WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A spelling error stuck out like a sore thumb on Friday.

“You often wonder, how does that happen?” asks WSU student Robert Taver.

Another student adds, “They like misplaced the E from the State, and they put it in University instead of the Y.”

It’s not carved into stone, but for a time, it might have well as been.

“We were joking we need ten gallons of white out,” says Joe Kleinsasser, Director of WSU News and Media Strategic Communications.

Anthony Blair lives nearby the water tower that caused heads to scratch.

He tried to say the misspelled words the best he could, “Wichita Staty Universitee?”

Kleinsasser tries his best at the words. “University, I don’t know, Universit? Is the E silent?”

It is harder to say than to spell. The city’s blunder of the university’s name was a talker Friday morning to say the least.

“You know it hurts my mouth just saying that,” says Blair.

“We are taking it pretty lightheartedly,” says Kleinsasser. “You have to have a little fun with it. Everything is so serious it seems you just need to laugh.”

Hey, mistakes happen.

“It is just that this one is more obvious because it is out in front of everybody to see,” says Kleinsasser.

Sometimes you have to look at the bright side.

“The logo looks nice, the other one was getting faded,” says Taver.

Right?

“I mean come on, there has got to be some English majors,” says Blair.

“It is something to smile at and if people were honest they would say, I could have done that too,” says Kleinsasser.

Even school officials couldn’t help but smile as they watched the city scramble to correct the misspelling.

Certainly a relief for Blair.

“It hurts my brain just saying that,” he says.

And for the Strategic Communications Department, it might have learned a thing or two about marketing.

“Everyone will get a good chuckle over it and get some free National publicity,” says Kleinsasser. “It is hard to get publicity in the summer!”

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