One glance at TCU's well-manicured campus, particularly Tandy Hall, a sparkling shrine of capitalism, gives many people the impression of a school where nearly everyone is prosperous. An average annual cost of more than $10,000 per student essentially guarantees TCU a student body derived from the middle class. For many of us, life could be much worse. Unfortunately, for many of TCU's nonexempt staff, that isn't quite the case. A starting salary of $5.73 an hour essentially guarantees that many hourly employees struggle to maintain a livable wage. For those who are trying to support a family, a livable wage is just beyond reach. So it was with a degree of satisfaction when we noticed that the TCU Board of Trustees - during its Friday meeting - increased the minimum wage for nonexempt staff to $7.25 an hour. "We think of ourselves as a prestigious university, but many of our salaries are below poverty level," said Adrianne Anderson, a junior political science major who gave a report on staff salaries to the board's Student Relations Committee. "I think $7.25 is a fairly good place to start." Right. A place to start. With Chancellor Michael Ferrari leading the way, the Board of Trustees has just begun the process of bringing TCU's nonexempt staff wages up to par. But by no means should the effort to properly compensate TCU staff come to a halt. Not to nitpick, but if the M.J. Neeley School of Business is due "special emphasis," in the range of $860,000, then so are the workers who silently make TCU a better place. Then maybe everyone at TCU can finally take part in the prosperity.
Everyone should find a mentor Combination of encouragement, criticism can help us the most Everybody needs a mentor. A mentor is one of those people in your life with whom you can share ideas and expect to get sincere feedback. Former Fort Worth Mayor Bob Bolen has an office in a predominant place in the business school building. From there, Bolen mentors students on campus. He links jobs with good people. Bob counsels any student who comes through the door on issues from his or her love life to how to bounce back from failing a midterm exam. Bob Bolen is the epitome of a mentor. Charles was my mentor. I had gone to work in a high-pressure sales job for E.F. Hutton, a large retail stock brokerage firm. The trainer of young brokers had told us time and again: "You are going to be rejected by everyone you phone. It will hurt your ego just as much to be rejected by the rich folks as it does to be rejected by the poor folks. Make sure only rich people reject you." Charles was one of the first rich people I called, and he answered his own telephone. I pitched him my best stock purchase idea, but Charles always had a good reason for rejecting my ideas. Charles would chat with me for a few minutes and then encourage me to call back another day. His profanity and his gruff manner on the phone offended me, but I always called back. Charles called me and invited me to come to meet him. He was thinking about changing the investment managers on the accounts for his corporation, and he indicated that he would consider using E.F. Hutton and me. Charles was as intimidating in person as he was on the phone. He was a big man with an infectious and hearty laugh. Visitors climbed a wide, winding spiral staircase to his office. Charles had inherited a small manufacturing business from his dad, David. The core business required many employees and high-rent retail stores to sell craft products. The company was making a modest profit. After his dad died, Charles had merged the company with a Boston company that sold radio components. When I met Charles that March morning, his company stock - listed on the New York Stock Exchange - was trading lower on very high volume. The stock declined each February when the company gave each retail store manager an annual bonus of 100 shares of stock for long-term investment. The managers seldom held on to the stock but sold it, which drove the price down on the open market. "The sons of bitches have no faith in me or my company," Charles said. (I am cleaning Charles' language up a little bit.) My meeting with Charles went well. He smoked one cigar after another, and his half-glasses bounced on his nose. The air was so thick with four-letter words and smoke, by the end of the meeting, it was hard to see across the room. Charles looked a full decade older than his 60 years. Charles ended the meeting abruptly and said a decision on a new investment broker would be made soon. He then took me downstairs to a reception in the lobby of his office building. I never got the account. Several months later, I read in the Wall Street Journal that Charles died. Succession of the company passed, and the new executives made other plans. It was the first huge missed opportunity in my business life. My mentor was Charles Tandy. He was a person who mentored me, encouraged me but never found a single one of my investment ideas worth a damn. He taught me the importance of getting all my facts straight before I phoned. When I walk into Tandy Hall or see Charles Tandy's statue downtown in front of the courthouse, I can only think: This guy was the real deal, and he changed my life forever.
David Becker is a Brite Divinity School graduate student from Pueblo, Colo. He can be reached at (evadgorf@aol.com).
The King is dead. Long live the King. As of last week, Microsoft, the government's favorite evil giant, was dethroned as the most valuable company in the world. Now, while the government wastes valuable dollars trying to break down the "evil" monopoly that Microsoft has created, other monstrous giants have surfaced unnoticed. The fact that the government hasn't reacted to these companies suggests that it doesn't have a clue why it is really bringing Microsoft to trial, or at least that it is not being consistent with the whole computer and Internet industry. Obviously, this is just another pointer that while private businesses are flying down the information super highway, the government is crawling down its back roads. Last week, Cisco Systems moved into the No. 1 spot as the most valuable company in the world. What is striking, though, is how little coverage this has gotten in the news in comparison to the Microsoft trial, considering it has equal or even bigger implications for the information industry. It's understandable, though, that Cisco's growth has gone unnoticed until now. Microsoft's monopoly is a lot more visible than Cisco's. It is obvious even to everyday people when they turn on a computer that the operating system, the most-often used programs, their e-mail and their browser are all proudly displaying the Windows logo. Whether one is using Windows 95, 98, NT or 2000, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook or Internet Explorer, it is obvious who is the face behind our computer. While the visibility of Microsoft has made it a favorite target for its competitors and the government, Cisco's "down low" attitude has allowed it to remain untouched for quite a while. But while Microsoft has become the Wicked Witch of the West in the media, it at least has had some competitors. For some consummated anti-Microsoft users (or simply for those seeking an alternative) there's the Mac-OS, UNIX, Linux and more recently, Red Hat, to replace Windows as an operating system. For those who don't like Internet Explorer, there are many other browsers available, including Microsoft's nemesis, Netscape Navigator; a quick glance at the landscape will also show us Lynx, HotJava, IBM Web, Amiga, etc. Even with e-mail there are other programs, from free e-mail offered on the Web to programs like Eudora, although Outlook probably dominates the landscape. The point is, if you really want to, you can escape Microsoft; but as my business information systems professor eloquently put it: "You can't escape Cisco. Past generations were more dependent on the software a company used to provide compatibility. Microsoft rose to the top by offering software that fulfilled this need, but that was before the Internet. As the Internet appeared, actual computer software has taken a secondary role to Internet traffic routing, like Microsoft's plummet to second-place shows. Nowadays there's a wealth of devices that use the Internet that don't need a computer or Microsoft. There's everything from WebTV, Playstation II and e-mail-only palm-pilot type gadgets, all depending on the Internet (and Cisco) but free of Microsoft. And the thing is, according to Forbes magazine, Cisco Systems has 73 percent of the router market. Basically, Cisco controls the Internet. What this means is that every time somebody accesses the Internet, his or her request is going to touch at least one Cisco router. In fact, chances are higher that requests will be totally channeled, directed, routed and received through Cisco computers. There's simply no way of choosing your routers. So, while the government wastes even more tax dollars on a silly trial arguing that Microsoft has engaged in a monopoly, there are at least five other companies taking over other aspects of the computer and Internet market. This idea by itself should be enough to dismiss the Microsoft trial. According to a November 1999 Forbes magazine article, America Online controls 78 percent of all Internet users, Intel controls 77 percent of all PC microprocessors, Oracle controls 61 percent of UNIX databases, eBay controls 70 percent of all online auctions and Macintosh controls 100 percent of the Mac-compatible market (Apple revoked all manufacturer's licenses to produce Macs, and they are the only authorized dealers.) So, the next time you ask yourself why is the government wasting your time, money and valuable airtime in a trial that is generating more costs than benefits to the general public, just don't take the Mr. Garrison-type of answer - "Monopolies are baaaaeeeddd."
Raquel Torres is a sophomore business major from Cali, Colombia. She can be reached at (chibicat@yahoo.com). |
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