Packing Heat Demonstrators protest Mason’s firearms policy. NEWS • Page 2
A Historical Adventure
Eat Like a Champ
Second annual Lost and Found Stories event explores 100 years of leadership and culture in black northern Virginia. STYLE • Page 5
A dietician gives the low down on athletes’ diets and how to eat for your health. SPORTS • Page 12
George Mason University’s Student Newspaper www.broadsideonline.com
November 14, 2011
Volume 88 Issue 10
Turnout Low for New Voting Precinct Less Than 100 Students Vote on Campus
Students Speak Out
General Assembly Holds First Session
Justin Lalputan News Editor Approaching University Hall early Tuesday morning, sophomore government and international politics major Donald Garret felt a sense of excitement as he became the first person to vote at George Mason University’s newly established University precinct. Overall turnout, however, was lower than expected. “It was awe-inspiring,” said Garret, who is involved in Student Government. “It’s great to see the hard work of students transformed into action.” According to the Fairfax County Board of Elections, 74 students turned out to vote Tuesday. “We were already expecting the turnout to be low,” Garret said. “It’s an off-off year, as there aren’t any presidential or congressional elections.” Students involved with raising awareness of the importance of voting, such as sophomore government and international politics major Nicholas Collins, see the benefits in having an oncampus polling location. “Having it right across the street from Starbucks on campus is much more convenient,” said Collins, who participated in the Get Out the Vote campaign at Mason. “When students find out they have a precinct, they are eager to get their voice heard.” Still, students involved in making other students aware of the ability to vote on campus were hoping to have a larger turnout. “We were hoping to have a number closer to 100,” Garret said. “There will definitely be more in 2012, though.” Students like Garret and Collins will be working to get the word out about this location in order to increase the turnout for future elections. “The fact that it’s a new precinct and hardly anyone knows about it is why the turnout was low,” Collins said. “We were able to register a lot of people though, and they now know that they will be able to vote on cam-
Photo by Dakota Cunningham
The General Assembly gathered Wednesday by the George Mason statue to discuss perceived injustices on campus.
Erin Powell Style Editor
Photo by Stephen Kline
Despite efforts to increase voter turnout, only 74 students voted at Mason’s new voting precinct Tuesday. This was the first election to be held at this precinct. pus. Student Government as well as other campus groups, such as the College Democrats, were interested in bringing a polling place to Mason in order to make it more convenient for students to vote. “It’s everyone’s civic duty to vote,” Garret said. “Every vote in every election counts.” Even this election, which included races for the Virginia state Senate, the Virginia House of Delegates, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Fairfax County School Board, was an important one for students to vote in and have their voices heard. “Some people often ask, ‘Why should I vote or care about the school board? I don’t have
kids,’” Garret said. “Well, it’s important because Fairfax County has some of the best schools in the country. Other districts look up to our district, so it’s important to elect someone who will be an example for all schools across the country.” In order to vote on campus, students must switch their registration from their home address to their campus address when attending Mason during a semester. Some students are wary of this, but Garret stresses that it’s for the better. “We reside here for nine out of the 12 months of the year,” Garret said. “It’s important that people register here because this is where we live the majority of the time.” Students voting in Fairfax
County will be able to vote for the candidates they want to represent them. “If you live on campus, and you are very committed to going to GMU, it can be very beneficial to switch your vote here,” Collins said. “Policy that passes in Virginia will affect you here.” A voting precinct at Mason will allow students to have easier access to make their views known through voting. “By having our own precinct, people will be able to see what our public opinions are, because votes are measurable,” Garret said. “If students are voting a certain way, it’s easy to see how they feel about different issues.”
Patriots Win Hewitt’s Debut After Early Deficit Pearson, Vaughns Lead Charge to 92-90 Overtime Victory Over Rhode Island Cody Norman Sports Editor The sound-level meter hovered around the upper-90s, showing triple-digits on numerous occasions during Friday night’s opening basketball game when new coach Paul Hewitt was welcomed to the Patriots’ bench with a rasping crowd and, more importantly, a “W.” “It was my first time in the building and it was a great atmosphere,” Hewitt said. “I walked in and saw the student section filled to the top on both sides, and it was nice. They do a really good job here.” More than 6,644 students and fans packed into the Patriot Center, in comparison to the 3,600 that trickled into the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables on Friday, to catch the much-anticipated debut of Hewitt and his up-tempo style of basketball. “That kind of environment is terrific to play a college basketball game at this time of year,” said Rhode Island coach Jim Baron. Three minutes into the game, though,
the Patriots did not appear to be one of the nation’s top teams, falling behind 11-4. “I thought there were a lot of shots that showed some early season jitters,” Hewitt said. “We were right at the rim a bunch of times and just missed them. I kept telling [the team], ‘If you keep getting shots like that all year, we’re going to have a very good season.’” Despite an uncomfortable first half from senior forward and preseason first team All-CAA selection Ryan Pearson, who was just 3-for-11 through 20 minutes, Mason responded with a 16-6 run to end the second half and tied the score at 33 heading into the break. Pearson, however, responded with an impressive 8-for-11 showing in the second half to finish with 28 points and 12 rebounds on the night. “That’s what a senior does, especially a senior of his quality,” Hewitt said. “He threw off the first half and came up with a big time night for us.” With Pearson leading the way, the Pa-
triots were able to spread the ball and allow four players to reach double digits in the scoring column. Mike Morrison, who led the way early for the Patriots, had an emotional 11-point effort cut short when he fouled out late in the second half. Vertrail Vaughns posted an efficient 17-point outing, knocking down the Patriots’ only two 3-pointers in the game. And Sherrod Wright, in his first game back since missing last with a shoulder injury, added 17 points and five rebounds. “He made some big time plays for us,” Hewitt said. “Those two rebounds in particular were sheer will. That was sheer effort out there.” Wright elevated and snatched down two offensive rebounds at key points during the game, one late in the second half and one in overtime, that were, perhaps, his most significant contributions to the 92-90 overtime victory.
See BASKETBALL, Page 11
Filled with eager students and inquisitive faculty, the Johnson Center’s South Plaza was shaded with an air of ambition during Wednesday afternoon’s first demonstration session held by the George Mason University General Assembly. The GMU General Assembly was created by a group of students motivated by the Occupy Wall Street movement. “There’s been a lot of excitement around the whole Occupy movement,” said Anartia Gamboa, a senior global affairs major and General Assembly member. “A group of folks got inspired by that. This event is an avenue for people to talk about things and negotiate issues they’re passionate about. People who aren’t normally comfortable speaking out can see how many people agree with them.” Although inspired by the Occupy movement, the group wanted to make sure the event wasn’t portrayed as a protest. “I think that the Occupy movement comes with a lot of assumptions,” said junior sculpture major and General Assembly member Andie Robey. “We wanted to remove those assumptions and show people it’s more the issues we’re concerned about. There shouldn’t have to be grievance cards. There should be public forum all the time.” The open discussion was created in response to perceived university injustices and gave students an opportunity to discuss problems. Gathered around the Mason statue, attendees could sign up to speak to the group and voice their complaints and fill out grievance cards. Nicole Miles, a senior conflict analysis and resolution major, was one of the students who addressed the group. “I talked about out-of-state tuition,” Miles said. “Tuition in general is an issue. It used to be a 70-30 system: The government used to pay 70 percent of students’ tuition and the students would pay 30 percent. Now it’s reversed.” The forum was also a chance for community members to hear contrasting opinions and ideas on how the university could be improved. “I wanted to hear all the different problems people had with the university to see if they matched mine,” said Britney Wilbur, a junior psychology major. “[The forum is] a good idea, but we should have an administrator or someone from Student Government here, someone more influential who can take note of our complaints.” Among the topics discussed were classroom policies, profes-
sors, environmental issues, economic issues and diversity. There was an overarching tone of neglect felt by students regarding the administration and how inclusive they in decision making. “The bottom line is the administration doesn’t have to listen to Student Government,” Miles said. “They can’t make change unless they want to. We shouldn’t have to settle for less.” This can especially be seen with the current search for a new president. The presidential search committee is made up of 26 members, only one of whom is a student, representing a mere 4 percent of the student population. Compared to other universities, like the University of Maryland which has 14-percent student representation, it’s a very small percentage. In addition, the one student on the committee cannot cast a vote. “A lot of people really expressed concern for the selection process of the new president,” said Ce Garrison, a senior conflict analysis and resolution major and General Assembly member. “The presidential profile was already sent out before asking students what they wanted in a president,” Garrison said. Many students feel powerless against the administration and hoped that this event would spark positive change and help fight oppression. “We need to make sure the people in charge are held accountable for things they say they will do, from the smallest to the largest,” Robey said. “If [the students] aren’t being heard, then it will constantly be the people versus those in charge.” Currently there are no official plans for another forum to take place. “I’d like to see a follow up,” Gamboa said. “We didn’t want to be a leadership organization — this movement is about people who care about ‘xyz’ to talk about it. We just want to provide a forum for it. I hope it continues its steam. Most students won’t be as active as they should be because they know in the end the administration has the final say.” Although students might feel like injustice and oppression are all around them, events such as the open forum help to change the relationship between students, faculty and the administration. “I think people have conversations about how injustice is happening all the time,” said Jason Von Kundra, a senior earth science major and General Assembly member. “The response [to the forum] has been very good, tolerant. It’s a testament to the ability to gather and discuss things in a respectful way. I think the intentions of this should always remain open and inclusive.”