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Wichita State's independent, student-run news source

The Sunflower

Wichita State's independent, student-run news source

The Sunflower

Wichita State's independent, student-run news source

The Sunflower

Megan Nichols checks camera bags at the Elliot School gear room. Nichols is graduating with a bachelor's in communication.

From cameras to choreography, communication student supports peers while getting creative

Mya Scott, Assistant Editor May 3, 2025

To a lot of people in the Elliott School of Communication, Megan Nichols is the girl who checks out the cameras while sporting a huge smile on her face. But Nichols holds other passions outside of DSLR...

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Wichita State cancels commencement events celebrating diversity

Kami Steinle, Reporter May 2, 2025

Three of Wichita State’s annual commencement events, Multicultural Graduation Celebration, Lavender Graduation and First-Generation Cord Ceremony, will not be held this spring.  “I think it’s...

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GUEST COLUMN: ‘Lot more trans people in Kansas than you think’: Trans student discusses legislation change and need for awareness

Payton Streit, Secondary education major student at WSU April 1, 2025

I am a freshman and a secondary education major with a focus in history and government at Wichita State. I am also a trans person, one of many who are trying to navigate the recent changes in trans legislation. I...

Jennifer Diaz-Reyes (courtesy of Diaz-Reyes)

Guest Column: Finding my voice: The reality of being undocumented in higher education

Jennifer Diaz-Reyes, Health science student at WSU March 26, 2025

When I was accepted into Wichita State University, it felt like a dream realized. As an undocumented student, I always knew my path to higher education would be difficult, but thanks to scholarships like...

Ivette Luna

Guest Column: Am I so bad?

Ivette Luna, International studies student at WSU March 25, 2025

Am I so bad? I never could understand what was so bad about my heritage or the blood coursing through my veins. But, I understand the mean comments like, “This ain't your country” and “terrorists.”...

The desks of the Kansas Board of Regents members during their meeting hosted on May 15 in Topeka.

OPINION: Colleges need to have DEI policies

Kami Steinle, Reporter March 25, 2025

Diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education institutions is one of the only ways that people in marginalized communities are guaranteed to be included in important conversations. Historically,...

OPINION: Living authentic and navigating gender identity in the current United States

Maleah Evans, Arts and Culture Editor March 24, 2025

We live in a gendered society. Everything has its own gendered box, from birth to death. Even the most pointless items, like toothbrushes and deodorant, are separated by gender. Isolation during the...

OPINION: My journey to find my identity 

Liam O’Brien, Linguistics and ASL student at WSU March 24, 2025

My journey to find my identity and place in college has been a wild adventure. I started out at Butler County Community CollegeCounty Community College back when I was 19. I then transferred to Wichita...

GUEST COLUMN: Resilience through strength and authenticity

Anonymous, WSU Student March 22, 2025

I can't say that I've always known that I was different. Looking back on it, I'm pretty sure that other people knew that I was different long before I did.  I only knew for sure in freshman year of...

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EDITORIAL: Amid attacks on diversity, we must recognize it’s what makes us unique

Staff Editorial March 18, 2025

Ten years ago, The Sunflower published its first Diversity Edition, noting the drastic ways the campus — and the country — had changed throughout the decades. The edition focused on promoting and celebrating...

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OPINION: Our ethnicities and cultures define us more than the color of our skin

Jacob Unruh, Sports Editor March 11, 2025

I remember being forced to learn Hebrew and study Jewish history for my bar mitzvah, and as a 13-year-old, I hated it. Looking back, though, I’m glad I learned about the long history of Jewish people...

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OPINION: National DEI cuts might mean saying goodbye to Greek Life as we know it

Owen Prothro, Assistant Sports Editor March 8, 2025

On Feb. 18, President Donald Trump called for schools and universities across the United States to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives or risk losing federal money if they do not comply...

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