From the cost of goods to the China balloon, advertising Jesus and a Los Angeles mural event, TCU and its faculty, students and alumni are in the news.
150th: LA Mural
Feb. 10, 2023
Dallas Innovates
Katherine Beattie, a 2008 graduate of TCU, has lived a life story worth telling. Now TCU has helped celebrate
it with a huge mural in Los Angeles鈥攐ne of a series of murals nationwide highlighting
alumni who are 鈥渓eading on鈥� in extraordinary ways.
Feb. 9, 2023
Mobility Management
In Los Angeles this month, you'll find a larger-than-life mural of Katherine Beattie 鈥�08, a producer/writer for the popular NCIS television franchise. The mural is part of
罢颁鲍鈥檚 150th-anniversary celebration of alumni. The painting of Beattie, who graduated
with a degree in communications in 2008, was unveiled on Feb. 6. 鈥淚 am so grateful
to everyone at TCU for broadening my worldview, helping me develop empathy and tapping
into the person I wanted to be. It is so meaningful to be celebrated like this and
to know that I am viewed as a leader in my community. As one of just a few disabled
people working behind the camera in Hollywood, I get to create authentic characters
and write storylines that celebrate disability as part of natural human diversity,
not something that is sad or tragic,鈥� Beattie said.
Feb. 8, 2023
Fort Worth Business Press
TCU is on the road to continue its 150th anniversary celebration by unveiling a mural
honoring 2008 graduate Katherine Beattie, a producer/writer for the popular TV show NCIS. The unveiling featured the second in a nationwide series of hand-painted, large-scale
murals highlighting notable Horned Frogs who found personal and professional inspiration
while attending TCU.
INSTITUTIONAL
Feb. 22, 2023
KXAS-TV
The one and only time that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Fort Worth was in October
of 1959, and Fort Worth was still in the midst of segregation. Historians say that
King was met with hatred and even a bomb threat when he visited, but it also sparked
change. Because they could not find a hotel willing to house the civil rights leader,
King stayed at a home on in the now-historic Southside neighborhood. He stayed upstairs
in Vada Felder鈥檚 home on Stewart Street, and attended a reception at the Bellaire
Drive West home of the Revs. Alberta and Harold Lunger, Professor of Social Ethics,
Brite College of the Bible (now Brite Divinity School) at 茄子视频.
Feb. 14, 2023
The Dallas Morning News
In an area blessed with quite a few acoustically outstanding concert halls, 茄子视频 has added yet another. Van Cliburn Concert Hall, in the recently opened TCU Music Center, has a rich spaciousness of sound almost unimaginable in a 717-seat hall.
It got a workout on Feb. 11 in a Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra concert led by principal
guest conductor Kevin John Edusei.
FACULTY
Feb. 21, 2023
CBS-11
A current case in the high court is exploring if Google can be held responsible for
its subsidiary, YouTube, recommending terrorist videos in its algorithm. 鈥淐ertainly,
YouTube did not create these videos, but their algorithm pushed these videos to certain
people,鈥� Josh Bentley, associate professor and director of graduate studies in strategic communication,
said. 鈥淚f the Supreme Court changes the rules of the road on the internet and says
鈥榓lgorithms that promote content can get you sued,鈥� that is going to be a huge transformation
in the way all of these function.鈥�
Feb. 21, 2023
KERA News
The newest battle centers on criminal district attorneys in Texas' big cities, who
are mostly Democrats. Some of these chief prosecutors have told their communities
they will not zealously pursue criminal cases against women who seek abortions or
families who obtain gender-affirming health care for their children. 鈥淏ills targeting
sheriffs who defy state authority seem unlikely,鈥� Emily Farris, associate professor of politicial science, said. 鈥淚n Texas, where you have a conservative
Legislature and conservative sheriffs, they鈥檙e going to be less likely to oppose each
other.鈥�
Feb. 20, 2023
The Dallas Morning News
In HBO鈥檚 The Last of Us, a 鈥渮ombie ant鈥� fungus starts to infect humans, causing the
end of the world as we know it. The fungus from the show, called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis,
exists in real life. Are we in danger of a zombie ant apocalypse anytime soon? Probably
not. But there are fungi that can infect humans in Texas and around the world. 鈥淲hen
we think of a pandemic today, the coronavirus immediately comes to mind. Viral pandemics
aren鈥檛 the same as fungal ones,鈥� according to Floyd Wormley, a researcher of fungal infections and associate provost for research. 鈥淰iruses need
to enter the human body and hijack cells to cause disease. Fungi, in contrast, can
grow on their own and can cause disease either on or inside the body. But very few
fungi can actually survive inside of our bodies and cause disease, he said. 鈥淥ur warm-blooded, bodies are too hot for the fungus to thrive. It鈥檚 too
hot in the kitchen, so they cannot handle it.鈥�
Feb. 17, 2023
Dallas Observer
As North Texans tuned into the Super Bowl, many were struck by a pair of slickly produced
ads promoting a completely different type of product: Jesus. The 鈥淗e Gets Us鈥� commercials
made a lasting impression on viewers and attracted both praise and condemnation from
far-flung editorial departments. 鈥淭he size of the 鈥楬e Gets Us鈥� campaign is certainly
significant,鈥� J. Sage Elwell, associate professor of religion and art and chair of 罢颁鲍鈥檚 religion department, said.
鈥淲hether folks like it or not, agree with it or disagree, it鈥檚 well done.鈥�
Feb. 17, 2023
KBTX-TV (Bryan, TX)
The price of Bitcoin has soared, it's up almost 40% since the beginning of the year.
It briefly hit $24,000 in January, the best month since October 2021. What's next
for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies? 鈥淏itcoin鈥檚 price appreciation is actually
consistent with other coins鈥� appreciation,鈥� Kelly Slaughter, associate professor of professional practice in the information systems and supply
chain management department, said. 鈥淪ince the beginning of the year, Bitcoin is up 43%, Ethereum is up 40%, Dogecoin
is up 33% and Cardano is up 63%.鈥�
Feb. 17, 2023
Rigzone
Market watchers are looking at U.S. commercial inventories, Russia鈥檚 production cut,
Chinese demand and more. Tom Seng,assistant professor in energy at 罢颁鲍鈥檚 Ralph Lowe Energy Institute, said, 鈥淥il prices are lower week-on-week, largely due
to an unexpectedly high increase in U.S. commercial inventories, a potential new release
of SPR oil reserves and stock market jitters. And, despite an announced cut in supply
by Russia and an upwardly-revised forecast for 2023 global oil demand. Further bearish
signals included reduced refinery usage, lower-than-normal heating oil consumption
and an eighth straight week of inventory gains.鈥�
Feb. 16, 2023
Dallas Innovates
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that鈥刴illions鈥刼f鈥則oday鈥檚鈥刯obs鈥剋on鈥檛鈥別ven鈥別xist鈥刡y鈥�2030. So,鈥刪ow鈥刟re鈥刟rea鈥剈niversities
preparing鈥剆tudents鈥刦or鈥則his鈥刲atest鈥刬ndustrial鈥剅evolution? Liran Ma, computer science professor, is planning to develop a series of real-world, story-based,
hands-on learning activities hosted on a unified lab platform to promote Al/ML skills
acquisition across STEM majors at the undergraduate level. Ma and other TCU researchers
have submitted a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation, aiming to make
a broad impact in preparing tomorrow鈥檚 workforce in AI/ML.
Feb. 16, 2023
Social Geek Radio
Ingrid Schneider and Brett Larimer dive deep into the topic of trauma in the workplace
with Amanda Purvis, a trauma expert from 罢颁鲍鈥檚 Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development. They explore how trauma affects
our brains and bodies, how to support employees who have experienced trauma and, most importantly,
how to do our own work as leaders to create a safe and supportive workplace. 鈥淭rauma
at work is a big topic. It's one that people may be afraid of,鈥� she said.
Feb. 16, 2023
Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
The Arizona-based Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, a group
described as anti-democratic by domestic extremism researchers, is elevating some
of its most controversial members鈥攊ncluding those with direct ties to other anti-government
and white nationalism movements鈥攊nto formal leadership positions. A recent nationwide
survey conducted by The Marshall Project and political scientists at TCU (Emily Farris, associate professor) and Tulane University found nearly half of the 500 sheriffs who completed their survey
agreed with CSPOA鈥檚 core claim that a sheriff鈥檚 authority within their county supersedes
that of the state or federal government.
Feb. 15, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Experts say there are benefits to kids attending pre-K programs. 鈥淢any pre-K classrooms
include what鈥檚 called a dramatic play center,鈥� Michelle Bauml, associate professor of early childhood learning, said. 鈥淎t about 3 years old, children start to really develop their imagination. Going
from hearing a book about restaurants to playing as they work in a restaurant is a
connection to reading, which makes it more meaningful. They engage in these conversations
that are really imaginative, with rich dialogue,鈥� Bauml said.
Feb. 15, 2023
MarketWatch
Prices for many staple consumer products have grown significantly over the past year.
Why have used cars, specifically, experienced such a decrease? 鈥淭he year was hit hard
after COVID as the supply of chips dried up, and this actually led to spectacular
increases in used-car prices,鈥� John T. Harvey, professor of economics, said, adding that 鈥渂ecause things are, while still short
of normal, nevertheless getting there, used car prices fell.鈥�
Feb. 15, 2023
Local Today
Texas citizens and journalists often face lengthy litigation over requests for disclosure
of records. Proponents of transparency in government say this is happening across
Texas. Government officials often require that disclosure requests be submitted for
information that is clearly public鈥攅ven if the same information was previously requested
and released. Daxton 鈥淐hip鈥� Stewart, professor of media law, said, 鈥淕overnment agencies in Texas have become increasingly hostile to requests for
public records and are using tactics designed to keep public information paid for
with taxpayers鈥� money private. And some governments are hiring private lawyers, also
paid with taxpayers鈥� money, to fight requests for disclosure of records filed by private
individuals and journalists.鈥�
Feb. 13, 2023
Fox 4
Another object was shot down in Canada and President Biden ordered a third taken down
in northern Alaska. Adjunct professor Tracy Walder is a former CIA officer and FBI special agent who specialized in Chinese counterintelligence.
She says we may be hearing about these objects more because military officials are
more attuned to them. 鈥淥n the other hand, it's frustrating because why haven't we
been catching these, right? Why is it just now?鈥�
Feb. 12, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Two entrepreneurs want to use their platform to lower the barriers to invest in agriculture.
There鈥檚 a big demand for funding in the sector because in general, agriculture is
an expensive business. Ranches, for example, take a lot of money to start and operate,
according to Jeff Geider, director of the Institute of Ranch Management at TCU. 鈥淏uying land, buying livestock,
buying whatever necessary equipment 鈥� all the things to operate on a day-to-day basis,
it requires a huge amount of capital,鈥� Geider said.
Feb. 10, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Jim Marshall,chair of pediatrics at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU, is a part
of the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir project that would provide the DFW area with
water in the coming decades. Since the turn of the century, DFW water planners have
been clear: North Texans are going to need a lot of water in the coming decades, and
one way to get it is by building a reservoir about 150 miles away. 鈥淏eing a critical
care specialist who鈥檚 resuscitated a lot of children, I can tell you, there鈥檚 always
hope,鈥� Marshall said.
Feb. 8, 2023
WFAA
The new Election Integrity Task Force has been launched in Tarrant County. 鈥淭his has
been an issue that several people countywide and Tarrant County ran on in the election
of 2022,鈥� Jim Riddlesperger, political science professor, said. 鈥淭here has been precious little 鈥� if any 鈥� evidence
that there has been voter fraud of any kind, but that really doesn鈥檛 mitigate the
fact that many voters believe that there has been voter fraud.鈥�
Feb. 9, 2023
News Bulletin 247
Modern television fiction does not shy away from polarizing topics. Today, for a series
or a film to be successful, it must actively participate in the social process. 鈥淟aziness,
stupidity, gluttony or non-existent sex life are some of the concepts associated with
fat people,鈥� Jeanine Gailey, sociology professor, said. 鈥淲hen women are not desirable, according to beauty standards,
they are not shown on the screen,鈥� she notes.
Feb. 8, 2023
KERA
Nearly 50 years after its first residency at TCU, Dance Theatre of Harlem returned
to campus this week. 鈥淒ance Theatre of Harlem really started the conversation and
opened up the field of classical ballet, which had been pretty exclusionary to dancers
of color. And that鈥檚 a significant achievement,鈥� Keith Saunders, assistant professor of professional practice, said. 鈥淭hat conversation is still
being had today, and that work is still being done.鈥� Saunders and his wife, Kellye
Saunders, an adjunct professor, both work at 罢颁鲍鈥檚 School for Classical & Contemporary
Dance and are alumni of Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Feb. 4, 2023
KERA
As all eyes were trained on the sky when a suspected Chinese spy balloon worked its
way across the United States. TCU adjunct professor and former CIA officer and FBI
special agent Tracy Walder couldn鈥檛 help but reflect on her past career. 鈥淢y job was to catch Chinese here in
the United States,鈥� said Walder. 鈥淚 think what the public doesn't realize is that
so many countries, China, us, Russia, have satellites up in space that spy. We just
don't see it every day with our naked eye. So, to see it kind of like this invading
our air space in such an obvious way was very surprising to me,鈥� she said.
Feb. 4, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Last month, the Fort Worth Report invited two TCU researchers, Jacqueline Lambiase and Ashley English, who teach at 罢颁鲍鈥檚 Bob Schieffer College of Communication, to envision a session
on listening as part of this publication鈥檚 Candid Conversations where they emphasize
listening as an important tool for relationship-building, problem-solving and even
reconciliation. For three years, they have worked on a small research team to study
listening, especially related to cities, and how they focus on better engagement with
all residents. The main focus of this work centers on the voices of Black stakeholders.
Feb. 2, 2023
Fort Worth Report
The first Barbershop Talk Therapy in 2023 took place at the Lake Como House of Fades
Barbershop in Fort Worth. Attendees receive free haircuts and health screenings, including
blood pressure, glucose readings, some light blood work, all led by David Capper, academic chair of clinical sciences at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. Meanwhile,
Brian Dixon, a psychiatrist and assistant professor of clinical sciences at the medical school,
facilitated a discussion among the barbers and patrons.
Feb. 1, 2023
Yahoo News
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences received public backlash following
its Oscar nomination announcement, with critics raising questions about whether the
grassroots campaign violated any rules and if the nomination should have instead gone
to a Black woman. The ongoing controversy marks the latest instance of the Academy
being called out for its lack of diversity when considering who gets an Oscar. 鈥淒avis
and Deadwyler not making the nominations list did not come as a surprise,鈥� Frederick W. Gooding Jr., Dr. Ronald E. Moore Honors Professor of Humanities, said. 鈥淥verall, the Academy鈥檚 patterns are always consistent.鈥�
ALUMNI
Feb. 16, 2023
Fort Worth Report
After a decade and a half in corporate America, David Aspinall MBA 鈥�18 was looking for something different and more entrepreneurial. And, maybe, something
a little more meaningful to the community at large. The Manchester, England, native
had found his way to North Texas and Fort Worth in 2015 as a regional president for
Sprint. Part of what began changing his thought process was getting his master鈥檚 in
business administration from 罢颁鲍鈥檚 Neeley School of Business. 鈥淕oing to Neeley was
one of the really amplifying factors of my journey from being a company executive
into a more entrepreneurial way of thinking,鈥� Aspinall said.
Feb. 13, 2023
Fort Worth Report
Fort Worth resident Henry Adiletta 鈥�22 and his friends witnessed something they never thought they would see: their alma
mater, TCU, beating the University of Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinal, 51-45.
To remember that historic moment, Adiletta gathered his friends, hugged shoulders and turned their backs to the camera to show
off their matching jerseys. 鈥淭hat was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience,鈥� Adiletta said. 鈥淲e all got matching Kell jerseys just for fun because we lived on Kell Street
for two years.鈥�
STUDENTS
February 2023
Sage Journals
Leslie Ekpe, president of the Graduate Student Senate was published on the topic of equity and
education in society. 鈥淒espite a pandemic that ravaged Black communities with brutal,
life-threatening circumstances and months of protesting institutional injustices and
extrajudicial police brutality, Black people still found joy in moments of unrest,鈥�
she wrote.
Feb. 10, 2023
KERA News
Cry Havoc Theatre has been unique in North Texas. The high school students in the
company research topics most teen theaters would never touch: gun violence, sex education,
border crossings. Then they write a play and perform it. 鈥淚t's incredibly special,鈥�
Lillie Davidson, first-year journalism student at TCU, said. She's appeared in seven of Cry Havoc's
productions, including 鈥淏abel,鈥� the one about gun violence. 鈥淚've done theater in
a lot of places,鈥� Davidson said, 鈥渁nd I don't think that I've found somewhere else
that allowed me to have a really deep connection with the work that I was doing.鈥�
ATHLETICS
Feb. 21, 2023
Fort Worth Magazine
Fortunes can quickly change, like the story of Max Duggan, the TCU quarterback and this year鈥檚 winner of the Davey O鈥橞rien Award, as prestigious
an honor a college football player can earn, save for the most respected of its kind,
the Heisman. 鈥溓炎邮悠� a year ago, I came here for dinner with family friends and I never
would have thought I鈥檇 be here a year later winning the Davey O鈥橞rien Award,鈥� said Duggan,
decked out for the occasion in his finest black tie, his perpetually bloody elbow,
on the face of it, patched and anointed with Neosporin. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty special to be
sitting up here. I鈥檝e been surrounded by so many great people 鈥� family, friends, players,
coaching staff, people back home 鈥� helping me get to this point. To be able to share
this with them means the most to me.鈥�
Feb. 21, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
For the second straight year, the No. 3 TCU Men鈥檚 Tennis team hoisted the trophy as winners of the ITA Indoor National Championships. The
team played their instate conference for No. 8 Texas. The Frogs swept the Longhorns
4-0 to win the Natty.
Feb. 20, 202s
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TCU Basketball forward JaKobe Coles experienced plenty of adversity at the start of his collegiate career. After a decorated
prep career at Denton Guyer, Coles signed with Butler, but the summer before his freshman
season was impacted by COVID-19 and limited his options to prepare for the college
game. Coles still carved out a nice role with the Bulldogs but tore his meniscus in
2021. After the season, he transferred closer to home to TCU but still couldn鈥檛 put
in the proper time due to recovering from the injury. Now Coles is in the best stretch
of his career with five double-digit scoring games in the last seven outings. 鈥淚 think
it just came from the work and consistency that I was providing the team this summer,鈥� Coles said.
鈥淚 just worked hard all summer and just knew that if I was able to get a couple of
opportunities to play a little bit more this season, I would be able to show I had
gotten better.鈥�
Feb. 8, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The 2023 NFL Draft combine will have plenty of TCU representation. Nine players from
the national runners-up received an invite to Indianapolis for the combine, which
will be held from Feb. 28 to March 6. It鈥檚 another major milestone for Sonny Dykes and the TCU program after five players were invited to the Reese鈥檚 Senior Bowl, the
top postseason collegiate all-star game. Here鈥檚 the complete list of the Horned Frogs
that will be in Indy: Alan Ali, Steve Avila, Derius Davis, Max Duggan, Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, Dylan Horton, Quentin Johnston, Kendre Miller and Dee Winters.
Feb. 4, 2023
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The 2023 Reece鈥檚 Senior Bowl is in the books. A record five TCU players competed in the exhibition, second most to only the University of Alabama.
The Senior Bowl is an all-star game that allows top college draft prospects to showcase
their skills to NFL coaches, scouts and media. The Senior Bowl is preceded by a week
of practice that pits the participants against each other in various drills and game
situations for evaluation. QB Max Duggan was selected as the American team鈥檚 QB practice player of the week heading into the
Senior Bowl. LB Dee Winters was selected as the American team鈥檚 LB practice player of the week.