April 11 issue

Drag kings and queens take the stage at the Johnson Center as part of Pride Week. See what you missed.

Pg. 5

George Mason University’s Student Newspaper www.broadsideonline.com

April 11, 2011

Volume 87 Issue 20

Student Government Election 2011

Students protest for right to fly flags Approximately 320 signatures gathered on petition; Student Government passes flag resolution Emily Sharer Editor-in-Chief

Photos by Jacob McLernon

Le : Allyson Bowers (le ) and Jacky Yoo (right) were announced as the 2011-2012 president and vice president of George Mason’s student government. Right: Yoo celebrates a er being named vice president.

Bowers and Yoo elected: Change is coming Jeffrey Giorgi Asst. News Editor Allyson Bowers and Jacky Yoo will be the 2011–2012 student body president and vice president, respectively.

“The first tangible thing that Jacky and I want to work on is the selection of the next president of the university,” Bowers said, “and making sure that it’s someone that would encompass all the things and all the desires, the wants and the needs that the student body needs.”

If there was one word that all the candidates used to describe their campaign plans, it was “transparency.”

“One thing that’s really important to us is creating a sense of community in Mason,” Bowers said, “and Gold Rush 365 is one of the ways we’re hoping to do that.”

With plans for Gold Rush T-shirts and to amp Mason spirit for all sports, not just basketball, Bowers is looking forward to seeing student involvement.

“If anyone would like to design a shirt for Gold Rush 365, I’d love to see it,” Bowers said.

“I’m hoping that that’s the first initiative that students can really see and get together on, you know, to really get students to get excited.”

Enthusiasm aside, Bowers recognizes that there are difficulties ahead, and is ready to face them head on.

“Looking at who SGA’s composed of, it’s exciting because everyone is new, but a lot of people lack experience,” Bowers said. “We have to try not to hit the refresh button but really be able to hit the ground running with all new people, even if you’re new and still learning.”

Several committee chairs had to step down over the past year for personal reasons, but Bowers assures that it isn’t just about people not wanting to do their jobs and that proper training of replacements is still important.

“Almost every chair this past year had to step down, and every time someone stepped down it was for a legitimate reason,” Bowers said. “People are very driven in SGA, but if they recognize that it’s preventing

DeMatteo removed from ticket Gregory Connolly News Editor George Mason University Student Government presidential candidate Michael DeMatteo was removed from candidacy by the Election and Dispute Commission on Wednesday after Kristie Colorado, chair of the Mason College Republicans, filed a grievance regarding a voicemail and several text messages which she considered to be of a threatening nature.

The EDC found that content in a series of April 4–5 communications from DeMatteo to Colorado “stated a number of vague threats, and a concrete threat, to ‘have [Colorado] blacklisted by the Republican Party of Virginia. And I will do it and I can do it with a text message.’”

DeMatteo did not dispute Colorado’s claims at an EDC hearing on Tuesday, according to an EDC document.

Lena Badr, president of the Students for Justice in Palestine and the secretary of the Arab Student Association, says she can always count on George Mason University’s diverse population to stand up for student rights.

And when Badr and her peers from the SJP, ASA and Kurdish Student Organization gathered on the North Plaza last Tuesday to protest and get students to sign a petition for Palestinian and Kurdish students’ rights to fly their flags during International Week, things were no different.

Approximately 320 students signed the petition.

“That’s the best part of this campus,” said Badr, a government and international politics major. “It’s beautiful to see people coming together from all different walks and all different backgrounds.”

At the end of March, new IWeek flag policies were set in place that only allow flags of countries listed on the immigration documents of Mason students to be displayed in the Johnson Center. Palestine and

Kurdistan’s flags do not meet those standards.

Several Student Government senators also took on the cause, proposing “a resolution to include all cultural groups represented by Mason students in the displaying of flags during International Week on campus,” which unanimously passed in the Student Senate last Thursday.

However the new flag guidelines, which were based on “earnest discussion among students, faculty, staff and administrators,” are here to stay according to Kathy Trump, associate dean of International Education and Programs.

“I doubt that [the policy] will be revised,” Trump said.

“The guidelines that have been written were written with much careful thought and were approved by the administration and we think they’re the best we can do.”

Trump also said that even countries that are allowed by the policy to hang their flags in the Johnson Center do not always receive that privilege due to limited space.

See FLAGS, Page 4 Photo By Jacob McLernon

See TICKET, Page 3

See ELECTION, Page 3

Students protested for their right to hang the Kurdish flag during Interna onal Week last Tuesday on the North Plaza.

Forensics Team finishes fourth at national tournament

Senior Quincey Smith named top speaker in the nation Gregory Connolly News Editor

Photo courtesy of Quincey Smith

Quincey Smith (le ), who finished first in communica on analysis at the 2011 American Forensics Associa on Na onal Individual Events Tournament, looks on as Angelika Albaladejo prac ces for an event.

The George Mason Forensics Team finished fourth at the 2011 American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament at the University of Nebraska. The contest ran from April 2–4.

Though the team was announced as the third-place finisher, it was revealed that the team finished fourth Thursday due to a tabulation error, behind the University of Texas at Austin, Bradley University and Western Kentucky University.

All 32 members of the Mason Forensics Team were able to attend the event.

Senior communication major and Forensics Team cocaptain Quincey Smith finished first in National Communication Analysis and finished fourth in Persuasive Speaking and Informative Speaking. Smith also finished as a quarterfinalist in the poetry category.

“To be named the champion was pretty surreal,” Smith said. “It was a very humbling experience.

The other competitors were really great, and it was an honor to be in that round to begin with.”

“It was an amazing weekend,” said Nick Cox, a junior health science major and the other co-captain of the Forensics Team.

“I was so proud to be a part

of George Mason's team. We really are a team that is committed to having all of our members succeed.”

This is Cox's third national competition. Cox was a semifinalist in poetry.

“This was the competition that had the most tears of joy,” Cox said. “Everyone was happy and in such a good spirit. It was the family experience that this was supposed to be.”

Brennan Morris finished second and Jacob Abraham finished fifth in Extemporaneous Speaking. Abraham also finished 10th in Communication Analysis.

Mason national semifinalists were Will Bellows in Impromptu Speaking, Regan Fallon in Prose Interpretation

See FORENSICS, Page 4

Presidential Task Force to collect Mason A new look at the devastation in Japan Professors recruited by U.S. Geological Survey to analyze satellite images community input on police department Laura Bolt Administration Beat Reporter

University still reviewing March 16 incident involving alleged abduction Ethan Vaughan Connect2Mason News Editor Student and Mason community member testimony will play a central role in an official university Task Force formed to seek input on “interactions and experiences” with the University Police Department, the Office of the President announced on April 6.

In an email sent to students and other Mason community members, the office said that the Task Force had been formed so as to “foster a community where respect for all is the hallmark.”

The decision to create the task force came less than one month after university police arrested Mason student Abdirashid Dahir on felony abduction charges following an incident in Fenwick Library.

The email about the Task Force notes that "in addition," the university has hired Tomlinson Strategies, LLC, “an external consulting firm specializing in institutional safety, security assessments and law enforcement issues,” to review the

police policies and procedures that led to Dahir’s arrest.

All charges against Dahir were dropped.

Finding’s of Tomlinson Strategies’ review will be made public “at the appropriate time,” according to the email.

Open meetings of the task force will be held tomorrow and next Wednesday, during which “any current Mason student, faculty or staff [member]” may speak for up to five minutes.

The Task Force will also accept written statements of up to 1,000 words in length at taskforc@gmu.edu. There is no “e” at the end of the address.

Interested persons can sign up to at www.bit.ly/gDxTXY. In an interview with Connect2Mason last Thursday, President Alan Merten said that the university was not presuming wrongdoing on the part of any party.

See TASK FORCE, Page 4

Photo courtesy of DigitalGlobe

Two mason professors have helped with the relief effort in Japan by analyzing satellite photos like this one.

Members of the George Mason University community are continuing to lend support to the Japan relief effort following the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Two scientists from Mason’s Department of Geography and GeoInformation Science, Guido Cervone and Germana Manca, were recruited by the U.S. Geological Survey to help analyze satellite images of Japan.

The International Charter Space and Major Disasters organization, which works with “space data acquisition and delivery” for countries afflicted by disasters, activated Japan aid measures at the request of the Japanese government. Cervone said he was then contacted by the USGS to work with these organizations analyzing data.

Cervone, who said his work involves “analysis of remote sensing and model data associated with natural disasters,” worked with images generated by a U.S. satellite called Landsat. He began his work as soon as the images were available, which was the day after the tsunami. For eight straight hours, Cervone and Manca worked with arcGIS software — a geographic information system — to analyze the images assigned by the USGS.

See JAPAN, Page 3

News

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Event Calendar Monday, April 11 2011 Celebration of Teaching Excellence Center for the Arts, Concert Hall Main Lobby 3:30 – 5 p.m.

Russian/Ukranian Dance Workshop Johnson Center, Dance Studio 4 – 5 p.m.

Tuesday, April 12 International Dance Competition Johnson Center, North Plaza Noon – 2 p.m.

Origami Workshop Johnson Center, Gold Room 2:30 – 4 p.m.

Wednesday, April 13 Support Group for Working Mothers at Mason Johnson Center, Room 240K Noon – 1 p.m.

Karate Workshop Johnson Center, Dance Studio 2:30 – 4 p.m.

Thursday, April 14 Language Competition Workshop Student Union Building II, Rooms 3 & 4 2:30 – 4 p.m.

Culture Night: Israeli Culture Night Johnson Center, Bistro 6 – 11 p.m.

For more events and activities, check out: today.gmu.edu

April 6

April 5

April 4

POLICE FILES Vandalism Lecture Hall A wall adjacent to Lecture Hall was spray painted.

Buildings & Grounds was notified.(41/Rapoli) Larceny Hanover Complainant reported a skateboard removed from outside of Hanover Hall. Estimated loss $200. (39/OrtizDuran) Vandalism Hampton Road Property at Hampton Roads vandalized by a juvenile.

(58/Duangrat) Unlawful Videotaping Willow Crescent Dr, Fairfax VA Kenneth Linwood Pearson Jr. of Fairfax VA, non-GMU, was arrested on a warrant for unlawful videotaping.

He was held at the Fairfax County ADC on $2,500 unsecured bond. (10/Ganley) Smoking In Public Building Bull Run Hall A Hookah and related items were removed from a student lounge. (43/Seabright)

Broadside

10 Monday, April 11, 2011

Preachers draw crowd to North Plaza Mixed reaction to religious message Gregory Connolly News Editor A group of six preachers visited George Mason University last week to connect with students.

Like Micah Armstrong, the traveling preacher who frequently visits campus, they drew dozens of students with diverse opinions about their religious message to North Plaza.

“We’re not connected in any formal sense to an organization,” preacher Tom Sadowski said.

“We’re all from different states. I flew here to meet these guys and some guys who are in Washington, D.C. today.”

Sadowski said the preachers came because “We love God.” “We believe that the vast majority of people, students on a campus like this or otherwise, don’t think God is relevant, interesting [and] important or that God has much to do with our lives,” Sadowski said.

“But we believe that God is glorious and infinitely and totally involved, even in the seemingly wrong or bad things. God has an eternal purpose, and that includes the eternal salvation of the people on this campus.”

The preachers drew a sizable crowd to the North Plaza, while a protest against the International Week flag policy was simultaneously underway.

“They’re saying a lot of things about the Bible and I respect anyone’s opinion. That’s why my sign says ‘paths are many,’” said Emily Bonzek, a freshman integrative

April 7

Destruction of Property Hampton Roads Complainant reported a maintenance cart striking a parked bicycle. (32/Guston) Underage Possession of Alcohol Student Apartments Ryan Cioppa, 20 (GMU) of Woodbury, CT and Christopher Crockett, 20 (GMU) of Seaford, VA were arrested and released on summonses. (40/Ross)

Police Files are taken verbatim from www.gmu.edu/police.

Broadside does not make any changes to public records.

Photo by Gregory Connolly

Students in North Plaza surround the preachers who came to campus to spread their message Tuesday. studies major. “I feel like [the preacher] is obstructing the peace. A lot of people are getting really angry, so I thought I’d come out here.”

Bonzek said she did not want to discredit the preachers’ message, but their approach was “slightly rude.”

“I praise God that they’re here,” said Andrew Gordon, a junior history major. “I believe that the Bible is God’s word, and as Christians, we’re called to take the message to all nations.”

Gordon said he would characterize students’ responses to the preachers the same way he would to the Bible — some love it, some hate it.

“In the Bible it says the gospel, which is the good news of Jesus Christ, is the aroma of death

to those who are going to hell,” Gordon said. “It doesn’t smell good or sound good. It’s not exciting to them, but it’s the fragrance of life to those who are being saved.”

Sadowski said the preachers’ appearance at Mason was a success.

“Even when we go on campus and we don’t get a response like this, I give the students the benefit of the doubt,” Sadowski said.

“I was a college student. I was very diligent about going to class, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt that they want to go to class, so we only have their attention for 30 or 45 seconds.”

Sadowski said a student in Texas listened to him preach and then approached him and said he wanted to be saved as a Christian.

“We don’t go out to try to get people to come to a particular church,” Sadowski said. “We’re always promoting the Lord Jesus Christ. When we encounter a student, especially someone who is not going to church who is interested, we’ll invite him to our church.”

Sadowski said he had a couple of conversations that went on for 30 or 40 minutes.

“I have a wife, six children who are mostly grown, back in Texas,” Sadowski said. “I love them dearly, but there’s nowhere I’d rather be on this planet than right here, right now, spending my own money to be here to minister the Gospel of Christ to these students.”

Merten thanks faculty for support at Faculty Senate meeting Outlines challenges for next Mason president Laura Bolt Administration Beat Reporter George Mason University President Alan Merten thanked the faculty for their support during his 15-year presidency at the Faculty Senate meeting last Wednesday.

Merten, who recently announced that he will retire in June 2012, admitted that this time has been emotional and that he plans to stay in the area and remain involved in the Mason community.

Speaking about the search for Mason’s next president, Merten said he would help in any way he could. He said the faculty plays a vital role in the search for presidential candidates. He applauded the faculty members who were involved in his approval as president

for their “sense of reason throughout the process.”

Going forward, Merten is confident in the search, saying that there was “enough time to do things the right way.”

He said the most important challenges for the next president will include determining the size and composition of the university, such as the balance of undergraduate and graduate students, navigating the issue of intellectual property and utilizing universityowned land.

Dean of the School of Management Jorge Haddock and Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Jack Censer also addressed the senate to provide information on recent updates and accomplishments of their respective schools.

Haddock told the senators that the School of Management was ranked 86 out of approximately 1,700 business schools in the U.S. and was ranked first in Virginia. He also said that the school has brought in $500,000 in research money, especially significant for a school that has not traditionally been expected to bring in considerable funds. He went on to tout the faculty mentoring program.

Censer said the College of Humanities and Social Sciences has more than recovered from an enrollment lag three years ago.

Other news included the institution of new intermediatelevel language classes in Farsi, Turkish and Portuguese and the creation of a bachelor of arts program in creative writing.

Censer said his school has brought in $10 million in research funds.

Following up with old business, the Faculty Senate was able to vote on the changes to the Faculty Handbook. The vote on the changes, which were mainly grammatical and typographical in nature, passed unanimously. The revised handbook will now proceed to the Board of Visitors for final approval.

In other senate business, new members were appointed to the Academic Initiatives and Faculty Handbook Committees, and the responses from senate standing and ad hoc committees, collected by the Organization and Operations Committee evaluating the president and the provost, were accepted.

Mason junior receives Truman Scholarship Prestigious scholarship contributes up to $30,000 toward graduate program

Theft from Building Art & Design Bldg.

Victim reported a backpack containing an external hard drive, digital camera and office equipment was taken while left unattended. Loss estimated at $310.00. (40/ Ross) Simple Assault/Underage Possession of Alcohol Potomac Heights Douglas Bernard, 20 (GMU) of Cinnaminson, NJ, and Andrew Bradley, 20 (GMU) of Chesapeake, VA were arrested and released on summonses. (49/Broughton)

The number of bike shelters that will be available on Mason’s Fairfax campus by summer.

Photo Courtesy of Mason Gazette

Alexandra Tyson

Jeffrey Giorgi Asst. News Editor Standing in a room surrounded by her mentors, those who had written her letters of recommendation and even her father, emotions took over. Having just learned she was the recipient of the Truman Scholarship, Alexandra Tyson’s eyes filled with tears.

“I started crying,” Tyson said.

“I spent my whole winter break

doing the application, and I did so many practice interviews, and I just felt exhausted.”

The culmination of so much work and the relief of so much pressure made for a very emotional moment.

“I stopped [crying] after about a minute and the first thing I said was, ‘I’m so glad I didn’t wear mascara today,’” Tyson said.

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is a federal scholarship awarded to juniors in United States colleges who intend to delve into a career in public service.

The scholarship provides $30,000 toward a graduate program. Congress created the scholarship in 1975 as a memorial to the former president.

Tyson is he fourth George Mason University student to recieve the scholarship.

“It’s been a week or two since I found out,” Tyson said, “So I’m just letting it all sink in. I just feel

honored at this point, and like I have a lot to live up to.”

Even after receiving the Truman Scholarship, Tyson has hardly had a moment to relax.

Tyson is double majoring in global affairs with a concentration in Russian, as well as government and international politics, while also having a double minor in both French and environmental science.

“I got accepted to study abroad in Moscow next spring,” Tyson said, “and I’m going to apply for another fellowship to the United Kingdom for grad school.”

After she graduates, Tyson plans on becoming a foreign service officer, or more specifically, a regional environmental officer.

“Basically you can help develop environmental improvements,” Tyson said. “If you’re in West Africa it would have to do with climate change or coastal erosion and you would come up

with policies … to help countries you’re working with.”

It is not always work and no play, though, for Tyson.

“I enjoy playing guitar, much to my roommate’s chagrin,” Tyson said, “and I’m a terrible athlete… but I love to long board.”

Long before she was dreaming of saving the world, her hopes rested in a half-pipe.

“When I was 7 years old, I had a Tasmanian Devil skateboard from Toys ‘R’ Us,” Tyson said. “And I remember watching Tony Hawk land the 900 at the X Games and thinking how I wanted to be a pro skateboarder, but it didn’t happen.”

As her senior year approaches, the future is ever-present in her mind. But first Tyson faces one more challenge.

“I have to have foot surgery over the summer,” Tyson said, “But at least my arms will be ripped.”

Broadside

News

Monday, April 11, 2011 | 3

Deepwater Horizon incident commander to deliver commencement address Will receive honorary doctorate in humane letters at ceremony

Photo Courtesy of Mason Gazette

Thad Allen

Gregory Connolly News Editor Photo by Gregory Connolly

By summer, there will be 10 bike storage shelters on campus like the one pictured above, located outside Hampton Roads. The shelters will be paid for by MSSmedia.

New storage shelters will encourage bike use on campus

Thad Allen, a retired U.S. Coast Guard admiral who served as the national incident commander following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, will deliver the 2011 commencement address.

Allen will receive an honorary doctorate in humane letters, having overseen all response efforts to stop the oil

flow in what turned out to be the worst oil disaster in U.S. history.

Allen was also coordinated with government organizations from the state to federal level in addition to the efforts of British Petroleum. He was finishing his tenure as the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. When his tenure was complete in May 2010, he continued to serve as the national incident commander until June 2010, punctuating a 39 year career.

Allen also served as the principal federal officer in the responses and recovery operations for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

Allen serves as one of George Washington University’s Distinguished Professors of Practice, teaching the Leadership in Large, Complex Organizations course.

Commencement will be held Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m. in the Patriot Center. This will be Mason’s 44th Commencement Exercise.

Mason will receive advertising revenues from side ads Michael Lagana Broadside Correspondent The shelters that have popped up across campus will serve as covered storage areas for bicycles. By summer 2011, there will be 10 shelters throughout campus that were designed to encourage George Mason University students and faculty to use bikes, said Josh Cantor, director of Parking and Transportation.

“We have a bicycle advisory committee and among the feedback we had gotten [was that some felt] a deterrent to [bicycling] to campus was a lack of covered bicycle parking … outside the residential areas,” Cantor said.

Cantor said the Eastern Shore and Hampton Roads student housing projects added bike shelters as a way to gain more points toward certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. According to the U.S. Green Building Council’s website, LEED certification is a “nationally recognized certifica-

tion system to promote integrated, whole-building design practices in the building industry.”

The shelters will be paid for

by MSSmedia, Cantor said. MSSmedia is a company that provides bus shelters, bike shelters and other transit-related items to universities for the purpose of advertising.

Each shelter has advertisements on the sides.

Cantor said Mason will receive a percentage of the advertising revenues from the shelters. A commuter benefit program for full-time faculty and staff encourages the use of the bike shelters.

Locations include the Recreation and Athletic Center, the Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center, Field House, Sandy Creek Parking Deck, the Johnson Center loading dock and the Hampton Roads dormitory.

After an increase over the past few years in the number of bicycles being chained to not only bike racks but poles, signs, railings and lampposts, the De-

partment of Transportation launched several initiatives to make the campus more bikefriendly, Cantor said. These changes include bike lanes in Patriot Circle and the commuter benefit program.

The Department of Transportation is considering the implementation of other bicycle-related programs, including a bicycle registration program that would allow students to register their bicycles with the university. Other measures being considered include a bike-sharing program on the Fairfax campus with the GMU Bike Village and on the Arlington Campus with Capitol Bikeshare, to encourage more students to ride bicycles on campus.

On Bike to Mason Day, which runs from 7 to 10 a.m. on April 21, free bike tune-ups will be held at the JC North Plaza. Refreshments will be provided for students who bring their bikes.

Cantor said there is no plan to remove existing bike racks from their current locations.

Due to large amount of images and data, Clark University and Mason called upon by USGS JAPAN, from Front “The goal was to generate highresolution maps of before and after the tsunami and write up a small assessment of the damages,” Cervone said.

They specifically looked at images in the Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, identifying inundated land, destroyed homes, fallen bridges and collapsed dams. Cervone believes the maps were used to assess devastation, identify areas in need of most

immediate help and to assess monetary damage to afflicted areas.

Due to the large amount of images and data, the USGS contracted several companies and two universities, Mason and Clark University in Massachusetts, for interpretation and analysis.

Cervone said that studying and working with information regarding natural disasters is nothing new to the Department of Geography and GeoInformation Science, and that they “constantly follow events worldwide.”

Cervone has worked with Pasquale Franzese, a research associate professor at Mason, creating models representing atmospheric contamination. These models were used by local meteorologist Bob Ryan in discussing Japan’s radioactivity following the disaster. He also worked with Donglian Sun, an assistant professor in the geography and geoinformation science department, analyzing satellite data relating to sea temperature and Hurricane Katrina.

Election nets 1,000 votes less than last year ELECTION, from Front them from succeeding academically then they know what they have to do … and you have to make sure that even though you’re stepping down, you’re still properly training your replacement.”

With International Week kicking off, and the controversy over certain flags not being flown, Bowers is already taking measures to ensure that a solution is met.

News Briefs GBAY Auction raises over $13,000 for student scholarships The second annual GBAY auction raised over $13,000 for student scholarships on March 3, almost $3,000 more than last year.

Created specifically by George Mason University students, the auction had over 100 items that were bid on by students and faculty. The proceeds went to fund scholarships.

“[KSO] came to Student Government asking for our help, and we can’t just overturn anything set by the university, but we can strongly encourage [them], so we wrote a resolution that was just passed in the senate.”

The resolution aims to recognize student organizations on campus that are already allowed to participate in all aspects of International Week and give them the ability to fly their flag.

This year’s election was an ex-

citing time, even with roughly 1,000 votes less than last year, and Bowers is still in awe about the whole thing.

“It’s still unreal to me,” Bowers said. “Thank you for giving Jacky and I the opportunity to serve the university to the best of our ability.

That being said, we can’t do that without your input … nothing can be done without the students. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what we want. It’s what the students wants.”

Some items that were up for auction included a signed copy of Jersey Shore star Snooki’s book “A Shore Thing,” and a banner that was hung during Mason’s NCAA Final Four run in Indianapolis.

One highlight of the auction was for the naming rights to a sandwich at Pilot House. A compromise was made and the students bidding were both able to name a sandwich for $360 each.

—Jeffrey Giorgi

Autism Speaks representative to speak at Mason Christina Markish, an event assistant for Autism Speaks-National Capital Area will appear at George Mason University’s Fairfax campus to discuss autism and how Autism Speaks wants to help those with the condition in the future.

The event will take place Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Student Union Building II Ballroom.

—Gregory Connolly

Interested in writing for news? e-mail news@broadsideonline.com

EDC removes DeMatteo from candidacy TICKET, from Front According to the commission, the statements rise to a level of “extreme misconduct in the form of a threat.” The commission determined that with this finding it is “bound by mandates” in 6 CSG 605, which states the Election Judicial Board has the right to remove candidates for several different offenses.

The EDC ruled to recommend to Colorado that she report the communications to university and law enforcement officials.

Since DeMatteo has been removed from the election, his running mate Michael Lillie has also been removed. As of 6 p.m. last Wednesday, students could still select DeMatteo’s ticket on the ballot, though a statement by EDC notes their decision.

DeMatteo has released a comment which can be viewed at Connect2Mason by visiting www.bit.ly/c2m_dematteo. Lillie declined to comment.

Colorado filed two grievances. The first came after DeMatteo made a statement in which he said he was endorsed by the College Republicans. The EDC ruled that DeMatteo was in violation of election standards, which state that candidates must receive any endorsements or sponsorships in writing. DeMatteo did not dispute the allegation that he had not received formal endorsement by the College Republicans, according to an EDC document.

Colorado then filed a second grievance with the EDC after DeMatteo left a voicemail followed by multiple text messages. An email was also sent from DeMatteo to Colorado and others questioning her leadership abilities, according to an EDC document.

The EDC ruled that DeMatteo be removed from the election due to the content of the voicemail and text messages and that Colorado should report DeMatteo’s actions to university officials and to law enforcement, according to an EDC document.

The voicemail said: “Kristie, Michael DeMatteo here. I’m just giving you a call here because I got an EDC grievance that you had filed. Two options, I want you to come to the meeting tonight at seven. If you don’t, I’ll have you blacklisted by the Republican Party of Virginia. And I will do it, and I can do it with a text message. So, be there, or else face the consequences because I’m sick and tired of

this crap. I will be a candidate either way but I want you to come to this meeting so it will be squared away or else like I said, there will be dramatic consequences that you do not want to see. Thanks, and you know the number.

Great, bye.”

One text message concerning Colorado’s presence at the hearing, according to an EDC document, said: “U know if the shoe was on the other foot I would have called u to discuss b4 I filed anything. U know how heat of the moment those debates r and I have support from both parties. Its politics Kristie. U should know that. Theres an old saying: if u cant stand the heat get out of the kitchen. I suggest u thicken ur skin if u want to go into politics 4 a career. And to think, I thought u werent that much of a b-tch after all. Guessed wrong on that.”

Colorado replied to DeMatteo’s April 5 email via text message, asking: “Did you really talk to Susan Falconer, Anthony Bedell and Gary Byler [members of the Fairfax and Virginia Beach GOP] about me?”

DeMatteo replied via text message, according to an EDC document: “...Drop your grievance or Ill take it to Pat or just maybe my friend Steve Hunt. U r playing with fire Kristie. Dont end up burned.”

Another text said: “Look, heres the deal. We both are very headstrong and have promising futures. No BS types of the world. I want to not have these snafus and focus on 2012 and USMC, u want to do politics and rowing, etc. So avoid the controversy and save urself some misery. I wont do anything to hurt you politically but u havent met my staff. They wont guess it. Drop this and we move on. Dont and u will be run out of Mason uni life on a rail. Choice is urs,” according to an EDC document.

In response, Colorado released a statement last Wednesday to Connect2Mason saying, “I did not do this to ruin his campaign or defame his image. I just wanted an apology and he told me that we could of settled this without the EDC, but he fueled his own fire by communicating with me in this improper and unethical way.”

Colorado said she wanted to set the record straight and that her opinion does not reflect any other members of the College Republicans.

Broadside

4 | Monday, April 11, 2011

News

News photos of the week

Photo by Ramy Zabarah

Photo by Edward Kyle

Photo by Edward Kyle

Photo by Edward Kyle

Students gathered on the North Plaza Tuesday to protest the policy of not hanging flags for Interna onal Week if the country of the flag is not present on any Mason student’s immigra on papers (Top right, bottom le ). As the protest went on, other students gathered around a group of preachers who spent close to five hours delivering their message to passersby (Top le , bo om right).

Task Force’s goal is to submit final report by mid-June TASK FORCE, from Front “I learned a long time ago that you don’t start an investigation assuming that one side is supplying all the facts,” said Merten.

Referring specifically to Dahir’s case, he remarked that “just because someone says something doesn’t make it true,” and said he was committed to gaining a full perspective on the situation.

“Our approach is that if there is a problem or a potential problem we have to get all the facts,” Merten continued. “There are about 40,000 people in this community. The Task Force is going to look at the whole area between law enforcement and the university.”

The Office of the President said that the Task Force’s goal would be to have a final report to President Merten by mid-June, though no announcement has come about when the findings will be made public.

Thomas Hennessey, the university’s chief of staff, said that he feels the relationship between police and students at Mason has generally been good in the past.

“There have been other incidents in the past, none of them necessarily serious, but it has raised the question ‘do we have the appropriate relationship between the university community and the police?’” he said.

Though only two meetings are currently planned, Hennessey said the Task Force will ultimately determine if more meetings are necessary in the future.

“I think Dr. Merten described it well when he said there’s really two objectives: The first is to give members of the university community an opportunity to describe both their experiences and their perceptions of the relationship and secondly for the Task Force to take those inputs and make some determintation as to whether anything needs to be done.”

Forensics Team also placed first at international tournament this season FORENSICS, from Front Katie Miller in Program Oral Interpretation, Sachi Barstein and Abraham in Duo Interpretation and Rob Warchol in Extemporaneous Speaking.

Mason national quarterfinalists were Abraham and Morris in impromptu, Pat Mahoney in Informative, Dylan Johnson in Program Oral Interpretation, Michael Scott and Will Bellows in Extemporaneous Speaking, Abraham in After Dinner Speaking, Michael Lynch in Communication Analysis, Zach Eisenstein in Poetry and Sean O'Brien in Dramatic Interpretation.

It has been a marquee year for Mason's Forensics Team, which also finished first in the 21st annual International Forensics Association Tournament in Budapest on March 14-15. The team also won both days at the Jan. 15-16, Hell Froze Over tournament at Bradley University.

“Unlike most things, it's really nice we can compete with the entire nation and know that everyone is the best of friends,” Cox said. “I feel cool having friends in all parts of the nation. Just because we compete doesn't mean we’re enemies.”

Students to carry Kurdish and Palestinian flags during today’s opening ceremony FLAGS, from Front Students hail from approximately 135 countries and there is only room to hang 81 flags in the Johnson Center. That means 54 flags from countries that meet the I-Week flag policies will not be flown.

“Even if the guidelines allowed [Kurdistan’s] flag to be displayed, there would be no guarantee it would be displayed,” said Trump. “The list is rotating and there will be different flags every year so that every country does eventually have the opportunity to have its flag in the Johnson Center.”

In the future, Trump says other venues, such as Mason Hall, will be looked at as possible locations to hang flags so that all 135 countries’ flags can be flown.

Some of the students at last Tuesday’s protest felt that the fact that the university’s Confucius Institute receives funding from China has something to do with the new flag policy.

“No matter how much money they put into the

school…we don’t stand against their rights and we’re hoping they won’t stand against ours anymore,” said one of the demonstrators, Alan Muhealden, a systems engineering major.

On the “Mason Bans Flags Representing Recognized Student Organizations” Facebook page Rizhna Chener, president of the Kurdistan Student Organization claims the policy is based on “fears that recognizing nonstates…would inflame the Chinese embassy and by extension the Chinese government, which donates a significant amount of money to the university.”

In a prior interview with Broadside, Trump disputed these claims.

“The best interests of our entire campus community, in all its amazing diversity, were kept in mind as we worked to craft the flag guidelines,” she said.

According to Badr no more protests are currently planned in order to respect the celebration of cultures during I-Week.

“We do want to honor the diversity and the coming together of the events,” said Badr.

Even though Kurdish and Palestinian students cannot have their flags flown in the Johnson Center, Trump says they are encouraged to display their flags and cultures at today’s Opening Ceremony and Celebration as well as other I-Week events.

Students from the KSO and SJP plan on marching with their countries’ flags during the opening event.

“There are many opportunities for our flag to fly high, it would just be nice if the faculty could join us in doing that,” said Badr.

“We really want the international students to feel welcome,” Trump said. “The Kurdish students have such a strong tie back to their Kurdish roots and we really want them to feel they can display that.”

Broadside Copy Chief Monika Joshi contributed to this report.

Style

Broadside

|5

37

The number of Greek organizations at George Mason University

Monday, April 11, 2011

Silence is golden Students raise awareness about harassment and bullying of LGBTQ community during National Day of Silence Erin Powell Asst. Style Editor On a typical day, the average person says between 5,000 and 15,000 words. In a world where we rely heavily on communication, there is no substitution for this type of expression.

Imagine not being able to utter anything for 24 hours and then imagine the impact it would have on your world and those around you.

Participants in the National Day of Silence know all too well about the gift of speech and the power of words.

This is why they relinquish speaking for most or all of the day in an effort to raise awareness about the harassment, bullying and discrimination faced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning members and their allies.

“I participated in it my freshman year,” said senior English major Jon Vela. “It was really great. Everyone was very supportive of each other, and everyone knew the significance of it. I would do it again if I could.”

On Friday, participants all across the nation will be taking a vow of silence. Held annually in April since 1996, the Day of Silence continues to make an impact in communities everywhere.

“It’s a time when students come together,” said Kristen Lucas, an intern at Mason’s Office of LGBTQ Resources. “[The Day of Silence] can be very effective. It generates lots of discussion for students on campus and opportunities for them to be aware.”

This year, student leaders from the Pride Alliance and Student Government

organized the Day of Silence event on the Fairfax campus as part of Pride Week, which focuses on raising LGBTQ awareness and connecting students with counselors, activities, events and programs like CAPS. Stand OUT, a student organization, also helped with planning certain Pride Week events.

“Stand OUT is the newest LGBTQ organization on campus,” Vela said. “It’s geared toward more social activism and focusing on the community. We want to really make a change and do something significant. We want to get our members involved.”

The Day of Silence not only promotes awareness, but gets students thinking about more ways to include the LGBTQ community in everyday life.

“Instead of having just a Pride Week, we should have a Pride Month,” Vela said.

“I’d like to see an LGBTQ studies minor. I’d also like to see more focus on LGBTQ issues in the classroom. It starts there.”

For participants, taking the vow of silence is a compelling challenge and it jump-starts their activism in support of LGBTQ rights.

It serves as a way to simultaneously bring people together, promote future endeavors and increase understanding of the hardships many LGBTQ members encounter.

“I think [the Day of Silence] does make a difference,” said Vela. “Students take it seriously because we really don’t talk. There are still a lot of inequalities that the [LGBTQ] community faces. We still don’t have the same rights that everyone else has. I think you can say it is the civil rights movement of our time.”

File Photo

File Photo

Students from George Mason University taking part in a past Na onal Day of Silence.

Dude looks like a lady Contestants light up the runway at this year’s annual Drag Show Aisha Jamil Staff Writer George Mason University’s annual Drag Show shocked, thrilled and inspired the crowd as drag kings and queens made their way on stage.

Hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Jujubee, the show started off with her performance of Rihanna’s “S & M” on Friday in the Johnson Center Atrium.

Walking down the runway in her knee-high black boots, a tight

red and black corset and Rihanna red hair, Jujubee left the crowd thirsting for more.

With the audience making one-dollar bills rain on her, Jujubee proclaimed wildly to one audience member, “I wanna pull your f***ing beard.”

“This is just awesome,” said junior English major Brian Waidelich. “I was here last year and it was great, but it seems like they have kicked it up a notch to make it even better this year.”

Regina Jozet Adams, dressed in an oversized nude suit beneath a black swimsuit, spiced up the night when she told the audience an X-rated joke about Little Red Riding Hood.

“Little Red Riding Hood was going to see her grandma. Her mother told her to watch out for the big bad wolf, because when he sees her he will pull up her dress, pull down her panties and screw her little a**,” said Adams.

“So, when Little Red Riding

Photo By Stephanie Knapp

Jujubee, professional drag queen, singing “Pre y Girl Rock” by Keri Hilson.

Hood runs into the big bad wolf, she pulls up her dress, pulls down her panties, opens her legs wide, takes out a gun and tells the big bad wolf, ‘You better eat me like the original story says.’”

“The jokes by far were the most memorable,” said junior history major Colin Kuntzler. “The overall show just rocked,” Another epic moment came when drag queen Destiny B. Childs pulled a student on stage as she was performing to Lady Gaga’s

Photo By Stephanie Knapp

Penelope Pitstop singing “Nicki Mix.”

“Born This Way.” Childs pulled the man on stage, took off his shirt, pushed him onto the ground and sat on top of his shoulders.

The crowd quickly burst into cheers as Childs pulled the student back up on his knees and thrust his face into her crotch.

“This is my first time seeing a drag show and I must say that I am pretty impressed,” said graduate counseling and psychology major Jenifer Rutter.

For some students, however,

the show went a little too far.

“The drag show is a great idea because it exposes the campus to the LGBTQ community even though it’s a little extreme,” said junior government and international politics major Binh Ly. “The bad part of it is that it reaffirms certain stereotypes. I hope that people understand that it’s just entertainment and don’t take it so seriously or get offended because the LGBTQ community isn’t just about sex.”

Photo By Stephanie Knapp

Andy Rugburn and Inyo Pants, singing “Dick in a Box.”

6

Broadside

| Monday, April 11, 2011

Man on the Street

Style

Greek Week in Photos

Music

What kind of music do you listen to as the weather gets warmer?

“I think it can be any genre, just more happy music. Actually recently, I’ve been listening to some ska stuff like the Slackers and the Specials. That’s good outside music.”

Photo By Peter Flint

Photo By Jacob McLernon

Kurt Wheeler Freshman Jazz Studies

“I like listening to pop music. Is Cudi pop music? Yeah, Kid Cudi and Lupe [Fiasco].”

Jesseca Garcia Sophomore Chemistry

Photo By Jacob McLernon Photo By Peter Flint

“I like listening to beach music. I don’t know how to explain it but I’m from Virginia Beach, and I like to listen to MGMT, Yelle and I’m not gonna lie, but I like listening to 3LW. That’s the best sunny weather music.”

Photo By Peter Flint

Photo By Jacob McLernon

Members of Mason fraterni es and sorori es took part in Greek Week events varying from shack-a-thon to field day and everything in between.

Cheap Eats

Sharyssa Frijas Sophomore Health Administration

with Ramy Zabarah

“The Gorillaz, if they come out with anything new.”

Grilled Shrimp

Rashad Mulla Senior Communication Photo By Peter Flint

2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 onion 1 cup olive oil 1/4 cup chopped parsley 4 cloves minced garlic 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 tablespoons paprika 1 lemon, juiced 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon black pepper wooden skewers

Slowly but surely, the birds are chirping, flowers are in bloom and the weather’s getting warmer. For barbecue connoisseurs who are also on a tight budget, here’s a way to feed your friends on a nice day for less than 30 bucks.

Shrimp has various health benefits. Aside from the immense amount of protein they provide for such small items, shrimp are low in fat and calories. This is a sweet and spicy recipe that will keep you wanting more.

This recipe is a little complex, but your hard work will surely be rewarded in the end. Start by preparing the shrimp marinade. In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, parsley, garlic, oregano, tomato paste, paprika, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Next, dump the peeled shrimp into the bowl of marinade, turning and mixing to fully coat all of it. Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour. This is a great time to start preparing your grill.

Grilling is fun, relaxing and tasty, but it can be a tedious task, so make sure you take all the necessary precautions to ensure optimum barbecue quality. If you’re using a gas grill, make

sure the flame isn’t too high. If you’re using coal, don’t start cooking until all your lighter fluid is burned out and your coals are red.

While you’re waiting for the fire to settle and the shrimp to finish marinating, cut up the onion into thick slices that you can still thread onto a skewer. Take out the shrimp and thread them onto the skewers, alternating with the onion slices.

Once your coals are hot and there’s no more flame, you can start throwing the shrimp skewers onto the grill. Considering the amount of olive oil in the marinade, this will cause the coals to start flaming. Don’t be alarmed. Just be careful and make sure you keep turning the skewers so the wood doesn’t get too burned.

Shrimp doesn’t take too long to cook, so supervise the process to make sure you don’t burn anything. Depending on how hot your grill is, it could take anywhere from five to 15 minutes.

Serve with a side of corn on the cob and pineapple slices.

Bon appétit!

Opinion Broadside

|7

Monday, April 11, 2011

The realistic course list

Broadside

George Mason University’s Student Newspaper Emily Sharrer, Editor-in-Chief Sonya Hudson, Managing Editor Monika Joshi, Copy Chief Gregory Connolly, News Editor Jeffrey Giorgi, Asst. News Editor Justin Lalputan, Opinion Editor Ramy Zabarah, Style Editor Erin Powell, Asst. Style Editor Cody Norman, Sports Editor Pat Carroll, Asst. Sports Editor Peter Flint, Photography Editor

Benjamin Shaffer, Copy Editor Marine Jaouen, Copy Editor Jared Barrale, Copy Editor Liz Milligan, Designer Michelle Buser, Designer Dylan Hares, Staff Reporter Scott Miller, Advertising Director Jacques Mouyal, Business Manager Kathryn Mangus, Faculty Adviser David Carroll, Tech Adviser

Editorial Policy The letters, columns and views expressed on this page are solely those of the writers. They do not reflect the views of Broadside or its staff, unless otherwise noted.

Broadside is a weekly publication printed each Monday for the George Mason University and surrounding Fairfax community. The editors at Broadside 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 editorin-chief should be notified at the information given above.

Broadside is a free publication. Limit one copy per person. Each additional copy is 25 cents.

© 2011 by Broadside. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the editor-in-chief.

The myth of the broke student

The courses that Mason should offer students to help them deal with real life Brandon minster G R A D S T u d e n t

Opinion

Columnist

Fall registration is starting soon and most of us are beginning to think about what courses we should take. Some of us are excited to graduate this May and be done with course registration for good, but some fools, like me, are managing to graduate in May and still register for classes in the fall.

Looking through the fall offerings, I see a lot of classes in humanities, mathematics, psychology and linguistics. But when I walk around campus I don't really think, “This place needs more humane mathematicians who can speak psychic languages.”

What if George Mason University offered the courses that the students actually need?

What would the catalog look like?

ANTHROPOLOGY 205: Living with Roommates Students will begin to understand that roommates are more than the supporting cast of a personal reality TV show. Notions such as “fairness” and “equity” are introduced (proficiency not expected until completion of Anthropology 416: Treating Others as You’d Like to be Treated).

ASTRONOMY 103: The Heliocentric System The proper model of the solar system is learned, with the sun at its center in lieu of the self. Counseling will be available for students who are just hearing this for the first time.

ECONOMICS 232: The Real World Students will be informed of the low-paying, soul-stultifying work they will be expected to perform after graduation. Common expectations such as “showing up on time,” “working 40 hours a week” and “not being drunk at your desk” are covered. Weekly seminars will address topics like “Just Because it’s Cool Doesn't

Mean You Should Buy it” and “Caps Tickets Aren’t as Useful for Eating as Food is.”

ENGLISH 117: Sounding Intelligent Participants will learn that, in terms of speaking, no one is ever “like” something, nor are they ever “all” anything. The verb “to say” will be introduced, along with its conjugated forms. The paucity of situations wherein “that’s what she said” is funny will be analyzed.

For students expecting to continue into graduate work, the concept of “speaking without swearing” will be introduced.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 308: Social Network Oversharing Students are taught the concept of optimizing shared-information levels.

The idea of “preserving a mystique” is shown to still be relevant. Participants will view each other’s Facebook pages and record which items of information they learned and wished they hadn’t.

PSYCHOLOGY 312: Sexuality and You Alternative ways of looking at sex — including “sex for procre-

ation” and “sex for love”— are introduced and explained. Widespread concepts such as “sex for popularity,” “sex for self-esteem” and “sex for fighting boredom” are debunked.

SOCIOLOGY 144: Private Discourse in Public The proper “non-shouting” tone for cell phone conversations will be introduced.

Students will learn that whiling away time on public transportation by discussing how drunk you got last weekend is not optimal behavior.

The notion of “whispering” will be analyzed as a legitimate form of communication in appropriate situations.

WRITING 110: Newspaper Column Endings Students will be taught the correct way to end their newspaper columns. Abruptly ending a “funny list” is shown to be hack.

The need for a “coda” paragraph, wherein the first paragraph is referenced for a sense of closure, will be covered in Writing 112: I’m a Better Columnist than That Guy (available for concurrent enrollment in the fall).

How prices on campus work to help throw college students deeper into debt Kristen Steve Opinion Columnist When many students first arrive at college, they come with the preconceived notion, “Well, it’s time to go into debt,” which can be entirely true.

Most colleges provide students with some sort of financial aid, but it is often not enough. Freshmen who are not from the Northern Virginia area typically live on campus, thinking this will save them money.

So is the notorious stereotype of “a poor college kid sitting in his dorm room eating a bowl of Ramen Noodles” accurate?

Studies have shown that among students studying at four-year universities, 65.6 percent have accumulated some debt by the time they graduate. In addition, the average amount of debt a student has accumulated after obtaining his bachelor’s degree is $27,803.

Naturally, it would make sense for universities to cut students a break, knowing that they will spend many years paying off their debt after they graduate.

However, it almost seems as if many universities — George Mason University included — do the opposite.

In examining the Mason campus alone, a student can see how this is true. In my opinion, food on campus is overpriced.

If a student goes into the One Stop Patriot Shop, he or she will purchase food that could have been purchased for much less at a local grocery store.

For example, a box of Pasta Roni is about $2.69 at the One Stop Patriot Shop, but costs 99 cents to $1.30 at a grocery store.

A student can purchase a NOS energy drink for approximately $4.19 at the One Stop, which would be about $2 less

at a grocery store.

When I first came to Mason, many fellow students informed me that the Freedom Funds meal plan was the best. However, for students who have Freedom as opposed to a normal meal plan, Southside is $9 per person.

This price seems steep. If a student has money or “Freedom” left over at the end of the semester, the money is not forwarded to the next semester.

The funds are just gone. So why should students want the Freedom Funds meal plan?

Why should a student fork over $1,500, only to spend it on overpriced food and groceries? It would make much more sense to just put this money on a debit card.

Students can use a debit card anywhere and their money will not disappear at the end of the semester. I believe that Freedom Funds is not freeing at all — it’s a way for students to accumulate more debt.

In some circumstances, living off campus and renting a townhouse or apartment in the Northern Virginia area can actually save students a lot of money.

Housing prices in the area do vary, but I can personally attest to the fact that by living off campus, I have spent six times less money than I did living on campus in Commonwealth. Mason truly should make an effort to help students spend less, not more.

At the bare minimum they should match the prices of their goods with those in local grocery stores. Yes, living on campus is convenient, but is it truly worth the extra money? Mason should consider lowering the cost of oncampus housing as well.

Even if they are only able to do so by a small amount, I believe that would really help students who are already accumulating significant debt during their college years.

The corruption of the textbook industry The end of the semester is almost here, and the dreaded task of what to do with this semester’s textbooks is quickly approaching.

It’s not an easy task. Do you give in by selling your textbooks back to the bookstore on campus for a miniscule amount of money, or do you put in more effort to make a few extra bucks by reselling them online?

Many students I’ve encountered are just too lazy to re-sell their textbooks online and having to ship them out to a buyer.

I don’t blame them.

But then again, selling them back to the bookstore is extremely convenient and results in practically getting robbed.

However, there are some tricks to this. One friend told

me he buys his books from a textbook reseller — like half.com — for $4. Meanwhile, let’s say the George Mason University bookstore sells the same book for $70. At the end of the semester, he sells the book back to the bookstore and actually makes a profit. So there are tricks around the bookstore’s low return rate.

The cost of books online is unarguably less. For example, I found a book online for $20, which the campus bookstore was selling for $120.

Although, I wouldn’t say it’s always the bookstore’s fault. A lot has to do with the textbook business in general.

For example, if there’s a new edition of a book coming out, the bookstore won’t take back the older version because

How do you feel about Mason’s decision to not fly the flag of nations (such as Palestine and Kurdistan) that are not recognized by the United Nations?

Mrinalini Ramanan Senior Biology and Chemistry Photo by Ramy Zabarah

A. This is a horrible decision. All nations should be represented.

“I feel like all the flags should be flown from various countries. Each country should be respected.”

B. I don’t feel strongly about it, but I think the flags should be flown.

Dean Carter Sophomore Computer Engineering

C. I could care less.

D. I do not feel strongly about it, but the flags shouldn’t be flown

Photo by Ramy Zabarah

“I do think that if it’s not recognized by the United Nations then it probably shouldn’t be there. [That means] it’s a conflicted area”

E. Great decison by Mason. The flags should not be flown.

What YOU said...

Want to share your opinion?

Submit your letter to the editor or artwork to: opinion@broadsideonline.com

From what I’ve heard, the IT 103 classes seemed the most corrupt. Just a year ago, you had to buy a new book to receive an active code. Otherwise, a previous student would’ve already activated it. You needed this active code to do the required homework and you couldn’t purchase a code separately.

As a general education course, many students are required to take the class, and a lot of students were buying new books every semester.

At least with my Spanish 110 class, I had the option of buying the $50 code separately.

Still, I had to buy the book new for it to come with a code that would work so I could do the required homework.

Now if that’s not extortion, then what is?

“I don’t agree with the policy.

I would suggest that all recognized student organizations be able to fly their flags.”

Man on the Street

If you would like to submit your opinion on this poll, respond at www.broadsideonline.com

Note: Letters to the editor are welcome and are printed on the basis of space, quality and timeliness. All submissions are the property of Broadside and may be edited for brevity, clarity and grammar. Material containing libel, racial slurs, personal attacks or obscenities may be edited or rejected. The author’s name, class year (and/or title where appropriate), major and daytime phone number must be included for verification of authenticity. The deadline for submission is Thursday by 10 p.m.

it isn’t used, which you can’t necessarily blame them for. This “new edition” may have a bit more color and some page changes, justifying its “newness.”

In addition, some have to purchase online codes to be able to do homework on top of the cost of the textbook. A friend of mine once described the textbook business as extortion and it really does seem like it.

Most professors are sympathetic towards students and will factor in the cost of books as well as limit the amount of books required — although some aren’t as thoughtful.

It just so happens that all the professors I’ve had that weren’t as sympathetic were the ones who wrote or co-wrote the textbook.

Editorial Board: Emily Sharrer, Editor-in-Chief Monika Joshi, Copy Chief Sonya Hudson, Managing Editor Justin Lalputan, Opinion Editor

Photo by Ramy Zabarah

All unsigned staff editorials are written to represent the view of the Broadside staff, a diverse set of opinions determined by the members of the editorial board. Letters to the editor, columns, artwork and other commentaries strictly represent the opinions of the authors and do not represent the official opinion of the newspaper.

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Broadside

8 | Monday, April 11, 2011

Opinion

Respecting culture on campus Students should educate themselves about differences Justin Lalputan S o p h o m o r e

Opinion

Editor

Here at George Mason University, we have a lot of diversity on campus. We are a true collage of cultures.

This is why it gets me incredibly mad when I see people laugh and disrespect others simply because they are foreign or come from another culture.

It’s visible all across campus. Whether it’s when you’re standing in line to order food or walking to class, it’s quite easy to spot students and staff who differ from the sociocultural norm.

And occasionally, I see people making fun of or disregarding them. Why? We can learn from people of other cultures if we just interact and talk to them instead of avoiding them over something as stupid as a foreign accent or different cultural values.

Granted, people have a tendency to associate with those who are similar to them, but I know for a fact there are lots of people out there who have friends of different races.

When they interact with people who aren’t their friends, though, their attitudes can change and become more demeaning.

So what can we do to combat this situation?

I am currently taking a culture class here at Mason and I honestly feel that every student should be required to take such a course.

It’s hard to see things from another person’s perspective unless you actually sit down and consider what a person from another culture might think about what you are doing.

There are so many things in the world that we are ignorant about, and we will remain ignorant about other cultures unless we take the time to learn about them.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that Mason is a campus full of racists, but I believe that it is always good to learn more about other cultures. It’s quite surprising how little some people know about other cultures.

Ignorance breeds hatred and dislike; that’s a fact that is engraved in history. The first step to preventing this is education.

So educate yourself. Read a book, watch something that’s

not reality TV, go to another country and spend time with the people who live there.

Afterwards you can come back to Mason and get angry just like I do when I see someone demeaning other people simply because they are different.

We’re all different, so let’s embrace it and not use it as a means to divide us.

I know we have people who are culturally aware, but for every couple of educated people, there is an ignorant person who equates Islam with terrorism and thinks all Hispanics are from Mexico.

You can judge for yourself.

Next time you see someone demeaning someone else from another culture, who’s the idiotic one?

Is it the foreigner? Or is it the ass making fun of them?

I think you know who it is.

Quote of the Week: “I think the policy should be that everybody has the right to raise their flag as long as it does not symbolize violence or violent tactics. I don’t think we should have political games or bring politics into these situations.”

MASON NATION

GET

—Naze Sindy, member of Kurdish Student Organization

Forgetting the north There needs to be more talk about North Korea Alan Moore S E N I O R

Opinion

Columnist

We all share our sympathies with the people being killed in Libya and those affected by the revolutions in the Middle East.

We feel pain whenever we hear about innocent lives snuffed out by evil oppressors.

However, it seems like we forget about North Korea sometimes with the exception of news accounts covering the occasional aggression perpetrated by the Kim Jong-il regime. To lose sight of the atrocities in this Asian country is one of the greatest mistakes of our time.

To be blunt, the only major difference between North Korea and Nazi Germany or Stalinist USSR is geography. And yet no one ever does anything about it aside from the occasional slap on the wrist.

North Korean citizens are facing a starvation epidemic, despite the United Nations food distribution network, which itself may be running dry in a few months. But it’s not because there is no food available.

The government is hoarding in anticipation of a 2012 celebration for the birthday of Kim II-sung, the founder of the police state. The rest of the hoard goes to feed the massive military which is used to keep control of the citizenry. The BBC reports that up to 2 million people have died of starvation since the middle of the 1990s.

For those who don’t starve to death, many die in concentration camps. Estimates of imprisoned Koreans range from

150,000–200,000. Inhabitants, most of whom are held as political prisoners, are tortured and abused in these death camps.

Women are used to breed new slaves who remain in these camps — many have never tasted freedom for a minute of their lives.

The regime is also constantly warmongering. They recently shelled a South Korean island, killing four people. In March, they sunk a South Korean ship, killing another 46.

The world responded with shock, said some big words and then promptly forgot all about it.

North Korea’s continued nuclear program is a constant source of concern.

So what can we do about it?

It’s a tricky situation; North Korea is protected by China — a foreign power with enough influence to keep the atrocities going forever. China is the only country with enough influence to make changes. Sadly, getting them to play ball on this matter is almost impossible.

Sanctions don’t work either and any foreign aid never gets to the people. North Korea has built up their military so an invasion is impossible. There’s also nothing to prevent them from killing their own people en masse as a last desperate act to spite a foreign invasion.

This is why the situation has been hopeless for so long and why no one ever does anything about the country that most resembles George Orwell’s dystopia in “1984.”

Sadly, I don’t have the answer. But I do know the first step is to start talking and caring about what is going on in that repressive regime. If good people choose to act then maybe some real change can occur and the Koreans can be freed from the largest prison in the world.

550

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Sports

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The number of members of the swim & dive team honored with individual awards from the CAA for this past season's performances.

Bryan Bahr, Fernando Rubio, Frank Burdell and Coach Dennis Ceppa all received a specific honor.

Monday, April 11, 2011

What is cricket?

A work in progress

A look at one of the most inconspicuous games on campus Ryan Comer Broadside Correspondent On April 2, India defeated Sri Lanka in the 10th ICC Cricket World Cup by six wickets. Before the championship match, they had to face Pakistan, their number one rival, in the semifinals.

To say that Pakistan is India’s rival is an understatement. The India vs. Pakistan match was bigger than New York vs. Boston, Duke vs.

North Carolina or Ali vs. Frazier. What makes the rivalry so phenomenal is that it is a geopolitical rivalry played out in an athletic venue.

“Just think about it — these are two countries with three wars between each other in the 20th century, one undeclared war and a huge standoff in 2001 with over a million troops on the border,” said sophomore mathematics major Aniket Panjwani.

The bottom line is that India and Pakistan go beyond athletics.

That probably explains why 200 people packed into the Rathskeller beginning at 4:30 a.m. on March 30 for the semifinal, and why 67.3 million people tuned in globally.

However, the majority of George Mason University does not know what cricket is, or even that we have a national championship-winning club cricket team on campus.

Cricket involves two teams of 11 players. There are five key elements to cricket: batting, bowling, fielding, catching and wicket-keeping.

Team A bats (offensive) and Team B bowls (defensive), and then they swap.

The batter has two goals:

score runs, by hitting the ball, and defend his wickets, which are three sticks placed behind the batter. If the ball is bowled and hits his wicket, the batter is out.

In a very general way, cricket is similar to baseball.

The bowler, in a sense, pitches to the batter, and the batter tries to hit the ball. If the ball is hit and a fielder catches it before it hits the ground, he is out. If the ball hits the wicket, he is also out.

The bowler’s teammates, the fielders, try to stop the ball as quickly as possible after it has been hit to minimize the number of runs scored. Runs are scored by the batter running back and forth between the wickets. If the ball is hit in the air out of the playing field, the batting team gets six runs.

If it rolls out of the playing field, the batting team gets four runs.

The wicket-keeper, similar to a catcher in baseball, stops the ball after it has been bowled. If the batter does not hit it, he is out.

Cricket is not just a sport played internationally. On March 21, Mason’s club cricket team defeated rival Montgomery College to win the Chanderpaul Trophy, sponsored by American College Cricket. ”Not a lot of people know about the team,” said captain Hashim Khan, despite being “one of the best teams in the nation.”

With a national championship-winning team and an already devout, although small, cricket community here on campus, the bottom line is that you need to watch a match.

Photo By Peter Flint

Sophomore Nick Allen (2) hi ng against James Madison University.

Patriots progress overshadowed by another series loss Cody Norman Sports Editor Baseball is a game of failure. It is a game in which one can be considered great while failing more than 65 percent of the time. And it is a game that teaches its players to learn from mistakes and get back on the proverbial horse after one has been kicked in the teeth.

At several points during this baseball season, the Patriots have found themselves trailing in games and have been forced to learn to play from behind. Until this weekend against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, George Mason has struggled to come away with victories after falling behind.

“To an extent it is a sign of youth,” Coach Bill Brown said.

“But sometimes it’s maturity. We were solid yesterday on the mound but today we kind of hit

the skids.” start rifling through your bullpen.”

Coming into the weekend, the In game two of their Saturday Patriots had lost six of seven double-header, the Patriots fell games decided by behind 4-0 after one one run. And the inning and seemed weekend began in to be on track to fol“There were some rea similar tune for low a similar storyally good things that the green and line as their previous happened [this weekgold. end]. But, unfortunately, match-up.

Mason fell Behind a 3-hit they get overshadowed behind 2-0 early performance from by the final score.” in the ballgame junior shortstop but were able to Brig Tison, however, -Coach Bill Brown claw back and Mason was able to on his team’s progression send the game fight back and pull into extra innings. off an exciting 5-4 Unfortunately for the Patriots, win in the bottom of the ninth inthough, they were unable to use ning. their momentum to take down “When you’re a team that is VCU, who earned the victory 3-2 struggling and searching for some in 11 innings. answers, you’re always looking for “You just can’t play from be- something positive to feed off of,” hind constantly,” Coach Bill Brown said. “And when you get a Brown said. “It’s too taxing on your walk-off win, it doesn’t get much pitching staff because you’re using better than that.” way too many guys. You really In Sunday’s series-deciding

match-up, Mason allowed the Rams to strike first and fell behind 2-0 after the first inning. They responded with a three-run effort in the bottom of the second to pull ahead.

They were outscored 9-0 in the final three innings, eventually losing the ballgame by a final score of 15-10.

“This week, we had to play five games in five days and, eventually, it’s going to catch up with you,” Brown said. “And [on Sunday] it did.”

After a slow start to their 2011 campaign, the Patriots have improved with every game and continue to progress toward a quality baseball team in the Colonial Athletic Association.

“There were some really good things that happened [this weekend],” Brown said. “But, unfortunately, they get overshadowed by the final score.”

Football in Fairfax Student ponders a football team for Mason Olivia Karegeannes Broadside Correspondent

Photo courtesy of Facebook

Senior Maureen McAuliffe was recently invited to try out for the U23 Na onal team this summer in West Windsor, N.J.

On a national stage Mason rowing team’s Maureen McAuliffe invited to U23 National team Cody Norman Sports Editor An anxiously awaited email slipped in to senior Maureen McAuliffe’s inbox last Sunday afternoon. It was one the Herndon native had been expecting for more than two days and one that could change her rowing career.

McAuliffe became one of 24 collegiate rowers around the country to earn an official invite from USRowing to attend the women’s Under-13 National Team Camp.

"I'm very proud that I can represent George Mason, but most of all, my teammates on both the women's and men's teams," McAuliffe said to Mason Athletics on GoMason.com.

"Without them I know this next step would not be possible for me. I was nervous all week, ask

anyone! I found out at the boathouse after our grand final race Sunday afternoon and having the people around that have helped me along the way was the perfect setting."

She was one of just 16 sweep rowers to be selected with the unique honor.

The camp, held at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J., in June, will evaluate selected rowers for the open’s eight and quadruple skulls crews to compete at the World Rowing Under-23 Championships in Amsterdam on July 21-24, 2012.

McAuliffe must first focus her attention to the program, which runs from the beginning of June until August. It will be held at either the United States Rowing Training Center in Oklahoma City or at Bucknell Univer-

sity in Lewisburg, Pa. Initial cuts will be made within the first couple of weeks and the remaining rowers will pack their bags for Princeton, N.J. for the next phase of the selection process.

Cuts will be made until the final roster is set for the World Rowing Championships in July.

McAuliffe competed as a member of the National PreElite Team and is extremely familiar with the national rowing stage. At the 2012 United States Rowing National Club Championships, McAuliffe led her team to a gold medal finish in the women’s eight boat race.

Prior to joining the rowing team at Mason, McAuliffe had no previous experience, making her selection that much more impressive.

"We are all very proud of

Maureen to be invited to the U23 camp this summer," coach Geoff Dillard commented on GoMason.com. "She has worked very hard to get where she is, and I am happy to see her hard work pay off. Maureen has had a great impact on our team, and it sends a message to all our recruits that you can row at the highest level here at Mason."

As a 2016 hopeful for the Olympic team, McAuliffe is determined to find a place on the senior national team. She knows a lot of work is still to be done, but her participation in the camp is one of the many steps it will take to accomplish her ultimate goal.

"There is so much hard work ahead of me,” McAuliffe said. “I can't wait to throw myself into it.”

An enticing rumor has been circulating the George Mason University campus.

According to sources, the Redskins have offered to build Mason a football stadium and, in return, they would use it for practice.

The idea would save the university millions of dollars.

For those readers that fell for the Connect2Mason April Fools’ Day article about Mason finally establishing an official football team, the joke may have been more disheartening than it was comical.

The possibility of a Mason football team has been a sensitive subject for students for several decades.

Petitions, Facebook groups with thousands of students supporting the idea, proposals reviewed by the university’s governing board and countless other attempts have come and gone. But no move has been made.

The possibility of a Mason football team is about to become a hot topic once again with the announcement that President Alan Merten will be retiring in the summer of 2012.

According to those that hope for a football team, Merten has been the backbone of constant denial of a Division I football team at Mason.

While it may not seem like a tough decision for students and Mason fans to have a football

team, it may actually be a more drawn out process than expected.

Mason press secretary Dan Walsch put it into terms that may help the Mason community better understand.

“A football team would cost the university millions and millions of dollars,” he said. “And result in drastic financial cutbacks.

It is not prudent at this time.”

These are serious issues involved in bringing a football team to Mason.

Walsch added that, “There are no plans for a football team at this time.”

This may seem like the final nail in the coffin, but not all hope is lost.

When questioned on the matter, Walsch shed some light on this idea. “There are currently conversations between the Redskins and Mason, but nothing has been decided at this time.”

This is an exciting prospect for the Mason community, but for now Mason club football will have to do.

There is hope that Mason will one day have a legitimate college football team. This issue will continue to be debated among future Mason generations.

Whether the new Mason president decides the costs will be able to fit it into the university’s budget, or the Redskins help Mason out, there is always a possibility that one day, college level football will be a part of the Mason community.

10

| Monday, April 11, 2011

Broadside

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