AUSTIN - Texas legislators met in their offices Feb. 11 and 12 not professional lobbyists, but a delegation of TCU students.

Seventeen student leaders selected by Student Body President Kelsie Johnson traveled to Austin to lobby for the Tuition Equalization Grant. The TEG is a need-based financial aid program that awards qualifying students up to almost $5,000 each academic year, Johnson said.

Johnson said that one of the group's goals was to make sure that funding for the bill wasn't cut as a result of the economy.

Radio-TV-film instructor Greg Mansur encourages his students to use their creativity to find answers to existential questions. Through his work in film and experimental photography, he's still looking for answers of his own.

Mansur said he had no idea what to expect when the university hired him to teach filmmaking in 2001. He knew he loved film and photography and he knew teaching would be an opportunity to inspire others to do the same, he said. But he did not know what effect he would have on his students.

The Benjy Davis Project, with its sparse production and straightforward songwriting, has a no-frills approach to music. With their fourth album, "Dust," the band has successfully stripped down the songs of any pretentiousness in favor of honesty, both lyrically and musically.

A running theme of mortality and death hangs over the album not as a black cloud, but almost as a kind of friendly reminder to live life to the fullest.

Attention classtime Facebookers: professors have noticed your glazed-over eyes and have started retaliating by creating laptop policies for their classes.

David Sandell, an anthropology professor who has banned the use of laptops in his class, said the university's extensive Wi-Fi system has created opportunities for students to preoccupy themselves during class. He said students who use their computers strictly for note-taking purposes are in the minority.

Less than a month ago, the men's basketball team was tied for first in the Mountain West Conference, but after six straight losses, its record has dropped to 13-12, five games behind the University of Utah for the conference lead.

The Horned Frogs (4-7 MWC) led for less than two minutes early in the first half Saturday, but Brigham Young University quickly turned the tables and never looked back, going on to win 79-63.

Head basketball coach Jim Christian said the Cougars are very good offensively and a well-disciplined team overall.

The men's basketball team's losing streak reached five with Tuesday's 71-57 loss on the road against the Universtiy of Nevada, Las Vegas. The team will look to stop the bleeding Saturday night at home against Brigham Young University.

Three weeks ago, the Horned Frogs, with a share of first place in the Mountain West Conference, fell to the University of New Mexico at home, 69-52. The loss against the Lobos marked the beginning a of a slide that has knocked the team down to sixth place in the conference.