By Kaitie Smith staff reporter Former Student Government Association President Ben Alexander passed the gavel Tuesday night, formally swearing in Ben Jenkins as president during the House of Student Representatives' first meeting of the semester. "With this being my first official duty as president, I wish to impart upon you a mission," Jenkins said. "Go out and rally. Gather those around you and those distant and bring them together. Come up with new ideas and put them into action." Chancellor Michael Ferrari said the next semester will be productive because of the new officers. "Ben Alexander did a tremendous job last year," he said. "With Ben Jenkins as president this year, it could very well be one of the greatest years SGA and TCU have ever seen."
"With the change in the SGA constitution, the House and the PC will be able to work together to accomplish our goal of implementing a new SGA," she said. Jenkins said this will be a momentous semester. "There have been very few times in our university's history that have presented such opportunities for student leaders to make a difference," he said. "Therefore, we must seize this time and make the most of it." After the induction, Carlo Capua, former chairman of the Permanent Improvements Committee, awarded a formal proclamation to TCU head football coach Dennis Franchione for the team's 1999 Mobile Alabama Bowl victory. TCU had not won two consecutive bowl games in 62 years. This is the second proclamation the football team has been awarded. "(The students) are the most important people we represent," Franchione said. Sara Donaldson, House vice president, said it is important to commend the football team. "We come together as a university to watch and support our football team," she said. "I am happy that we are commending their achievements."
Kaitie Smith
By Kathryn Garcia staff reporter Concerned that he is unable to spend adequate time directing commuter affairs and intercultural education, Darron Turner is working with Office of Campus Life administrators to reevaluate his commuter affairs position. Turner and Campus Life administrators are considering hiring a co-director to work with Turner or a director to replace him. Don Mills, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, said it is his responsibility to look at various positions and assignments to better provide students with support. "We are looking at a number of areas in Student Affairs to see what the best way is to provide support services for commuters," Mills said. Turner said a decision could be made as early as next week or as late as next year. Anisa Dhanani, a senior management and finance major and assistant to Turner, said because of Turner's dual roles, commuter affairs does not receive as much attention as it deserves. "I think it becomes a stretch," she said. "It can be a demand for Darron to devote so much of his time to two very different services. It becomes more taxing for him." Dhanani said with some help, Turner could do an even better job with the commuters. "A co-director would help him out significantly," she said. "I think that if there were someone to communicate with them on a broader spectrum, it would be better."Turner said the time he can give to both positions may be hindered, but his commitment is definitely not. "The students that work for me and my supervisors, Barbara Herman and Don Mills, are very committed to these areas," he said. "I am blessed in that way." Turner will also be relieved of some of the stress of his two jobs when a part-time adviser for intercultural education and services is hired. Eventually, as intercultural education is expanded, the job will become full-time, Turner said.
Kathryn Garcia
By Courtney Roach staff reporter Some students said they did not know the $156,000 provided to Programming Council is their money. PC's CO-Programming service gives money to student organizations for events that may require financial assistance. PC was given $156,000 at the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year to provide students with such things as cultural awareness events in the Student Center Lounge and concerts such as the Goo Goo Dolls. Throughout the school year, any organization can come to PC and ask for financial assistance in order to fund an event or help get a start on the TCU campus. Organizations fill out a CO-Programming application that is submitted to the PC and voted on during their weekly meetings. "Already this semester, two organizations have asked for financial help from my committee," said Amanda Wilsker, PC multicultural chairwoman. Wilsker said she has approximately $13,000 left to fund groups and several upcoming PC programs. She said she started with $16,450 in the fall. Larry Markley, director of the Student Center and adviser to PC, said the revenue used by PC and the House of Student Representatives comes from fees collected through student tuition payments. "What we do is funded by the students," he said. "That's why we're concerned about where it goes." Markley said the PC's seven committees are each given a budget from the $156,000. In addition to covering costs of events such as Family Weekend, Homecoming or Howdy Week, PC must decide to which organizations they will be able to give financial assistance. "There is no clear criteria we use to judge whom we will give money to," Markley said. "We want to make sure that the use is for the benefit of the whole student body, not just one portion." Molly McKnight, a senior biology major, said as president of the Golden Key Club last year, her group asked PC for money to host a new-member banquet. "They covered printing costs for programs and pretty much everything we asked for minus food costs," McKnight said. "I think the PC program was very helpful since this was money that recognized 250 people, not just five, so it was worthwhile." Jeff Wilson, a senior history major, said he was not aware of the CO-Programming program or duties of the PC. "I think giving the money to organizations is a good idea, as long as the money goes to include everyone's interest," he said. Wilsker said the decision also depends on preparation and thoroughness on the application submitted to PC. "This year, I can't think of a single group we haven't helped," she said. According to Student Government Association bylaws, PC will always be given a larger budget to work with than the House, which received $104,000 this school year. PC disbursed different amounts to each committee in the fall that range from $14,000 to $35,000. "Bringing a concert to TCU might cost between $10,000 and $15,000, so the concert committee usually needs more money than other areas," Markley said. He said even though PC members give out money, they seldom see a profit from an event they have sponsored. "Our basic goal is to educate and entertain by finding out what students like," Markley said. "Most groups that we sponsor don't make a profit to give back to us, and we don't really ask for that."
Courtney Roach
By Kasey Feldman staff reporter Students could earn up to $900 while improving their résumés working with Student Enterprises, a new program that pairs student consulting teams with area businesses. Jan Titsworth, director of Student Enterprises, said businesses and organizations will request consulting teams for projects. Then, students can form teams and bid on those projects. Titsworth said she has lined up one project for the group and is working on two others. She said she hopes Student Enterprises will eventually receive between 20 and 25 projects a year. Student Enterprises has been operating as a pilot program with MBA students for the past five years. They have done more than 25 projects, including consulting for U. S. Congresswoman Kay Granger, Wells Fargo, and the City of Arlington Parks and Recreation. To get new projects, Titsworth has to sell the idea of using student consulting teams instead of professional consultants. She said businesses and organizations hire student consultants for several reasons: They want to give back to the community by giving students valuable learning experiences; It gives them the opportunity to screen future interns and full-time employees; And at $650 to $900 per person per team for a project, it is much less expensive than hiring professional consultants. Randy Lewis, a management instructor and adviser for the Wells Fargo project, said students are a good source of ideas for projects. "Things change constantly in the world, and a fresh perspective is sometimes the best one," he said. Lewis said students are more likely to generate new solutions to problems that professional consultants see over and over again. Titsworth said the main advantage to students is preparation for their careers. She said it offers valuable networking opportunities, and it adds prestige to a résumé. "Students are the ones solving the problems and generating ideas, so when a potential employer looks at a résumé and asks about their activities, the student can actually talk about real-world experience," she said. Jason Kemmer, a second-year MBA student, said he valued the experience the program afforded him. He was the leader for a student consulting team for Kay Granger's office. "I have a limited business background, so it was good for me to see how a business plan works in the real world," he said. Titsworth said students who are interested can get on an advance notice list. When projects become available, students on the list will be notified and can form teams and write proposals to compete for the job. When a proposal is accepted, the team will be assigned a faculty or alumni adviser, and Titsworth will go with the group for their first meeting with their clients. Titsworth will also meet with the groups whose proposals are denied and explain how they could have made their proposals better. There will be an informational meeting at 4 p.m. today in the Student Center, Woodson Room, for all interested students. Titsworth said participants do not necessarily have to be business majors.
Kasey Feldman
By Rusty Simmons staff reporter Vehicle burglary appears to be an attractive profession at TCU, an area where expensive automobiles sit unattended for days at a time, TCU police officers said. On Dec. 26, seven automobiles were burglarized on campus, and the trend stretches throughout Fort Worth. According to the Uniform Crime Report, auto theft in Fort Worth is up 35 percent from December 1998 to December 1999. "Theft is always up around Christmas time," said Fort Worth Police Lt. David Burgess. "Also, when kids are out of school for the summer, we usually see a rise on the report." Although Burgess said the report is an accurate assessment of the property crimes, there are many factors to consider. The UCR was implemented nationwide in 1930. The number of participants and the amount of data collected make it a prime indicator of the amount of and fluctuation in serious crime, according to the University of California-Los Angeles Police Department's Web site. Chip Burns, associate professor of criminal justice and sociology, said as much as 50 percent of actual crime goes unreported. "The UCR is accepted as what we use as a gauge," he said. "It's good for showing trends, but we'll never know exactly how many crimes happen." The FWPD is currently doing analysis to further explain the increase in crime in and around automobiles, but Burgess said no clear reason has surfaced. TCU police officers said their department is taking a more hands-on approach to dealing with automobile crime. Sergeant Connie Villela has started campus crime watching meetings and a window etching program to combat automobile theft. Along with their efforts to discourage automobile crimes, both Fort Worth and TCU police officers said there are many things civilians can do. "Take your keys out of the car even if you're just running into the store for a second," Burgess said. "Lock your doors, use (an anti-theft steering device) and install alarms or kill switches." TCU police officers said the most common items stolen from a vehicle are car stereo systems, money, clothing, backpacks and office equipment. Staff reporter Kaitie Smith contributed to this report.
Rusty Simmons |
Meredith Killgore, vice president for programming, said
this year will be a positive turning point.| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |