Image Winter 2010

The long journey of Nikola Cerina

by Jourdan Sullivan

for HOLIDAY COCKTAILS, GIFT-GIVING and debating THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

Exploring campus demographics by Lizzie Ferguson

Cheering for the winning team

by Mary Sue Greenleaf

’Tis the season

Volume 39 | Issue 2 | WINTER 2010

Know your Image Self Portrait by Caroline Strand

Diversity UTCU minorities still a minority

Photo taken by self timer in a field near Aledo.

22

4Holiday CocktailsStart your holidays off with a splash

6...................................... iProf

8...................... Student Profile

10.............................. Wisdom

11.................... Touching Base

12...............................Fashion

14.................................Sports

20......................... Technology

21..................................Music

28................................ Recipe

29................................Best of

30............................... Opinion

31............................ Road Trip

32............................... Games

33............................. Calendar WINTER 2010 l IMAGE l 1

16Brain on DrugsMedication for your mind

Christmas ListPens to match personalities

24Diversity UTCU minorities still a minority

Contents

Photo taken by self timer in a field near Aledo.

Contributors

Editor-in-ChiefKatie Martinez

Design EditorBrittany Pickle

Managing EditorKatie Vance

Visuals EditorDiana Combs

Director of Student PublicationsRobert Bohler Production ManagerVicki Whistler

Texas Christian University’s student magazine, is published quarterly by the Schieffer School of Journalism. Any questions or comments can be directed to Image staff at via e-mail to [email protected] or by phone at (817) 257-7429.

Allie Dallas Garner is a senior broadcast journalism major from Aledo and a Christmas enthusiast! She spent a lot of time in her younger years decking the halls of her family home. She wears her Santa socks year round and hosts Christmas parties in the middle of summer. Some of her favorite Christmas memories are times spent snowboarding in the mountains with her family. She is moving to Florida after graduation and hopes to start some new traditions of her own.

Lizzie Ferguson is a junior history major from Austin. She loves to help her family decorate the house at Christmas time. It is a tradition in Lizzie’s house for the family to buy and decorate the Christmas tree together. Every year the entire extended family comes to her house to celebrate during Christmas and she loves to help her mom cook all the traditional holiday food for the dinner.

Jade Bertaud is a fashion merchandising major from Nice, France. Jade’s fondest holiday memory remains celebrating the New Year of 2000. Ex-pecting to see flying cars and other futuristic devices pop up any minute, she dyed her hair blue and proceeded to find a matching sparkly outfit and nail polish. Although nothing quite that thrilling happened, that night’s wild dance party was unforgettable. For 2011, Jade looks forward to making new resolutions and graduating!

Business ManagerBitsy Faulk

Director of the Schieffer School John Lumpkin

editorial contributors: Mary Sue Greenleaf p14, Ashley Iovine p18, Austin Pearson p19, Maricruz Salinas p20, Kat Sisler p21, Kelsey Walters p28, Libby Davis & Justin White p30, Rebecca Jeffrey p31 photographers: Chris Bramel, Jiahsien Pan, Katie Sheridan

It’s that time of year again. The Holiday Season is a time for good food, gift-giving and time-honored traditions shared with our loved ones. As students, we finally have a break, a chance to catch our breath and forget about 10-page papers and final exams and remember what real life is all about. This issue we celebrate the spirit of giving with our technology gift giving guide (p20) and for the writer you know (p22). Our columnists debate keeping the Christ in Christ-mas (p30) and we tried to balance that out by looking at some serious issues on campus with an investigative look at stimulant medications as a study aid (p16) and a look at the experi-ences of minority students on campus (p24). I would like to dedicate this issue to Phil Record who taught me and countless others the com-plexities and the simplicities of ethical decision making. His memory lives on through all of us.

Katie Martinez, editor-in-chief

From the editor

2 l IMAGE l WINTER 2010

Jourdan Sullivan is a senior broadcast journalism major from Commerce. She spends the holidays at home with her family. Every year, she helps cook Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Jourdan cooks the dinner rolls and always manages to leave them in the oven too long. No holiday din-ner is complete without the burned bread, which has become a tradition she and her family always joke about at each holiday gathering.

Maddie Grussendorf is a junior psychology major from Colleyville. Mad-die was raised in a home that started celebrating Christmas in July and kept the lights up until June. Yes you read that right; basically Maddie’s family never stops cherishing the holiday cheer. Now that she’s out of the dorms and living in her own apartment this is her first Christmas with her very own Christmas tree to decorate. Her father brought it over in October; the tradition lives on.

From top: Diana Combs, visuals; Katie Vance, man-aging; Brittany Pickle, design; Katie Martinez, chief

Business ManagerBitsy Faulk

Director of the Schieffer School John Lumpkin

There’s more to them than you think this HOLIDAY SEASON

Numbers

WINTER 2010 l IMAGE l 3

The first Christmas tree was decorated in 1510 in Latvia.

Americans create an extra 1,000,000 tons of garbage every week between Thanksgiving day and New Year’s.

In the 4th century Pope Julius I officially named Christmas day December 25.

79% of Americans say you don’t have to spend a lot of money for a fulfilling Christmas holiday.

A 300 - foot - tall giant sequoia has been the nation’s Christmas tree since 1925.

Americans use 38,000 miles of ribbon, 33,000,000 trees and 2,650,000,000 holiday cards every year.

Oregon harvested 7,500,000 Christmas trees in 2009.


The holidays are a time for festive decorations, sparkling lights along rooftops and good tidings in your cocktail glass. From Christmas classics to share with your family and friends to the perfect shot for New Year’s Eve, here are a few ways to get your party started right.

Caramel Apple Martini2 parts butterscotch liquor2 parts sour apple liquor1 part vodkaShake everything with ice Garnish: caramel candy

Cranberry Collins ½ oz cranberry juiceSplash lime juiceClub soda to taste1 oz ginGarnish: cranberries and lime

Pumpkin Pie ShotEqual parts Bailey’s Irish Cream & Kahlua Garnish: cinnamon

Photos by Chris Bramel


Cranberry Collins ½ oz cranberry juiceSplash lime juiceClub soda to taste1 oz ginGarnish: cranberries and lime

The Grinch½ oz lemon juice2 oz Midori1 tsp sugar syrup Shake with ice and strain into chilled martini glass.Garnish: cherry

Drunken Snowman2 scoops vanilla ice cream1 scoop ice3 oz Peppermint Schnapps3 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream3 oz Stoli Vanilla Vodka Blend for 1-2 minutesGarnish: candy cane

Hot Spiced Cider and Rum 1 ½ cups light or dark rum2 quarts apple cider2 cinnamon sticks3 oranges3 tbsp whole clovesCut into oranges, place cloves inside. Heat cider and cinnamon sticks, pour over oranges and add rum.

The Sparkler3 ½ oz champagne 1 ½ oz pomegranate1 oz SKYY Infusions Passion Fruit Pour juice and SKYY into chilled flute and top with champagne.Garnish: raspberries

Midnight Kick2 oz tequila orange slicecinnamonRim a shot glass with orange and cinnamon. Shake tequila with iceand strain. Garnish: orange

Photo by visuals editor Diana Combs6 l IMAGE l WINTER 2010

Passion for music and a true love of Fort Worth are two of Punch

Shaw’s defining qualities. The professor of communications is known for encouraging his students to explore all the culture and fine arts the Metroplex has to offer.

“Growing up, I always thought that if you lead a good life and treated others as you wanted to be treated, when you died you went to Fort Worth,” Shaw said.

Fort Worth was the first big city Shaw ever saw when he and his family attended the Stock Show during his childhood.

Even as a child Shaw had a passion for music, but he didn’t always have access to new music and records. He grew up on re-mote ranches in New Mexico and Okla-homa. He later moved to Tennessee but still never lived closer than 30 miles to the nearest record store. The distance couldn’t keep him from his passion for music.

“We always had to wait for one of the older kids to get the car so we could make the run into Memphis to get records,” he said. “We couldn’t mail order them in the summer because they’d arrive warped. We actually had to work hard to get to music.”

This southern background has influ-enced his desire to study the music in his life.

“Blues there was like country-western music here. Listening to blues there was like breathing, it was part of the general fabric of life,” Shaw said.

When the British Invasion took over Memphis, Shaw said his entire outlook on music changed. His beloved Elvis and blues were being introduced to the likes of The Beatles, and it was during this time that his passion for music began to grow and evolve.

“The music that was so intrinsic to my day-to-day life went through this Europe-an filter and was handed back to me in a more complex form and that really lit me up,” Shaw said. “I was fortunate to live in a place where, without me thinking about it, I was able to engage that music in a way that other listeners in other parts of the country wouldn’t have.”

After college, Shaw found himself at the intersection of blues, rock and south-ern country near Memphis and began his career as a beat journalist writing music re-views and obituaries. “Sometimes in Mem-phis, those two overlapped,” he said.

He knew he wanted to further his edu-cation though and he ended up at The University of Texas where he earned his Ph.D. and began his current career path of teaching and freelance writing. Shaw was teaching at Southern Illinois University when a job opened up to teach at TCU. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“I had a good job where I was, but I knew I couldn’t pass this up. I was just de-lirious that I was actually going to get to live here, and it still freaks me out,” he said.

His career has come full circle now. More than fifty years after first attending the Fort Worth Stock Show as a young child with his family, he is now covering it for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He is also a reviewer for the paper where he cri-tiques theatre, and music and dance per-formances.

“Even though I’ve spent a long stretch of my career in the classroom, I continue to write for newspapers and other publi-cations on occasion,” he said. “I never stopped writing about music.”

He currently teaches mass communica-tion classes, where students enjoy a differ-ent album every day as they file into class and in the past has taught extended edu-cation classes on various fine arts subjects. One of his favorites, “Intro to Cowtown Culture” was meant to make people aware of all the options Fort Worth offers.

“I like to explain and demystify music where people can really understand it,” Shaw said. “I hope the students at TCU appreciate that their campus doesn’t end at West Cantey and Berry,” he said. “If you really use this place, your campus stretches to Dallas and Weatherford.”

With a maxed out iPod that holds thousands of songs and shelf after shelf of albums, CDs and even eight-track tapes Shaw said it’s difficult to choose a top five, because it could change on any given day. His favorites are always evolving.

“Revolver” The Beatles

“One of the most amazing records ever made.”

“Simple Dreams” Linda Rondstat

“One of the greatest voices of the 20th century.”

“Be not Nobody” Vanessa Carlton

“All of her CDs are good.”

“Imperial Bedroom” Elvis Costello

“Costello is just an incredible artist.”

“Brandenburg Concertos” Bach

“It’s a desert island thing. If I were stranded, I’d have to have this.”

iProfPunch Shaw talks about how music shaped his career and his outlook on life by Allie Garner

For Nikola Cerina, basketball isn’t just a pastime. The 6-foot-9-inch sophomore power-forward for the TCU men’s basketball team used his talent to transcend the

war and violence that raged around him for most of his young life. Cerina’s hometown, more than 5,800 miles away in Topola

Oplenac, Serbia, has experienced one conflict after another since declaring independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.

“Growing up in Serbia, there were a lot of bad things going on,” Cerina said. “I’ve been through two wars so it wasn’t fun, but I managed to find some escape in basketball.”

Cerina said the relationship between Serbia and Croatia is slowly improving, but ethnic tensions and fierce battles in the re-gion led to a mass exodus and refugee crisis in 1995 and a NATO intervention in 1999.

His journey began on a run-down court in Serbia and brought all the way to the Horned Frog court last season, but basketball has always been a part of Cerina’s life and it runs in the family. His older sister Jelena has won international acclaim and currently plays basketball at the University of Oklahoma.

“My father used to play, but then he got crazy in love with my mom and stopped playing,” he said. “It is kind of disappoint-ing that he doesn’t play anymore but it happens.”

The strong bond between his parents helped the family face the criticism thrown their way be-cause his mother is Serbian and his father is Croatian.

Cerina said he doesn’t re-member much about the 1995 war between Croatia and Serbia because he was only five years old, but the NATO invasion he remembers clearly. He was in the third grade that year.

Even when Serbia was not under attack, Cerina said almost every other day there was a crisis, but his family never let the vio-lence pull them apart. They went on with life as normally as they could. “My family is a group of people that I wouldn’t trade for anything,” Cerina said. “There is no such thing in the world, I’m not talking just about money, there is no such thing I would trade for. I wouldn’t even think about it.”

Though his family relationships were easy and natural, he of-ten faced ridicule because of his mixed heritage, and in some areas he could even be attacked.

“If I go to Croatia, they’re going to hit me because I’m par-tially Serbian. If I go to Serbia, they’re going to hit me because I’m partially Croatian,” he said. “It doesn’t work either way, but I managed to find some really good friends that are above that.”

Hardships taught Cerina what was really important in his life. “That’s all I care about: family, basketball and friends,” he said.

A lifetime of channelling his energy onto the court paid off when Cerina was contacted about playing for TCU. After re-searching the university on the Internet and reading positive re-views about head basketball coach Jim Christian, he decided to make the trip to Fort Worth where he was the first international true freshman to play basketball for the Frogs.

Leaving his family was hard, but he said the team is like an-other family that has made him feel at home and he enjoys being in the locker room and practicing.

Cerina joked that across the pond he and Croatian teammate, junior Marin Bavcevic, might be enemies, but in Fort Worth, they became fast friends.

Bavcevic said that a shared language and the mutual experi-ence of childhood wars made Cerina’s transition less stressful.

J.D. Pollock, graduate assistant for the men’s team, said Ce-rina brings energy to the team and the biggest change he has seen in Cerina since his arrival is his demeanor.

“Having the team around him and staff that really does care about him, I think he just feels more comfortable,” he said. “This is a new home for him, and I think he likes it quite a bit.”

Cerina said even after he ar-rived at TCU he did not realize he was good enough to play at a college level.

“I didn’t have the self con-fidence at the beginning of last year, so I didn’t think I was good enough to play,” Cerina said. “I just kept trying and practicing and the results came at the end of the season.”

Cerina’s transition from Ser-bian basketball to American bas-ketball was not easy. The practices are longer, harder and the game much more serious and physical here.

“I mean God would just like knock me down; every third of-fense or defense I was on the

floor,” Cerina said with a laugh. “It was tough. I was kind of weak, I’ll admit it.”

Cerina responded by spending extra time in the weight room and working individually with coaches to improve his play. De-spite having a hard transition, Cerina said he quickly learned ways to make his job on the court easier.

“A lot of these guys are incredible athletes, which makes it hard to compete,” he said. “But every time you step on the court you know your opponent has some weak side, so you try to take advantage of it.”

After all these years of playing ball, Cerina still finds peace on the basketball court.

“That’s the thing I’m most happy about ... I’m just excited to be on the court,” he said.

8 l IMAGE l FALL 2010 Photo by Jiahsien Pan

From a run-down court in Serbia to a cheering crowd at TCU, basketball has carried one student halfway around the world. by Jourdan Sullivan

FALL 2010 l IMAGE l 9Photo by Jiahsien Pan

10 l IMAGE l W I N T E R 2010

Touching basewith Greg Hughes by Katie Martinez

Alum profile

Photo by design editor Brittany Pickle

He is a community advocate, a long-distance cyclist, a husband, a father, a grandfather, an engineer and a

high-performance racecar driver. Greg Hughes is a busy man. When he graduated with his MBA

from the Neeley School of Business in 1991 a lot was going on in the world: the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain and then the invasion of Kuwait that led to the Gulf War.

But he was too busy then to keep up on current events.

“When you are working and going to school at night, raising a family – you really don’t know about a lot about what’s going on in the world.”

He remembers a time when the school arranged for some guest speakers to talk about how they were advising Hungary to change the country’s medical system, which had too many doctors who weren’t making enough money at their trade.

It was their advice to the country to institute more restrictions on who was admitted to medical school. To Hughes and his classmates this seemed like an affront to the free market and they let the speakers know as much.

“I don’t know exactly what they had expected would happen, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t it,” he said. “The students absolutely shredded them.”

Hughes said the event, early in his time at the university, was one of many bonding experiences he shared

with his classmates over the years. The lock-step program, which Hughes said ensures that you have a lot of the same classmates throughout your education there, was one thing he really liked about the program.

“I am still friends with a number of people I went to school with there,” he said. “Even if they are living in another country we still keep in touch.”

For more on Greg Hughes view his full profile online at the109.org

W I N T E R 2010 l IMAGE l 11

Advice

Marketing Yourself

No matter how many resume revisions you do, a piece of paper can only take you so far. You’re going to have to promote yourself. Stacy Grau, associate professor of professional practice in marketing, has some tips to sell yourself well instead of short.

Find what makes you unique — your talents and likes. Your competition is huge. Figure out your strengths and weaknesses and be really honest. “That’s hard for a lot of students in this generation,” Grau said. “They’ve grown up without a lot of criticism so it’s hard to really look at themselves and say OK I’m not really good at that.”

Be involved and informed. Step out of your comfort zone into new networking circles.

“It’s important for students to know the big picture, read a lot and read outside of their field. The basis of marketing is finding all these connections and making something out of it. So if you’ve never been exposed to the connections you’re not going to be a very good marketer.”

Don’t fake it ‘till you make it, because you’ll never make it. You’re always better off being yourself and you should always keep it clean on the internet. The number of people you’re exposed to through social media will find fault in your fallacy.

“You have to have authenticity with your personal brand. You can’t create what you think people what to hear,” she said. “When you go through the process be really honest and pick something that’s authentic and unique.”

Nailing the Interview

Whether freshman or senior, we’re all worried about interviews. Do I make jokes? Do I use my hands? When do I check back with the company? Luckily, Matt Riordan, assistant director of career advising, has the do’s and don’ts to keep you cool during an interview.

Pre-interview: *First and foremost, research the company. A little bit of

insight goes a long way.*Spend a few minutes thinking of your experiences and

find an anecdote you can tie to the job.

Do:*Always send a thank you note and check back if you

haven’t heard anything in a week to nine days. *Smile, let your natural body language act itself out, and

be yourself. “Every interviewer wants to know if you have the skills

and the experience to do the job. But the other side of the interview is questioning whether you, as a person, are going to be able to fundamentally walk into their office and survive.”

Don’t:*Mistake silence for weakness in an interview. Spending 10

seconds to produce a thoughtful response leaves a stronger impression than trying to talk your way into an answer.

*Be something you’re not. If you’re not genuine as you begin the interview, you’ll become more nervous, talk faster and your answers will be less reliable.

“You’re going to be nervous, you’re going to have mannerisms, language, and all this stuff that goes haywire. The last thing in the world you need to worry about is acting a certain way.”

Solidify basic interview techniques and market a unique brand - you! by Maddie Grussendorf

Words ofWisdom

by Katie Martinez

After a long and painful morality crisis, faithful fashionistas are ready to relish in luxurious excess. Fur ruled the runways this season, seen at master Fendi, in electric blue at Versace and in head-to-toe looks at Chanel. If you’re not ready to go all the way, opt for fur detailing on cuffs, collars or trimson a hooded parka and boots. Wear a fur vest to elevate any outfit and consider shopping vintage. Whether retro or modern, a plush fur coat exudes confidence and elegance.

Thomas Burberry first designed the garment during World War I when asked to adapt an officer’s coat to provide mobility and practicality under warfare conditions. Versatile and timeless, the trench coat has evolved over the decades in countless lengths, fabrics, and colors but remains a true fashion icon. This distinguished classic creates a mysterious allure while keeping its business credibility. It appeared casual and chic at Dries Van Noten, where it was worn over an A-line black skirt. And was sporty and fun in zebra print at Blumarine.

Following Fall’s trend of military styles, utility jackets and structured double-breasted coats with strong shoulders lend a tough edge to lazy, everyday outfits. In navy, olive green, or classic black, sharply tailored outerwear empower girls who aren’t afraid to take charge. Burberry Prorsum wore a thin belt on top and paired it with knee-high leather boots. At Rag & Bone, layering plaid shirts, grey hoodies and cardigans, anoraks and thick scarves inspired a laid-back downtown feel.

Fashion

12 l IMAGE l WINTER 2010 Photos by Brittany Pickle, design editor

Stay warm and be cool this season with your perfect piece of outerwear. by Jade Bertaud

Nothing is as warm and rock’n’roll as the return of shearling! Fashion editors went mad for the cropped leather shearling jackets with oversized collars at Burberry Prorsum. Spotted on runways and off-duty models, the craze extended to all accessories: bags at Hermes, crossbodies at Marni, shoulder warmers at Prada, vests at Ralph Lauren, boots at Thakoon and Alexander McQueen and the list continues... Try shearling with a fitted dress for feminine charm. Are you ready to get out your aviators?

For classic sophisticated lady-like appeal, the traditional pea coat remains a girl’s best pick. With its perfect fit and polished look, it can dress up your everyday outfits and enhance cocktail dresses and stilet-tos for a night on the town. On the runway this season the pea coat was ultra-modern and youth-ful at Marc by Marc Jacobs, ultra strong and structured at Prada, and in fearless brights of red and purple at Oscar de la Renta. If you’re in the mood for a statement coat opt for color, bold prints or interesting detail in ruffles or unique buttons.

Winter beauty means radiance from within. Runway girls were fresh with illuminated skin and smoky eyes or stained lips, defined brows and gold-dusted skin. Hair trends include messy bed-head waves and relaxed top buns.


Photos by Chris Bramel

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Horned Frog spirit. We’ve all got it. But at the games and across campus, spirit is led by the Cheerleaders — a

dedicated group of students that spend a lot of time perfecting techniques and maintaining the fitness required for the job.

The squad continues to gain popularity on campus and na-tionwide and has survived its share of controversy over the years.

The Cheerleading team made headlines in 2005 after then-head coach, Jeffrey Tucker was fired right before Homecoming Weekend. According to TCU Daily Skiff articles at the time – the coach came under attack after the administration received com-plaints about the safety of some of the stunts.

The Cheerleading captain at the time, Magean Thompson, told the Skiff that safety had been a recurring issue that season but took full responsibility for choices the squad made on the field.

She told reporters at the time that then-associate athletics di-rector, Scott Kull came down from the stands and “had a confron-tation” with Tucker during a game.

She said Kull later told the Cheerleading captains that safety

was not the issue behind the firing but rather insubordination. Earlier this year the Cheerleaders were in the spotlight again

after accusations surfaced that spirit coordinator Lindsay Shoul-ders was moving the squad in a direction that made some of the members uncomfortable.

Some of the cheerleaders who left the team at that time said too much emphasis was being placed on appearance and weigh-ins were being imposed.

Shoulders declined to comment at the time, but now says that while there is an emphasis on being healthy, there was never a specific standard set for members of any squad at the university.

“I want them to be healthy and maintain a healthy body im-age,” she said.

Kelli Ross, a senior history major who left the squad during the height of the controversy, said she thinks some members were cut because they weren’t thin enough and didn’t look a certain way in their uniforms despite their talent.

But several current members of the squad disagreed.

More than just a pretty faceTCU spirit squad members work hard to maintain skills with daily practices and workouts by Mary Sue Greenleaf

Sports


Senior Cheerleading captain Ellie Spencer, a strategic com-munications major, is one of two members on this year’s cheer squad who has participated for four years.

Spencer said she believes the concern has always been staying healthy and being fit, not on maintaining a specific weight.

Shoulders said a lot of people may not realize how physically demanding Cheerleading can be.

“Cheering at a game for four hours — you have to maintain yourself the whole time,” she said. “So you have to be super-fit.”

Ross said she was on the squad before and after Shoulders became the head coach and while being healthy had always been important, appearance and weight became more of an issue after Shoulders began to oversee the squad.

“To be a student athlete, you have to be healthy and in good shape, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to have weigh-ins,” Ross said. “That’s a lot of pressure to put on a student first and an athlete second.”

Many of the squad members don’t choose to participate in the

program all through college. Shoulders said the physical demands of practicing and per-

forming feats like stunting and tumbling are sometimes just too much.

“Sometimes in Cheerleading the skills that are required are hard to maintain,” Shoulders said.

She said the time commitment is demanding and daily prac-tice and frequent events are a lot for busy students to handle.

“It’s not for everyone. It takes a very special person to put in all that time and work,” she said.

Shoulders said she plans on continuing to keep the Cheer-leaders front-and-center at the games as well as in the community by increasing appearances and volunteer time for initiatives like the Superfrog Reading Program where Cheerleaders and Show-girls accompany the mascot to elementary schools.

“I would really like to continue to get the girls out in the community,” Shoulders said. “I want to make sure they are visible at all major events.”

More than just a pretty faceTCU spirit squad members work hard to maintain skills with daily practices and workouts by Mary Sue Greenleaf


We all have a story about a friend, roommate or even ourself, but no one is really talking about prescription stimulants on campus. Legal or illegal, students open up about how they use medications...and why. by Katie Vance

Lives

They’re called “smart drugs,” “study drugs,” or “brain ste-roids,” drugs like Adderall and Ritalin that are prescribed for treatment of attention-deficit disorder. ADD is a legitimate disorder, but the drugs are increasingly being used illegally by college students to try and help them gain an edge in school.

Some undergraduate students at TCU admit to using the medications to stay up all night, increase their focus, and gain an academic edge.

Sparkle Greenhaw Ph.D., the director of the Alcohol & Drug Education center, said of students who are taking the drugs illegally, there are varying degrees of abuse.

Greenhaw said some people who are currently using the drug illegally may have a legitimate need for the medication and not realize it.

“If a student thinks they have ADD or ADHD or has been using the medication illegally and found it helpful, I would en-courage them to contact a doctor of psychiatrist for a proper diagnosis and possible prescription,” Greenhaw said.

She said students who do not need the medication will not really benefit from using it.

“They will probably feel jittery, anxious, and have trouble sleeping,” she said.

According to National Public Radio, Adderall is easy to get on most college campuses and only costs around $5 per pill.

Typically sellers are students who are prescribed the med-icine, don’t use all the pills and sell their excess supply each month.

According to the TCU Alcohol & Drug Education center the potential long term effects of using either drug include brain damage, chronic memory disturbance, chronic depression, ab-normal brain development, and abnormal brain function.

Physical and psychological dependence could result from extended use of the drugs.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency classifies these medi-cations as Schedule II drugs because of the high propensity of misuse, abuse, and dependence. This places Adderall and Rital-in in the same class of drugs as cocaine and methamphetamine.

Greenhaw said long-term use of the medication should be closely monitored because there is a risk of serious side-effects that students need to be aware of.

Photo illustration by visuals editor Diana Combs

WINTER 2010 l IMAGE l 17Photo illustration by visuals editor Diana Combs

Across campus and across the nation students who have never been diagnosed as having ADD or ADHD are turning to the stimulant medications used to treat the

disorders to cram for exams and finish complicated projects and term papers. Google “Adderall abuse” and articles pop up from college newspapers all over the U.S. There aren’t a lot of stories out there about people overdosing or having an immediate dangerous reaction but Gary Boehm, associate professor of psychology who teaches neuroscience to psychology and biology majors, said stu-dents who take the drugs to gain an edge on exams may be getting more than they bargained for.

“Adderall is a stimulant, an amphetamine, that acts on key neural pathways and modifies synapses,” Boehm said. Any drug, when not under the supervision and care of a health care profes-sional, could have adverse side effects, he said. There is concern in the research community that the medications can have effects on still-developing brains or lead to dependency. Studies have shown that the drug can cause sudden death if taken by someone with an undiagnosed heart condition.

But a lot of the students who are using it either don’t know or don’t put much stock in the risks associated with the medications and TCU is no exception.

David,* a communications major, doesn’t have a prescrip-tion, but said the pills are easily purchased on campus and without them his grades would definitely drop. He said he feels like they are an accepted part of college life and make it possible for him to keep up with his workload and stay on task.

“Before I started taking it I couldn’t focus and my grades were terrible,” he said. “Now when I know I need to study I’ll take it, study for five or six hours easy, and get it done.”

Some students don’t necessarily even need help focusing on their studies, but say that it helps with memorization and maxi-mizes time management. It’s amazing how much you can get done when you subtract sleep from the schedule.

““If you are a smart person, this

can be your secret weapon to

put you over top.

by Maddie Grussendorf

by Ashley Iovine

Tim,* an English major, said his focus is fine, but he some-times takes the medication when he is in a time crunch.

“If you are a smart person, this can be your secret weapon to put you over the top,” he said. “Some people really need it and if they don’t have it they’re toast, but if I didn’t have it then I’d just have to buckle down and that would be a shitty night.”

Tim said he had heard about students using ADHD medi-cations as a neuroenhancer in high school, but he didn’t begin experimenting with it until he came to TCU. He said it is so wide-spread on campus that he has multiple back-up sources.

“They’re people I know personally and I wouldn’t feel any pressure of getting in trouble if they said no,” he said.

Undergraduate students aren’t the only ones talking and trad-ing. Graduate students also have easy access to the drugs. Matt* earned his Bachelor’s degree from a smaller, public school where ADHD medications were also shared freely among students, but he said he was surprised by how prevalent it is here.

“I think it has a lot to do with the pressure that a lot of stu-dents have from their parents,” he said. “It’s a different socioeco-nomic group of people here compared to public schools.”

Matt said those who are taking are often easy to peg, “Every other person in the library on the weekends takes it, especially if you’re there after midnight,” he said. “You just have to look them in the eyes and you’ll know — Dilated pupils, extremely focused, and zoned in.” *Some names have been changed in the Illegal Edge segment.

Adderall is the one of the most common prescription drugs taken for attention-deficit disorder in the coun-try, according to the Attention Deficit Disorder As-

sociation. The types of people who take medication for ADD are those who find themselves easily distracted, impulsive, and hy-peractive.

Kristen Byrd, a junior fashion merchandising major, said that she has always had trouble paying attention in class and staying focused while studying for tests.

“I have always had trouble taking tests, but when I got to college I knew I needed to do something about it,” Byrd said. “I would be the last one finished literally for every test, the amount that I studied did not reflect in my grades, and so I finally made an appointment to get tested for ADD.”

After being tested Byrd was prescribed Adderall. Even though she’s only been on the medication for two months, she said she immediately noticed that she was better able to concentrate and had no problem sitting down to study for long periods of time. She takes a 20 mg pill every morning that has a time release fea-ture that allows her to stay focused all day.

Even without a prescription, some students turn to stimulant medications to get ahead.

The medications have downsides, but students who use the drug adjust to the effects.

She is making better grades and she said that the medication puts her in a better mood. She has yet to fail any assignment this semester and enjoys feeling like she had a productive day instead of a distracted one.

“I’m a terrible listener, but now I listen in class more and will remember things when I am studying for tests and it helps me get the grades I expect,” Byrd said. “Adderall for me is like the shot of coffee that some people need in the morning to kick-start their day.”

And while all of these things are positive effects of Adderall, there are also negative effects to be considered when taking the medication. Byrd said these side effects were some of the reasons her parents were weary of allowing her to begin taking a medica-tion for ADD.

“I had trouble getting used to it, but once I started taking it with my schedule and putting it in my routine, my body adjusted to it,” Byrd said.

She said that some of the negative side effects she experienced were headaches, restlessness, imsomnia and loss of appetite. Byrd said there have been a few occasions where she simply forgot to eat because she was so focused on studying.

“If you need it, you should get it because it really helped me, I can already tell such a difference in just the past two months,” Byrd said. “I’m kind of proving my parents wrong because I clear-ly did need it.”

But there are concerns that the drug is overused by and over-prescribed to college students. Laurie Voigt, a junior psychology major, said that she knows some students are using it that don’t have anattention disorder.

“I mean every college kid gets distracted in school and I don’t know any students who actually like studying for tests,” Voigt said. “So in that sense, everyone in college could technically be prescribed Adderall.”

College students have been using more and more of these so called “study drugs” to meet the expectations and pressure to perform well in school. Byrd said that her doctor just told her to be careful and take the recommended dose.

““Adderall for me is like the shot of

coffee that some people need in

the morning to kick-start their day.

by Austin Pearson


According to the National Institute of Health, as much as five percent of the population in the United States is affected by an attention disorder.

The correlating activity can be clearly identified on a brain scan but usually a diagnosis is made based on a physician’s assess-ment of a patient’s reported symptoms.

The policy on campus recently changed, allowing out-of-state students, previously diagnosed, who have been on medi-cation for at least three months to maintain their prescription through the Brown-Lupton Health Center.

Because the stimulant medications are regulated as a con-trolled substance in Texas, prescriptions have to be written monthly.

If students meet the requirements, they can go online to schedule monthly maintenance appointments at the clinic and fill their prescriptions in the on-campus pharmacy every 25 days. The clinic requires students to follow-up with their off-campus prescribing physician once annually.

Todd Klepacki, a junior sociology major who was diagnosed with ADHD in the sixth grade, said the medication helps him focus and be successful in his academics.

He said it’s one aspect of his school strategy, which still re-quires him to work hard and study, but undoubtedly strengthens his performance.

“It’s an aid. It’s something that helps me,” Klepacki said. “I think in that aspect if I was not taking it I wouldn’t be doing all that I can to get the most out of my education.”

Dr. Rodger Mitchell, a senior physician at the University of Texas at Arlington, said the medication can improve a person’s ability to focus and retain information if used in moderation by healthy individuals under the care of a doctor.

But the risks shouldn’t be ignored, he said. Addiction and misuse are serious considerations as a lot of young professionals may find themselves turning to the drugs again as work deadlines replace school ones.

“You could compare it to steroids in baseball,” he said. “A person may be able to perform better but the side effects and the cost of doing that can be a problem.”

Klepacki says he has experienced some of the less serious side effects like loss of appetite or feeling overly anxious, but he said he feels like it’s a small price to pay.

Mitchell said as medical science continues to evolve the situ-ation might change, but at this point he warns against using the drugs for anything other than treating an attention disorder.

“In the future we may have medications that can be safely used as performance enhancers for the brain, but right now it’s a very risky proposition,” he said.

Some students do have attention issues and could not keep up without the medication.

2 0 l IMAGE l W I N T E R 2010

Techno

Forget the partridge in a pear tree. Here’s what your favorite techie really wants to unwrap this year.

iPad

Logitech G19 keyboard

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14

Kinect for Xbox 360

Roll-Up Keyboard

OS X Lion for Mac

HGC Evo 4G

Xbox 360 S Console

HTC HD 2

Macbook AirKindle 3G

Flip HD


Tunes

Young JeezyNovember 27 Palladium Ballroom

Music industry giant turned rapper, Young Jeezy, performs hit songs like “Soul Survivor” and “Lose My Mind” and some from his newly released CD. This is one of the biggest shows at the Palladium in a while. Grab tickets while you can!

BrokeNCYDE with Millionaires and The HitNovember 29 The Loft

BrokeNCYDE blends rap, screamo electronic with unique beats that will keep you dancing all night. The band knows how to get your blood pumping, and this is one show you definitely do not want to miss.

CakeDecember 30Palladium Ballroom

Jump start this year’s New Year celebration with Cake’s eclectic mix of different genres. The band’s super-catchy original style is best described as brilliantly simple.

Plain White T’s“The Wonders of the Younger!”

From Grammy-nominated Plain White T’s comes their sixth CD Set to be released December 2nd, highlights include “The Rhythm of Love,” a mellow acoustic song that sets the tone for the rest of the album. “Hey There Delilah,” set a pretty high bar for band members that they hope to exceed and keep us in love.

Iron & Wine“Kiss each other clean”

Looking for something to relax to during the cold winter months? Iron & Wine is an indie folk group with whispery lyrics that make you want to pick up a guitar and sing to that someone of yours. In January of 2011, Iron & Wine is set to release “Kiss Each Other Clean,” their first new CD release in three years. Want to get a taste of them? Check out their rendition of “Such Great Heights,” available on iTunes and playing on YouTube.

That Makes You Cooler

2 2 l IMAGE l WINTER 2010

Gift

Birdy notepad & pen setby Red Clover$6.99

Orange Dragon notepad by Memo Mate$8.95

Dogtown journal by Peter Pauper Press$8.99

Cherry Blossom journal by PicadillyBooks$6.95

Personalized stationary paired with a creative pen or pencil makes a unique, useful and affordable holiday gift. Whether someone is a born writer or just makes the occasional to-do list their pen can be a statement of their personality.

The

The Top Dog

Serious & stately with matching pencil.

Cross Sydney$14.99

The Horned Frog

For the ultimate TCU sports fan.DiVOGA Regal

$4.99

The Illusionist

Mind-bending pattern, sure to catch an eye.

DiVOGA Optics$4.99

Gift Exchanges for PartiesSecret SantaThis exchange is great when all the guests know each other. Before the party, the host randomly assigns each guest as Secret Santa to another guest and sets a spend-ing limit. Guests arrive with gifts with an anonymous sender. When all the gifts are opened people guess who their Santa is.

White ElephantEach guest brings an unmarked gift and leaves on the table. Guests draw numbers. No. 1 chooses first and opens a gift of their choice. No. 2 has the option of either steal-ing No.1’s gift or unwrapping a new one. If someone’s gift is stolen they can steal someone else’s or open another gift. The game continues until everyone has a gift.

Dirty DiceGuests take turns rolling the dice. Roll doubles and get a present but don’t open it and continue until all the gifts are taken. Some people won’t have gifts and some people will have more than one. This is the dirty part; the dice move around the group for another 15 minutes and every time someone rolls doubles they steal a gift.

The Pretty Polka DotCute, comfortable,

perfect for note-taking.DiVOGA Vanity

$6.99

Dogtown journal by Peter Pauper Press$8.99

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies journal by Chronicle$9.95

Bluebird Chatsketchbook by Working Class Studio$10.95

Left-Right This exchange is played with the Left-Right Christmas Story. Read the story outloud and guests pass their gifts to either the left or the right every time the word is said in the story. The game can be played with any Christmas story by assigning directions to words. For example, with each Christmas pass right, and each Santa pass to the left.

The Crown Jewel

Add charm & class to any collection.

Cross Stylist$34.99

The Pink Lady

Pen & pencil set with a feminine touch.Cross Windsor

$14.99


Lives

TCU has come a long way since it first opened the doors to its new Fort Worth campus in 1911. Then a fledgling

campus of 500 students in the segregated south, diversity really wasn’t a question.

But times and people have changed and the expectation for equality is something that every institution has to answer to. So how does the university measure up? It depends on how you mea-sure success.

Though TCU is a middle-sized private school, steady growth continues to increase the number of minority, international and non-traditional students but some groups have seen minimal growth or decline which has largely been masked by a continually increasing Hispanic population.

Over the past ten years the total student population has grown more than 17.5 percent overall, but the percentage of mi-nority students has only increased by 6.7 percent for a total of

18.1 percent for the 2010-2011 school year.The black population on campus has hovered at around 5

percent for the past 10 years and this year’s percentage of 4.9 is the lowest since 2001. The Hispanic population on the other hand has almost doubled over the same decade to 9.3 percent this year.

As one of the most underrepresented groups on campus, non-traditional students over 30 years of age comprise about 2.3 percent of the population on campus and don’t have any official organization that is recognized by the university.

The university is making an effort to increase diversity on campus through specialized recruiting techniques and involve-ment in programs that target minority students, said Ray Brown, dean of admissions.

“I’ll challenge anybody to find a school that is doing more,” Brown said. “We do stuff on the local level, on the state level and on the national level.”

by Lizzie FergusonUniversity enrollment continues to grow, but is the minority

population keeping pace?

si�edDi ver

Assets

“A diverse learning environment is essential to preparing students for

WINTER 2010 l IMAGE l 2 5

si�edDi ver

Assets

Breakdown of student population 2010

White 73.1%

Hispanic - Latino 9.33%

Black 4.89%

Asian 2.45%

American Indian - Alaskan Native 0.75%

Multi Ethnicity 0.47%

Hawaiian - Pacific Islander 0.17%

Cristina Ramos, program coordinator for Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services, said statistics showed that minority stu-dents were not making TCU their first choice because the cost of attendance was prohibitive. Tuition at state schools is signifi-cantly less expensive. Students at the University of Texas, where the minority population is close to half, pay less than $5,000 per semester.

Brown said a contributing factor to the higher minority population at UT the top ten percent rule, which requires Texas’s state-funded universities to accept all students who graduated in the top ten percent of their high school class.

To make TCU more appealing to lower-income students, Brown said the university continues to in-crease scholarships and financial aid and continues to develop recruiting strategies that are tailored to minor-ity students. One of the local programs the university is involved with is the Community Scholars Program, which targets 11 high schools in the Fort Worth and Dallas Independent School Dis-tricts.

Founded by the Chancellor’s Council on Diversity in 1999, its sole missions was as to increase diversity on campus by attract-ing minority students who are leaders in their community. Then-Chancellor Michael R. Ferrari said the program would benefit not only the incoming students, but also the TCU community as a whole.

“A diverse learning environment is essential to preparing students for active leadership and responsible citizenship in the global and diverse world community of today and tomorrow, es-pecially in light of the demographic projections for Texas,” the

community scholars website quoted him as saying.The program is not restricted to minority students, but the

majority at the 11 high schools is Hispanic or black, said Timeka Gordon, assistant director of the Community Scholars program. This year the program had two white students on scholarship for the first time in its history.

As part of the scholarship program, students have individual advising with a staff member freshman through senior year, Ra-mos said. They must also do study hours, community service and

be in at least one student orga-nization on campus.

Although the administra-tion is actively pursuing diver-sity, there is only so much that they can do, and students also play a big role, Gordon said.

“It takes everybody on campus to show that TCU is a welcoming and friendly cam-

pus,” Gordon said. “All of us have to work together to show the community that regardless of their background all students have a place at the university.”

Cherise Patterson, a junior nursing major, said the program opened a lot of doors for her that might have otherwise been closed allowing her to experience culture that she would not have been exposed to. She said even though the campus is not as di-verse as other campuses in the Metroplex she has been happy here.

“You shouldn’t look at how many people go to a university that look like you, but how many people go to a university that are in a position in life that you want to be in someday,” Patterson said.

Editor-in-chief Katie Martinez contributed to this story.

“A diverse learning environment is essential to preparing students for active leadership and responsible citizenship...”


ALESSANDRA RICHETTA junior strategic communications majorFor Richetta choosing a university was easy. While a senior in high

school, she toured SMU first and came to campus during a Monday at TCU. She said the students were welcoming, the campus was the right size and the atmosphere was exactly what she was hoping for.

Richetta has a mixed heritage. Her mother is from Mexico and her father is an Italian who was born in Venezuela.

“I’ve never felt uncomfortable by my race,” Richetta said. “I’ve nev-er walked into a room and felt like people were staring at me because I was different.”

She said she has never felt discriminated against on campus, but she thinks it does happen. Richetta said one of her friends at TCU, a black male student, confided to her that he had been teased about his minority status on campus.

She said more campus-wide events, like the diversity carnivals her high school used to have could help improve inclusiveness on campus and attract a more diverse student body.

Even though the campus is mostly white, Richetta said she has made friends of different races and backgrounds and has found the students to be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

GEORGE BECKER senior finance and accounting majorAs a non-traditional student, Becker is part of one of the most un-

derrepresented demographics on campus, the over-30 crowd. He trans-ferred to TCU after getting his associate’s degree from Austin Commu-nity College in 2008. He said he chose the university because he had family in the area, a scholarship opportunity and wanted to be a part of the Neeley School of Business.

Becker was working in the mortgage industry when instability in the markets prompted him to return to college and earn his associate degree. When the housing market crashed in 2008 Becker saw it as his opportunity to further his education.

Becker said there simply isn’t enough support for non-traditional students, many of whom have young children, families and work out-side of school. He said he made an effort to integrate and become in-volved in student organizations on campus, but wasn’t accepted.

The barrier between traditional and non-traditional students is harder to cross at TCU, Becker said, because it’s a smaller campus with a tiny fraction of non-traditional students.

Becker said the administration should provide a support base for older students, who contribute a lot to the campus community.

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Pro�les In

Photos by Katie Sheridan

WINTER 2010 l IMAGE l 2 7

ROBIN BAJRACHARYA sophomore finance and accounting majorBajracharya is an international student from Nepal who chose TCU

because of the reputation of the Neeley School of Business. Bajracharya said it was hard to adapt at first because the customs

were so different. At home he said young people are much more pam-pered and he had never had to do so much to take care of himself.

“Looking back now, I guess I was a bit pampered by my parents,” he said. The sounds, smells and food were all new to him. But he im-mediately felt like the students accepted him and it didn’t take long for him to feel comfortable and welcome on campus.

“Sometimes you do get treated differently,” Bajracharya said. “As an international student people stereotype you, and sometimes people don’t have accurate information about where you are from.”

Bajracharya said some students approach him to ask about his cul-ture and where he is from and he likes that. He said he thinks it’s im-portant for minority students to join an organization. Bajracharya is currently vice president of the International Student Association.

He said he thinks the number of international students on campus is fairly typical, but he suspects that the minority population is smaller than other small private schools.

CHERISE PATTERSON junior nursing majorPatterson grew up in Fort Worth and never dreamed she would be

able to go to TCU. She knew she wanted to go to college and she started looking at other options, but on a whim she decided to fill out the appli-cation for the Community Scholars Program. She was one of a handful of students who received the honor this year and she said she wouldn’t have been able to attend without the program.

TCU has always been a warm and welcoming campus, she said, and her overall experience has been great. She doesn’t dwell on the breakdown by race at the university and she has never felt discriminated against on campus. But she said has heard stories from her some of her friends who do feel that they have.

A couple of her black male friends have confided in her that they are frequently profiled as being athletes and people assume they are on an athletic scholarship. She said her friends always make it a point to let people know that they are at TCU because of their leadership abilities, academic accomplishments and service to the community like most ev-eryone else on campus.

The university atmosphere is diverse, but not nearly as diverse as it has the potential to be, Patterson said.

The backgrounds of these four students are all different. Whether a minority student,

international or a non-traditional student their experiences give them a different perspective.


Faculty foodie

When I moved to Texas in 1977 and had my first Thanksgiving on my own, I called my mother for

her dressing recipe. Several days later I received an envelope containing a newspaper clipping of a Heloise’s recipe, with a few things marked out and a hand-written note explaining the difference.

For 29 years, I would take those two pieces of paper out of a metal recipe box and prepare my Thanksgiving dressing. Then I would fold them back up and shove them into the box. A few years ago I realized that the paper I held in my hand was a family heirloom.

I made a shadowbox to preserve them. After mounting the background, the recipe, and a picture of my mother, I opened the pantry, looking for something to include in the box. Almost jumping off the shelf at me was the answer. I picked up the poultry seasoning and the sage cans. My mother never used either in her version of the recipe. What better place for the seasonings to be than in the shadowbox – because they certainly don’t belong in the dressing!

1 cup turkey broth or canned bouillon6-8 slices stale bread, torn into pieces (I use biscuits instead)1 ½ packed cups crumbled corn bread½ -1 cup chopped celery½ cup chopped onion1 stick butter or margarine2 eggs, beaten¾ tsp salt½ tbsp pepper

Pour broth over biscuits and cornbread until very moist. Saute

celery and onions in butter until

tender.Combine ingredients, mix

thoroughly. Bake in buttered

dish at 325 for 35-45 minutes.

Kay Higgins, associate dean of student development and director of the TCU Parent Program, shares her family’s traditional Holiday Dressing, her mom’s adaptation of Heloise’s classic recipe.

Photo by Katie Sheridan. Food prepared by Kelsey Walters

W I N T E R 2010 l IMAGE l 2 9

Image magazine surveyed 200 students on their favorite places to meet up with friends, hang out and get a bite to eat.

You voted, and here’s what came out on top.

Photo by Katie Sheridan. Food prepared by Kelsey Walters Photos by editor-in-chief Katie Martinez


One of the common debates that springs up every year around Christmastime is the involvement of religion in the celebration of the winter holidays. People will inevitably pit secular against moderate against conservative all in an attempt to answer the question ‘How much Christ should there be in Christmas?’

Some advocate the idea of Christmas as a celebration of the birth of Jesus. Others advocate that the holiday dates back to ancient times, when those living in primarily agricultural societies feasted because the worst part of winter was over. Still others, primarily business owners, worship the green god of money, given that Christmas spending gives the economy a much-needed kick in the pants every season.

So what is the true meaning of Christmas — money or gods? In truth, it doesn’t matter. The amount of religion people or families puts into the holidays is their business. Christmas should be a time for unity, not for arguing anyway.

Think about all the Christmas movies you see once the Halloween marathons are over. Each one tends to have the message that no matter how much you don’t believe in Santa or however much you may be the black sheep in your family, it won’t matter once you are all together in time for the Christmas miracle.

And what is the Christmas miracle? It’s being in the same room with extended family for 24 hours without any major mishaps. It’s letting go of the idea that a spending a lot of money on a good present will make for an enjoyable holiday and deciding instead to spend more time thinking about other people than you think about yourself.

Six billion people will never come together to agree on the meaning of a single day. But legendary snow days, hot chocolate with marshmallows and feel-good movies aside, Christmas is still a great time to do some soul searching. Religious and non-religious alike can still donate time and money to charity any time during the year. They both still spend time with their families. That way, no matter where on the political or religious spectrum you may fall, you’re still helping other people and you’re still in tune with the spirit of the season.

And if everyone thought that way, then what’s left to argue about?

When I was a kid, Christmas was my favorite day of the year. I’d wake up before sunrise, run down the hall, bang on my older brother’s door, run the other way and jump into my parents’ bed. It was the un-bearably exciting, knowing that in the other room a plethora of Star Wars action figures were just begging me to open them.

Later we would all pile in the car and drive to my Mema’s house for an extended family celebration. Of course all the kids would get more gifts (Hot Wheels galore!), but the part that I never paid much attention to as a child was Mema reading the story of Jesus’ birth to the entire family. Well I’m 23 now and at the last family Christmas, Mema was still there reading to all of my baby cousins.

Of course as a kid, I only cared about presents. But now as my faith in God has matured, I’ve really started noticing how many adults continue to be focused on the gift opening aspect of Christmas. Call me old-fash-ioned, but I think we need to shift our attention from what’s under the tree, to why we celebrate in the first place.

Christmas time should be about thanking God for everything you have been given. Thanking him for your gifts, your home, your family, and for sending his Son to die for us all, and for sticking with us when we deserve Him least. I am blessed beyond reason to have been raised in a Christ-centered home. I thank God everyday for my caring family, amazing fiancée, and allowing me to go to a university like TCU. That’s what I think people should do every day, and especially on Christmas.

I know for some that Christmas can be depressing. Perhaps it reminds them of lost loved ones or happier times that have since disappeared. A reliance on God could carry people through these rough periods. He knows what you’re going through and wants you to put your faith in Him that you will make it through with the Holy Spirit by your side.

As college students, we need to remember what the “C” in TCU stands for. There’s no better place to witness to those around us than a college campus. Many students are still learning about themselves and deciding what kind of life to live. Christmas is the perfect time to start making a Christly impact in the lives of others. As cheesy, overused, and cliché as it sounds, I really do think it is the reason for the season.

Libby Davis is from Coppell. She is a senior journalism and history double major and editor-in-chief of the TCU Daily Skiff.

Justin White is from Richland Hills. He is a senior broadcast journalism major and news director of News Now.

Christmas is a time to express your faith Holiday spirit doesn’t have to be religious

Social Commentary

There aren’t many towns where one can get up close and personal with endangered species, walk in dinosaur tracks and eat a chicken fried steak with bikers while listening

to live Texas Country. But Glen Rose has it all. An hour drive southwest of Fort Worth, it’s a short trip that takes you years away from everyday life. After a long day spent exploring Dinosaur

Valley State Park, The Loco Coyote Grill is the perfect spot for traditional Southern fare and music. There is sawdust on the floor, Willie Nelson on the wall and a unique blend of clientele from motorcycle

club to ranch hand and everyone is having a good time. Hand-feed exotic wildlife at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, a 1,700 drive-through refuge with around 1000 individual animals, belonging to 50 different native and

exotic species from camel and giraffe to zebra and buffalo. If paleontology is your thing, you can check out some of the best preserved dinosaur tracks in the world at Dinosaur Valley State Park or picnic at Dinosaur World, where you can roam

the earth with more than 150 life-sized dinosaur statues. WINTER 2010 l IMAGE l 31

Road Trip


Fun & Games

Test your powers of observation by finding nine things that have changed in this photograph of donated canned goods at the Tarrant Area Food Bank. For the first time in five years the food bank is having trouble keeping up with community need. The organization provides food to hunger-relief agencies in 13 counties surrounding Fort Worth.

From a different point of view these popular campus sites can be elusive. Can you identify the locations?

1. peas on GV

can 2. logo on dark red can 3. color on bottom of can 4. paste changed to past 5. beans

black and white 6. S&

W logo on corn 7. barcode change 8. M

issing info 9. F above GV

sweet peas

1. Moudy 2. Chapel 3. Library

November

December

23-24 26 27

30-5

3-5 4 11-12

31

Bison Feeding Hayride@ Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge

Parade of Lights @ Sundance Square

Chris Young@ Billy Bob’s Texas

Cirque Dreams Illuminations@ Bass Hall

A Candlelight Christmas @ Ryan Place

Christmas in The Stockyards@ Exchange Avenue

The T Holiday Light Tour @ Stockyards Station

Big D NYE @ Victory Park Dallas

Take a real old-fashioned hayride to the bison range and assist staff with feeding the giant animals. Includes a discussion of the various habitats at the nature center.Tickets: $16

Featuring more than 100 new floats this year, Downtown comes alive with hundreds of spectators and thousands of lights. The parade begins at Throckmorton and Belknap at 6 p.m. FREE

The 27th annual home tour is a celebration of the beauty of the season and features the finest holiday decor displayed in a historic Fort Worth neighborhood.Tickets: $15+

Come enjoy the lighting of the Christmas Tree, a holiday parade, chicken roping, pony rides and more. Don’t forget to tell Cowboy Santa if you’ve been naughty or nice this year.FREE

Hangout in the Stockyards a bit and then catch The T to kick back and view some of the most spectacular holiday light displays in Fort Worth neighborhoods. Face painting & refreshments included.Tickets: $5

Life’s too short to live there, but that doesn’t mean you can’t party in Dallas. The 4th annual New Year’s Eve celebration has live music and the largest fireworks display in North Texas.FREE

W I N T E R 2010 l IMAGE l 3 3

One of a kind artists populate the streets of a magical metropolis with urban acrobatics. Dazzling costumes come alive with the sounds of jazz, ballroom, pop and more in this original score.Tickets: $22+

Looking for a good excuse to dust off your boots? Head on out to the wworld’s largest honkey tonk and check out country music sensation Chris Young singing hits from his self titled debut album.Tickets: $12+

IMAGE magazine | TCU Box 298050 | Fort Worth, TX 76129 | 817.257.7429 | [email protected]

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Image Winter 2010

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