George Runnion ’48 comes to campus a lot. Football, you know. Basketball. Baseball. In June, he came to get his hearing tested.

Back in 2000, when he came for the free testing offered by the Miller Speech and Hearing Clinic, he was was on the cusp of needing an aid.

He chose to follow the suggestion then that he “move closer to those speaking” and “watch the speaker.” But that was five years ago. Time to get checked again.

“Hearing loss affects one out of every four persons over the age of 60 and increases to one out of three over the age of 70,” said Helen Morrison, associate professor of communication sciences and disorders and coordinator of the screenings.

TCU has offered the free hearing clinic for 16 years. Last year, 25 percent of the participants exhibited some sort of hearing problem. The 30-minute screenings, available to adults and children ages 3 and older, consist of a 15-minute preliminary evaluation followed by a session to explain the results.

The clinic serves as a lab for the communication sciences and disorders department. Grad students provide services for children and adults, including speech and hearing evaluation and therapy, under the direction of licensed pathologists and audiologists.

For more information, call 817-257-7620 or go to www.csd.tcu.edu.