Cigarettes can kill. Now smoke away.

The SGA House of Representatives defeated a resolution Tuesday that would propose a smoking ban from the Campus Commons and surrounding buildings. The resolution was defeated 22-16 in the House, with three members abstaining.

It's no secret cigarettes cause lung cancer, ruin teeth and ultimately cause the premature death of thousands of Americans each year. But banning smoking outside dorms and in the Campus Commons would have been a tremendously unnecessary inconvenience for a fairly large number of smokers on campus.

Although still preliminary, admission numbers for the new school year are in.

The figures do not indicate any serious change in admission trends, said Wes Waggoner, director of freshman admission.

Here are the numbers:

Selectivity

According to unofficial figures from the admission department, TCU admitted 6,170 students, or 50.56 percent of students who applied this year, compared to 5,802 students, or 48.97 percent of students who applied in fall 2007, decreasing the university's selectivity rate.

Friday afternoon, I was sitting on my couch and catching up on the latest sports highlights from the week when I noticed a shocking story scroll across the bottom of the screen. Apparently Tennessee Titans...

The rifle team hopes to take an even bigger step toward becoming a nationally prominent program in 2008, its coach said."These girls are capable of winning a national championship," coach Karen Monez said...

Property owners using the university's name to develop a building aimed for student housing could cause some confusion among the neighborhoods surrounding campus, a university official said.

Don Mills, vice chancellor for student affairs, said the university notified the city and neighborhood through an e-mail to let them know that the property owners, TCU Development Partners LLC, is not connected with the university.

"We don't want people to use our name when it causes confusion," Mills said. "And since it's a housing project it could cause some confusion."

A student stood in line, placed an order and got to the register only to discover that he or she couldn't pay for the food that was being prepared.

This scenario has played out many times this semester at the Einstein Bros. Bagels on University Drive, said Amanda Moore, a junior ballet major and a shift manager at the restaurant.

Moore said the problem is that Einstein's doesn't accept students' Frog Bucks, a special currency included in meal plans that can be spent on campus or off campus at select locations.

Head coach Gary Patterson's press conference went a little longer than usual Tuesday as the 24th-ranked Frogs are preparing to face the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners this weekend.

TCU has made it to the biggest game of the early season unscathed at 4-0, but Patterson said he knows the Sooners will be unlike any team his squad has faced this season.

"You don't ever stop Oklahoma because they are great at wide receiver and quarterback, as well as big up front," he said. "But it is important to be able to contain them."

Rick Flores is a busy man. Since the introduction of the new dining meal plan this year, the general manager of Dining Services has been fielding questions while making sure dining operations run smoothly.

Flores was born in Corpus Christi and attended high school in Brownsville. After high school, he headed back to Corpus Christi where he eventually attended Texas A&M at Kingsville. Flores now lives in the Fort Worth area with his wife, Cheri, and their two teenage daughters.

The university is considering installing security cameras campuswide along with other safety devices to build a safer environment for students, the Faculty Senate secretary, said.

Keith Whitworth, Faculty Senate secretary, said the Neeley School of Business and the Campus Recreation Center already have cameras installed in their facilities, which is an issue that the Faculty Senate needs to discuss.

Two weeks ago, Americans marked the seventh anniversary of September 11th in their own way - some with sober contemplation, others going on with their lives.Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John...