By Tealy Dippel staff reporter Freshmen could be equipped with new laptop computers to use throughout their TCU careers if Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari approves a plan written by members of the Computer and Telecommunications Committee. Ferrari will review the proposal Friday. In 1996, university officials held a discussion regarding the need for a technology document at TCU, which would confront technological problems on campus. It wasn't until the end of Spring 1999, however, that Ferrari asked CAT members, a committee that deals with ongoing matters on campus, to devise a proposal to provide students with computers that could be used campuswide. Arthur Busbey, an associate professor of geology and chairman of CAT, said the Steering Document includes plans that would implement wireless networking, which would allow students to move around easily from classroom to classroom with their laptops. "We would like to have a system designed so students can get a computer where payment would be included in tuition, kind of a lease program," Busbey said. "The lease would come up in three years. Then when a senior leaves, they could leave with a new computer." Larry Markley, director of the Student Center and the Student Government Association adviser, said there is a need to improve technology at TCU. "TCU for a long time was way behind technology-wise, but in the last three to five years we have really been catching up," Markley said. Ben Jenkins, House of Student Representatives treasurer and a member of the CAT committee, agreed, saying laptops are a vision of the committee. "It's a good idea," Jenkins said. "There's momentum behind the force because we want to make a change. Some revolution will happen. It's just a matter of when it will happen." Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Don Mills said he thinks there are pros and cons to the issue. "It would be nice to have computers which all had the same programs, but when Wake Forest instigated the plan it raised their tuition by $4,000," Mills said. Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, N.C., implemented a similar plan four years ago, when incoming freshmen received a new laptop. Sheri Bridges, an assistant professor of marketing at Wake Forest, said the program has many advantages, including improving computer-enhanced learning and relationships between students and faculty members. "It's encouraging faculty to find ways to integrate computers into their teaching," she said. "Faculty and students are more in touch with one another and with other universities." Members of the TCU community also cited several advantages to providing laptops to incoming freshmen. Matt Louis, chairman of technology advancement for the House, said the new plan would be beneficial to freshmen. "A computer was a big deal for me as a freshman," Louis said. "If the school could help you and tell you what you needed, it would be a lot better." Mills said the plan would help improve people's perception of students and the university. "If every student had a computer making it an integral part of education, it would give people a better view of TCU as a quality academic institution," he said.
Tealy Dippel
By Justin Roche staff reporter Members of the TCU Police and the theatre department said they are hoping the power of fiction will impact reality with a new program called Assault Prevention Theatre. The program features TCU theater students in dramatic performances of sexual assault situations designed to show students the dangers and solutions of rape and abusive relationships, TCU Sgt. Connie Villela said. Presenting this information to students through live dramatizations will engage the audience's attention and get the message across with more impact, Villela said. "To put people in front of an audience really holds their attention," she said. "You can turn away from a lecture but not a live performance." The APT currently has three different 10 to 15 minute sketches designed to show students how, through various situations, sexual assault and dating violence can happen. The vignettes are written so students can relate to familiar situations like parties and dating and are geared to educate both men and women through a powerful medium, Villela said. The students will hold their third performance at 9 p.m. Oct. 12 in the Foster Hall lobby. It is open to the TCU community. The program was created in the spring and developed over the summer. Actors were chosen in August and have performed for the Interfraternity Council and Greek 101. Villela said she hopes the program is successful and will someday be performed for high schools and other groups interested in assault education. TCU theatre department chairman Forrest Newlin said presenting the message through acting is a powerful way to educate people. "The idea of using theater is to use a dramatization of something to give it more impact and make it real to someone," he said. "To see it happen can be a far more startling and effective means of teaching." The program is designed to be preventive and proactive in nature. Newlin said he hopes students will be able to avoid similar situations after witnessing these events. "This is intended to educate young people about what can happen before it can happen," he said. "The more informed people are the more apt they are to make good and right decisions." The acting troupe consists of four TCU theater students: Jorge Castaneda, Marshal Mills, Eileen Trilli and Carmen Quiros. All the actors received training from the Women's Center of Tarrant County, Inc., so they could have more background on the subject and give a more convincing performance, Villela said. Dimitar Orovcanec, student director for the program, said the APT is more than a simple performance. "It is not just theater for the pure art form," he said. "It is theater with a message. It's not just to educate but to create an awareness."
Justin Roche
By Steven Baker staff reporter The notions that all black male students are athletes and most students are rich are just some of the reinforced stereotypes at TCU, said Cornell Thomas, special assistant to the chancellor for diversity and community. Monday through Wednesday, Thomas and TCU faculty, staff and students will explore ways of breaking racial barriers in order to create a more inclusive community within TCU and the rest of the world as part of the "President's Initiative For One America." President Clinton began the program Feb. 5, 1999, in an effort to promote racial reconciliation through a national dialogue on race and to identify policies that can expand opportunities for racial and ethnic minorities, according to the White House's Web site. Thomas said social barriers between races begins from experiences that people have when they are very young. "We all have records of events that happened in our lives that cause us to think in certain ways," he said. "In order to combat those things, we have to make a conscious, more aggressive effort with ourselves to fight against those things that are inside of us." A committee of faculty, staff and students began planning for the initiative three weeks ago. The committee met to plan four events that will be free and open to the public. The first event, "Town Hall Meeting," will be moderated by Don Mills, vice chancellor for student affairs, and will be held at noon Tuesday in the Student Center lounge. At the beginning of the meeting, Mills will ask prepared questions regarding racial issues to a panel of faculty, staff and students. The audience will then have a chance to respond and ask questions of their own. Mills said all races can learn from each others' experiences. "We want to have a diverse panel at the 'Town Hall Meeting,'" he said. "We want people to talk about how race has either affected their education or their experience at TCU. And then move beyond that at some point where race is seen as a resource and not a problem." The other three events will consist of two lectures and one discussion. The lecture "Where Do We Go From Here?" will be at 7 p.m. Monday in the Student Center Ballroom. The lecture "Diversity Inside and Outside the TCU Bubble" will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Clark Hall lobby and will be conducted by Thomas and Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Bob Ray Sanders. Student Government Association President Ben Alexander will moderate the discussion, "Speak Out About Our Future," at noon Monday in the Student Center lounge. Students attending the University Retreat this weekend, where the topic will be diversity, will begin the discussion. Some students said they are unsure about the president's initiative events at TCU. Kenny Thompson, freshman premajor, said he has friends of all races, but does not anticipate much change after the initiative. "I think some students are interested, but the majority are (indifferent)," he said. Kylie McCarville, a freshman English major, said there is a definite gap between races at TCU. "Students will only go to these events if it affects them," she said. "Otherwise, they are cool with whatever goes on." Thomas said events that deal with race concepts are continually being planned for the future. Most people would prefer not to talk about this issue, he said. "We need to challenge our beliefs and the way we do things on a daily basis," he said. "It is really not a struggle. In a sense it is exciting. "It is not what we are, but what we are becoming that is the most important aspect in our lives."
Steven Baker
By Alan Melson staff reporter Tree-lined medians, bigger sidewalks and residential and retail construction are on the drawing boards for Berry Street. Members of the Berry Street redevelopment team presented their preliminary findings Thursday night at a town hall meeting held at Travis Avenue Baptist Church. These findings, the first phase of the redevelopment process, will be presented next week to the Fort Worth City Council who will then vote on how to proceed with the project.
The plan calls for Berry Street to be divided into three distinct areas. The first is the "parks" district, which begins at I-35 and runs west along Berry Street. The "commercial" district is sandwiched in the middle. The largest area, closest to TCU, is the "university" district, which runs from Ryan Avenue to University Drive. The preliminary plans give each district a unique layout and appearance, while keeping a unified theme that will run the length of Berry Street. The Goodman Corporation, a planning firm from Houston, is spearheading the redevelopment efforts. Chris Peck, a planner with Goodman and project manager for the Berry Street redevelopment, said his findings were based on input from various residents and community representatives. Peck said the majority of people he heard from wanted a more consistent "look" for Berry Street and a design that would increase pedestrian traffic and encourage shops and restaurants to come to the area. "This is the culmination of five months of work with the community to get input about what the future vision of Berry Street should be," Peck said. "Our goal is to create a visually attractive Berry Street, filled with places for people to live, learn, work, shop (and) interact socially." Rich Flierl, an Atlanta-based designer who did most of the preliminary design work for the Berry Street project, compared the redevelopment team's vision to several other successful urban university-area districts. He showed pictures of some of these areas, including the Stanford University Village district in Palo Alto, Calif., and the Cherry Creek North area near the University of Denver in Colorado. The meeting, hosted by the Berry Street Initiative and Fort Worth City Council member Wendy Davis, provided a forum for local residents, business owners and community leaders to view the plans and voice their opinions. John Belknap, a nearby resident, said he was encouraged by what he heard at the meeting. "It's something that needs to happen, and anything that we can do to help it out, we need to do," Belknap said. "I like the thought of reducing the speed of traffic along Berry ... it would turn it more into a village-type street than the freeway it is right now." June O'Quinn, a Ryan Place resident who lives off Berry Street, said she thought the plans were interesting but the redevelopment team needed to focus more on providing more mass transit alternatives. "They need to get rid of that median with the trees," O'Quinn said. "(They) should put the trees on each side and put a trolley down the middle. People could get on a trolley at (TCU) and ride down to some place along Berry," O'Quinn said. Davis said the city council hopes to eventually encourage retail and restaurant development along Berry as part of the plan, possibly through economic incentives or other benefits. "Just the incentive of going in front of potential developers and being able to say 'this is what we are doing with Berry Street,' will be an added attraction to bringing more businesses to the area," Davis said. "(Developers) understand that if the street succeeds as a whole, that's going to help them in the long run. We just have to hope that as that happens, we can bring in even more of the right kind of businesses."
Alan Melson |
The meeting was used to present designs showing a narrower
Berry Street with trees, landscaping and "recessed" parallel
parking. There are several alternatives for the exact layout, but each
is designed to foster more pedestrian activity and less fast-moving traffic.
Those in attendance at the meeting also voted on the style of signs that
will be used to direct drivers and pedestrians to important landmarks along
Berry Street, including TCU and Paschal High School.| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |