For two and a half years, the only men's soccer TCU has seen has been through pick-up games, clubs or intramurals.It's time for this to change.

Soccer is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation. Since its inception in 1996, Major League Soccer has grown to include 12 teams in two conferences. In August, the Metroplex's own FC Dallas changed venues to a brand-new stadium in Frisco. The team's popularity is growing, boasting attendance of 11,000 to 15,000 at home games.

The Writing Center is doing something new this fall.The center created a graduate writing program that caters to students working on in-depth works such as theses and dissertations, the associate director of the Writing Center said.

"I was happy to hear a specific graduate section was formalized," said Katie Low, a doctoral student at Brite Divinity School.

Graduate students used the Writing Center in the past and contributed to last year's number of tutorials, which was more than 4,000, said Dave Kuhne, associate director of the Writing Center.

Every dog has its day, and today Nova, the German Shepherd, enjoyed her blessing and treats at the TCU Blessing of the Animals.Nova was one of the many animals at the blessing, including chickens, cats and rabbits. All the animals mingled for an hour without too much disruption.

The blessing was a gathering of owners and pets to celebrate the lives of animals and creation.

Nova, and her owner, Leah Metzger, a junior biology major, attended the pet blessing at 5:15 p.m. outside Robert Carr Chapel.

Ben Stein is known by many as "the-Clear-Eyes-guy," or "Ferris Bueller's teacher" in the 1986 cult classic "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."But there's another Ben Stein.

"He spreads across groups and generations," said Mark Murtagh, a senior political science major and Fogelson Honors Forum coordinator.

TCU had its slice of Stein last night, when Stein was the featured speaker at the Fogelson Honors Forum.

Murtagh said it asked Stein to speak because of his diverse resume and his widespread appeal.

Students will visit their high schools during upcoming breaks to raise interest and awareness about the university as part of the TCU Ambassadors program.The students will answer questions and hand out TCU literature as part of the hometown recruiting program through TCU Ambassadors, the student-run group that promotes the university.

"We get to share our experiences at TCU and communicate them at our home high schools," said Courtney Klink, TCU Ambassadors president.

Beautiful flowers and neatly cut grass come at a price - not just a monetary one. Their pollens cause millions to suffer from allergies each year and have for thousands of years, allergists say."Allergy is a sign of immune strength, not weakness. It may signify those people who have ancestors that survived parasites," said Bob Lanier, an allergist and clinical professor for the University of North Texas.

The Southwest Journalism Congress, comprised of colleges in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, awarded 12 TCU students for their excellence in journalism. Five students from the Schieffer School of Journalism...

The New York Times reporter Adam Clymer, made famous by a crude remark President Bush made during his campaign in 2000, is coming to speak to TCU students at 7 p.m. Monday in Moudy Building South, Room 320.During a Labor Day weekend rally, Bush turned to his running mate, Dick Cheney, and said, "There's Adam Clymer, major league asshole from The New York Times."

Bush was unaware that the microphones were on, and the sound byte was picked up and heard by several crowd members and reporters.