While many universities view teaching assistants as a reason for low retention rates in science programs, some students and faculty at TCU view them as an additional resource rather than a hindrance.Professors are responsible for creating syllabi and teaching courses, said Dianna Newbern, instructor of psychology, but graduate TA's in the College of Science and Engineering have office hours and often help with labs.

Undergraduate TA's are selected in the spring to assist with labs for the next school year, said Sarah Stack, a TA for principles of life science.

Merchandise will soon be moved out of the TCU Bookstore and into trailers located in the bookstore parking lot in order to prepare for construction, said Lisa Lewis, the store's general manager.The trailers, which open Feb. 27, will provide about a quarter of the space the current bookstore has. Merchandise from the general reading and textbook sections of the bookstore will not be available but school supplies and clothing will, Lewis said.

Cody Visone, a junior entrepreneurial management major, said he is concerned with how the trailers will look to the passersby.

Students are interested in making TCU's entire campus wireless and installing new classroom technology, said a student representing undergraduates on the Computer and Telecommunications Committee.Matt Madderra, a junior computer information technology major, serves as the chairman for the student subcommittee creating a new technology plan for the 2006 fiscal year.

Madderra sent an e-mail to all students last week requesting their input about campus technology.

TCU football recruitment is gearing up for the 2006 season with three recent high school commitments.Jimmy Young, a wide receiver from Ouachita Parish High School in Monroe, La.; Wayne Daniels, a defensive end from Kilgore High School; and Clarence Leatch, a defensive end from Tatum High School, have all made verbal commitments within the past week to attend and play football at TCU.

According to NCAA rules, head coach Gary Patterson is currently barred from commenting on the Horned Frogs' recruitment progress.

Wake up at 6 a.m. Drink a Red Bull. Rush to campus praying to find any parking. Drink a Red Bull. Attend class, grab lunch and spend the rest of the evening cramped in a corner at the library. Drink Red Bull intermittently throughout the night. In the fast-paced, competitive world of today's collegian, students around the nation are reaching for anything to give them that extra surge of energy for a long day's work.

But research shows that these cans of sugar may be doing more harm then many consumers realize.

You reach Berry Street while driving on Lubbock only to be impeded by an orange-and-white blockade preventing you from entering Berry. You spout a few curses before turning around your large SUV in the smallest parking lot known to man.The barrels forming two lanes on the usually six-lane road are annoying, but not permanent. The construction on Berry Street hinders traffic now, but the long-term benefits to TCU from the Berry Street Initiative outweigh any present nuisances.

Four members of the local band Green River Ordinance sit outside a coffee shop on Saturday morning, joking with each other about how they name songs. It is clear that the group's chemistry works.Ultimately, "We're weird, not cool," said Geoff Ice, a sophomore environmental science major.

After years of playing for crowds at intimate local venues, GRO hit the big time, at least for one night.

The band, which includes three TCU students, opened for Jon Bon Jovi on Jan. 15 at the American Airlines Center after winning a contest through Mix 102.9.