By Lori Eshelman staff reporter Increased undergraduate enrollment and student retention, enhanced Internet access and preliminary renovation plans were several of the key issues Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari reported to the TCU Board of Trustees at its fall meeting Friday. "Last week was a great week in TCU history," said John Roach, chairman of the Board of Trustees. "The seeds planted there will lead to a future enhanced with great achievements and distinction for the university." Roach said last week's events - which included the record financial participation from alumni during Homecoming events, the dedication of the School of Music, the strong attendance at the launch of the Commission on the Future of TCU and the dedication of the Tom Brown/Pete Wright Residential Community - were especially encouraging. TCU also had a three percent increase in undergraduate enrollment, which rose from 7,395 last fall to 7,603 this fall. In addition, the freshman-to-sophomore retention rate - a critical index in most institutional ratings - increased from 80 percent to 83 percent this year. Ferrari also announced TCU's partnership with four other universities in North Texas to secure high-speed access to Internet 2, the next generation of the Internet. Ferrari said this capability will enhance teaching and research abilities for faculty and staff members and provide a stronger platform to deliver and access Web-based instruction. The trustees also discussed preliminary renovation plans for the Student Center and the Rickel Building, and the administration will study plans submitted by two architectural firms. "Preliminary planning is in progress, but no decision has been made as to when construction might start," Roach said. Ferrari also added a third meeting of the Board of Trustees, which will be held each January in addition to the November and March meetings. Roach said a third meeting was added to enable board members to be more informed about what is happening at the university. Ferrari had three meetings when he was president of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. "I think it is clear that Dr. Ferrari's leadership is very important to the future of the university, and his success in long-range planning at Drake is indicative of that," Roach said. In other business, the board: - Approved a joint resolution on continuing affiliation and services between TCU and Brite Divinity School that strengthens their institutional association and clarifies governance arrangements. The board also endorsed bylaws approved by the Board of Trustees of Brite Divinity School to rename the positions of dean and associate dean to president and vice president and academic dean, respectively, as is customary among seminary schools. - Authorized the renovation of Foster Hall, part of the ongoing residence hall renovation program, at the cost of $8.1 million. - Approved the design for the William E. and Jean Jones Tucker Technology Center and authorized the production of construction and engineering documents. - Approved resolutions honoring former trustees and honorary members of the board James R. Curtis Sr., who passed away July 2, 1999, and Marion L. Hicks, who passed away July 31, 1999.
Lori Eshelman
By Kristen Naquin campus editor When Laura Cruzada came to visit TCU, she thought she had found her home for the next four years. But now - more than halfway into the first semester of her freshman year - Cruzada has decided to not return to TCU in the spring. "I am just not happy here," she said. "It's been hard finding friends. As far as people being nice, it's 'hi' and 'bye,' but it doesn't go deeper than that. I could get involved, but I don't feel like I fit in." Although statistics released Nov. 11 reveal that TCU's freshman-to-sophomore retention rate for the 1998-99 academic year reached an all-time high of 83 percent, Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari and other university administrators said TCU's rate is not yet high enough. The most prestigious private universities in the country have freshman-to-sophomore retention rates that reach into the 90s, Ferrari said. "To increase three points in one year is really quite impressive," he said, referring to the 1997-98 retention rate of 80 percent. "It's a step in the right direction, but it can and should be higher. It gives us the basis to continue building to the future level." Because the freshman-to-sophomore retention rate is so significant when judging the overall quality of an institution, TCU officials must work diligently to improve its rate, Ferrari said. "If institutions judging the quality of a university can look at one and only one statistic, it will be the retention rate," he said. "It is something any private institution should attend to." But Sandra Ware, dean of admissions, said the freshman-to-sophomore retention rate should not be studied in isolation. "It depends on so many factors," she said. "It is a multi-dimensional situation. Students may tell you one reason (for transferring), and it may be another reason: boyfriend, girlfriend, can't decide what to study, home influences or students don't know what to expect in the university environment." Ferrari said there are a variety of reasons students leave TCU after their first semester or year, some over which university officials have no control. Other reasons include personal problems, family influences, financial reasons and the lack of academic programs, he said. Darron Turner, director of minority affairs and commuter-student services, said an unrealistic expectation of what TCU will be like also contributes to transfer rates. Because admissions officials do not necessarily discuss campus diversity with prospective students, some minority students are not aware of campus demographics until they arrive. "I wouldn't underestimate the power of a good PR person," he said. "They put the (university's) strong points first." Therefore, Turner said he tries to ensure that organizations that represent ethnic minority students are functional so these students have a forum to discuss relevant issues. He also tries to ensure that minority students have made connections on campus, he said. Ferrari said several programs which have been initiated over the past few years - including new-student orientation, Howdy Week, Frog Camp, residence-hall activities and faculty and staff mentoring - contributed to the retention-rate increase. "It is not because of one program or one office," he said. "It has to be a university-wide commitment to make sure students don't fall through the cracks." Ferrari said the success of these programs - many of which are sponsored by Student Development Services and Residential Services - lies in their ability to fully connect students with the university. "The most significant factor (contributing to freshman-to-sophomore retention) is the depth of connection or engagement of the student in the university in the first six to eight weeks he or she is here," he said.
By Jessica Schambach staff reporter After 10 months of searching, Zeta Phi Beta finally found its niche at TCU. The five members who comprise the predominately black sorority were officially inducted Friday night in the Woodson Room of the Student Center. "Our sorority (was) founded in 1920 off five members," said Cinnamon Sheffield, advisor to the sorority. "We figure we can start there and continue to get it to where it needs to be. We want to get a firm foundation started here." Last semester, representatives questioned whether Zeta Phi Beta would be successful with few members, and they delayed the sorority's official recognition. Rick Barnes, director of special projects for the division of student affairs, said the 10-member requirement to begin a chapter was lowered to five members for groups under the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the governing body for black Greek organizations at TCU. He said minimum membership was lowered shortly after the debate last semester. "Part of the reason behind that was simply due to the limited opportunity that these groups have for members from within the student body," he said. "There are not as many African-American students that meet their qualifications." He said Zeta Phi Beta was recognized Sept. 23 by the university but an internal processes delayed induction. Sheffield, the women's assistant track coach and a former member of Zeta Phi Beta at Louisiana State University, played an instrumental part in getting the sorority underway. "We're giving a variety - a different type of organization," she said. "The community service activities we do will be more prolific here on campus. We want to tie in the community with TCU and our graduate chapter." Zeta Phi Beta member Brandi Odle, a sophomore international communication and fashion merchandising major, said the "realness" of Zeta Phi Beta appealed to her. "I believe that through Zeta (Phi Beta) I can influence others to live with finer womanhood and delegate scholarship, as well as service in the community," she said. In addition, low membership of the other black sororities on campus is not a strong basis to exclude additional sororities, Odle said. "If this were a predominately black school then we would have higher numbers," she said. "And no sorority is exactly the same. Our principles as far as sisterhood are basically the same, but as far as the emphasis on certain things, they're different. Regardless, there should be a variety because there are different people on campus." Taria Mathis, a junior elementary education major and a member of Zeta Phi Beta, agreed. "Just as there are different types of people, there are different types of groups," she said. "And different groups appeal to certain people. I feel that Zeta Phi Beta is just another avenue for the African-American young ladies to look at." Sheffield said the chapter will hold informational meetings, and members will recruit others to increase membership. "It's not about (saying) we have a new sorority - come join," she said. "It's about the young ladies we started with, who they know and bringing them into the organization. We'll give young ladies around campus an overview of the sorority and let them see if this is what they've been looking for." Alpha Kappa Alpha President Janae Hafford said she's not worried about Zeta Phi Beta taking membership away from AKA, instead she's happy students will have more options. "Alpha Kappa Alpha isn't for everyone," she said. "Zeta Phi Beta gives people more of a chance to find something that might be fit for them."
Jessica Schambach
By Steven Baker staff reporter With today's emergence of Skiff TV, students can observe the birth of a new type of interactive communication. Skiff TV is a news Internet site that combines print, broadcast and the World Wide Web, allowing people to see, hear and watch TCU news. Students who enroll in Broadcast Reporting will record, write and edit their own stories for the Internet site. "This is the way people will be doing stories in the future," said Aaron Chimbel, a sophomore broadcast journalism major. "All the types of media are becoming intertwined. Through Skiff TV, we are learning to rely on ourselves and how to do professional work."
Suzanne Huffman, chairwoman of the broadcast journalism sequence, said Skiff TV will help make graduates more competitive in the job market. "This gives students an opportunity to create something new," she said. "The strength of video is that it can take us there and show us what is going on. This is a complement to the Skiff." Chimbel's story is almost two minutes and contains video and audio that is available in Quicktime movie player format. "The sound bytes are short, and the video is good in his story," Huffman said. "He interviews students about something that matters to them." TCU is one of a few programs in the country utilizing the Internet in different ways to complement the already existing media at their schools. An alumnus anonymously donated $5,000 for the purchase of microphones, video cameras and tripods, and the university recently gave the journalism department $15,000 for editing equipment to be used with Skiff TV. "This will give broadcast students an outlet that is international in scope," Huffman said. "It creates a platform for something different. International students can do two versions of their story, one in English and one in their native language. This will bring eyeballs to the TCU Web site." Skiff Editor in Chief Jeff Meddaugh said the broadcast reports are a welcome addition to the Skiff Web site. "This will only help to enhance campus coverage and provide a variety of reports for our readers," he said. "And it's a sign that the student publications division is progressing and moving in the same exciting direction as other kinds of media outlets." Tommy Thomason, chairman of the journalism department, said this program has been brought to TCU because of the convergence of print and broadcast that will occur in the near future. "Ultimately, what we want is a full scale program that does everything the Skiff does but in a TV format," he said. "But this is not a different delivery service for an old medium like television. The Internet is a new medium."
Steven Baker
Skiff TV News Brief - 11/23/99 Several buildings are being renovated on the TCU campus. Changes to the Student Center mean changes in student dining choices, Aaron Chimbel reports on the new Frogbytes.
Get Quicktime Movie Player 4.0 Now! This program will enable to view this and other movie files of this type on the Internet. You may already have this or another version of Quicktime installed on your computer. If you click on the Skiff TV link, and get an error message, you will have to install Quicktime now. To install Quicktime, simply download the file from the webpage at this link, and save this file to your computer. Once the file is downloaded, you may open it and run the installer program. This program will install Quicktime 4.0 on your computer so you can view movie files from the web. Once the program is installed, you may have to restart your computer, but make sure you come back and download the movie file for TCU's first Skiff TV Web Broadcast!! |
Students enrolled in the class this semester have already
completed or are working on putting stories together for the Internet.
Chimbel's story on the new TCU eatery, Frog Bytes, will appear today on
the TCU Daily Skiff Internet site: (www.skiff.tcu.edu).| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |