About 300 freshmen and sophomores live in triple rooms, lounges and near-campus apartments, making on-campus housing over capacity for the second consecutive year, Craig Allen, director of Housing and Residence Life, said.

Allen said lounges that house students are so similar to dorm rooms, many would not notice the difference. However, some lounges do not have sinks in the room, and a few have kitchens for student use.

Schools across the country had the highest enrollment in history for first-time freshmen in fall 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Dean of Admission Ray Brown said the university's fall 2009 class was the largest with 1,821 students. The pre 12-day predicted enrollment for the fall 2010 class was 1,824.

The problem came when those same people planned to graduate on time with a relevant degree and a job.

With the renovation of Amon G. Carter Stadium fully funded and slated for the end of the football stadium, Chancellor Victor Boschini said Monday that the athletic department's next major construction project will be an expansion of Lupton Stadium, the university's baseball stadium, in the next two or three seasons.

Boschini said expansion wouldn't be until the next two years, but any decisions would not be fully approved until the Board of Trustees meets in November. Lupton Stadium opened in 2003, and the university has set attendance records in each of the last three years.

In a controversial battle with residents of the Como area of Fort Worth, Chesapeake Energy decided to pull its request for natural gas drilling permits from the city of Fort Worth and end a drawn-out battle.

The answer surrounding this questionable withdrawal from drilling in the area may be found in the upcoming air quality study concerning natural gas drilling in North Texas. Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief supported funding the $600,000 study to satiate both concerned citizens and an ever-looming Environmental Protection Agency regulatory commission.

After finishing first and second in July's 2010 Miss Texas pageant, two students now have more in common than a shared address.

Senior broadcast journalism major Ashley Melnick, who won the pageant, and senior business major Jordan Johannsen, who took second place, shared the stage on the final night of the 75th Miss Texas pageant celebration, held at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Melnick said being one of the last two contestants with Johannsen was a "neat" experience to share.

In a great win for common sense, Californians decided to put the question of legalizing marijuana on the November ballot. If successful, this would make it the first state to legalize marijuana.

The war on drugs is a failure. It created an underground economy that has been detrimental to tax payers as well as those in poor neighborhoods because it created dangerous gangs and drug wars.

Unfortunately, these reasons alone are not enough for some people to support the legalization of marijuana. These proponents bring up one particular reason to legalize marijuana: taxation.

Mountain West Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson is smarter than John F. Kennedy. He's got to be. It took Kennedy 13 days to end the Cuban Missile Crisis. If a report from The Denver Post yesterday...

Journalists are known for defending their First Amendment right to freedom of speech because, quite simply, it gives them more opportunity to speak their minds. More than this, the United States and its citizens have been known for valuing freedom of speech. As recently as 2006, the Supreme Court has had to address whether or not burning the American flag could be deemed an expression of free speech.

During his 15-year tenure as TCU's Chief of Police, Steve McGee has faced many issues. Perhaps one of his greatest challenges has been that of on-campus parking for students, faculty and staff. In an effort to develop solutions to this problem, McGee has taken a unique approach8212;when traveling to college campuses all across the country he checks parking lots while on family vacations in search of inspiration to brainstorm ideas.

Q: How did you get the idea to look at parking situations in campuses all over the country?