11.18.19 - Fourth Estate

November 18, 2019

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Volume 7 Issue 10

FOURTH ESTATE Mason’s Second Annual Artist Alley {p. 8} @ivestate | gmufourthestate.com

ALLEGED DISCRIMINATION STIRS STUDENTS (P. 5) || IT’S ALWAYS BEEN BASKETBALL (P. 7) || ROBOTS & ACCESIBILITY (P. 11) || OPINION: THE ERA MATTERS (P. 15) Fourth Estate is a free publication, limit one copy per person. Additional copies are 25 cents payable to the Office of Student Media.

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11.18.2019

FOURTH ESTATE

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

DANA NICKEL HAILEY BULLIS Co Editor-in-Chief

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

ALEXANDRIA MCALPINE Art Director LAURA SCUDDER DELANEY HARRISON Copy Editors

Hey Patriots, So we have reached the end of our time together for this semester. I can honestly say that, despite some ups and downs, this has been a relatively smooth ride.

My Co Editor Hailey and I haven’t fought each other to the death in a Hamilton-vs.-Burr-esque duel, so I consider that a win.

We’ve also had some changes within our office, and I’m personally really excited for what this means for Fourth Estate in the future. Our News Editor, Abigail Adcox, has been accepted to spend next semester abroad in Paris, and I wish her the best of luck going forward. Her good leadership and impeccable news judgment will be missed, but the section will be left in more than capable hands.

One of our copy editors, Laura Scudder, will be moving from her position to take over as News Editor next semester. I have the utmost confidence in her ability to grow the section even more, and her potential as an editor and a reporter is boundless. I’m excited for you all to see her work. With Laura, we will be bringing on a staff writer, Alexa Tironi, as the Assistant News Editor. I have full confidence in this team and what they’ll accomplish next semester.

Our Opinion Editor, Chris Kernan-Schmidt, will be leaving us as well. I’ve always respected Chris’s ability to take on responsibility while remaining self-aware about what he can handle. Ultimately, I’m sad to see him go, but I’m excited to see what he does next.

The section will be left to one of our long-time Opinion staff writers, Dominic Pino, whose work I’ve seen grow and change immensely since he started writing for us in 2017. I believe that, with his experience and dedication to the section, our Opinion writers will be left in good hands with Dominic as Opinion Editor.

Additionally, Jack Harvey, our current Assistant News Editor and, frankly, one of the most promising student-journalists I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, will take over as the Assistant Opinion Editor. His creativity, excellent fact-checking and good judgment will allow the section and its writers to sharpen their skills and writing style.

As for this issue, we have some great content for you guys. In our News Section, our writer covered the problems with alleged discrimination at Mason’s Panda Express. In our Culture Section, the regular feature Faces of Mason honors the editors leaving us next semester.

In Sports, our writers provided excellent insight behind one of Mason’s own basketball players, Tamia Lawhorne. Our Opinion Section ran a Letter to the Editor this week from Mason’s chapter of the Association of American University Professors on what Mason should be looking for in our next university president.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please reach out to us at masonfourthestate@gmail.com. Good luck on finals, and finish out this semester strong.

ABIGAIL ADCOX News Editor JACK HARVEY Assistant News Editor PETER NJOROGE Culture Editor IZZ LAMAGDELEINE Assistant Culture Editor NATALIE HEAVREN Sports Editor DOMENIC ALLEGRA Assistant Sports Editor CHRIS KERNAN-SCHMIDT Opinions Editor BILLY FERGUSON Online Director LEXI REYES Social Media Editor DOMINIQUE BERNARDINO Multimedia Editor EMMETT SMITH Distribution Manager KATHRYN MANGUS Director

Sincerely, Dana Nickel

DAVID CARROLL Associate Director

Co Editor-in-Chief

JASON HARTSEL Assistant Director

We are always recruiting volunteers for: - WRITERS - VIDEOGRAPHERS - ILLUSTRATORS - PHOTOGRAPHERS

George Mason University Mail stop 2C5 4400 University Drive Fairfax, Va. 22030 Phone 703-993-2950

For all inquiries, please email:

Correction: Retraction of the first paragraph of an opinion piece that ran in our last issue. The piece, entitled “Young Men Are Checking Out,” ran in our Nov. 11 issue. It will also be updated on our website to reflect this change.

masonfourthestate@gmail.com

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The editors of Fourth Estate have exclusive authority over the content that is published.

There are no outside parties that play a role in the newspaper’s content, and should there be a question or complaint regarding this policy, the Co Editor-in-Chiefs should be notified at the email provided.

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NEWS

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

11.18.2019

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SCHOOL OF BUSINESS LAUNCHES BUSINESS FOR A BETTER WORLD CENTER

Speaker Jeff Foote brings attention to businesses’ role in combating climate change OLIVIA VERMANE STAFF WRITER

In 2007, Mason committed to become carbon neutral by the year 2050, when then-president Alan Merten formally addressed the issue of global climate change by signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.

Since this commitment was made, Mason has introduced a number of sustainability initiatives to help reach this goal.

Along with the Business for a Better World Center, Mason’s School of Business has introduced a number of initiatives that further advance the goal of Mason becoming carbon neutral.

One of Mason’s initiatives originating from the School of Business is the

Honey Bee Initiative. Working closely with the College of Science, Mason’s School of Business has worked to advance research and education surrounding honey bee sustainability.

This initiative was recognized in 2019 as a recipient of the Association

to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. The initiative received the Innovations That Inspire award.

The center was created as an attempt to face environmental challenges.

FOURTH ESTATE OLIVIA VERMANE

On Monday, Nov. 11, Mason’s School of Business officially launched the Business for a Better World Center.

Their mission, according to the Mason School of Business website, is to take on issues such as environmental sustainability through action-oriented partnerships and communities.

“If you don’t think it’s impacting you today, I can guarantee it will impact your business, your lifestyle in the future. We all have to do a better job,” said Foote.

According to a press release for the event, the Business for a Better World Center addresses “complex global challenges in areas such as education, health, security, equality, technology and the environment.”

Foote has worked for over 20 years at the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Ga. He now serves as the executive vice president of TreeZero Paper, which is a company that produces paper from “sugarcane-based natural resources.”

Guest speaker Jeff Foote argued for the importance of the role of business in combating climate change, and how both nationwide and local businesses can have an impact on our carbon footprint.

As part of the launching of Mason’s Business for a Better World Center, Mason’s School of Business will hold a contest among university students relating to climate change.

Foote spoke to the audience about the issues of deforestation, water pollution and the urgency of combating climate change.

The Business for a Better World Center will work with the School of Business to promote sustainability initiatives within the Mason community.

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11/8/2019 11:57:33 AM

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NEWS

11.18.2019

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

MASON RANKED AS A TOP “GREEN COLLEGE” BY PRINCETON REVIEW

Along with Princeton Review, Mason receives accolades according to other environmental metrics HASEUNG JOUNG STAFF WRITER

Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, or AASHE STARS, in 2017.

Mason received a top rating from the Princeton Review making it into its list of 413 Green Colleges by scoring 94 out of 99 possible points.

Mason also earned a silver rating as a bicycle-friendly university from the

Schools were chosen based on Green Rating scores the company tallied for 688 colleges this summer, reflecting data from its institutional survey of administrators and students attending the colleges.

The Green Rating, on a scale of 60-99, was cultivated through multiple aspects of a school’s performance regarding sustainability practices, such as a healthy and sustainable campus quality of life, preparing students for employment in a clean-energy economy and environmentally responsible school policies.

On top of the Princeton Review score, Mason has also earned a gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in

“We really believe this showcases Mason’s commitment to addressing sustainability and environmental issues,

The Princeton Review’s annual “Hopes & Worries Survey Report” based on responses of 9,282 students applying for college and 2,618 parents of applicants, shows that 64 percent of respondents said information about a college’s commitment to environmental issues would contribute to their decisions, with 23 percent indicating it would contribute “strongly.”

In Mason’s effort to further its environmentally friendly practices, the Office of Sustainability (OoS) has been focusing on continuing strong partnerships with several on-campus stakeholders.

FOURTH ESTATE ALEXANDRIA MCALPINE

The list is included in the Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Schools and consists of environmentally responsible schools based on a review of nearly 700 colleges in the U.S.

of the Sierra Club’s “Cool Schools” for 2019.

League of American Bicyclists. Mason also ranked third nationally for the past two years for its zero-waste entry into RecycleMania’s GameDay Basketball Competition, and was featured as one

which many believe to be the biggest issue of our time,” said Ben Auger, the sustainability program manager of education and outreach for the Office of Sustainability (OoS).

“Sustainability work is intersectional, so this endeavor requires commitment across campus, whether it’s senior leadership co-chairing the new Sustainability Council, Research Centers like ISE or 4C, or offices like Transportation, Mason Dining, Human Resources, Facilities, Athletics, or Housing and Residence Life committing to programs aimed at carbon neutrality and zero waste goals,” Auger added.

OoS has been working with Housing and Residence Life to provide opportunities for residents to engage in sustainability practices such as the Green Residence Program and the Environment and Sustainability Living Learning Community.

They have also collaborated with the Office of Transportation and Mason Recreation to start a bike checkout program, and with Mason Dining by composting in all three dining halls.

OoS also hosts weekly student and community volunteer session in the Presidents Park Greenhouse, Potomac Heights Garden and the Innovation Food Forest. These sites provide opportunities for volunteers and visitors to engage in hands-on learning in sustainable food production.

The Patriot Green Fund, a $100,000 fund provided by Mason Facilities, also offers a platform for the campus to engage in diverse research projects and raise awareness to build a culture of sustainability throughout the Mason community.

LAST WEEK IN THE NEWS

Monday, Nov. 11

Tuesday, Nov. 12

U.S. set to have record-breaking Arctic temperatures this week 30 degrees below average.

Australian bush fire spreads near Nana Glen, Australia.

U.S. Marine Corps celebrates its 244th birthday.

Driver crashes Porsche into second floor of Toms River building, killing two.

Protestors clash with police in Santiago, Chile after subway fare increase.

Former president Jimmy Carter undergoes procedure to remove pressure from the brain.

Disney+ streaming service released.

Thursday, Nov. 14

Friday, Nov. 15

Protests continue in Boliva after Morales resignation Sunday.

researchers found 146 bugs pre-installed on Android phones, according to Wired.

Hospital surprises Mister Rogers’ widow by dressing babies in tiny cardigans and ties, according to People.

First two witnesses, Bill Taylor and George Kent, testify in impeachment inquiry.

Venice flood one of the worst recorded in decades.

Wednesday, Nov. 13

NFL invites Colin Kaepernick to private workout and interviews.

Amazon will challenge Pentagon’s award of $10 billion JEDI contract to Microsoft.

Roger Stone found guilty on all charges of lying to Congress and witness tampering.

Texas Court of Appeals blocks execution of Rodney Reed, which was set for Nov. 20.

David Homes testifies behind closed doors for impeachment inquiry.

NEWS

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

11.18.2019

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ALLEGED DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MUSLIM WOMAN SPURS STUDENT RESPONSE Muslim Students’Association, Executive Director of Campus Retail Operations respond KIM BARTENFELDER STAFF WRITER

The student who originally posted about the incident on Facebook, Sara Gibson, later explained, “I was sitting there eating and she was stopped at the door by an employee that looked like they were on a lunch break or something. They went back and forth after the employee made a gesture — an up and down motion by her nose and face.”

Gibson continued, “The [Muslim] woman went to the counter and another worker and her got into an argument. It seemed like she said, ‘No, we’re past that’ in terms of her getting food. They [the employees] offered to still give her food but she didn’t want it and demanded to speak with a manager multiple times.”

Fourth Estate was not able to locate the student involved in this incident.

The Panda Restaurant Group did not provide further information about what had occurred, but stated, “In light of this incident, we have retrained our staff and taken appropriate action with all involved parties.”

The allegation drew the attention of

PHOTO COURTESY OF MASON POLICE

MASON WEEKLY CRIME LOG

seniors Maleeha Darab and Abdullah Jamil, who decided to create awareness flyers titled “Too Afraid to Look into My Eyes.”

“Our main goal was educating people just because of how far education can go, how fast word spreads, and education really is a domino effect,” Jamil said.

see and people make their judgments against you ASAP,” she said. “Let’s use our voice to raise awareness about her story and make sure this is something that doesn’t happen again.”

Darab and Jamil also expressed how Muslims and non-Muslims can be great advocates for justice.

Darab and Jamil had initially been distributing flyers around the Johnson Center about African Americans who had died from police injustice, and extended their project to teach about the cultural meanings of the hijab and niqab in light of the alleged Panda Express incident.

Darab continued, “It would actually be nice for people to come out to our Friday prayers to have some sort of solidarity with us. [The Panda Express encounter] is a problem that’s supposed to ache everybody. It’s a human problem.”

Kraner continued,“The staff members that were involved have been suspended until the investigation is complete. They will not be returning to this store no matter what that determination is.”

Besides the flyer they created, Jamil and Darab offer additional guidance and education on their blog post, “They Forgot.”

“The biggest stigma about the hijab is how women are oppressed,” Jamil said. “That’s what we’re trying to address in the blog post specifically. If the mindset is that women are oppressed then Islam becomes kinda scary. If we address what Islam really is, it takes away that ‘scare factor.’”

how my hijab is a symbol of hate and fear. [The hijab] isn’t supposed to be like that,” said Darab.

In an email to Darab and Jamil, Mark Kraner, the executive director of campus retail operations wrote, “I can tell you that today the staff at this store will be receiving training on inclusivity and diversity.”

FOURTH ESTATE ALEX TRUSTY

On Oct. 28, a Muslim woman walked into Panda Express to order food. She was wearing a niqab and was allegedly denied service by an employee, according to a post on the GMU Generalposting Facebook page.

Darab reiterated the sentiment. “Me being a visibly Muslim woman wearing the hijab — it’s like your identity is always showcased for everyone to

“In general, the political climate [in the U.S.] right now, with the amount of hate and bigotry that’s being spewed from up above, I think it’s normalizing

Fourth Estate reached out to Interim President Holton’s office for comment. University spokesperson Melanie Balog, responded.“George Mason University strives to create an inclusive environment where all can thrive,” she said. “We expect all of our students to be treated with respect and condemn this act of intolerance.”

She continued, “The university applauds Panda [Express] for taking

swift action after learning of the incident and dealing directly with the employee involved. The university also worked with the company to reach out to the student to apologize for the treatment she received. We recognize the diversity of our campus community as one of our core strengths, and we regret when any of our students are made to feel unwelcome.”

Omar Ahmed, senior and current president of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) said, “I don’t think Mason has a history of being discriminatory against Muslims, but I think this really was a case of a bad employee.”

MSA released a statement about the alleged incident at Panda Express.

In the statement, they described the occurrence and Kraner’s response.

“The Muslim Students’ Association wants to assure our student body that we are diligent and active in fighting against anti-Muslim sentiment on campus and in our community,” MSA wrote.

“Diversity is beautiful,” Ahmed said.

“You can learn so much about people by interacting with them rather than [succumbing to] perceived notions or bias.”

Ahmed added, “MSA encourages our members to be active, be voices for themselves and for the larger Muslim community.”

Tuesday, Nov. 12 — York River Road

Monday, Nov. 11 — Patriot Circle

Trespassing: Subject (GMU) was issued a releasable summons for violating a previously issued criminal trespass warning.

Drug / Narcotic Violations: Subject (GMU) was arrested and transported to Fairfax County Adult Detention Center for possessing illegal drugs.

Case 2019-001283 — Cleared By Summons

Case 2019-011245 — Information Only

Tuesday, Nov. 12 — Rappahannock Parking Deck

Monday, Nov. 11 — Exploratory Hall

Theft From Motor Vehicle Parts or Accessories: Complainant (GMU) reported the theft of license plates from a vehicle.

Simple Assault: Two Complainants (GMU) reported being slapped by a known Subject.

Case 2019-011258 — Inactive

Case 2019-011214 — Pending

Tuesday, Nov. 12 — Outside of Buchanan Hall Destruction / Damage / Vandalism of Property: Complainant (GMU) reported intentional damage to a state flag.

Case 2019-011252 — Inactive

Monday, Nov. 11 — Ox Road / Braddock Road Driving Under the Influence While Under Age 21: Subject (Non-GMU) was arrested and transported to Fairfax County Adult Detention Center for driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

Case 2019-0011187 — Pending

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SPORTS

11.18.2019

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE @IVESTATE_SPORTS

THE AMAZING PROFESSOR X

Xavier Johnson describes his life growing up in a basketball family and playing at a boarding school DOMENIC ALLEGRA ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

PHOTO COURTESY OF IBRAHIM AHMAD/ GIANTKILLER.CO

However, Johnson’s transition from high school basketball to college basketball was far different. “I’ll say the biggest transition is probably speed and strength, because I’m pretty fast — we’re just playing at a fast pace all the time. Just the biggest thing, and you just got to bring it every day, and it’s going to be a grind but you just have to keep on working,” he said.

With the chance to finally play college basketball, Johnson had one goal. “I just want to follow [my father] in his footsteps, how far he took the game because he’s in the hall of fame down in Richmond, and a lot of people talk about how good he was, so I just always trying to follow his footsteps and he worked hard to do that,” Johnson said.

It’s not every day that you grow up with parents who both played college basketball. However, Mason men’s basketball’s Xavier Johnson was lucky enough to have that experience.

Johnson’s mother, Mary Johnson, played at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore during the ’80s.

On the other hand, Johnson’s father, Kelvin Johnson, played college basketball at the University of Richmond from 1981-1985 before being drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the fifth round. His father scored 1,400 points during his college career and was inducted into Richmond’s Hall of Fame during the 2008-2009 season.

It was this environment that allowed Johnson to excel on the court.

“They both coached me,” Johnson said. “My mom coached me when I was younger, playing in the youth league and once it got a little more serious in AAU, my dad took over and coached me from there.”

Johnson knew from a young age that he wanted to play collegiate basketball.

“I always wanted to do it,” he said. “I never thought twice about it; I was always in the gym with my dad and I grew up with that mentality and put so much time into it.”

Johnson brought his talents to Episcopal High School, a boarding

school in Alexandria, Va. “It was a little different,” Johnson said.

“Just having my dad there all the time having him take me to the gym, it’s just a different responsibility … We had access to the gym a lot at Episcopal so I would work out in the morning before classes with my brother at 5:00 a.m., go to class, then do lifting in the afternoons, so it was pretty easy to enjoy.”

During his time at Episcopal, Johnson scored over 1,400 points, with 495 of those points coming in his senior year. Johnson made the VISAA Tournament Finals in 2019 and won the championship in 2016. He was a two-time First Team All-State and First Team All-IAC selection. Johnson also earned D.C. All-Metro honorable mention accolades and played AAU basketball for the esteemed CP25.

Head coach Paulsen said that watching Johnson play for the first time was not your average scouting session.

“He was on our radar, my assistant coaches were like, ‘You got to go see him, you got to go see this kid Xavier.’

It was interesting in the first game I saw him play. He played passively, and I was like, ‘Eh, I don’t know how good this kid is,’ and then all of a sudden he flipped the switch and he was just in attack mode, and I was like, ‘Okay, that’s what these guys wanted me to see.’ But it’s a fine line; you can be in

attack mode all the time and still be unselfish and that’s something you’ll continue to learn,” he said.

Johnson chose Mason in 2019 after receiving offers from schools like American and Colombia, and receiving interest from many others.

When looking at his offers, Johnson said that Mason stood out for three reasons. “The family aspect, on and off the court, the academic side, and then just having that support of my family around here in the same little area — so that was a big part.”

The transition from Episcopal to Mason was, in Johnson’s opinion, “very easy.”

“I didn’t even have to stress,” Johnson said.

“It’s a bit of a transition — just take care of yourself, you got to do laundry, you got to go

Johnson finally made his college debut on Nov. 5 against Navy. “It was definitely very exciting. It was a lot of fun, it is a lot of energy from the crowd so it definitely made it a lot easier to play,” Johnson said.

Through three games, Paulsen already believes he has something special. “I think he’s got a chance to be an elite defender and a quintessential point guard. He’s got great leadership skills,

he’s got an innate level of toughness.

That was just shown watching him, whether it the Episcopal high school team or watching him with his AAU team, he certainly is living up to that.”

Paulsen continued, “I think the sky’s the limit. He certainly elevates his game for a game, which is a good thing, and not a good thing. If he can learn to really attack every day in practice. He could eliminate some of the mistakes or things like that. That’s a typical challenge for every freshman, it’s a lot, but I think he can be special.”

Through his first four games, Johnson has scored 43 points, averaging 10.8 points per game and going 15-27 from the floor.

With a long season ahead of him, Johnson has set his sights already for his career at Mason, “I’ll just want to be one of the best guys to come through here. Try to get the team back to the NCAA Tournament and put the team back on the map. We’re off to a good start right now, and need to stay locked in and keep doing what we know every day.”

The Patriots play Loyola (Md.) on Tuesday, Nov. 19 in the first round of the Cayman Island Classic at EagleBank Arena.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IBRAHIM AHMAD/ GIANTKILLER.CO

shop for yourself, get your own food.

So I get all that stuff, it’s easy, just lots of time management.”

SPORTS

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE @IVESTATE_SPORTS

11.18.2019

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IT’S ALWAYS BEEN BASKETBALL

Women’s basketball freshman Tamia Lawhorne looks to make her mark on the program

NATALIE HEAVREN SPORTS EDITOR

Lawhorne was born into an athletic family. Her mother ran track, her father played football, and her uncles and cousins played basketball.

She started playing basketball in the fourth grade and never looked back.

“From a young age I just really fell in love with the game, I’ve just been pretty serious about basketball since then,” Lawhorne said.

While Lawhorne looks to make a name for herself at Mason wearing number two, she originally wore the number four.

“Four is a really significant number to me. But since I couldn’t pick [that] because one of my teammates [had it], I just cut it in half and got two,” she said.

Lawhorne continued, “I’m the fourth one born in my family. My birthday is in the fourth month, April, and my favorite player growing up was Skylar Diggins[-Smith] and she wears the number four … Plus two is for me and my twin sister, I’m really close with my sister, so it’s just both of us so two was an easy number to pick.”

Lawhorne has looked up to DigginsSmith since she started watching basketball, saying, “I just fell in love

with how she plays. I don’t play the same position, I just really liked the way she plays. I like how aggressive she is, I just love the player she is and the person she is.”

In addition to going to her family members, if Lawhorne was struggling with something she would look to Diggins-Smith as a source of inspiration.

“I would look at stuff on her and see if she would ever go through something like [what] I would be going through at the moment. So I would just look at interviews maybe she would have had, and just see what she would have to say, and just go by what she went by,” Lawhorne said.

Lawhorne caught Mason’s attention after she transferred to Long Island Lutheran High School for her senior season.

Junior Marika Korpinen and sophomore Livija Kaktaite both attended the same school, making head coach Nyla Milleson and her coaching staff familiar with both the school and its head coach.

“We first heard from her high school coach who we have a very good relationship with. And he thought it would be a really good fit for us, in terms of not only her playing ability but the type of person that she was,” said Milleson.

Lawhorne stood out to Milleson for several reasons.

“First and foremost, her athleticism.

She’s just a really, really good athlete,” said Milleson. “Then once we got to know her. She’s a great person. She is very, very coachable. And one of those players that we think is going to be really, really good player for us.”

Once she arrived, Lawhorne felt right at home.

“I really enjoyed my visit and talking to the team and the coaching staff. I fell in love with [the school] pretty quickly,” Lawhorne said.

From the very start, Lawhorne has been able to make a difference.

In her first game, she scored 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Over the course of her first three games, she averaged eight points, four rebounds and one block per game.

But this was not the start Lawhorne imagined for herself.

“I feel like I did fairly well our first game, I think I did better than I expected. I thought I was going to struggle a little bit just because of the pace and the competitiveness [at the collegiate level],” she said.

She’s accomplished all of this with a cast on her left hand. Lawhorne is in the later steps of the recovery process, something that excites her coach.

Milleson believes that Lawhorne will be able to continue to develop, not just this year but in the seasons to come.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MASON ATHLETICS

PHOTO COURTESY OF MASON ATHLETICS

For women’s basketball freshman Tamia Lawhorne, it’s always been basketball.

“First thing is to get her cast off of her hand so she’s not a one-armed bandit,” said Milleson. “But when she continues to learn and be more confident within the system, and where she can really get her points and score, she’s going to grow. Because right now she’s doing so much of it just out of natural instinct.”

She continued, “I think understanding the system is going to be important, continuing to work on her left hand and really being able to go both ways, but she can really do some things that we don’t have many people on our team that can do: rise up over the top of people, get rebounds that nobody else can get, finish and transition out on the layup that she can get out in

front of people. So just really using her athleticism and where she can use it within our system is going to be big.”

growing in all aspects of the game and off the floor is going to be crucial for her,” she said.

However, if Lawhorne is having a difficult time she knows she can rely on her teammates.

Overall Lawhorne thinks that she can make the biggest impact on the team with her athleticism and versatility.

“If I’m having a rough day or just a tough time during practice, they usually just pick me up, talk to me for a few minutes just saying and it’s okay just to breathe and just do what I can to just get through practice or whatever I’m going through the ages.

[They] really [do] give me some words of wisdom, just because they’ve been through what I’m going through now,” she said.

“I do play the four position but I can play the three. And I feel like I can do a lot in the court. I’m able to guard, a guard or a person that plays the post so I feel like I add a lot to this team as far as versatility,” she said.

Despite only being at Mason for a few months, Milleson has already seen Lawhorne grow as a player.

“The biggest growth has just been in her, opening up and allowing us to really, really coach her. She’s always been very coachable, but she’s a very shy, reserved person until you get to know her … And you can just see her confidence grow every single day.

Tamia is a type of player that I don’t know that really quite understands what her ceiling is and doesn’t really understand how good she can really really be. So just keeping her out of her comfort zone and keeping her

Milleson believes there’s one thing that makes Lawhorne extremely coachable — “Just the type of person that she is.”

She continued, “She really does get and understand when she makes a mistake or she maybe doesn’t do something quite the way that you want to, all you have to say is, ‘Tamia’ and look at her. And it’s like, ‘Okay I got you coach.’ So she really is trying to do the right thing. She’s trying to make improvements every day. And anytime you have a player that’s that coachable and that willing to learn, combined with the athleticism that she has — she’s just going to be a really special player for us.”

The Patriots return to EagleBank Arena to take on UMKC on Nov. 26 at 7 p.m.

8

CULTURE

11.18.2019

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

MASON ARTIST ALLEY

Mason junior looks towards future filled with music, performance Students looking to get a jump on their holiday shopping and support local artists got an opportunity to do both on Saturday, Nov. 16, during the Mason Artist Alley, hosted by the Mason Illustrators Club. Student artists were given the opportunity to display and sell their artwork, ranging from stickers and pins to full comics or posters.

This was the second edition of what the organization hopes will be a continuing event. The first Artist Alley was held in the spring of this year.

According to Mary Jane DeCarlo, senior art and visual technology major and the president of Mason Illustrators, there was a mix of both new and returning artists.

The event provided an opportunity for students to sell their work to their peers, whether or not they intend to pursue art as a major or career. Many

of the vendors simply create and sell their art as a side project.

before opportunities like Artist Alley helped her expand.

Ellie Priday, the secretary of Mason Illustrators Club, is a junior business major with a minor in graphic design.

She was there as a vendor herself, selling prints and stickers of her designs.

“For people who have never sold anything, this is a great way to get started,” Ledesma said.

“I’ve been drawing my whole life,” Priday said. “Once I got to Mason, I got to start doing something with it.”

And though business and art may seem wildly different, Priday believes they go hand in hand in creating a business such as her own.

Natalie Ledesma, a junior art and visual technology major, was also there as a vendor selling her handmade jewelry.

Ledesma says that she has been making jewelry on the side for 10 years, selling first to family members

FOURTH ESTATE ALEXANDRIA MCALPINE

MAGGIE ROTH STAFF WRITER

DeCarlo also said that prior to the event, there were opportunities for the artists to meet up and collaborate with each other, strengthening their community.

For many of the artists, the work behind this event started months ago in order to prepare their work.

“We start at the beginning of the semester to be prepared for this type of thing,” Ledesma explained.

Beyond this event, Mason Illustrators maintains a tight-knit community of artists throughout the year. According to DeCarlo, the club holds Sketch Jams every other Friday, with both figure drawing and free-draw sessions.

“It’s a really good environment for learning art,” said Priday, explaining that the club provides a space where student artists can work on their art, receive constructive criticism and positive feedback, or just be creative with their peers.

According to DeCarlo, the next Artist Alley is tentatively scheduled for the

spring 2020 semester.

For any students interested in joining Artist Alley in the future, an application will be available on the Mason Illustrator’s Instagram page. The organization welcomes any illustration-based work, including prints, stickers and comics.

GAMES AROUND THE CLOCK

Game Analysis Design Interest Group holds a 24-hour celebration PETER NJOROGE CULTURE EDITOR

A wide collection of Mason students gathered in Innovation Hall to kick off the third Mason Jamfest, a 24-hour celebration of all things video games, hosted by the Game Analysis Design Interest Group (GADIG).

FOURTH ESTATE DOMENIQUE BERNARDINO

At Mason Jamfest 2019, one of the main activities is the 24-hour game jam, which is a timed competition

where participants form groups to create a unique game completely from scratch.

“They go from 8 to 48 hours,” said Kai Smith, senior computer game major. “We get together in small teams and make a video game from start to finish. All of us should walk out of this game jam with a fully functioning

game.”

According to senior and computer game designer Austin Buch, people join game jams for a number of different reasons. For him, he sees the professional application of an otherwise entertainment-oriented event.

“Honestly, [it’s] just wanting to get more stuff for a portfolio, for applying for things in the future: grad school, jobs, that sort of thing,” Buch said. “Also, just the fun of it.”

For each game jam, a theme is selected and revealed at the beginning of the competition so that competitors don’t come into the jam with a nearly finished product. For the Jamfest, the organizers decided that koalas were the topic that each game creation should involve.

Jason Villanueva is a computer science major and the treasurer of GADIG. He has helped put together game jams before, and is president of

the Voice Acting Club, a well-represented group at the event.

“Honestly, a lot of people that come here don’t quite understand either what it is to make a game or certain aspects of games themselves, and them still being able to use their talents and learn from that is really cool to see,” Villanueva said.

He continued, “It’s not like a class or an assignment or anything. We’re all just trying to learn from each other.”

Kristopher Heaston, a senior creative writing major, was one of the students taking on the game jam challenge for the first time.

“I’m the social media guy for the Voice Acting Club, so I wanted to be here as an officer to help out,” Heaston said.

“And I’ve never done a stream before and ... I’ve thought about trying it out for a career.”

He continued, “I’m loving it so far. It’s very much a group effort.”

During his time helping to coordinate game jams, Villanueva has seen some impressive creations made during the 24-hour time crunch.

According to Jacob Audick, another first-time game jam participant, “Seeing what we can create in 24 hours is kind of appealing.”

“A team made a game that was, basically, where you play as a baby dolphin,” he said. “And whenever you press a button, it would use echolocation to figure out where it is on the screen. And it did all of this just to end up finding its mom. I thought that was just a really cute concept to use echolocation.”

The jam is undoubtedly a sprint for the groups involved. When discussing the need for sleep during the competition, “Different people have different strategies,” Buch said.

He continued, “Some people bring sleeping bags and some people bring large amounts of energy drinks.”

CULTURE

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

11.18.2019

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Streaming service subscriptions IMANI HOLLOMAN STAFF WRITER

Sure, the university provides students who live in residence halls with free basic cable service, but are students truly satisfied with Mason’s television

programs?

Let’s take a look. There are some good programs that students can watch.

Mason’s television programs feature Mason Cable Network (MCN) and WGMU Radio. MCN broadcasts students’ original content like The Spill on channel 8.1. WGMU Radio streams music, sports, news and shows on channel 8.2.

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

There is Bravo, where students can watch all of the “Real Housewives” shows. Then, there is Food Network, where students can watch all of the cooking shows. Plus, E! Entertainment is where students can watch “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” or “Botched.”

Students can also watch a streaming service for a price per month. There are many options for us to sort through.

Disney+ just launched last Tuesday, Nov. 12. This service features TV shows and movies that we grew up on. For example, “That’s So Raven” and “Lilo and Stitch” are classics

from our childhoods. Disney+ offers a seven-day free trial. After the trial, you can choose from two options: only Disney+ for $6.99 per month, or Disney+ packaged with Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99 per month.

subscribers to watch on one screen at a time in SD. The standard plan is a two-screen plan in HD. The premium plan is a four-screen plan played in HD/UHD. The basic plan starts at $8.99 per month.

Hulu offers two different services: Hulu and Hulu+. They both offer TV shows and movies, like every season of “Law and Order: SVU” and “Bob’s Burgers.” Like Disney+, Hulu also offers a free trial, but in this case the trial is a month long.

So which one should you choose?

After the trial, you can choose Hulu with limited ads for $5.99 per month, or Hulu with no ads for $11.99 per month with HBO, Showtime, Cinemax and Starz added on. If I were you, I would sit through the commercials. It is $6 less.

Each of the streaming services provides TV shows and movies.

The cheapest of the three streaming services is Disney+. But the only service that offers a student discount is Hulu at $4.99 per month, which includes Spotify, Hulu’s ad-supported plan and Showtime.

If you still can’t afford any of these options, you can settle with HBO GO, which the university offers on-campus students for free as long as they sign in with Mason as their TV provider.

Netflix offers a month-long free trial too. After the trial, you can choose between three different membership plans. The basic plan only allows

HIDDEN HANGOUTS: SHAMSHIRY

Come for the kabob, stay for the ice cream AHMED FARID STAFF WRITER

Shamshiry, which is located in McLean — a mere 10-minute drive from Tysons Corner — is a modestly-sized restaurant which makes up for the lack of room with elegant furniture and decorations. Inside, the walls are adorned with pictures of famous Iranian places and figures.

This helps to create a certain theme, setting the mood before your food is even served.

These dishes are guaranteed to be the best thing you eat all week. From their

moist and tender chicken tandoori and juicy joojeh kabob, the wide variety of food offered by Shamshiry is guaranteed to come have you coming back for more.

And in order to ensure its customers are immersed in the Persian cuisine experience, Shamshiry has added some traditional Iranian beverages to the menu. The tea is served in a glass with three cubes of sugar on the side, replicating how it is usually served in Iran. Another example is doogh, a savory yogurt drink popular in Iran.

Street vendors selling this authentic beverage are a common sight on the streets of Tehran.

What sets Shamshiry apart from the other Middle Eastern restaurants in the area — and gives it the honor of making it into our Hidden Hangouts

section — is the wide variety of desserts it delivers.

While there are a wide variety of Middle Eastern desserts available, namely the baklava and the zoolbia bamieh, it is the ice cream that stands out. When you ask the waiter for Persian ice cream you will be treated to three mouth-watering bowls of saffron ice cream that tastes like you’ve just eaten summer in a bowl.

The next time you’re shopping in Tysons Corner, make sure to take a detour to Shamshiry for some authentic Middle Eastern cuisine.

Don’t forget to end your meal with the tastiest bowl of ice cream you will ever have.

FOURTH ESTATE PETER NJOROGE

When you think of Middle Eastern food, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it a lamb kabob? Or a chicken koobideh? These dishes are delicious, and they provide a good enough reason to go to Shamshiry, one of the best Iranian restaurants in Northern Virginia.

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CULTURE

11.18.2019

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

QUE BONITA BANDERA

Hispanic Student Association hosts event to celebrate the flags of the Latinx community NAYOMI SANTOS STAFF WRITER

On Friday, Nov. 18, HSA hosted Que Bonita Bandera (What a Beautiful Flag) in the Johnson Center Bistro to celebrate the Latinx community at Mason. Eventgoers had the opportunity to don their flags and dance to a DJ all night. Throughout the night, people packed onto the dance floor to celebrate Latin and Latin-American pop hits.

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“I think it could definitely improve,” said Vidal Verastegui. “A lot of people need to be familiar with Latin culture, and the best way is to come to these events.”

Continuing their celebration of Latinx culture, on Monday, Nov. 25, HSA, AMP and MMP will host Dia de Gracias to celebrate each other and share great food.

“I’m a freshman. I’m from Florida, and my biggest fear coming to Mason was not finding a community,” said Catalina Correa, a global affairs major.

“But I found HSA. I found a community here, family here.”

Correa is also a student senator representing the Latinx community at Mason.

RATED R MODELS STEAL THE SHOW

Purple Reign models perform fashion show in The Hub TRAVIS MCMILLAN STAFF WRITER

On Friday, Nov. 15, the Reign Model Troupe presented a memorable fashion showcase to a packed crowd in The Hub Ballroom. The room was filled with fashionable attendees, creating an exciting atmosphere.

finishing their performance with an “R Rated” dance.

The Reign Model Troupe is Mason’s first on-campus fashion group; it has been around since 2015. Prior to the show, the group held multiple fundraisers on campus to benefit Northern Virginia’s elderly community by kiosking in the Johnson Center.

The Rated R models did a great job of showing off every angle of the clothes they wore, posing at the end of the catwalk before turning around for the next model.

As each one turned around, they met the next person in the middle of their walk.

The two models interacted in some way, whether it was one spinning the other around, sharing an intentional look, or even a push and shove.

In between the walks, the event’s organizers also made it clear that they were accepting donations to support local nursing homes, and that part of the show’s purpose was to bring awareness to Alzheimer’s disease.

JUST FOR MASON STUDENTS:

“It’s a great way to express Latino culture,” said Daniel Logrono, vice president of AMP. Que Bonita Bandera is more than just an opportunity for students of the Latinx community at Mason to show off their flags. It’s also a chance for the community to get together and celebrate their culture.

Events such as Que Bonita Bandera bring more visibility to bring more visibility to the Latinx community at Mason, which some students, like environmental sustainability studies major Victor Vidal Verastegui, feel is lacking.

The show was definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the usual outfits you would see when walking to class on any other day of the year.

The performance began with the Rated R models walking in to lively music. The models were clad in bright, impressive outfits. The group then proceeded to dance as they made their way up to the stage,

After the walks, the show really began. The models started off in their original vibrant outfits and from there changed into sleek, modern dresses and suits.

While the models switched outfits, they even brought up several audience members who were especially dressed up for the occasion.

Events like Purple Reign are important for so many reasons, whether it’s letting the model’s parents see the effort and payoff that goes into their work, seeing models get their faces and poses out there for others to see, or even giving attendees a look into the creativity that goes into fashion.

Throughout the entire event, you could feel the amount of energy coursing through the room. Every time a model came up to pose at the end of the catwalk, the audience responded tremendously, encouraging more and more outrageous poses from the models.

FOURTH ESTATE JOHN SOLOMONS

11108 LEE HWY, FAIRFAX, VA

HSA is a community on campus dedicated to representing Latinx students at Mason.

Along with Que Bonita Bandera, one of the biggest events is Bienvenida Latina held at the beginning of the year in which all the Latinx organizations on campus, including the Aguilas Mentoring Program (AMP) and the Mariposas Mentoring Program (MMP), are represented.

at Mason were present as well, including the AMP. This leadership program pairs freshmen, sophomores and transfer students with upperclassmen. Attending events like Que Bonita Bandera is important because many members of this program are members of HSA as well.

FOURTH ESTATE NAYOMI SANTOS

Throughout the year, the Hispanic Student Association (HSA) hosts a variety of events to engage and bring visibility to the Latinx community. One such event is a celebration of the many flags that represent the global Latinx community.

11.18.2019

CULTURE

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

11

ROBOTS BRING UP ACCESSIBILITY CONCERNS Curb cuts, start-and-stops among issues IZZ LAMAGDELEINE ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

The concern that electrical and computer engineering Ph.D. student Brian Jarvis holds about Starship robots on campus is simple.

Buckner has taken multiple photos of robots waiting in curb cuts to cross the street at the intersection near the Northern Neck Starbucks.

Jarvis is physically disabled and uses a power wheelchair to get around. If he is on campus and one of the robots stops in his path, Jarvis feels he could become stuck with no easy way to navigate around it.

“I’ve seen [the robots] a few times waiting to cross the street,” Buckner, who is able-bodied but wants to amplify disabled student’s concerns about the robots, said. “And they just don’t seem to be able to tell that they can cross the street.”

“It’s a hypothetical problem still,” Jarvis said. “But I mean, I kinda have thought about, ‘Well, if I had to, would I just ram this thing off the road and tip it over?’”

Since their release last school year, many members of the Mason community have expressed fascination with the robots.

However, some students are concerned that the food delivery service may also pose a threat to accessibility on Mason’s campus.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARY ELLEN BUCKNER

The robots can block the curb cuts that allow disabled students to go from road to sidewalk, as well as to the sidewalk itself. One student, Mary Ellen Buckner, has seen this occur before several times in the past few weeks.

Last month, the University of Pittsburgh paused robot testing on campus after a student posted a thread on Twitter that went viral stating that she was “trapped” by a robot. It was later reported by The Pitt News, University of Pittsburgh’s student newspaper, that the student was able to travel past the robot with some difficulty. After the original reply, Starship changed its statement to exclude an apology.

Mason’s robots have been on campus since January, when Starship and Sodexo partnered to bring them to the university. Starship Technologies is directly in charge of the robots and all programming decisions related to them.

Since the launch, the Starship-Sodexo partnership has expanded to other schools. In March, Northern Arizona University began to roll out Starship robots.

Other members of the Mason community who are disabled believe that the Starship robots can increase accessibility on campus.

Kristine Neuber is the IT accessibility coordinator in Mason’s Assistive Technology Initiative. She is in charge of making sure that technology on campus is accessible for students and faculty with disabilities, and personally uses a service dog for issues related to balance.

Neuber has worked with Starship to make sure the company’s equipment is accessible for disabled students. She enjoys the responsiveness of Starship on issues such as the accessibility of their app. Since coming to Mason, the company has made changes to how the app is used, including additions that have helped users with vision impairments navigate the program.

“It’s definitely a moving target, accessibility in the electronic arena,” Neuber said. “But the fact that they’re willing to — they’re asking for feedback and actually making changes because of that is a big plus.”

Neuber also believes that the robots add accessibility to the Mason campus.

“Thinking about the amount of time it would take you to go over to the Johnson Center, stand in line, order your food, get that back, eat it and get to class — it can be a significant amount of time if you use a wheelchair, if you have another mobility issue or if you’re visually impaired,” she said.

When reached for comment, a Starship spokesperson wrote, “Anytime a new technology is introduced, whether that is an automobile, airplane or robot, there is going to be a period of heightened interest. That is what is happening with delivery robots. We want our robots to be courteous and

convenient for everyone.”

The spokesperson also said that Starship will continue to improve its technology to “make life a little bit easier” for those that use the robots.

As for Jarvis, his opinions about the robots are mixed.

“I think that they are a cool technology,” Jarvis said. “I see the merits of what they’re doing, you know. I’m all for that kind of innovation and experimenting with new things. I think it’s sometimes companies rush to just get out there without thinking through the ramifications for the entire population, though, and it’s just a case of that.”

He continued, “So, I’m not opposed to them being on campus, I think they just need better rules in place — and I say rules, I mean programming rules, so the robot knows how to better share the road.”

703.841.2504

Faces of Mason

FACES OF MASON delves into the lives of Mason students, faculty, alumni and organizations every week. This week, we take a look at two Fourth Estate editors that are leaving the newsroom, Opinion Editor Chris Kernan-Schmidt and News Editor Abigail Adcox INTERVIEWS BY PETER NJOROGE

Student: Chris Kernan-Schmidt leaving. I just got a new job as a high school track coach. So, I’ll be doing that every day. So, keeping busy.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS KERNAN-SCHMIDE

What are you going to miss the most about Student Media?

I really enjoyed the people. Working with the people and having a group around me on Fridays who, you know, everyone’s joking, everyone’s having fun and it’s a really supportive group. [If] something goes wrong or someone misses a deadline, everyone kind of comes together and makes things work. And it’s a cohesive team, which you don’t find very often.

What are you going to be doing next semester?

So, next semester, I’m really getting down to studying a lot. I’m trying to finish my degree, working on a

lot of Russian language classes. I’ll be continuing my role in Student Government as the chief of staff, which is a large leadership role that takes a lot of time. Also, I’ll be working outside — the reason I’ll be

Why do you think that student media is important?

As Opinion Editor, I’ve always believed that everyone should have a voice. That includes students as a whole, that includes individual students and their individual

opinions. And having a student-run media outlet, whether it’s the literary journals or something like [Fourth Estate], it just allows students to express themselves outside of class and to a wider audience that they wouldn’t be able to have a chance to do otherwise.

What do you think is the most important thing that you’ve worked on so far?

Through the Opinion section, anyone can submit their opinion. As long as it’s well written, logical and reasonable, I like to publish it. And, for me, that is super important because Mason is a very diverse school, but often within our own circles of friends or organizations we typically only hear one voice or one side of the story, whether it’s political, cultural or otherwise. And so to be able to open up the newspaper and read opinions that are different

from yours and, perhaps, learn something or challenge your own ideas, that is immensely important to me.

What’s your most memorable moment?

I think the most memorable moment, not exactly about Student Media, but kind of in my role you know as Opinion Editor, I get a wide range of submissions. Like I said, some of them good, some of them not so good, some of them completely random. Someone sent me two works of fiction that read like a fever dream about Christmas and it wasn’t from a student, it was from a man in London.

How they found my email, I don’t know. That to me, I’ll tell that story like, ‘Yeah, that was my experience as Opinion Editor.’

Student: Abigail Adcox some different opportunities that I wouldn’t get at Mason. Especially to travel around Europe and see a lot of different places that I haven’t been able to yet visit.

Any reason you picked France specifically?

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABIGAIL ADCOX

I’ve studied French for about four years now. I did it for a couple of years in high school and three semesters in college now. So, I’ve done a lot of studying of the French language and I also have kind of a funny story actually.

On my wall at my house, I have a big mural of the French, Parisian scene.

Because when I was in fifth grade, I was obsessed with Paris, and then [in] sixth grade I actually visited Paris for my first and only time. But, I was just super obsessed with [Paris] around that time, so it’s kind of funny that I’m going to end up studying abroad there.

What are you going to be doing next semester?

I am studying abroad in Paris, France at [The Paris Institute of Political

Studies]. I’m going to take some government classes and, hopefully, some journalism classes. But mostly, I just wanted to immerse myself in a different culture and just kind of get

What do you think you’ll miss the most about Student Media?

I think I’ll miss just hanging out, [and] the friendships and things that I’ve made here. Some of the opportunities,

especially the clips and the professional opportunities, but also just the environment. And I’ll miss everyone.

What was it like to work with the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and Fourth Estate during the semester?

I definitely think it was beneficial and they go hand-in-hand. Last night, [Thursday, Nov. 14], we went to a professional journalism event … they kind of go hand in hand. I’m getting my clips and all my professional writing experience with Fourth Estate, but I’m getting my networking experience with SPJ … Both of those are really important aspects of getting a job or an internship.

What do you hope to gain from studying abroad?

I really just want to just kind of throw myself into a completely different culture, and just kind of go with the flow. I’ve never been that spontaneous … I just have no idea what I’m going to expect over there, but I think it will probably be one of the best semesters of my college career, just because it’ll

be so different and I know there are so many different opportunities over there. Hopefully, I’ll be able to write for one of their newspapers.

What do you have to tell the next News Editor?

I think that one thing that I think that you always can improve, especially I could of improved upon, is communication with my writers. I did feel like I did a good job recruiting more writers, but it’s very hard to keep writers throughout the semester.

So, I think just communicating with them, providing them with valuable feedback, but also not being too harsh because you want them to come back and write for you. And then just always be open to their ideas, and maybe even texting them to see if they have ideas.

I always ask people for ideas, but they don’t really come to me with ideas.

So maybe just approaching them and being like, ‘Hey, do you have any cool ideas?’ and they might actually have something if you text them.

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OPINION Opinions do not reflect the views of Fourth Estate. Submit opinions to dpino@gmu.edu

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11.18.2019

A HOME ACROSS THE WORLD HAILEY FALK CONTRIBUTOR

myself laying out on a swinging bench in the back garden of my home at 4:30 a.m. While I do not recommend my unhealthy sleeping habits to anyone, these were the moments where, for the first time, I felt comfortable with who I was. I finally felt a sense of home in a way I never believed possible and a

in my old world felt familiar anymore.

My own bedroom felt like being inside of a shrine to someone who no longer existed, so much so that I found myself unable to even sleep in there for the first few months of being back.

we don’t understand how absurd this bubble is until we’re out of it for a large amount of time. In Dublin, there was a lack of that serious tension that so often fills rooms in the U.S. where people are afraid to speak their mind.

Half the time, the first thing out of someone’s mouth was “So, how about your president?” which would lead into an actual conversation rather than someone talking at you about their opinions.

about self-realization and learning from a rich culture.

abroad is that we are placed inside a massive bubble, especially living in the U.S. While we watch the news, see photographs and hear about the outside world all the time, we never actually experience it.

The absolute best part of my experience studying abroad was the homestay. Staying with a complete stranger that was beyond awful at responding to my emails terrified me, but never have I been so unnecessarily anxious over something in my life.

By the end of my time in Dublin the woman I stayed with, Patricia, had become my rock and her house a home that still holds too great a number of emotions for me to ever explain. She accepted me with open arms and no shred of judgment. She taught me how to be myself with no filter.

Maybe a piece that walks down Tonlegee Drive at midnight, bending down to pet the orange cat that always seemed to take me home after a night out. A piece that could still be screaming off the side of a cliff in Howth while clutching to hot chocolate with halfway hypothermic hands and a nose that would rival Rudolph. A piece that dances in 40-degree water at the beach watching friends play the guitar on the shore.

We notice surrounding countries’ responses and reactions to U.S. politics and choices made by its citizens, but

From learning how to walk down the stairs of a moving bus to finding another family, studying abroad is all

One of the main reasons I believe anyone at Mason should study

PHOTO COURTESY OF THETOKL

When people talk about studying abroad it usually consists of crazy stories to grab your attention, and I am no exception. Did I spend St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin? Yes. Was it as absurd as it sounds like it would be? If by absurd you mean thousands of people — Irish, American, Italian and whoever else — singing “Zombie”

by The Cranberries at noon, beyond smashed, while tripping over themselves attempting a step dance in the street, then yes.

Was it at all the most important or best thing that happened to me while I was there though? In no way, shape or form.

I spent spring of 2019 studying in Dublin through Mason’s Global Gateway program, and like many students who spend a semester or year abroad, it was the best time of my life.

Not for the crazy stories or anything, like movie cliches where a girl meets her soulmate and suddenly decides to move her whole life for that person, but because it gave me the opportunity to understand myself better than I ever had before.

During insomnia-ridden nights, I found

form of safety within my own mind that I didn’t realize could exist.

Truthfully, once I came back to the states at the end of this past May, my mind and even physical body did not handle it well. Depression is nothing new, but this was more. I realized that I had changed so much that nothing

Yes, academics are important, but allowing yourself to let loose and freely exist in your own skin is the best feeling in the world, and why every student should, at the very least, seriously consider taking part in a program.

Six months have passed since I left Dublin, and I find that a piece of me is missing.

A million moments that float down with the rain and rest against the pavement, waiting for my memory to recall them or for my body to return home to them.

YOUNG MEN ARE CHECKING OUT — FOR A DIFFERENT REASON There is a prevailing stigma in our culture that has prevented young men from seeking the help they need during times of mental crisis. Young men in the U.S. and around the world are suffering through a silent crisis plagued by suicide, depression and mental health disorders.

A recent op-ed discussed a few potential reasons for the increase in male suicide rates, but it failed to address the larger systematic issue in our culture — the stigma surrounding male mental health issues.

The stigma around mental health begins at an early age for men.

According to a survey from the Journal of Adolescent Health, eighth-grade boys experienced higher mental health stigma than girls and were less likely to use mental health services compared to girls of the same age. Contrary to the recent op-ed, fatherless homes are not likely the chief culprit behind this phenomenon. According to a

study published by the National Institutes of Health on adult males affected by depression, dominant masculine gender norms may be a prevailing factor that prevents men from seeking help. These gender norms, often societally imposed at a young age and continually reinforced on impressionable adolescents, perpetuate the stereotype that “boys don’t cry,” effectively minimizing the validity of mental health concerns from a young age.

If our most impressionable and most at-risk youth are told by society from a young age that their feelings are not as valid, then what is the result as they get older?

The stigma and “macho” stereotypes suffocating men do not disappear after grade school. Male college students are more likely to perceive stigma surrounding help seeking measures such as counseling, therapy and medication. Many schools, such

as Mason, offer free, short-term psychological counseling services, but the perceived stigma around male mental health issues may prevent many at our school from accessing these valuable services.

Young men may feel forced to face mental illnesses alone. Some men may choose to turn to “self-medication” techniques. Substance abuse is one of those techniques that is used to cope with untreated stressors, such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.

The effects of untreated mental illness on a person’s life are extensive and the effects manifest themselves in awful ways. So, what is the result of all this?

Well, as one may expect, the result is somber: a tragic increase 26 percent increase in male suicide.

Now, the stigma surrounding the mental health of men is likely not a direct cause of any specific suicide,

but it does prevent men from receiving help that could address those direct causes.

friends. Reach out to those who may be suffering silently to show that there are safe avenues of support.

The solution isn’t simple, but it starts with simple actions. Let’s teach our sons that expressing emotions is okay. Provide support and a place of trust for them to express how they are feeling. Let’s support our male

Seeking help is not weak. Helping someone is not weak. Showing compassion is not weak. The stigma around male mental health needs to end and it starts with small actions.

FOURTH ESTATE ALEXANDRIA MCALPINE

CHRIS KERNAN-SCHMIDT OPINION EDITOR

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OPINIONS

11.18.2019

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NOT YOUR TYPICAL TOP FIVE THINGS I LEARNED IN MY FIRST SEMESTER SIDONIA CANNON CONTRIBUTOR

difference, but they were as lost as I was.

So, we turned to the all-knowing goddess of information: Google.

PHOTO COURTESY OF EVAN CANTWELL

Mason Money is separate from your meal plan, and you can use it at a variety of places on and off campus. Bonus Bucks come with certain meal plans (Inde pendence, Liberty and Patriot) and you can use them in most dining venues. Your funds will roll over from fall to spring semesters and are tax-exempt.

As an out-of-state freshman, I’ve had to adjust a lot and familiarize myself with my new home. During orientation and move-in, my brain was overflowing with information. I retained some of that information, but I had to learn the majority of it through experience.

Although some of the following tidbits may seem obvious, go easy on me —it’s just my first semester.

1. The difference between Mason Money and Bonus Bucks “One Chick-Fil-A sandwich with medium fries. Thank you,” I said to the chipper employee dressed in red.

She plugged in my order and responded with the classic catchphrase, “My pleasure.”

Then came the dreaded question: “Mason Money or Bonus Bucks?”

Mason Money or Bonus Bucks?

I thought to myself. What’s the difference? Is there a difference?

“Bonus bucks?” My answer sounded more like a question.

She swiped my Mason ID, and I sat down with my sandwich crafted by God’s angels, still puzzled by the on-campus currency dichotomy. I asked my friends if they knew the

2. Join intramurals with caution Beware when signing up for intramurals! I was excited to play on a soccer team and make new friends, so I joined happily signed up with a random group. I was utterly disappointed when no one from my team showed up to our first match.

Or second. About five girls showed up for the third. And no one came for the remainder of the season. To make matters worse, a single player obviously isn’t enough to have a game (I’m good, but not that good), so we were forced

to forfeit each match. Unbeknownst to me, there is a $35 forfeit fee, and all team members are indefinitely suspended from intramurals until it is paid.

Talk about a rough first couple of weeks: I was stood up by my team, in debt and suspended. Ouch. Thankfully, the team captain covered the cost, and the suspension was rescinded.

Although I wasn’t able to play soccer and make instant friends like in a Disney movie, I did learn a lot from this experience. You should still try new things but do so with caution.

Don’t get your hopes up — after all, they are intramurals.

3. Innovation Garden rocks On a positive note, when life throws you a curveball, you can find peace in the Innovation Garden. Located between the JC and Innovation Hall, this sanctuary is home to a variety of flora and fauna. In warm weather, I would read before class and take a nice mental break. Although it’s now bone-chilling cold, it’s still worth meandering through on your way to class. Self-care doesn’t always have to look like a face mask. Simple moments in nature are just as good for your wellbeing, especially during finals week. Show yourself some love and visit the garden.

4. Emergency housing exists

Desk hadn’t either until I came in. For reasons I’d like to keep private, it wasn’t safe for me to stay in my dorm for a period. As I was scrambling to find a hotel room, someone from housing called me and offered a solution: free emergency housing. I happily accepted and moved into my temporary room.

It had dorm furniture, a sink, a microwave and a private bathroom.

Despite a general creep feeling, it was an upgrade! I’d give it a hearty 8/10.

I’m incredibly thankful for the housing department’s help, and I’m impressed by their prompt action. If you ever find yourself in an unsafe dorm situation, call housing at 703-993-2720 and talk with them about your options.

5. You can only run Patriot Circle so many times Are you tired of running lap after lap around Patriot Circle? Are the robots getting on your nerves? (Just cross the street, my guy!) Do you wish the commuters would stop staring at you as you run past? Try running over to West Campus. Perhaps you could run sprints around the track or run hills up Campus Drive. If you’re feeling adventurous, turn onto Santa Clara Drive and explore the neighborhood.

Also, people have recommended Lake Barton, Daniels Run Park and Lake Mantua. My running shoes have yet to hit these paths, but I’d love to hear what you think of them!

Don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of emergency housing — that’s a good thing. The man at the Piedmont

“OK BOOMER” IS HURTING OUR GENERATION ALEX MADAJIAN STAFF WRITER

Yes, I know the first reaction after reading the title is to think to yourself, “OK, boomer,” but please hear me out. For those five people on the entire planet who haven’t heard yet, “OK, boomer” is a meme where, after boomers tell something to a younger person, the younger person dismisses them by condescendingly saying, “OK, boomer.” This has become such a phenomenon that the New York Times, the Washington Post and a professor here at Mason have written about it.

This dismissal of an older generation is not entirely unwarranted. Who

among us hasn’t heard some crusty old fart grumble about how cell phones and video games are the reason why you’re a failure in life? Or perhaps you’ve heard some batty boomer babble about how back in their day, kids like you were smarter. Although it’s true there are some failures of the younger generations, there are failures in every generation, and the frustration at being pigeon-holed as a failure is extremely grating.

There certainly are many condescending or out-of-touch boomers, but dismissing them will only kneecap our generation and doom us

to repeat their mistakes. By dismissing an entire generation by its failures, aren’t we guilty of the same things we are accusing them of ?

Most students of history know this really is not anything new. It’s natural for younger generations to rebel against the older ones. But the problem is there seems to be no striving to break the cycle. Rather than acknowledge the mistakes of the past and praise our elders for their successes, we’ve decided to power on through life without their help.

Yes, there is an endless list of crises which have befallen humanity under

the boomers’ watch, and the clean-up is now our responsibility. But it is completely counterproductive to meme away our potential mentors, teachers and guides — especially since the boomers had their own successes.

During their time, the power of the USSR was broken, a treatment for AIDS was discovered and they (ironically) invented the cell phone and internet, just to name a few.

It is a fallacy to assume that because the boomers caused many modern problems, they do not have potential solutions, or at least advice on what we should not be doing. That is not

to say their words should be taken as gospel. No advisor should have that much power, but no leader should be without advisors.

If we young people are to lead the world — and we will — it is senseless to do so alone. How can we ignore the bad choices of the previous generations unless we first learn from them? Let’s take the good things of the boomer generation, and leave behind the bad.

If we are to surpass the boomers, we must learn from them. Otherwise we are doomed to either repeat their failures or become far worse.

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YES, THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT MATTERS ZOEHRIYA ANWAR CONTRIBUTOR

The Declaration of Independence says “all men are created equal.”

the same time. It was passed by the U.S Senate and House of Representatives in 1972 and sent to the states to be ratified. However, the ERA received backlash from right-wing leaders and fundamentalist religious groups who

I first learned about the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) during my junior year of high school while engaging in a political conversation with one of my friends. The ERA was originally written by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman as an extension of the women’s suffrage movement and was proposed in Congress in December 1923. It initially stated that “men and women shall have equal rights throughout the U.S. and in every place subjected to its jurisdiction.”

The ERA made a significant comeback

FOURTH ESTATE ASHLEY KWON

What about women? Aren’t we created equal too? As I wake up in the morning and head to my classes, these are the questions I ponder.

Unfortunately, opposition crushed statewide support for the ERA and caused its demise in 1982, as only 35 of the requisite 38 states agreed to ratify the amendment.

However, Paul rewrote the amendment in order to incorporate components of the 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments.

Currently, the ERA states that: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the U.S. or by any State on account of sex.”

argued that the ERA would make it more difficult for a woman to be supported by her husband. These opponents anticipated women joining the military, same-sex marriage and abortion rights — which they felt threatened their traditional values.

The ERA can be compared to a refurbished laptop. It is old and new at

There was also backlash from some feminists who challenged how the amendment was written.

in 2017. Nevada became the 36th state to ratify the amendment. Since then, it has been ratified in Illinois. However, backlash from opponents in regards to the ERA continues to linger. Five states have revoked their decision to ratify the ERA. On the other hand, supporters of the ERA still continuing to push for ratification in 13 states, including Virginia.

As a college student and centrist, I perceive the ERA as a bipartisan issue that must be addressed by Congress.

The women’s suffrage movement provided the basis to tackle sex-based discrimination by emphasizing one goal: providing women the right to vote by passing the 19th Amendment.

That does not mean they wanted to stop there. The suffragettes also believed that states should not interfere with a woman’s political citizenship or rights.

The passage of the 19th Amendment began a new era for women, but there were still a lack of protections in place. Congress has since passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Violence Against Women Act, but these laws do not do enough to tackle sex-based discrimination. According to data collected by the Pew Research Center, 42 percent of working women in America have been discriminated against in the workplace based on their gender.

As a woman, I worry about facing discrmination in the potential workforce which makes me consider

whether the magnitude of my degree is enough. Even if I graduated summa cum laude in computer science and had a long list of work experiences, it is possible that my potential coworkers would discriminate against me based on my sex and not on my potential to get the job done.

Women are more likely to be subjected to sex-based discrimination based on preconcieved notions about them.

However, men can be subjected to sex-based discrmination as well. The ERA would protect the rights of both men and women in the workplace and in public institutions, such as universities.

Skepticism about the ERA dates back to when it was first introduced in Congress in 1923. I hope that challenges to the ERA can lead to reforms to make it better. As it was with the fight to pass the 19th Amendment, I anticipate the battle to ratify the ERA will linger for years to come.

However, the importance of the ERA shall not fade.

HIGHER WAGES ARE GOOD FOR PEOPLE ON CAMPUS: HERE’S WHY CASSIDY POLLARD CONTRIBUTOR

On Oct. 7, Alex Madajian wrote that raising Sodexo workers’ wages would “probably” result in a tuition increase for students. This claim is intensely misleading and would suggest that the author has little to no understanding of what this process actually entails.

While Mason footing the bill is one possible implementation of a living wage, there are plenty of ways they can do so without raising tuition.

Mason could refuse to renew their contract with Sodexo until they agree to provide living wages. If Mason does choose to raise tuition, the blame shouldn’t fall on the workers for demanding liveable conditions — it

should fall on the university for failing to manage its money effectively.

Regardless of whether you’re a libertarian, a Marxist, a liberal or a conservative, everyone can agree that $10 an hour is not a living wage in Northern Virginia. I’ve never heard anyone even try to argue this point. MIT’s living wage calculator estimates the living wage of one-adult households with no children in Fairfax to be $17.44 per hour, and the estimates rise dramatically when including two-adult households with children. It’s even more impossible for it to be a living wage when you have to pay large sums out-of-pocket to access your healthcare benefits which the workers have told me and others many times. Yet, these are the conditions Sodexo forces its workers to endure.

Even if one believes in the functions of the free market, and thinks the “invisible hand” will somehow regulate wages, I’m of the mind that there’s a time when empathy and respect are

more important than profit. Without these workers, Mason would not be able to operate until replacements were found. Our campus would likely grind to a startling halt. Supporting the workers isn’t even an unpopular idea: the Student Senate voted overwhelmingly to support them.

the uninformed claims that Madajian’s opinion contained, it’s perplexing that the author would accuse this campaign of being purely emotional and devoid of facts.)

This is about approaching others with empathy and listening and deferring to those whose labor we benefit from.

When the workers who keep my university functioning and feed me on a daily basis ask for my solidarity and support, I’m going to listen to them.

I’m going to stand with them and help to the best of my ability. It feels entirely wrong to do anything else.

Every one of us benefits from the labor provided by Sodexo workers, and most of us benefit from it every day. That’s why this isn’t about profit margins, market theory or non-conclusive theories about how the minimum wage harmed Seattle — spoiler alert: the effects in Seattle were unclear.

The same authors of the Seattle study Madajian cited wrote another paper last month where the effects are “mixed-to-positive.” (Another point of interest is that Madajian claimed that the worker’s campaign is “not an effort driven by facts, data or anything remotely resembling pragmatism, but rather emotions.” While emotions are certainly involved here, considering

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEXIS GLENN

As I sit down in the Johnson Center, holding food from one of the many Sodexo-operated restaurants, I take a minute to think about how heavily our campus relies on the workers that staff these restaurants and our dining halls.

I then think about the egregiously poor pay and conditions that these workers have recently come forward about.

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LET’S RESTART THE DEFICIT DEBATE DAWSON WEINHOLD STAFF WRITER

Our nation has a spending problem.

Others simply don’t care. Unless it directly affects their taxes, government spending doesn’t concern them.

It should concern them. Young people especially should be worried, considering the money borrowed today will be theirs to pay off down the road.

To understand the problem, we first must understand how governments

PHOTO COURTESY OF PICTURES OF MONEY

Last year, the deficit reached $779 billion. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is estimating that by fiscal year 2020 that number will reach 1 trillion. To many people, that number is just a figure on a spreadsheet. They’ll never come in contact with a sum of money even close to that amount, so it’s hard for them to envision.

can spend money they don’t have.

When you or I need to borrow money, we go to the bank and get a loan.

When the government needs money, it issues treasury bonds. Individuals, corporations and other governments can buy these bonds, and the U.S. government promises to pay them back with interest.

While borrowing allows the government to spend beyond its means, it has two nasty side effects.

First, it pulls money out of the private sector. U.S. Treasury bonds have close to zero risk, since the U.S. government has very little chance of defaulting on them. This attracts investors who would otherwise invest in the private sector. Second, the government now has interest it must pay back, which means taxpayers foot the bill.

Looking at government expenditures, you can see how this negatively affects young people. The biggest expense is Social Security, which, according to the

CBO, cost $982 billion in 2018 alone.

Remember, money “paid into” Social Security doesn’t go into a trust where it can accrue interest and be paid back later. The government spends it with the promise of having the money to pay it back later. This generation now has the job of picking up the tab for the previous ones. In their defense, previous generations didn’t intend to bury their grandkids in debt. They just paid their payroll taxes.

If we can see a debt crisis on the horizon, why aren’t we taking measures to prevent it? That answer lies in politics rather than economics.

Neither party’s base would allow it. Despite many Republicans championing spending cuts during the Obama administration, they have not made them now that they control the White House. Republicans’ aging base would disapprove of cuts to Social Security or Medicare, and cuts to the military budget would cause a split

with the hawkish wing of the party.

On the other side of the aisle, the Democrats have a more youthful base.

Ironically, they seem to have fallen into the same trap as their parents: more spending for increasingly expensive social programs. Many of the 2020 Democratic candidates already struggle with how they will pay for their proposed programs, and even if they were able to pay for them with a combination of tax increases and austerity measures, that still leaves us with a nearly $1 trillion budget shortfall and no signs of reversing course.

The previous generation has failed to address the deficit and shows no signs that they will. The older they get, the less incentive for them to fix the problem. With the 2020 presidential election on the horizon, I hope that this younger generation of voters will restart that debate on the deficit. After all, it’s our future that’s at stake.

AMERICA’S PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM: BY THE RICH, FOR THE RICH SAVANNAH MARTINCIC STAFF WRITER

Throughout the rally, everyone from Yang’s volunteer staff to Yang himself celebrated a huge fundraising achievement: raising $10 million in the past quarter. Monumental, exciting.

Why is how much money a candidate raises for their campaign always such a big deal? Well, when Yang announced his fundraising achievements, he was really telling the crowd that he is a stakeholder in the election. How does one become a stakeholder? Money.

Over the past 100 years, campaign spending has skyrocketed, especially between 2000 and 2012 when the amount of money spent by candidates more than quadrupled. In the 2016 presidential election alone, President Trump and Hillary Clinton spent a combined total of $1.16 billion.

Campaign money comes in the form of small and large donations from

passionate citizens, special interest groups, political action committees (PACs) and candidates themselves.

Super PACs, which are independent from campaigns, are also surging.

These groups allow candidates and big donors to get around the limits the government has attempted to set on campaign spending.

Not only are donations necessary to support the staff, airfare, speaking engagements and advertisements that are crucial for a campaign, they also prove a candidate’s ability and credibility.

To even qualify for the Democratic debate this November, candidates must meet a donor requirement. By the time of the debate, a candidate must have received donations from at least 165,000 unique donors over the course of their campaign. This number will only continue to rise as we get closer to 2020, effectively narrowing the candidate pool.

most is the face you see the most. The candidate’s name you remember the most is the one you hear the most.

Through campaign ads, candidates are buying our votes, meaning the candidate who can spend the most can typically earn the most votes.

Couple the high prices of a campaign with the absurd length of presidential elections and you get more of a spectacle than a political competition.

And while campaign spending has exploded within the past few decades, this is not a new concept. Early on in our political system, men of means, money and education assumed governmental positions.

The question is: Why is it so expensive to run for president in America?

With the start of the Industrial Revolution and the improvement of communication and transportation, politicians had to move from personal persuasion to mass persuasion at rallies and conventions. The unintended consequence of this expansion of democracy is that politics became a big business. And so began the journey to growing campaign costs.

The candidate you remember the

This

long-standing

intersection

between money and politics has no shortage of scandals attached to it. The son of Governor Huey Long, who wracked Louisiana with corruption, once even said, “The distinction between a large campaign contribution and a bribe is almost a hairline’s difference.”

It all just seems a little hypocritical, especially after hearing countless candidates from both parties talk about what financial improvements they plan to make for the working class.

So, sure, we could call it an investment in our future, but have candidates ever really followed through with all their campaign promises? If we are endorsing candidates based on what they say they will do, should we not get a return on investment that is equal to what we put in?

In an ideal world, yes, but we have created a presidential system in which it is not important who has America’s best values in mind but who has the deepest pockets.

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

Two weeks ago I attended Andrew Yang’s campaign rally here on campus.

While I was swept up in the excitement that the crowd of almost 2,000 created in the Center for the Arts, I could not help but be bothered by something.

OPINION

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“YOUR TRUTH” IS STUPID ALEX MADAJIAN STAFF WRITER

Although the speech was made last year, it’s extremely relevant now. The other day, a professor in one of my classes was retelling a conversation he had with a Jewish friend of his.

They were discussiong the tragedy of the Holocaust. At some point in the conversation, the Jewish friend remarked, “Well, from Hitler’s perspective, what he was doing wasn’t evil.”

Hearing this sent shivers down my spine. Yet, I find by modern society’s standards, this can be a legitimate point of view. Today, certain points of view are often legitimized simply because a person holds them. We may be good at dismissing ideas that are not

based in facts, like the flatness of the earth, but our society has destroyed any basis to argue morality.

the question at hand: Why should anyone care that we need objective morality?

Your truth, according to Oprah, is just a tool. A tool to gain power. Truth is not something we must work in accordance with — it is something we use for our own self-advancement. The way she says it may be harmless, and the way we think of it may be harmless, but that is only because we do not see the frightening consequences of a world without objective truth.

Allow me to give you an example. A person I was having a conversation with told me they believed no one had a right to make moral judgements. I asked, “Do you believe we can judge rape as immoral?” The reply was expected, but still quite alarming.

The individual remarked, “From the rapist’s perspective, they aren’t immoral.”

You,the other guy and I can’t all be right if we have contradicting conclusions on morality. As one may expect, disagreement is a recipe for chaos. Of course, there are many questions to consider, such as, where does the objective standard come from? Whose duty is it to enforce these objective values? How can we know these objective values? These are worthy questions, but I will not answer them now. They are a distraction from

Indeed, isn’t that true with everyone who commits acts of violence? Who doesn’t think of themselves as a moral person? If morality is truly dependent on your truth, nobody is evil — not even Hitler or a rapist. But if I speak the truth, rather than my feelings on the truth, (because that’s all “my truth” or “your truth” really means) then we know moral authority exists.

Now if you are unconvinced that there

is no standard from which we can derive morality, consider this. Without a ground to stand on, how can you make any moral judgements on anyone or anything? What grounds do you have to criticize a politician? KKK member?

Or war? If “to each his own” applies to morality, then Osama Bin Laden’s attack at the World Trade Center is no more or less moral than your decision to volunteer on the weekend. You are morally equivalent to Ghengis Khan because who has the authority to say otherwise?

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Forgive me, but I’m about to commit a mortal sin: criticize Oprah. In her 2018 acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes, she remarked, “Speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.”

With a subjective standard, justice is only about us getting our way. With an objective standard for truth and morality, we may not have a tool for personal power, but we will have justice.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: DEAR CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF MASON Thank you for applying to be the next president of George Mason University.

As a candidate, we are certain that the executive search firm has told you that we are now the largest public university in Virginia, designated R1 by the Carnegie Classification, with an annual budget exceeding $1 billion, and that Mason has an exceptional

faculty, staff and student body. But we’d like to take this opportunity to share with you a bit more about us and our hopes for this current search process.

We know that a growing number of presidential searches today are conducted using a “secret search” process. These are different from the

historical norm, in which the final candidates came to campus to meet with various stakeholders and made public presentations.

Until 2011, Mason used this public approach. Both George Johnson, our president for 17 years, and Alan Merten, president for 15 years, made public presentations during their candidacy.

FOURTH ESTATE HAILEY BULLIS

However, our most recent president was selected by a secret search process that precluded any engagement from the general faculty, students or staff.

There were no public presentations and the community learned the name of the new president at a press conference. The search was conducted in total secrecy; search committee members even had to sign non-disclosure agreements. The results of this process left many feeling resentful and dismissed.

What concerned many of us at the time was not just the break with tradition, but that our Faculty Handbook contained a specific requirement that the final candidates in a presidential search “must” meet with the general faculty. Today, the language in our Faculty Handbook remains unchanged. Yet our Board of

Visitors (BOV) has made it clear that, just as in 2011, they intend to conduct this year’s search, for which you are a candidate, in secret. We have been told thus far that you will not be asked to meet with the faculty or to make a public presentation. The BOV insists that you might not have applied for the position had you been aware that your name would be made public once you became a finalist. The BOV has thus prioritized your privacy over the value of community engagement in public searches.

We find this unacceptable. Last week, we shared with the BOV our resolution signed by nearly 300 faculty calling for a public search. And our Faculty Senate recently passed a motion calling “for a search … to include a public forum for each finalist where s/ he is invited to give a presentation to include the General Faculty, as well as students and staff, followed by a question and answer period.”

We are not asking you to release your name as an applicant for the position now. Unless or until you become a finalist, we support your right to privacy. But if you are named as a finalist and accept the invitation to

be considered as such, we would like to meet you! Meeting us will not only help us get to know you, but will also give you a much better sense of our Mason community and whether this is the right place for you.

Our request is simple. Please ask the BOV for the opportunity to come to campus to meet with us.

Not only will you be upholding the requirement stated in our Faculty Handbook, but more importantly, you will be demonstrating what we consider to be one of the most essential qualifications stated in the position description, “A work ethic that prioritizes shared governance, integrity, and transparency as core values that shape all campus processes and decision-making.”

We look forward to meeting you in the weeks ahead.

Sincerely, GMU Chapter of the American Association of University Professors Transparent GMU GMU Retired Faculty Association

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CLASSIFIEDS Tutor Wanted Russian Language Tutor for beginner high school student. Prefer speaker with some teaching experience and knowledge of Russian language curriculum.

Tutoring location is Lorton VA (near South County HS).

Interested candidates should email bd9je@virginia.edu Innovation at Its Finest

FOURTH ESTATE BRITTNEY BULLIS

Send your comic to: masonfour thestate@gmail.com

MS Funny

Smile and Wave

FOURTH ESTATE YOOSUN HAN

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

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undergraduate interdisciplinary Minor PrograM FeaTures

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Understand interdisciplinary approaches to designing, building, and evaluating user experiences across a range of technologies, systems, and objects. People with design thinking skills are in high demand across a range of industries including software and website development, product design, user experience design, instructional design, architecture and planning, global health, global management and consulting, and international development. These skills prepare graduates to be flexible and adaptable in different roles and careers.

dsgn 101

introduction to Design Thinking | 3 credits

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Design in the Modern World | 3 credits,

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●

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ToTal creDiTs | 18 credits

learn More

designminor.gmu.edu Contact your advisor

mason core

Design Thinking Minor

Design Thinking Minor