Ryan Pinkham

The University debate team finished in the top three at the debate season opener, Dr. Dennis Cali, department of communications chairman, said.

Freshmen Addison Gribbin, an English major, and Michael Jones, an accounting major, placed first in the junior varsity division. In the preliminary debates, Gribbin and Jones were undefeated.

"We were excited with how well we did," Gribbin said. "It's a great thing to go undefeated and with the tournament. We can't wait for the rest of the season."

Dr. Naomi Kagawa, a professor in the Communications Department, offered the students an opportunity to experience the Japanese style of communication first-hand in her homeland.

After landing at Narita International Airport in Tokyo, the group visited many educational and culturally significant sites in Tokyo, Matsue, Izumo, Hiroshima, Nara and Kyoto.

The student delegation represented the two countries: El Salvador and Turkey,  Dr. Marcus Stadelmann, department chairman of political science, said.

Over 4,000 students from over 300 universities and colleges attended with roughly 49 percent from foreign universities, Stadelmann said.

The delegation received its first “Distinguished Delegation” award in its fourth year in attendance.

Thoughts of college students on spring break usually are associated with wild parties and alcohol, not with students traveling to a foreign nation on an educational trip.

A total of 44 students and members of the Tyler community traveled to Turkey over spring break with Dr. Manoucher “Dr. K” Khosrowshahi from Tyler Junior College and Dr. R. Steven Krebbs from the University.

The trip was just one of what is expected to be many more international excursions, designed to enlighten and educate students about life in other counties.

Students living on limited budgets find it difficult to purchase name brand software at affordable prices. Student, faculty and staff at the University are eligible to get name brand software at discounted prices.

Last semester software could be purchased at the University bookstore or the cashier’s office. Now HiEd.com hosts the University software store at https://webstore.hied.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/UTTYRetail.

Thirty years after “the flash” tore a hole in the sky, destroying much of life on Earth, a survivor walks alone on a deserted road.

To survive, Eli, played by Denzel Washington, relies on a small, but versatile arsenal of weapons: a customized machete, a pistol, a bow and arrow and a sawed-off shotgun. Washington was trained to perform his own fight sequences in this movie.

The first fight scene is unique because all that is seen is black silhouettes contrasting against the barren background.

University police and physical plant/facilities personnel reported no damages to the campus following Wednesday night's severe weather, Beverley Golden, director of news and information, said Thursday.

The University was under a severe weather and tornado warning for more than an hour. Weather sirens directed people on campus to take shelter after possible tornadoes were sighted in Smith County.

The weather service has not confirmed if any tornados touched down in the area neighboring the University.

Freshman Hannah Scirto, a criminal justice major, holds the fish that she caught from Harvey lake. Clear skies and warm temperatures throughout the week prompted many students to spend more time outdoors amid a backdrop of rich fall color.

Puffing up on campus may go up in smoke if the Student Government Association decides to pursue a smoking ban.

At the SGA meeting on Oct. 22, SGA president Amy Whitehouse asked the senators to poll their constituents and collect data on if they support a campus-wide smoking ban. On Nov. 5, the senators turned in their findings of the smoking ban poll, in writing, to Whitehouse.