Story by Jeff Meddaugh/EDITOR IN CHIEF Photos by David Dunai/PHOTO EDITOR
Enthusiasm and progress, tragedy and healing marked an adventurous fall semester for members of the TCU community. Sweating from a summer that again brought triple-digit temperatures, students arrived on campus that was soon to feature a cool new eatery - recently named "Frog Bytes" - that loaded upon students various menu options, computer stations and, of course, a wave of new grumblings against Marriott food services. And the state of Texas brought something else to the table: a drinking law that lowered the legal blood-alcohol limit from .10 percent to .08 percent, perhaps keeping some bar patrons from spending less at their favorite watering hole. TCU sports fans kept some of the stands full this fall as they helped to ring in yet another bowl berth for head coach Dennis Franchione and the Horned Frog football team. The inaugural Mobile, Ala., Bowl will host the team - including record-breaking running back LaDainian Tomlinson - as it battles the East Carolina Pirates Dec. 22. But don't forget the rebirth of an old, familiar sight. A leaner, meaner SuperFrog replaced a former, "flabby" get-up that many said "had a little potbelly his TCU shirt was fighting to cover." That's not to mention TCU's acceptance to join Conference USA, a move that is sure to set a different pace for many of the university's athletic programs beginning in Fall 2001. Sept. 15 brought an unimaginable event that shattered a community - and once again, the nation - with violence and tragedy. Seven people were killed and seven other injured when a gunman opened fire at prayer rally at Wedgwood Baptist Church in southwest Fort Worth, several miles from the TCU campus. Students, faculty and staff seemed to draw even closer after one of their own - Kim Jones, a December 1998 graduate - was killed in the attack. And a week later, thousands of mourners from across North Texas gathered to pray for hope and healing at Amon Carter Stadium. Prompted by the lack of activism on campus, a number of students in October formed the Leftist Student Union, a group hoping to provide an outlet for freedom of thought. That same month, TCU librarians made an intriguing discovery in the basement of the Mary Couts Burnett Library: 8mm film of some of President John F. Kennedy's final hours in Fort Worth before his assassination on Nov. 22, 1963. TCU increased its traffic on the information superhighway with its decision to switch all university mailings from paper to e-mail. The grueling processes of advising and registration also turned paperless, followed by the first online elections for Student Government Association officers in November. For SGA, the primary "e-lection" rallied nearly 1,900 students to cast their vote, an impressive 63 percent increase over voter turnout last year. Many students also combined their efforts to pour money and time into Hunger Week, a time meant to walk in the shoes of the less-fortunate, while hundreds also gave gifts to needy children as Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari lighted a festively decorated Christmas tree Dec. 1. And trying to redefine the "TCU way," university officials launched a bold initiative in the Commission on the Future of TCU. The assembly of students, faculty, community members hopes to take the university to "the next level" - and wherever else that progress may take us.
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