Author: Erin Stieben

The second annual Women’s Leadership Initiative Luncheon was a great success. Women from all over campus engaged in conversations over lunch regarding professional development and engagement, social and networking opportunities, and mentorship. Organizers look forward to bringing forth impactful events to foster connection, development, and engagement, and the campus community can still get involved at upcoming events.

• Wednesdays are for Women bowling night:
  Get ready for a night of bowling, networking and fun from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 3 in the basement of the Rhatigan Student Center. Hosted by the Women’s Leadership Initiative, the event is an opportunity to connect, make new friends and enjoy some friendly competition on the lanes. Whether you’re a bowling pro or a newbie, all are welcome to join in the excitement. Don’t miss out—come expand your network and have a blast with us!
• Women’s Leadership Initiative Book Club:
  Join others for the Women’s Leadership Initiative Book Club. The current selection is “Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way: Timeless Strategies from the First Lady of Courage” by Robin Gerber.
  Participants meet weekly to discuss takeaways and thoughts related to the chapters. If you are not able to make it in person, participants can also join a Teams chat with the weekly prompts.

Those interested in becoming a part of a Wichita State Women’s Leadership Initiative can join it for its second annual luncheon from noon to 2 p.m. Monday, March 25 in 305/306 Rhatigan Student Center, Beggs Ballroom.

The Women’s Leadership Initiative is looking for faculty, staff or students who would like to be a part of the conversation, planning and implementation of women-focused programs designed with women in mind from all levels on campus. Some things we will discuss are organizing mentoring circles, professional development, social events and campus culture enhancement.

Register to attend by Thursday, March 21.

Partners in the Community Engagement Institute are gathering all of the feedback provided during the Feb. 8 Campus Climate Launch discussion.

Once Campus Climate Working Groups have that information, they will review those and begin sharing out different goals as well as progress towards improving the community.

Those who are interested in being directly involved can sign up for one of the four working groups. For more information, email vpsa@wichita.edu.

Faculty and staff are invited to attend an Implicit Bias Session with speaker Crystal U. Davis — a dancer, movement analyst and critical race theorist whose current research explores implicit bias in dance through a critical theory lens — There will be two sessions to choose from, at noon Tuesday, Feb. 20 or 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 23 both in 233 Rhatigan Student Center, Santa Fe Trail Room.

The work of Davis, CLMA, has been renowned by a broad community of adjudicators and audiences from Donald McKayle to the royal family of Jodhpur, India.

Lunch will be provided for attendees on Tuesday, and a continental breakfast will be served at the Friday event. Be sure to register ahead of time as space is limited.

The session is coordinated by the Campus Climate Committee and sponsored by Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and the College of Fine Arts.

University faculty and staff are invited to attend the Wichita State University Campus Climate Launch at noon Thursday, Feb. 8 in 305/306 Rhatigan Student Center, Beggs Ballroom. During this time a presentation of the findings and themes from the most recent campus climate survey followed by round table discussions will be held.

These discussions will center around how to work together to improve our campus climate. There will be an opportunity towards the end to sign up to continue to participate in this ongoing work. Lunch will be provided.

During the month of September 2023, CARE Team saw a 73.43% increase in the number care reports submitted for students from September 2022, totaling 248 care cases worked. The top two concerns that were submitted for students included “direct statements indicating distress” and “needing support for their emotional wellbeing.”

These top concerns are on track with the previous year’s data. At this time in the semester, students are often experiencing more anxiety and stress over schedules, managing social life and academics, and are unsure of the available supports here on campus. 55% of the students CARE Team worked with in September were freshmen who we were able to connect to resources on campus with Counseling and Psychological Services, Success Coaches and the Office of Student Accommodations and Testing being the CARE Team’s top three referrals made.

With the significant increase in reports and care cases, CARE Team is prepared to also see a high numbers of cases in October due to the mid-semester trends of transition/homesickness, seasonal depression beginning and academic stressors. As such, the CARE Team encourages faculty and staff to review the resources available on campus to support the mental and emotional wellbeing of all Shockers.

Campus Recreation is here to shape the Shocker experience. By providing sports, fitness and recreational events, students can participate in activities that contribute to a healthy and strong community.

Campus Recreation operates a variety of indoor and outdoor facilities, including the Heskett Center, Boats & Bikes, Bombardier Indoor Fields and the Hughes Metropolitan Complex playfields, so Shockers can stay fit and try new experiences while at WSU. Membership is also open to faculty, staff, YMCA members at no additional charge, and students’/members’ partners and dependents.

Students can also build connections with others through intramural programs, club sports and Shocker rowing. With 21 active sports clubs, students can find a way to train and/or compete at a high level. The longest running sport club is the WSU Men’s Soccer Club, which has been active since 1976.

Support the Shockers this weekend by attending the upcoming men’s and women’s soccer games:

• Men’s Soccer: 1 p.m. against Northwest Missouri State
• Women’s Soccer: 3 p.m. against KU

Health, Outreach, Prevention and Education (HOPE) Services promotes mental health and wellness as well as prevention efforts aimed at reducing substance misuse, suicide and sexual violence on campus. Located in the Student Wellness Center inside the Steve Clark YMCA, HOPE Services invites students, faculty and staff to engage with wellness resources, trainings and outreach activities that increase connection. HOPE Services supports staff and faculty in a number of ways:

• Attend one of the #WSUWeSupportU “Mental Wellness and Preventing Suicide” trainings. Learn about tools to support the community and assist someone in need. Faculty and staff can register for the trainings through myTraining in their myWSU portal.
• Request training and education resources centered on health and wellness for students, staff and faculty.
• The Prevention Ambassador peer educator program is an internship opportunity for students who want to positively impact the health and wellness of the WSU campus community. Faculty and staff can share this opportunity with students and contact Cora Olson at cora.olson@wichita.edu if they are interested in supporting Prevention Ambassadors in their department.
• Faculty and staff can request wellness card activity sets for their team meetings or classrooms.
• Become a Mental Health Advocate.

Join in participating in community wellness initiatives by following HOPE Services on social media:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• X

Amid the bustling campus life, a dedicated team works to uphold the values of integrity, responsibility and accountability. Introducing the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS), where every day is an opportunity to shape a more respectful and harmonious campus environment.

The SCCS Team consists of Kyle Wilson, director; Liz Thornton, coordinator; and Grace Henderson, graduate assistant. Throughout the academic year, SCCS will post in WSU Today and Shocker Blast, ensuring that the campus community is aware of its policies and the services that it provides to campus.

The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards isn’t just about enforcing rules; it’s about cultivating a culture of integrity, accountability and growth. With Kyle, Liz and Grace at the helm, the office hopes to be a beacon of positive change, fostering a campus where students thrive as responsible and compassionate global citizens.

You can find SCCS in A1060 Shocker Hall, and it would love to chat and get to know campus community. Here’s to shaping the leaders of tomorrow, one ethical decision at a time.

Housing and Residence Life kicked off move-in Saturday, Aug. 12 and, throughout the week, over 1,400 students joined in on the excitement of living on campus.

At Wichita State, there are three different living options for students – Shocker Hall, The Suites and The Flats. Shocker Hall is home to a little over 800 freshman students and houses the Living Learning Communities (LLC), where students can choose to live in a community with others who have similar interests. LLCs give students access to exclusive events, leadership opportunities, mentorship opportunities and more. The Suites is also a freshman residence hall and is home to 220 students. The Flats is for upperclassmen with an apartment-style living. The Suites and The Flats are located on Innovation Campus with close access to the YMCA and Braeburn Square.

There are a total of 33 resident assistants, 6 graduate students, and 3 full-time staff members living throughout the halls. In addition to its full-time office staff, Housing and Residence Life employs over 34 students to work in the office throughout the year. It’s all hands-on-deck to uphold its service standards of safety, courtesy, connection and efficiency.