From elimination diets to human performance and a vice presidential pick, TCU and its faculty, students and alumni are in the news.
INSTITUTIONAL
Aug. 7, 2024
University Business
With pandemic-era federal stimulus money drying up, the dust is beginning to settle
on private colleges鈥 and universities鈥 balance sheets. And as the demographic cliff
closes in, threatening to wreak havoc starting in 2026, students should be all the
wiser on which schools are in good financial health before they park their money.
That鈥檚 how Forbes frames its latest analysis of nearly 900 private colleges鈥 finances in which more
than half of all schools earned a C or worse, compared to the 20% that did so in 2021.
罢颁鲍鈥檚 score is 4.3, which earns them an A+ rating.鈥
Aug. 5, 2024
Jobloving.com
Fort Worth, the proud home of TCU, is not just any city 鈥 it鈥檚 like the yeehaw to 罢颁鲍鈥檚 hoot! So, what鈥檚 so special
about this Texan gem? Well, Fort Worth and TCU have a bond tighter than a cowboy鈥檚
boots. Despite Fort Worth being the 12th largest city in the U.S., it maintains that
warm small-town feel that makes you want to kick off your boots and stay a while.
Many Horned Frogs end up settling in this bustling city post-graduation because of
its flourishing job market. It鈥檚 like they say: once you鈥檝e tasted Fort Worth, you
can鈥檛 resist settling down for good!
Aug. 1, 2024
WIA Report
Mandy Castro has been appointed dean of undergraduate admission. For the past seven years, she
has served as the university鈥檚 director of undergraduate admissions. She previously
held various student services positions with the University of Oklahoma. Castro holds
a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology and Spanish and a master鈥檚 degree in organizational
dynamics from the University of Oklahoma.
FACULTY
Aug. 15, 2024
Parade
If you are eating with heart health in mind, there鈥檚 a good chance you鈥檙e doing your
best to minimize your sugar intake. After all, a diet high in sugar increases the
risk of type 2 diabetes, which in turn could lead to cardiovascular disease. Dr. Mohanakrishnan Sathyamoorthy, a cardiologist and the chair of internal medicine at Burnett School of Medicine
at TCU, says that it鈥檚 true that there鈥檚 a connection between blood sugar levels and
heart health. With this in mind, if you have a sweet tooth, one sugary food that Sathyamoorthy
recommends to satisfy your craving is berries. 鈥淏erries, like blueberries and blackberries,
are excellent due to their powerful antioxidant properties, which promote vascular
health,鈥 he said. Scientific studies back this up, showing that eating berries regularly
can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Aug. 14, 2024
Associated Press
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 independent presidential campaign suffered a blow this week
when a judge in New York invalidated his petition to put his name on the state ballot,
a ruling that could potentially create problems for the candidate as he faces challenges
elsewhere. The U.S. Constitution gives broad authority to individual states to oversee
elections, said Keith Gaddie, political science professor. He said many states have laws that outline strict signature-gathering
details or other requirements for candidates to get on the ballot as an independent.
鈥淭he question is whether or not in other states where they have similar criteria (as
New York), it could be used to disqualify RFK Jr. from the ballot,鈥 Gaddie said. 鈥淚t
may not happen everywhere, but it will happen somewhere else.鈥
Aug. 14, 2024
Verywell Health
Some TikTokers swear by a new hangover remedy called DHM (dihydromyricetin), a flavonoid
found in several plants native to Asia. The benefits of DHM are still unclear even
though social media continues to market its potential, according to Dr. Grant Fowler, chair of family medicine at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. Fowler said that
critics of flavonoid research 鈥 such as studies claiming the health benefits of chocolate
and red wine 鈥 say that the perceived benefits are often influenced by socioeconomic
factors. He added that many so-called 鈥渉angover cures,鈥 like exercising and oxygen
therapy, lack solid scientific evidence. However, DHM doesn鈥檛 appear to be unsafe,
even though its effectiveness is unproven.
Aug. 14, 2024
MSN.com
If it seems like more people around you have gotten COVID in the last couple of months,
that鈥檚 probably true. Right now, cases are on the rise and the COVID-19 FLiRT variants
are dominating. 鈥淭he FLiRT variants came to the forefront at the end of April,鈥 said
Dr. Nikhil K. Bhayani, an infectious disease specialist and assistant professor at the Burnett School of
Medicine at TCU.
Aug. 12, 2024
Health.com
A tool for preventing colorectal cancer (CRC) may already be in your medicine cabinet.
New research found taking aspirin on a regular basis could help reduce the risk of
colorectal cancer, especially for those with less-healthy lifestyles. More specifically,
鈥渁spirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ... are believed to reduce
colon cancer risk by inhibiting the production of proinflammatory proteins known as
prostaglandins,鈥 Dr. Thomas Deas, a gastroenterologist at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital and associate professor
at the Burnett School of Medicine, told Health. 鈥淚t may well be that the inhibition of inflammatory agents in the colon will prove
both safe and successful in reducing colon cancer risk,鈥 he said.
Aug. 10, 2024
Deseret.com
Dr. Stuart Flynn likely knows more about taking a medical school from concept to full accreditation
than anyone in the country. He鈥檚 done it twice in recent years, once at state-supported
University of Arizona-Phoenix, and more recently at the private TCU. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just an
amount of detail that you just don鈥檛 anticipate, even when you look at the accreditation
standards,鈥 said Flynn in a recent interview.
Aug. 11, 2024
CBSNews.com
It鈥檚 been more than two years since a gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde
and killed 19 young students and two teachers. The newly released body camera video
shows the moment inside Robb Elementary School when officers finally breached the
classroom where 18-year-old shooter Salvador Ramos had barricaded himself and killed
several students and teachers. Johnny Nhan, professor of criminology and criminal justice and associate dean of graduate studies,
said, 鈥淭hese guys are trying to reason with somebody who, in my opinion, has killed
somebody. If that鈥檚 already the case, then that person is not a reasonable person.
Me personally, it would be time to go. It would be time to go in.鈥
Aug. 8, 2024
Parents
If your teenager often seems moody and volatile, you might be tempted to dismiss it
as normal teenage behavior that will eventually pass. But sometimes the symptoms that
most parents and caregivers of teenagers deal with are not just part of the normal
changes all young people experience. Sometimes they could represent a more serious
change to their behavior and personality. Eric Wood, director of TCU Counseling and Mental Health, said, 鈥淚 know this is not a scientific
answer, but many parents just know if something is off with their teen. What鈥檚 off
may not be the worst-case scenario, but in my experience, parents 鈥 because of their
history with the teen 鈥 are usually correct.鈥濃
Aug. 7, 2024
CBSnews.com
Bedford police attempted to pull a car over in the TEXpress lane of SH 183 for allegedly
speeding. The driver did not stop; however, she called 911 to let the Bedford Police
Department know she had a gun in the car. Eventually, the SWAT team deployed gas into
the vehicle, at which time she got out of her vehicle. She then surrendered to officers
with no further incident. Johnny Nhan, criminal justice professor, said the drastic measures police used were warranted
due to the fact Hayes had a gun. 鈥淭hat is routine when somebody has a gun. Again it鈥檚
a dynamic situation and seems very excessive but it just kind of minimizes the risk
to the officers. So, it could be a handgun, it doesn鈥檛 matter. They鈥檙e going to treat
the situation regardless of gender, regardless of race, they鈥檙e going to come in the
same exact way,鈥 Nhan said.
Aug. 6, 2024
USA Today
Kamala Harris has completed what is likely the fastest vice-presidential vetting process
in modern history, naming Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. 鈥淏uttigieg
has a couple of issues,鈥 said James Riddlesperger, professor of political science. 鈥淗e is not currently holding elective office and
has only been elected as mayor of South Bend, Indiana. As a result, he has less electoral
experience than others. And as popular a choice as he is, Indiana is not a key state
in the election.鈥
Aug. 6, 2024
USA Today
Kamala Harris picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate,
shining a national spotlight on the outspoken Midwestern Democrat from a reliably
blue state while adding a key ally to her fast-moving campaign for the presidency.
鈥淢innesota has generally been a safe state for Democrats, so it is less critical than
Pennsylvania or Arizona, but it has been trending more competitive over the last few
elections,鈥 said James Riddlesperger, professor of political science.
Aug. 2, 2024
Japan Times
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is facing fierce backlash for questioning the race
of U.S. election rival Kamala Harris. Keith Gaddie, political science professor, said Trump鈥檚 motivation for his latest remarks was
likely a compulsion to grab back the limelight, as 鈥渘o one is talking about assassination
attempts anymore.鈥 But he also sees significance in the context 鈥 a conversation with
three African-American interviewers in front of an audience of fellow Black journalists
鈥 and believes the ex-president was playing 鈥渢he gladiator in the lion鈥檚 den鈥 for
his white base. 鈥淗e essentially decided to battle his opponent by proxy, by battling
with Black female journalists,鈥 Gaddie said.
Aug. 1, 2024
Health.com
A COVID summer surge is 鈥渨hen there鈥檚 an unexpected increase in the number of COVID
cases鈥 during the summer months, according to Dr. Nikhil Bhayani, an infectious disease physician and assistant professor. Other than allergies, we
tend to associate mild infectious illnesses like the cold, flu and now COVID with
fall and winter. But technically, those viruses can surge any time of the year, said
Bhayani. 鈥淲e see a surge in summer because people are traveling more, gathering frequently
indoors and not masking as much,鈥 he told Health. 鈥淭he virus evolves and stays ahead
of our immune system. As new variants appear, the immune system recognizes infection
of past variants 鈥 so this can lead to an increase in new infections.鈥
Aug. 1, 2024
U.S. News & World Report
The most recent consumer price index report, released on July 11, 2024, shows that
the food index decreased from May to June by 0.1% but rose 3% over the previous year,
which isn鈥檛 nearly as bad as it was during the height of the pandemic-inflation era.
Grocery shopping is starting to become a bargain compared to eating out. Whether food
prices are dipping a bit or going up, however, you鈥檒l want to pay attention to what
you鈥檙e buying. You can鈥檛 go wrong with beans, according to Anne VanBeber, professor of nutritional sciences. Even at today鈥檚 prices, 鈥淚t really can be done,鈥
she says. 鈥淟egumes are one of the foods that we really should be eating every day.
They provide protein, fiber and help to enhance the microbiome, which means it helps
keep our gut healthy, and this helps build the immune system.鈥
Aug. 1, 2024
Washington Post
As advances in training, technology and technique continue, how close are we to setting
records that are impossible to break? The physiological approach to determining a
limit is multifaceted. At the highest level, even physics constrains humans. Peter Weyand, director of the Locomotor Performance Laboratory, specializes in studying sprint
speed. He refers to sprinters as 鈥渇orce application machines.鈥 鈥淔or something we do
without thinking about, locomotion is remarkably complex, a tangle of bodily systems
working in unison. What speed distills down to is how hard a sprinter can strike the
ground relative to his weight.鈥
Aug. 1, 2024
Woman鈥檚 World
In an elimination diet, people will typically remove certain types of foods from their
daily regimen for a few weeks at a time to figure out what they are allergic to. If
symptoms go away, they likely have an intolerance to that food or food group. But
as a vehicle for weight loss, Anne VanBeber, professor of nutritional sciences, tells Woman鈥檚 World that the idea is that eliminating a certain type of food may help rid people of stubborn
fat. 鈥淓limination diet basically means that you eliminate certain foods out of your
diet to see if you have better results and symptoms go away. In the case of wanting
to lose weight, the foods eliminated could possibly result in losing some pounds.鈥
STUDENTS & ALUMNI
Aug. 14, 2024
CBSNews.com
David Orona鈥87 has helped organize and paint dozens of murals in classrooms across Fort Worth with
affirmations for the students and teachers. It was part of his goal when he returned
to Texas. 鈥淚 graduated from TCU, and I ended up going into advertising, [in] which
I was able to prosper very well,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hen we were given the option to retire,
I took that retirement, and I decided I was going to go back to my community to do
something.鈥 Now, he teaches art at the school that serves the community he grew up
in. Orona is organizing another mural painting event on Oct. 19 as a part of 罢颁鲍鈥檚
Day of Service.
Aug. 12, 2024
NBCDFW.com
Justin Choy is living his dream in a split screen kind of way. He is a glasses-wearing, mild-mannered
medical student at the Burnett School of Medicine. In July, he was part of Team USA
at the FISU World University Championships Powerlifting in Estonia. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something
I thought about, like, every day since I was 14,鈥 he said.
Aug. 7, 2024
Fort Worth Magazine
When a reporter from Texas asked Hailey Van Lith if she was having fun in Paris, she replied, 鈥淚鈥檓 not here to have fun, I鈥檓 here
to win.鈥 And win she did. In fact, Van Lith, along with her other teammates, helped
secure the bronze in the 3x3 basketball competition at the Olympic Games in Paris.
And although TCU had a cohort of nine current and former athletes competing in various
categories, Van Lith was the very first Horned Frog basketball player to win an Olympic
medal.
Aug. 1, 2024
Fort Worth Weekly
The rather rapid journey of Fort Worth crypto enthusiasts from exclusively mining
Bitcoin to welcoming the adoption of AI technology is packed with some incredibly
inspiring stories. Similarly, a group of high-achieving students led by Sarah Miller developed an internationally revered digital platform named MemePredictor. Miller鈥檚
platform, based on modern blockchain technology and powered by complex AI algorithms,
has experienced wild success as it becomes the globe鈥檚 leading platform for accurately
identifying and predicting the next big meme coin.