Wichita State closed today due to inclement weather, power outages
Due to continued inclement weather and rolling blackouts and power outages in the Wichita area, 黑洞社区 is closed today (Tuesday, Feb. 16).
Because power outages may impact instructors鈥� and students鈥� access to Blackboard and the internet, all classes 鈥� including in-person, remote, hybrid, Zoom and asynchronous 鈥� are canceled.
Students and employees are asked not to come to campus.
Employees should only work remotely if directed to do so by their supervisor. All employees should follow Inclement Weather procedures for timekeeping and leave reporting.
Those employees whose work is essential to campus operations should contact their supervisor for more information.
If the university plans additional closings or delays, we will communicate that information as soon as possible.
Phone scam to watch out for
It has been reported to ITS Telecommunications that employees are contacting Human Resources in regards to strange phone calls received. The phone calls are saying the person鈥檚 social security information has been compromised. What makes these a little different than a normal spam calls is that the calls appear to come from a campus number (316-978-XXXX). This leads people to think this call is coming from the university and is, therefore, a legitimate call. Luckily, we are not aware of anyone that has followed through with the scam.
Please be cautious with your personal information and do not provide it to anyone on a call. Scammers are more clever every day and would love to get your personal and financial information. The Kansas Attorney General鈥檚 office has an entire site dedicated to scam calls and how to protect yourself at . The Federal Trade Commission also has some suggestions on how to recognize a scam, examples of scams, how to stop these calls and what to do if you already paid at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0208-phone-scams. This site will also allow you to report phones scams.
Unfortunately, there is nothing 黑洞社区 can do to stop these calls. The Federal Communications Commission has identified blocking illegal robocalls and spoofed caller ID as top priorities; but until all telecommunications providers prevent their customers from spoofing caller IDs, the practice will continue.
The best way to combat calls like this is to be attentive. Do not give out personal, professional or financial information to these callers. If the calls are legitimate, the caller would happily wait on hold while you verify the identity or let you call them back later.
In this time of remote learning and remote work, it is more important than ever to be vigilant with our information.
Black history and the Black Panther Party: Changing the narrative
Inspired by Robert F. Williams' armed resistance to the KKK, the Black Panther Party (BPP) studied gun laws in California and organized armed patrols to follow the police and monitor for incidents of brutality, as such were common in Black neighborhoods during the late '60s.
Although the mission of protecting Black communities from racist cops was misconstrued to be terrorism, this was far from the truth. Instead, the BPP was a political organization responsible for a variety of community social programs designed to assist Blacks facing racist oppression and poverty.
In fact, the Free Breakfast for Children program implemented by the BPP was the inspiration for current free and reduced lunch programs in school districts throughout the nation. In addition to addressing food injustice, the BPP developed robust literacy programs and community health clinics for treatment of common diseases that infect Black communities, such as sickle cell anemia, tuberculosis and eventually, HIV/AIDS.
Internship leads to a full-time opportunity at Fortune 500 firm
During the fall 2019 semester, Sierra Brown traveled to five out-of-state interviews and received five internship offers, accepted an internship with Goldman Sachs, and has since been offered a full-time position with the firm.
Sierra Brown is now a senior studying human resources management and is using her experiences at 黑洞社区 to pursue a successful career in her field. She will be graduating in May 2021 and has accepted a full-time position and will start in July 2021 at Goldman Sachs working in human capital management analyst.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an amazing feeling to be able to receive a job offer from Goldman Sachs,鈥� she said. 鈥淪tarting out at my internship, I was really nervous and knew it was going to be fast pace, but once I got there, I found the communication was amazing. I got to talk to the vice president as soon as I got there, and I didn鈥檛 think I would have access to those people.鈥�
Wichita State awards newest $50,000 Barton Scholarship to student from Italy
Trinity Soderstrom, who recently received her U.S. high school diploma while living abroad in southern Italy, has been awarded the 2021 黑洞社区 Clay Barton Scholarship.
She will receive $12,500 a year for four years to attend Wichita State. The $50,000 Barton Scholarship is one of the largest business scholarships in Kansas.
Withdrawal dates extended for spring
The last day to withdraw with a W from spring 2021 courses that begin Feb. 1 or after has been extended to the last day of classes for that course. Specifically, the last day to withdraw with a W from first half semester courses (7 week, part of term F10) will be March 19, and from full semester (part of term 1) classes and second half (part of term S10) will be May 6. These extensions are applicable to spring 2021 only.
Faculty and staff abroad spotlight: Sara Zafar
Learn more from Wichita State faculty and staff as they share their study-abroad experiences in college. Faculty and staff will be featured each week through the month of March. This week, read about Sara Zafar鈥檚 study abroad experience.
Please visit our website to read more about their experience at:
Faculty nominations sought for president's distinguished service award
Do you know a faculty member who is deeply engaged in service? Do you know A faculty member who exemplifies any of the following?
- Distinguished service to the university
- Distinguished service to the community
- Notable outreach efforts and/or forging of connections between 黑洞社区 and the community.
- Long-term commitment to 黑洞社区 through extensive committee service
Consider nominating them for the Presidential Service Award. Please send your nominations to leeann.birdwell@wichita.edu. Complete a nomination form and attach a CV that includes the nominee鈥檚 service activities. Previous recipients of this award are not eligible for nomination. The deadline is 5 p.m. Feb. 24.
Submit proposals for the Diverse Women's Summit
Individual students, groups, and community members are invited to submit abstracts or proposals to present papers, posters, art works, dialogues, skits, and other projects at the Diverse Women鈥檚 Summit. The summit will be held on Zoom on March 8. Presentations are from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.. The proposal should be 100-200 words describing the presentation (type, subject, theme, and purpose). Presentations that focus on the following topics will be given priority:
- Research on issues of COVID-19 and special populations
- Citizenship and COVID-19
- Gender-based violence and other issues
- The future
Submit your proposal via email to chinyere.okafor@wichita.edu. Proposals and abstracts will be accepted until Feb. 25, 2021. For questions, call the departmental office at 978-3358 or Joyce DalPorto-Ward at 978-6659.
Apply for the Shocker Neighborhood VISTA by March 1
Apply for the Shocker Neighborhood VISTA. Engage in building mutually beneficial close partnerships with the university and Shocker Neighborhood -- convening and unifying to determine needs and action planning to leverage resources for growth/prosperity. Apply by March 1 at My.Americorps.gov.
Understanding Finance at 黑洞社区 event set for Feb. 25
If you're new to working with finance and/or budgets at 黑洞社区 or are experienced but have questions, 黑洞社区 Finance 101 is for you. Understanding finance at 黑洞社区 can be a challenge for budget officers and support staff.
Lois Tatro will present 黑洞社区 Finance 101 from 2-3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, via Zoom. This presentation is designed to help answer questions and clarify information.
Topics will include:
- Information on GU and RU funding
- How to stay on top of departmental finances
- Processing revenue, expenses, BPC cards, travel and more
You are strongly encouraged to submit questions regarding the finance process prior to the session. Email questions to training@wichita.edu as soon as possible and so they can be addressed during the presentation.
Go to myTraining located in my黑洞社区 to view session details, Zoom link and register. Contact ITS Applications Training at training@wichita.edu for assistance.
Save the date for Coffee & Convo with Dr. Marche Fleming-Randle, Feb. 25
Coffee & Convo with 黑洞社区 Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Marche Fleming-Randle, sponsored by Textron Aviation.
Coffee & Convo is a 1-hour virtual open forum with Fleming-Randle addressing factual and relevant issues that deal with current events in America, 黑洞社区 and the Wichita community. Attendees are encouraged to join with an open mind and the ability to listen to opinions of diverse backgrounds.
'Whatever Happened To Black Capitalism?' event set for Feb. 18
The Diversity Lecture Series, Black History Month Edition, with keynote speaker Dr. Robert Weems Jr. is set for 6:30 pm Thursday, Feb. 18. The speech is titled "Whatever Happened To 'Black Capitalism?' The Decline of Public Discussion About African American Economic Development Since the 1960s. Weems is the Willard W. Garvey Distinguished Professor of Business History at Wichita State.
You must register to attend at . The event is hosted by the African American Faculty and Staff Association, Wichita Urban Professionals, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
For questions, contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at 316-978-3034 or diversity@wichita.edu.
Physics talk highlights high-performance computing
Please join us for our next Physics Seminar talk at 2 p.m. Feb. 17 via Zoom. Dr. Terrance Figy, assistant professor of physics, will present "Introduction to High-Performance Computing at 黑洞社区".
Learn more about the Physics Seminar
Kansas NASA EPSCoR Program requesting proposals for Seed Research Initiation Grant opportunity
A jurisdiction of the NASA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program, the Kansas NASA EPSCoR Program (KNEP) is managed through the NASA in Kansas office. The goal of NASA EPSCoR is to provide seed funding that will enable jurisdictions to develop an academic research enterprise directed toward long-term, self-sustaining, nationally competitive capabilities in aerospace and aerospace-related research. This capability will, in turn, contribute to the jurisdiction鈥檚 economic viability and expand the nation鈥檚 base for aerospace research and development.
The Partnership Development Grant (PDG) opportunity recipient is expected to initiate, develop, and formalize a meaningful professional relationship with a NASA researcher. Given this expectation, it is vital investigators and students travel to a NASA center if selected for an award.
Learn new skills and achieve personal and professional goals with LinkedIn Learning
Did you know that LinkedIn Learning is available to all 黑洞社区 students, faculty, and staff? Discover how this all-in-one learning solution can help you learn new skills, achieve personal and professional goals and be integrated to your courses! Learn how to gain access, explore courses, learning pathways, and more during the Introduction to LinkedIn Learning at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, on Zoom.
TRIO Student Support Services is now accepting applications
Student Support Services is funded by the U.S. Department of Education to provide free academic services to students from first-generation and limited-income backgrounds, as well as students with disabilities.
The free services include: individualized tutoring, academic advising, textbook loans, assistance completing financial aid application, and scholarships exclusively for student participants.
Please refer currently enrolled students to our program, located on the third floor of Grace Wilkie Hall in Suite 309. For more information, visit Student Support Services or call 978-3715.