By Matt Welnack staff reporter When Chaplain Maj. Rev. Cassandra Thomas was presented with the chaplain's cross Friday, she fulfilled a lifelong dream. "I didn't know how or when it would happen," Thomas said. "I just trusted God that it would happen." Thomas left TCU to pursue her dream of ministering in the military. Her journey has not been without its obstacles.
She was an assistant professor of aerospace studies, a recruiter for Air Force ROTC and an executive officer. She won this year's Air Force ROTC Southwest Region Education Officer of the Year award. She also received the Air Force Achievement Award for her work in ROTC. After a month-long orientation course at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala. after which she will assume her duty as an Air Force chaplain. Todd Guest, a senior political science major, said Thomas understood other students' academic concerns because they were working toward degrees at the same time. "She stuck her neck out to help us," Guest said. "She was always there to help me and guide me." Capt. Jose Aleman said Thomas played a major part in ROTC operations because she held every position during her four years at TCU. "She was the consummate team player," Aleman said. "She is one of the best people that I know. She is just so easy to talk to, and she will do anything to help anyone." Thomas would take over recruiting when Aleman was away. This past summer, she helped bring in almost 40 new recruits, Aleman said. During Thomas' tenure at TCU, she helped the ROTC department receive two excellent ratings by Air Force inspectors, Aleman said. "I know we would not have gotten an 'excellent' the second time if it had not been for her," Aleman said. "She kept us on the ball." Thomas is one of only a few officers and the only female chaplain to change from line to non-line status. Line officers are combatants while non-line officers have professional occupations. Thomas had to receive an extension to stay a fourth year so she could complete her master's work. Most ROTC contracts last only three years. Thomas was promoted to the rank of major in 1998, which posed another obstacle for her. Chaplains usually enter as lieutenants or captains, so Thomas had to get another waiver so she could meet the chaplains board to get accepted. That approval had to come from Chaplain Maj. Gen. William Dendinger, the chief of chaplains for the Air Force. Thomas said she has relied on the support of her friends and family to reach her goal. "I realize that this is not just my journey and not my blessing, but it's also those who have traveled with me," Thomas said. Her journey started in 1986 when Thomas joined the Air Force and was commissioned as a second lieutenant after participating in Officer Training School. Thomas said she joined the armed forces because she wanted the military experience to be a chaplain. She said she can now appreciate the hard work it took to reach her goal. "It's something of great value to me," Thomas said. "It is something I can't put a price on, because I know what it takes to achieve that." Thomas said her time at TCU was special because she saw the campus from the student perspective and from the view of a faculty member. "Being an influence in students' lives has been a wonderful experience," Thomas said. "I'm going to take TCU everywhere I go."
Matt Welnack
By Alan Melson staff reporter They ride in the glow of the sunset, across the North Texas plains and gently rolling hills. Instead of a horse, though, their mount is a trusty bicycle. A growing number of local cyclists are joining a new Tuesday night ride that departs each week from the recently opened Campus Cycles shop on Berry Street near TCU. Now, Fort Worth police officers have started going on the ride several times a month in an effort to promote bicycle safety and awareness. Officer R.D. Williamson, a 14-year veteran of the Fort Worth Police Department and a bicycle patrol officer, said the evening ride provides a great opportunity for the department. "Any time that we can promote bicycle safety through education, we want to take advantage of that," Williamson said. "Night riding only accounts for four percent of overall cycling, but it accounts for 47 percent of cycling fatalities. By coming and riding, we can teach (riders) the things we know, and advise them on night riding laws." Kelly Maughan, a manager at Campus Cycles, said the shop began promoting the ride after opening in June. Maughan said the ride is open to anyone, regardless of ability. "We get on average about twenty riders per week," Maughan said. "There's usually someone there to ride with, whatever you are capable of. If you want to go fast, we've got fast cyclists, but if you are a slow, 'take-it-easy' kind of rider, we've got those too." The riders meet at the shop at 7 p.m. and head north on University Drive toward the Trinity River trail, which takes them all the way to Benbrook Lake in southwest Fort Worth, where they turn around and head back. Maughan said the riders usually cover about twenty miles in about two hours. Williamson said a handful of TCU students have started coming along on the rides. He said he would like to see even more TCU involvement. "I've met several TCU students on the rides, and they've been telling their friends about the Tuesday night ride," he said. Mary Ellen Milam, a TCU Recreational Sports administrator, said the department has no plans to offer any kind of cycling program, but she thinks it might work as a student organization. "The best option would be for a group of students to get together and get organized enough to form a cycling club," she said. Campus Life records show that there was a student cycling club at TCU in the late 1980s, but it was discontinued due to lack of interest. Maughan said Campus Cycles owner Billy Woodrich has also started a Wednesday night "road bike" ride that meets at the batting cages off Highway 377 and Lakeside Drive, near Benbrook Lake. Maughan said the shop is also going to start a Friday night mountain bike ride that is longer and more extensive than the current Tuesday ride. Williamson said even if students don't join any of the rides, he would like to see more awareness about cycling safety on campus. "I know a lot of students ride their bikes just around campus, even at night, and generally they don't wear helmets," Williamson said. "It's always a good idea to wear a helmet, and if you are riding at night, you are required to have lights."
Alan Melson
By Matt Welnack staff reporter Almost 200 Foster Hall residents will be looking for a new place to live next semester when renovations begin on the coed residence hall. Students living in Foster will have top priority over the other dorms when Residential Services fills vacancies in the spring, said Karen Baker, assistant director of Residential Services. Letters were mailed early in the semester to Foster residents to inform them of the renovations and to get the students thinking of future plans, Baker said. Dottie Cruz, hall director in Foster, said the spring semester typically is easier on Residential Services because many rooms become available. However, Cruz said, students may not get their first choice in where they want to live. Nancy Grieser, coordinator of housing assignments, said she does not foresee a problem relocating the residents. "We will take care of the Foster residents," Grieser said. "I believe that we won't have a problem placing them." Room availability increases because of graduation, students moving off-campus and to fraternity or sorority houses, Cruz said. This is not the first housing situation TCU has had this year. This summer, TCU officials were unsure if the last phase of the Tom Brown/Pete Wright Residential Community was going to be finished in time, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Don Mills said. Plans were made to put almost 100 students in nearby hotels and for city buses to make trips to the hotels to provide transportation to campus. He said the hotels were booked for up to a month. But the apartments were finished ahead of time, and the reservations were canceled on Aug. 8, Mills said. Cruz said there is no need for a similar alternate placement plan for the spring semester. Mills said the $8 million renovations of Foster - which include a new air conditioning system, new electrical wiring and an improved plumbing system - will begin after students leave for the winter break and will re-open for next fall. "The infrastructure of Foster is really on its last legs," Mills said. If there are rooms available on campus by the end of the semester, then Mills said students can move into the new dorm rooms during finals week. He also said the hardest part will be trying to keep roommates together for the spring semester.Brian Erickson, a junior engineering major and Foster resident, said he would like to stay on campus, but it is too early to know what he will do. "Ideally, I would like to get a spot in the new apartments," Erickson said. "I'd like to stay on campus for another year." Erickson said he thinks Residential Services has handled the situation well but wishes the timing was different. "It's more on the late side than on the early side on renovating these buildings," Erickson said. Mills said he thinks the housing situation is a problem, and TCU is going to look at expanding housing on campus. He said there are many options administrators will have to consider, such as type of housing, where it will go and who it will be for.
Matt Welnack
By Tealy Dippel staff reporter A group of students calling themselves the Leftist Students Union is seeking recognition by the University Student Organizations Committee to become an official campus organization. Founders are expecting at least 20 people to attend their first meeting at 7 p.m. today in Sadler Hall, Room 210. To become recognized, LSU must secure a faculty adviser and follow procedures governed by the Office of Campus Life. LSU is a new student activist group that was co-founded earlier this semester by Stacia Wender, a sophomore social work major, and Phil Doan, a junior philosophy major, with the intent of providing an alternative point of view for students. Doan said they will discuss current events and cover topics such as socialism, feminism and independence for East Timor. A prospective adviser will attend the meeting to decide whether or not to sponsor the group. Andy Fort, professor of religion, will speak to the group about student activism. Doan said the group's objective is to educate people. "We want to emphasize education so we are offering an outlet for those that complain about TCU being monotonous and boring," Doan said. Chris Dobson, a junior political science and history major, said they came up with the group's name because it seemed to encompass most of what they wanted. "It's a liberal group that goes against the status quo," Dobson said. "The group represents different ideas that have one thing in common, freedom and liberty." Dobson said he would like to see the group become an organization for free speech and thought. "We want to promote diversity of thought, and we want to help people in the community," he said. Dobson said part of the mission is to help the community by participating in canned food drives and helping out area shelters. Doan said schools such as the University of Texas at Austin, Harvard University and the University of California at Berkeley have groups similar to the LSU. "Our group is a baby compared to schools like UT," Doan said. "It seems radical here but compared to UT, it's nothing new." Wender said she is concerned about acceptance on campus because she does not want to be misrepresented. "At UT, groups like ours are accepted on campus because they are considered the intellectuals," Wender said. "Once people realize what we are and what we aren't, they will be more accepting of our group." Doan said he wants to be practical in terms of the new organization. "There is a faction out there that wants something different," Doan said. "It will grow." If attendance is high, Doan said future meetings will include speakers, literature and visual aids. "There's always issues to discuss, you don't have to worry about that," Doan said.
Tealy Dippel
By Jessica Schambach staff reporter University Ministries proposed a plan to strengthen the existing community service program and to implement a comprehensive program to better serve individuals and organizations. Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations Dennis Alexander said once funding is established, University Ministries and the community service office can begin strengthening the program's basic structure. He said he has discussed funding with the JCPenney Corporation, the Hallberg Foundation and other companies, but no commitments have been made. Minister to the University Rev. John Butler developed the idea to restructure the community service program and wrote most of the proposal in support of the new program. "What we want to do is enhance and enrich the community service that's already going on and then expand that into new areas that people maybe hadn't thought about," he said. "There are some resources we can expand beyond where we are both in terms of the kinds of services and also in terms of the sheer quantity." The community service office plans include facilitating student access to community service, developing a community service tracking system and researching opportunities for student involvement in volunteer service worldwide. A comprehensive program for community service will also be implemented. The community service office will work with the TCU Leadership Center in recruiting students to assist in community service training, secure funding for faculty grants to develop new service-learning courses and expand opportunities for students to participate in solving problems in the community. Alexander said students and organizations interested in community service will be matched with volunteer work that is of interest to them or that is closely related to their field of study. "It'll be the central clearinghouse for all groups on campus that do community service," he said. The office will also be responsible for promoting community service to individuals and organizations on campus, Alexander said. Currently they offer brochures, a guidebook and have a Web site describing the program, he said. Kelli Driscoll, a sophomore religion major, is the chairwoman of TCU Community Action Network, a student group whose purpose is to work with other campus organizations in promoting community service. She said the community service program needs more publicity, and the new structure will offer it. "The students need to look at community service as something to do for themselves and their community and not something to do for an organization," she said. Megan Stuebner, a junior pre-med biology major, won a community service award last spring for contributing over 300 hours of service. She said the new program will have a positive impact on campus. "Students have to remember that our lives don't just evolve around the TCU campus," she said. "We have to be connected to our community. It's an integral part of who we are." Alexander said students involved in community service have a better sense of identity and confidence. "When (students) leave here in four years they will have more than just a degree," Alexander said. "They will have a spirit of volunteerism, and it's good for personal development too. Helping other people does help you."
Jessica Schambach |
Thomas was a full-time faculty member and a full-time student
in her four years at TCU. She had to complete about 80 hours to earn her
master's of divinity at the Brite Divinity School. | The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |