| Honorable college On Feb. 4, the TCU Honors Council supported a proposal to switch the Honors Program to an honors college. Program Director Kathryne McDorman said converting the Honors Program would enhance its credibility and efficiency. She said becoming part of the structure of the university would not only allow for better funding for additional programs but also increase student outreach. McDorman said if the proposal is supported by enough Commission Task Force members and the Board of Trustees, change to the program would be incremental. Nowell Donovan, the Charles B. Moncrief chair of geology, said although an honors college would raise the status of the Honors Program, changing the university's core curriculum and discarding the program would be better. Increasing not only the core curriculum but also the academic prominence of the university is essential if TCU plans to educate the minds of future generations. A switch to an honors college is a step in that direction. Attracting bright and intelligent minds to learn at our institution is also essential if we are going to have discussions about TCU leading the way in higher education. We agree that the core curriculum must seek improvements, and the long-range goal of this education must be to increase the intellectual ability of all students on campus. This proposal is just one of many necessary steps that are needed in order to pave the way for the future of this university and actually support the core values on which it was founded.
Schulz gave ink life, emotion Sometimes into our lives there comes some character with whom we identify, some fictitious piece of an artist's imagination that is us. It seems that this person, this being, has been modeled off of our lives, that this creator has somehow been able to take all of our personality quirks, our trials, our fears, our joys, our hopes, our tears, our dreams, our speech, our silence and lay it out on a page for everyone to see. My personality lays out as a one-inch child named Linus. Linus was the brainchild of "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz, a man who dedicated his life to creating a world where things may not have been perfect, but they were true. Along with Schulz's characters Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Peppermint Patty and so many others, Linus lived in a childhood paradise, a microcosmic Never-Never Land where they could think as adults and speak as adults, but remain forever children. And now they will remain forever children. When Schulz died in his sleep Saturday night, he took with him an entire world of innocence and a refuge for our society. While we battled drug dealers and murderers, Charlie Brown battled to keep a kite in the air. While we agonized over our safety and future, Lucy would lean against Schroeder's piano, planning their life together. While our lives were marked by uncertainty and change, Charlie Brown never managed to kick that football. Their world wasn't superficial. It was pure. That is why it became so easy to fall into that world, to identify a character who could reach into our lives and mirror our souls. Linus was that for me. If we could somehow pull out our inner child and hold him up for the world to see, mine would be a short kid with a security blanket and his thumb stuck in his mouth, the products of a sort of loneliness that comes to those who spend too much time lost in their own thoughts. But what makes the connection even more personal for me is that I was Linus. Twice. There are two stage musicals based on the "Peanuts" characters: "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" and "Snoopy." I have played Linus in both of these, in two separate productions, most recently last year as one of my final shows. So you see, I have spent time inside of Linus. I have spoken his words, and I have thought his thoughts. And the more time I spent tracing Linus' actions, the more I realized that they were my own. Linus would have been a newspaper columnist. But never, now. Now they are gone, and the many things we hoped would happen for them, the wishes we wanted to come true in their world, now never will. Linus will never see the Great Pumpkin. Snoopy will never defeat the Red Baron. Sally will never make Linus her Sweet Baboo. Charlie Brown will never kick that football. But always, now. Now the things that always seemed so perfect about them will last forever. Lucy will always offer psychiatric help at 5 cents a pop. Charlie Brown's mailbox will always be empty on Valentine's Day. Schroeder will always be playing, perpetually banging the works of the masters out on a toy piano. And Lucy will always pull the football away just as Charlie Brown goes to kick it. Charles Schulz's last words to his readers, in his final original strip, were, "Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy how can I ever forget them " No, Mr. Schulz. How can we ever forget you.
John-Mark Day is a freshman religion and news-editorial journalism major from St. Joseph, Mo. He can be reached at (jmday2@delta.is.tcu.edu). Cultural exchange teaches value of print journalism The setting: a university campus with about 7,000 students. Most come from upper- to middle-class families. Most are wealthy. And most are studying business. Sound like TCU? On the surface, the environment at Universidad de las Américas-Puebla seems much like TCU. But when you look deeper, there are stark differences between the two. I was there for a communications conference sponsored by the department of communication sciences. On Feb. 28, the first student newspaper at UDLA will debut. About 20 students have worked diligently to encourage administrators and students to take on this venture. It will be the first student-run paper the campus has seen and has many similarities to the Skiff. The students plan to run eight pages every two weeks (eventually they want to do it daily). They will cover various issues from national news to campus news. They will try to entertain their readers with a diversions page and inform them with an opinion page. They invited two students from the Skiff, along with our adviser, to the conference. We gave four presentations on how the Skiff is run, our philosophy and our production process. It was interesting to see the tradition beginning. It's hard for me to imagine what it was like in the beginning (our paper has been in print for 98 years). I can't imagine how we could produce a daily paper without our 24 computers, without our budget and without support from the administration. Students at UDLA have to start from scratch. They have one computer, a small budget and little to no support from the administration and the campus. But the students are confident, and I'm sure that same confidence was apparent during the very first edition of the Skiff. Students on the editorial board told us they were having problems reassuring administrators that they could produce this paper. They were also having problems convincing the campus that their coverage would be thorough and include various aspects of campus life, not just the college that their department is in. It was interesting to see that the press is less trusted in Mexico than it is here. It is believed that the press is corrupt (Most people only trust two major newspapers.) There were some questions from students about the freedom experienced by the American press and how we use it to our benefit. This experience made me realize that our campus paper enjoys much freedom at this institution. We are not censored (most of the time we self-censor), we are allowed a working environment to further our careers, and, most importantly, we are trusted. It makes me believe in what we do. I am positive the students of UDLA will produce a quality paper, and I wish them much luck with their project. I hope that with this experience, they will appreciate, as I have, the voice the press can have in any community.
Editor in Chief Joaquin Herrera is a senior journalism and Latin American studies major from Corpus Christi. He can be reached at (jlherrera@delta.is.tcu.edu). Minority representation needed on the Board of Trustees PIsn't it time to have minority individuals on the TCU Board of Trustees? We need black, Asian and Hispanic men and women on our Board of Trustees. Chancellor Michael Ferrari said in his 1998 convocation address that he is committed to diversity. "I believe that a diverse learning environment is essential to preparing students for active leadership and responsible citizenship in the global and diverse world community of today and tomorrow, especially in light of the demographic projections for Texas," Ferrari said. "Currently, about 12 percent of our students and 11 percent of our faculty are from minority populations." So what is the delay? It is time to lead from the top and appoint a minority trustee. The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges published a report in 1997, stating that 82 percent of the members of American college trustee boards are white. Our university currently has zero black trustees. TCU made a good faith effort with an outstanding black entrepreneur, James Cash, as a trustee several years ago. But our efforts need to be consistent and more than perfunctory. The AGBUC study stated that 89 percent of trustees serving on the boards of private, higher education institutions are between the ages of 40 and 60. Slightly more than half of trustees are either professionals or business executives. Does TCU have an energetic young board? Given that criteria, may I be so presumptuous to suggest some prospective minority board members? If these folks are not available, there are others equally qualified. The world is full of outstanding minorities who could give some impetus to our diversity efforts. Kim Goodwin is one of the brightest mutual fund managers in the United States. A portfolio manager for American Century Funds in Kansas City, she is a wizard in mutual fund money management. TCU could use good money managers to sustain our $750 million endowment. Michael Irvin of the Dallas Cowboys. Here is an articulate young man with a potential career-ending injury. Irvin would bring some out-of-the-box thinking to the Board of Trustees. If an individual can work for Cowboy owner Jerry Jones, he can think out of the box. Cynthia Tucker is the editorial page editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is an influential black voice in American journalism. She has worked for several other prominent daily newspapers such as the Denver Post and is a respected and articulate woman. Tina Turner is an energetic entertainer who just turned 60. She has big bucks that she can bring to the university's development effort. She might even put on a benefit concert to keep our tuition down. If Tina Turner couldn't turn a trustee meeting into an event, nobody could. Fort Worth City Planning Director Fernando Costa or Police Chief Ralph Mendoza would bring a welcome Hispanic face to the Board of Trustees. Both are very bright and personable managers who have great leadership ability. Costa has been a proactive leader in the Berry Street Project, in which TCU has played a big role. Mendoza is only 46 years old but leads the 1,200-member Fort Worth police force with distinction. The final candidate for the TCU Board of Trustees is Louis Hollard, an incredible investment manager who runs his own firm in Chicago. Hollard is considered one of the hottest hands in investing in rising and falling stock markets. He would bring a great deal of influence and visionary thinking to the trustees. The time is right to be leaders in education in this proactive way. We can do something great if we take this opportunity. The chancellor said in 1998 that he is "activating a university diversity council, with representation from all constituents of the university, to spearhead our commitment and evaluate our progress." The council is active and in place. Let the diversity council members work with Bob Bolen, your special assistant for influence peddling, to locate some minority trustees.
David Becker is a graduate student from Pueblo, Colo. He can be reached at (evadgorf@aol.com). |
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