Mustaches for Health
<< The Science of Fear
<< DIY Costumes
Find out what happens when something goes bump in the night. NEWS • Page 3
It’s 7 p.m. on Halloween and you don’t have a costume. Use our guide to make one in a snap. STYLE • Page 7
The baseball team will participate in Movemer, a worldwide movement that raises funds for cancer research. SPORTS • Page 10
George Mason University’s Student Newspaper www.broadsideonline.com
October 31, 2011
Volume 88 Issue 8
Patriot Lodge Arrives
A Hanover Haunting
First Freemason Lodge Ever on Campus Justin Lalputan News Editor
Photo by Dakota Cunningham
Rappahanock Resident Advisor Perry Buckley poses as a werewolf for Haunted Hanover. As part of the various Weekends at Mason activities for Halloween, Hanover Hall was converted in to a haunted house on Thursday.
Tree Planted in Honor of Brian Picone Memorial Includes Plaque, Marks Second Anniversary of Passing Ahsan Zaman Asst. News Editor A memorial tree was planted on George Mason University’s Fairfax campus in honor of Mason alumnus Brian Picone, who passed away in October 2009. The tree was planted on Wednesday, the second anniversary of Picone’s death. A plaque was created in honor of Picone and was placed next to the memorial tree. Picone’s family members, as well as students, staff and close friends were all in attendance during the memorial tree service in honor of Picone. “Students and staff from the university came out with a tree and dug a hole and the tree was planted and many people got to say some words in remembrance of Brian,” said Ric Chollar, associate director of LGBTQ Resources and former mentor of Picone. “In this case, it’s really special because Brian was cremated and there is not a particular place where people can come and visit,” Chollar said. “So to have this place physically in the ground where Brian has a plaque, folks can now come and pay their respects.” The memorial is a cherry tree and is located in a grove next to Mason Pond Andrea Picone, Brian’s mother, championed the idea of
planting a tree in honor of her son. “Brian’s mother Andrea advocated to have this done,” Chollar said. “She contacted the university and the grounds people were really responsive and easy to work with and made this happen.” “Key people who were important to Mason who have passed, if folks want to plant a tree in honor of them, they can
“In this case, it’s really special because Brian was cremated and there is not a particular place where people can come and visit.” -Ric Chollar, associate director of LGBTQ resources do that,” Chollar said. “It means a great deal to us as a family to have a memorial tree for Brian on the Mason campus,” Picone’s family said. “The tree provides a place for people who love and miss Brian to go alone or together, and remember, think and talk about Brian. It keeps Brian close.” At the memorial service for Picone there was “one of the most
diverse groups in terms of race and in terms of coming together of different organizations and departments,” Chollar said. “[The memorial] was beautiful, but still kind of hard to believe that two years have gone by since he passed away.” said Lisa Snyder, associate director for Leadership Education and Development and one of Picone’s advisors. “At the memorial tree service, it just kind of felt like Brian’s presence was there in all of us.” Picone was involved with various activities and events on campus. He was a Patriot Leader, he founded an immigration rights group and he was the keynote speaker at a New Century College graduation. “He was sort of a star in anything he did and he did a bunch of stuff,” Chollar said. The memorial tree that was planted in honor of Brian Picone proved that the community really cares about its residents. “There is no recipe on how we are supposed to do these kinds of things,” Snyder said. “For me it means a lot to know that there is a sense of community with friends and with family and with students that we can still share that here, and I’m really thankful for planting a tree in memory of Brian.”
Broadside is Online! -Check us out on the web at broadsideonline.com or on Twitter @MasonBroadside -Broadside is released every Monday across the Fairfax campus.
Photo by Stephen Kline
This tree is dedicated to the memory of Brian Picone. Picone was a student at George Mason until he passed away in 2009.
Seasonal
JOBS Guide
November 7 Photo by wwarby/flickr
The Patriot Lodge is a Freemason lodge that recently arrived at George Mason University and has been approved by Mason. The Freemasons are one of the oldest fraternities in existence, tracing their origins back over hundreds of years. George Washington was initiated into the Freemasons in 1752, and since then 13 other presidents have also been members. The Patriot Lodge is not just a traditional lodge, however. “It’s an academic lodge,” said Jon Shelton, master of the Patriot Lodge. “It’s the type of lodge you can find in some other places in Harvard, MIT, Oxford and Cambridge.” Academic lodges focus their membership on the students, faculty, staff and alumni of their respective universities. Shelton is an alumnus of Mason. The Patriot Lodge started with the efforts of Shelton’s son. While at Mason, Shelton’s son was a young Freemason and wanted to do something Freemason-related on campus. He contacted his father who took on the project. Shelton gained interest in Harvard Lodge and chose to implement that model here. According to Shelton, the Freemasons form a fraternity that focuses on developing character, virtue and doing the right thing. “It brings together men in a solemn way,” Shelton said. “It focuses their mind on what it takes to be a better man.” Freemasons use the model of the old stonemasons, putting people through three degrees to teach lessons associated with character development, ethics and morality. In order to join the Freemasons, one must be at least 18, of good character and believe in a higher power ¬— though it is not specifically stated what that higher power has to be. After one becomes familiar with the organization and decides that he is the right fit, the person must then ask to join the Freemasons. In addition, he must be sponsored by two members known as vouchers. The lodge will then meet with the interested applicant and eventually get together to decide whether or not to vote him in. “There are many benefits to joining the Freemasons. [Freemasonry] is the grandfather of most modern fraternities. Elks, Lions, even the Greek fraternities on campus,” Shelton said. “What we still offer that’s different from the other service organizations are this focus on the internal qualities of a man … it really does help to train your mind in the right way;
See Freemason, Page 2