From a student standpoint, the seventh annual TCU Inclusiveness Conference presented issues that aren't commonly discussed in the classroom setting, and from the faculty and staff perspective, it gave students the opportunity to grow, said Greg Trevi¤o, director of intercultural services.Students attended sessions on genocide, the role of the media, the impact of religion in the United States and women in developing worlds.

"I've learned more at this conference than what I hear from word of mouth and the media," Cleda Wang, a sophomore biology major, said.

College campuses across the United States have seen increasing protests against small wages of university workers.At Washington University, an organization demanding higher wages occupied the admissions office for 19 days, during six of which the students were on hunger strike.

At Georgetown University, students went without eating for nine days while staying in tents in the main square of campus.

A similar group formed at TCU this fall, yet organizers say these tactics are not in the planning.

Bringing awareness to alcohol and drug abuse programs among elementary and middle school children through proactive education is the goal of Red Ribbon Week, said Sparkle Greenhaw, associate director at the TCU Alcohol and Drug Education Center.A Red Ribbon Week Rally, hosted by Student Development Services and Tarrant County Challenge, Inc. will be held at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum Friday.

"We had over 2,000 elementary and high school students at the rally last year, and we are expecting even more this year," Greenhaw said.

The House of Representatives elected its first speaker of the house and passed a bill calling for a referendum to adjust the student body fee Tuesday night.Sebastian Moleski, a senior economics major, was elected to speaker when a majority two-thirds vote was in favor of him.

The Student Government Associastion will no longer have a vice president for the house, but the duties will be taken over by the speaker.

The bill calling for a referendum to adjust the student body fee was passed after some debate.

The culmination of four weeks of fall practice, the Purple and White World Series, will begin today at 3:15 p.m. at Lupton Stadium. The five-game series will last through Sunday.Sophomore catcher Andrew Walker said he is looking forward to separating into teams and the increased competition between players that will come with the split.

"It'll be fun to get out here and divide up into teams," Walker said. "It's a real competitive atmosphere instead of just doing the same drills every single day. It's a lot more fun."

The "encouraging" Brite Divinity School professor Russell W. Dalton was inaugurated Tuesday as the associate professor of Christian education during his second year at Brite."It's been a while since Brite has had a Christian education professor," Dalton said. "I want to inspire students to be aware of Christian education."

At Brite, Dalton has taught classes such as youth ministries, ministries with children, ministry in the digital culture and faith and film.

Although Rosa Parks went to jail for defending her own dignity, her actions influenced the TCU community 10 years later. In 1964, the TCU Board of Trustees allowed the university to accept students of races other than white.Rosa Parks died Monday of natural causes at the age of 92.

James Riddlesperger, chairman of the political science department, said Rosa Parks is a testimony to an average person making a difference in the world.

"She never set out to be a civil rights leader," Riddlesperger said. "She just was a common working wife and mother."

The TCU campus will be buzzing with high school students that are being mentored by student volunteers for TCU's "College Student for a Day" event today."College Student for a Day" is an event to help students at risk of dropping out of high school find the motivation to go to college, said Terence Kennedy, an Americorps VISTA volunteer at the Office of Community Outreach and Service Learning at TCU.

The event, hosted by the office of Community Outreach and Service Learning and the Multi-Cultural Greek Council, expects 100 high school students to attend the all-day program.