From being the nation鈥檚 鈥渉appiest university鈥� to Taylor Swift and Tax Day, TCU and its faculty and students are in the news.
INSTITUTIONAL
April 4, 2023
The Daily Memphian
When TCU leaders started to map out how they would honor some of its most notable alumni for the school鈥檚
150th anniversary, they narrowed a long list of names down to only a few. But one
of those names, Desmond Bane 鈥�20 鈥� a former student-athlete and now a star for the Memphis Grizzlies 鈥� felt like a
no-brainer. 鈥淲hy Desmond?鈥� repeated Kris Copeland, the creative director for the project. 鈥淒esmond really represents the tenacity that
TCU students and alumni show,鈥� Copeland said. 鈥淲e are not a big university, but we hope to make a really big impact. Desmond
was a great example of that, always being counted out. He wasn鈥檛 highly recruited.
He didn鈥檛 have a lot of Division I offers. At every step he was overlooked, and he
had to prove it.鈥� Bane said, 鈥淭CU is really what put me in the position I am today.
Without TCU, I would be nowhere near where I am. I owe everything to them. It鈥檚 great
to see that they care about me so much and reciprocate that love.鈥�
March 27, 2023
Fort Worth Report
TCU earns a new title: happiest university in the nation, according to an analysis of
Instagram photos. The analysis was conducted by Resume.io, a company that creates
r茅sum茅 and cover letter templates. The analysis is not scientific by any means, but
some people on campus sure notice the happiness the survey notes. Martin Vershel, senior theater major, always sees smiling faces on campus. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always something happening on 罢颁鲍鈥檚
campus that鈥檒l make you just smile,鈥� Vershel said.
March 25, 2023
The Dallas Morning News
The movement from equal opportunity, as measured by 鈥渉ow many,鈥� to diversity, equity
and inclusion, with an emphasis on who is offended, is one of the most consequential
movements in American organizations. The Burnett School of Medicine at TCU provides
a resource for chairs and deans to help them identify microaggressions and navigate
DEI waters. It discusses the 鈥渕yth of meritocracy.鈥�
FACULTY
April 3, 2023
Marketplace Podcast
Tom Seng, professor in TCU's Ralph Lowe Energy Institute, spoke on a podcast about rising
interest rates in the U.S. and Europe, which could affect oil and demand too. 鈥淭hat
is the other side of this coin. Fears of a potential recession,鈥� he said.
March 30, 2023
Fort Worth Report
The Texas Legislature is discussing a plan to expand school choice through a voucher-like
program. The likelihood of some sort of voucher-like program becoming law is high,
Gabriel Huddleston, associate professor of education, said. The effects on Fort Worth and Texas are still up in the air 鈥� and the devil will be
in the details, he said. 鈥淭his is going to have ramifications for a long period of
time, especially in a place like Fort Worth that is so diverse, has so many different
schools and has so many different charters.鈥�
March 30, 2023
Texas Standard
Taylor Swift is touring again, and it鈥檚 hard to overemphasize how big a deal this
is for her fan base. Andrew Ledbetter, professor of communication studies, is excited to attend a Taylor Swift concert with his loved ones: his wife and two
daughters. 鈥淭o get to go to the tour and get to see that and to celebrate that live
with the people I enjoy most in the world, that also appreciate Taylor Swift, too,
oh yeah, I鈥檓 really excited about it,鈥� he said, discussing his pick of the Eras tour.
鈥淚f it鈥檚 a happy, upbeat mood, maybe I go to something from 鈥楲over.鈥� It鈥檚 more reflective,
I can go to something from 鈥楩olklore.鈥� If I just want to kind of remember nostalgia,
when I first began to enjoy Taylor Swift, I can go to 鈥楩earless鈥� or I can go to 鈥楽peak
Now鈥� or something like that.鈥�
March 29, 2023
archives.gov
Kara Dixon Vuic, LCpl. Benjamin W. Schmidt Professor of War, Conflict, and Society in 20th-Century
America, has spent the last year traveling to the National Archives at College Park and presidential
libraries around the country, researching her book project, Drafting Women, on the history of women and selective service. Vuic鈥檚 research intersects with women鈥檚
history and military history, as she seeks out the discussions surrounding the possibility
of wartime conscription for U.S. women from World War I through the 1970s. She is
conducting her research as an inaugural recipient of the Cokie Roberts Women鈥檚 History
Fellowship.
March 29, 2023
Business Insider
Employers are hardening demands for workers to return to the office and quashing resistance.
But many employees are rejecting the mandates and don't appear ready to back down.
鈥淚t's already an ugly war, and it's unfortunate,鈥� Abbie Shipp, professor of management at the TCU Neeley School of Business, told Insider. 鈥淭his
was a great opportunity to experiment with new methods and customize based on individual
needs and companies' needs.鈥�
March 28, 2023
Real Clean Energy
Manochehr Dorraj, professor of international affairs and a faculty fellow of the Ralph Lowe Energy
Institute, addressed the topic of energy security in the age of energy wars. 鈥淓nergy
security is now contingent on uncertain winds of change that can be abrupt, tumultuous
and profoundly disrupting,鈥� he wrote.
March 27, 2023
WalletHub
Many taxpayers are undoubtedly wondering how this year鈥檚 Tax Day will affect their
finances, as a lot of people are still struggling financially as a result of the pandemic.
One simple ratio known as the 鈥渢ax burden鈥� helps cut through the confusion. Patrick Hopkins, assistant professor of accounting at the TCU Neeley School of Business, said inflation will likely result in decreased government spending or an increased
tax burden, neither of which are ideal for citizens. 鈥淎s we all know, inflation has
a direct effect on prices,鈥� he said. 鈥淭herefore, if we make no changes to our spending,
we can expect expenditures to increase during times of inflation. So, governments
will face a choice of scaling back expenditures or increasing revenues.鈥�
March 27, 2023
KXAN
With increasing use and familiarity with the artificial intelligence program ChatGPT,
some Texas colleges are looking at the technology鈥檚 impact on their campuses. Beata Jones, business information systems professor, said she uses ChatGPT daily for professional and course-related activities such as
writing emails, troubleshooting code, creating exam questions and formatting citations.
Jones said she encourages students to use ChatGPT for anything except for entire assignments,
as that would be cheating. Her classes have talked about the chatbot鈥檚 capabilities
and limitations. She said her assignments require references, which ChatGPT cannot
create well.
March 27, 2023
KUNC-FM (Greeley, CO)
A former Douglas County Sheriff received death threats when he lobbied for the passage
of a Colorado gun law. Sheriffs 鈥渁lone can determine if they're going to set policy
as well as enforce policy,鈥� Emily Farris, associate professor of political science and an expert on sheriffs, said. She points
out sheriffs are typically elected, not appointed like police chiefs. 鈥淪o, they don't
feel the same kind of accountability that a police chief would to a mayor, to a county,
to a city manager,鈥� she said. Farris鈥� forthcoming co-authored book unravels the history
of sheriffs and examines their roles today.
March 25, 2023
Local Today
With spring allergies on the rise in North Texas, you may have started reaching for
your trusty eye drop container to relieve the itch and discomfort you鈥檙e feeling.
However, it might be wise to check the recall notices issued by some manufacturers
to make sure your brand of eye drops hasn鈥檛 recently been taken off the shelf. 鈥淭hese
products are primarily used to lubricate the eye for dry eyes,鈥� Dr. Sai Chavala, professor of surgery at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 likely
that the drug company encountered some missteps during the manufacturing process because
it failed to provide adequate microbial or bacterial testing for its products.鈥�
STUDENTS
March 31, 2023
The Dallas Morning News
When Noe Bernabe-Barrera searched for local career opportunities, the answer seemed simple. The TCU student hoped to serve his community as a police officer his entire life. When he
researched the role, however, one requirement shocked him: Permanent legal residents
can鈥檛 become peace officers in Texas. 鈥淢y life came to a stop,鈥� said Bernabe-Barrera,
who was born in Guerrero, Mexico, but raised in Fort Worth. Bernabe-Barrera spoke
next to State Rep. Victoria Neave Criado during a news conference at Dallas Police
Department headquarters about proposed legislation meant to address officer staffing
shortages.
March 25, 2023
KXAS-TV
Eight finalist teams appeared at the Values and Ventures Competition at TCU. 鈥淰alues
and Ventures is the perfect opportunity for those social entrepreneurs who are looking
to get that exposure but also make those connections,鈥� student Payton Cranford said. Cranford鈥檚 team won third place based on their pitch for developing a natural, organic hair care
product that can be provided as complementary shampoo and conditioner products in
hotels.
ATHLETICS
March 30, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
There was a heavy pro presence in Fort Worth as all 32 NFL teams and a few Canadian
Football League franchises dropped in to check out 罢颁鲍鈥檚 pro day. New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and New York Giants coach
Brian Daboll were the most prominent NFL figures in attendance along with numerous
scouts and front-office executives. Belichick seemed to have his attention focused
squarely on Max Duggan. The other marquee name was Quentin Johnston, a candidate to be the first wide receiver taken in the draft. 鈥淐oming from a military
family, my baseline of just learning, and my character and how I am as a man on and
off the field is based on discipline and respect. I feel like I've taken that with
me and it's guided me in the right direction,鈥� Johnston said.
March 29, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
罢颁鲍鈥檚 Mike Miles Jr. declared for the 2023 NBA draft. Miles was emotional as he thanked his friends, family,
coaches and teammates for helping him arrive at this moment. 鈥淚n the middle of the
season, I was playing really good,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his was before my injury, so like a
couple of games before my injury I felt like I was ready. I felt like I did everything
I could, I got better.鈥� Coach Jamie Dixon said, 鈥淗e just kept getting better 鈥� he went harder in practice consistently.鈥�
The Horned Frogs move to 20-0 after sweeping the Fight in the Fort [ed: link removed]
March 26, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TCU Beach Volleyball remains undefeated taking down three more ranked opponents in the Fight in the Fort
on March 24-25. The Horned Frogs are the best college beach volleyball team in the
nation. The beach volleyball team in Fort Worth is by far and away the best college
team in the nation.