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Brains and beauty: Members of the Delta Gamma sorority gathered Monday at the World Affairs Lounge in the University Center Underground to tudy for finals.

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Increasing access to higher education for members of Houston's minority communities will be one of the most critical challenges facing the city's business and civic leaders, said a panel of such leaders at a forum held Monday on campus.

The outgoing editor usually uses this space to run a wistful goodbye. Itis always very "inside," intended mostly for staff members. But I wrote that column last year.

More comfortable, laid-back and easygoing than he ever has been on stage, Simon treated a crowded Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion audience to a two-and-a-half-hour set on Sunday that included greatest hits and songs off his 2000 Grammy-nominated release Youire the One.

The Cougar track teams catch a break this week as the menis and womenis teams prepare for the 2001 Conference USA Outdoor Championships in Tampa, Fla., May 10 to 12.