By Lori Eshelman staff reporter A letter written on behalf of the TCU student body appeared in Southern Methodist University's daily newspaper Friday, following speculation that TCU students were involved in an altercation that occurred on the SMU campus Aug. 29. The letter was signed by 12 members of Intercom, a committee composed of the presidents of several campus organizations. These presidents represent the student body to the TCU Board of Trustees. Student Government Association President Ben Alexander said he made the decision to have Intercom send the letter after he heard about the incident from the Campus Life office. He said he did not know any details but heard TCU football players were involved. According to an SMU police report, a fight started around 1 a.m. Aug. 29 at the Hughes-Trigg Ballroom on the SMU campus during an Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority party. SMU police officers disbanded the fight and instructed everyone to leave the building. Another fight broke out, however, as people were exiting the building. SMU police officers separated the groups and told everyone to leave the premises. The report also stated that three female SMU students said they were walking back to their residence halls after the party had been disbanded when they were harassed by a group of about 12 men following them in cars, yelling obscenities and insults at them. The 12 men eventually exited their cars and approached the females, who later identified the men as the same men who started the fight in the ballroom. The women said the men were TCU football players. They identified one of the men as a TCU running back but could not remember his name. SMU Police Captain Michael Brumfield said his department is still investigating the case, although there is not yet enough information to file charges. "We have to rely on the witnesses or the complainant to give us a name," he said. TCU Police Chief Steve McGee said the TCU Police Department is not conducting an investigation because the incident occurred on another campus. Students should know, however, that TCU will cooperate with SMU's investigation, he said. "I do not want TCU students going to SMU causing trouble because it makes TCU look bad," he said. "If it was in fact the football players, the coach needs to tell them not to go to SMU and cause trouble." Football head coach Dennis Franchione refused to give any details about the situation and how it is being dealt with but said the matter is being handled internally. "We reprimanded and disciplined the people that needed to be dealt with, and that is all I think needs to be said about it," he said. Alexander said the athletic department was not included in the letter sent to SMU because it was the understanding of Intercom that the athletic department was internally addressing the situation and those involved. "The letter was a measure of good will on behalf of the TCU student body to the SMU student body," he said. "We were not speaking for the athletic department." Charles Sizemore, a senior finance major, said he disagrees with Intercom's decision to send the letter on behalf of all students. "An apology is an admission of guilt," he said. "If I was not there and had nothing to do with it, why should I admit my guilt?" Sarah Burleson, who represents the House of Student Representatives on Intercom, said she understands why some students may be upset about the letter because it may send the message that TCU did something wrong. But Intercom was justified in sending the letter on behalf of the student body because it is the only group on campus that truly represents every individual student, Burleson said. Intercom intended the letter to be an acknowledgment that something happened, not an apology, she said. "We are not saying that somebody wronged SMU, but the incident was not an act representative of TCU," she said. "We just wanted to do the right thing." Stephanie Stewart, a sophomore premajor, said she thinks it is important that TCU maintains a healthy rivalry with SMU, but agrees with Sizemore in that the entire student body was not responsible for what happened. "I think it's good (Intercom) apologized, but the people who were actually involved in the situation should apologize for themselves," she said.
By Stephen Suffron staff reporter Participants in the TCU Victim's Advocate Program will discuss sexual assault and date rape prevention during the program's first of three "Hot Topics Sessions" Sunday afternoon. The Victim's Advocate Program consists of faculty and staff "advocates," who provide students who have been victims of crimes with confidential support and point them toward resources such as counseling. Although the program has been available to students for the last several years, the campus-wide Hot Topics Sessions are new this year. "We decided to be proactive," said advocate Glory Robinson, program coordinator for Campus Life. "We wanted to find a creative way to make presentations, so, as a group, we came up with this idea." In addition to Campus Life, the program is also sponsored by the recreational sports department and the TCU Police Department. Sunday's one-hour program will begin with a dramatic presentation called "Without Consent," written and performed by TCU Assault Prevention Theatre, a campus theater group. Students will then divide into smaller groups for a roundtable discussion, facilitated by the faculty and staff advocates. There will be two separate one-hour programs at 3 and 4 p.m. Intramural director Lance Steffen, who served as a faculty advocate in the program, said he thought adding the event to the sports calendar would encourage more people, especially men, to attend. "We discussed ways to get more people involved," he said. "We put it on the (intramural) calendar, so people can be rewarded through the intramural points system." Organizations will get points for registering, and the organization with the most people in attendance will be awarded first-place points, Steffen said. Although some people may show up only for the intramural points, Steffen said he thinks the program is designed in such a way that everyone will participate and be impacted in a positive way. The event is not only beneficial for the Victim's Advocate Program. It also provides an opportunity for recreational sports to have a positive impact on a larger community, Steffen said. "This makes the intramural department a more diverse program - and diverse in a way that's educational," he said. "We hope to bring in people who may not necessarily get involved in the sports programs." Registration for the event may be done as late as Sunday by stopping by the intramural office in the Rickel Building, Room 229.
By Stephen Suffron staff reporter Award-winning lecturer, author and comedienne Bertice Berry will make her second TCU appearance at 7:30 p.m. today at Ed Landreth Hall Auditorium, where she will present a lecture on stereotypes and diversity. The event is a collaborative effort by the Panhellenic Council, the Interfraternity Council, Campus Life, the TCU Honors Program and the TCU social work department. Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity and Pi Beta Phi sorority will serve as hosts.
"TCU is a campus that is plagued by stereotypes that many of us aren't even aware we have," Moody said. "She has a message that can definitely impact the way we live our daily lives." Berry is currently the host of "USA Live," an interactive talk show on the USA Network. She first started performing while earning her doctorate in sociology at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Since then, she has been featured on Lifetime's "Girl's Night Out." Berry grew up in a poor family as one of seven children. As a child, she said she dreamed of becoming a teacher, social worker or nurse, according to the Office of Communications. She got her chance to go to college when a benefactor sponsored her, enabling her to attend Jacksonville University in Florida. During her undergraduate and graduate studies, she worked in various shelters for battered women. She broke into comedy by winning an amateur night at a local comedy club. In addition to lecturing and comedy, Berry has also written a book, "Bertice: The World According to Me," and she starred in "The Little Black Girl Who Did," a musical based on her book. Berry spoke last February on campus as part of Black History Month. Moody said attendance was low, however, because it was scheduled at the same time as a Horned Frog basketball game. Elizabeth Gipson, a junior political science major who helped organize the event, said one reason Berry was asked to return was so that more students could hear her message. "Stereotypes of all kinds are a problem at TCU," she said. "Hopefully, bringing (Berry) back will bring the message to more people." Last year's lecture was primarily about diversity, but Gipson said she expects Berry to focus more on stereotypes this year. Moody said Berry brings a unique approach to this issue. "Most people focus on actions when they talk about stereotypes and prejudice," he said. "She shows you how everything starts in your mind - that we need to change the way we think first."
By Carey Hix staff reporter Kenneth R. Raessler's latest announcement should have come as no surprise to faculty members, mainly because the chairman of the TCU School of Music always said, "The Lord willing, I (will) go for 45 years, and that's long enough." Raessler recently announced his plan to retire at the end of Spring 2000, after 45 years in the music profession.
"That was certainly the most exciting to me because that will go down in history," he said. "It's something that will be here for a long time." Gaining status as an all-Steinway school was also a significant advance, he said. "There are only 10 schools in the country that have all-Steinway pianos, and it puts TCU in the 'big leagues.'" During his time at TCU, Raessler was involved with several other significant changes within the department, including the following: - The fundraising and building of the $12 million Mary D. and F. Howard Walsh Center for Performing Arts, which features a piano wing, band, orchestra and choir rehearsal facilities, a 320-seat recital hall and an experimental theater for the theater department - The increase in the number of music majors from 100 to more than 200 - The institution of a master's degree in conducting - The maturation of the TCU Cliburn Piano Institute - The institution of José Feghali, a gold medalist in the 1985 Cliburn Piano Competition, as an artist-in-residence - The creation of the TCU Summer Music Institute, which attracts 1,500 to 2,000 participants each summer After retiring from TCU, Raessler said he plans to do consulting work in public schools, developing curriculum for kindergarten through 12th grade. He also said he wants to write a book, travel around the world, play golf, work out and "just enjoy life." "Other things have ruled my life for so long, it's really going to be an adjustment to just let it happen," he said. Raessler received his doctorate from Michigan State University and served for 10 years as the director of music education and chairman of the department of music at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. Directly before he came to TCU, Raessler was director of music in the Williamsport, Pa., area school district. His time at Williamsport was a kind of research project, although he was getting paid for it, Raessler said. He worked on building a music curriculum for kindergarten through high school students, which took about 10 years. The program gained national attention and was recognized as one of the top three music education programs in the country. Many people who have worked with Raessler said they will be sorry to see him go. "He's a really great guy," said Patrick Crocker, a freshman music composition/theory major who works in Raessler's office. "Never intimidating, always in a good mood and very friendly." Donny Pinson, a senior education major, said Raessler bridged the gap between administration and students by sharing his knowledge and experience in the classroom. "It was exciting to see the (chairman) of the School of Music in a classroom setting," he said. "It is important for students to see administrators in class because it gives them respect for the person as an educator. "He's done a lot to increase the quality of education in the School of Music. He will be missed." |
Event chairman Walker Moody, a junior psychology and Spanish
major, said he is excited to bring Berry back to campus to speak because
she is an entertaining speaker with a message TCU needs to hear.
Of all Raessler's accomplishments during his 11 years at
TCU, he said he is most proud of seeing the music department become the
School of Music.| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |