By Victor Drabicky staff reporter Officials at the Office of Campus Life have named a replacement for Kristen Kirst, three months after she quit her job at TCU. Tom Sullivan, a master's degree student at Texas A&M University, will replace Kirst as the director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. Although Sullivan is still completing work on his master's degree, Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Campus Life Susan Adams said his work at TCU will not be hindered. "Tom's priority is with TCU," Adams said. "He will spend most of his time here and will only return to A&M when he has to." Interfraternity Council President Walker Moody said Sullivan will work on a modified schedule. "Tentatively, Tom will work Wednesday through Sunday," Moody said. "If something were to come up while he is away, we can still turn to Rick Barnes or Susan Adams for help." Zeta Tau Alpha President Lisette Gerch said despite Sullivan's modified work week, he is committed and dedicated to TCU. "Anyone that is willing to drive back and forth from College Station to go to work must be dedicated," Gerch said. "I don't mind him working different days if he is going to be that dedicated to his work." Adams said Sullivan comes highly recommended. "In my career, I have never seen anyone be so highly recommended by both colleagues and students," Adams said. Sullivan has worked with the Greek system at Texas A&M and Southwest Texas State University and has also worked in private business. In addition to doing administrative work, Sullivan has also worked as the house manager for the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity at Texas A&M and has helped with leadership development of the Pi Kapps at Southwest Texas State. Panhellenic Council President Elizabeth Gipson said she was impressed with Sullivan's dedication. "Tom is really dedicated to the ideals fraternities and sororities stand for," Gipson said. "He is more than willing to learn the TCU Greek system and to work with us rather than against us." Gerch said Sullivan's personality makes him easy to work with. "He is really down to Earth," she said. "It is comforting to see someone that has experience and is easy to work with." Gerch said she was also impressed by Sullivan's handling of the bonfire accident at A&M. "This past semester, Tom dealt with a lot of issues such as the bonfire tragedy," she said. "That makes me more confident that he will deal with the issues facing us now." Moody said he is happy with TCU's decision to offer Sullivan the job. "After interviewing him over the break and going on the retreat with him, I was very pleased with what I saw," he said. "I know that he is the right man for the job." Kirst left TCU during the middle of last semester to accept a job in the marketing department of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.
Victor Drabicky
By Priya Abraham staff reporter After a semester in action, representatives of the TCU Staff Assembly said it has improved communication and increased solidarity among staff members. "I think we've been very successful," said Mary Lane, chairwoman of the Staff Assembly and executive assistant to the dean of the School of Education. "Staff Assembly meetings are very well-attended, and I think we feel comfortable with one another." Last semester, the Staff Assembly worked to reduce staff tuition fees from $55 to $25 a credit hour. The assembly also successfully recommended English as a Second Language classes for staff, which will begin this spring. Before the creation of the 47-member assembly in Spring 1999, staff members channeled their concerns to administration through Office Staff Personnel, which was made up of administrative support staff members. "The Staff Assembly has given individuals the opportunity to participate at a campus-wide level who've never had that opportunity before," said Rebecca Glass, an Executive Committee member and Information Services consultant. Clyde Ridge, a Physical Plant supervisor, said the assembly has helped foster understanding of different points of view between staff and administration. "Instead of different departments, we're one unit," said Ridge, a Staff Assembly member-at-large. Roger Pfaffenberger, chairman of the Faculty Senate and a professor of finance and decision science, said there are now two important voices to the administration on academic and administrative policy. "One of the most significant things Chancellor Ferrari did as chancellor is make the Staff Assembly," he said. "If both (bodies) pass resolutions, it'll have a greater impact." Last semester, both the Staff Assembly and Faculty Senate voted to have the chair-elect of the assembly co-chair the university's Resource, Insurance and Benefits Committee, which is striving for parity of benefits for faculty and staff. Ken Morgan, chairman of the RIB Committee and professor of geology, said having a person serve as a co-chair of a committee and a member of the Staff Assembly allows representative input, which is critical in considering individual and group needs.This spring, the Staff Assembly will be working toward increasing salaries for non-exempt staff, employees eligible for overtime pay under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act. John Weis, director of Human Resources and resource person for the Staff Assembly, said competitive salaries should be offered to continue attracting and retaining qualified employees to TCU.
Priya Abraham
By Kasey Feldman staff reporter TCU gave away over $133,000 in financial aid to students going abroad for classes this year, said Sandra Tobias, associate director of scholarships and student financial aid, but some said it was not enough. Delia Pitts, director of international education, said some students are not able to study abroad because they cannot afford it and are denied financial aid. Pitts said study abroad should be available to every student, and TCU should address the need to make it so. J-P Millsap, a junior international finance major, said although he did not get special financial aid to study abroad, his TCU scholarships transferred to the program. Millsap said even with scholarships, studying abroad was expensive. He spent $6,000 to $7,000 of his own money on travel and living expenses. Nicole McWilliams, a senior vocal performance major, said she ended up thousands of dollars in debt when she spent a semester in Vienna, Austria. She said she relies on scholarships to pay for her education, and although she received some federal grants, McWilliams' TCU scholarships did not transfer when she studied abroad. She was told she had to study with TCU programs for her scholarship to transfer because the money had to go back into TCU. McWilliams got TCU credit for her classes, but not TCU funding. "If they had a TCU program, I would have gone on that, but there is not a program in my major," McWilliams said. According to Pitts, over two-thirds of TCU students who study abroad go on TCU-sponsored summer programs which offer credit in 19 disciplines. Students have to pay regular TCU tuition for three or six hours of credit ($1,095 or $2,190), a program fee which ranges from $1,000 to $2,600, round-trip transportation and other out-of-pocket expenses. Pitts said the program fee includes housing, some meals, entrance fees to some museums and other attractions and honorarium for outside lecturers. Out-of-pocket expenses can include meals not included in the program fee, entrance fees to the attractions not included in the program fee, spending money and travel expenses for weekend trips to neighboring countries. Although studying abroad can be more expensive than studying at TCU, Tobias said only students who qualify for financial aid at TCU qualify for financial aid to study abroad. She said financial aid for summer study abroad programs is increasing every year, and she expects financial aid for the London Centre to increase, as well. "TCU has made a big effort to put together a very substantial financial aid pot, but it is clearly not enough," Pitts said. But why is financial aid for study abroad so important? "(Study abroad) broadens the individual," Pitts said. "It provides the capstone to a liberal arts education, which is, in fact, what students are getting when they come to TCU."
Kasey Feldman
By Kathryn Garcia staff reporter The search is on for students interested in joining the New Student Programs staff and the Chancellor's Leadership Program staff. Students can apply to be orientation student assistants, orientation office managers, Frog Camp facilitators, Frog Camp service project coordinators and mentors for the Chancellor's program. Carrie Zimmerman, program coordinator for Frog Camp, said she is excited about the large number of applications coming in and expects many more Monday, which is the deadline for both the Chancellor's program and the New Student programs. "We're attempting to have a diverse group of people for staff with many different majors," she said.Last November, former OSAs received a letter from Kay Higgins, director of new student affairs, informing them that they would not be able to return to their previous positions in the 2000-01 school year. The letter indicated that Student Development Services was headed in a new direction, offering the leadership positions to students who had not previously held them. Although former OSAs cannot be rehired for their old positions, they will still be able to be involved in the orientation process as office staff, Higgins said. Office managers handle all incoming calls from parents, do data entry and manage the entire office operations for the summer orientation and Frog Camp, she said. Mandy Mahan, a sophomore religion major and former OSA, said although she is not pursuing the office positions, she is wary of the changes. "I relied so much on the returners, and it was good to see survivors (of the orientation)," Mahan said. "It's very intimidating the first time because the freshmen look at you as an authority figure." Higgins said there would always be stress for the new OSAs, even when the returning officers are present. "We may look at those issues when we look at the training positions," she said. "And the office staff will be returning, as well. So they may be able to offer advice." Senior marketing major and former OSA Zuberi Williams said he is sure the changes will be beneficial to orientation. "A lot of times, opportunities are given to just a few leaders on campus, and you see a lot of the same people as OSAs and in the student government," he said. "They're wanting to get more people involved and hone their leadership skills." Students may also apply to join the TCU Leadership Council until the Feb. 8 deadline. Penny Woodcock, program coordinator for the Leadership Center, said the Chancellor's Leadership Program mentors help new students feel connected to campus life. "Upper-class students facilitate the classes and serve as a support to first-year students, offering advice and helping them avoid common first-year pitfalls," she said. "They have upper-class students to look to for advice and avoid common pitfalls. They also meet and get to know a faculty member outside of the classroom who helps shed a lot of light." Applications for all three programs can be picked up at Student Development Services in the Student Center, Room 220.
Kathryn Garcia
By Jeff Anderson staff reporter Independent filmmaker Ralph Toporoff knows what it takes to make a movie. Now he is attempting to show TCU students the same skill. Toporoff will be on campus through Thursday speaking to several radio-TV-film classes about specific areas of filmmaking. During his stay, he will discuss directing, shooting and the filmmaking process, Toporoff said. "Being an independent filmmaker, you have to know about all parts of filmmaking," he said. Toporoff designed Motion Picture Pro, a course that lets students make a short film in an entirely professional environment in Manhattan. The course offers training for step-by-step instruction of how to make a movie. "It's more difficult to distribute a movie than to make it," he said. "It's very hard for filmmakers to find a place for their movies." Toporoff co-wrote, produced and directed "American Blue Note," which was shown in 40 U.S. cities and also on HBO and Cinemax, he said. He has also worked six years in Europe for "Look" magazine and has 20 years of cinematographer experience, he said.
"If the film isn't successful, what's the worst thing that can happen?" he said. Roger Cooper, associate professor and chairman of the radio-TV-film department, said Toporoff plans to discuss how art and industry work together. Toporoff will primarily talk with field-oriented production classes. "(Toporoff) is an excellent talent," he said. "He has great variety experience." Richard Allen, associate professor of radio-TV-film, said Toporoff's school is complimentary to what is taught at TCU. Toporoff is clear in telling students the cold hard truth in a very light way, he said. "The timing was good for students to see how much work it takes to make a movie," he said. "American Blue Note" will be shown to radio-TV-film students 7 p.m. Wednesday in Moudy Building North, Room 164. Anyone interested may view the film with the class if space permits.
Jeff Anderson |
Toporoff urges people to attempt movie-making.| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |