By Matt Stiver staff reporter A TCU student involved in a hit-and-run accident Monday night has been released from a local hospital and is recovering on campus. Tokio Sasaki, a freshman environmental science major from Tokyo, was struck by a red Ford Mustang while entering the crosswalk at University Drive and Bowie Street. Sasaki was transported to John Peter Smith Hospital, where he was treated for injuries and held over night.
Tomomi Nakata, a junior psychology major, is taking care of Sasaki after his release from the hospital. Nakata said Sasaki required 20 stitches in the left side of his head. He will return to the hospital later this month for a checkup, Nakata said. "He is doing so much better," she said. "He can get up, he can talk, he can walk and he can eat. He can do things for himself." Nakata said she expects Sasaki to return to class next week. "Physically, he is fine," she said. "Mentally, he is not quite there yet. His professors have been very understanding about his situation." The accident has raised the issue of the potential need for a traffic light at the intersection. Gordon Alderman, traffic engineer for Fort Worth, said for a traffic signal to be considered, there has to be a minimum amount of traffic on both streets. The city frequently runs tests on the volume and frequency of accidents on city streets. Alderman said he doubted there was enough traffic volume from Bowie Street to warrant a signal. Alderman said suggestions for a traffic signal at the intersection have been made before, especially when a traffic incident has occurred. "It's been an ongoing battle for years, but accidents and injuries are not enough in themselves," he said. The traffic volume requirement for a traffic signal decreases with the number of incidents, Alderman said. But for accidents to be a strong factor in getting a signal, the intersection has to be labeled an accident situation, having five accidents in a year, Alderman said. Sometimes an intersection has potential for danger, but local motorists are able to use their instincts to navigate it safely, he said. "It's not unusual to have a situation which apparently seems to be a difficult situation, but because people are familiar enough with that situation, (they can) avoid danger," Alderman said.
Staff reporter Justin Roche contributed to this report.
Matt Stiver
By Matt Welnack staff reporter Scholarship reminders, housing assignments and registration dates will now be delivered to students by e-mail messages. Mike Scott, director of scholarships and financial aid, said his office will deliver missing-information letters, new scholarship information and other standard forms via e-mail to students starting next week.
Scott said the PeopleSoft computer system will allow the financial aid office to send mailings to certain groups of students, such as those with band scholarships or leadership scholarships. Using the e-mail system will be cheaper because administrators can send out messages whenever they want to without having to put together a mailout, he said. One of Scott's concerns, however, is that students who live off campus do not check their TCU e-mail accounts. Nancy Grieser, coordinator for housing assignments, said assignments for spring housing will now be delivered by e-mail. "We're a technological society, and (residential services) is moving that direction," Grieser said. "We're very excited about that. The students can see it instantly. They don't have to go to the post office, and it is environmentally friendly." Grieser said she hopes residential services will eventually use e-mail to do housing applications as well as assignments. The registrar's office has already replaced some of its paper correspondence with e-mail messages, specifically registration dates. "One of the things that we considered is that students check their e-mail more than their regular mail," associate registrar Vanessa Lanzarotti said. "We felt like it was quicker and safer." Lanzarotti said the majority of the registrar's correspondence will be done by e-mail. However, academic action reports and probation warnings will still be sent out by paper mail. Scott said during the summer, the financial aid office will still mail out letters, but while students are in school, e-mail will be the primary source of communication.
Matt Welnack
By Jessica Schambach staff reporter American Airlines will donate $600,000 to begin Leadership for the Americas, a program to educate students on interdependence and cross-cultural issues. Nine universities from Canada to Latin America, including TCU, will participate in the program. Representatives will discuss the program at a news conference at 10 a.m. today in the Mary D. and F. Howard Walsh Center for Performing Arts. "Our relationship with universities and corporations is that corporations look to universities to educate their future employees, or students," said Larry Adams, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. "We, in turn, look to corporations for support, and that makes for a very good relationship." Adams, one of the program's designers, said the grant will last for a three-year period, and financial support will continue if the program is successful. The donation will help to establish a premier leadership program, he said. Four students from participating universities will gather annually to discuss issues, such as economic growth, civil law and international trade, Adams said. "The program will demonstrate how various countries of the Americas deal with issues and problems of common and professional interest," he said. "All of us in societies are interrelated, so more and more of what happens in one country greatly affects other countries." Adams said students must be bilingual, have a strong academic record and participate in leadership-related activities in order to participate. "They should have a great potential for leadership, so that they will go on and become leaders in their profession and their communities," he said. Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari will nominate four students from TCU, and a faculty member will be selected to assist them. Neither has been chosen yet. The program is expected to begin early in the spring semester, Adams said. The main goal of Leadership for the Americas is to make an impact on students' lives, he said. "I hope students will develop friendships and a network of friendships that will last them a lifetime," Adams said. "The primary outcome is what it will do for students." Leslie Welsch, a senior marketing major, said the program is a good idea, but it's too selective. "If they're going to educate students about leadership and diversity, then they need to educate everyone, not just a select few," she said. But other students said the program will play a major role in the betterment and expansion of TCU. "It makes the university publicize in a different and new way," said Ty Voyles, a junior business major. "It gives some of the students an opportunity to broaden their views toward globalization and international interaction." SGA President Ben Alexander, a senior advertising/public relations major, will discuss leadership in a global society at the news conference. "The Leadership for the Americas program is just another way the university is trying to help develop responsible citizens and decision makers for a global society," he said.
Jessica Schambach
By Stephen Suffron staff reporter Excitement is building for some and exhaustion growing for others as students across campus prepare for Homecoming weekend. Homecoming weekend festivities will begin today with the Homecoming parade and pep rally and will culminate Saturday with the football game against the University of North Texas and the announcement of Mr. and Miss TCU at half-time of the game. The parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot behind Amon Carter Stadium and will proceed through the campus and into the stadium where the pep rally will take place at 7:15 p.m. The football game will be at 2 p.m. Saturday. At the Kappa Alpha Theta house, sorority members and their Pi Kappa Phi partners hunch over chicken-wire forms of Charlie Brown and Lucy of the "Peanuts" comic strip, pulling tissue paper through the holes and watching as the characters for their float slowly take form after hours of work. Libby Zey, a junior social work major, said the hours of work on the float has unified the sorority and the Pi Kapps. "Folding tissue paper really brings people together," she said. Zey said the planning for the float began more than a month ago, and they have been working four to six hours a night on the project over the past two weeks. Pi Kapp Jason Eagar, a sophomore speech communication major, said the process can get tedious, but he still has enjoyed the experience. "As much work as it is to pomp, it's still a lot of fun," he said. "You get to talk to people and hang out with them. It's really gratifying to have fun doing something that's so much work." The float is a depiction of the classic Charlie Brown and Lucy place-kicking comic strip and will be one of many floats entered by the larger campus organizations in the "Parade of Lights." Smaller organizations decorate cars. SuperFrog, the TCU cheerleaders, former Mr. and Miss TCUs, the TCU Showgirls, the TCU marching band and others will join the campus organizations in the parade, PC Homecoming co-chairwoman Jenni Jones said. Jones said they asked organizations to add lights to their float to make the parade better for its evening start time. "Last year, it was all pomping," said Jones, a sophomore business major. "Since it was dark, you couldn't even see the work they put into it." The parade will end at the stadium, where TCU fans will be led in an old-fashioned pep rally featuring fireworks, Jones said. While many students' focus has been on preparation for the parade, the 12 finalists for Mr. and Miss TCU look forward to the announcement of the winner. Miss TCU finalist Kelly Boyington, a senior dietetics major, said when the time comes for her to go out onto the field at half-time, it will be "overwhelming and exciting."
Stephen Suffron
By Alisha Brown Skiff staff TCU alumni began celebrating Homecoming weekend Thursday with the presentation of seven awards to individuals whose services after their college careers have brought them respect from their peers nationwide. The awards are given based on peer recommendations. Each name was reviewed by the National Alumni Board Committee before confirmation by the General Board which meets three times annually. All honored alumni received a plaque presented by Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari and recognition from the National Alumni Board.
Anne Crawford McClure, a 1974 graduate, received the Distinguished Alumna Award for her career endeavors as the associate justice of the Eighth District Court of Appeals in El Paso. She also serves as a facilitator of The Partners Program of the El Paso Independent School District, a program that teaches the students the value of an education. "If the lessons we teach and the messages we share reach one child, we have succeeded in being the messenger that TCU intended us to be," she said. The Valuable Alumnus Award was presented to 1958 graduate Jerry J. Ray for his financial support and service given to the university and the Alumni Association. Ray served as president of the National Alumni Board in 1992 and has served as the board's treasurer and vice president of athletics. He plays Santa Claus for the Helping Hands Home for Children and opens his bowling center for Rotary Roll for Kids. "At TCU, I learned how to make friends, and it's helped me make a living," Ray said. Although not a TCU alumnus, Yale and Harvard graduate Malcolm K. Brachman was awarded the Honorary Alumnus Award for his contribution as a benefactor of TCU's Addison and Randolph Clark Society and as a member of the Chancellor's Council. Brachman Hall is named for his late parents Etta and Solomon Brachman. The Royal Purple Award was given to E. M. and Rosalyn Rosenthal for their contributions to the endowment of a chair of Judaic studies and for funding the Rosalyn and Manny Soccer Stadium which is presently under construction. Kyle Clifton, a 1991 graduate, led the NFL in 1994 in tackles and was the Jet's all-time leading tackler with 1,500 tackles. The team honored him as the first recipient of the Jet's Good Guy Award which was renamed the Kyle Clifton Good Guy Award. He currently holds two TCU football records for the most tackles in a game and the most tackles in a career, earning him the Frog O'Fame Award. The Alumni Service Award was given to Garner L. Wilde, a 1951 graduate. Wilde serves as Midland's representative to the Alumni Board and has established a scholarship for single mothers to attend TCU. He was also presented the Honorary Doctor of Science degree in 1976 by Chancellor James Moudy. Jason Illian received the Distinguished Student Award for his athletic, academic and leadership roles as a 1999 graduate. Illian was named to the USA Today Collegiate All-American Team last year, graduated with a 3.88 GPA and served as team captain of the TCU football team in the Norwest Sun Bowl as well as the president of Fellowship of Christian Athletes. "I only had the opportunity to do good things because of the good people around me," he said.
Alisha Brown
By Carey Hix staff reporter A special dedication ceremony to celebrate the change from the "music department" to the "School of Music" will take place at 4 p.m. Sunday in Ed Landreth Hall Auditorium and will feature all of the university's major performance ensembles.
There will also be short speeches by several speakers, including Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari; William Koehler, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs; David Whillock, interim dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication; Kenneth Raessler, director of the School of Music; Robert Garwell, former dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication; Ron Moore, chairman of the International Fine Arts Board of Visitors and two music majors. Although the School of Music was created during Spring1999, no dedication ceremony has taken place because of the school's full schedule, Raessler said. "We thought (Homecoming) Weekend would be a good time (for the ceremony) because this should be a source of pride for our alumni, as well as our present student body," he said. Alfredo Vélez, director of bands and conductor of the TCU wind symphony, said it is an honor for faculty and students involved in the TCU bands to participate in the ceremony. "This is a great event for our area of study and allows the large ensembles to be showcased," he said. "This is a great opportunity for the public to experience the wealth of gifted musicians in the vocal, string, wind and percussion area at TCU." Becoming the School of Music is a good example of how TCU is growing into a school the world can know, said John Alstrin, a senior music education major who will speak at the ceremony. "(The change from a department to a School) is the kind of step TCU needs to take in order to become what Chancellor Ferrari wants it to be, and what all the faculty and students think it can be," he said. Admission to the dedication ceremony is free. A reception will follow in the Mary D. and F. Howard Walsh Center for the Performing Arts.
Carey Hix
By Steven Baker staff reporter Americans and Europeans spend $17 billion a year on pet food. That is $4 billion more than the estimated amount needed for basic health care and nutrition for everyone in the world, according to the United Nations Human Development Report. TCU students, faculty and staff have planned TCU's Hunger Week to make people aware of statistics like this. "To me, that statistic is disgusting," said Mandy Mahan, Hunger Week chairwoman. "If we don't recognize problems like this, then we are not being responsible citizens of the world." Students will have an opportunity to participate in 14 events, including a canned-food drive, meal-card donations and concerts. Each event carries a number of points, and the campus organization that earns the most will be presented with an award at an awards assembly in the spring. Campus groups or individual students can attend events to gain points. Mahan, a sophomore management information systems major, said TCU students should attend these events because it his difficult for them to see problems like this living inside a college environment.
Steven Baker |
Alonso Sanchez, president of the International Student Association
and a junior math major, said Sasaki was in the care of a fellow TCU student.
Sasaki blacked out after he was hit and did not remember the accident,
Sanchez said.
"We think it will be a faster service," Scott
said. "It gives us more flexibility in how we send documents to students.
We can do e-mail more without it being cost prohibitive."
"I've served as a chancellor for seven years and what
amazes me about TCU is the depth of appreciation alumni and students possess
for this university," Ferarri said.
The ceremony will include pieces performed by the symphony
orchestra, concert chorale, choral union, jazz ensemble, brass ensemble
and wind symphony, as well as a piece performed by José Feghali,
School of Music artist-in-residence.| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |