Crime Stats Mixed In
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CATCHING UP WITH KURT THOMAS - PAGE 7 TCU Daily Skiff THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 1996 TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY, FORT WORTH, TEXAS 93RD YEAR, NO. 89 Catholics congregate Crime stats for campus conference mixed in '95 BY TONY COVER TCI I DAILY SKIFF Robberies, assaults down, Students from across the state are converging on TCU this weekend for thefts up from previous year the 25th annual Texas Catholic Stu- dent Conference. employed b\ the program. Villela "The purpose of the event is to BY JENNIFER LONGI I ■> TCU DAIL> SKD I said. Students in the patrol are part of promote fellowship and community the campus work-stud) program. among Catholic students across the Although burglaries and thefts on "The student escorts arc our eves state of Texas," said Becky St. John, campus increased in 1995. the num- and ears on campus." Villela said. chairwoman for this year's confer- ber of confrontational crimes went The main purpose of the program ence and a member of the Catholic down, according to Campus Police is to escort female students on cam- Community. statistics. pus at night. Villela said. However, "A lot of us have student centers In 1994. four robberies and two she said, the escorts take male stu- on our individual campuses, but we aggravated assaults were reported to dents to their dorms as well. don't really get a chance to get campus police, compared to one rob- Student patrols also repon suspi- together through the ministry," she bery and zero aggravated assaults in cious activity to campus police offi- said. 1995. cer*. Students participating in the con- But some crimes have increased The escort program has benefited ference can take part in one of 20 dif- on campus. While only 16 burglaries greatly front the new golf carls ferent workshops being offered, said were reported in 1994. 38 were acquired by campus police this Laura Dunning, co-chairwoman for reported in 1995. Motor vehicle spring, she said Flic students patrol the workshop committee. thefts also increased from two to six the campus from X p.m. to 12:30 a.m. "The workshops provide a wide in 1995. Villela said the student escorts opportunity for students to grow spir- The number of crimes reported in also help increase awareness on cam- itually." said Dunning, a junior com- 1995. however, are unofficial until pus. puter science major. "We have faith campus police audits the reports. "Students ma) be able to educate focus workshops, social issue work- Campus police attribute the lack of other students even better than we shops and other student-oriented crime in certain areas to the intro- can." Villela said. "Students will workshops that are of interest for col- duction of police bike patrols and the more likely listen lo someone in their lege students." student escort service. peer group." The theme for this year's confer- "The bike patrols have probably (Wef McGee has also been instru- ence is "Building the City of God." been the greatest deterrent to crime." mental in keeping crime on campus "It's the name of a popular church Campus Police Chief Steve McGee to a minimum. Villela said. song with some words that really TCU Dally skin/ Patrick) Crookef said. "McGee listens to the students' sums it up well," St. John said. "It's Mortar Board members Becky Pretz, a senior advertising/public relations major, and Bike patrols allow officers to sur- needs, and thai is one reason we are a chance for us to come together and Bill W'ellons, a senior political science major, "tap" Ryan Horstman (facing), a junior vey between dorms easier than do car successful." Villela said. "The stu- each do our small parts. patrols. McGee said. Officers can dents know whai they need better "Like people in this city who want finance and accounting major, to become a member of the honor society Wednesday also hear students in distress better than anyone.*1 to have clean streets and safe neigh- during llorstman's class. when using the bike patrols, he said. McGee came to TCU las! fall and borhoods, we want our city of God to "Crime has been low because vis- implemented the bike patrols upon be a good city where people want to ibility is up for officers." said Crime arrival. He said the h>rt Worth Police live and learn," she said. Prevention Sgt. Connie Villela. had a very successful bike patrol, and The conference begins on Friday Board taps new members The bike patrols also allow offi- he thought this program would work evening at the Ramada Hotel in cers to respond to calls quicker than well on a college campus. downtown Fort Worth. they would in a car. McGee said. He "We take a pro-active approach in Friday's events include icebreak- BY GINGER D. RICHARDSON "I just expected that if I got it, I would get a letter said the bikes are invaluable to cam- trying new ideas and programs to ers and registration; last minute drop- TCU DAIU SKIFF in the mail." said Colby Siratt, a junior accounting pus police. deter crime and make students sale." ins are welcome, St. John said. major, and one of the new inductees. "It was a really The Student Escort Patrol, insti- McGee s.ud St. John said there will also be line Forty juniors had their classes interrupted Tuesday big surprise to have them come in, interrupt my class tuted last fall, has also helped deter Mike Russel. assistant dean of dancing lessons and a worship ser- and Wednesday by fellow classmates bearing carna- and just start talking about me — it was pretty excit- some crime, Villela said. vice that evening. tions and invitations notifying them of their accep- ing and a lot of fun." There are currently 15 students tee Crime, page 2 At 9:30 a.m. Saturday, nationally tance into Mortar Board. Tapping is a Mortar Board tradition that originated known speaker Edwina Gately will Mortar Board, a national senior honor society, noti- with the society's founding in 1914, said Kelley Pel- give the keynote speech, "One fied new members of their acceptance into the TCU ton, president of Mortar Board. Woman's Faith Journey." Ampersand Chapter with the organization's tradi- Jennifer Duncan, a senior business management Gately is founder of the Genesis tional tapping ceremony. major and Mortar Board member, said the society has Prof, student send House in Chicago, a home for reha- During the ceremony. Mortar Board members three criteria when selecting its new members. bilitating prostitutes. She has also tapped the new members, explained the purpose of "We want people who have excelled in service, done missionary work throughout Mortar Board and listed the honorees' achievements scholarship and leadership throughout their college the United States and in Africa. before presenting them with ribbons and carnations. career," Duncan said. worms up in space "She fits really well into our theme The public tapping ceremony caught some of the new members off guard. see Taps, page 6 BY AI.ISIIA I.AKIK HI ill When the worms return lo earth see Catholic, page 4 rcu i)\u > SKIIT their DNA w ill be studied to look for mutations occurring as a result Several thousand worm! arc- of exposure lo cosmic radiation. scheduled to take a ride on the Hlavacek said. space shuttle Atlantis March 21. "DNA is DNA." Hlavacek said. The worms are a part" of a "Presumably, if cosmic radiation Group tries to combat image research project being conducted b> affects worm DNA. n will affect Philip Hartman. a professor of biol- humans the same way." ogy, and Tony Hlavacek. a senior The worms being used are of the biology major species Caenorhabditis elegans. The microscopic worms are The worms are commonly used in of 'tax and spend' Democrats being sent into space to test the research because of their small size effect of cosmic radiation on DNA, and their three-day life cycles. Hlavacek said. Hlavacek said. BY ANDREA DAUM The group's mission is simple: to help refocus party as the party of the middle class, not social Cosmic radiation is made of The w onus arc about 1 mm long, TCU DAILY SKIIT the Democratic Party on basic issues such as jobs, issues," he said. education, health care and personal safety. David Knoll, the group's field coordinator for high-energy particles and is emitted and 100.000 of them can fit on one Texas Democrats may have lost ground in the The organization is trying to develop a grassroots the Fort Worth area, said that people spend too by the sun and other stars, he said. petri dish, he said. 1994 elections, but a new group says it is now effort to restore pride and enthusiasm to Democratic much time focusing on the internal difference in Some cosmic radiation reaches the Once the worms are back at TCU ready to put the party back on the forefront of activists, according to a mission statement. the pany. He said 21st Century Democrats wanted surface of the earth, but the amount they will be grown and separated American politics. Tim Harms, assistant director of communications to get away from that tendency and go back to the in space is much higher, he said. based on two mutation detection The 21 st Century Democrats is the brainchild of for 21 st Century Democrats, said the group organized fundamentals of the Democratic party. The worms will be exposed to the systems. Hlavacek said. Steve Gutow, a former Dallas lawyer, who started because the Republican Party has defined Democrats Knoll said that there is no doubt that the middle same amount of cosmic radiation The researchers will be looking the organization in September, 1995, in order to on social issues and tax and spend policies.