Students and local residents can expect at least another 18 months of construction on and around Berry Street as Fort Worth moves toward an entire reworking of the TCU area.The construction is part of the Berry Street Initiative and a larger effort to transform Berry Street into the "college community fabric," said Fort Worth City Council member Wendy Davis.

The Berry Street Initiative is a group of local residents, volunteers and private investors working to revitalize the Berry Street area, said Kristi Wiseman, council aide to Davis.

After suffering through a six-game losing streak, the Horned Frogs broke the slump in a big way Saturday night, beating the Colorado Sate Rams 85-72.TCU shot 42 percent from the field to earn their first in-conference win of the season, and despite a familiar offensive slump midway through the second period, the Frogs never relinquished the lead they took with just over six minutes to go in the first half.

Head coach Neil Dougherty said the intensity his players showed in recent practices proved the team was ready to snap the slide.

For the four years I've been attending TCU, our athletics program has been generous toward students, giving every TCU student free admission to all home sporting events.The TCU athletic department has proven that it supports the student body and values student attendance at its sporting events.

But how generous and supportive is it toward faculty and staff?

I guess it depends on how you look at things.

TCU faculty and staff must pay to attend all ticketed sporting events. They don't get free admission like students do.

Sports marketing is still trying to fill the growing number of empty seats at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.Because the men's basketball team has a 4-14 record, head coach Neil Dougherty said, fans are not remaining loyal.

Dougherty said he thinks that may be part of the reason the team is not playing its best.

"These are your classmates; they need you," Dougherty said. "The student body's attitude should be, 'I'm a Horned Frog. If they are there, I will be there.'"

With more than 5,000 people living on the streets, homelessness in Fort Worth is a problem. But it's not one with many known solutions.In the spring of 2005, a health and human service needs assessment conducted by United Way of Tarrant County identified homelessness as one of the major trouble spots in Fort Worth.

More than 20 percent of respondents surveyed by United Way identified homelessness as a major or minor problem in their areas, up from just over 6 percent in a 1999 survey.

TCU has many great programs. It may be expensive to attend this school, but we are told that our money is well-spent, and the investment will last us the rest of our lives.Overall, I have found this to be true. I am approaching my junior year as a part of the Schieffer School of Journalism, and thankfully, I have not had any problems enrolling in any of my basic-level classes that are prerequisites for upper level, skill-teaching courses.