President Bush announced Wednesday that Donald Rumsfeld, secretary of defense since 2001, had resigned. Bush made his announcement only hours after the Democratic Party took control of the House - and hours before the Associated Press reported Democrats made up the majority in the Senate. Although the president's announcement seemed to be rather hasty only a day after elections, many students and faculty members say Rumsfeld's step down was long overdue.

Ralph Carter, chair of the political science department, said Rumsfeld should have resigned a long time ago.

The death of a TCU student Monday can serve as a reminder that everyone is all linked together regardless of who they know, said the minister to the university Wednesday.Federico Cuevas was found dead at his off-campus home Monday at 5:20 p.m., according to the Tarrant County medical examiner database.

Cuevas, a senior Spanish major from League City, played on university intramural sports teams at TCU, said the Rev. Angela Kaufman, minister to the university.

November is here; November means Christmas shopping.Christmas shopping means fighting traffic, crowds and credit cards.

Life is stressful but exciting during the holiday season, especially when we are juggling classes, jobs and exams along with the Christmas madness. Let us not make that an excuse to slack off on the gift-giving. Let us not forget the real significance of gifts.

It's true - gifts are difficult. What if he or she doesn't like it? What if he or she thinks this is weird? What if, what if?

In today's fashion-forward, weight-conscious market, there are countless diets available. But before South Beach was discovered and before Atkins put pen to paper, there was the vegetarian diet.Like any diet, there was a time when being a vegetarian was seen and used to get attention and a way for people to form their identities. Today, vegetarianism has evolved into an environmentally aware habit, and I think it's safe to say, the "tree-hugging" perception has been put to rest.

There are essentially two ways to cut meat out of your diet: as a vegetarian and as a vegan.

With a 25-10 win over the UNLV Rebels on Saturday, the Frogs have moved up in the national polls and in the Mountain West Conference standings.TCU (6-2 overall and 2-2 conference) is now ranked No. 31 in the nation, receiving seven votes in the USA Today poll and two in the AP poll. The BYU Cougars (7-2, 5-0) are ranked No. 27 in the USA Today poll and No. 25 in the AP poll. After the win, the Frogs moved ahead of the San Diego State Aztecs (1-7, 1-3) for sixth place in the Mountain West Conference.

What is there to say about the latest animated movie to hit the silver screen? There are rats, jokes that are three years old and not a whole lot of laughs in between.Despite game efforts from A-listers Hugh Jackman ("The Prestige" and "X-Men") and Kate Winslet ("Little Children" and "Titanic"), the end result is the same as you would expect from less-talented actors.

Jackman voices Roddy, a coddled pet rat who finds himself flushed down the toilet of his plush bachelor pad by an obnoxious sewer rat named Sid (Shane Richie, "Shoreditch").

Student volunteering should be required. How many times this semester have you or one of your friends done something for either someone in the community or someone in need?

It's in TCU's mission statement: "To educate individuals to think and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in the global community." What better way to follow through with this campus mission than to implement a way students can help their community?

Born in 1986, the head baker for TCU Dining Services is the same age as many students attending TCU.Twenty-year-old Kelli Ginther has been in charge of baking for Dining Services since August - a role that, despite her young age, she is more than ready to fill, said Dining Services staff members.

"For me, this is a really exciting chance to prove that people our age can be capable of doing the work and gaining respect in the workforce," Ginther said.

Student Government Association passed three bills Tuesday evening, including one that promotes the sale of tax-free textbooks and could save Texas college students $40 million, said an SGA delegate Tuesday evening.The bill to support the sale of tax-free textbooks in Texas could help remove the 8.25 percent sales tax charged on college textbooks, said Mickey Ley, delegate from the AddRan College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Ley also said the cost of college textbooks has increased by 62 percent since 1994.

"American Idol" has done it again. Kellie Pickler's debut album, "Small Town Girl," released on Oct. 31, is sure to be a hit with "Idol" fans.While Pickler was voted off the fifth season of the top-rated...

Today, 75 students from Tarrant County school districts will get a firsthand look at college life as part of the College Student for a Day program.The goal of the program is to show middle school and high school students that college is an option, said Molly Baldwin, a representative for Americorps VISTA Center for Community Involvement and Service Learning.

Students follow TCU student-volunteers to class and through their daily lives at college, Baldwin said.