
Muma’s response to the allegations has been dismissive at best. He has described the matter as “deeply personal” and emphasized that the inquiry found only “technical omissions” that did not rise to the level of academic misconduct. He has refused requests for comments from the Kansas Reflector and The Sunflower.
But how can we, as a community, take this at face value when
students are constantly drilled with the importance of proper attribution? If a student claimed “technical oversight” after being caught plagiarizing, it would not fly.
Out of 255 words on the first page of his dissertation, at least 150 were copied. The first sentence of the dissertation comes directly from the first page of a book, with not even the bare minimum effort to put the information in quotes.
The bare minimum would have been citing it correctly.
Even if only 5% of the dissertation had attribution errors, it’s no excuse. His dissertation is 88 pages long, meaning nearly five pages were improperly cited.
In any classroom, that would be enough to trigger serious consequences. For a student, such a mistake could mean failing a class, suspension or even expulsion.
But for the president of the university, it seems that the 20-plus authors he failed to correctly cite
is not too big a deal. Nothing a PR statement blasted “From the President” via WSU Strategic Communications emails couldn’t fix.
The broader implications of this situation are alarming. WSU students deserve a leader who practices what he preaches, not someone who bends the rules to protect his position.
Integrity must come from the top down, and right now, the university’s moral compass appears to be spinning in all different directions.
We should all be asking: How can students be expected to respect the institution’s code of conduct when their own president does not?
Wichita State must take a hard look at its leadership and ask whether someone who has violated the very standards he enforces can truly continue to lead.
If a candidate’s name is on the ballot, they win. People can get elected by just a few students writing them in — even if they never intentionally entered the election.
Even if you lose, you win. In 2022, one of the few times more than enough candidates filed to fill the required seats, engineering Sen. Jay Thompson lost the election, but still found himself back in the Senate anyway.
Why bother voting for senators?
Whoever wants to be in the Senate will find themselves in the body no matter what, simply by being one of a few — or the only — candidates to run.
Even people who don’t want to be in the Senate find themselves in the body. In 2022, I ran as an incumbent at-large senator and put zero effort into the “campaign.” I put non-existent and joke answers into the candidate questionnaire that appears on ballots and did nothing to advertise my candidacy because I knew it was impossible for me to not be re-elected.
And yet, because fewer candidates filed to run than the number of at-large Senate seats, I won by default, put zero effort into the Senate that year and proceeded to leave the body with a vacancy the following winter.
Inside SGA, people know the elections are a joke. Outside of the student body president race, I’ve never been aware of anyone campaigning or seriously attempting to encourage students to vote for them.
Among senators who stay in office, in my experience, the vast
It’s no wonder Student Government elections are a joke. When asked why they didn’t vote in the midterm elections, some students said they didn’t know that the election was happening and in one case, “forgot that Student Government existed.”
majority don’t care about actually governing. Sure, most senators are opinionated, and might have one or two things they want to achieve, but very few are willing to get into the nitty-gritty and discuss the specifics of legislation.
A small group of senators write the vast majority of bills. This same group is also the most involved in discussing bills during meetings. Aside from that, most senators are there to fill seats.
The Student Senate made a half-hearted effort to reduce the
number of senators last year, eliminating at-large seats and cutting the body to 50 seats. It wasn’t nearly enough. There aren’t 50 students on Wichita State’s campus who have both the time and passion required to serve as a senator. The Senate would function better if it consisted of 10 or so senators. This would force senators to do their jobs and interact with their constituents if they wish to be re-elected. If Senate candidates put in the effort to make themselves
known on campus, students wouldn’t be left to either vote in someone they know little about or abstain from voting. Senate elections should be as competitive as presidential elections, with candidates campaigning and earning a spot in the body.
Until the Senate gives WSU students a reason to take elections seriously, SGA will continue to feign legitimacy with senators who were “elected” on a single vote.
Illustration by Cameryn Davis / The Sunflower
Illustration by Wren Johnson / The Sunflower
ROYALTY, RINGS AND REBOUNDS
Shocker Madness wraps up Shocktoberfest with scrimmage, homecoming festivities
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY
RECOGNITION
THURSDAY, OCT. 10
9 - 10 a.m.
Rhatigan Student Center, Bluestem Lounge, first floor
Join Shocker Indigenous Collective, Indigenous Student Collective and Student Engagement & Belonging in a brief acknowledgement of Indigenous Peoples Day with students and faculty. The program will feature a performance by Young Switch-Northern Drum.
THROWBACK THURSDAY
THURSDAY, OCT. 10
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Rhatigan Student Center, East Atrium
Celebrate various decades’ fashion with snacks, freebies and a photobooth.
ENGINEERING & IT
CAREER FAIR
THURSDAY, OCT. 10
2 - 5 p.m.
Rhatigan Student Center, third floor
Local employeers seeking interns, co-op students and full-time employees come to campus to mingle with candidates from Wichita State’s School of Engineering.
MIDPOINT DAY 2: SHANI
AVNI ARTIST TALK
THURSDAY, OCT. 10
4 - 5 p.m.
McKnight Art Center, room 210 Shani Avni, the Ismar David Assistant Curator in RIT Cary Graphic Arts Collection, specializes in Hebrew type design and typography. Her work in The Cary entails preservation and enhancement of the Ismar David Papers, a rare collection of personal writings and artworks of calligrapher and type deisgner Ismar David.
ARTIST TALK: J.C.
FONTANIVE
THURSDAY, OCT. 10
Reception at 5:30 p.m., program at 6 p.m.
Ulrich Museum of Art, Beren Gallery A multimedia artist based in Ohio, J.C. Fontanive will discuss his unique sculpture practice that incorporates physical machines and moving photos.
WU CHOIR AND SHOCKER CHOIR
THURSDAY, OCT. 10
7:30 - 9 p.m.
Weidemann Hall
Combining the voices of the treble voice ensemble Wu Choir and the tenor and bass chorus Shocker Choir, this performance conducted by Tom Wine comprises both music and non-music majors. Tickets are free for WSU students.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP WORKSHOP: MARKET RESEARCH FOR STARTUPS
FRIDAY, OCT. 11
Noon - 1 p.m.
Ablah Library
Discuss market trends, business competitors and target markets at the Entrepreneurship Research Lunch & Learn. This event is free and open to all students, regardless of major. Learn more about the event at libraries.wichita.edu/er.
OPEN STREETS ICT
SATURDAY, OCT. 12
Noon - 5 p.m.
Douglas Ave. from Bluff St. to N. Glenn
Open Streets ICT closes a busy road to open the streets to walkers, cyclists, skaters and more. Local businesses and vendors will be stationed along the road, including the Ulrich Museum of Art with art projects.
HAVE
Princess Anderson participates in the women’s scrimmage for Shocker Madness. Players from the team were pitted against
first appearance of the season. | Photos by Kristy Mace / The Sunflower
Ornella Niankan guards Jordan Jackson during the Oct. 5 scrimmage. Last year, Jackson was redshirted due to injury.
Quincy Ballard dunks the ball during
Sophomore Zarek Burkert cheers during Shocker Madness on Oct. 5.
The Wichita State cheer team performs a group routine on Oct. 5. The cheer team also won the Shocktoberfest spirit award at Shocker Madness.
Riley McMillan and Matthew Phan