"Final Cut: No lights. No cameras. All Action!"At Hangman's House of Horrors, one of the top-ranked attractions in Tarrant County, new scares can be found.

Hangman's doesn't claim to be the scariest, but instead, the most fun, said Aryn Young, production assistant for La-De-Da Productions, the theatrical production company that sponsors Hangman's.

"We're definitely the most entertaining," Young said. "And I think that's why we've been so successful."

It's 8:15 a.m. Inside Room 215, 20 hunched-over students scratch and scrawl away with No. 2 pencils on their first task of the day.

It's both familiar and uncharted territory for these high school juniors and seniors. And for 25 minutes of a grueling three-hour-and-45-minute SAT exam, like the nearly 1.4 million students across the nation who took it in spring and early summer, they must complete not only multiple-choice questions but also, for the first time, demonstrate their writing ability.

At Hangman's House of Horrors the volunteers have a large role in the planning and production of the haunted house.They play a part in everything from the theme to the sets, said Aryn Young, a 2002 TCU graduate and production assistant for La-De-Da Productions, the theatrical production company that sponsors Hangman's.

According to www.hangmans.com, "It takes more than 1,000 volunteers to bring this house to life!"

In a creative meeting in late spring, the volunteers selected the "Final Cut" movie theme as well as the overall direction of the house, Young said.

TCU is awarding above-average financial aid packages to Hispanic students, according to university records, beating a national trend that shows Hispanics receiving the lowest average amounts of any racial or ethnic group.A study by Excelencia in Education, an organization that studies Hispanics and higher education, reports that the percentage of Hispanic students receiving financial aid to pay for college is at an all-time high. However, in 2003-2004, Hispanics received the lowest average award packages nationally.

University ministries wants the community to walk a mile, or 3.1, in another's shoes.University Ministries and local organizations are coordinating the annual 5K CROP Walk to benefit worldwide and local hunger relief efforts at 2 p.m. Saturday at Frog Fountain.

The walk is both functional and symbolic, said Laura Hagadone, a junior religion and social work major helping to coordinate the event.

"It's to educate people about worldwide hunger and how to alleviate hunger," Hagadone said. "The theme of the CROP Walk is, 'We walk because they walk.'"

Sophomore setter Loren Barry said preparation could make the difference in TCU's upcoming games against No. 13 Brigham Young and Utah this weekend.The Horned Frogs enter the second half of conference play on a three-game winning streak, including a come-from-behind win over the Colorado State Rams on Tuesday.

"We've been working really hard this week, and any team can win on any given day," Barry said. " It's just about who comes out more prepared and whose mind is in the right place."

The cross country teams begin the championship season this weekend, as they travel to Fort Collins, Colo., for their first ever Mountain West Conference Championships.The race at Collindale Golf Course on Saturday will mark the first time a TCU athletic team has competed in a MWC tournament, coach Patrick Cunniff said.

"We are very excited about being the first TCU team to represent the university in a Mountain West Conference championship," Cunniff said.

A special election will be held Nov. 8 to fill a vacancy in the House of Student Representatives after a representative of the College of Science and Engineering resigned last week. Rep. Thomas Guidry, a junior computer science information major, cited in his resignation letter "distress and heartache" as reasons for leaving.

Guidry had been a representative in the House for five semesters. Vice President Trevor Smith said he is disappointed about Guidry's resignation.

Almost 90 percent of sexually active college students contract a sexually transmitted disease and are not even aware of it, local experts say.Among the 20 million Americans who have genital human papillomavirus are the high percentage of sexually active college women and men, said Dr. Jayanthi Lea, a gynecologic oncologist at University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center.

"I would venture a guess between 70 and 88 percent," Lea said.

TCU females can learn self-defense techniques and then practice on their instructors at the Rape Aggression Defense class Saturday and Sunday.The class is designed to teach females to avoid and escape attacks, said TCU Police officer Mike Fazlinejad, co-instructor of the course.

Fazlinejad said the class begins with a discussion about prevention of potential attacks. He suggests closing blinds at night so no one can see inside and parking in well-lit areas.

The instructors then teach technical punches and kicks, Fazlinejad said.