CARES Act funds: Students are encouraged to apply now
Students who need financial assistance during the COVID-19 crisis are encouraged to apply for emergency funds provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act by Friday, May 8.
The deadline for applications is May 15; however, priority will be given to those who apply by Friday, May 8. Apply here.
To date, $2.8 million of approximately $4.4 million has been awarded to students with the most need as determined by their latest FAFSA filing, said Sheelu Surender, director of the Office of Financial Aid at Wichita State University.
“We are grateful for the CARES Act funding and the immediate relief it can provide many of our students,” Surender said. “For other students who still have a need, we encourage them to submit the application as soon as possible, but urge them to complete it by the May 8 priority date.”
The U.S. Department of Education distributed CARES funds to several universities as a way to ease the financial burdens on the institutions and their students.
The approximately $4.4 million emergency funds to Wichita State are expected to be distributed to about 4,400 students to provide temporary relief for expenses that are a direct result of the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19. Eligible expenses include food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and childcare.
For more information on the CARES Act and how WSU will be distributing these funds, and to determine if you are eligible to receive funding, please visit the WSU CARES Act Student Funding website. You can also reach out to the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@wichita.edu.
While CARES Act funding is only available to those students eligible for Title IV financial aid, WSU recognizes that there are other members of our campus community, including our international students, undocumented students and students enrolled in distance-only degree programs, who may need financial assistance during this difficult time.
For students from any of these groups, there are other types of emergency aid available via the Shockers Up COVID-19 Emergency Fund. For more information on that fund, please click here.
Join our Virtual Academic Excellence Celebration today
Join the WSU Office of Diversity and Inclusion for our Virtual Academic Excellence Celebration at 3 p.m. today (Wednesday, May 6). This event honors multicultural students who earned a 3.0 or higher in fall 2019, and are currently enrolled in spring 2020.
You can join us by watching at http://facebook.com/WSUDiversity at 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 6.
Please email diversity@wichita.edu with any questions.
Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Pandemic series speaker to discuss his work on COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics today
Bill Groutas
Making sense of the issues surrounding the coronavirus can be challenging. Faculty experts in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wichita State University are helping clear the confusion.
The last talk in the Perspectives on the Pandemic series is "In search of a COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutics," by Bill Groutas, WSU Foundation Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. His presentation at 3 p.m. today (Wednesday, May 6), will briefly review coronaviruses, their life cycle, and state-of-the art progress in the development of vaccines and immunotherapeutics, as well as the use of repurposed drugs. Lastly, progress by his research group related to the discovery of inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease, an enzyme essential for viral replication, will also be discussed briefly.
Join us live for the 8th Annual Shocker Leadership Awards!
Shockers Far and Wide: We are excited to announce this year's nominees for the 8th Annual Shocker Leadership Awards! Tune in at 5 p.m. today (Wednesday, May 6), on Student Involvement's Facebook page as we announce the winners of the Shocker Leadership Awards.
Read May's edition of president's newsletter, First Tuesday
The fourth edition of the monthly newsletter, First Tuesday, arrived in your email inbox yesterday (Tuesday, May 5). This is a new newsletter, started in February, as a way to keep the campus community up-to-date on what President Golden's top initiatives are, what he's up to on a daily basis, and ways he's engaging with the Shocker and the local community.
OSMM presents ‘Smart Money Moves During a Pandemic’
Students are invited to join the Office for Student Money Management in Student Success for its webinar, "Smart Money Moves During a Pandemic" at 1 p.m. today (Wednesday, May 6). We will provide tips on how to save money, spend wisely, and find resources during this time.
This will be a secured Zoom session, so please email us at osmm@wichita.edu with your name and Shocker ID for an invite.
If you have any questions, email or call us at 316-978-3254. We will post the recorded session on our social media handles @WSU_OSMM if you missed it.
GRASP 2020 to be available until Friday
The 2020 Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects Symposium will be available to view on Blackboard until the end of business Friday, May 8, at 5:00 PM. If you missed GRASP on Friday, you can still self-enroll and take a look at graduate student research! To self-enroll: log into Blackboard, then follow the link below and click the "+Enroll" button.
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’s 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!
Career Development Center invites you to engage with BKD tomorrow
What to expect: Get the inside track on the campus recruiting process, future BKD career opportunities, network with peers and firm leaders and more from 1:30-4 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, May 7).
This is a virtual event. You will receive the meeting link and further instructions by submitted your RSVP to Jerica Newby here.
Have questions for the Career Development Center? Join the live Q & A session tomorrow!
Have questions about resumes and interviews? Need help navigating Handshake? Need more info on the services we offer? All of these questions (and more) can be answered in this weekly Q&A. Click the link and come talk with me (Sarah Rupp) via Zoom from 9-10 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday, May 7).
From one senior to another, we'll get through this
To my fellow seniors,
It’s over. Well, not quite, but it sure feels finished. Thanks to COVID-19, our college experience was cut eight weeks short. While we still have remote learning to complete, it’s not the same as being on campus for classes, club meetings and hanging out with friends.
If you’re like me, change is hard. I prefer to have time to plan, prepare and expect the change. Graduating and moving into the real world is already a big enough change. But adding COVID-19 into the mix, things get hectic and unorganized.
Join us for Lavender Graduation on May 7
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Spectrum: LGBTQ & Allies are excited to host this year's Lavender Graduation at 6 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, May 7).
Lavender Graduation is an annual ceremony conducted on many campuses to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ+) students, and to acknowledge their achievements and contributions to their institutions. Due to ongoing concerns of COVID-19, we will adjust the format of this program to be a virtual celebration at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 7 via Zoom. To rsvp and learn more, go to Wichita.edu/lavender.
'My (Home) Research Experience' by Graduate Student Council on May 8
Have you ever been curious about how your peers conduct their research? Their methods? Their work environments? How they balance between their family and excel sheets?
Please join Jacob Armstrong, the Graduate Student Council President, as he shares his research experience from 3-4 p.m. Friday, May 8, right before Graduate School's Happy Hour! Link to the live stream will be published on GSC's Facebook post.
Student Health Services has a YouTube Channel
Missed a previous Tuesday Talk from Student Health Services? Looking for information on how to stay healthy, specifically how to stay healthy during the outbreak of COVID-19? Student Health Services has a YouTube channel!
Check out our latest videos here.
Textbook Buyback is now online only
Spring Textbook Buyback is now online only! Ship your gently used textbooks for free and receive cash for your books. Visit the “Course Materials” section of shockerstore.com for more information.
Volunteers needed for a research study
Test-Retest of the SWAY Mobile Application: Telemedicine Approach
Purpose of the study: To assess the accuracy of the balance, reaction time and cognitive assessment modules of the SWAY mobile application through a telemedicine approach using virtual Zoom meetings and a SMART device.
Procedures: Participants balance, reaction time, and cognitive function will be tested using the SWAY application using a SMART device and receiving instruction through a virtual zoom session.
Time: Participation will include three separate sessions placed one week apart. Each weekly session is expected to last about 30 minutes.
Inclusion / Exclusion Criteria:
- Participants must be age 18 or older
- No known muscular disorders
- No known neurological disorders
- No known orthopedic disorder
- No uncorrected vision
Location: Telemedicine approach: virtual Zoom appointments using computer technology and a SMART device.
Contact: If you are interested in participating in this study please contact Dr. Heidi Bell at: heidi.bell@wichita.edu or 316.393.3339
Millicent Setzkorn at mrsetzkorn@shockers.wichita.edu or 620-393-5320
Should you have any questions or concerns, email Dr. Heidi Bell at heidi.bell@wichita.edu or call 316-978-5150.
Resources available to support students, staff, and community during this challenging time
We are living and working in a time of change and disruption. Not only disruption of what we do and how we do it, but disruptions in relationships integral to our personal and professional lives. As a result of these circumstances, we may experience anxiety, stress, sadness, loneliness, grief, and so on. Connecting with people who share similar experiences during this time can be critical for our physical and emotional health.
To help you navigate these changing times, the WSU Community Engagement Institute has added a list of resources to the Kansas Support Groups Website. This includes information on resources related to physical and mental health, self-care, safety, and more.
The website also houses an online database with information on various local, state and national support groups and resources. This database is available year-round and is searchable by county or topic.
Find resources related to COVID-19 and others at http://supportgroupsinkansas.org/coronavirus or email supportgroups@wichita.edu for more information.
WSU philosopher featured on ‘The Planetary Society's Planetary Radio Podcast’
James Schwartz
WSU Philosopher James Schwartz was the feature guest on the May 1 episode of the Planetary Radio show. Planetary Radio is a podcast published by The Planetary Society, and has featured guests such as Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, SpaceX founder Elon Musk, and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
In the episode Schwartz discusses his new book “The Value of Science in Space Exploration” (Oxford University Press, 2020), as well as a variety of ethical questions about the rationales behind different spaceflight activities and the potential conflicts between space science and commercial space development.
Podcast featuring James Schwartz
Mother's Day Sale
Looking to find some great gifts for the Shocker moms in your life? The Shocker Store is having a Mother’s Day Sale online at shockerstore.com from now to Saturday, May 9. It will feature select products at awesome prices! May not be combined with other discounts or promotions.
Shocker's sport management internship shifts focus after COVID-19 closures
Andrew Stockmann expected his internship in the Omaha Storm Chasers’ ticket operations office to teach him the ins and outs of ticketing for the minor league baseball team.
But when he spent a week in April planting 100 pansies outside the stadium, Andrew realized he was getting much more than the niche ticketing experience he was anticipating.
Andrew, a Wichita State University senior in sport management, moved to Omaha in March. He started his job on March 9. Three days later, the Storm Chasers announced that their season would be suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In many ways, that changed the focus of Andrew’s internship.
Nebraska doesn’t have a stay-at-home order, so Andrew continues to work at the stadium.
Retired B1-B will arrive in Wichita soon for Air Force research project
A new research partnership between Wichita State University’s (WSU) National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) and the U.S. Air Force will create a virtual B-1 Bomber that could help the Air Force predict the future of its supersonic bombers.
The project, sponsored by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center B1 Division, will study the effects of flight operations on aircraft structures. The NIAR team will fully disassemble the aircraft, scan every individual structural part down to the nuts and bolts, and reassemble the virtual aircraft parts to create a digital twin. The program will provide the Air Force with unprecedented information on the B-1B, allowing for the evaluation of damage or changes to aircraft usage in order to repair, modify design or structural inspection intervals, and/or reevaluate the design life of the aircraft.
JoVE Science Library streaming free for WSU students and faculty
Find innovative instructional streaming collections at JoVE Science Library! Through University Libraries, WSU faculty and students have free access to JoVE through June 15. This online resource has videos on a variety of STEM subjects. More information is available here.
Enjoy free online self-paced courses!
The Wichita State University Office of Workforce, Professional and Community Education in partnership with Ed2Go is excited to announce free professional development opportunities to the community. Ten free self-paced tutorial courses are now offered to you at no cost!
Free self-paced courses include:
- Creating Web Pages
- Creating WordPress Websites
- Fundamentals of Supervision and Management
- Twelve Steps to a Successful Job Search
- Keys to Effective Communication
- Managing Customer Service
- Marketing Your Business on the Internet
- Personal Finance
- Small Business Marketing on a Shoestring
- Individual Excellence
How to Register
To register and view the courses, click here. To take advantage of this special opportunity, you must select the courses titled, Free Self-Paced Tutorial.
Courses are available through Tuesday, June 30.
For more information or questions, contact jennifer.harry@wichita.edu.