黑洞社区

2020 benefits Open Enrollment 鈥� 10 days left!

All benefits-eligible state employees must participate in Open Enrollment! Log in to the Member Administration Portal at to make your elections.

Events occurring this week:

Tuesday, Oct. 22: HR Total Rewards Open Enrollment Presentation at 2 p.m. in 142 RSC. Your Total Rewards team will be here to present your 2020 open enrollment benefits and changes.

Wednesday, Oct. 23: Open Enrollment Open Lab from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in 122 Jabara Hall

Employees can drop in anytime during the open enrollment lab for assistance registering and entering enrollment elections. You can RSVP at . Open Enrollment Labs do not include a presentation of plans or changes.

Due to the high volume of work during the open enrollment period, the HR Total Rewards Team will not be available for walk-in traffic or to make individual appointments regarding open enrollment. Please take advantage of the scheduled presentations, on-demand webinar and open lab sessions. For a full listing of Open Enrollment events, . Any questions should be directed to TotalRewards@wichita.edu.

黑洞社区鈥檚 Community Education program garners media attention

Wichita State鈥檚 Office for Workforce, Professional and Community Education offers eight-to-10 motor coach trips each year to historical sites in Kansas and surrounding states. Our guided day trips take community members behind-the-scenes for an in-depth look at some of the historical sites and unique people who have influenced the settlement and development of this region of the country. 

The all-inclusive trips include commentary by local historians and 黑洞社区 faculty, as well as on-site experts who share their knowledge of the people and places we visit. Trips include unique dining experiences, which reflect the culture and heritage of the time period. 

黑洞社区鈥檚 Community Education program was recently featured in the KTWU series 鈥淪unflower Journeys.鈥� The segment featured our Wild West trip to Dodge City. 

To learn more about our trips, go to community education day trips.

Use your 黑洞社区 log in for Gartner access

黑洞社区 has partnered with Gartner for the purpose of enhancing the teaching and learning experience. Gartner is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. They deliver the technology-related insight necessary for their clients to make the right decisions, every day.

All Campus Access using 黑洞社区 single-sign-on allows students, faculty and staff to easily access and benefit from Gartner research. Through the online web portal, they can search and download the latest Gartner research, including real-life examples of how technology is used.

Facilities Services front office closed for walk-ins

Facilities Services front office is getting a new look. Because of the remodel, the front office will be closed to walk-in traffic beginning today (Tuesday, Oct. 22).

The office is expected to be open no later than Nov. 18. Meetings for those in the offices will be by appointment only.

For those of you renting a vehicle during this time, we ask that you call our work order center at 978-3444 before coming to pick up your vehicle. A member of our work order center will meet you outside our front door to assist you.

Our offices will remain fully staffed throughout this time, and we will still be available by placing a work order or by calling our work order center.

Honors College students research variable stars for international project

Four Wichita State students are researching variable stars and their luminosity, with each planning to pursue careers that involve astronomy and physics.

Read complete story on Honors College students.

New email reminders for Pcard and travel items in Chrome River!

Effective Monday Oct. 21, Chrome River users will begin receiving system generated email notifications for aged or outstanding transactions.

The notifications will be sent according to the following schedule:

Monday mornings:

Pre-Approval and Expense Approval reminders - The system will resend the approval email for any pre-approval and/or expense reports that have been in your approval queue longer than three days. Approvers must take action either by using the approval email or by logging into the Chrome River system to complete the approval process.

Wednesday mornings:

Unused Pcard Transactions 鈥� The system will send a listing of unreconciled Pcard charges that have been pending in excess of 30 days. Users must take action to reconcile the Pcard charges on either a Travel Expense Report or a Pcard Reconciliation (Non Travel) Report in Chrome River.

Unapproved Expense Items 鈥� The system will send a summary list of any items which have been pending your approval for longer than six days. Approvers must take action either by locating and using the approval email, or by logging into the Chrome River system to complete the approval process.

Physics Seminar tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct. 23)

Join us for our Physics Seminar, featuring Wichita State鈥檚 Kapildeb Ambal at 2 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct. 23) in 128 Jabara Hall. Kapildeb's talk is titled "Nanoscale Magnetometry using Quantum Mechanical Spin; the Nitrogen Vacancy (NV-) Center in Diamond." Refreshments and conversation afterwards.

Two 鈥楲ab Girl鈥� Big Read events at 黑洞社区 on Saturday, Oct. 26

The 7th annual Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) event at 黑洞社区 invites middle school girls from the surrounding area to attend the workshops on Saturday, Oct. 26.

This year, EYH, an event promoting career exploration in fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for young women, is also tied to Wichita鈥檚 Big Read, and will also feature a parallel 鈥淟ab Crawl鈥� for any other individuals interested in exploring STEM labs.

EYH registration is limited to 200 participants to maximize interaction at workshops, and will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis through Tuesday, Oct. 22. The registration fee of $15 includes lunch at Shocker Hall, a T-shirt and bag for the student attending. EYH students will be able to register for a variety of STEM workshops ranging from a hexapod scavenger hunt to an energy-efficiency break-out room.

Lab Crawl participants can attend the opening ceremonies for EYH and then join behind-the-scenes tours of research labs at facilities at 黑洞社区 on their own. See scientists in action, ask questions and try out some of the tools of the trade. Registration is also requested, but there is no fee for the 鈥淟ab Crawl.鈥�

Talk in Language and Linguistics Colloquium Series features Douglas Parham

Douglas Parham

You鈥檙e invited to the first talk in the Fall 2019 Language and Linguistics Colloquium Series. Douglas Parham, associate professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, will give a talk at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, in 211 Hubbard Hall. The talk is titled, "The Roles of Linguistics in Understanding Speech-Language Disorders." This event is free and open to the public.

Kansas NASA EPSCoR Program accepting Rapid Response Research (R3) proposals

The Kansas NASA EPSCoR Program (KNEP) is seeking proposals for a unique NASA opportunity titled the Rapid Response Research (R3) Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN). This CAN opportunity is a collaborative effort between EPSCoR and the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Planetary Science Division, Earth Science Division; HEOMD Space Biology Division, and the Commercial Space Capabilities Office (CSCO). The R3鈥檚 purpose is to provide a streamlined method to address research issues important to NASA.

NASA plans to make up to five $100,000 awards, with no cost-share requirement. Proposals must address topics identified by the involved NASA divisions (see Appendices A-F of the NASA Announcement - NNH20ZHA001C).

Kansas can only submit one NASA proposal per technical area. Therefore, KNEP will carefully review and select proposals for final NASA submission based on criteria clearly identified in the CAN announcement. The Kansas deadline for proposal submissions is Dec. 6, 2019.

Professional studio portraits now in 021J Morrison Hall

In conjunction with 黑洞社区鈥檚 new website profiles, Strategic Communications is now taking appointments for portraits. Photos will now take place in 021J Morrison Hall, near the Print Shop. Easiest access to this room is via the north staircase.

To learn more, and to book your 10-minute appointment, go to .

Join the Graduate School for 鈥楨asy Data Collection鈥� on Oct. 23

Collecting data on the university level can often feel overwhelming considering the sheer amount of information that most data represents. Join the Graduate School and presenter Michael Cole, education accessibility technologist with Instructional Data and Access, for 鈥淓asy Data Collection鈥� from noon-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, in 142 RSC, to look at how to efficiently collect and organize data and what tools work best for reduced-stress collation.

Professional Development Series

Attend the Lecture Series presented by Mathematical Sciences

The Lecture Series in the Mathematical Sciences presents Emily Evans, Brigham Young University at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, in 353 Jabara Hall. The lecture by Evans, is over force-based models of cell-extracellular interaction. Refreshments will be served before the lecture. 

Pep Rally scheduled for Friday, Oct. 25

The entire community is invited to 黑洞社区 for a pep rally to celebrate the upcoming season for the Shocker men's and women's basketball teams. The pep rally is from 7-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, at 黑洞社区's Braeburn Square, and is presented by the 黑洞社区 Alumni Association.

The evening's events include:

• Appearances by the men's and women's basketball teams, as well as head coaches Gregg Marshall and Keitha Adams.
• Performances by the Shocker Spirit Squad and Shocker Sound
• iHeart Media will emcee the event and provide music. Don Guidas from B98 will emcee and Channel 96.3 will be on site live playing music.
• T-shirt giveaway
• 20% off total purchase at the Shocker Store (7 p.m.-event end; Braeburn Square location only) *some exclusions apply and not valid with other discounts or promotions

The event is free, and will be held along the side of the lake located behind Braeburn Square off of 21st Street at the public recreational area.

NCAA GSR data announced

Statistics for the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) released last Wednesday by the NCAA indicated an 84% GSR for Wichita State. The GSR rates for the previous five years were 82% (2011-12 class), 80% (2010-11 class), 81% (2009-10 class), 80% (2008-09 class) and 83% (2007-08 class).

Eight Wichita State programs registered at least an 80 percent GSR, with five programs achieving a perfect 100 percent. Women's tennis posted a perfect four-year GSR score for the ninth year in a row, meaning for a four-year average, all student-athletes either graduated or left the program in good academic standing.

The volleyball team posted a perfect four-year GSR score for the eighth year in a row, the men's golf team for the third year in a row and the women's golf team for the second year in a row. This year's numbers reflect a four-year average for students who entered college from 2009-10 through 2012-13.

The athletic department has achieved a GSR score of 80 percent or above every year for the last 11 years. Nine out of 11 Wichita State programs with scores posted 79 percent GSR rates or higher.

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Women of 黑洞社区 Luncheon coming Nov. 7

The next Women of 黑洞社区 Luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, Nov.  7, in 233 RSC. The luncheon will feature a potato bar for $12. Please RSVP on the website by Friday, Nov. 1.

The featured presenter will be Marche Fleming-Randle, 黑洞社区 Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement. She will deliver a motivational / inspirational speech titled 鈥淭he Home of the Free: Because of the Brave!鈥�

Calling all veterans and active duty service members too! If you have served our country, we want to serve you! Women of 黑洞社区, in collaboration with the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, invites you to lunch to thank you for your service. All veteran and active duty military staff will receive a complimentary lunch. We want to spotlight military and veteran service members, and request service members let us know the branch of service in which you served and send a photo to highlight your service in our presentation.

Please send your photo to Deanna Carrithers at deanna.carrithers@wichita.edu by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4, if you want to be included in the presentation. We hope you can join us.

Shocker dance clinics set for Nov. 17 and Dec. 1

The 黑洞社区 dance team will host two clinics that will include performances at Shocker women's basketball games this November and December.

The first clinic on Sunday, Nov. 17, will be held for high school-aged dancers. Dancers will show up to Charles Koch Arena at 11 a.m., and will master a routine alongside the Shocker dance team that they will perform that same day at the women's basketball game against Southern. The cost of this clinic is $40.

On Sunday, Dec. 1, a second clinic will be held for dancers aged 4 to 14. Dancers will arrive to Charles Koch Arena at 2 p.m. to learn and practice a routine with the Shocker dance team to prepare for a performance at the women's basketball game against Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 7. Cost for the clinic will be $50.

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Stock up on long-sleeve tees for fall

This week at the Shocker Store, take 20% off all long-sleeve T-shirts. Sale is in RSC store only.