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FOURTH ESTATE January 30, 2017 | Volume 4 Issue 12 George Mason University’s official student news outlet gmufourthestate.com | @IVEstate
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Partnering with the Post
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Making science make sense
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First Person: Women’s March
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Fourth Estate Crime Log
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MacKenzie Reagan Sosan Malik Co-Editors-In-Chief
Todd Gonda Copy Chief
Jan. 3
2017-000059 / Theft from Building
WE ARE HIRING! We are currently looking to fill the following editor positions:
- SPORTS - ONLINE/ SOCIAL MEDIA - PHOTO - MULTIMEDIA
Megan Zendek Art Director
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Complainant (GMU) reported the theft of an unattended desktop computer from an open area. Computer later found to have been moved by an employee and not stolen. Report unfounded by officer.
Taylor Wichtendahl
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Assistant Culture Editor
Culture Editor
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2017-000681 / Sexual Assault / Fondling Complainant (GMU) reported receiving unwanted sexual touching by an unknown male subject while changing in the men’s locker room. Case referred to Criminal Investigations Division.
Graphics Editor
Emmett Smith Distribution Manager
Kathryn Mangus Director
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Leslie Steiger Fiscal and Operations Assistant Director
Alyssa Swaney Sales Team
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We are always recruiting new members for our staff teams: - NEWS WRITERS - CULTURE WRITERS - SPORTS WRITERS - COPY EDITORS - DESIGNERS - PHOTOGRAPHERS
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ON THE COVER
Photo by Mimi Albano. Women’s March on Washington, Jan. 21, 2017/
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Campus News
1.30.2017
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Mason partners with the Washington Post The Schar School and the Post collaborate on political polls in Virginia DONNA IMADI | STAFF WRITER
received the single-most media hits on a single event.”
is the development of the surveys and questions themselves.”
Mason’s school in government, policy and international politics, the Schar school, has forged a strategic partnership with the Washington Post.
Scott Clement, the Washington Post’s polling manager, said the Post was excited to work with the Schar school on topics like the pre-election Virginia poll.
The partnership was established to, “conduct a series of political polls in Virginia over the next year … that will illuminate voter sentiment on a broad range of political and public policy issues,” according to the Schar school’s website.
“We are really excited about the partnership with the Schar school… We kicked off with a bang last year conducting a survey in Virginia. It proved to be accurate in a year where most surveys were not,” Clement said.
In addition to faculty involvement, the vision of the partnership is to involve students in the polling process, deepening the partnership in a way that “supports teaching going on at Mason,” Rozell said.
Since November 2016, when the partnership was first announced, the Schar school and the Post conducted a 2016 post-election national survey concerning the “national mood” in the post-election cycle, bringing attention to Mason’s Schar school and projecting an impactful trajectory for the partnership moving forward. It was the only poll to receive an A+ in the presidential election cycle by the statistics-centered news website Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight. Mark Rozell, the dean of the Schar school, said, “[The] poll brought an enormous amount of coverage because it said a lot about the mood of the country, it explained things counter to conventional wisdom – it got covered everywhere. A member of communications at Mason said, other than Miley Cyrus’ appearance on campus, it
The Post and the Schar school now have a formal partnership to conduct polling throughout Virginia until the end of 2017. The partnership began when Rozell took the initiative to approach the Post, thinking, “It would be great to have regular polls on policy and election issues in Virginia,” Rozell said. Rozell said that the partnership is not just another way to spread the school’s reach, but “it is great because it is a true collaboration.” Mason professors have collaborated extensively to create surveys and design the questions that are presented in various polls. “The Washington Post editors talk to our scholars, and for the national poll, they collaborated with some colleagues here to create some of the questions,” Rozell said. “What is important for us to be involved in, and where we leverage our expertise,
One of the potential opportunities to involve students in the partnership is a course on survey research methods. This course would involve a professor “bringing in someone from the Post to get students involved in the whole enterprise of survey research design and post-election survey analysis,” Rozell said. He added that he was hopeful that an opportunity such as this may be available for the Spring 2017 semester. Rozell said that a main motivation for his work in the Schar school is to find methods to project Mason’s identity and do public programming that involves the community in projects related to Mason’s scholarship. He added that the Schar school provides policy research that has been cited and used thoroughly throughout the political arena. The aim of this project is to, “perform a public service by providing good polling through our resources and partnerships,” citing that “not all the polls are good. You don’t do this [polling
or partnerships] just to get publicity, I want a good quality poll or we don’t do it at all,” Rozell said. The partnership will pursue initiatives surrounding the upcoming Virginia primaries June 13, 2017, in either April or May – four to six weeks before the primaries. “If it’s extremely competitive, we may be in the field twice before the primary happens,” Rozell said. Clement noted that they are looking forward to examining Virginia’s attitudes heading into elections this year, such as the Virginia governor’s race. “It looks like an interesting contest,” Clement said. However, he said that the polling partnership is not exclusive to big events and that the Post is, “always keeping our eyes out for other opportunities, like the post-election survey, to combine our expertise.” Rozell similarly said the partnership will be open to doing more than the planned polls if need be. “[The partnership will be] flexible enough that if there were pressing issues or events that sparked a need, we would jump in the field and do a survey in addition to the ones already planned.” Rozell said that the partnership between Mason’s Schar school and the Post was “mutually beneficial.” Rozell added that he is happy to have a
reputable source like the Post to collaborate on a project like this, but added that he knows the Post appreciates having a large research university like Mason to work with as well. Rozell further expressed the importance of the partnership at a period when media organizations have received criticism. “Trust that the public has in academic institutions is more significant due to the stature, credibility, independence of thought, independent research and analysis that academic institutions have,” Rozell said. Clement added that the Post is excited to focus on research with Mason. “The Post is very excited about being partnered with a university like George Mason to both produce surveys and research together, but to also be part of the research process. As a young partnership, I am hopeful that we will move forward in that direction,” Clement said. Further, he explained that the partnership is interested in both public policy and election surveys, expressing that they are both crucial to understanding American democracy. It is evident that the partnership will be active in polling despite the election, as Clement said, “we try not to let go of public opinion once politicians are in office.”
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Campus News
1.30.2017
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Solar eclipse watch Mason researchers will study solar eclipse to improve communications FAREEHA REHMAN | STAFF WRITER
On Aug. 21, 2017, a solar eclipse will pass from Oregon to South Carolina, sending vital information which will be collected by Mason researchers and collaborating scientists nationwide. This rare data can help scientists learn how to improve security and surveillance systems, emergency communications as well as GPS and radio, including information to possibly eliminate delays in the GPS signal while driving. Through a grant funded by the National Science Foundation, Mason researchers Jill Nelson and Laura
Lukes along with Mason alumnus Bill Liles will collaborate with Virginia Tech, UMass Boston and independent scientists and students to collect data from their hand-built antennae. The signals used by these everyday technologies pass through or bend at the ionosphere, a layer of the Earth’s atmosphere about 50 to 600 miles above the surface of the Earth. “The ionosphere changes depending on whether the sun rays hit it or not. When the sun’s rays hit it, it’s ionized, and then at night it recombines, so radio waves travel differently between the day and night,” Liles said.
information, because the change in the ionosphere occurs much faster than the transition from day to night. “An eclipse has a very sharp edge. The temperature of the earth isn’t going to change that much in 2.5 minutes,” Liles said. During an eclipse, those sun rays are blocked, mimicking the effect of nighttime in a much shorter, easily observable time frame. “The big thing that’s changing is, are we getting sunlight or not? And is that sunlight ionizing the D Layer or not? We can see that very quickly [during the eclipse],” Nelson said.
The solar eclipse is a rare time for
Even the U.S. Navy has a part in the project. “The navy has a transmitter that’s for experimental uses and they said ‘tell us what you want transmitted and we’ll transmit it for you,’” Liles said. Though the researchers have the transmitters, the challenge is in getting the antennae in as many locations as possible. “We have a given set of transmitters, but we’re trying to collect for lots of different paths at the same time […] If we have people all over the place with receivers, then they’re all getting different propagation,” Liles added. Lukes mentioned that they are also
trying to get K-12 students and other university students involved in the project, getting them “the resources that the teachers would need in order to help the students engage on this project and help create their own systems.” Webinars are one of the resources offered. Lukes, a geologist herself, got in touch with the Geological Society of America to give webinars available starting Feb. 25 on the EclipseMob website. “The more we understand the physics of what is happening [in the ionosphere],” Liles said, “the better the communications work.”
The red zone Mason’s SSAC office looks to help affected students and prevent the spike of sexual assault FAREEHA REHMAN | STAFF WRITER
The red zone is the name researchers give to the first six weeks of a semester, when sexual assault incidents are at its peak. Mason is no exception to this occurrence, having sent timely warnings for three different cases of sexual assault alone in September 2016. The red zone is a “period early in a student’s first year at college during which she may be at higher risk for unwanted sexual experiences” according to the 2008 study “Risk of Unwanted Sex for College Women: Evidence for a Red Zone,” published in the Journal of American College Health. In compliance with the Clery Act, Mason is obligated to tell the community when these incidents have been reported. Though many studies of the red zone focus on the time frame of September to Thanksgiving break, this specific study added “substantial but incomplete” support for that red zone time frame and also suggested an increased risk during the winter semester as well.
Margaret Olszewska, the director of the SSAC, said that while sexual assault can and does occur throughout the year, its frequency is more pronounced in the beginning of the fall semester. “The beginning of the school year is typically a time of exploration, experimentation and celebration. It should be a happy period when students are welcomed and immersed in new experiences,” Olszewska said. “Unfortunately, some individuals prey on others’ vulnerabilities and assault them.” Emiko Ellis, a student and a staff member of the Student Support and Advocacy Center (SSAC) said that she absolutely believes in the red zone. Ellis noted that she received three active calls when working a shift the first week of September, compared to zero active calls received during her shift the last week of November. “I have experienced firsthand the influx of sexual assault reports our office processes. The 24-hour Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence Crisis Line had a noticeably higher call volume in the first few weeks of fall 2016,” Ellis said.
Though the red zone is in reference to the first few weeks of the semester, support services are available to Mason students year-round. The crisis line is one of these resources, managed by peer advocates within the SSAC. “Peer advocates are a group of very carefully selected, highly trained students that offer support and information to George Mason-affiliated survivors of sexual assault, harassment, domestic violence, stalking and intimate partner violence,” Ellis, a peer advocate as well as co-coordinator for the program, said. Though information found on the red zone focuses more on female students, SSAC staff is trained to work with all Mason students. “In my training, we discussed social stigma/stereotypes that affect different types of survivors and how that can affect the people we work with,” volunteer Peer Advocate Sam Arrighi said. “I haven’t been here long enough to speak about the type of people who come in, but I’ve spoken about my own
assault/abuse I have suffered in training and it was well-received.” Arrighi added that when he was applying to work with the SSAC, he knew of a male student in an abusive relationship that others didn’t take seriously. “They didn’t understand how a person could be abused by somebody who was smaller than them, and a woman,” Arrighi said. “I hope that the work I can do as a part of this office helps to change people’s preconceived notions of what abuse and interpersonal violence is so that they can identify and be proactive in stopping abuse and violence towards men.” Olszewska added that the stigma associated with male and LGBTQ survivors is real. “Incidents of interpersonal violence among these populations are chronically underreported. SSAC encourages any student who needs assistance to stop by our Center, which is a supportive and judgment-free zone,” Olszewska said. Some of the work of the SSAC includes linking students to other Masonprovided resources.
Ellis said they have connected students to departments like the detectives from the Mason Police Department who are taught to deal with trauma, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Student Health Services and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners at INOVA. The SSAC offers educational information on a number of topics, not just sexual assault, as well as one-on-one support and sources for both on and off campus students, according to its website. Along with survivor support, the SSAC invests in educational programs that could work as preventive measures. Ellis also volunteers as a peer health educator, “trained to give presentations on healthy relationships, sexual health, bystander intervention and other health-related topics,” Ellis said. Healthy relationships, stress management, nutrition, sexual assault, dating/ domestic violence, stalking, drug and alcohol abuse and sexual health are all topics that the SSAC covers. It is located in SUB 1, Suite 3200.
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Campus News
1.30.2017
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Millennials make science make sense Communication students create website “Make Sense” to simplify math and science SARAH BASSIL | STAFF WRITER
In the fall semester of 2016, communication Professor Beth Jannery was tired of hearing that the communication major is easy and other majors such as math and science were much more difficult. She then assigned a project to her undergrad students aimed at challenging that stigma. Jannery is the director of the journalism program at Mason, which consists of the journalism minor, the sports communication minor and the journalism concentration within the Department of Communication. The project assigned to her COMM 303: Writing Across the Media class was simple: create a multimedia package that explains science topics that are sometimes difficult for most students to understand. Students in her class, made up of Journalism and Public Relations concentrations to name a few, then broke up in groups and chose topics such as 3D printing and black holes to research. The project would eventually be named “Makes Sense.” One of the challenges of the project was that the package had to be 60 to 90 seconds long, otherwise known as an “elevator pitch.” Forbes describes an elevator pitch as a “speech that summarizes who you are, what you do and why you’d be a perfect candidate.” The reason behind the requirement is that many younger students, especially those in primary school,
lack the attention span required to fully understand complex topics. A 2015 study by Microsoft concluded that “attention span has dropped from an average of 12 seconds in 2000 to the jittery low of eight seconds today.” Over the course of several weeks, students in Jannery’s class developed projects with the use of tools such as visual imagery, which allow other students to understand the concept in different capacities. The use of videos, diagrams and other instructional devices allowed the COMM 303 students to elaborate on their topics in a simple fashion, in essence making it short and sweet. Jannery added that “the class also utilized different tools such as podcasts and scripts to explain their topics.” After the projects were completed, students from the class picked a few of the best projects and posted them on Tumblr, a microblogging site with 331.1 million blogs, according to their website. The final part of the project was to advertise the students’ work. Students took to different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to promote the package and found success in promoting their work. Jannery noted that “it was great watching them work together” and that the project will definitely be assigned to her future classes.
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Culture
1.30.2017
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The Allure of ‘La La Land’ BASMA HUMADI | STAFF WRITER
Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for those who have not yet seen the film.) “La La Land” swept away the Golden Globes this year by winning all seven awards it was nominated for, setting the record for most Golden Globes won by a movie. Since then, the film appears to be either vastly overrated or contains some allure audiences seem to swoon over. Some critique the film’s acclaim for overshadowing other beautifully crafted-films this year like “Moonlight.” Nonetheless, “La La Land” is a film that celebrates a tribute of the wonderful magic of going to the movies. The title comes from the nickname given to Hollywood, a land of make-believe where people get their heads stuck up in the clouds and lose their grip on reality.
The film tells the story of two people, each with their own dreams and aspirations, who end up in a relationship. Mia (Emma Stone) is an aspiring actress working as a barista in a studio lot who continually gets interrupted mid-audition. She’s also surrounded by hundreds of look-alikes who want the same job. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is a jazz-obsessed pianist who dreams of opening his own jazz club. He struggles with trying to keep jazz alive because jazz music is a dying industry. “La La Land” is a testament to so many things: to musicals, to “classic Hollywood,” to the city of Los Angeles, and to anyone struggling with achieving a dream. It pays homage to the slick dance moves of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers while name-dropping “Casablanca” and “Rebel Without a Cause.” All the dance scenes are filmed with few
cuts and unbroken sequences, echoing the habit of old Hollywood musicals. Mia and Sebastian walk, talk, and dance through the streets of L.A., whether it be at the Griffith Observatory or the Hermosa Pier. However, Sebastian says, “That’s L.A., they worship everything and value nothing.” The opening scene “Another Day of Sun” immediately sets the tone of the film. It pans over the hundreds of people stuck in L.A. traffic, only to zoom in on one woman stuck in her car, and suddenly burst into musical. It immediately breaks the ice by showing its audience the type of movie it’s going to be. It features bright colors and a refreshing energy from people getting out of their cars to sing and dance along. Only for the song to end and the title, “La La Land,” to appear on screen. The relationship between Mia and Sebastian highlights a lot of the
common hardships when it comes to pursuing a dream. “La La Land” ultimately tells a simple but effective story about two people, each with their own dreams and passions, that ultimately come to a crossroad when it comes to choosing what they want and who they want to be with. (Spoiler alert) That they don’t end up together in the end mimics that struggle – and perhaps even mimics why so many celebrity relationships end up failing, as a stalemate appears between advancing your career with busy schedules and just trying to be in a relationship with another person. In the end, both end up achieving their dream, but the heartbreak comes with the fact that they couldn’t do it together. “La La Land” is a feel-good film that takes the audience on a journey through its catchy songs, such as “Someone in the Crowd” and “City of Stars.” Its
aesthetically pleasing visuals engage the audience to indulge in the story it’s selling. From start to finish, the film manages to pull off its elaborate dance numbers while also managing to resonate in the heart of its audience. “La La Land” can be exhilarating and fun, but it also does a great job of conveying those quieter moments – those moments where the music stops and everyone packs up and goes home. It shows those hopeful and melancholy shifts of self-doubt in trying to believe in your own dreams – especially when it feels impossible to see the finish line. “La La Land” isn’t a movie that asks very big questions. Its story is simple and its characters are easy to understand. But that’s why the film is so magical: it’s those small moments of two ex-lovers smiling back at each other knowingly of what could have been.
FIRST PERSON: Women’s March on Washington LOTTYE LOCKHART
a reference to lewd remarks made by President Trump.
As a child, my mother was brought to a picket line. There, the people that she had grown up around marched for her right to attend an integrated school in New York City.
As we got on the Metro, the conductor let everyone know that some stations were shut down for the day, due to “an event on the National Mall.” His comment was greeted by smirks and glances between us passengers as we chuckled.
Her mother brought her and explained that she would do whatever it took to get my mother the best possible education. She believed that, because she showed up for that and every other march in their area, her daughter would have a better life than she had. Nearly 50 years later, on Jan. 21, 2017, my mother and I went to D.C. to participate in the Women’s March on Washington. Before even getting to the march, at the Vienna Metro station, my mother and I were immediately surrounded by women and some men — many with homemade signs. Shortly after we arrived, older women came in with free “pussy” hats — pink hats with cat ears,
The first friends my mother and I made were the people sitting around us in our Metro car. One girl, in high school, was attending the march with her father because her mother, a professor, was in London. Another woman inadvertently let us know it was her birthday, and the entire car sang to her (led by a music teacher sitting behind me). As a car, we talked about how we had made our signs, who had been on the road the longest and our jobs. Once we were in D.C., people began to get off at the stations where their friends and families were waiting. Caught up in the excitement already, each time a group of us got off, the train broke out into cheers.
When we finally got to the stage near the Capitol building, we stood for a moment. The crowd was already huge -- there were students climbing on walls outside of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Photographers pulled dangerous stunts, climbing unsteady trees and signs to see above the crowd and get good angles. My mother and I worked our way closer to the front. Finding other people we knew was difficult, as, thanks to the large number of people who showed up, there was no cell phone service. Eventually, my mother and I decided we were close enough to the front, and we found a good way to find each other if we did get separated. We would simply look for the woman near us with the giant sign that covered nearly every issue. From the bees, to the Dakota Access Pipeline, to healthcare, to Planned Parenthood, everything was covered. The sign-holder was a makeup artist who had come from several states away with a group on a bus. She had made her
sign out of PVC pipe, and it included a place to hold her chapstick and her tea. “I know, I’m so lazy,” she said, underneath the double sided, hand painted sign she spent five weeks creating. Nearby was a young girl with her mother and her mother’s friend. She was shy and tired. But when someone put her on their shoulders so she could see and hold up a sign, she brightened up. She continued to smile when people asked repeatedly for her picture.
that I know and acknowledge begins to become unfair again, repeating the history that my grandmother and great-grandmother and even further back than that lived through, I know I must do something. Lottye Lockhart is part of the PR team at the Office of Student Media.
Most of the march was a blur to me, in part from the feeling of unity from just being there, but also because when the time came to march, I realized we were so surrounded that there was nowhere for us to march to. I was not at this march for the speakers or the free t-shirts. I went because when the world (PHOTO BY MIMI ALBANO)