In the NCAA's first attempt at nationwide academic policing for college athletics, TCU received mixed grades for its men's and women's sports programs.While the TCU men's basketball team received a perfect grade and scored in the top-10 percent of college basketball teams nationwide, men's golf ranked in the 10-20 percentile. However, these scores are based only on the 2004-2005 academic year and are not representative of a program's long-term record.

Many students wake up an hour earlier than necessary to compete for parking spaces, while others complain that parking shortages should be a top priority on the university's agenda.In the midst of these complaints, students fail to take advantage of the opportunity to use public transportation free of charge.

Although students take for granted the luxuries TCU provides with something as simple as the TCU identification card, like the free bus fare, Sodexho employees will now have the chance to pick up the slack.

The TCU Lady Frogs split this weekend's games in the Caribbean Classic in Mexico.The Lady Frogs defeated Mississippi State on Friday 72-52. Four players scored in double figures, led by junior guard Natasha Lacy's 17 points.

Lacy also had a team-high eight rebounds and five assists.

Redshirt sophomore guard Adrianne Ross scored 15 points and dished out five assists. Senior center Vanessa Clementino scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Senior forward Ashley Davis scored 12 points.

Robyn Richardson slumps in her seat after a long day of work at a job she detests but is thankful for.Richardson explains how both her parents simply slid into their jobs out of college. Jobs they loved, while her post-college life has not been so easy.

"It's been extremely hard since I graduated to find the kind of job I thought I could get with a bachelor's degree," said Richardson,, a 2004 TCU graduate and now employee for Child Protective Services. "I didn't see this coming."

You walk into The Main, get your food in a to-go container and later throw the container away. You read a newspaper and toss it in the wastebasket when you're done. When you finish your bottled water, where will the bottle go? In the trash?The average American throws away nearly 8 pounds of garbage every day, according to the America Recycles Web site.

The city of Fort Worth recycles 20 percent of its collected trash, up from 6 percent in 2003, according to its Web site.

So, what does TCU do to recycle?

TCU men's basketball team will travel over the Thanksgiving holiday to play two games in the Las Vegas Invitational. The team will play Oklahoma State on Friday and Boston College or Drake on Saturday, depending on who wins or loses.

"The most important thing about this tournament is the chance to play extra games," TCU head coach Neil Dougherty said.

Dougherty said playing extra games will help his young players gain experience.

TCU will take a trip to Cancun, Mexico over Thanksgiving Break, but the trip won't be a holiday for the Lady Frogs.They will open play against Mississippi State on Friday in the Caribbean Classic.

Sophomore guard Adrianne Ross said the team knows little about Mississippi State.

"They're in the (Southeastern Conference), and we know we have to give a lot of credit to that conference," Ross said. "We know they will have good guard play, but besides that, we don't know very much yet."

TCU's record-high enrollment and increasing number of faculty members could be causing campus buildings to burst at the seams.Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Nowell Donovan said the problem of limited office space has been "creeping up" on the administration for years but has accelerated in recent years because of the administration's goal to decrease the student-faculty ratio from 15-1 to 13-1.

Donovan said the undergraduate population has increased by 26 percent over the past 15 years.

TCU athletics director Danny Morrison announced Tuesday that head football coach Gary Patterson signed a contract extension to stay at TCU through 2012.The details of the contract were not immediately available.

"We are excited with coach Patterson and with what he's done with the team," Morrison said.

Morrison also announced TCU has accepted a bid to play in the Houston Bowl on Dec. 31. Patterson has led TCU to four bowl games in five years, Morrison said.