THE UNIVERSITY, COMMUNITY, HOUSING, MISC. (updated by Jedd Beaudoin and Matthew Eck, 2001)
We provide the following information about the City of Wichita, Wichita State University, Attractions, Housing, Food and Restaurants, local Meeting Places, and Miscellany in order to give those interested a brief introduction to the area.
Wichita, the largest city in Kansas and part of a metropolitan area of 500,000, offers the cultural and economic advantages of a big city, but maintains the friendly atmosphere of a smaller town. Home of Boeing, Cessna, Learjet, and Raytheon, Wichita is known as the “Air Capital of the World,” is a regional medical center, and also is home to energy and agricultural industries. Public and private schools offer diverse learning opportunities, and numerous cultural activities provide family entertainment year round. Native American, Hispanic, Asian, and Middle Eastern groups are typical of Wichita’s multicultural and ethnic diversity.
The Wichita symphony orchestra plays brown-bag concerts in addition to its regular season offerings, and theatre troupes perform presentations ranging from Broadway musicals to Shakespeare in the park. Art museums, historic Cowtown, Botanica gardens, the Omnisphere Space Center, Lake Afton Public Observatory, international fairs, water fun parks, and the zoo provide entertainment and culture for people of all ages.
Wichita, the industrial and educational center of Kansas, enjoys a diversified economy. Your neighbors may work at one of the large aircraft plants, they may have careers related to agriculture or energy, or they may be health care professionals in one of the area’s regional medical centers.
Wichita provides outstanding career opportunities in a variety of fields. In addition to the aircraft industry, many other high tech companies such as Symbios Logic, UNISYS, Vulcan Chemicals, Cargill, IFR, Bank IV, Southwestern Bell, Electrotech, and Microtech are located in the Wichita area. Also Taco Tico, Koch Industries, and Rent-A-Center are major local employers with their corporate headquarters in Wichita.
Many of the companies in Wichita have generous tuition reimbursement plans. Thus, they provide their employees with an excellent opportunity to pursue additional graduate education while building their careers.
In short, Wichita is a very “livable” city. The variety of affordable housing suitable for families both near the University and in the surrounding region and abundant, moderate-priced child care facilities and recreational areas add to its attractiveness. Wichita is stimulating, pleasant, and enjoyable, and offers something for everyone.
Wichita State University is located in the largest city in Kansas, which allows students to enjoy the convenience and educational advantages of a dynamic metropolitan setting. The University encourages multicultural diversity, and has students from all 50 states and more than 70 countries.
WSU students' ages range from 15 to 81 years, with an average age of 28. Approximately 79 percent of the students work full- or part-time. Many classes are offered at night to facilitate attendance and the earning of a degree; some graduate programs can be completed entirely during evening classes.
The 330-acre campus, both modern and accessible, is graced with 53 pieces of sculpture and art by internationally known artists, including Personnages Oiseaux by Joan Miro and Grand Torso of a Man and The Prayer by Auguste Rodin. Wiedemann Hall houses the first world-famous Marcussen organ installed in North America. Various recreational areas are on and convenient to campus, including the adjoining 18-hole University golf course.
Wichita State's Ablah Library serves as the nucleus of the library system, housing the main collection, as well as microforms, government documents, and special collections. Combined resources total more than 3 million items, including nearly 900,000 bound volumes and 4,300 journals. The music and chemistry libraries contain specialized resources. All collections are accessed through LUIS, an integrated, automated system which also handles the circulation of books. The libraries offer computerized literature searches, both on-line and through CD-ROM, and they participate in automated borrowing programs with other research libraries.
Many services are located on campus or nearby, including a residence hall and affordable housing suitable for families, the University Child Development Center, Resource Center for Independence, Student Health Services, the Counseling Center, and Career Services. Wichita State has almost 200 active student groups, and a continuous series of athletic and cultural events on campus.
Recent WSU construction projects include the Elliott Building for the Elliott School of Communication, and Jabara Hall (the Science Classroom and Laboratory Building) which houses the departments of computer science, mathematics, physics, and psychology, as well as the Computing Center and its mainframe system.
Other campus facilities include KMUW Radio, a member of the National Public Radio network; WSU Channel 13, the University's cable television station; the International Reference Organization in Forensic Medicine and Sciences (INFORM); the Savaiano-Cress Language Laboratory; the Small Business Development Center; the University Gerontology Center, which serves as a resource center and information clearinghouse to assist community agencies and organizations; the WSU Center for Energy Studies; the Social Sciences Research Laboratory; and several computer laboratories for student use, including those in computer science, business, and engineering.
Special campus equipment includes a Varian X1-300 nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer; a DEC VAX minisupercomputer; a CAD/CAM laboratory with Apollo DN-320 digital workstations; and modern aerodynamic laboratories which include two lowspeed wind tunnels, a boundary layer tunnel, and a water tunnel for flow-visualization studies.
Graduate education at Wichita State is affordable, as state funding enables the University to maintain relatively low tuition and fees. In addition, several financial assistance programs are available including assistantships, fellowships, scholarships, and loans. The university also offers the opportunity for part-time student employment and cooperative education training positions.
Life at WSU is exciting and enriching. We invite you to visit the campus and see firsthand what we have to offer.
Allen-Lambe House Museum. “Prairie House” designed in 1915 by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Botanica, The Wichita Gardens. An oasis of exotic flowers as well as plants native to Kansas.
Children’s Museum of Wichita. “Child-friendly” exhibits and activities.
Exploration Place. A new place for kids young and old. Plenty of
information on meteorology, astronomy, and many plains-related topics. Frequent
programs for children.
Indian Center Museum. Arts and crafts illustrating the heritage and culture of Native Americans.
Kansas Aviation Museum. Displays chronicling the growth and development of general aviation in Kansas.
Lake Afton Public Observatory. Exhibits and a 16-inch telescope to view Jupiter, Moon craters, and star clusters.
Old Cowtown Museum. A historically accurate replication of old Wichita.
Omnisphere and Science Center. A hands-on science center and planetarium.
Sedgwick County Zoo. Features an array of exhibits including animals in the jungle, the South American pampas, the African veldt, the Australian outback, and the North American prairie.
Sports Wichita Advantage. Team Tennis summer matches; WSU sports; Wichita Thunder hockey; Wichita Wings soccer, and Wichita Wranglers Double A baseball; and every August, the National Baseball Congress.
Wichita Art Museum. Works showcasing the art of America.
Wichita Boathouse. Canoes, skiffs, and sailboats for rent. The “Jayhawk,” the 1992 America’s Cup winner, is on permanent display.
Wichita Center For The Arts. While there are few independent movie theaters in Wichita, Center For The Arts has a series which includes independent and foreign films. The center also has a small video rental desk, art exhibits, and several community-based activities.
Wichita Greyhound Park. Year-round racing, daytime and evening.
Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum. Special exhibits, including A Child’s World, The Drug Store, Wichita: The Magic City, and A Wichita Cottage.
While housing is available on-campus (in Fairmount
Towers, Brennan Hall and Wheatshocker Apartments) most students prefer to live
off-campus.
The best possibility for students renting during their first year is through an apartment complex. There are numerous ones throughout Wichita and the most reasonable ones hover around $500/month for a two-bedroom apartment with a one-bedroom slightly above half that price. These complexes offer swimming pools, tennis courts, and (some) weight rooms. Many apartment complexes are open to renters with pets while management companies that lease houses (at $450-900/month) are less likely to welcome pets.
There are several complexes immediately east of the university,
though a number of students do rent on the west side of town or even in some of
the neighborhoods south of campus. In general, it is probably best to visit if
you’re looking for a house to rent and see what seems reasonable to you in
terms of travel and expenses. A number of students in the graduate program have
been able to find more affordable housing through careful shopping.
Rental applications, credit checks, and deposits are almost uniformly required. For more information, check out www.relocationcentral.com or www.wichitakansas.org.
A wide variety of groceries and food markets exist in the
Wichita area, with Dillons being the most prominent. Dillons offers deli and
ethnic food, inexpensive video rentals, free recycling for plastics, aluminum,
and newspapers; they also provide postal service, free notary service, and at
least one location , gas pumps. You may also find a branch of the Wichita
Public Library at the 21st and Rock Road location and pharmacies at a number of
other locations. Checkers and Food-4-Less offer warehouse-style shopping,
though the selection of ethnic food is somewhat limited as is the case with
Aldi’s, another warehouse store. Wal-Mart also has a 24-hour grocery location
at 29th and Rock, though long lines are norm.
There are also specialty food markets in Wichita. There
are Asian and Hispanic stores, the Farm and Art Market in Old Town, and the
gourmet section at the Piccadilly Grill. The Wichita State neighborhood also
boasts two natural food stores: Food for Thought and Nature’s Mercantile.
Restaurants in the Wichita area are amazingly diverse. It
is possible to purchase Entertainment Guides and other discount books that will
allow you to dine around the city on a budget. You’ll find your own favorites,
but here’s a brief guide of where to start with a rough price key:
Abrams Cafe, 6249 E. 21st Street. Family owned,
decent vegetarian food and occasional entertainment on Fridays. ($10/person)
Angelo‘s, Hillside and Harry. Homemade Italian
food with extremely generous portions. ($7-10/person)
Artichoke Sandwich Bar, 811 N. Broadway Big
Sandwiches, pool tables, folk music on the weekend. ($5-10/person)
Connie‘s Mexico Cafe, 2227 N. Broadway. Best
authentic Mexican food in town? Maybe. They definitely have the best fried ice
cream and lunch specials. ($5/person)
Kobe Steakhouse of Japan, 650 N. Carriage Parkway.
Steaks and Japanese Specialties prepared at your table. ($10-$15/person)
Larkspur, 904 E. Douglas. Wonderful. This is where
the chefs at other restaurants dine. ($20/person)
Merle’s, 440 N. Seneca. Est. 1935 and still
smoke-filled. Huge sandwiches (best Reubens in town) and enchiladas.
($5-7/person)
Miller’s BBQ, 4601 E.l3th. Wonderful BBQ with Thanksgiving-style
portions. Grab extra napkins and take the afternoon off. ($7-10/person)
N and J Bakery and Cafe 5600 E. Lincoln. Great
Mediterranean food. ($5-10/person)
Old Mill Tasty Shop, 604 E. Douglas. A Wichita tradition
with an old-fashioned soda fountain and menu. ($5-7/person)
Saigon, 1103 N. Broadway. Vietnamese, Korean, and
other Asian dishes from a long menu. Try the French-pressed coffee and spring
rolls. Very affordable. ($5-7/person)
Taco Shop, 4910 E. Central. Several other
locations exist in the area, but this one is close enough to campus that you
can duck over there and still be back on campus in half an hour. ($3-5/person)
Tanya‘s Soup Kitchen , 725 E. Douglas. A favorite
place for people from all over the Wichita area. ($10-15/person)
Yen Ching , 430 N. Rock Road. Great Chinese food
with American-sized portions. ($10-15/person)
Yia Yia‘s Eurobistro, 8115 E. 21st St. Great place
for special occasions. ($25 and up/person)
Pubs, Clubs, and Other Places to Meet
There are three categories of drinking establishments in
Kansas: open saloons, which serve only 3.2 beer and must close at midnight and on
Sundays, clubs which serve liquor and are open until about 2 a.m., seven days a
week, and clubs which are considered restaurants. (Also: nearly all of these
are closed on holidays as are liquor stores and no beer is sold in grocery
stores on Sundays.) Here are a few popular WSU hangouts:
Annex Lounge, 6305 E. Harry. Few students and
faculty venture out to the Annex, but those who do will love shuffle puck and
cold beer. Plenty of pool tables and free popcorn.
Kirby’s at 17th and Hillside has low-capacity and
low prices. A good place for bonding on Friday afternoons. Live bands on the
weekends and other (sporadic) entertainment throughout the week. A Wichita
tradition.
The Fieldhouse, just down the street from Kirby’s
attracts a wide variety of students. They have pool tables and darts and
occasionally DJs.
The Cedar on 13th, between Oliver and Hillside,
has great sandwiches and very cold beer. They also have pool tables.
Harry’s Uptown Bar and Grill, 3023 E. Douglas is a
favorite of graduate students and professors alike. They have an outside deck
and better-than-average food.
Hero‘s in Old Town has Trivia every afternoon and
decent drink prices. There are more business-types than students there, but
there’s a decent jukebox and pool tables available.
Tanner’s, just a short drive from campus on
Woodlawn and 21st. Not a bad place to catch football games. It’s got decent
food, good (though expensive) beer on tap and plenty of students and faculty
filling the tables. Near other good and inexpensive restaurants.
A number of coffee shops have come and gone in recent
years, though The Riverside Perk at 11th and Bitting has remained. A
great place to write, grade papers, or just hang out.
***You should know that Wichita (and Kansas) has
substantial anti-drunk driving programs which include random checkpoints,
mandatory breath and/or blood alcohol tests, and a maximum blood alcohol test
set by law at .08. The drinking age in Kansas is 21.
Wichita hosts a surprising number of estate sales and yard sales throughout the warm months of the year. (Essentially March-October) It’s relatively easy to find bargains at these events as well as at one of the many thrift shops (Disabled American Veterans, Goodwill Industries, and The Salvation Army, among others) in town. Many students have at least partially furnished their apartments through these stores. The Wichita Eagle and student bulletin boards on campus also provide notice of sales.
Wichita's economy is pretty much geared to the automobile (some employers won’t hire anyone who doesn’t have “own transportation!”). However, there is a small, but stern, minority who hold out for ecological sanity, and Wichita offers some bike paths along with about a $1/ride citywide bus service (which doesn’t run after 6 p.m. or on Sunday) and several taxi companies.
If you have a car, Kansas law requires you to carry minimal liability insurance.
Financial institutions on or near campus include the Campus Credit Union, which serves the faculty, staff, and students of Wichita State ($25 share required for membership); the Communities United Credit Union at 17th and Hillside which serves the northeast Wichita community ($10/share for membership), and two full-service banks: Bank IV at 21st and Hillside ($100 to open an account) and Commerce Bank. There is an ATM on campus, and direct deposit is available from payroll.
Health care for students is available on campus at Student Health Services. Services include outpatient care, physical exams, prescriptions, immunizations, family planning, allergy shots, etc. There’s no fee for the office visit, but you will be charged, very reasonably, for diagnostic tests, prescriptions, and so forth. The WSU Counseling and Testing Center can provide, at small cost, professional counselors for psychological and psychiatric needs, including stress reduction. There are also a number of minor emergency centers in the area as well as full emergency services at Wichita hospitals. The hospitals operate family practice clinics, and there are some local clinics for very low-income patients as well.
Health insurance is available to students and their families through a local agent and is underwritten by Federal Home Life Insurance Company. It includes limited accident and sickness benefits as well as a major medical supplement.
The Heskett Center, our modern recreation and fitness complex on the WSU campus, sponsors many fun events and activities open to the campus and community, such as the Hippo Fun Run and Watermelon Wednesday. The Heskett Center itself features a climbing wall; an Olympic-size swimming pool and diving well; racquetball courts; rooms for weight-lifting and combatives; an indoor jogging track; outdoor tennis courts; and exercise equipment. Current students can use the Heskett Center on-campus by showing a WSU ID with a current fees paid sticker. Spouses and other dependents can purchase memberships at Heskett at much less cost than comparable community facilities.
| Department of English Wichita State University |