Shocker Support Locker to suspend spring services on May 12

The Wichita State Shocker Support Locker will close in preparation for summer services on May 12. 

The SGA-founded pantry operates out of Grace Wilkie Hall, Room 103 and provides students, faculty and staff with essential food, clothing and toiletry items — free of charge. 

The Locker will reopen later at the beginning of the summer semester  —hours will be updated and available from the Shocker Support Locker website.

Starbucks, Shocker Hall to open half hour earlier for finals

In need of an early coffee fix or a nutrient loaded-breakfast ahead of finals week? The Wichita State’s Starbucks locations in the Rhatigan Student Center will open 30 minutes earlier than usual from May 8 to May 11. 

Instead of opening at 7 a.m., the coffee shops will open at 6:30 a.m. for students looking for a quick caffeinated boost.

The Shocker Hall Dining services, typically open weekdays from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. (8 p.m. on Fridays), will also open a half hour earlier for students looking to catch an early breakfast before their first finals.

WSU Students rank nationally in National Cyber League competition

  Members of the WuLug student group, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and the Cybersecurity Program recently competed in the biannual National Cyber League competition. Students participated in events in group or single-member teams against universities nationwide.

Overall, WSU ranked eighth in the nation out of almost 500 colleges. In the regional demographics, the group finished third in the Central Region and sixth among all Center of Academic Excellence Schools.

Competing in the competition for the very first time, JV1 finished 133rd out of 3,600 teams. 

World White Wheat, a returning team, took 15th out of nearly 3600 participants. SKY-W5U-5H0X, a team featuring several WSU graduate students, competed in the Experienced Division and finished 18th out of 316 teams. 

Three other teams finished in the top 300 out of 3600 participants. A complete list of participants can be found on the WSU news page.

Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance changes name

The Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance — the designated facility for reporting discrimination and harassment — has changed its name to the Office of Civil Rights, Title IX & ADA Compliance (CTAC) to better advertise its services. 

Complimentary with the name change, the office will be adding new education and program initiatives, increased staffing, and new Title IX and EEO training, according to . 

Additional information regarding the office and its services or access to its new monthly newsletter is available on the updated CTAC website.

Keeping up with the Crime Log

The Wichita State Police Department (WSUPD) maintains a daily log of incidents on the WSU campus and surrounding area. Each case and its details can be accessed via the Crime Log website on the WSU homepage.

Notable entries:

Baseball fan struck by foul A baseball fan’s afternoon at the ballpark took a painful turn when they were struck by a foul ball, according to a WSUPD report. According to the report, medical assistance was requested to assess the extent of the injuries during the April 29 game against Memphis.

Bike thefts

This week, WSUPD officers took two bike theft reports hours apart from each other on April 26. The first theft, which was reported after noon, occurred outside the Ground House. The second was reported at 5 p.m. outside of Lindquist Hall.

Sexual assault report

The same day, WSUPD assisted the Wichita Police Department with a sexual assault report at Seventeenth Apartments, an off-campus housing option for students. 

Student project to create silent drone propellers receives NASA funding

As part of the NASA University Student Research Challenge, a team of WSU aerospace engineering and business students are drawing inspiration from owls in designing their own feather-based propellers to create soundless drones. 

The AeroFeathers team was granted $40,000 by NASA earlier this year to fund their three-component plan to create silent drones. By studying the soft coat, serrations and fringes on owl feathers, the team is attempting to incorporate the elements into a silent drone, complete with custom propeller blades and an anechoic chamber. 

Now, the group has been tasked with collecting $2,000 via crowdfunding before being awarded an additional $40,000. The funding will be used to purchase the large-scale 3D printer necessary to print the feather-based drone blades, with hopes of having the propeller built in the next six months.

If successful, the team will make revolutionary advancements in the operations of computer servers, helicopters, fans, and more to optimize performance and reduce unnecessary noise.