Administrators say a hare-brained scheme attributed to a TCU alumnus to break into the university's database never had a chance.Newspapers and web publications reported in December that Todd Shriber, a 2000 TCU graduate, attempted to have his grade point average changed. Shriber was fired from his position as communications director for Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg after he informed his boss about the articles detailing his plan, Rehberg's chief of staff said.

Vandals were busy smashing windows around the TCU area over winter break, causing more than $13,700 worth of damage to both TCU and local properties.Nothing was reported stolen after unknown suspects broke a radio-TV-film department truck's windows with a pipe at about 3:30 a.m. Dec. 28, causing an estimated $10,000 worth of damage, TCU Police Sgt. Kelly Ham said.

Damage to the windows of a bus-stop shelter in the parking lot north of the football stadium amounted to about $1,300, said Hollis Dyer, superintendent of maintenance.

A student committee begins raising money today for a national Martin Luther King Jr. memorial to be in Washington, D.C., said the committee's adviser.Deanne Chandler, the program coordinator for Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services, launched the committee and will take the first steps by selling "Build the Dream" wristbands at all Martin Luther King Jr. Day events planned at TCU.

The memorial will be built between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, according to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Foundation Web site.

TCU athletics director Danny Morrison continued to say Monday that he's not surprised head football coach Gary Patterson's name keeps cropping up as head coaching jobs open. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Friday that Patterson was in talks with officials from the University of Minnesota for the head coaching job. According to a Dec. 6 ESPN article, Patterson has also been considered for other head coaching positions.

Patterson's name was mentioned as a possible replacement at the University of Miami, a position that has since been filled.

The Bowl Championship Series is a hallowed time of the winter holidays when football fans can gather together to complain about which team they feel deserves to be No. 1.Is it the Boise State Broncos who...

Improving to 3-0 in Mountain West Conference play this season, the Lady Frogs reversed a 0-3 start of the season to top the conference standings.En route to breaking into the NCAA top 25 ranks, they have won 13 of their last 14 games, six of them by 20 points or more, according to espn.com.

In their Mountain West Conference opener Jan. 3 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum against the UNLV Rebels, the Lady Frogs had a 63.9 percent shooting average in the first half, and an 18 point lead at the intermission. The women finished out the game beating the Rebels by 25 points.

After arriving in a helicopter over the soccer field, Ross Perot Jr., founder of Hillwood Development Corporation, will speak at the School of Business' sold-out Tandy Executive Speaker Series on Tuesday morning.Perot Jr. is recognized for his high-profile development projects and has been named one of the top 10 developers in the United States by Dallas Business Journal and National Real Estate Investor.