By Justin Roche staff reporter Almost a year after its first run, the TCU Frog Shuttle has driven through complaints and glitches to arrive as one of the most popular forms of transportation on campus. Since its first day of operation on Sept. 28, 1998, the shuttle is seeing more passengers this semester than it ever has before, TCU Police Sgt. J.C. Drake said. Drake is the officer who oversees the shuttle service.
TCU currently has two buses that transport students. One takes them from Worth Hills to the Student Center and the other from Worth Hills to East Campus. Used in conjunction with the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, or the T, the buses were obtained last year to alleviate traffic and parking problems on campus, Drake said. "We had been talking about ways to decrease parking and traffic congestion at TCU," he said. "(The shuttle) immediately improved the situation." However, with the addition of the shuttle, Worth Hills residents were no longer allowed to park in East campus lots before 5 p.m. Drake said he received 80 or 90 e-mails last year from Worth Hills students who wanted to be able to drive to class. Some complained the shuttle was often late, and the drivers were sometimes discourteous to riders. Others went so far as to demand a partial refund for their parking permits, which cost $60. Drake said the feedback from students made the TCU police aware of the problems and led to several adjustments. "It was because of student input that the situation changed and changed for the better," he said. Drake said he has only received one or two complaints about the shuttle this semester. He also said students can submit comments or complaints concerning the shuttle to him at (j.drake@tcu.edu). Melanie Benning, a junior pre-med major, has lived in the Worth Hills area since her freshman year and said she rode the shuttle despite its rocky start. "We had a lot of problems with the shuttle being late," she said. "It's still not perfect, but it's gotten a lot better." Benning said the shuttle has become vital to getting around campus. "With the increase in student enrollment, parking spaces are becoming more limited," she said. "The shuttle is very necessary." Lucious Newhouse, planning analyst for the T, said the drivers count how many people get on the buses every day, and those figures indicate that the popularity of the shuttle has grown over the last year. "By looking at the numbers, we're assuming that the students like the service," he said. Matthew White, a freshman business major, said he agrees with Newhouse's assumption about student approval.
Drake said not only has the shuttle become the primary means of transportation for many students, it has also made an impact on students socially. "Students have said they enjoy it because it gives them a chance to visit with friends on the way to class," he said. Gerad Ewing, a freshman psychology and business double major, said he has met many people as a result of riding the shuttle. "It's a good way to meet people," he said. "When you're stuck there waiting for the bus, you talk to people and end up getting to know them." Ewing also said riding the shuttle has helped his efforts to attend class regularly. "I would never be on time if I had to walk," he said. "I've never missed a class while the bus has been running." White said although the shuttle was born into some controversy, its accessibility and convenience have convinced many students to utilize its services. "If it's provided for you for free, you might as well take it," he said.
Justin Roche
By Steven Baker staff reporter The "C" in Texas Christian University does not mean as much as some students think. Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari sent an e-mail Aug. 17 to TCU faculty and staff. In it, a new mission, vision and core values statement were presented that made no mention of the Christian religion or the founding denomination of TCU - Disciples of Christ. In the annual "Princeton Review" guidebook, "The Best 331 Colleges," TCU is the only school that uses an acronym as its main heading instead of the full spelling. Jeanne Krier, publicist at Random House/Princeton Review Books, said the main heading for Texas Christian University was spelled out in last year's college guidebook. Larry Lauer, associate vice chancellor for communications and public affairs, said over the years, officials have come to use the acronym TCU more prominently over the full spelling of the university. "Most colleges that are 'Christian colleges' are perceived, at least by the outside community, as promoting a particular denominational dogma," he said. "TCU does not promote a particular religious dogma. But, rather it is a kind of community where the study of religion goes on." Lauer said the TCU letters are used the same way many other universities use acronyms. TCU is still Texas Christian University, he said. "We do find that the farther we get away from TCU, people see our name and think that we are one thing only to find out that we are not," he said. Don Mills, vice chancellor for student affairs, said they are concerned that people who don't know a lot about TCU might be confused about what TCU is all about. "We haven't tried to change the name," he said. "We are using TCU in common usage." But in a late August interview, Mills said university officials want to understand the public's perception of TCU so they can be prepared to help launch the university to the next academic level. "We want people to be able to look at us and know what we are," Mills said. "TCU is becoming a brand name if not a formal name." Daryl Schmidt, a religion professor and chairman of the religion department, said some students expect professors to promote a certain way of being a Christian. It makes sense why some people would want to market the school differently by shortening the name to TCU, he said. "Personally, I can understand why there are those, who in thinking about presenting TCU to a wider audience, would prefer TCU be the handle that you remember it by," he said. "Rather than every time having to explain that the 'C' in TCU doesn't mean you have to be a Christian to be here." Nathan Keller, junior speech communications major and president of Campus Crusade for Christ, said he thinks the acronym gives people the right impression. "Texas Christian University is not a Christian university," he said. "Some of the values it has are not really Christian. I think it is kind of ironic how Texas Christian University has weeded out the Christian part." Engraved into one of the walls of Reed Hall is a plaque that offers a Christian message: "Texas Christian University - Dedicated to the service of Jesus Christ in Christian Education - Erected 1911." Jessica Hansen, a junior finance accounting major, said "Christian values" should have been included in the new mission statement. "I think TCU is just fine if that gets our name out," she said. "But I think it should be remembered what we were founded on. Christian is a part of the name." Heather Burford, junior deaf education major, said it is important that administrators are trying to diversify TCU. "As Christians, you have to represent yourselves as Christians," she said. "You can't go around trying to convert everyone who comes in the door of the school. "I don't know what is necessarily more representative. It depends on what we want to be. Do we want to be a university of Christians, or do we want to be a university of people supported by Christians?"
Steven Baker
By Tealy Dippel staff reporter About 3,000 people are expected to attend a speech by Maya Angelou, nationally known poet and author, next month after the venue was changed to accommodate a crowd larger than organizers had anticipated. "An Evening with Maya Angelou" will be hosted by the TCU Honors Program for its second annual Fogelson Honors Forum and will be begin at 8 p.m. Oct. 6 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The doors will open at 7:15 p.m. Angelou was originally scheduled to speak at Ed Landreth Hall Auditorium, which has about 1,200 seats that were reserved for Honors Program students and community members.
The location was changed Monday after students lined the Student Center stairwell near the Information Desk to obtain the 150 tickets. Now all those who obtained tickets will be given reserved seating in the coliseum. Others interested in attending can receive general admission seating. Kathryne McDorman, director of the Honors Program, said she announced the change Monday. Tuesday she received final confirmation from Angelou's professional booking agent. A newsletter was first sent announcing Angelou's visit to campus in late August. Church and local high school advanced placement groups began calling for tickets immediately following distribution of the newsletter. "We tried to limit big-group reservations because so many began calling for tickets," McDorman said. Alison Trinkle, assistant to the director of the Honors Program, said about three-fourths of the 467 honor students at TCU are expected to attend the event. Kenny Oubre, a junior economics major, said he was pleased with the decision to move the event. "I was very pleased Dr. McDorman did all she could to get the location moved," he said. "If not, there would have been several upset students, including myself." Oubre said he was pleased to hear the news of a location change but said he was worried about the coliseum being too large and there being a loss of impact in Angelou's speech. Trinkle said the event was moved to accommodate everyone, but officials will only use about half of the coliseum to help create a more intimate atmosphere. "Maya Angelou has such a presence that we want to accommodate everyone," she said. "We want her and the audience to be comfortable." McDorman said additional planning was necessary to accommodate the change of location. "This event has been complex and involved in terms of planning," she said. "Even deciding where people will park is involved." Some students who will be attending the speech said they are excited. "Maya Angelou has always been a big deal because she has such a powerful writing style," said Andy Berkhoudt, a freshman education major.
Tealy Dippel
By Kris Gutierrez staff reporter Members of TCU's Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority said they are hoping student interest in their GAP Week will culminate this weekend with a strong turnout at Saturday morning's scheduled event. The AKAs are planning to serve breakfast to about 125 people at the Salvation Army. Several members said they realize the 6 a.m. meeting time is early, but they still hope students will help support a good cause. "Hopefully people will realize the positive in this," AKA President Chris Hafford said. "We originally wanted to host a breakfast of our own, but we decided it would be more beneficial to help others." Charles Starnes, a Salvation Army administrator, said volunteers are very important to the program. "Not only do our volunteers help reach out to others, but with the money we save with (volunteers) helping out, we can turn around and put that money into our programs," he said. The Salvation Army hosts programs to help homeless families get re-established in the community. Starnes said clients usually stay at the Salvation Army's family center facility for 10 to 15 weeks while they work and save money. Hafford said GAP Week events help both AKA and Fort Worth. "We're giving students a chance to see that we are on campus, and we are involved more than just a social organization," she said. "We're trying to bring people together." GAP Week, formerly known as Skee Week, was changed to reflect the green and pink colors of the sorority. AKA members said they do not know how long it has been celebrated. The purpose - to promote the local AKA chapter - has remained the same, however. "It's been a week full of activities to put AKA out there on campus and in the community," Hafford said. "We're giving people a chance to get involved and come out to some of the social activities and meet people." GAP Week officially started Sunday and will continue through this Sunday. "It's been a chance for people to see and learn about our sorority," said AKA vice president Thenera Bailey. "It will give us exposure on campus as well as in the community." The National Pan-Hellenic Council is the governing body for the nine traditionally black organizations of which AKA is a member. NPHC is made up of four national sororities and five national fraternities. "We are very supportive of GAP Week," said Yvonne Okupa, vice president of NPHC. "It helps us become more visible, individually." NPHC President Kirsten Bell said GAP Week - which included a discussion with Director of Minority Affairs Darron Turner, Happy Hour at Frog Fountain and a movie-watching event - has been a great experience. "It's a great time for freshmen to come out and see what (black) Greek organizations are all about," she said. "It helps (AKA's) reintroduce themselves to the TCU community."
Kris Gutierrez
By Alan Melson staff reporter TCU's mascot SuperFrog had a complete makeover several weeks ago. Now, a group of alumni and other TCU supporters are expressing their belief that the old SuperFrog was better. A movement to bring back the old SuperFrog began soon after the Horned Frogs' Sept. 5 loss to the University of Arizona. Dale Young, the director of field experiences and career services in the School of Education and sponsor of the cheerleaders and SuperFrog, said many of the issues that have been raised will be addressed in coming months. "Once the number of SuperFrog appearances dies down a bit, we are planning on dealing with many of the problems that people have mentioned," Young said. The efforts were first mentioned Sept. 6 on a TCU Internet discussion Web site, (www.tcufrogs.com). Visitors to the site began to complain about the new design, and a debate ensued over the change. Some visitors to the site began referring to the new SuperFrog as "SuperFreak." Don Dowell, administrator of the Frog Fan Forum, set up an informal poll on the site that asked visitors to vote whether they preferred the old or the new SuperFrog. Wes Phelan, a TCU graduate and a "regular" on the forum, said he was prompted to begin the campaign after seeing the negative response in the poll. "The poll had been running about 25 percent in favor and 40 percent against the new SuperFrog, with the rest saying they thought TCU should keep trying," Phelan said. Based on this response, Phelan opened up a new e-mail address, (bringbacksuperfrog@hotmail.com), for people to send in their opinions. Phelan said he forwarded all the messages to Young and Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari. "I've received e-mails from a variety of people, including faculty members," Phelan said. "I even received one from a former SuperFrog." Young was on the committee that oversaw the development and construction of the new SuperFrog. He said he had read the e-mail messages on the subject from people on both sides of the issue. "In some ways, I'm taking the blame for this," Young said. "I was on the committee for the new SuperFrog, but I was not responsible for the design directly. Change is change, and there will always be criticism. "Over the years, there have been four different mascots, beginning with 'Addie' in the '50s and '60s. When the original SuperFrog was first introduced several decades ago, there were complaints then as well." Gorland Mar, an associate in the University Publications office who designed the new SuperFrog, said his design was based on input from students, faculty, administrators and alumni. "We had several meetings on campus, and I received feedback from everybody," Mar said. "I think the goal was to try and make it look more like a real horned frog. "It's more muscular, more athletic-looking, as far as the body shape (it) just has a more contemporary look," he said. Some alumni and students had several specific complaints about the new SuperFrog. "It's the color, primarily - the green really turned me off," Phelan said. "The old one we had, to me, was SuperFrog." Dan Hunt, a TCU graduate and owner of Horned Frog Travel on University Drive, said he also had a problem with the color. "We used to play with horned frogs in West Texas when we were kids, and they never looked like this," Hunt said. Young said the color would be addressed as soon as possible. "The green was inadvertent it was supposed to be gray," Young said. "We sent a book of pictures of horned frogs to the company who built the suit, and they based this on a handful of pictures of frogs that had a green tint. "The company said they put green in to create more definition on certain points of the head, so that it could be seen from up in the stands." Kaylan Minor, a freshman biology major, said she thought the new, larger-headed SuperFrog might frighten children. Young said this was a concern that the design committee felt it addressed. "Some of the students we asked said they would like to see a SuperFrog that resembled the horned frog on the football helmets," Young said. "The old SuperFrog was very kid-friendly, and we didn't want to lose that, so we changed the face on the new SuperFrog to make it look friendlier, less angry. "Besides, all mascot heads are larger now. The company who manufactured the original suit no longer makes the type of head that was on the original suit." Young said TCU was planning on promoting the new SuperFrog beginning with the next home football game Oct. 9 against San Jose State University. Before the game, new SuperFrog posters will be distributed and SuperFrog will be available for autographs in Frog Alley. Phelan said, however, that he would miss the old SuperFrog simply because of what it was. "To me, the old one was SuperFrog," Phelan said. "This whole thing was meant to be tongue-in-cheek fun, but I will miss the old one." Young took an optimistic view about the old vs. new conflict. "For many years we had a problem here with student apathy," Young said. "It's good to see that now at least people care enough about TCU to become involved in this, whether positively or negatively. That I like."
Alan Melson |
So far this semester, the shuttle has carried more than
15,000 passengers, approaching the Fall '98 total of more than 18,000.
From its first day of operation last year until Tuesday, the shuttle had
transported a total of about 63,300 passengers, according to TCU police
records.
"If it wasn't there, I'd be dead," said White,
who lives in Brachman Hall and has four classes in Tandy Hall. "The
shuttle is efficient, and (the drivers) are friendly and courteous."
One hundred fifty tickets for seats in Moudy Building North,
Room 141, were available to students that were not able to obtain seats
in Ed Landreth. Sitting in Moudy would allow them to see Angelou via direct-line
feed.| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |