The rising death toll at Virginia Tech highlighted the need for proper emergency planning and showed a university community victimized by the poor management of a tumultuous situation by university administrators and local police.Amid the chaos and commotion that ensued after an early morning shooting left two dead, officials opted to lock down the campus located in Blacksburg, Va.

The lockdown, however, began, and soon more shots erupted on the 2,600-acre campus.

By midday Monday, 33 were dead.

TCU kicked off its participation in the worldwide Guernica project, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the tragic Spanish Civil War attack, Monday night. Jodi Campbell, a history professor, began the week's activities by leading a discussion titled "Ghosts of the Past: Memories of the Spanish Civil War."

On April 26, 1937, German bombs fell on the innocent farmers and families that came to the market at Guernica, a Basque town in Northern Spain, Campbell said.

College students often have erratic sleeping schedules, but a proposed change to the library hours would allow students to be use this fact to their benefits and be productive even into the wee hours of the morning.INTERCOM, a group of students representing most of the recognized organizations on campus, proposed to the Board of Trustees March 29 that the Mary Couts Burnett Library hours be extended, either to closing at 3 a.m. or remaining open 24 hours.

INTERCOM includes the Student Government Association, Panhellenic Council and Residence Hall Association.

It is technology versus pencil and paper as course evaluations are making their way onto computer screens campuswide.

It is technology versus pencil and paper as course evaluations are making their way onto computer screens campuswide.

A group of 200 sections will test online course evaluations this semester to see how successful this change will be for the campus, said Catherine Wehlburg, executive director of the Office for Assessment and Quality Enhancement.

An explicit condition that students must complete TCU Core Curriculum requirements to graduate doesn't exist in the catalog, and some faculty senators are questioning whether it should stay that way. At the April 5 Faculty Senate meeting, Ed McNertney, a faculty senator and the director of the TCU Core Curriculum, proposed the addition of a requirement in the undergraduate catalog to address the problem.

Tenacity, grit, dedication and a respect for fellow teammates. These are the virtues that most people associate with professional athletes. However, one man is on a mission to change all of that. Last week, Carolina Panthers backup quarterback David Carr spit in the face of his former team and raised questions about his work ethic after dropping some surprisingly caustic quotes directed at his time as a member of the Houston Texans.

Awkward times ensue in middle school when one first learns about sex. Many schools choose to go about it differently than others. While most secular schools tend to teach safe sex, some private or conservative schools prefer to preach abstinence. Both efforts keep in mind the safety of the youth, but they do not educate people fully. A more comprehensive sex-education program should be made in order to make sure students learn about all the options whether they decide to become sexually active.

The idea of a healthy soda may seem like an oxymoron for some, but Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are working to change this perception.The two global companies, whose original formulas were both created in the late 19th century, are now introducing carbonated drinks promoted as "sparkling beverages." These new beverages are fortified with vitamins and minerals, according to an article in the New York Times on March 7.

This month, Coca-Cola is introducing Diet Coke Plus, and PepsiCo will be offering its new beverage, Tava, in Fall 2007, according to the Times article.

Vegetarians are more mainstream than ever, but does the rest of society really understand what goes into a plant-only lifestyle? A stroll down the local supermarket aisles these days paints an ironic picture. Organic cookie dough, soy milk and veggie burgers are nonchalantly placed next to the sliced turkey, jumbo-sized eggs and boneless chicken breasts. There seems to be no distinction as shoppers float around, picking up the pesticide-free asparagus as casually as if it were a loaf of bread.

In the year of its inception, the equestrian team managed to garner a berth in the Varsity Equestrian National Championship.The team will bring only five of the 16 riders to the championship held in Waco and only the Western Horsemanship riders will compete.

During the first round of Western competition, the Horned Frogs are set to face the South Carolina Gamecocks. The last time TCU faced the Gamecocks, the riders from South Carolina edged out a 645.5-643.5 win.