The 2012-2013 school year contained many newsworthy events. Here's a slideshow of the Top 13 moments from this school year.
1. TCU Basketball upsets No. 5 Kansas at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum
In the TCU sports world, and in the 2012-13 academic year, TCU's first-ever win over a top-five ranked team belongs as the top moment of the school year.
TCU men's basketball was looking for its first Big 12 win, hosting a Kansas team with national championship aspirations and an unparalleled collegiate basketball pedigree.
As the heavily-favored Jayhawks missed shot after shot, the Frogs went into their locker room at halftime with a shocking 22-13 lead. The usually empty Daniel-Meyer Coliseum was packed to the brim with a Kansas-heavy crowd and an overflowing TCU student section, as the chants of both teams echoed off the walls, mixing together in a clash of sounds and voices.
As the game neared its end, the students on the front row dangled their legs over the guardrail, waiting for the clock to hit zero. And then it happened.
The buzzer sounded, and students stormed the court in a mass of purple and white. Hoisting Garlon Green and other TCU players on their shoulders, fans crushed together on the hardwood floor and screamed their lungs out. Not together, but as one. The students who were there will almost certainly never forget it.
2. The Casey Pachall Saga
On the other side of the sports spectrum, TCU's attention was captivated by quarterback Casey Pachall's intriguing and ever-twisting storyline.
The Frogs quarterback's reputation as a bad boy was increased as drug confessions showed up in the summer, then came to a peak in October, when he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
Head football coach Gary Patterson suspended him indefinitely and TCU promptly lost its first football game of the season three days later.
Just five days after Pachall's arrest, Patterson announced that Pachall was withdrawing from the university to attend rehab.
Pachall rejoined the team in January and practiced with the first-team squad in spring football. Pachall’s story may shift from controversy to redemption next fall, when TCU football opens its season against a tough LSU team in Cowboys Stadium.
3. Bronze SuperFrog and the SGA Impeachment Trial
Who knew one statue could stir up so much controversy on campus?
Over homecoming weekend, a new bronze statue of TCU's mascot, SuperFrog, was revealed to students and alumni. What started as a surprise from Student Body President Brent Folan turned into an avalanche of controversy over SGA spending.
The statue was later revealed to have cost SGA $50,000, a cost that students began to criticize. It was only the beginning of the criticism directed at Folan, who then came under fire for allegedly commissioning the statue without a vote from the SGA House of Representatives, a record of the Executive Cabinet's approval or any records of a vote for the statue.
Criticism increased as Folan said that the Cabinet did vote on and approve the statue construction, but also said that the record of the vote was lost when Evan Folan's – his brother and former Chief of Staff – computer crashed.
A motion to formally begin impeachment proceedings was brought against Folan on October 30, but a judicial meeting found the impeachment unfounded, clearing Folan of any wrongdoing.
Folan finished his term as Student Body President, but lost his re-election campaign. As a result of the Bronze SuperFrog controversy, SGA made transparency in voting, budgeting and all procedures a main priority in the spring semester.
4. TCU Athletics opens its first season in the Big 12
As the Frogs opened up their first season in the Big 12, fans could not wait to pile into Amon G. Carter Stadium for TCU’s first season in the Big 12. The conference change meant renewed rivalries with old Southwest Conference opponents, a packed stadium filled with visitors and record television contracts for the school.
With a 7-6 record and a bowl game loss, Horned Frogs football had a below-average season compared to seasons which ended with BCS bowl games. The nation seemed to give TCU slack, however, noting TCU's off-the-field issues with player personnel. The Horned Frogs enter 2013 as a favorite in the Big 12 conference, returning 17 starters from last season.
Although basketball struggled to find Big 12 wins, the team got marquee wins against ranked opponents Kansas and Oklahoma.
Baseball started the season with high hopes, ranking 12th in the preseason. Hitting proved to be a problem over the season, however, leaving TCU no better than .500. Despite the struggles, head coach Jim Schlossnagle and pitcher Brandon Finnegan were named to Team USA to serve the country as top picks from collegiate baseball.
Other sports have seen success as well, as men's and women's tennis landed in the top half of the Big 12, and men’s tennis led the nation in attendance at matches.
The women's soccer team finished as a runner-up in the conference championship, the track team won multiple individual championships and golfer Julien Brun was named as a Ben Hogan award finalist, as the men's golf team consistently found themselves in the top-10 national rankings.
5. Social Media Runs Wild: Twitter, Tinder, Lulu, TCU Admirers, TCU Compliments
More than ever before, it seems students at TCU are living their lives on social media. They communicate, gossip, work and meet one another all within the online domain.
Social media became increasingly personal in TCU’s 2012-2013 school year, as applications like Tinder and Lulu became the hot new thing.
Lulu is a girls-only app that allows users to review and rate guys that they are Facebook friends with. Another app, Tinder, acts a digital meet-and-greet, allowing users to meet new and nearby people based on their profile picture.
Both of these apps created buzz on campus, as students rated other students and interacted. Some called it shallow, some called it interesting.
Facebook pages specific to TCU made student’s thoughts more vocal and more personal, allowing students to anonymously express their opinions about one another.
TCU Admirers lets students express their “crushes, confessions, or missed confessions” about other students without their identity being told. TCU Compliments provides a forum for students to voice their appreciation for members of the TCU community.
Whether it was plastered on a wall, a feed or some other kind of screen, student’s voices were heard online this year.
6. Texas “Construction” University: New Residence Halls, Parking Garage Plans, Roads, Statues
This school year saw many new construction projects, including residence halls, road reconstruction and the new student memorial.
The building of three new residence halls started this school year in Worth Hills. The three new residence halls will hopefully solve the yearly housing crisis created by a lack of space for the rapid expanding student body population. The construction on the first two residence halls has completed, and construction on the third residence hall is expected to be finished by August 2014.
The residence halls are part of TCU’s Vision in Action program, which has been in place since 2006. The Vision in Action master plan includes the Worth Hills residence halls, new sorority and fraternity houses, a dining hall and a parking garage.
The roads around TCU are also under construction. At the beginning of the school year, work started on Berry Street to add medians, increase the amount of pedestrian areas and re-pave the roads. The intersection of University and Berry was also torn up to widen walking lanes and lay brick in the middle.
Stadium Drive is in the middle of a 135-day construction project to continue a water main from the BLUU to midcourt drive, and will be completed by an overlay of asphalt.
In addition to the construction on the roads and in Worth Hills, a couple of new monuments and statues have gone up on campus.
In addition to the bronze SuperFrog statue in the Commons, another statue was installed on campus this year. A bronze Horned Frog laying on a rock just outside of Amon G. Carter stadium down on Frog Alley was unveiled as part of the annual Spring Frog Fest this April. In addition, a new student memorial was installed in between Reed Hall and Jarvis Hall. The single standing lotus leaf is meant to honor members of the TCU community who have died.
7. Trevone Boykin’s Rise: West Virginia & Baylor
It’s not often a redshirt freshman starts a game at quarterback for a prominent school in college football. Even less often does that freshman start his first game after two days of practice with the starting team.
That’s the fire that Trevone Boykin was thrown into last October after Casey Pachall’s arrest.
Boykin was practicing that week with the running backs, but started at quarterback on less than 48 hours' notice in the Frogs' first-ever home Big 12 game.
Despite a loss to the Iowa State Cyclones, the student body rallied around Boykin, chanting his name game after game in constant support of him.
Boykin emerged as quarterback against Baylor in Waco, completing all 13 of his third down pass attempts, four of which turned into touchdowns. He rushed for a touchdown as well, as TCU beat the Bears 49-21.
Although Boykin would injure his shoulder against Kansas State, he led the Frogs to Big 12 victories over opponents favored to beat him, including the heart-stopper double overtime game in Morgantown over West Virginia and a win against Texas on Thanksgiving night in Austin.
8. Blake Shelton Rocks TCU
Every fall semester since 2008, SGA has been bringing in big names to perform a free year-opening concert, and 2012 was no different.
Country singer Blake Shelton came to campus to celebrate the start of TCU’s first season in the Big 12 and the grand opening of the newly renovated Amon G. Carter Stadium.
Shelton played a variety of his hits and entertained a large crowd of students who filled the Dee J. Kelly lawn for the concert.
TCU alum and American Idol finalist Tim Halperin opened for Shelton.
Earlier that day, students and visitors were treated to a ribbon cutting for the new stadium, as well as a chance to tour the new stadium and all of its new amenities.
9. Newly Renovated Amon G. Carter Stadium Opens: Frog Alley & Student Tailgating
A number of changes came with TCU's joining of the Big 12, including a renovation of Amon G. Carter Stadium.
The renovation cost around $164 million, which was supplied by a group of 95 donors. It was the first major renovation to the stadium since 1956.
The construction began in 2010 and was completed by the 2012 home opener against Grambling State.
Chancellor Boschini called the stadium the “Camden Yards of College Football Stadiums.”
10. Intercom Controversy
TCU’s Intercom thinktank was thrust into the spotlight after controversy about diversity on the organization's board.
Intercom, a group composed of the presidents of all the major student organizations on campus including SGA, gained the campus’s attention last August after Student Body President Brent Folan eliminated one of the positions within the council.
Folan eliminated one of two chairs belonging to Inclusive and Intercultural Services on Intercom because he said that reducing the council membership to 11 would diffuse any possible voting ties or issues.
Jordan Mazurek, the Intercom member who had his position eliminated (and who later led the charge to impeach Folan), disagreed with Folan’s decision because he said Intercom never took any formal votes.
The other Inclusive and Intercultural Services representative on Intercom, Marisol Sigala, said that the second position was needed because it represents such a large portion of the student body. IIS's constituency includes transfer students, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community as well as student veterans and minority groups.
After the seat elimination, TCU’s NAACP began circulating a petition to have the seat restored, and collected over four pages of signatures supporting the cause.
Folan then addressed the campus through a personally written letter on TCU 360, suggesting a new model for Intercom with a different structure of membership.
Once former SGA President Josh Simpson took over, Intercom made a strong effort to define its own purpose and added three new seats representing veterans student services, transfer student services, and student athletes.
11. New Restaurants: Raising Cane’s, Coldstone, Frogberry, McAlister’s, Toppers, Big 12 Bar, Pie Five
The 2012-2013 school year saw a major increase in the choices students have in off-campus dining. Several new restaurants opened within walking distance or within just a few miles of campus.
On Berry Street, Toppers Pizza opened and gave students yet another option for pizza, both dine-in and delivered. XII Whiskey Bar & Grill also opened on Berry, providing students a venue to grab a drink as well as a bite to eat.
The strip of eateries on South University Boulevard also saw major renovations and several additions, including McAlister’s Deli on the corner next to the bookstore.
Down the sidewalk from McAlister’s, a Cold Stone Creamery opened up shop where Yo! used to be, and quickly became popular.
Though Yo! closed, the frozen yogurt supply has not stopped, as Sweet Frog opened up across the street next to Potbelly's, making students choose between that and Cold Stone if they want a sweet treat.
Lastly, fast-food restaurant Raising Cane’s, opened multiple stores within a few miles of campus. One is located on University, the other on South Hulen Street.
Furthermore, a Pie Five is scheduled to open up sometime next semester. It will sit right between McAlister’s and Record Town on South University.
Attached is a map where you can find all the locations mentioned and more.
12. AOPi colonization on campus
In mid-September, TCU saw its 12th sorority colonize on campus. The women of Alpha Omicron Pi held their inaugural bid day on September 15 and their colonization ceremony on September 16.
The sorority inducted around 70 members and has already begun working on philanthropy events and making their name known on campus.
National representatives of AOPi had been recruiting potential founding members from TCU throughout the fall of 2012.
Mary Sweeney, educational leadership consultant for AOPi, said that the women of AOPi have already been well received on campus and welcomed into the Greek community by many fraternities and sororities.
13. Exodus Retreat Begins
A new type of retreat started this year on TCU’s campus that offers students the chance to make the same lasting relationships that they may have built at Frog Camp, but with a different foundation at heart.
Exodus, a non-denominational off-campus Christian retreat, took place over Labor Day and looked to get incoming first-year students plugged into a Christian community, whether it be a church, small group or campus organization.
In addition, the retreat offered students a chance to hear from upperclassman about what kinds of situations and problems they may face in their four years at TCU.
Exodus had 55 people sign-up in their inaugural retreat, and sophomore Jimmy Sweeney, a member of the Exodus leadership team, said it was extremely successful.
“I’d say about 80 percent of our campers applied to be counselors, which shows that they enjoyed it and found it to be a fruitful experience,” he said.
To apply for next year’s Exodus retreat, visit its webpage and click on the “Register” tab.
