Wichita State News: Students

Education intern connects people to art at Ulrich Museum

Art history major Loryn Leonard interns with the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University, nurturing her passion for art and education.

She began her college career in Texas as an art education major and was required to take a three-dimensional studio art class.

"I took metalsmithing and became riveted with it ever since," she said.

In metalsmithing, she worked with nonferrous metals such as copper, brass, silver and gold, and used traditional craftsman techniques to create contemporary art forms.

"Metalsmithing is an art form that is delicate and difficult," she said, "so if there is anything that I have gained, it is patience."

Leonard received her Bachelor of Fine Art in metalsmithing and jewelry from the University of North Texas in 2007.

Leonard is at WSU pursuing her second undergraduate degree in art history.

"I felt apprehensive about continuing my education in metalsmithing," she said. "Although (it) is my passion, I decided to focus on the academic side of the art spectrum."

She is trying to encompass the entire art history spectrum in her studies.

"Art history has always fascinated me," Leonard said. "I believe that art history is intertwined with a society's socio-cultural background."

But her favorite aspect is learning about the different methodologies in art, how they're applied to socio-cultural beliefs and how art is a reflection of those ideals.

"Researching artists that are new to me is like discovering an ancient relic," she said. "It's exciting to learn how the artist was influenced by his or her surroundings or how the art itself impacted their culture."

Leonard is also participating in a medieval and renaissance certificate program, which is similar to working on a thesis. She must research and present a topic to a board to receive her certification.

And she is trying to start a contemporary arts society for WSU students to raise awareness of current art events and to promote professional practice.

Leonard began an internship with the Ulrich Museum in July working with Aimee Geist, the curator of education and Teresa Veazey.

Her responsibilities include researching artists, guiding tours, advocating for student membership, assisting in education marketing and preparing museum events.

"Interns like Loryn are invaluable," Veazey said. "They're always willing to help out with museum tours, artists' lectures, opening parties, anything and everything that happens at the museum."

"My favorite part of my job, and I joke with (my boss) about this, is taking the golf cart out on errands," Leonard said.

But truthfully, Leonard said she enjoys leading tours and being the bridge from the art to the viewer.

Interning with the Ulrich Museum will prepare her well for a future career coordinating the education department of a museum.

"Being an education intern has provided me with invaluable experiences," she said. "I get a behind the scenes glance at the internal clockwork of a museum."

The education curator takes an exhibition and creates various activities and events that comply with the art, she said, essentially connecting people with art.

"Loryn wants to work in an art museum when she graduates from WSU, and nothing will look better on her resume than a year's experience working at the Ulrich," Veazey said.

After she receives her undergraduate degree, Leonard plans to attend graduate school in 2011, write books about her research and possibly teach art history in the process.

In her spare time, she reads and continues to work on metalsmithing in her make-shift basement studio to keep her skills fine-tuned.

WSU to hold free Financial Aid Informational Workshop

Wichita State University's Office of Financial Aid is planning a free Financial Aid Informational Workshop from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, in the Marcus Welcome Center.

Door prizes will be awarded to many students in attendance, with the grand prize of a $500 scholarship for spring 2010 that can be used by current or guest students.

This workshop will help students and families learn about the financial aid process, how to apply, steps involved in receiving financial aid and much more.

Staff will be available throughout the program to offer advice and answer specific questions. To RSVP, go to www.wichita.edu/financialaidevents.

Attendees can pick and choose from the following sessions:

"Understanding the Basics of Financial Aid" - An introduction to important financial aid terms, such as cost of attendance, expected family contribution and financial need. Receive a basic overview of the financial aid process and learn about the federal, state and institutional grants, loans and employment programs available to help make college more affordable. Sessions offered at 9:35 a.m., 10:15 a.m. and 10:55 a.m.

"Free Application for Federal Student Aid" - Get answers to the most common FAFSA questions in a step-by-step look at the application. Help minimize errors on your 2010-2011 FAFSA application and learn what information is needed to complete the process. Sessions offered at 9:40 a.m., 10:15 a.m. and 10:50 a.m.

"Scholarships" - Explore scholarship opportunities at WSU and learn about other Web sites and resources to search for additional scholarship prospects. Sessions offered at 9:40 a.m., 10:15 a.m. and 10:50 a.m.

"Question & Answer" - This is your chance to ask specific questions regarding your unique situation and circumstances in a one-on-one setting. Admissions counselors will be available throughout the morning.

WSU to present acclaimed actor Roger Rees in 'What You Will'

Wichita State University will bring Wichita audiences an evening with stage, film and television actor Roger Rees in his acclaimed one-man Shakespeare show "What You Will" at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in Wilner Auditorium.

It's a Connoisseur Series presentation of the College of Fine Arts and School of Performing Arts Theatre Program.

Roger Rees

Students can receive free tickets if they pick them up by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the College of Fine Arts Box Office. Wichita teachers can also reserve group tickets by the same deadline and pick them up the night of the performance.

The free tickets are thanks to a generous donation from the Sam and Rie Bloomfield Foundation, said Wendy Hanes, associate dean of fine arts.

"What You Will" has been described as an irreverent one-man everything there is "to be or not to be" about William Shakespeare. Rees, a 20-year veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), presents the greatest soliloquies ever written, along with side-splitting accounts of some of the funniest disasters ever perpetrated on the Shakespearean stage.

Rees received international acclaim, receiving both Olivier and Tony Awards for his portrayal of the title role in the RSC's "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby." Rees' career also includes roles in such films as "The Prestige," "The Pink Panther," "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" and "Frida."

American television audiences know him best as the British Ambassador Lord John Marbury in "The West Wing," dashing English tycoon Robin Colcord on "Cheers" and Dr. Colin Marlow on "Grey's Anatomy."

In "What You Will," Romeo, Juliet's foolish Nurse, gory Macbeth, Hamlet, the oh-so-tragic Richard II, and even Charles Dickens, James Thurber, Noel Coward and Stevie Wonder make appearances in "the comic highlight of the year ... a veritable riot of wit and laughter" (North Adams Transcript).

The Berkshire Review described the show as "at once merrily irreverent and respectful, audaciously dismissive and deserving, puckishly playful and protective, sublimely whimsical and wise … a delicious evening of theater in the fullest sense of the word."

After "What You Will" played at the Folger Theatre in Washington, D.C., the Washington Post declared that Rees "conveys each character with the combination of technique and magnetism that has distinguished the RSC actors of his generation."

Technical theater major chose to work backstage rather than perform

Brandon Holmes spent his summer backstage at Music Theatre of Wichita managing the stage for the company's productions.

Holmes performed in musicals and theater in high school and his community, but at Wichita State University he chose a different path.

"I knew that I wanted to stick with theater because that is what I knew a great deal about," he said. "But I didn't want to perform anymore."

Instead, Holmes chose a field with "great demand for people and great opportunities to do amazing things."

Holmes is a senior in technical theater and design at WSU's College of Fine Arts.

Most of his career at WSU has been influenced by stage management, which is what he wants to do when he graduates. But he can also be seen working on the set.

Holmes said he enjoys seeing a show be built from its feet upward.

"You literally get to see the building blocks of the show and, when all the elements come together, it is such a rewarding feeling," he said.

Holmes spends hours every day working on a show, whether it's paperwork, organizing or being onstage.

"My major (has) a lot of hands-on work," he said. "You have to design something that fits with all elements of theater: costume, lighting, set, props, whatever. You have to find some way to tell the audience about the story from your side without confusing them."

But there are drawbacks to working behind the scenes instead of on center stage.

Holmes grew up as a performer, and the audience was able to see him after the show or at curtain call to applaud his performance.

"But being backstage, no one in the audience knows who you are or the work that you have done for this show to run so well," he said. "But it is still a great feeling to see the audience standing at the end of a show that you have helped put together."

Holmes' management experience started in high school at Shawnee Mission South, but most of his knowledge comes from WSU.

A stage manager keeps the cast and design team informed about the show so once technical rehearsals and performances are under way, everyone is on the same page, he said.

Stage managers call light cues, sound cues and scene shifts. They also make sure everything happens in the way it needs to happen.

David Neville, assistant professor and scenic light designer for WSU's College of Fine Arts, said Holmes was not a bossy stage manager, but he also wasn't a pushover.

"He's got a good head on his shoulders," Neville said. "He's organized. He's smart."

Holmes was assistant stage manager for "The Wild Party" and stage manager for "Medea," "Greater Tuna," "Lady, Be Good!" and "Waltzing in Heaven."

He began working at Music Theatre of Wichita in the summer of 2008. He worked there again last summer.

"It is a summer employment kind of situation, so you don't really know if you will be there until the next year," he said.

He was responsible for taking care and keeping track of props, organizing prop placement and completing theater paperwork. He also made sure scene changes occurred correctly.

He was assistant stage manager for many shows at MTW including "My Fair Lady," "Miss Saigon" and "The Producers."

"'Producers' was fun just because it was a very large show with a lot of fun elements," he said, including the dancing Nazi puppets.

In "Miss Saigon," a Cadillac and a helicopter made stage appearances.

MTW does Broadway-quality shows with real professionals, Holmes said.

"A lot of the people you see in the shows there have been seen and will be seen on Broadway," he said.

As soon as he graduates, Holmes wants to join a touring company of a show.

"I want to be a stage manager because I like to be in charge and physically involved in the running of a show," he said.

Shocker bowlers sweep tournament

The Wichita State men's and women's bowling teams claimed their second title of the season at the S.I. Elite Collegiate Tournament, sweeping the tournament of 34 men's and 24 women's teams in Fairview Heights, Ill., Nov. 7-8.

Also finishing well was the Shocker Developmental Teams, which competed in their final tournament of the season. On the men's side, the WSU team finished fifth with a score of 8,956 and sixth place at 8,950. The final men's squad ended up eleventh at 8,666.

The women also claimed third with an 8,456, just seven pins away from taking second place, and the final team finished in eleventh with 7,728.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for the developmental team players," said head coach Gordon Vadakin. "We're seeing improvement in them, and their work will still continue this season with our associate coaching program."

Once again, the Lady Shockers dominated the individual honors as four women were named to the All-Tournament Team. Junior Jessica Baker was named the women's tournament MVP. Joining Baker was freshman Jazreel Tan, senior Sandra Gongora and senior Rocio Restrepo.

Gongora also threw the high game of the tournament with a perfect 300 during competition – only the seventh 300 thrown in the history of Shocker Bowling.

The Shockers will now take a break until the Team Match Games, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27-28 in Fairview Heights, Ill.

WSU's Second Stage presents 'The Burning Room'

"The Burning Room," written by Darrel A. Holnes and winner of Wichita State University's 2009 New Playwright Competition, will be presented by the School of Performing Arts Second Stage Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, Nov. 11-14, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14-15, in the Welsbacher Theatre in the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex at 5015 E. 29th St. N.

"The Burning Room" explores the relationships between men and women, Latino culture and spirituality.

Isabel, a Columbian immigrant, is enjoying her new life in America. As she and her Mexican American boyfriend Pedro celebrate his sister Carla's birthday, Isabel gets the shock of her life when she is visited by her "cousin" Mario and the life she thought she left behind in Medellin. Isabel's real past life starts to be revealed to Pedro, a Houston cop. Pedro, along with Carla's husband, Raul, who is also a Houston cop, begin to investigate Mario. What Pedro and Raul encounter on their journey is a supernatural twist they didn't bargain for.

"The Burning Room" features WSU students Esmeralda Carlos Banuelos, Ashley Cravens, Nick Smith, Raul Herrera, Josh Zavella, Heather Miller, Lauren Rust, Marius Ausbee and Cristina Hink.

It is directed by WSU Theatre major Paula Makar. Design team includes student designers Tyler Lessin (sets), Kevin Sagamang (lights), Ashley Hibler (costumes), and Kenton D. Elworth (props).

For information, contact the College of Fine Arts Box Office at (316) 978-3233.

Economics major studies in Berlin

Economics senior Drew Tedlock left Wichita State University to spend a semester abroad learning in Berlin.

Tedlock attended the Hochschule fur Wirtschaft und Recht (the Berlin School for Economics and Law) during the spring 2009 semester before coming back to WSU in August.

"I have known for years that I wanted to study abroad because everyone said it was an experience like no other," he said.

He knew that studying in a different country would make him stand out to future employers and graduate schools, but he went for personal reasons, too.

"I'm interested in other cultures and traveling," he said.

In one of his Berlin classes, 14 students came from 13 different countries.

He also had to learn how to function in a larger city with people from different cultural backgrounds and speak German.

"I knew that I would learn more German by studying abroad," he said.

Tedlock also traveled to eight different countries during the spring and "got to see some unique and untouched areas of Europe."

From his extensive travels, he discovered that Berlin is unlike any other city.

"I went to Berlin with little to no expectations, and I was all the better for it," he said. "I allowed myself to start with a blank canvas and that really worked for me."

Tedlock plans to apply what he learned in Berlin to his studies at WSU. He said he will approach problems with a more balanced point of view.

"Seeing how Europeans approach, analyze and solve problems of all sorts was a rewarding experience," he said.

After he graduates in May, Tedlock plans to go straight to graduate school.

"I fear that if I took a year off, I'd never return to academia," he said.

He wants to get his master's in economics from WSU, before beginning a Ph.D. program specializing in international economics.

After that, he wants to work at an international level, but he's not sure where.

At WSU, Tedlock works for the Department of Economics as a tutor.

He tutors only eight hours a week, but he said it solidifies his knowledge of economics. And he enjoys helping other students understand a subject he is passionate about, even if the math is difficult.

"I tend to prefer the rhetoric, history and policy applications of economics," he said.

Tedlock was a member of Students in Free Enterprise, serving on a presentation team that presented at regional and national conferences. He no longer participates because of time constraints.

He is a member of the Student Ambassador Society and served as the student representative on the steering committee for the Emory Lindquist Honors Program last fall.

He served on the philosophy committee for the Foundations of Excellence, a program that encourages universities to develop a nurturing, holistic atmosphere for freshmen to ease their transition into college.

Tedlock is also a photographer and takes photos for senior portraits and weddings.

"Photography is a passion," he said, "but will not be a proper business venture."

While he does commercial work, he prefers fine-art photography, and he can be found in abandoned buildings around Kansas taking pictures of rust, decay and remnants of the past.

Patterson, Stone named WSU Man and Woman of the Year

Trent Patterson and Ashley Stone were recently named 2009 Shocktoberfest Man and Woman of the Year at Wichita State University.

Trent Patterson

Patterson is a senior majoring in accounting, and Stone is a senior majoring in integrated marketing communications with a minor in sport management.

The Shocktoberfest Man and Woman of the Year are two students who encompass campus pride and are role models for future and current students in and out of the classroom. For winning the title, Patterson and Stone will each receive a $500 scholarship.

After completing his degree, Patterson plans to travel across the nation as a regional director for his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Ashley Stone

Stone is a member of Delta Gamma, holding many offices and receiving many awards and international scholarships.

Students who were runners-up each will receive a $100 scholarship.

The runners-up are:

Vanessa Maryott, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering. Maryott is completing her engineering degree this December and will study abroad in Australia during the spring semester, acting as an international ambassador for WSU.

Sheersty Rhodes is a senior in the W. Frank Barton School of Business, majoring in management. She also is a third generation Shocker.

Erin Waggoner is in her fourth year studying aerospace engineering with a minor in mathematics. Waggoner has been a cooperative education student at the NASA-Dryden Flight Research Center in California.

Zachary Mastroly is a senior majoring in accounting. Mastroly enjoys being involved on campus and attending as many Shocker athletic events as possible.

Marcus Pyles is a senior majoring in aerospace engineering. After graduating, Pyles hopes to own his own business that deals in human performance enhancement and bionics.

Rami Zayed is a junior majoring in biochemistry. Zayed hopes to attend medical school after graduation. Zayed also was named a 2007 Harry Gore Memorial Scholar.

PODCAST: Cheating in school continues to rise

This WSU Newsline Podcast is available at http://www.wichita.edu/newslinepodcast. See the transcript below:

You're listening to the podcast edition of the Wichita State University audio newsline. Learn more about WSU — the home of Thinkers, Doers, Movers and Shockers — on the Web at wichita.edu.

Cheating in school is not a new problem, but it appears to be a growing one. According to a study by Duke University's Center for Academic Integrity, if the cheating rate in the United States continues to increase, nearly 80 percent of college and high school students will cheat in 2010. William Vanderburgh, director of the faculty development office at Wichita State University, agrees that technology has made it easier for students to cheat.

Vanderburgh: "I think cheating is probably a little bit more prevalent today than it used to be, just because technology makes it so much easier for students to cheat. They can go to the Internet, find information that they want."

Vanderburgh says there are a number of reasons students cheat.

Vanderburgh: "I think one of the main reasons that students cheat is that they are underprepared. They don't have prerequisites or they haven't done the work.

"Another reason that students cheat is an overemphasis on credentialing, which is to say students don't often care so much about getting knowledge as getting a degree."

Most teachers agree that the Internet didn't invent cheating, but it sure has made it much easier.

Vanderburgh: "Students often use the Internet as their main or only source of research, and that makes it easy for them to cut and paste information into essays. They also can use cell phones and graphing calculators to bring notes into class in a surreptitious way."

Vanderburgh explains one way professors can help students experience academic success without resorting to cheating.

Vanderburgh: "Students often cheat when they're in a high-stakes situation, where the test is half of their grade, or the essay's a third of their grade. Professors can mitigate cheating in those kinds of situations by offering smaller assignments and more of them over the period of the semester. That way, students can succeed and gain confidence in the material."

And Vanderburgh says professors have ways to deter students who cheat during tests.

Vanderburgh: "I know a lot of professors who just simply ban cell phones during tests, similarly baseball hats. So, technology helps students to cheat sometimes, but it's not the only way."

Even so, some students will try to beat the system and cheat. When that happens, Vanderburgh says, professors usually have a couple of options for dealing with those students.

Vanderburgh: "Professors and departments normally set their standards before the semester begins, but a very typical response would be to fail a student for the assignment or to fail them in the course. Professors also report students who cheat to the department chair and to the dean of students so that those students can be tracked."

It appears that the fight against cheating is an uphill battle. Earlier this year, an Ohio school district says it uncovered a cheating scheme so pervasive that it had to cancel graduation ceremonies for 60 seniors. Superintendent Dorothy Holden said so many students were involved that it was impossible "to separate the wheat from the chaff" in terms of deciding who could graduate. Instead, all students were mailed their diplomas.

The answer, some experts and administrators say, is convincing students that high-tech cheating is still cheating. Parents have long taught their children right from wrong at the earliest ages. It has been suggested that maybe it's time to add a new lesson plan — right from wrong in the digital age.

Thanks for listening. Until next time, this is Joe Kleinsasser for Wichita State University.

Doctoral student advocates for cultural understanding in classrooms

Wichita State University doctoral student Kim Burkhalter will use her background in social work to get a broader perspective in helping children in Wichita Public Schools.

Burkhalter received her bachelor's in social work from WSU in 1992 and her master's from the University of Kansas in 1995. In 2007, she began her doctoral studies at WSU in educational leadership.

When she began her college career at WSU, she was an education major. She changed her major to social work because she wanted a deeper understanding of children who need help in Wichita.

But she knew her career was in education.

"(Social work) was just another way for me to broaden my perspective studies," Burkhalter said.

The knowledge she gained in social work gave her a better opportunity to know students at a deeper level, instead of just being in the classroom, she said.

And her career path has been shaped by what she learned and experienced in social work.

Burkhalter is heavily focused on social justice issues, including embracing cultural differences in schools.

"Kim is passionate about students learning in culturally diverse classrooms in urban settings," said Mara Alagic, Graduate School assistant dean.

Burkhalter's doctoral work focuses on the process educators take to embrace the culture they live in and the cultures their students come from to become better teachers.

Her most recent position in the Wichita school district is as the director of equity. Her purpose is to make sure each student "gets what's equitable, or fair, not just what's equal."

She said Wichita's education system is grounded in middle-class values.

"We have an ever increasing population of kids coming to us who live at or below the poverty line," she said.

She also said USD 259 has more students whose first languages are not English and whose cultures differ vastly from most in Wichita.

"How do we help kids make the transition into a system that's unlike what they have in their own environment?" she said.

Burkhalter had the opportunity to travel abroad last summer and faced challenges in expressing basic needs, which, she said, many USD 259 students face every day at school.

And it's not just students coming from other countries, she said, but students in different parts of the community, whose values and cultures differ between teachers and classmates.

"If we're not aware of the differences that kids are bringing into class, how can we reach them to teach them?" she said.

She said there is a demographic shift in children entering USD 259, and she wants to know how Wichita schools will shift to better educate those students.

She said USD 259 teachers are predominantly white and female, but students are increasingly coming from diverse minority groups in poverty.

The demographic has shifted, she said. The teaching needs to shift, too.

Her dissertation looks at how teachers make that shift and how they make the curriculum culturally relevant.

She is focusing on teachers who have already made a transformation in their classrooms, where students are thriving.

Alagic said Burkhalter's research will attempt to provide educators with a deeper understanding of the complexities teachers face in urban classrooms, as well as, show by examples, how the teachers' attention to racial and cultural diversity helped their students be successful learners.

Once she completes her doctorate, Burkhalter hopes to share her knowledge across the district.

She wants "to help people become aware of who they are and the experiences they bring to the classroom."

Burkhalter wants everyone, from educators to parents to food nutrition specialists, to cultivate the aspirations of Wichita's youth by being involved and understanding kids for who they are.

"It is so important that adults understand, no matter what role they play in society," she said. "They truly influence and impact the lives of our kids."

Shocker bowling sweeps mid states tournament for fourth consecutive year

The men's and women's Shocker bowling teams started their new season just like the last one ended: with a sweep. For the fourth consecutive year, the Shocker bowling teams swept the Mid States Tournament, held at Northrock Lanes in Wichita Oct. 10-11.

Both teams won with ease, and their developmental teams played well, as WSU had three of the top four finishers in the men's and women's divisions.

"We're happy to start the season out with a win, but we can play a lot better with our physical game, team play and our lane play skills," said WSU Head Coach Gordon Vadakin. "This tournament does a lot in pointing us in the directions where we need to work."

There was never a doubt the Lady Shockers would win the tournament as the WSU-Guerrero team won by 979 pins with a 12,685 – good enough for third place in the men's division.

The Lady Shockers also had a clean sweep of the All-Tournament Team honors.

The Shockers have a history of success at the Mid States Tournament. The men's team has claimed the title five years in a row and seven of the past eight years, while the women have won four straight Mid States titles and six of the past eight.

Shocker debate team starts season with win

The Wichita State University debate team started its season off with a first place finish at its first tournament.

Senior Eric Robinson and junior Brian Box earned first place at the University of Northern Iowa, defeating Emporia State University in the final round on a 3-0 decision. They defeated Northwestern University 3-0 in the semifinals and were 6-2 in the preliminary debates.

This is the second year Robinson has won this tournament.

WSU sophomores Creighton Coleman and Matt Munday posted a 5-3 preliminary record, defeating Macalester College in the octafinals before losing to Emporia State in the quarterfinals.

The freshman team of Tom Garvey and Tyler Joe also competed at the tournament, earning their first two college debate wins. They were among the only two first-year debaters competing in the open division of the tournament.

Wichita State enrolls 14,823 students for 2009 fall semester

Enrollment at Wichita State University for fall 2009 is 14,823 students, an increase of 211 students or 1.4 percent compared to fall 2008, according to the official enrollment report given to the Kansas Board of Regents following the 20th day of classes. Since fall 2005, enrollment has increased between 150-200 students annually.

Total student credit hours are 156,535 in fall 2009, an increase of 2.3 percent compared to fall 2008 and the second highest number of student credit hours since 1980.

The average credit hour load taken by WSU students continues to gradually increase. This fall, the average credit hour load is 11.43 for undergraduates and 7.3 for graduate students — the highest since at least fall 1980.

"Our enrollment increase can be attributed to a combination of factors," said Wade Robinson, vice president for campus life and university relations. "Those factors include tuition assistance from federal stimulus money, the Sedgwick County Scholarship, recognition by the public of the premier faculty and high quality academic programs at Wichita State, and the enhancement of our overall recruitment efforts."

The percentage of full-time students by class has changed significantly during the past 10 years. Almost 90 percent of WSU freshmen are full-time students this fall compared to 68 percent in fall 1999.

The percentage of full-time graduate students today is 41 percent, compared to 29 percent 10 years ago.

This fall there are 7,966 undergraduate students from Sedgwick County, compared to 7,773 students in fall 2008, for an increase of 2.5 percent.

There are 260 out-of-state graduate students enrolled at WSU this fall, compared to 226 students a year ago, an increase of 15 percent.

WSU has 1,375 international students, making up 9.3 percent of the student body.

Enrollment statistics are available at http://www.wichita.edu/j/?231.

HR major benefits from national convention

Jason Purser, human resource management major at Wichita State University, attended the Society of Human Resource Management convention last summer in New Orleans.

During the 2008-09 academic year, Purser was the director of communication for the WSU chapter of SHRM. He is president this semester until he graduates in December.

"Of all the things that I've done, it is one of the key activities that kept me in human resources," Purser said.

Purser received his first degree from WSU in psychology.

"But I wanted to go back to school," he said.

He wanted to earn his master's in business administration but had not taken required business courses. He is earning a second undergraduate degree before applying to Graduate School.

Purser sees a human resource department as being key to setting the pace in the management structure of its company.

All outcomes in a company, even the bottom line, depend on a good HR team, he said. HR departments are responsible for identifying and bringing in talented employees.

The SHRM conference, which ran June 26-30, was his opportunity to learn about human resource management from professionals from around the world.

Bobbie Knoblauch, Barton School lecturer, said the conference is a wealth of information and materials to all HR professionals.

"It's a great opportunity to hear how organizations are approaching different HR issues," Knoblauch said.

She said students benefit from networking opportunities and educational lectures.

Purser attended sessions, book-signings and speeches.

The keynote speech, given by Jack Welch, business writer and Forbes' CEO of the Century, focused on resilience in a down economy and building relationships with a wide variety of people.

The conference was not an avenue for employment, Purser said. Companies were not advertising for applicants, but networking was an advantage for him.

He said meeting people face-to-face was better than a phone or e-mail conversation about future career opportunities.

After graduating in December, Purser plans to search for employment.

"One of my goals is to get somewhere and start doing a good job for someone," he said.

"Jason is going to be well-positioned after college to find a job," Knoblauch said.

Purser will be searching the outdoors and health care fields and is interested in staffing or recruitment.

Both advise all HR majors to join SHRM.

"It really sets them up for the future," Knoblauch said.

Shocktoberfest 2009 set for Oct. 19-26

Shocktoberfest 2009, a spirit week filled with various events, will be hosted by Wichita State University's Student Activities Council Oct. 19-26. This year's theme is "Putting the Pieces Together: Past, Present and Future!"

Shocktoberfest gets an early start when WSU students get a bit messy with Mud Volleyball and Mud Tug-of-War, at noon Saturday Oct. 10, at the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

On Monday, Oct. 19, student organizations will show their Shocker pride by decorating banners to be hung on the east wall of Rhatigan Student Center.

A new event this year, Coffeehouse Unplugged, will feature a national touring band from Denver, The HeyDay, and local artist Rudy Love Jr. at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the RSC Shocker Square. Guests will be able to listen to great music and enjoy free desserts.

Another new event on Oct. 20, The Ultimate Puzzle Quest, will involve teams of WSU students going on a scavenger hunt following clues that take them all over the campus.

The RSC will be turned into a blanket-making factory on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Students will put together fleece-tied blankets to be donated for Harbor House in Wichita.

Students will compete in a dodge ball tournament at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, in the Heskett Center.

The WSU community will enjoy Brunch with Beggs at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, in Rhatigan Student Center. Wichita State President Don Beggs will be on hand to mingle with guests.

Shocktoberfest will conclude at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, in the CAC Theater with Songfest, a lip-synching and dancing competition for groups of students. Also that night, awards will be handed out to the top finishers in each of the competitive events and the overall Shocktoberfest trophy.

Top Shocker scholars will compete for the prestigious title of Shocktoberfest Man and Woman of the Year. Scholarships will be awarded to the finalists. Applications are available at http://www.wichita.edu/sac on the download forms tab, and are due Wednesday, Sept. 30.

For more information, contact the RSC Activities Office, at (316) 978-3495 or visit http://www.wichita.edu/sac.