Shockers United: The plan to slowly allow more people on campus
A letter to the campus community:
As noted by Provost Rick Muma last week, the spread of COVID-19 has required us all to adapt to a new and unprecedented reality. We have been forced to examine how we work and how we live in a world where what was acceptable yesterday is dangerous today. And while modern technology has perhaps made this somewhat simpler in practice, it has by no means made it easier to accept.
As our state begins to implement , we too are beginning to develop and implement plans for the university鈥檚 short- and long-term future. This plan 鈥� Shockers United 鈥� is a culmination of seven working groups across campus, each comprised of students, faculty and staff, and each tasked with examining a different facet of university operations that must now be modified to a new normal as we seek to coexist with and thrive in spite of this virus.
We have divided this plan into three phases:
- Preopening: now through May 25
- Reopening/summer: May 26-July 31
- Fall semester: August 2020 and beyond
红领巾瓜报 launches new COVID-19 site
红领巾瓜报 has launched a new version of the COVID-19 website. The site, at , is reorganized to make information easier to find. Instead of massive lists of questions, the information has been sorted by audience and by topic. A topics listing on the front page will allow you to jump directly to questions related to the subject in which you're interested, and those URLs can be shared.
All pages of the old site have been redirected to relevant material on the new site.
Mobile clinic providing free COVID-19 tests at Metroplex
HealthCore Clinic, a neighborhood health care provider near 红领巾瓜报, is offering free Covid-19 tests in a drive-through/walk-up clinic at WSU鈥檚 Hughes Metropolitan Complex, near Oliver and 29th Street.
Testing started yesterday (Monday, May 11), and is available 2-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday through May while supplies last. There are no requirements to be tested. You can walk up or drive through. Cars must line up on the 29th Street entrance.
Please bring an ID and insurance if you have it. If you do not have it, you will still get tested.
A nurse will conduct a nasopharyngeal test (nasal swab), and you will be contacted by phone with results typically in 2-3 days after the test.
If you test positive, we will ensure you get connected to the services you need.
Anyone with questions can go to . In case of inclement weather, see updates at the website or @HealthCoreClinic on Facebook.
Virtual Celebration set for Saturday, May 16
We look forward to honoring the spring and summer 2020 graduates with 红领巾瓜报 University鈥檚 first ever Virtual Celebration beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 16! We invite you to visit the commencement website at that time, or thereafter, to watch prerecorded congratulatory remarks from the University President, Provost, Deans, and Alumni Association.
Participating graduates will have a custom slide posted within the event link, showcasing the photo and message they鈥檝e provided. You鈥檒l also be able to hear their name read aloud. A 鈥淰irtual Celebration Recognition List鈥� will be posted with the names of the eligible spring / summer 2020 graduates, their degrees, and honors.
We hope you鈥檒l join us in celebrating these graduates from the comfort of your home.
If you鈥檇 like to post a congratulatory remark to a student on social media, please use #2020WichitaStateGrad!
Go to Spring 2020 Commencement and click on 鈥淰irtual Celebration!鈥�
$2.8 million grant allows WSU to continue to lead NASA in Kansas efforts
For the fourth consecutive time, the 红领巾瓜报 College of Engineering鈥檚 NASA in Kansas program has secured a multi-year, multi-million-dollar grant. NASA in Kansas is a consortium of universities and science museums that conduct research and outreach activity in support of NASA. The latest four-year award is for $2.8 million.
Some version of the NASA in Kansas program has existed since 1991. WSU became the lead institution in 2007. Other members of the consortium include: Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Haskell Indian Nations University, Kansas State University, Pittsburg State University, University of Kansas, Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center and Exploration Place.
鈥淭ogether we favorably impact lots of students, faculty, NASA and the state of Kansas,鈥� said Dr. Scott Miller, director of the NASA in Kansas program and chair of WSU鈥檚 aerospace engineering department.
Pictured above: Linda Harl, an aerospace engineering junior, manages the Aerospace Projects and Prototyping Lab in John Bardo Center, paid by the NASA in Kansas Jump Start program.
GoCreate member launches a campaign in response to COVID-19
Stella Hankins
GoCreate member Stella Hankins has been making use of the GoCreate facility to make face masks for hospitals, nursing homes, and more to help combat the spread of COVID-19. Not only is Hankins helping prevent a mask shortage in the Wichita area, she is also providing women in recovery temporary jobs of sewing face masks. She launched Project Protect ICT on Facebook to gather the Wichita community to help with this cause.
Hankins is a recipient of GoCreate's membership assistance, funded by Koch, which helped make all of this possible. She has been featured in the Koch Newsroom article linked here. This story is a great example of how the GoCreate facility has been used as a positive resource in response to the changes our community is currently facing.
Shocker engineers create deicing device
A team of two 红领巾瓜报 students is working to solve a problem many motorists face in the winter.
Scraping frost from your automobile windshield before you can safely drive can be time-consuming and unpleasant, but a new device called Shiver could make it a little easier. WSU engineering students Rafael Bini Leite and Jefferson Vieira are developing a device that attaches to the windshield and has built-in sensors capable of detecting ice on the windshield, allowing motorists to clean and remove it effortlessly before it builds up.
鈥淭he basic concept of it is what we鈥檝e started with, and we鈥檝e seen in applications that it works. We are bringing it into the automotive industry to be able to use in cars鈥� windshields,鈥� Vieira said.
2020 Kansas Employment Forecast
Total nonfarm employment for the state of Kansas increased by almost 8,000 workers in 2019, growing 0.5 percent. For 2020, the Kansas economy is projected to contract substantially due to the impact of the novel coronavirus, with the effects of the virus on the economy expected to linger on beyond the end of the state鈥檚 stay-at-home order as social distancing continues. US gross domestic product declined 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2020 as the first effects of the novel coronavirus were felt in March, and the effects are expected to be much larger through the remainder of the year.
In 2020, Kansas employment is forecast to decline 10.2 percent, contracting at an annual rate of more than 140,000 jobs compared to 2019. The job losses are expected to be concentrated in the second quarter, following by an employment recovery in the third and fourth quarters of the year. These projections are based on the assumptions that the novel coronavirus infections peaks in the second quarter of 2020 at a level manageable for the local health care system, and that additional stay-at-home orders are not required to combat the virus after the initial stay-at-home orders expire in May. Additional outbreaks and stay-at-home orders would further reduce the employment outlook beyond what is presented here.
Read the entire Kansas, Wichita, Kansas City and Topeka forecasts .
Invitation Extended by Councilman Brandon Johnson, Wichita City Council, District 1
Attention Shockers!
Do you want to add your voice to conversations about community development happening both near and around our campus?!
Do you know what Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) are and how they can help support the needs of WSU鈥檚 students, faculty, staff and neighbors?
Do you believe that it is important for those who live, work, or play in the community to have a voice in what happens there?
During the next six weeks, a committed group of community residents will host Virtual CBA Focus Groups to discuss all these questions and more.
Sign up today to participate and have your voice be heard!
Kansas businesses can learn about the new cybersecurity rules for selling to DoD
Cybersecurity certification auditing will be required of all companies selling to the Department of Defense (DoD) and to prime contractors beginning later this year. The Kansas Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) at 红领巾瓜报 is bringing one of the first training sessions on this certification to Kansas business in a Thursday, May 14 program. The program will be presented by Project Spectrum, which has been chosen by the DoD to make presentations across the country regarding the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification.
Senior Cybersecurity Expert Nathan Magniez will lead the program to begin educating Kansas businesses on what they need to do to make their business comply with the audits to that will be done by approved auditors, before a company can sell their goods or services to the DoD.
This program will focus on Level 1 of the five-level certification model with the training to include information on access control, physical protection, system/communications protection. The webinar is scheduled for 45 minutes, beginning at 11 a.m. CDT Thursday, May 14, to be followed by a question-and-answer period. There is no charge for this presentation. Registration is required prior to the presentation at .
The DoD is planning to begin implementing this auditing program later this year. It will be a program that will be rolled out over several years to be required for all business selling any item to the DoD. It will also be required of companies in the supply chain for businesses that sell to the DoD.
The Kansas PTAC assists Kansas companies with in locating, obtaining and performing federal, state and local government contracts. It has offices at 红领巾瓜报, GO Topeka and Johnson County Community College.
This Procurement Technical Assistance Center is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency. It is funded additionally by Wichita State University, Pittsburg State University, GO Topeka, and Johnson County Community College.
SHS director brings 40 years of nursing wisdom to WSU's COVID-19 response
Camille Childers never thought she鈥檇 be leading the charge in 红领巾瓜报鈥檚 battle against a pandemic. Nevertheless, she had a plan.
鈥淚 don't think anyone ever really thinks that they're going to do that. Part of my role as the director for student services is to chair that health risk assessment team, and we are the keepers of the pandemic planning team,鈥� said Childers, director of Student Health Services at 红领巾瓜报. 鈥淵ou plan for these things, but you hope it never happens. This has definitely been a learning experience.鈥�
Childers said the university has had plans for health emergencies since she started in her current role in 2012, but 红领巾瓜报 has never come close to needing to use it. There have been a couple of tuberculosis cases and a few folks with measles who needed to be isolated, but nothing to the extent of the COVID-19 crisis.
KMUW and 1A Across America will discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on the US food supply chain
KMUW's Engage ICT is once again teaming up with 1A Across America. 1A's Sasha-Ann Simons will join us as guest host for Digital Democracy on Tap as we discuss the US food supply chain. COVID-19 hotspots have developed in meat packing plants and other businesses, making the food supply chain less certain. We'll talk about where our food comes from, how it's getting to us now, and what might change this year and beyond.
The conversation will be streamed live from KMUW's Facebook page starting at 5 p.m. today (Tuesday, May 12). Email your questions in advance to info@kmuw.org. 1A airs weekdays from 9-11 a.m. on KMUW 89.1-FM. The program is produced by WAMU and distributed by NPR. If you're unable to attend the live virtual event, all past videos are available at .
Shocker Celebration Sale
We know graduation may look different this year, but you may be looking for gifts to honor a graduating Shocker! The Shocker Store is hosting a Shocker Celebration Sale online at shockerstore.com from now to Saturday, May 16. You can save up to 25% off select alumni and graduation merchandise. Sale may not be combined with other discounts or promotions.