RSC Annual Report

RSC Annual Report- Fiscal Year 2026
July 2025-June 2026

A Message from the Rhatigan Student Center

The 2025–2026 fiscal year was one of growth, collaboration and continued investment in the student experience at the Rhatigan Student Center. Throughout the year, our focus remained on creating welcoming spaces, meaningful experiences and quality services that support Wichita State students while serving the broader campus community.

This year brought several exciting milestones. We welcomed a new dining option with the opening of Sushi Do, expanded entertainment offerings in the Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes through new pinball machines and a PlayStation arcade station, and celebrated the return of RSC Day Shocker Night after more than a decade, providing students with a full day of entertainment, activities and opportunities to connect with campus. At the same time, we continued investing in our facilities through building improvements, technology upgrades and the completion of Phase 1 of our security camera project. The CAC Theater also underwent significant renovations to improve accessibility, reopening in June with important ADA enhancements that will better serve campus and community audiences for years to come.

This was also a year of transition. In January, Executive Director Kevin Konda was appointed Interim Vice President for Student Affairs while the university conducted its national search for new divisional leadership. Even during this period of change, the RSC team remained focused on delivering exceptional service, maintaining daily operations and advancing projects that support student success. That commitment is reflected throughout the accomplishments highlighted in this report.

As the needs of today’s students continue to evolve, so does the Rhatigan Student Center. Looking ahead, we will continue investing in our facilities through additional security enhancements, furniture upgrades and planned improvements to the CAC Theater. Operational initiatives, including transitioning to a new event management platform and modernizing course materials services, will position us to better serve students and campus partners in the years ahead.

The Rhatigan Student Center has always been more than a building. It is a place where students study, celebrate, compete, collaborate and build lasting connections. Every improvement we make, every event we host and every service we provide is centered on enhancing the Wichita State experience.

Thank you to our students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners for your continued support. We are proud of what we accomplished together this year and look forward to building on that momentum in the year ahead.

Mission, Vision and Values

Core Values

Educational experiences
Partnerships
Customer Service
Quality programs/services
Integrity

Mission Statement

The mission of the Rhatigan Student Center is to be a dynamic composition of people, services, programs and facilities that enrich the intellectual, cultural and social well-being of the WSU student and supports the university’s mission to serve the greater public good.

Vision

The Rhatigan Student Center will serve as the centerpiece of campus life by welcoming our community and promoting out-of-class learning experiences.

RSC Board of Directors – FY 2026

David Miller, Board President and Treasurer                    

Kevin Konda, Board Secretary                                

Dr. Gabriel Fonseca, Staff at Large                                              

Michael Flores, Faculty Representative                            

Dr. Sara Mata, Faculty Representative                                  

Dr. Rhonda Lewis, Faculty Representative                              

Istavan Tamas, Alumni Representative                              

Dr. Nathaniel Johnson, Staff Senate

Jia Wen Wang, SGA President                 

Amy Nguyen, SGA Vice President                                                                               

Luke Bumm, SGA Treasurer

Matthew Phan, SGA Senate 

Lesly Hernandez, SGA Chief Justice

Jayden Island, SGA Undergrad Student Advocate

Cas Curtis, Student Activities Council

Emily Streeter, Community Service Board

Brynna Olalde Taylor, Fraternity and Sorority Life

RSC At a Glance

Shocker Store’s Access Now Digital Course Materials Program

Building Traffic Data

Busiest day of the week: Tuesday

Busiest hours of the day: 12 p.m. hour, followed by 10 a.m. hour

Number of Meetings/Events Hosted in RSC

Shocker Men’s Bowling Team

Average GPA (Fall 2025 semester): 3.67

Average GPA (Spring 2026 semester): 3.58

Department Highlights

RSC Executive Director Appointed Interim Vice President for Student Affairs

The RSC’s Executive Director and Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Services, Kevin Konda, was appointed Interim Vice President for Student Affairs in January 2026 to lead the Division of Student Affairs while the University completed their search for a new Vice President following the retirement of Dr. Teri Hall. Kevin held this position through the end of June 2026.

RSC Day Shocker Night Event

In August 2025, as a collaboration between the RSC and Student Engagement & Belonging, large scale event RSC Day Shocker Night was brought back after a 10+ year hiatus. It featured 14 hours of events and activities for students, including a concert, foam party, retro video games, crafts, Bingo, karaoke and more.

CAC Theater Updates

The CAC Theater was closed for most of this fiscal year as work began to address audience accessibility and to bring the facility into ADA compliance. Updates to the theater include an exterior lift near the front entrance, new entry doors, a family restroom, a new ticket booth and accessible audience seating. The theater reopened in June 2026.  The total project cost came in at just under $400,000.

Bowling Suite Renovation

Construction was completed on a renovated bowling office suite in the lower level of the Rhatigan Student Center just prior to the start of the 2025-2026 academic year. The project created new office space for the Wichita State women’s bowling program, including head coach and assistant coach offices, a shared conference room and a new women’s locker room. The renovation also included new signage and a bowling history display recognizing the accomplishments of both the Wichita State men’s and women’s bowling programs, celebrating the rich tradition of Shocker bowling.

Opened New Dining Option, Sushi Do

The RSC’s newest dining option, Sushi Do, opened in January 2026. It offers guests freshly made sushi, Poke bowls, ramen, Boba tea and more!

New Activities Offered in Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes

In January 2026, the Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes began partnering with local business Flipside Pinball to place modern-day pinball machines for visitors to enjoy! Players can create an account to have their achievements recorded and work to earn a position on the leaderboard. Flipside Pinball rotates the machines to provide new and exciting games for students and visitors! In February 2026, in partnership with Crossover ICT, a brand new PlayStation 4 arcade station was added. It is loaded with dozens of games that can be played with one or two players. Guests can rent the arcade station by the hour.

Technology and Building Upgrades

This fiscal year, the RSC made many updates to the building! New carpet was installed in six additional meeting rooms on the 2nd floor. A multi-year update to Beggs Ballroom audio/visual systems was completed when the final two projectors were replaced in January 2026. These upgrades were spread over three fiscal years and totaled $117,000.

The third year of a phased network and WIFI upgrade was completed in the Fall of 2025 at a total project cost of $98,000. Phase 1 of the RSC’s security camera project was completed.  Network upgrades and eight multi-lens cameras and one single lens camera were installed on the first-floor providing coverage for entryways and common areas.  Project costs totaled $92,000.

Staff Highlights & Features

Committee Involvement on Campus

• Rich Renollet: Campus Credit Union Board of Directors and Campus Credit Union Credit Committee Chair
• Maria Ciski: Student Affairs Leadership Team, Parking Committee, Presidents Holiday Party Committee
• Julia Capps: Rhatigan Student Center Board of Directors
• Kevin Konda: Student Affairs Leadership Team, Accessibility Committee, Dining Services Committee, Rhatigan Student Center Board of Directors, Emergency Planning Committee, Braeburn Tenants Board
• Vanessa Bell: Student Affairs Leadership Team, University Collaboration Team, Student Affairs Assessment Committee, Student Affairs Marketing Committee
• Amanda Schmits: Student Affairs Leadership Team, Student Affairs Professional Development Committee, Vice President for Student Affairs Search Committee

Professional Development Completed

• Lisa Tilma: Attended Independent College Bookstore Association conference and the CAMEX trade show
• Deanna Thiessen: Attended Independent College Bookstore Association conference and the CAMEX trade show
• Amanda Schmits: Attended the Wayne Reynold’s Summer Directors Meeting
• Maria Ciski: Attended the Wayne Reynold’s Summer Directors Meeting
• Laura Wilson: Attended the Wayne Reynold’s Summer Directors Meeting
• Charles Short: Attended the Wayne Reynold’s Summer Directors Meeting
• Vanessa Bell: Attended the Wayne Reynold’s Summer Directors Meeting

Full-Time New Hires

• Julianna Cockrell - Event Coordinator
• Chandler Holmes - Maintenance Technician
• Ashley Lindholm - Retail Buyer

Full-time Staff Service Milestones

• Craig Steier - Director of Plant Operations - 5 years
• Nick Crawley - Desktop Support Consultant - 5 years
• Julie Hejtmanek - Administrative Clerk - 10 years
• Vanessa Bell - Director of Marketing - 15 years
• Kevin Konda - Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Auxiliaries - 25 years
• Lisa Fitzsimmons - Course Materials Manager - 25 years

Student Employees of the Month

August 2025: Yang Mai, Graphic Artist, RSC Marketing

September 2025: Pedro Taboada, Guest Server, Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes

October 2025: William Day, Building Manager, Event Services

March 2026: Gabrielle Merten, Guest Server, Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes; Grace Wells, Marketing Coordinator, RSC Marketing; Adamarys Perez-Meza, Lead Retail Associate, Shocker Store

April 2026: Augusto Salinas, Building Manager, Event Services

Impact & Assessment

Assessment Overview

Looking Forward to Fiscal Year 2027

RSC Focuses for Next Year

Facility Enhancement

• Phase 2 of security camera project
• Furniture upgrades to RSC lounge areas
• CAC Theater- potential roof replacement

Course Materials

• Outsourcing of physical textbooks for the Spring 2027 semester

Miscellaneous

• Transitioning to new event management platform