Skiff staff writer Kimberly Burton had the chance to interview Gaspard Ulliel, the star of "Hannibal Rising." Ulliel plays a teenage Hannibal Lecter in the newest prequel to the Hannibal movies. French actor Ulliel has also starred in the 2004 international film "A Very Long Engagement." This is Ulliel's first major American film.

Q: What was it like stepping into this role?

A: It was scary. Coming after Anthony Hopkins is not an easy thing. It is also frightening, being French. It (the character) is very addictive.

A recent study by the ACT concluded that only 53 percent of students complete their college degrees within six years. When I first heard this sobering statistic, I was shocked. Why do nearly half of all students drop out of college? Are universities intentionally "too tough" in order to limit the benefits of higher education to only half their students? Or can anyone succeed in college with hard work and the right priorities? I believe the reason so many students fail in college is not due to the education system but due to their mixed up priorities and lack of motivation.

As the ladies of TCU get ready to celebrate what is supposed to be one of the most romantic days of the year, I bet we are all thinking the same thing."We are baby-making machines."

At least, that's what Japanese Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa seems to hope the women of Japan are thinking.

Yanagisawa was speaking about Japan's declining birthrate Jan. 27 when he uttered the now-infamous statement, "the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, so all we can ask for is for them to do their best per head."

Complaints in college range from sports to politics to food to the price of textbooks. Luckily, the last of these rants is in the process of being remedied. If Senate Bill 49 is passed in Texas Congress, a new deal will be cut, making textbooks tax-free at the beginning of each semester.This is one of those win-win situations that will put Texas in the running for a solid education reform and save money for students who may be financially burdened by the growing price of textbooks.

Stewart Gunn wants you to know about sleepwalking.When he sleepwalked out of a two-story dormitory window in Oxford, England, Gunn, a sophomore history major, was left with broken bones and a lot of free time.

After the accident abroad, Gunn did more than just recover; he began writing a book to warn people about the dangers of sleepwalking.

Gunn said had he known all of the factors that lead to sleepwalking beforehand, the accident may have been prevented. This, he said, is why he and his mother, Dr. Shelly Gunn, began writing a manuscript for a book.

Nestled in the shadow of monstrous overpasses and buzzing highways, Cypress Street is in a part of Fort Worth that has long since died. For the most part, the small back alley is devoid of traffic. Instead, it is teeming with people - men and women, black and white, young and old. They line the sidewalks and spill out onto the blacktop. Some happily chat in groups while others sit quietly by themselves. They are all waiting for the same thing - 5 p.m.

An overseas video conference allowed piano students to participate in a master class with a professor in London through an Internet2 connection Wednesday morning. Jose Feghali, an artist-in-residence and Van Cliburn International Piano Competition gold medalist, said the virtual master class was the first Internet2 video conference for the School of Music.

Ang Li and Alexey Koltakov, both artist diploma students, sat at the piano in PepsiCo Recital Hall on Wednesday morning while taking a class from Christopher Elton.

As the TCU administration re-examines its relationship with the Universidad de las Americas in Mexico, a shadow may be cast on Study Abroad programs across campus. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredits both UDLA and TCU. According to documents on the SACS Web site, UDLA's accreditation status was placed on a yearlong warning Jan. 2.

Bonnie Frederick, chair of the Spanish department, said if UDLA lost its SACS accreditation, the Study Abroad credit acceptance procedure would be reviewed.

This summer, students may come home from studying abroad with more money left in their pockets, now that program prices have been lowered from last year.Starting this year, the university will offset 25 percent of summer Study Abroad program fees.

In addition to cheaper fees, students will also have access to more financial aid, and the application deadline has been extended to Feb. 15.

Our grandparents had world wars to worry about. Our parents had AIDS and the nuclear scare, and our generation has the most imminent problem of all: the state of our planet. By now, I'm sure you're sick of hearing about global warming and how we are ruining our planet with fossil fuels and waste. But it doesn't matter because it's not just the far left crying for action anymore.

Businesses, politicians, college campuses and scientists are all taking significant action to save the Earth.