Why is it that the country's largest organizations have some of the most inept customer service representatives?It is almost impossible to get connected to someone who can offer any kind of help without having to transfer you to another person.

Being transferred from person to person would not be so bad except for the fact that before you are even connected to anyone, you have to wade through numerous automated menus.

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.

The TCU soccer team was held scoreless in its season opener Friday night, a 1-0 loss to the Rice Owls, at Garvey-Rosenthal Stadium.Head coach Dan Abdalla said the team, which includes eight freshman as well as six seniors, played tentatively the entire match and didn't take advantage of its scoring chances.

"For a young group as we have, they've got to recognize that you can't just sit back," Abdalla said. "And the older players need to do a better job at giving them instruction and helping them out and being active and involved themselves."

TCU's new equestrian team debuts September, but what exactly is an equestrian team, and what do they do?According to varsityequestrian.com, the sport of horseback riding was classified as an emerging sport by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1998. For the sport to reach full NCAA championship status, 40 Division I/II schools must adopt the sport.

As of 2005, only 21 universities had adopted the sport, according to the Web site.

Thanks to a $74,000 grant from TCU's Vision in Action a year ago, a new director has been named for the Center for Urban Education, said the dean of the School of Education.Jennifer Brooks, who was appointed director in June, said she is anxious to start work with the program.

"The overall goal is to develop urban educators for the next generation of students," Brooks said. "A lot of exciting things are coming" to the program.

Some incoming freshmen are not sure what to expect in their first semester, but advice from upperclassmen and alumni might help freshmen make the most of their college experiences.One common concern expressed by freshmen is time management.

Douglas Lynn, '04 TCU alumnus who was having lunch on campus, suggested choosing studying over a social event.

"There will always be another party or athletic event, and chances are, it will be bigger and better than the one you missed," Lynn said.

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.