VISION 2022 & BEYOND
WASHBURN STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS
Morgan Hall 105
8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday career-services@washburn.edu (785) 670-1450 www.washburn.edu/career-services
CAREER EVENTS
September - Career & Graduate School Fair
October - Health Care Career Fair
November - Mock Interview Day
December - Fall Education Interview Day
February - Spring Career Fair
March - Spring Education Interview Day
Find the link on our website; create a professional document for FREE using your Washburn email address!
Meet with a Career Specialist for a résumé and cover letter review.
Focus 2 combines self-assessment with career and major exploration.
Explore options that match your interests, personality, and values.
Make informed career decisions and take action!
Practice interviewing online with Big Interview (available until May 2018), then schedule an in-person mock interview at Career Services!
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I would like to thank the Director of Student Media, Regina Cassell, for providing me with the opportunity to be the editor-in-chief of the Bod Magazine. It has been a rewarding experience. I would also like to express my gratitude and appreciation to all of the Student Media staff who worked hard to create this wonderful publication.
After four long, turbulent years, my time has finally arrived. Graduation. However, I do not think of this as an end to years of hard effort and learning, but as the beginning of new things to come, new challenges, new achievements.
There is a saying that the difference between a pessimist and an optimist is that the pessimist describes the glass as half empty while the optimist describes the same glass as half full. It is a matter of perception. Your perception will determine your goals for tomorrow.
As Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
I challenge you to step up and look upon your time at Washburn as a great opportunity, and make the most out of it, for you are the leaders of tomorrow. The captains of business and industry, the educators, political leaders and the historians who will record our accomplishments. Excel, don’t be satisfied with the fact that the glass is “half full”, but rather ask “how can I fill it?”
Mark Kotich
Mark Kotich Editor-In-Chief
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STAFF WRITERS
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PHOTOGRAPHERS
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Minxi Yao
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ADVISER
Regina Cassell ON THE COVER: Student Jessica Knieff, ‘18, is the model for a futuristic take on the Washburn University campus. Photo by Charlie Rankin.
Bod Magazine is published in fall and spring by students
University, 1700 SW College Avenue, Topeka, Kansas 666 21
The
at Washburn
STUDENT ACTIVIST AT WORK
BySarahMiller
Lakpa Sherpa has had an immense impact on Washburn’s campus through her work as an advocate for women’s rights. Sherpa has worked closely with Washburn’s Campus Advocate, as well as the YWCA to coordinate projects and events on campus that further the education and awareness of domestic violence, sexual assault and women’s rights.
Sherpa, a graduate student who earned her Master of Social Work in spring 2018, is from Nepal, where she studied nursing for her undergraduate degree. She made the decision to pursue a graduate degree in social work after witnessing the damage caused by the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.
“After the earthquake happened in Nepal in 2015, I began volunteering for different projects, which made me realize that my nursing education was not enough to be able to reach out to the community on a social level,” said Sherpa.
“At Washburn we are making so much progress, and it felt like a huge step forward to have something tangible to start an open and honest conversation between students and faculty on campus.”
-LakpaSherpa
PHOTO BY CHARLIE RANKIN
Sherpa has been very involved in her time on Washburn’s campus. Most notably, she was instrumental to launching the “What Were You Wearing” art installment that was displayed in the Memorial Union in March of this year. She worked closely with two advocates, who started the project in 2013, to coordinate the presentation of the exhibit and ensure that it went off without a hitch. The installment was shown for several weeks; students were encouraged to view it and leave a note of encouragement to the featured survivors as well as silent survivors.
“At Washburn we are making so much progress, and it felt like a huge step forward to have something tangible to start an open and honest conversation between students and faculty on campus,” said Sherpa.
Sherpa’s biggest goal in bringing the exhibit to campus was to make students aware of the resources that we have on campus for those who have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault, such as our campus advocate, Molly Steffes-Herman.
“I believe Lakpa has had an exceptionally positive impact on campus. She has always had the goal of the initiatives she has worked on continuing through the students long after she leaves Washburn. Lakpa has successfully collaborated with students, faculty and staff to bring awareness to social issues and this speaks volumes to the dedication and passion that members of the Washburn community have to social justice,” said Steffes-Herman.
She has also worked closely with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to revise some of the policies in the handbook regarding minorities. She specifically wants to establish more resources for minorities, especially the LGBTQ+ community. She has been collaborating with Elizabeth Moore, current vice president of the on-campus club, Queers & Allies, to redesign the ally training that is offered to students,
teachers, and faculty at Washburn. Together, they are trying to make the training more realistic by including queer individuals in the design process.
The latest project that Sherpa hopes to accomplish before graduating in May is to integrate free feminine products in all the bathrooms on campus. Although there have been some obstacles, she has managed to stock six bathrooms on campus with these products. Her biggest goal with this project is to include gender-neutral bathrooms to ensure that everybody has access to the products they may need.
After graduation, Sherpa plans to continue working toward ending gender violence and being an advocate for minorities.
“As she is graduating from Washburn with a degree in Social Work, she will be missed. However, she has definitely left an impact at Washburn with her work as a student and a poet. As she is also a student intern at the YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment, she exemplifies what the ideal Washburn student is: one that is already involved in community-building,” said mentor and professor Dennis Etzel. “Overall, she brings together academic and community work to make a stand for social justice and speak out against domestic violence and sexual assault.”
A REFLECTION OF SUCCESS
STUDENT PROMOTES PROSPERITY
ByMinxiYao
It was the darkest time in her life. A teenage girl was lost in her freshman year and even considering dropping out. That was the beginning of Jennifer Lieurance’s college life.
Lieurance is a senior communication studies major with a minor in poverty studies. She is the current national scholarship recipient, peer educator for First Year Experience and the president of We Are First. She is also a Bonner Scholar, which involves a three-year commitment to provide 1,000 hours of community service.
According to the The National Resource Center for the First Year Experience and Students in Transition website, the Jordan Smith Undergraduate Student Fellowship provides five undergraduates the opportunity to attend the annual conference. Lieurance is the third Washburn student to receive the fellowship.
During her first year in college, she felt lost and
considered dropping out. Washburn’s faculty, peer educators and her friends helped her out. They pushed her to stick to one more semester and encouraged her to keep working hard. Then she moved to campus, got involved and never left.
“If it was not for these people I would not be where I am now,” said Lieurance. “I have been [so] encouraged and inspired by faculty and staff on this campus that I have continued to want to do the same for my current and future students.”
“As a first-generation college student, she has continued to seek out ways to serve this under-served population of students,” said James Barraclough, director of undergraduate initiatives. “On her own initiative, she created a new student organization to provide a community of support for all first-year, first-generation college students – We Are F1rst. For her Bonner site with the LinC program, she has worked with my office to assist in the launching
BY MINXI YAO
PHOTO
“I have been [so] encouraged and inspired by faculty and staff on this campus that I have continued to want to do the same for my current and future students.”
- Jennifer Lieurance
of the inaugural Ichabod Success Institute during the summer of 2016. This year, she is serving in a leadership role for FYE as a Senior Peer Educator where she helps train and support our group of 70 total peer educators.”
Lieurance graduated in May 2018. She will be attending graduate school for higher education of student affairs. She applied to schools all across the country, from San Diego State and California State University Fullerton to the University of South Carolina.
“I will probably end up with the University of South Carolina because it is the home of many student affairs programs that are now national or international such as First Year Experience. I also loved the campus, faculty and the opportunities [at] USC,” Lieurance said.
Being involved in the Bonner program and First Year Experience, Lieurance has enjoyed being able to inspire and impact students. She wants to be a support system for students in the future, like faculty and staff have done for her at Washburn.
“I want to be the vice president of student affairs one day,” said Lieurance. “I feel like college has completely changed me. It allows me to do a whole bunch of different opportunities I never thought I would have. I want every student to take that chance. I want them to be able to succeed.”
Lieurance said she is a feminist. She enjoys reading and learning about different ways of leadership because she thinks leadership is something that everyone has.
“Being a feminist, to me, is caring about people being equal in all ways of life,” said Lieurance. “Honestly, to me, being a feminist is not just about speaking out about gender, but also speaking out about discrimination in the world. In my opinion, diversity is what makes the world what it is, but the inclusion is what we now need to work toward. Being a feminist has impacted my decisions and choices because it has allowed me to be a leader who listens and empowers
Since Lieurance stays busy and works multiple jobs on campus, she doesn’t get a lot time for hobbies, but she loves reading, watching TV and hanging out with friends.
“I love reading about self-help, leadership and capabilities,” said Lieurance. “I also love different memoirs and different stories. I like learning about different things that are going on in the world or have happened. One of my favorite book is about women [in] leadership; it’s called ‘Lean In’ by Sheryl Sandberg.”
VISION 2022 & BEYOND
A UNIVERSITY’S STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS
ByJessicaKnieff&CharlieRankin
“Everything we do is for students. Student experience, creating the best learning, the most relevant programs, the best learning facilities we can afford to do and building that vision for the future,” said JuliAnn Mazachek, Washburn University’s vice president of academic affairs about strategic planning for the university.
Washburn’s set of guiding principles for strategic planning the past six years has been known as Vision 2022.
“Strategic planning...helps us identify the highest level priorities for moving [Washburn] forward and points us all in the same direction so
that we have the highest likelihood of being able to achieve those goals,” Mazachek said.
This plan was led by then-assistant to the president and previously dean of the nursing school, Cynthia Hornberger. A new plan is currently being developed for implementation in the Fall of 2018.
“The marketplace and our environment is changing so rapidly, and we want to be able to respond proactively,” said Mazachek.
According to Mazachek, Washburn is also using its resources to provide students with the preparation they need to help them evolve to this new environment.
The Vision 2022 strategic
plan was divided into five major categories: academic excellence, educational opportunities, community connections, living/learning/working environment and fiscal stewardship.
“Probably almost all of the big issues were addressed in less than five years,” said President Jerry Farley.
Farley gave some of the biggest accomplishments from the plan and said that the momentum from the early year of it makes now the perfect time to reevaluate and create a new plan, which includes realistic goals for the university.
Farley said that one of the first items in the plan, to “provide competitive compensation in order to recruit, develop, retain and compensate faculty
“[We hope] to create a space to grow, where people can be both challenged and supported.” -JoelBluml,associatevicepresidentofstudentlife
and staff.”
“The state of Kansas changed--and we took a couple of years’ negative increases from the state,” said Farley.
Despite the difficulties like this, many goals have been accomplished as planned.
Washburn’s Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning is what Farley describes as a phenomenal success.
With its goal being to promote excellence and innovation in teaching and to enhance student learning, C-TEL has implemented hundreds of programs for Washburn faculty members.
“It gives a place for faculty members to share with one another,” Farley said.
According to Mazachek, C-TEL offers over a hundred programs a year for faculty to participate in that focus on the best teaching methodologies, changing modalities, how to change to distance learning, how to do that well and coaching in that area. They talk about diversity and inclusion and how you manage a classroom. All of those things that make the learning experience even better.
The breadth of this plan extends beyond Washburn’s main campus. Washburn Tech has also overseen some major initiatives as a result of this strategic plan.
“The success that tech has had and the growth that tech has had in the last five years has been tremendous and the number of students that we touch there has been growing every year,” Mazachek said.
In an effort to increase diversity
and inclusion of students, as well as an awareness of diverse populations, Washburn has made some changes to its structuring of certain offices.
“We’ve changed the name of Multicultural Affairs to University Diversity and Inclusion and umbrellaed quite a few things under that,” said Joel Bluml, associate vice president of student life.
Bluml said that these included traditional diversity efforts but also includes things such as working with the Veterans Success Center.
Bluml also mentioned that the programming that student life puts on throughout the year consists of a wide variety of issues and viewpoints.
University Diversity and Inclusion hosts events and discussions to offer people the opportunity to see different points of view.
“[We hope] to create a space to grow, where people can be both challenged and supported,” Bluml said. “You have that appropriate balance so students can really kind of figure out how they feel about things.”
Grospitch said that the biggest thing that the Student Life office has emphasized in the past few years is that students have ways to connect to someone on campus. Depending on the need of the student, they can connect with their academic adviser or connect with a university vice president. The university just wants to be able to meet the needs of its students and show that each person on campus is important.
A recent survey done by student
life with the help of WSGA showed that students feel like they are a part of the Washburn community and that individual connections with faculty, staff and other students was a key factor in that.
“That, to me, is glorious,” Grospitch said.
Another part of the strategic plan was to “support veterans to complete educational goals.” Washburn has made efforts recently to help its military and veteran students.
As part of these efforts, the university recently added a full-time military transitions coordinator.
Grospitch said this effort with veterans has allowed the university to make connections to local branches of the military.
As society changes and new technologies emerge, the way people learn and access information changes as well. Mabee Library has found ways to adapt to these changes.
Entrepreneurship also fits into the Vision 2022 plan by bringing students into Washburn who may stay in the community after they graduate.
The program offers opportunities for students while in school to create business plans and ideas.
Vision 2022 was a plan that Washburn put in place to help bring the university forward. Washburn has successfully completed or implemented many parts of the plan and is currently working to complete many others. The plan will allow the university to move forward.
ENRICHING EXPERIENCES OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
Washburn students continue to learn both inside and outside of the classroom. The following classes took students out of the classroom to experience history and give back to the community.
HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS TELL STORIES
ByBodMagazineStaff
During the History in the Community course at Washburn in Spring 2018,12 students dusted off a cardboard box and began to explore historical materials relating to Topekan Charles Sheldon, 1857-1946.
Sheldon was famous for a line out of his 1896 book, “In His Steps.” The popular question, “What would Jesus do?” is quoted from this book. He was also a social activist and a civil rights supporter.
Associate History Professor Kerry Wynn led her class through class work sessions, guest speakers, field trips to places such as the Historical Society and Topeka Room of the Topeka Shawnee County Public Library in efforts to create a catalog of materials for future researchers.
Students were able to study local history from primary sources and benefit the community in the process.
Materials were cataloged, and new resources were created. The website, sheldonstudy.wuhistory.com, is one
result, and the class also created a script for tour guides to share as they guide visitors through the various structures at Topeka’s Ward Meade Park.
“In 1900, Dr. Sheldon was given full control of the Topeka Daily Capital News Room for a week. Rather than publishing ‘hard news,’ he chose to run the paper the way he thought Jesus would, omitting ads for tobacco, alcohol and patent medicines. Copies of the paper sold rose from 15,000 to well over 350,000,” as quoted from the script the students created.
Sheldon, who was a prolific writer, needed somewhere to write. His study, originally saved from his home in the College Hill neighborhood was originally located at Gage Park, but it was moved to Ward Meade Park in 1986, according to an article from the Topeka Capital-Journal.
“We really provided a foundation for future interpretation of the site,” said Wynn. “Future researchers can move forward and build upon the resources that are already there.”
TRACING FREEDOM’S JOURNEY
Students learn about civil rights and history as they travel around the country to discuss its effect on society. They discuss topics involving racism, reflect on history and build meaningful friendships as they travel to different cities.
ByMarkFeuerbornwithadditionalstaffreporting
Add 13 students, faculty, a bus and a journey of many miles with a story to tell and you get the framework for the Washburn course, Exploring Civil Rights.
The trip’s purpose was to visit key locations from the Civil Rights Movement, parallel to the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The students had a chance to see the history and hardship of the movement firsthand and hear eyewitness accounts from sources including Flonzie Brown White, who worked directly with Martin Luther King Jr. and is the subject of a 1997 film called “Standing on My Sisters’ Shoulders.”
Students created materials for an exhibit in the Mulvane Art Museum called “Reflections on Freedom’s Journey,” which will remain in the gallery through August 2018.
The students shared some of their experiences at the exhibit’s opening. Many mentioned having a new appreciation for events of the past as well as a spark of passion to work toward something different in the future.
The long miles together on the bus and complex subject matter also created some bonds of friendship between participants that will last a lifetime.
The course was team taught by Bruce Mactavish, assistant history professor and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Matt Nyquist, assistant professor of mass media, Connie Gibbons, director of the Mulvane Art Museum and Dina Bennett, then associate director of operations and programs at the Mulvane Art Museum. Caitlin Blocker, Verlisa Cradle, Mark Feuerborn, Matthew Guerrero, Amy Hagan, Alexander Haug, Demarus Kelley, Z’Mariah Lee, Danielle Sipe, Eries Thompson, MaryEster Todd, Cary Williams and Yjuan Zhao were the students who attended.
“This trip gave them an opportunity to reflect on where we are today in American history,” said Mactavish, who has team-taught this course twice before. “We had some great conversations throughout the entire trip.”
WASHBURN TECH ENGAGES STUDENTS TO CREATE A PRODUCTIVE EXPERIENCE
ByJuliaEilert
“There’s nothing more powerful than telling a student that you want them, and you want them in the program, and you’re excited to have them there,” says Dean Clark Coco in Washburn Tech’s video prefacing its signing day.
February 15, 2018, was the fifth annual National Technical Letter of Intent Signing Day for Washburn Tech. The signing is dedicated to incoming students, and was created by the school to encourage and celebrate tech school students.
“There was an image that students that went to tech institutions had, and not a very good one. We used to label the tech kids. That image has changed over the last ten years. Students come here and get a skill set and get placed in the community,” said Coco.
The signing originally started with only Washburn Tech, but in the last five years, over 60 other schools have participated in this event.
“You get a hat and a shirt, and we get to let people know that we want them,” said Associate Dean of Student Services, Mark Wilson. “You can make a great living doing what we do. It’s always a great transition if you want.”
In the ceremony, students are called up to sign a contract stating that they intent to attend Washburn Tech. While the event takes place on the campus, it is nationally televised for outside viewers.
“It is the concept where we’d sign athletes with letters of intent. So, why don’t we sign students into our programs to study? That’s how it got started,” said Coco.
The event is meant to motivate and excite incoming students about their upcoming place in their education and to help them see their full potential as they begin schooling.
“We have the highest placement rate in the state of Kansas: 97 percent,” said Coco. “The truth is this: if a student is drug free and does what they’re supposed to do in their classroom of study, works hard, they complete their program of study and they show up to work, that student comes to me at nine o’clock in the morning, and I can have them placed by five
o’clock that evening.”
Along with signing up new students and helping them find their calling, Washburn Tech competed in Skills USA this April.
“Last year, 89 students came in with either first, second or third place medals- more than anyone else in the state of Kansas,” said Coco, “Of those students, 40 of them are going on to nationals. I always say, ‘well guess what? That’s better than what K-state football and KU basketball can do, right?’
And I’m a fan of both!”
In Skills USA, tech school students from all across the nation come together to compete in their trades. Students can compete at local or state levels. If a student wins at state, they’re then qualified to go on to the national competition in Louisville, Kentucky.
“We had a student get 2nd place in the nation, and he’s now in an engineering program. Another three students earned gold medals at state,” said Coco. “There’s nobody else in the nation that can say that, as far as the quality of what the students are earning, especially for the size of our institution.” Students can compete in anything from advertising designs to welding and technical drafting. According to the Skills USA website, there were more than 6,200 contestants in the 2017 competition. The competition is a way to engage students even further with their subject of study outside of the classroom.
“This is a gold mine for the Topeka area, it’s such a great opportunity for our students,” said Wilson, “I love being part of Washburn Tech, it’s such a neat thing.”
Washburn Tech is always finding ways to help its students, whether it is with a higher sense of engagement or fun, exciting competitions. There are many options for students to make their path at Washburn Tech.
“If a student wants to be here, they’re going to be here,” said Coco. “If we need to help with their math and reading, then we’ll help with their math and reading. There is always a place for a student. There’s a place for everybody if they really want to go to work. That’s hope. That’s what we do here.”
WASHBURN
“You can make a great living doing what we do. It’s always a great transition if you want.”
- Mark Wilson Associate Dean of Student Services
STUDENT PHOTOS COURTESY OF WASHBURN TECH
CAMPUS PHOTOS BY MARK KOTICH
FRIEND OF THE ART DEPARTMENT MICHAEL BRADLEY
ByJuliaEilert&JamesHenry
From social work and education to ceramics, and everything in between, Michael Bradley has led a busy life. As part of the over-60 program, Bradley has been taking classes for the past five semesters and is currently enrolled in a ceramics class.
Born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, Bradley received a degree at the University of Kansas and completed graduate work in elementary education. After graduating, he taught classes for several years in Australia. Later, Bradley earned a ceramics degree and went into social work for 28 years.
“I’m getting back into pots. Most of what I was doing before was sculptural, so I’m relearning the basic ceramics stuff that everybody ought to know,” said Bradley. “I’m also doing some sculptural things, sort of talking about things I’m concerned about, things that I’m embarrassed to be leaving to the next generation to be solved—like the energy issues, and global warming and race relations. A whole variety of things that I think my generation has really f----up.”
Bradley spoke favorably of Washburn’s continuing
education audit program, stating “this was a way, after retiring, to get back into clay—which I really enjoy. It’s a great program that Washburn has,” he said. “It allows us to use the facilities and take a class, continue learning, participate with the young people just starting out in their careers—which keeps us all young, I think.”
His camaraderie with traditional students is also something for which Bradley is admired.
“I really like interacting on a direct, one-on-one basis as a peer to younger people. These are kids that are going to have great careers if they pursue ceramics, or they’re going to have a great life doing ceramics part-time,” said Bradley, “Being another one of the ‘studio rats’ is just what I want to do.”
Kritika Shelly, senior art major, considers Bradley a mentor. “He is so reachable, and it is so comfortable talking to him—if you need to space or anything you can talk to him,” Shelley says. “He will give us good advice, and he does things for people without any benefit for himself, which I think is the greatest quality about him.”
Bradley is also involved with Washburn Process Committee, helping students with community outreach
PHOTO BY CODY DANNAR
programs. Bradley has helped install murals on campus and assisted students in finding career opportunities.
“He’s one of the leaders in the community, as far as art is concerned, and I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t absolutely love him,” said Harvey Flowers, senior art major. “He has a really good connection with people in general, and he’s a phenomenal artist.”
“He’s always looking out for helping us find a good deal on equipment, and he’s been very willing to give tons of his time,” said Monette Mark, ceramics professor. “He’s helped us create associations with different places here in town where we’ve been able to go out in the community and
-HarveyFlowers,seniorartmajor.
spread artwork with kids.”
Bradley has made a lot of contributions to the Washburn art department and the local community. He is currently preparing to create pieces for North Topeka’s biennial exhibit, Artists Speak. “There’s so many things that could go wrong, that we all must be totally crazy to try to make this medium work for us,” said Bradley. “There’s a long way to go from conceptualization to product, but the reality is that whenever people have come together historically, when people work together and interact with each other, that’s when the greatest achievements have been made.”
St. Augustine
WTE REACHES YEAR MILESTONE TEN
ByMinxiYao
This is the 10th year of Washburn Transformational Experience. Mike Russell, WTE director of the scholarly and creative area, said the mission of WTE is to provide opportunities for students to enhance their learning through direct interaction with faculty while engaging in experiences outside the classroom in one of four arenas: leadership, community service, international experience or scholarly and creative endeavors.
“Our goal is to provide our students with experiences that positively and significantly transform them in one or more ways that cannot be accomplished in the classroom,” said Russell. “By completing a WTE project, the student becomes a new individual. They think differently. They have enhanced their skills like communication, diversity, critical thinking.”
Each year, approximately 500 students undertake a WTE project, but that number has been growing for six consecutive years. In the last 10 years, more than 4,500 student projects have been undertaken. Students are obviously aware of the value and importance of the WTE in enhancing their education and beyond.
Relative to when the WTE program began, more funding is now available to students. The maximum amount a student can receive has been raised from
$700 to $1,000. The administration increased the WTE budget a couple of years ago, and it is now possible to support even more student projects and trips.
This academic year, WTE had approximately $245,000 to support as many WTE projects as possible.
“I know that is a lot of money, but it only amounts to less than $33 for each Washburn University student,” said Russell. “We cannot provide all the support we would like, but it is far better than what students at other universities and colleges can get. I know of no other school that provides up to $1,000 to their students so that they can travel abroad or travel to a conference where they will present their research.”
With the increase in funding, there are more opportunities available to students. The number of faculty supervising WTE projects has increased year after year. Students have more options for traveling abroad, community service, leadership, and creative and scholarly work.
“We are helping students provide effective leadership at [the] university and doing amazing things now,” said Michael Gleason, director of the leadership area of the WTE. The students’ experience is valuable and transformative, helping them “as they apply for career, as they apply for internship, as they apply for graduate school, [so] that they are able to immediately create positive change within
their communities both at home, at work and any other community involvement they might have.”
Students in the Leadership 100 course begin work on a project that, if implemented, would enhance the lives of students, faculty, staff, and community members. Since the course is only a single semester, students did not previously have the opportunity to implement their projects. They now have that opportunity. Faculty from across campus are volunteering to help the students achieve their goals and make Washburn University even better.
Students, under the supervision of a faculty mentor, are now able to explore our country and see for themselves just how diverse a nation we really are, and they can explore this richness of our history in a way they could not previously.
Countless students have traveled abroad to provide humanitarian aid to orphans, the poor and the elderly in countries such as Haiti, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
“The WTE is a one-of-kind program,” said Russell. “There is no other program like it at any college or university. The WTE is a chance for the students to do something they always dream of doing and, sometimes, to do things students never imagined they would be capable of doing. The WTE is an opportunity for students to make a difference in the lives of others and make the world a better place.”
LEAVING A LASTING IMPRESSION IN THE COMMUNITY
ByJuliaEilert
Getting hands-on experience before going out in the workforce is something many students can struggle with. Washburn’s Law Clinic can offer its students this opportunity along with many more.
“Our clinic really has a dual purpose. Part of it is law curriculum and creating a capstone experience for our law students, which helps them draw together everything they’ve been learning and actually applying it to real-life experiences,” said co-director John Francis. “The other part of our mission is to provide legal services to those who could not otherwise have access to justice.”
Students can receive a student practice permit from the Kansas Supreme Court to participate in cases under close supervision of experienced faculty.
“We work very heavily with students,” said Francis, “especially on
case planning and client counseling, because those are two of the biggest parts of what legal representation is. It’s an important part of the process for students to make that part of their skill set from the beginning- to realize that planning through the different outcomes is going to prepare them for surprises.”
Law students can be involved in the entire process, starting with client interviews and going all the way to trial if it comes to one. Teaching students how to advocate for clients responsibly and accurately is a big part of the learning process.
“We want to help them make informed decisions, just like if you were to go to a doctor. You’d want to make an informed decision before committing to a course of treatment, and lawyers should really be doing the same thing,” said Francis. “Instead of telling their clients what to do, they should help their clients make an informed decision on the best course
of action that meets their objectives.”
Reaching out to the community, the clinic is doing all it can to help others in a variety of new, innovative ways. This applies within the Topeka community, and within Kansas as a whole.
“It’s another resource for people who may not have access to lawyers. In criminal cases, if people have a lower income, the court will appoint them a lawyer, but not every type of case necessarily requires appointment of a lawyer,” said Francis. “Most legal service providers are working at full capacity, so we are an additional resource available to people and think that is an important contribution to the community.”
To draw attention to rural law practice, Michelle Ewert, associate professor of law, is part of a new program that took place over this year’s spring break. A small group of clinic students went to Garden City to aid in the three-piece initiative.
First, the students gave a series of “know your rights” talks to the high
BY
PHOTO
MARK KOTICH
school concerning contracts and legal obligations students will find themselves in as they reach adulthood. They covered topics like employment law, hoisting law and consumer law.
“We want to get young people excited about careers in law,” said Ewert. “We want to train the next generation of lawyers to represent people well and help protect their rights.”
In more spread-out communities, legal aid can be hard to access as the line between rural and urban communities is drawn more distinctly.
“I saw firsthand how challenging it is when there’s just not enough lawyers to serve, or if people have to travel long distance to get a lawyer,” said Ewert. “I would like to help address this issue here in Kansas.”
The second piece of this program was a criminal record expungement screening fair. This gave people in the community the chance to have one-on-
one meetings with clinic students to determine what could be removed from their record.
“Those people can learn about the expungement process, because we know that criminal records are barriers to accessing housing and employment,” said Ewert.
“We want to train the next generation of lawyers to represent people well and help protect their rights.”
- Michelle Ewert, Associate Professor of Law.
The third piece was networking opportunities for the clinic students. Meetings with professionals in the area gave students insight into rural practices.
“We’re hoping this will be a real
benefit both for the Washburn Law Clinic students and also for the community out there,” said Ewert. “We want to expose our students to what life would be like so they can think about whether that would be a good fit for them. We’re pretty jazzed.”
The Washburn Law Clinic has become a valuable asset to Topeka and surrounding communities. With new programs on the rise, there are plenty of chances for students to get involved in the neighborhood before graduating.
“The energy that the students have is really impressive and keeps the job fresh all the time. Students come in and they are ready to get working on behalf of their clients. They are ready for the opportunity to apply what they’ve been learning, and they take their professional obligations very seriously,” said Francis. “They are very thorough and they are really looking to do their best on behalf of their clients.”
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the 2018 Kaw Yearbook for only $20 and get the previous three Kaw yearbooks for free.
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Cover of the 2018 Kaw.
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Mabee Library is bringing student publications into the modern age by digitizing the existing archives of the Kaw yearbook and the Washburn Review.
To make a donation, go to www.wualumni.org/givenow, select “other” as the designation and type in “digitize student publications.”