Frogs set to defend Mobile trophy
Franchione accepts invitation; team prepares
for UTEP
By Matt Stiver
skiff staff
During their 24-7 romp over Fresno State Saturday, the No. 16 Horned Frogs got reacquainted with several things they’ve gotten to know well — a big day from their senior tailback, a dominating performance from their defense and an invitation to a bowl in Alabama.
Following a day in which senior LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 243 yards and one touchdown, the Frogs learned their postseason speculation had ended. Bowl officials offered, and head football coach Dennis Franchione accepted, an invitation to the GMAC Mobile Alabama Bowl in a ceremony at midfield following the victory.
The Frogs (8-1, 5-1) became the first college team to receive a bowl bid in 2000. It also marks a school-record third consecutive season TCU will play in a bowl.
TCU will play the second-place team in Conference USA, which would be 25th-ranked Southern Mississippi (7-2) if the season ended today.
“It’s nice to know that we’re in, but our focus is on (Texas-El Paso),” Franchione said. “We want to be (Western Athletic Conference) champions when we go to Mobile.”
Murray Cape, co-chairman of the selection committee, said the committee has been scouting the Frogs all season.
“We were pulling for TCU to make the Bowl Championship Series,” Cape said. “We wanted them to do well. At the same time, we really wanted them back.”
Last season, the Frogs defeated then 19th-ranked East Carolina 28-14 in the Mobile Bowl. This season’s game will be played on Dec. 20
Tomlinson said although the Frogs had hopes of landing a berth in the BCS, he is excited about the chance to play in a bowl game.
“I’d rather be in a bowl game than sitting at home watching someone else,” Tomlinson said. “I’m expecting it to be a lot better this year.”
The Frogs can claim a share of the WAC title next week with a victory over league-leading UTEP (8-2, 7-0) on Saturday. The Miners have already clinched a share of the conference title and a win over TCU would give UTEP the WAC championship outright.
After feeling the sting of turnovers last week, the Frogs returned the favor for the Bulldogs this week. The TCU defense, which surrendered season-highs in yards (380) and points (27) against San Jose State last week, forced two turnovers and held the Bulldogs (5-4, 4-2) to 41 rushing yards on 30 attempts.
With the game tied at 7 and Fresno State marching for the go-ahead score, senior cornerback Greg Walls stepped forward.
With 1:08 left in the second quarter, Fresno State junior quarterback David Carr dropped back and threw an out pass that was intercepted by Walls. Carr recovered and shoved Walls out of bounds at the Fresno State 1-yard line.
“They had run the play before,” Walls said. “If they’d have gotten a score before half, the game probably would have turned. I came out and made a play for the team, and I’m glad it carried to the second half.”
Two plays later, sophomore quarterback Casey Printers scrambled for his second rushing touchdown of the game, giving the Frogs a 14-7 lead they would not relinquish.
When Fresno State threatened to cut into the Frogs’ 21-7 with 9:24 to play in the third quarter, the TCU defense again forced a turnover. The Bulldogs marched from their own 20 to the TCU 5-yard line in six plays. On second down and goal, Carr found tight end Alec Greco on a screen pass. While diving for the end zone, the ball slipped out of Greco’s hand and was recovered by senior safety Curtis Fuller.
“I didn’t have to see it in the film to know what our defense could do,” Franchione said. “When you go against a great defensive team and you have a turnover like that one, there’s no doubt it costs you badly.”
The Frogs fell behind early when a deflected pitch was recovered by Fresno State at their own 43-yard line.After moving to the TCU 27, Carr hit Bernard Berrian on a crossing slant for a 7-0 lead.
The Frogs evened the score with 2:51 left before halftime when Printers ran a two-yard option keeper into the end zone for a touchdown.
Tomlinson, who became the second-leading rusher in WAC history and No. 14 in NCAA history, broke 40 carries for the third time this season. He set a TCU single-game record with 49 carries against Hawaii on Oct. 7.
With 12:14 to play in the third quarter, Tomlinson ripped off his longest carry of the season, a 65-yard touchdown run.
“Every game is becoming a blue-collar game for me,” Tomlinson said. “(Franchione) has been giving it to me 30 to 40 times. It was just another day at the office.”
Matt Stiver
m.r.stiver@student.tcu.edu
Trustees approve $30 million renovations to Rickel
Construction set to begin this summer, will
take 2 years to complete
By Erin Munger
staff reporter
The Board of Trustees approved a $30 million project to renovate the Rickel Building, increasing its size by one-third, at its meeting Friday.
Construction on the center will begin in the summer and will take almost two years to complete, said Clarence Scharbauer, chairman of the board’s Student Relations Committee.
“I was here when the Rickel opened in 1973, and to see this progress is truly exciting,” Scharbauer said.
The building, covering 200,000 square feet, will offer a climbing wall, an outdoor pool and picnic area, an indoor track and a computer room, said Don Mills, vice chancellor for student affairs. Mills also said they will spend a little more than $1 million to spruce up the indoor pool.
Initial funding will come from a loan, Mills said. Upon completion of the structure, monetary gifts, fund raising and student fees will repay the loan, he said.
“We wouldn’t start charging students for something until it is fully functional and available for their use,” Mills said.
Scharbauer said the board named Cannon Design as the architectural firm and Austin Commercial as the contracting firm.
Mills said construction will proceed in phases, but the university will move facilities around as needed. Recreational and intramural basketball games will be moved to a still to be determined facility in Fort Worth.
“We don’t know how the phasing will be paced,” Mills said. “The recreation center will be available to students, but it will be somewhat limited.”
Mills said the architect’s idea of what a recreation center should be is a building where you can see activity.
The Rickel, as it’s currently constructed, doesn’t fill this requirement, he said.
The new recreation center will have plenty of windows, both inside and out, Scharbauer said.
Mills said another issue is the flow of pedestrian traffic from Worth Hills.
“The Rickel is a blockade to students walking to and from Worth Hills,” Mills said. “Students have to walk around it to get anywhere.”
The renovated building will have an entrance at the corner of Stadium Drive and Bellaire Drive North to allow through traffic, Mills said. The main entrance to the center will face Milton Daniel Hall, he said.
Mills said the building will also have concession stands, offering students another place to grab a bite to eat on their way to class.
The building will have new coaches’ offices that overlook the appropriate facilities, Mills said. He said the new center will have a recreation gym that converts into the varsity volleyball team court with locker rooms for home and visiting teams.
The new building will also have two elevators, a feature absent in the current building, Mills said.
All tennis activities will be held at the Mary Potishman Lard Tennis Center.
Erin Munger
ermunger@tcu.edu
SGA candidates campaign through today’s elections
Some expect higher turnout than last year
By Hemi Ahluwalia
staff reporter
Election day is finally here for the eight candidates running for positions in the Student Government Association.
Sara Donaldson, a junior neuroscience major, and Brian Wood, a junior economics major, are the two candidates running for SGA president.In Monday’s candidate debate, Donaldson said she wants to improve the communication between the university and the student body.
“I want to have more student involvement in the process of university curriculum requirements,” Donaldson said.
While in office, Wood said he would like to have SGA become more involved
with the students.
“There is a lot of apathy on campus and I want to get students excited
about getting involved in such activities as TCU LEAPS,” Wood said.
Deanna Bennett, a junior finance and accounting major, and John Billingsley, a sophomore business major, are the candidates for treasurer of House of Student Representatives. Kaylan Minor, a sophomore environmental science major, and Ryan Shoemake, a junior theater major, are running for secretary of House.
Amy Render, a sophomore marketing major, is the only candidate for vice president of House, and Sara Komenda, a sophomore biology major, is the only candidate running for vice president for Programming Council.
 |
|
Yvette Herrera/STAFF REPORTER
Brian Wood, a junior economics major, and Sara Donaldson, a junior neuroscience major, debate Monday in the Student Center Lounge about issues relevant to the Student Government Association president, a position both are vying to obtain. |
Brian Becker, elections and regulations committee chairman, said he thinks the turnout for this year’s elections will be relatively high, especially since the position of president is now opposed. Wood became a presidential candidate Thursday after 896 students petitioned to add him to the ballot.
“Online voting increased the voter turnout last year because it was easier to access, and I think that will be the same case this year,” Becker said.
Render said she thinks all of the posters and flyers that have been put up around campus over the past week will help bring students out to vote.
“I think that having another candidate on the ballot will also help with a high voter turnout,” Render said.
SGA has done numerous things around campus to notify the students that they need to vote today, Becker said.
“We have put posters up and sent out flyers telling students what they need to do to vote,” Becker said. “The candidates themselves have also been advertising election day.”
Barrett Shipp, a junior political science and economics major, will be at least one student who will be voting today.
“It is nice to be able to have a choice of candidates in some of the positions,” Shipp said.
Paper ballots and write-in candidates will still be an option in this year’s election.
“If a student is unable to vote online, they will have the option to vote at the (Student Center) Information Desk,” Becker said. “There will also be a blank after each section of candidates for students to type in a candidate of their choice online or to write it in on the paper ballot.”
Campaigning will continue for many candidates, even on election day.
“I will still be introducing myself to the students so they know
who they are voting for,” Render said.
Students can vote at (vote.tcu.edu)
from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. today.
Hemi Ahluwalia
hemia@hotmail.com
Number of students getting advised drops
Some say advising gives students a plan of action
to follow when registering
By Emily Ward
staff reporter
Advance registration is now in full swing, and as students long onto FrogNet and put together their schedules, Australia Tarver wonders whether students are making wise class choices.
Tarver, director of undergraduate studies in the English department, said she would advise as many as 20 students a semester before online registration. Now, she said that number has dropped to about four or five.
“I really would like to see students required to see an adviser from their freshman year all the way through their senior year,” said Tarver. “At some point, advising really does pay off.”
Before Web registration was launched in May 1999, an adviser’s signature was needed before a student was allowed to register for classes. Now that the enrollment process takes place online, seeing an adviser is strictly optional.
Patrick Miller, registrar and director of enrollment management, said making advising a requirement is something that must be done at the academic department level.
Enforcing a mandatory advising process, however, isn’t something that is easy to do, Tarver said.
“The best that we have been able to do so far is to encourage the students to keep seeing their advisers,” she said. “We can’t even seem to get our hands on those students we have not yet advised.”
The registrar’s office isn’t responsible for the advising part of registration, Miller said. Sending e-mail messages to remind students of their majors and academic advisers is the only part the registrar’s office handles in the advising process, he said.
Emily Gipson, a freshman radio-TV-film major, who is planning on meeting with her adviser this week, said advising should be mandatory.
“I think I have got my schedule pretty worked out, but I know a lot of other freshmen who don’t have theirs decided yet,” Gipson said. “An advisor can tell students a lot more about their classes and UCR requirements than a computer can.”
For Tonya Antle, a junior computer science major, seeing her advisor
has made it possible for her to graduate a semester early.
“My adviser this semester has helped me so much,” Antle said. “She asked me about my work schedule, UCR requirements and the possibilities of summer school. Plus, she answered all my questions.”
Miller said the issue of losing mandatory advising came up when the registrar’s office was looking at implementing online enrollment.
Student focus groups were formed to evaluate the old registration process, and most students said they would like to take their schedules to their advisors, discuss what changes should be made and register online all at the same time, Miller said.
“They said if they could work with advising and registration right then and there, the process would be much simpler,” he said. “So we have been working on just that.”
Faculty concerns about making advising mandatory across all departments would need to be brought to the Faculty Senate, Miller said. As of now, no official complaints have been made.
Emily E. Ward
e.e.ward@student.tcu.edu
Panelists to discuss international careers
Forum to help students with work experiences
By Yvette Herrera
staff reporter
From Lagos, Nigeria to Mexico City, Delia Pitts, director of international education, has traveled around the world and worked overseas as part of her assignment with the foreign service.
Pitts is part of a four-member panel that will discuss work experiences
around the world during a career forum held by the International Foundation
6:30 p.m. today in the Student Center Lounge.
As an information and culture officer in the U.S. Information Service,
Pitts served the foreign service for 11 years.
Pitts also contributed to the U.S. Information Service as a director of their library in Mexico City, she said.
After working with administrative staff members of TCU in Mexico City, she became the director of international education here, Pitts said.
Leah Armstrong, director of programming for the foundation, said the career panel will tell students interested in international careers how to prepare for them.
Armstrong, a senior Spanish major, said Chuck Dunning, assistant director of career services, will serve on the panel. Dunning will help students prepare resumes, Armstrong said.
“The members that we got for today’s discussion are good examples of success in the international world,” she said.
Pitts said today’s discussion is important for students who have directed their studies toward an international environment or have studied abroad.
“(Today’s discussion) is important for students that want to make a contribution, not only to our society, but also to the world,” Pitts said.
Pitts said a lot of research is required for students who plan on working in international occupations, and she plans on preparing students for such research.
The discussion will focus on questions from students, said Trupti Desai, president of the foundation and a senior biology major.
Alonso Sanchez, communication liaisons director of the foundation, said the discussion is important for students because they will be able to meet people who have international jobs and ask questions they have concerning future career plans.
Sanchez, a senior mathematics and art history major, said the discussion is not solely for students who want to work abroad.
“The panel consists of people who work in jobs that relate to international
issues,” Sanchez said.
Pitts’ husband, John Vincent, is a 30-year veteran of the foreign
services, and will also be on today’s panel.
Vincent currently serves on the World Affairs Council in Fort Worth.
Armstrong said Vincent will discuss the governmental aspect of international issues.
Max Guzman will also serve on the panel for today’s discussion. Guzman, who is in charge of the Latin American sector for an international marketing company, will discuss international business, Armstrong said.
Yvette Herrera
yvebex@yahoo.com
Rising to the Occasion
Opening of Rise School celebrated with dedication
Saturday
By Matt Jones
staff reporter
The Rise School celebrated its Sept. 5 opening in the Starpoint School at TCU by hosting a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday.
The school is an educational center for children with Down syndrome. The school also acts as an on-campus training site for students in the School of Education.
Kathleen Cooter, director of Rise and Starpoint Schools, said the program was made possible because of the support and hard work of many people in the community.
“The Rise School is a miracle,” Cooter said. “The school became a reality because everyone worked to make it happen.”
Chancellor Michael Ferrari, who spoke at the dedication, said he was proud to see a strong partnership develop between TCU and the community.
 |
|
Jennifer Klein/SKIFF STAFF
Josh Gardner, a senior finance major, and Kayla Kirkpatrick, a student at the Rise School, participate in festivities before the TCU vs. Fresno State football game Saturday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. |
“This program is beneficial to everyone involved,” Ferrari said. “It provides needed care to the children and educational opportunities to our students.”
Ferrari said a group of parents and community members approached the university in the fall of 1999 seeking support to serve the needs of their children with Down syndrome. He said the program was modeled after the original Rise School at the University of Alabama, which was established 25 years ago.
Cooter said a $1.5 million endowment from an anonymous donor helped provide the initial funding for the program. The endowment will be used to underwrite operational expenses for the first three years, she said.
Cooter said the newly renovated school will provide care and services to 22 enrolled children. The school will emphasize speech, occupational, physical and music therapy for the students.
The school serves young toddlers and preschoolers ages 18 months to 5 years.
Angela Harvey, a parent of one child enrolled in the program, said the school is the best alternative to a public education system.
“These children need specialized care from people who understand the educational complexities of Down syndrome,” Harvey said. “They not only teach educational material but also focus on the life skills that will be needed later in life.”
Harvey said parents work closely with the Rise teachers.
“We have had homework to do,” Harvey said. “The day doesn’t stop when the classes stop. We have to integrate the lessons in our home life as well.”
Following the ribbon cutting, several hundred visitors took tours of the facilities, classrooms and playground.
The children were also introduced and welcomed into the TCU community during the football pregame show. They were carried onto the field on the shoulders of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity members.
The fraternity, which has donated over 800 hours of service, helped install new playground equipment for the school Nov. 6.
Matt Jones
matthewsjones@hotmail.com
2000 Hunger Week kicks off with food drive, auction
Events geared toward raising student awareness
of hunger
By Matt Jones
staff reporter
TCU kicked off 2000 Hunger Week Monday with several events on campus designed to raise awareness and funds while promoting hunger education and activism.
Hunger Week activities have raised over $200,000 during the past 18 years for local, national and international hunger relief organizations.
Hunger Week chairwoman Mandy Mahan, a junior religion major, said this year’s events include a hunger jail, a canned food drive, a “shantytown” to raise homelessness awareness, hunger chapel, a service project and a hunger banquet and auction.
 |
|
Charles Gregoire/SKIFF STAFF
Anabella Acevedo-Leal, assistant professor of Spanish and Latin American studies, and John Singleton, director of international services, are locked in the hunger jail Monday. The jail, which houses volunteer inmates until they have raised $20 to be released, is one of several 2000 Hunger Week activities on campus. |
Mahan and other students staged a homelessness demonstration Monday night by building a mock “shantytown” out of cardboard boxes and tarpaulins. Students slept outside on the tarpaulins and used only a few blankets and a trash can fire to warm themselves, Mahan said.
Heather Patriacca, a junior religion major, who participated in last year’s demonstration, said the event provides a more realistic approach to hunger education.
“It was extremely cold,” Patriacca said. “We practically slept on top of each other.”
Mahan said although hunger may not be a visible problem on campus, it can’t be ignored within the community and world.
“We cannot allow ourselves to look past this as if we are unaffected,” Mahan said. “We must provide ways for people to educate themselves while helping others.”
According to Oxfam America, a national hunger alleviation organization, hunger plagues an estimated 840 million people — one out of every seven people in the world, including 30 million in the United States.
Mahan said events like the hunger jail and silent auction will allow students unique opportunities to participate.
“The events are highly visible on campus,” Mahan said. “We chose events that would attract a lot of attention while focusing on awareness.”
A jail constructed of chicken wire and wood will house volunteer inmates until they have raised needed donations to be released, Mahan said. The cost to have someone released is $20. Participants can also have someone thrown in jail to raise funds for the week, Mahan said.
John Singleton, director of international services, was jailed Monday morning in an effort to raise attention for hunger education.
“It’s hard to empathize with hunger issues,” Singleton said. “Many people in this country are removed from the problem and few pay attention.”
Anabella Acevedo-Leal, professor of Spanish and Latin American studies, said there is often a generational gap that affects participants.
“This generation grew up in a time of fortune and abundance,” she said. “It is really sad to watch people walk by without even noticing.”
The Hunger Week banquet and auction will begin 7 p.m. Wednesday in the University Christian Church fellowship hall. Tickets are $7 and can be obtained at the door or from University Ministries.
The scheduled speaker for this year’s banquet is Bliss Browne, founder of Imagine Chicago. Mahan said
Browne will discuss how individuals can invest themselves in their city’s future. Imagine Chicago is an inter-generational initiative to cultivate hope and civic commitment among the people of Chicago.
Mahan said items auctioned at the banquet range from student-made pottery to celebrity memorabilia. Auction items are on display in the University Ministries Lounge and silent bids will be taken until 2 p.m. today.
Cans for the food drive are being accepted in residence halls and can be dropped off in the University Ministries Lounge throughout the week. Members of the community are invited to bring three canned items in order to save $5 on tickets to Saturday’s football game against UT-El Paso.
Matt Jones
matthewsjones@hotmail.com