The increased number of freshman applications to TCU has created greater competition for academic scholarships in the incoming class, a university official said.

Associate Dean of Admission Wes Waggoner said the university had received 17,676 applications as of Feb. 8, about 3,500 more than last year's total. The increased competition for admission also means higher standards for scholarship consideration, he said.

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority,, or The T, announced in a press release Thursday that it would offer free shuttle service on Fridays and Saturdays to the West Seventh Street area beginning this weekend. The T's announcement was a welcome and pleasant surprise because of all of the positives involved.

Joan Hunter, The T's spokeswoman, said the service was a good way for students to access the West Seventh area's entertainment opportunities.

The State of Leadership Conference

Who: Keynote speaker Donnie Hodge, president and COO of Alta Gracia and parent company Knights Apparel

Where: TCU Leadership Center

When: Dinner begins at 6 p.m. today. Hodge speaks at 7 p.m.

Open to students, faculty and staff. Registration is required.

For more information contact J.R. McGrath at [email protected].

Moudy Gallery Exhibition

Who: Chris Powell, head of the ceramics department in the School of Art

When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. today

With the ice finally thawing from last week's winter storms, the No. 52 TCU men's tennis team will go into battle against No. 31 Alabama on Friday at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.

It will be the team's fourth match of the season after a 4-3 loss against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 29 and two 6-1 victories against UT-Arlington and UT-Pan American on Jan. 23.

Head coach David Roditi said that even though the team has had the past couple of matches canceled against Wichita State and Tulsa, it has been working hard in preparation for the upcoming match.

The TCU equestrian team gets back in action Sunday against the Fresno State Bulldogs for the first time since Jan. 30, when it defeated Delaware State 15-5.

The Frogs' match with Baylor at the Fort Worth Stock Show was canceled because of bad weather last Friday.

TCU is 4-0 to start the year and is ranked No. 5 in the country.

The Frogs' opponent, No. 9 Fresno State, won its first and only match of the spring thus far, defeating the University of Miami of Ohio and Ohio State.

We now live in a completely global world. Such traditional American companies, such as Coca-Cola, make the majority of their profits overseas and have the majority of their workforce based overseas.

Yet for all this globalization in terms of economics, the world is still dominated by the United States culturally and politically. American culture and English is spread around the world through various means such as movies, television shows and music.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Thursday he was transferring power to his vice president, Omar Suleiman, but would not leave the country, according to the Associated Press.

Mubarak said in a nationally televised address Thursday that the demands of protesters calling for his immediate ouster are just and legitimate. He said he had requested six constitutional amendments, answering one of the demands of the protesters. He said he would lift emergency laws when security permitted.

With forward Caron Butler inactive, Mavericks guard Juan Jose Barea is proving himself a capable starter when called upon.

The 6-foot, undersized hoopster scored a season-high 25 points in the Mavericks' triumph over the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 25 and recorded 20 points in a 102-100 victory over Sacramento Wednesday, extending Dallas' win-streak to 10 games. Serving only his fifth year in the NBA, Barea continues to bring energy to the team.

With Wednesday classes cancelled due to inclement weather, concerns have arisen about making up the lost school days. Chancellor Victor Boschini said the five snow days the university has had this semester...

The TCU women's rifle team will host the National Rifle Association Sectionals and NCAA Qualifier at the ROTC Building this Saturday in an all-day event.

TCU also hosted Air Force yesterday at home, defeating the Falcons for their 22nd-straight win, 4,660-4,641. Sophomore Sarah Scherer tied a school record with a 596 in air rifle and junior Mattie Brogdon set a personal-best with a 592 in air rifle.