Despite the fact that religion plays an important role in the lives of Americans, everyone benefits from the separation of church and state that is afforded by the Constitution, a religion professor and a Christian agency representative told students at a discussion on religion and politics Wednesday.

Ron Flowers, emeritus professor of religion, and guest speaker Stephen Reeves, legislative counsel for the Christian Life Commission, spoke about the dangers of blending religion and politics in an intimate gathering of about a dozen students in Robert Carr Chapel.

Dining Services' initiative to change the meal plan should be applauded.

Pre-packaged food options including salads, sandwiches, fruit, cookies and drinks will now be available at Sub Connection, and changes in the way Pond Street Grill operates are in the works.

While it doesn't fully integrate Sub Connection into the "swipes" portion of the meal plan, it is a step in the right direction.

The Simply To-Go program will help students with busy schedules grab lunch and continue with their lives.

A new trend is sweeping across college campuses - the discontinuation of school yearbooks.

According to news reports, at least five colleges have announced the discontinuation of their yearbooks since the end of last year, including the University of North Texas and Purdue University, whose yearbook had been in publication for more than 100 years.

Despite the trend, The Horned Frog, TCU's yearbook, seems to be standing strong.

In 2007, students from all over the world looked forward to continuing their education at TCU.

Last fall, 7,382 students enrolled at TCU as undergraduates; 1,698 of those students were from out of state.

Now we all know that to be a successful and happy student at TCU you don't just need good grades. You need to experience life and the city with your new friends.

But for the 23 percent of those students that moved to Texas for school, experiencing life and the city is a little more complicated.

More than two years have gone by since I joined the TCU student body. Since then I have seen many changes take place both on and off campus. The school has become more recognizable throughout the country, and it has really helped the application process and enrollment numbers. However, TCU administrative officials have tripped up in a big way. They have not taken in the fact that a big reason for this newly-found stardom is because of our football program.

A recent extension to legislation passed by Congress involving the buying out of federal student loans will not affect the daily life of a TCU student, but it will greatly impact those lenders providing the loans, a campus financial aid official said.

The Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008, which authorized the Education Department to buy federal student loans from education lenders, originally included only loans made in the 2008-09 school year. However, as of Nov. 7, loans made in 2009-10 are also eligible.

Despite the fact the Constitution demands a separation of church and state, the line has been considerably blurred by the Bush administration, and the practice carried over into the 2008 presidential campaign strategies, a religion professor said.

Ron Flowers, professor of religion, along with Stephen Reeves, legislative counsel for the Christian Life Commission, will examine the role of political candidates' religious affiliations and the earmarking of tax dollars for religious charities today in the Robert Carr Chapel.

After losing the last two games of a three-game road trip, the Horned Frogs will face the University of Nebraska in their 2008 home opener Wednesday at 7 p.m.

This will be new head coach Jim Christian's first regular season home game at TCU. Christian was lured to TCU last March from Kent State, where he accumulated a 138-58 record over six seasons and made the NCAA Tournament twice. He said he hopes to bring those winning ways to Fort Worth.

Nebraska is the first of three Big 12 teams TCU is scheduled to play this season.

A new study shows that 32 percent of TCU's freshman class graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class.

That is less than other comparable schools like Baylor University, at 35 percent, and Southern Methodist University, at 42 percent. But as important as grades are, more goes into students than their grades in high school.

A good student has to be someone who is focused, balanced and involved in his or her community. So far, it seems TCU has done a good job of selecting students based on factors other than their grades in high school.

TCU has a lower percentage of freshmen who graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class compared to peer schools, such as Baylor University and Southern Methodist University, according to institutional research statistics.

According to the TCU Fall 2008 Fact Book, 32 percent of TCU's freshmen graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class.

About 42 percent of SMU's freshmen graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class, according to SMU fact books.

Head football coach Gary Patterson began his weekly news conference Tuesday with two words that expressed the focus of the Horned Frogs this week: "Air Force."

"For a team that people say runs the triple option, they have thrown for nine touchdowns," Patterson said. "You've got to be very careful in how you handle them and what you do."

Patterson said the team is prepared for what the Air Force Academy has done during its first 11 games, but he would be surprised if the Falcons tried something new.