Between hours of film, daily practices, road trips, team meetings and games, student-athletes have to find the time and the energy to be students. Head football coach Gary Patterson said he knows how difficult the life of collegiate athletes can be.

He said there are NCAA restrictions intended to limit the amount of time a student athlete has devote to sports during the week, but players often go the extra mile to ensure that they are ready to compete.

Last week, head football coach Gary Patterson closed his team's practices to the public for the remainder of the season. He closed practices to the public because a fan on an online message board posted information about injuries and other team specifics that the coaching staff would rather have kept out of the public eye.Though this may not be the most popular thing Patterson has ever done, let's step back for a minute to assess the issue.

The Fort Worth Bowl will now feature a team from the Mountain West Conference.The recently signed three-year deal goes into effect in 2006.

The agreement means that one of the top three teams from the conference will play in the bowl game at Amon Carter Stadium, giving TCU the chance, if selected, to play in front of its home crowd.

Tom Starr, executive director of the Fort Worth Bowl, had nothing but good things to say about the agreement and said it will be beneficial for all parties involved.

This summer, I spent most of my time, like any other college guy on summer vacation, playing video games.And like any good sports nut, almost all of my games are sports games (specifically, EA Sports games).

First of all, I'm not technically obsessive-compulsive, but I do have a weird thing with sports video games. I can only play each game when their respective sport is in season.

I'm not sure if that's a wide-ranging problem among "sports gamers," but it's just a rule of mine.

Drug makers have recently released an improved vaccine for bacterial meningitis, a disease threatening the lives of college students across the nation.Made by Aventis Pasteur, the MCV4, a conjugate vaccine with the trade name Menactra, should "produce a better immune response and provide longer protection than the previous vaccine," said Dr. Erik Svenkerud, an epidemiologist in the infectious disease branch of the Texas State Health Department.

The children of a Brite Divinity School trustee donated $3 million over the summer to build a new academic building at TCU, bringing a long-time goal of a new facility closer to reality.The new building will be constructed behind the Beasley and Moore Buildings on University Drive, and the earliest construction could begin would be fall 2006, said Cathy Neece, director of the capital campaign at Brite.

The football team is practicing as hard as ever despite the recent decision, made by head coach Gary Patterson, to close practice to the public, said tight end Chad Andrus.Patterson said the decision protects...

The Interfraternity Council Barbecue kicked off Recruitment on Wednesday in front of Frog Fountain in an attempt to encourage participation.Senior George Ferguson, Jr., vice president of Recruitment within IFC, said he is excited about the semester ahead.

"We're trying to give fraternities a good, positive image this year," he said.

Ferguson said Greek organizations often do not get credit for the good they do at TCU.

Since coming to TCU in 2002, there has yet to be a day when I haven't heard someone complain about parking.I have said on numerous occasions that TCU seems incapable of dealing with the problem. Is a parking...

When it comes to technology on campus, all classrooms are not created equal.Departmental needs and budgets, along with the age of buildings and equipment, affect the technological resources available to...

His job includes everything from financial planning to telephone services, but TCU's recently appointed Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Brian Gutierrez says he hopes to make his biggest impact by building relationships with people. "The small number of people on this campus makes it possible to have a personal impact," said Gutierrez, a Fort Worth native. "I am excited to reach out to students and for the opportunity for students to get to know who the chief financial officer of their university is and what he does."