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College Jet Set (Part 1 in a Series): Global enrollment surges, overall enrollment down

Infograph by Ellen Weiss

Infograph by Ellen Weiss

While Emporia State’s overall enrollment has declined nearly 8 percent since 2006, the number of students enrolled in the international education program has increased by 54 percent during the same period.

But despite the growing numbers, the director of a local outreach ministry for international students is concerned that the university Office of International Education is understaffed and not meeting the needs of its students.

“I always feel bad for the office of (international education),” said Garen Forsythe, founder and director of the Friends of Overseas College and University Students (FOCUS). “I always feel like they are stretched very thin.”

But many international students say they are attracted to the quality, affordable education offered at Emporia State, claimed Gonzalo Bruce, assistant vice president of international education. In addition, Bruce said in an email, the smaller community offers a safe campus environment and more opportunities to become part of the wider community.

As of fall 2011, there were 5,976 students enrolled at ESU, according to the Gwen Larson, assistant director of media relations. Of those, 520 were international students, or nearly 1 in every 12 students.

OIE now has four full-time employees and several student assistants along with Intensive English Program instructors, Bruce said. The department is in charge of four main areas – international recruitment and admissions, international students and scholar services, study abroad and IEP.

Only one staff member works on current international student concerns and two graduate assistants work on new student orientation and programming activities.

OIE has just hired Stene Verhulst, assistant director for international communication and recruitment, following the university’s new strategic marketing plan.

Yosuke Yoneshima, graduate business student, told The Bulletin he had a problem with an online business transaction, but friends were the first ones he went to for help. He only went to OIE once last semester to submit his I-20 form.

“I think OIE is… always busy,” Yoneshima said. “I don’t go to OIE except for my I-20 problems. I don’t know if they will solve my (online transaction) problem.”

Yoneshima also said the university should consider making improvements to the airport shuttle service.

“If we go to OIE and sign up, they will give us a ride, but you have to pay $35,” Yoneshima said.

Emporia is more than two hours away from the nearest airport, and most international students don’t own cars. Forsythe said he helped nine students get to the airport last Christmas, and his community group helped more than 20.

“There are only four staff members in OIE,” Forsythe said. “There is no way you could expect these guys to know all the internationals or to help them – they are administrators.”

Tianhai Jiang

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Bill would evaluate teachers’ in through test scores

CURTIS

CURTIS

In an effort to increase K-12 standardized test scores, Gov. Sam Brownback recently proposed the Excellence in Education Act, which would change way teachers are evaluated – 50 percent of  teachers’ annual assessments would be based on how their students perform on annual standardized tests.

“Each student comes in unique and goes out unique,” said Richard Schrock, professor of biology. “They’re not at the same place going in and are not going to the same place after. Standardized tests make us treat them as uniform.”

The rest of a teacher’s evaluation would rely 40 percent on “feedback from administrators, peers, parents and students.” The last 10 percent would consist of any contributions from a teacher throughout the school year toward occupation of education, according to KEPR.

But Schrock said it is the duty of the State Board of Education – not state legislature – to decide if the bill goes through.

If the bill passes, teachers will be evaluated on a scale of “effective, highly effective, or ineffective,” according to KEPR.

Tyler Curtis, director of alumni relations and legislative liaison, said that it is not entirely the teacher’s responsibility for how students perform. A student’s background, learning style and home life are also factors. The students have to be willing to learn as well.

“Ultimately it comes down to both parties,” Curtis said. “You have to have engaged learners to have good teaching. That’s not always the teachers fault for that person not to be engaged.”

The bill also intends to create standardized state assessments for electives, such as music, art and physical education.

“Teaching is an art,” Curtis said. “There is not a scientific method to it. Teachers need to be able to be creative and students need exposure to a number of learning styles to be able to be successful.”

Scores mean very little, in the long run, according to Schrock, and teachers also provide students with knowledge about ethics, honesty and maintain an excitement about the field they are in.

“I hope that our student education candidates don’t get discouraged because they see creativity is going to be hampered,” Curtis said. “Our kids need good, solid teachers. ESU trains the best of them. There are going to be some battles they are going to fight. If they get in the profession for the right reasons, they will fight those battles.”

Susan Welte

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ASG opens 86th session, Shonrock pushes recruitment

The Associated Student Government opened their 85th session last week to kick off the spring semester. Aside from committee reports, the senate heard two other speakers.

Rachel McCommon, senior rehabilitation service education major and president of Sigma Alpha Lambda, spoke on behalf of Youth Friends. Emporia State President Michael Shonrock also spoke to the senators on a number of topics, chief among them was recruitment.

“If you’ve got folks out there, I’ll call them,” Shonrock said. “If you want me to send a little letter, I’ll send them a letter. Give me the information so we can personalize this opportunity because this is a great place and we know it in our hearts.”

McCommon spoke to the senators about participating in Youth Friends. Participants would be mentors for preschool and high school students for an hour a week. Students can request certain age groups and certain times in order to better fit themselves into the program.

“It’s more about quality time… being there with them, spending time with them after school,” McCommon said

Senator Luke Drury, legislative director, spoke about Higher Education Day in his report, highlighting three main points that will be addressed in meetings with legislators. The topics were economic returns on investments on higher education, student debt and scholarships and the conceal and carry bill.

“We want to make sure we talk about our vehement opposition to this bill as we feel, as a regents system, that our campuses are safe,” Drury said.

First readings for the meeting included bills for reserve fund requests for Alternative Spring Break, Beta Alpha Psi, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and the American College of Sports medicine.

The senate also heard the first reading of a bill for the recognition of the Soccer Club of ESU. The rules were suspended and the bill for Alternative Spring Break was moved to general order.

“We’re trying to promote awareness for the issues with poverty housing. Every year we use Spring Break to go on a trip outside of Kansas, so we can help someone build a house,” said Brooke Schmidt, junior Spanish major and president of Alternative Spring Break.

The bill was to help defer costs of the annual trip the group makes to help build a house with Habitat for Humanity and passed unanimously.

Luke Bohannon

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Student displays sense of self through artwork

Rex Fish, battalion expert and former fire marshal, demonstrates the steps of how to correctly use a fire extinguisher at the fire prevention workshop Monday in Webb Hall.  Many students arrived welcoming the three men from Emporia’s fire department who had put together the presentation in hopes to better educate students on ways to prevent fires in the home. Jenny Pendarvis/The Bulletin

Rex Fish, battalion expert and former fire marshal, demonstrates the steps of how to correctly use a fire extinguisher at the fire prevention workshop Monday in Webb Hall. Many students arrived welcoming the three men from Emporia’s fire department who had put together the presentation in hopes to better educate students on ways to prevent fires in the home. Jenny Pendarvis/The Bulletin

Four years worth of artwork lined the Bruder Lobby in King Hall last week as Marco Hernandez, senior printmaking and painting major, hosted his senior art show.

The art was up for almost two weeks before the reception last Friday evening during which about 100 people attended. Most of the artwork displayed, Hernandez said, he had drawn for class assignments.
“I guess I just want people to look at my artwork,” Hernandez said. “Not many people have seen my artwork. They know that I draw and stuff, but not many have seen my actual artwork.”
Hernandez’s family helped set up a table with food and drinks during the reception. Some teachers offered extra credit in their classes for attending.
“I liked a lot of his work,” said Kristy Farnsworth, freshman elementary education major. “Most of his paintings are dark which isn’t really my style, but they are really good.”
Hernandez said his idol in the art world is Francisco Goya, a Spanish printmaker and painter who worked in the late 18th to early 19th centuries.
“His images and his approach to print making are outstanding,” said Dan Kichefer, professor of art, life drawing and printmaking and advisor to Hernandez. “His work is very descriptive. You will often find a self portrait in them. He did a series of etchings that dealt with confrontation that I really like. They show inner conflict.”
Art shows are required for graduation for seniors with an art degree. Most students only display their works for a week before the reception, but Hernandez was allowed more time to display because his was the first of the new semester and was the only one ready.
“They are responsible for hanging the show,” Kichefer said. “Their advisor might help them in regard to what number of pieces to put in or what might be put in or taken out. After that the student does the majority if not all of the work. It is very similar to something you would see at a major gallery in Kansas City or even New York.”
In preparation for the event, Hernandez said he made invitations and started a group on Facebook. The paintings had price tags ranging from $50 to $200. Hernandez’s personal favorite, “Versus Demon,” is an etching and watercolor piece, priced at $200.
“There are a lot of self portraits,” Hernandez said. “It is more personal, it is artwork that shows my emotions. If I were to sell them I would be a little sad. I just want to show them off to people, maybe put them around my house.”
After graduations Hernandez said he would like to get his masters in print making.

Rocky Robinson

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New child abuse policy announced

President Michael Shonrock recently approved a new addition to the Emporia State policy manual, which outlines a clear and definite response to situations involving childsexual assault RGBsexual abuse and conforms with the Kansas Board of Regents policy. While ESU’s policy manual already has sections regarding sexual assault, KBOR felt the need for a more clearly written policy on the matter.

“Each state university has policies, procedures and processes in place to address abuse issues,” said Andy Tompkins, President and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents. “The unfortunate incident at Penn State informed the board’s decision to adopt a policy and direct campuses to evaluate existing processes to ensure clear reporting expectations and processes were in place.”

The policy was written in response to the Penn State events in which Jerry Sandusky, former assistant football coach, was accused of sexually assaulting or having inappropriate contact with at least eight underage boys on or near university property. As a result of the investigation into these allegations, several high-ranking employees at the college were fired for assisting in covering up the situation, including the late Joe Paterno.

ESU’s new policy states that university faculty and staff are required to report incidents of child sexual abuse, as defined by the law, that they witness on campus or during university sponsored events to campus police or other appropriate law enforcement. It also states that retaliation for lawfully reporting crimes is prohibited.

“It’s common sense, that as a human being you would (report abuse) anyway, regardless of what university policy states,” said Mary Halleran, clinical instructor of sociology, anthropology and crime and delinquency studies.

Before the signing of the new policy there were already sections of the policy manual that instructed faculty and staff on contacting authorities in certain situations.

“We wanted to make sure that Emporia State had an absolutely clear statement with regards to this particular type of incident because we want to make sure that everyone is aware of the responsibilities and that we handle them appropriately,” said Tracy Greene, general counsel for ESU and records custodian.

While the policy primarily affects how faculty and staff are supposed to handle a situation involving sexual abuse, students are supportive of the policy.

“If a teacher saw that (someone) was being harassed, I would like for them to report that so that could stop,” said Noble Orajiato, freshman communications major. “Why would you sit there and watch someone get repeatedly harassed or abused and not say anything about it?”

Cassie Phillips, sophomore elementary education major, also said that she felt the new policy was a good thing.

“Sexual child abuse is a major thing, and I think that it’s good that it has its own section,” Phillips said.

The new policy can be found online in ESU’s policy manual. Information on emergency situations and reporting incidents can be found on the campus safety web page and in the policy manual.

Luke Bohannon

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UAC kicks off semester with weeklong tag

Rachel McCommon, senior rehabilitation service education major, displays her Weeklong Tag bracelets in the Memorial Union Wednesday afternoon. McCommon had a total of five bracelets from individuals she tagged during Union Activity Council’s Weeklong Tag game.  Julie Thephachan/The Bulletin

Rachel McCommon, senior rehabilitation service education major, displays her Weeklong Tag bracelets in the Memorial Union Wednesday afternoon. McCommon had a total of five bracelets from individuals she tagged during Union Activity Council’s Weeklong Tag game. Julie Thephachan/The Bulletin

Many students donned bright orange bracelets around campus this week, but not as part of new fashion trend. The bracelets signified the wearer’s participation in the Union Activities Council Week Long Tag event.

“It’s really interesting because you have to interact with a lot of people that you normally wouldn’t interact with,” said Ethan Platt, freshman music major,“and people you really even don’t know except for maybe you saw their pictures on Facebook and you creep on them a little bit before you find them and tag them, but otherwise it’s really just making the entire school feel like one big unit that’s after each other right now.”

Weeklong Tag had 186 participants this year, and each received a bracelet with another participant’s name on the back. They had to find the person through either Facebook or last year’s Sunflower edition and tag the person in real life. The person who was tagged had to hand over their bracelets. By tomorrow, the person with the most bracelets wins the prize.

“I know some people are getting really into it,” Platt said. “I’ve not been caught at all yet, and I haven’t caught sight of the person I’m trying to catch. But when it happens, it’s going to be pretty intense.”

The game was only the first of several events this semester.

“We usually try to do some events outside since it gets nicer,” said Carlos Urgiles, junior biochemistry and molecular biology major and vice president of UAC, “but this semester we have a lot of affordable events, that way we can have more events to provide for students.”

The new iPod Idol game will be held April 26 in the new Center for Student Involvement on the Main Street of the Memorial Union. Participants will sing through a karaoke machine with headphones in front of the crowd. They won’t be able to hear themselves, and their performances will be judged by the audience.

There are also three lectures planned. Tyson Wooters, former football team mascot at the University of Oregon, will speak at 7 p.m. next Wednesday in Webb Hall. Daniel Packard will speak about Live Group Sex Therapy at 7 p.m. on Feb 8 in Webb Hall.

“It’s an interactive lecture aimed at our age group,” said Eden Tullis, senior English major and UAC president. “Not just to talk about sex, but talks about the opposite sexes and what stereotypes they may have about each other.”

UAC also plans to bring an 80s tribute band performance to campus, in which performers will dress up in 80s-style outfits and bring back major songs of the decade. They will also have some of their traditional programs like Flintstock, grocery bingo and Night at the Movies. The first $4 movie will begin at 7 p.m. next Thursday at the Flinthills 8 Cinemas.

Tianhai Jiang

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Study abroad connects students to foreign culture

abroadWhen senior graphic design major Rebekah Rose handed in her one-semester application to the University of Ulster in Ireland through the International Student Exchange Program, she was excited.

“I’ve never left the country before,” Rose said. “I wanted to really get some more multi-cultural experiences for my career purposes. I mean I don’t only plan on going to Ireland, I hope to go to other countries as well, just for more experience and knowledge.”

The study abroad fair, held yesterday by the Office of International Education, provided all ESU students with at least two semesters of university-level work opportunities to participate in programs from more than 200 universities of 57 countries.

“(Study Abroad has) lots and lots of benefits,” said Michelle Cunningham, graduate student in clinical psychology and Study Abroad student advisor. “It makes you more marketable to employers for one, makes you more marketable to universities if you plan on higher education, and I think the biggest value in studying abroad is the personal growth you experience.”

The programs vary from two weeks during summer break to two semesters during the school year.

ISEP allows Rose to pay tuition, room and board to Emporia State and then travel to Ireland and attend the university. She will also need to pay some application fees and the travel cost.

“It’s not much more than attending ESU for a semester, and it’s actually cheaper than going to someplace like KU for a semester,” Cunningham said.

Various scholarships like the Fulbright, the Critical Language Scholarship and ESU travel grants are available to all eligible applicants. Travel grant applicants need at least a 2.5 GPA and two recommendation letters, Cunningham said.

“I had a good time, it was really nice to be a part of the English Village program,” said Naomi Gonzalez, senior communication major who went to the English Village Program & Summer Study Abroad last year in South Korea. “It opens up your mind to different cultures and it teaches you how to interact with different people, like European and Australian students.”

But Gonzalez also gave some advice to future students who want to join in the program.

“I talked to teachers before I left and made sure they would transfer (my credit hours) back,” Gonzalez said. “If you don’t do your research you will probably have a lot of difficulties when you come back and you have to transfer your credits. Make connections with your professor.”

For more information about these programs, contact the Office of International Education at oie1@emporia.edu.

Tianhai Jiang

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Anti-piracy bills shelved for now

SOPA PIPA CMYKThe Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act have both been shelved after a global protest by many websites, including Wikipedia and Google.

Last Wednesday, several websites blacked out their pages, or at least their logos, in protest of SOPA and PIPA, which were bills presented to Congress with the aim to help combat online piracy and shut down illegal sites. But the primary concern over the bills is that they could potentially lead to censorship and violations of the first amendment.

While the bills have been tabled for the time being, the reaction from students and faculty seems to show that the perceived threat posed by the legislation is still very much alive.

“It’s going to stop innovation, and it is against the first amendment,” said Felix Bhatti, senior information systems major. “If SOPA and PIPA was there before, we wouldn’t have YouTube right now.”

Other students felt much the same way, including Sunney Tesch, sophomore math education major.

“It’s a personal choice, what you post on the Internet, that everyone else can see it, and I think they’re (the government) trying to step in a little too much,” Tesch said.

Students weren’t the only ones feeling the pressure from SOPA and PIPA – some faculty members also voiced concerns over the bills.

“I think it has the potential of negatively impacting just creativity in general and the free sharing of information that we’re so used to, the liberties we’re used to as being American citizens,” said Marcus Childress, professor and department chair of instructional design and technology. “It’s a dangerous legislation, and I’m pleased that it’s failed for now.”

Kevin Rabas, associate professor of English and co-director of creative writing, voiced concerns over the legislation as well.

“As someone in a creative profession, there’s always the worry that censorship may creep in,” Rabas said. “Many other countries have stricter regulations in terms of censorship, and we don’t want our country to slip in that direction.”

Last Wednesday during the online protest, Wikipedia in particular made an impact by blacking out their site in an unprecedented show of support. According to a public message posted by Wikipedia administrators, over 1800 members of the online community took part in the discussion and final decision to black out the English Wikipedia site.

Google showed that more than 7 million people signed a petition opposing the legislation during the blackout period.

Jacinda Scrivner, freshman undecided major, said she thought the blackouts were an effective form of protest against the bills.

“I think it was to show that we do want to be able to express ourselves more on the Internet,” Scrivner said, “and it showed that we do care what we do on the Internet.”

But not everyone was in favor of the protests.

Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America and former Connecticut senator, released a statement stating that the websites taking part in the blackouts were “resorting to stunts that punish their users…rather than coming to the table to find solutions to a problem that all seem to agree is very real and damaging.”

Dane Baysinger, junior computer systems major felt as though the politicians who were pushing to pass SOPA and PIPA weren’t acting with the best interests of the American people in mind, but rather made the decision as a result of lobbyists.

“I think it was lobbyist definitely because there is no way that (these bills) would have an overall positive effect on the public,” Baysinger said.

The bills are currently shelved after losing support in the face of the Internet blackouts and public opposition, although they are not yet dead.

Harry Reid, democratic senator from Nevada, stated that, “there is no reason that the legitimate issues raised by many about this bill cannot be resolved.”

Another bill called the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act, also known as OPEN, has been introduced by Darrell Issa, republican representative from California.     Under OPEN, copyright holders would have to bring cases before the U.S. International Trade Commission, thus creating a more controlled enforcement process and providing more protection to accused sites.

Luke Bohannon

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Freshmen, faculty brainstorm, learn How2ESU

Biological sciences professor Dwight Moore and Sally Crawford-Fowler, assistant director of Student Wellness and Counseling, draw out ideas for the upcoming school year during How2ESU’s brainstorming session Tuesday evening in Webb Hall. The session was open to everyone and involved coming up with new ideas on how to welcome freshmen to their first year at college. Julie Thephachan/The Bulletin

Biological sciences professor Dwight Moore and Sally Crawford-Fowler, assistant director of Student Wellness and Counseling, draw out ideas for the upcoming school year during How2ESU’s brainstorming session Tuesday evening in Webb Hall. The session was open to everyone and involved coming up with new ideas on how to welcome freshmen to their first year at college. Julie Thephachan/The Bulletin

For freshman, starting off a new semester can be difficult. This is why How2ESU, a student orientation program, starts every year off with activities and events to make a smoother transition into the new environment and to help freshman get better acquainted with the university.

Attempting to keep orientation fun and exciting for the students, How2ESU held a small brainstorming session on Tuesday.

“Our sole goal here today is to generate as many ideas as possible,” said Jason Bosch, director of student life learning and assessments. “We just want to get as many ideas as possible about how to welcome our new students to the campus and connect them with resources for their academic and personal success here.”
Dividing into five groups, the 25 people in attendance discussed and wrote down their ideas on large pieces of paper, which they then presented and discussed. Most groups focused on getting non-traditional students and exchange students involved as well.

“We could do better,” said Rob Catlett, professor of economics. “Part of our challenge is we do not have the kind of funding some of the other schools have. When we try to compare and contrast ourselves with other schools that have more financial resources and human resources, it gives us something to which we can aspire to but we are never going to be able to fully compete with some of these types of programs. It doesn’t mean we can’t try to find less expensive alternatives.”

This was How2ESU’s third year coordinating orientation, and they planned a wide variety of activities for new students. Freshmen were encouraged to fill out a survey to help them improve next year’s orientation.

“I attended most of the events throughout orientation,” said Ethan Appleby, freshman undecided major said. “The events were fun but there were too many names and faces to try to remember all at once. Breaking us down into smaller groups would have made it easier to retain names, but overall it was fun.”

Bosch said he received similar feedback from other students who took the survey and felt like it was more surface level introduction without actually making a connection.

“We are going to try to make the activities small group based,” Bosch said. “My approach to my job is that regardless of how good something may be, there is always room to improve and we don’t always have to keep doing the same events just because we have always done them. So I always like to start the planning year with a blank slate.”

Still open to suggestions and wanting to receive feedback, Bosch said people can contact him at jbosch1@emporia.edu.

Rocky Robinson

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Online enrollment up, program praised

Despite the recent decline in Emporia State’s on-campus enrollment, online enrollment has seen a 33 percent increase in the past year.

Monica Quintana, online student, said the cost to enroll in ESU’s program is much less than KU’s or the University of Phoenix’s programs.

“I live in the Kansas City area and have two teenagers and a full time job, so the flexibility of the online classes makes it easier for me to get my degree,” Quintana said.

In addition to affordability, U.S. News & World Report recently recognized ESU’s online bachelor’s degree program in the first ever “Top Online Education Programs.”
The 184 institutions with online programs were ranked in three categories in which they were given point values up to 100. Schools were judged on teaching practices and student engagement, student services and technology and faculty credentials and training. No overall rankings were made.

ESU earned spots in two of the three categories, taking the 89th spot in teaching practices and student engagement and the 61th spot for student services and technology. Fort Hays State also made the list, ranking in all three categories.

“I have no idea why we wouldn’t get the faculty credentials ranking,” said Susan Kendrick, director of interdisciplinary studies and associate professor of English. “I have about 50 to 60 people who have MFAs or PhDs who are teaching online classes. Everybody I can think of are full-time faculty members, and a lot of them develop their courses just for the online program.”

Like traditional students, students taking advantage of the online program must meet degree requirements, completing at least 124 semester hours of credits with 48 general education requirements. They must also maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0, according to ESU’s website.

Kendrick said most of the students in the online programs are people who have full time jobs, place bound students, students who want to come back and complete their degrees and stay-at-home moms.

“It is a legitimate and competitive degree, not a program for slackers,” said Kendrick. “It is not something you do because you can’t do anything else and is something that takes a lot of forethought on the part of the student and they have to really know what they want to study.”

Kendrick said the program could stand improvement in its marketing strategy, but for a small campus in a small town, being ranked by U.S. News is a major accomplishment.

Rocky Robinson

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Tragedy baffles, saddens friends

Yang

Yang

He was a warm-hearted person who cared deeply for those close to him and was always ready to lend a helping hand. But the only person the likeable 26-year-old graduate student from China couldn’t help, apparently, was himself.

Last Tuesday, friends were shocked to learn that Mingxuan “Alex” Yang, a graduate business student, had committed suicide on the Interstate in a particularly public way.  It was one day before the start of the spring semester.

“When we first heard the news, we thought it was a joke. It was hard to believe,” said a close friend of Yang, a Chinese student who asked to remain anonymous. “We didn’t believe it until we heard it from the police.”

On Thursday, ESU President Michael Shonrock said in a prepared statement that the university was “deeply saddened” by Yang’s death.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends,” Shonrock said.

Yang had rented a Chrysler 200 from a local rental car agency last Tuesday and, about 4 p.m., called the Emporia Police Department on his cell phone to report an accident on Interstate 35. Moments later, he shot himself in the head, wrecking the car beneath the Prairie Street overpass, according to Emporia Chief of Police Gary Smith.

“He planned it ahead,” Smith said. “We know it was him because he had a script in the car that was basically what he had read off of (to police).”

Smith declined to identify the type or caliber of firearm Yang used, or say where he obtained it. That aspect of Yang’s death is still under investigation, Smith said.

Yang was from Dalian, Liaoning Province, according to ESU Media Relations. He had graduated from Dalian University of Technology before beginning studies at the University of North Texas in Denton. Yang transferred to ESU in the Spring 2010 semester and was working toward his master’s of business administration.

Friends said they never saw any indication in Yang’s behavior that he was planning to commit suicide. Instead, they described him as a happy person, even an optimist.

“He always looked so joyful and always had a smile on his face that never went away,” said another close friend, another Chinese student who also asked to remain anonymous.

Friends said Yang was the kind of person who preferred to take care of others but seldom asked for help for himself. He even taught many fellow international students how to drive.

Jack Daniels was his drink of choice and he enjoyed seafood, especially lobster, and homemade ribs, but he hated anything spicy.

Friends remembered him as Christian who loved films, particularly the “Harry Potter” series.

“He loved going to movies and may have seen two or three movies at a time,” a friend said.

One friend compared him to Peter Pan because, despite being a “big brother” figure to many of his friends, he was a kid at heart.

Still, those close to him are trying to make sense of his sudden death.

“Unbearable psychological pain is the common element of suicide,” said Jaqueline Schmidt, director of Student Wellness. “People consider killing themselves when they lose hope of finding another way to stop the pain.”

Schmidt encourages anyone who suspects a loved one could be considering suicide to speak up and voice their concerns.

“Whether or not you know how to fix the problem, genuine concern can provide a human connection at a critical moment,” Schmidt said. “The two factors that contribute most to preventing suicide are that a concerned person is available and intervenes and the individual shows a willingness to talk about it openly and frankly.”

Friends say they regret not having known about Yang’s internal struggle, but that they are comforted because his memory lives on.

“We don’t think (of him as) dead – he’s still with us.”

Kenzie Templeton

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