The Apple iPod started as a personal music device, but is now making its way as a portable education tool.Amber Finn, instructor of communication studies, started podcasting in the Basic Speech Communication class this semester as part of a pilot operation for Web-based classes.

"We are already doing audio lectures through e-college, so now students can watch and listen to the lectures," Finn said.

The idea for using the iTunes feature of podcasting was introduced by Jess Price, a media producer for the Center for Instructional Services.

TCU is hosting European students who will study American teaching techniques as part of an education studies semester abroad program.The European Teacher Education Network allows students studying education to take classes in either America or Europe. There are currently eight students from Europe taking classes at TCU, and they said that so far, it has been a good experience.

Robbert Gommans, 20, from the Netherlands, said there are a few minor differences between American and European universities, including bigger class sizes at TCU and less access to teachers.

A TCU student who was robbed said she initially thought the attacker was a friend who was playing a joke on her.On Friday around 9:45 p.m. Christine Bowling, a senior fashion merchandising major, was robbed...

While classes started Aug. 21, international students arrived for a two-day orientation Aug. 10, which was aimed to integrate more than 500 international students from more than 80 countries into the local, academic and national communities, according to the International Student Services Web site.International orientation is one of more than 20 departments, programs and organizations to aid international students in daily life, according the International Student Services Web site.

Last week, classes resumed and we all fled our homes for the greener pastures of TCU. Or should I say the blazing heat and chaotic construction? Anyway, it's a small price to pay for the great levels of freedom that we all enjoy in college - freedom that we sometimes abuse.You can see it in the high-fives of the frat boys and the nervous giggles of the girls. It has the unmistakable scent of sweat and cheap cologne and it glazes its victims over with a feeling of emptiness and depression. The villain, my friends, is casual sex.

These days, football fans can't tell whether Matt Leinart is a businessman or a quarterback. Like many professional athletes, he has his sights set on green dollar bills instead of the green turf, disenchanting the fans who pay the GNP of a small country to see him throw and run - the same fans who pay him.This year's NFL draft exemplifies how the passion for a game has dissipated into a money-hoarding business deal: Leinart, the 10th pick in the draft, has held out for two weeks because he felt as though he deserved more money than those who were drafted before him.

The Episcopal Church is at a crossroads.The United States Episcopal Church voted on whether to confirm the Diocese of New Hampshire's choice for bishop, the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson at the Episcopal General Convention in August of 2003. Prior to his election, Robinson had been the assistant to the retiring Bishop Douglas Edwin Theuner, and was seen as the logical successor. What should have been an easy confirmation process, however, was nearly derailed by a minor detail.

Gene Robinson is gay.

The unexpected resignation of the TCU men's head tennis coach in July has been difficult for the team, but players said they are adjusting well.The National Collegiate Athletic Association said former head tennis coach Joey Riv‚ was in violation of regulation rules regarding recruiting athletes. According to NCAA guidelines, coaches are only permitted to make one call per week to a prospective athlete for recruiting purposes. Riv‚ made more phone calls than allowed, but Daniel Morrison, the director of athletics, would not comment on how many calls were made.

Am I the only one that doesn't think this issue should be quite this complicated?Recent debates about whether to accept homosexuality in ministry positions in several denominations have not only generated a hot topic of discussion, but have also resulted in a surprisingly wide variety of responses from church leadership, something that, to me, doesn't quite make sense.

According to the New International Version Bible, it clearly, in more than one place reads that homosexuality is a sin.

Some food for thought: things are not always as they appear.Our food is rife with pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics and many other bioengineered chemicals to make it bigger and easier to mass-produce.

As a solution, some people are trying alternatives such as organic foods. But with certain food labels, how organic is organic?

Consumers should be wary of misleading food labels and take caution because added chemicals are dangerous.

A new media studio in the Rickel Academic Wing will serve as a resource for students and faculty who seek ways to incorporate technology into class assignments.The New Media Writing Studio, which will officially open Sept. 4, will focus on helping students use new media tools to write and create class projects.

Michael Browning, NMWS student intern, said the studio will allow students to use new media programs, such as Flash, PowerPoint, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and other Macromedia and Adobe products to make presentations or other school projects.