April 21, 2014

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FOURTH ESTATE April 21, 2014 | Volume 1 Issue 23 George Mason University’s official student news outlet

Mason Hall renovations intended to create more classrooms | p. 6 (AMY ROSE/FOURTH ESTATE)

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Letter from the editor-in-chief It’s the day after a widely observed holiday, so it’s time for me to explain how much I really enjoy some of the global variations on the festivities surrounding Easter.

One event you can actually celebrate today is Dyngus Day which has Polish origins. It is where on the Monday following Easter, boys throw water over girls to awaken them and then proceed to spank them with pussy willow branches. Ladies, tomorrow you get to return the exact same favor to the weird deviants who actually do this to you.

These other traditions aren’t as elaborate or weirdly sexist like when I last tried to unpack the dense layers of the ancient Roman tradition of lupercalia -- which you may recall was where women were slapped by young boys with goat pelts -- for Valentine’s Day, but to me, they’re just as fun and interesting.

The first tradition that apparently is a thing is egg tapping, or the English colloquial name which I much prefer, ‘egg jarping.’ Which may surprise you by not being some weird sex thing.

Egg jarping involves a mess of hard-boiled eggs and a bunch of folks with too much time. The game is straightforward enough where one ‘jarper’ takes one of the eggs and taps the egg of another ‘jarper’ with the intention to break the opponent’s egg while keeping one’s own egg intact.

Because it is a competition and people are not to be trusted, there have been allegations of cheating at various jarping events. Some competitors have used eggs filled with cement, alabaster and marble.

In parts of Louisiana, egg jarping is a big deal because I don’t even know anymore. Marksville, La. takes pride in being the first town to establish the formalized event of what they call ‘egg knocking’ in

1956.

If the random contributor to the egg tapping page on Wikipedia is to be believed, folks in Louisiana don’t mess around when it comes to egg jarping.

There have allegedly been controversies of participants using eggs from the guinea fowl which are smaller and have much harder shells than the typical chicken egg. Field research has also been conducted by Louisiana natives to determine which breeds of chickens lay the hardest eggs and at which time.

The tradition that I’m finding that I love most is pysanka, which is the Ukrainian name of a decorated Easter egg.

Pysanky, the pluralized form of pysanka, are beautifully crafted eggs which are decorated with traditional Ukrainian designs in folklore and life using wax.

Designs on these eggs are not painted on, but rather written on with beeswax.

These eggs are a symbolic gift of life and the colors and designs on them have a deep, symbolic meaning specific to the character of the person whom the egg is to be given.

As with egg jarping, a lot of eggs are crafted for this ritual where on Easter Sunday the eggs are taken to be blessed and then distributed. But, it appears the Ukrainians are a more fatalistic and superstitious bunch than I would have imagined.

Some of the pysanky would be exchanged by the unwed women with eligible bachelors within each community in hopes of biblical intimacy one would presume. Several eggs are saved to place in the coffins of loved ones who might die during the year. That’s right, there’s an odd anticipatory set of eggs made to go to those who are knock, knock, knocking on heaven’s door.

Hau Chu Editor-In-Chief

Daniel Gregory

There are also eggs reserved for cows to insure a good milk supply in the coming year. An egg would be placed under a beehive in hopes of a good harvest of honey and several eggs would be placed in hen’s nests I suppose to entice more eggs from the derrière whence the original egg came.

The best Ukrainian legend as it relates to pysanka is one I really hope is a thing and I’m not being duped.

But as it goes, the Hutsuls, who inhabit the Carpathian Mountains of western Ukraine, believe that the fate of the world rests on the tradition of decorating eggs continuing. If the tradition is abandoned, the manifestation of evil -- a serpent who is eternally chained to a cliff -- will take over the world.

In this legend, evil already sends out its minions annually to determine if the appropriate amount of pysanky have been created. If the number is too low, the serpent’s chains are loosened and chaos reigns for the year. If the number of pysanky created has increased from the prior year, the chains are tightened and light triumphs over darkness for another year.

All traditions based in weird folklore is the best. Just a note that next week’s issue of Fourth Estate will be the last of the semester. Keep your eyes peeled to gmufourthestate.com for staff openings in Fall 2014.

Managing Editor

Alexa Rogers News Editor

Suhaib Khan Print News Editor

Genevieve Hoeler Lifestyle Editor

Sara Moniuszko Print Lifestyle Editor

Stephen Czarda Sports Editor

Darian Banks Print Sports Editor

John Irwin Photography Editor

Amy Rose Asst. Photography Editor

Aysha Abdallah Design Editor

Walter Martinez Visual Editor

Rawan Elbaba Copy Chief HAU CHU EDITOR-IN-CHIEF GMUFOURTHESTATE@ GMAIL.COM @HAUCHU

Katryna Henderson Illustrator

Kathryn Mangus Director

David Carroll Associate Director

Life after Peace Corps

an inspiring TED-style event with successful Returned Volunteers

SUNDAY, April 27 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

(Doors open at 10 a.m.)

George Washington University’s Jack Morton Auditorium Get inspired. Learn how service can open doors in business, entrepreunship, gov’t, nonprofts & the arts.

Contact Scott: skumis@peacecorps.gov

Fourth Estate operates as a publication of Broadside.

Fourth Estate is printed each Monday for George Mason University and its surrounding Fairfax Community. The editors of Fourth Estate have exclusive authority over the content that is published.

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

Fourth Estate is a free publication, limit one copy per person. Additional copies are 25 cents payable to the Office of Student Media.

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

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IV estate news New classroom technology engages faculty and students

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04.21.2014

(AMY ROSE/FOURTH ESTATE)

JULIANNE WOODSON STAFF WRITER

The status quo of classroom design at Mason is beginning to change with the development of the Active Learning with Technology Classroom.

The ALT Classroom, located in Exploratory Hall, differs from traditional learning spaces on campus in its unique layout and its incorporation of technology.

The 72-seat classroom hosts eight round tables instead of rows of desks. In addition, the instructor’s podium is located in the middle of the room, instead of at the front. The walls of the ALT Classroom are entirely covered in white boards while each table has its own video monitor mounted on an adjacent wall. All the tables are equipped with microphones, charging capabilities and stations that allow students to hook up their laptops to the monitors.

According to Kim Eby, associate provost and director of Mason’s Center for Teaching and Faculty Excellence, the ALT Classroom design offers many advantages over a traditional teaching space.

“What makes ALT different than traditional classroom are a number of things. First, learning is visible in this classroom in ways that are very different from a traditional classroom. Students are expected to share their ideas and solutions

with each other and use their collaborations to push the boundaries of their thinking and generate new ideas,” Eby said. “Faculty members design assignments and activities to deepen students’ learning on different subjects or issues.

Students come to the class having read or viewed materials, ready to work on problems, cases or challenges.”

The ALT Classroom first opened for use in the fall of 2013 and has hosted a multitude of classes across disciplines such as English, physics, astronomy, math, history and chemistry.

The idea to build this different type of learning space came from the planning process for the renovation of what is now Exploratory Hall.

Mason’s classroom design was inspired by similar designs employed at other learning institutions such as MIT, North Carolina State University and University of Minnesota. Administrators and faculty consulted with Project Kaleidoscope, an organization that specializes in science, technology, engineering and math classroom and curricular redesign.

Eby considers the interactive elements of the classroom to be vitally important for learning.

“Research that’s been done really supports that for deeper learning to happen, people need to interact with the material in a different kind of way,” Eby said.

April Aralar, a sophomore bioengineering major, took a physics course in the ALT classroom last fall.

“The ALT classroom allowed me to ask more questions and actively solve problems that reinforced the material that we were asked to learn ahead of time,” Aralar said. “This style leaves no time wasted in class, as long as the students come prepared to class.”

For Aralar, the collaborative nature of the classroom was vital for learning.

“We were able to collaborate with the other students at our assigned tables, which provided an opportunity to see or understand the material from another student’s view, as well as the opportunity to teach your peers,” Aralar said.

“Compared to a traditional lecture style class, I could learn and retain the information much better since I was actively learning rather than passively listening.”

The ALT classroom, along with similar spaces on campus, is being evaluated for its effectiveness as a teaching tool, according to Eby. “The assessment process will help us figure out if we should be building more rooms like this or rooms that are similar, but perhaps with fewer enhanced technologies,” Eby said. “For example, we have built two ‘sandbox’ rooms in Robinson Hall B106 and B108 that take some of these

concepts and put them into practice. However, they don’t have all the technological bells and whistles. We might find that some disciplines or fields of study use a lot of the technology, while others don’t.”

According to Eby, the classroom should provide faculty with a place to experiment with strategies to support innovative learning while still maintaining a sense of fiscal responsibility.

In order to teach in the ALT Classroom, faculty must go through a competitive application process. Course design and technological support is provided to those who are chosen to teach in the room.

For Aralar, the benefits of learning in the ALT Classroom were numerous.

“Unfortunately this is my last semester of gen eds, but given the option between the ALT Classroom and any lecture class, I would always pick the ALT Classroom first,” Aralar said.

Eby hopes that this new learning space will allow students to become more invested in their education and to be prepared for life after college.

“Here at Mason, we’re cultivating a graduate who is civically engaged, who is a scholar and somebody who is prepared to act for the world,” Eby said. “These are the kinds of spaces that help us achieve that.”

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President’s proposed budget cuts Fulbright funding SUHAIB KHAN PRINT NEWS EDITOR

President Obama’s proposed budget to Congress of 2015 included a 13 percent cut to the Fulbright program, while still increasing the amount in funding for other international exchange programs.

The proposed budget cuts funding for the Fulbright program from $204.2 million to $234.7 million. According to Rita Rowand, Global Relations Specialist & Fulbright Campus representative, the budget cuts will primarily impact student Fulbright grants as opposed to faculty grants.

“Certainly what that’s going to mean for us is that there are going to be fewer grants available,” said LaNitra Berger, the director of Postgraduate Fellowships and Undergraduate Apprenticeships program. “In the last few years there have been budget cuts and budget uncertainty that has affected the Fulbright program, so we’ve had more students than usual be named as alternates.

Usually, you either get the grant or you don’t get the grant and there’s a very short alternate list but we’ve had more students named as alternates

which means that they’re not sure how much funding they’re going to have to go around. So I think that’s going to be one of the most important issues related to the budget cuts.”

The Fulbright grant application process begins with a U.S. committee reading the individual’s application first, and selecting the top third of these applications, according to Berger. Then, the applications are sent to the respective country’s Fulbright commission, which is comprised of academics, politicians and policy-makers from that country. Then, make the final decision about the application in consultation with their embassy. The program is a collaboration between the United States and each individual country, so the countries decide in tandem how many grants they will offer once they evaluate how much money will be put in on both sides.

“Sometimes countries decide that the Fulbright program is very important to them meeting their foreign policy goals,” Berger said. “So the countries may decide that they don’t want to see a reduction in the number of American students who come and so they may decide to pitch in [funds] to make up. They may decide that they don’t have that much money to

make up the difference, so in that case you would see that they would offer fewer grants. It’ll really depend on each country and how they negotiate with Fulbright.”

According to Berger, it is difficult to tell whether the United States will send the same number of Fulbright applications to foreign countries, or if they will reduce their pool because of budget cuts. This is because Fulbright program advisors are no longer permitted to observe the national process in the United States as they were once allowed to.

“We weren’t able to observe last year, and last year was the year of sequestration so there were lots of questions and I don’t know if we’ll be allowed to observe this year. So it’s hard to say what their instructions are going to be to these countries,” Berger said.

This budget is only the president’s proposed budget, which first must be passed by Congress.

For this reason, Roward is urging students to write to Fairfax county member of Congress Frank Wolf.

“Frank Wolf, who’s the [member of Congress] for Fairfax and parts of Loudoun County is on the appropriations committee, which directly

impacts this program, so I would urge people to contact [MC] Wolf to ask him to maintain the funding for Fulbright,” Rowand said.

According to Berger, Mason students are just as competitive for Fulbright scholarships as other American students, and she urges students to consider applying regardless of the budget cuts.

“I would like to see more students from Mason apply to the Fulbright program,” Berger said.

“For the students who go on it, it is a life changing experience. It really opens their minds to a wide array of job opportunities. Once you’re named a Fulbright scholar, you’re a Fulbright scholar for life, so you have access to all the alumni opportunities.”

Berger said that last year Mason had about 20 applicants, half of which got through to the next round. Grants were awarded to about 2-3 of them, a direct result of last year’s sequestration. “…And what we can do we all have to be advocates for Fulbright. Once you’re part of Fulbright, you become part of a Fulbright family,” Rowand said. “All of us have to get involved in having our voices heard to advocate for keeping this funding.”

(WALTER MARTINEZ/FOURTH ESTATE)

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Mason Hall to undergo rennovations

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Your Passion For

(AMY ROSE/FOURTH ESTATE)

RAQUEL DESOUZA STAFF WRITER

In July, reconstruction on Mason Hall will mark the start of another construction project on the Fairfax campus. This project will be completed in two phases, each taking about four months.

Mason Hall, built in 1989, is in need of some touch-ups, most importantly on its windows. The windows on the south and southwest sides of the building have been leaking water for the past five years.

Director of Campus Planning, Cathy Wolfe, explained that the window replacement project is long overdue and has been in the planning process for the past two years.

“We have our days in the President’s office keeping the water off the desk because it leaks so poorly,” Wolfe said. “This has been around for a couple years. We have a long list of deferred projects and this has been moving its way up the ladder.”

Mason Hall’s new windows are projected to cost $1.8 million. The budget for this interior work will come from the university’s maintenance budget and, before this summer, a blueprint of these new windows will be posted online. Mason Hall will remain open during the renovation, but some of its offices will be vacated temporarily.

However, the Mason Hall window replacement is part of a bigger administrative plan that will begin in early August. Many of the administrative offices currently housed in Mason Hall, including the Office of the President, Senior Vice President and Provost, will move to University Hall.

Senior Vice President, J.J. Davis, commented how excited she is for this change on the Fairfax campus.

“This is a university that is growing, and both the challenge and the opportunity here is that we

don’t have enough space to meet all the growth,” Davis said.

This renovation has a budget of around $1.4 million. Most of the budget will come from the remaining 2010 University Hall construction budget.

The construction of University Hall was completed on May 2011. Originally, University Hall was constructed with the plan to hold many administration offices including Human Resources and Payroll, Legal Services and University Relations, among others.

However, according to Davis, the campus’ newest building is not being utilized to its fullest potential. This reshuffling plan could potentially create higher administrative efficiency.

Vice President for Facilities, Thomas Calhoun, is looking forward to this reorganization of campus space.

These two big budget projects are expected to have an upside for Mason students as well.

After the window replacements in Mason Hall are installed, the building will then be adjusted to accomodate 24,000 square feet of space for academic units.

According to Davis, classrooms on the first floor of Mason Hall will have a hybrid benefit by serving as both meeting rooms and classrooms.

The goal is that this greater space efficiency will hopefully result in greater communication not only within the administration at University Hall, but with students at Mason Hall as well.

“This gets more interaction between students and faculty and gives it a lot more of an interesting intersection,” Davis said.

Current Mason students can expect to experience the finished product of these renovations on Mason Hall and University Hall by early October of this year.

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METRO SILVER LINE REEM NADEEM BEAT REPORTER

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Students seeking employment further off campus may soon have new travel options as phase one of Metro’s Silver Line nears completion.

According to a video made by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, phase one of the project is scheduled to be completed in 2014 and will include five stops. The 11.4 mile-section will have stops in McLean, Tysons Corner, Greensboro, Spring Hill and WiehleReston East.

Phase two of the Silver Line is not scheduled to open until 2018. This phase will provide access to Reston Town Center, Herndon, Innovation Center, Dulles International Airport and Routes 606 and 772.

However, recent setbacks have held phase one from reaching completion. In a statement released by Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, phase one construction failed to meet seven out of the 12 requirements outlined in a contract with Dulles Transit Partners.

According to MWAA, problems include water leaks, elevator and escalator problems, incomplete documentation and issues with the Automatic Train Control System that prevent the project from being turned over to MWAA. “The Airports Authority has instructed DTP to provide a plan and date of conclusion for addressing the outstanding items as quickly as possible,” MWAA said in a statement released on Feb. 24.

Kenneth Button, professor of public policy and expert on transportation policies, said delays in a project like the Silver Line can be expected, especially with inclement weather.

“It’s very difficult to predict when you’re going to finish building these projects because of weather,” Button said. “There’s a lot of concrete involved, there’s a lot of electronics involved and when you have a lot of snow and rain and ice and things it just automatically slows things down a bit.”

A bigger concern, according to Button, is the amount of passengers the Silver Line will bring in. According to Silver Line’s website, about 25,000 passengers are expected to use the Silver Line per day when it first opens. Most forecasts for transportation projects can be a little optimistic, according to Button.

“It’s quite clear from the latest reports that some councils have done, that a lot of people just have no idea where it goes from, where it goes to and what it does, and it’ll take time for people to get used to it,” Button said.

According to the Silver Line website, Tyson’s, served by phase one, and Herndon-Reston, served by phase two, are two of the state’s highest areas of employment. While many commuters may switch to using the Metro rather than driving, this may not solve the area’s traffic problems. Button said the Silver Line

would not have much of an effect on traffic at all.

“What happens is, when you build something like a metro, some people switch to the metro, traffic speeds go up, and you get new people using the road. You get people moving out further because it’s quicker to get in, in the short run, which slows everything down in the long run,” Button said.

According to Button, the most efficient way to reduce traffic is charging drivers for use of the roads, a policy practiced in cities such as London, Singapore and Stockholm.

“Just like any other commodity, when there’s congestion, when a lot of people want to use something, the price goes up. But that doesn’t happen on the roads,” Button said.

As of now, MWAA has not announced an official opening date for the Silver Line.

TIME[LINE]

(WALTER MARTINEZ/FOURTH ESTATE)

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Lifestyle

IV ESTATE

IV ESTATE

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POETRY & PROSE

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(AMY ROSE/FOURTH ESTATE)

ARRIELLE BROOKS ONLINE LIFESTYLE EDITOR

With the events for “Spring Into Well-Being” Week culminating into a lively Well-Being Day on April 17, the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being added a literary touch to the festivities with a Poetry and Prose Booth.

Students in the English master of fine arts program manned the booth outside the JC South Plaza, writing customized poems, short fiction and nonfiction pieces on request. Visitors were asked to provide the authors with a general prompt or a character, a conflict and a setting to jumpstart each writer’s ideas.

Participants included fiction MFA student, Justin Lafreniere, poetry MFA student, Sarah Winn and nonfiction MFA student, Maile Field.

Each author expressed gratitude about getting the opportunity to brighten someone’s day through their writing, and being able to write freely about a range of topics.

“What you’re looking for very often is an audience,” Winn said. “So it’s really wonderful to have a ready-made audience just appear before you and say ‘Here’s what we want to read.’”

The thought of writing out multiple pieces in 10 minutes or less could prove to be overwhelming for any writer.

The MFA candidates were no exception, yet they rose to the challenge wholeheartedly.

Lafreniere explained that much of his motivation came from satisfying his readers’ expectations.

“You’ve just got to flow with what the person thinks they might need, but you never know what someone’s going to request. You just sort of go with what strikes you and hope you can finish it fast enough that they don’t leave,” Lafreniere said. “It takes a little bit of time to crank them out, but it’s good practice.”

Winn and Field also agreed that the practice was one of the best takeaways from the Poetry and Prose Booth.

“Any writing is good practice. It lets you just flex those muscles, because it is an exercise,” Lafreniere said. “Even though we’re writers, sometimes finding that space [to write] can be difficult. So having this dedicated time to write for people—it’s just fun, and it’s a little bit exciting.”

If you’re interested in seeing more of these writer’s works, view the web version of this article on gmufourthestate.com for links to each writer’s blogs and profiles.

While there, we requested a piece for Fourth Estate, and Field wrote the following prompt:

Put down your fork. The news from South Korea is unsavory.

My husband just returned from a business trip. His best story is about interactive urinals.

It was at a rest stop. The screen above the pee-zone was a video game—his ‘progress’ depicted sanitized, a stream of milk from a cartoon character’s mouth.

“Korea is culturally advanced,” my husband said.

I’m not sure I agree.

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DOCUMENTARY sheds light on

ADDICTION

MEGHANN PATTERSON STAFF WRITER

Many students are unaware of the struggles others go through in regards to drug and alcohol addictions. Active Minds, Wellness, Alcohol and Violence Education and Services Office and The Chris Atwood Foundation are responsible for bringing “The Anonymous People” to Mason, acknowledging this issue head on.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s national survey on drug use and health, 23.5 million people 12 years of age and older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol abuse problem in 2009. Of these individuals, only 2.6 million to 11.2 million received treatment at a specialty facility.

“The Anonymous People” is a documentary film about the 23.5 million Americans living in long-term recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs. The film not only examines individuals recovering from an addiction but also loved ones who have lost family members to addictions.

The Chris Atwood Foundation, which began in 2013 after Atwood’s fatal heroin overdose at age 21 after years of batting his

addiction, works to change the conversation about addiction from one of judgment and shame to one of support and love.

“Each organization knows that changing public opinion and stigma around addiction is critical in order for more members of the Mason community to step forward and get the help and support they need. We want the silence around addiction to end and this movie is spreading that message,” said Kathryn Walker, coordinator for Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Education.

In the documentary, many of the individuals discussed their shame and anger toward people who judge and discriminated against those in recovery. The documentary posits, this continuous fear of judgment and ridicule only pushes people further into their addiction and ultimately silences their cry for help.

“Everyone knows someone going through recovery whether it is a family member, friend, professor or coach,” Walker said.

“According to the documentary, two-thirds of American families are affected by addiction. College campuses are environments where people are trying, experimentation and using substances.”

While the main focus of the film is the recovery process of real life individuals, it also touched on celebrities like actor Robert Downey Jr, Miss USA 2006 Tara Connor and actress Kristen Johnston, all ex-addicts that turned their lives around through

recovery treatment. Many of the individuals in long-term recovery credited Alcoholics Anonymous as a helpful resource in their journey to recovery. For most, it was, and still is, a place for addicts to go where they can talk about their experiences, strengths and hopes in a safe environment.

“The film’s aim is to recognize and celebrate people who are in recovery since their voices have been silent and faces hidden for decades. Just like women with breast cancer or people with HIV/ AIDS, courageous addiction recovery advocates are starting to come out the shadows despite the stigma and tell their true stories,” Walker said.

If you or anyone who know is suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction, WAVES is located in SUB 1, Room 3200. They provide individual support, including short-term interventions, for students who have concerns about alcohol, drugs or interpersonal violence.

In addition to individual support, WAVES runs several support groups as well.

“We hope that people will inspired to seek services, stay on the road to recovery and/or help others they know who are struggling. This documentary will help people see that recovery works,” Walker said, “This event shows that Mason is a supportive community for people in recovery and that there is help and services.”

Yo u r Pa s s i o n + B u s i n e s s M i n o r = e x Pa n d e d C a r e e r o P P o rt u n i t i e s

MINOR IN BUSINESS

som.gmu.edu/minor

Complement your major with the practical business skills you acquire in the Business Minor.

A basic understanding of finance, management, marketing, and information systems gives you a unique perspective that makes you more attractive to future employers.

SOMBusMinorAd.indd 1

9/26/13 2:39 PM

IV estate

COMIC CORNER

opinion

By: Leilani Romero

Letter to the editor I am writing to follow up and clarify some details regarding the Safe Rides proposal that was recently discussed in the article titled “Student Government Initiates Safe Rides Proposal” in the April 7, 2014 issue of the Fourth Estate. I think a few important details were left out and they need to be clarified.

Safe Rides is a program that has been discussed for many years, even before I entered into the organization last year. Ally Bowers, Student Body president from 2011-2012, was the first to initiate talks about the Safe Rides program and Alex Williams, Student Body president from 2012-2013, did a great deal of research throughout his term to continue the discussion. This year, it was important for Jordan and I to continue the discussion and research that Ally and Alex had worked on during their time in Student Government.

Throughout all of our terms in office, it has been an interest to provide students safe transportation in times where they do not feel safe or able to drive. As Student Body Vice President, it was my goal to form a team of Student Government students to help in reaching out and listening to students’ wants and needs, in addition to seeking out resources we currently have to build a program.

We have not reached the stage of designating roles in securing funds and managing them for Safe Rides as we are still in the research stage.

The way, the Safe Rides program will look for Mason may or may not be similar to that of James Madison University and Virginia Tech’s program. We are a university with a different student body and in a different setting. At this time, we cannot say what a Safe Rides program on our campus would look like, but what can be said is it will be tailored to what Mason students need and what we have the resources and funding

to build.

Several people and offices have been very helpful in assisting our research to figure out exactly what we need to do to make this a reality for Mason students. However, this does not mean they have provided support for a program that has yet to be officially proposed to the university.

As mentioned previously, we are still in the research stage, figuring out all of the pieces to the puzzle. A proposal would be the next stage in this process, but again we need to make sure that we have all of the components (institutional support, program research, constituent feedback, etc.) needed before moving forward.

Once we have obtained all necessary information and resources, we can begin to gain the support for our Safe Rides program from all the appropriate people and stakeholders, as well as build upon the current committee to continue making progress towards the creation of a Safe Rides program at Mason.

There is still a great deal to be done, but we have been working hard. As Liam Hennelly said, the work students will continue on this program next year will help in building the foundation.

We’re excited about the future that this idea could have, but want to be clear and transparent in our progress.

If there are students or faculty interested in this topic, they should feel comfortable letting us know. Our email is SG@gmu.edu. Thank you for the help in bringing awareness to the communal need and we look forward to keeping updated information out there as we move forward.

SAMANTHA WETTASINGHE STUDENT BODY VICE PRESIDENT 2013-2014

04.21.2014

Be cautious in housing expansion

Every 10 years, George Mason University is supposed to develop a master plan.

This does not always occur on schedule, however. We have technically gone 12 years since our last master plan. Nevertheless, it’s that time again.

For this most recent master plan, potential agenda items include many components like the establishment of new buildings, refurbishing older buildings and even creating a “main entrance” for Fairfax campus.

Mason’s building craze has been the stuff of legend, as over the past decade, several edifices have been added to the main Fairfax campus.

When interviewed by Fourth Estate, Vice President of Facilities, Tom Calhoun, felt that “residential housing” expansion was a possibility for the master plan.

“I think there’s a belief that we’re going to have more housing on campus,” Calhoun said.

While the effort and ability to expand are commendable, in days like these when strong funding is not reliable caution should be considered.

Does Mason really need more housing buildings in the immediate future? The knee-jerk reaction is yes. Yet what demand truly exists for such an endeavor?

According to the available statistics for the 2013-2014 school year, about 6,000 of Mason’s 33,000+ student body are living on campus.

Residential students are a small minority, which is most likely linked to the fact that nearly one third of the student body is graduate students.

These students tend to be older and have houses of their own.

Over 27,000 Mason students reside within the Commonwealth, and odds are, the majority of them appreciate the luxury of being able to commute to class.

Living at home for college can dramatically cut down on the expenses of an undergraduate degree, something to not take for granted in an era when student loan debt is becoming an ever-growing problem.

This expense issue can be fleshed out even more. College costs a lot of money and living on campus does not make it any cheaper.

Combined room and board adds an extra estimated $9,500 annually to student expenses.

How much more money does the university really believe most students are willing to spend, especially in an economy that still does not bode well for recent graduates?

If Mason desires expansion and has accrued the financial means to do so, perhaps they can devote to other more passionately sought after projects.

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For decades, there has been debate over Mason having a Greek Row and many who have advocated for its presence. Earlier this month, a panel was held on the issue featuring Mason officials and the Interfraternity Council.

Yet they concluded that too many problems existed for such a project, including funding issues and general interest. Officials reported that an increased demand for on-campus housing in the next few years is expected.

While they may have their research concluding this, I cannot help but be skeptical since the percentage of out-of-state students enrolled at Mason has only increased by 2 percent since 2005.

Furthermore, out-of-state student does not equal on-campus resident. Plenty of people rent space with others near campus, commuting like the vast majority of the student body.

Here is a suggestion for those wondering what can be created by the newest master plan. Unless impossible, Mason officials should consider taking whatever funds were being considered for new resident buildings and devote it to some measure that will keep tuition from rising.

As the Commonwealth’s financial support for Mason ebbs away, the burden inevitably falls upon students and their families.

How about devoting resources to easing such a burden? How about placing those funds into matters that help at the least in decreasing the increasing cost of earning a degree?

There will come a time when more resident housing will be needed at Fairfax campus.

Indeed, there may be a time when the satellites will require more facilities to meet the residential needs of a growing campus community.

Until that time can be confirmed, Mason’s master plan would be wise to devote its resources to more tangible matters. Who knows?

Maybe by easing the financial cost of a diploma Mason will greatly aid graduates in their quest for financial stability post-college. In attaining it sooner, perchance they will give back quicker thereby helping to provide a positive feedback loop for affordability in higher education.

This is speculation, but then again so is assuming that a dramatic increase of housing availability will be required within the next five to 10 years.

MICHAEL GRYBOSKI COLUMNIST

sports

04.21.2014

Assisted lat dip Not every machine in the gym has one function and one area in which it targets. I have grown to enjoy doing this exercise to my tone legs after my torn ACL. The workout for this week is for the hamstrings and glutes, on the assisted lat and dip machine (All on-campus gyms have this machine).

First, you will want to find the perfect weight; recommend going light to get the motion of the exercise correct. After that, increase the weight until it is challenging enough to perform 12 reps.

Start out with your standing leg on the first step, and the leg that is going to be worked first on the pad. Your hands should hold onto the side handles for balance and support.

Once you are set up, you will then push down using your heel, then in a controlled manner, bring your knee back up to starting position, but not all the way where the weight clings. Once that happens, you have lost the tension in the exercise. You want to keep the resistance all the way through the 12 reps.

Make sure you keep your core tight to help you keep your balance.

After you have finished with the first side, switch legs and repeat.

I challenge you to do 3 sets of 12 on each leg this week.

ANDREA FINFROCK COLUMNIST

IV ESTATE

Opinion: Heeding Ohno’s words In Mason’s first unplugged speaker presentation, Apolo Ohno talked about his path to becoming an Olympic medalist and urged those in attendance at Tuesday night’s event at the Center for the Arts to go through life with zero regrets.

Ohno began his career as a short track speed skater after watching the sport on television and finding himself attracted to the quick burst nature of the sport. He described himself as being born naturally strong and athletic.

This beginning is similar to many athletes’ who may have watched Michael Jordan dominate the basketball court and decide on a dream of being a professional basketball player. The support systems that rally behind the athletes also remind them to keep striving towards dreams even through rough patches.

For Ohno, his support system was his father, a single parent and Japanese immigrant. Ohno noted in the beginning of his presentation that it was important to know how things began in order to fully appreciate the end result.

The journey traveled by Mason athletes

(AMY ROSE/FOURTH ESTATE)

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to be in the small percentage of high school athletes that go on to Division I universities is a path that is important to be remembered.

As Ohno made the decision to return to the Winter Olympics, hungry for more medals, he packed his 2002 winnings away in his sock drawer.

“I put all five medals in my sock drawer to act like I was coming in without having won any medals before,” Ohno said.

The hard work that went into being recruited by Mason should not be forgotten once athletes arrive here. Every time you step on the playing field, you should always strive for greatness and remember what has allowed you to reach this point.

Ohno reflected back on the small, yet important, moments in his career.

“The real true memories are the times behind the curtain when I was training solo,” Ohno said.

When a current Mason student-athlete looks back in five years to reminisce on their college careers, there should be moments where they trained alone that lead up to the confetti filled sky with an Atlantic 10 championship acheived.

Ohno spoke of the days where only his father could pull off the blindfold to his potential. He also touched on the moments when it is necessary to dig deeper to achieve dreams.

Ohno’s journey consisted of many examples of having a true drive for the sport rather than getting caught up in the flashing lights.

Having a support system is a great lesson.

Often times, athletes think that they must achieve goals on their own and that asking for help is a sign of weakness.

Ohno is an example of a successful athlete who needed that extra push to find the right career track.

“I wasn’t dedicated or focused at first,” Ohno said.

“It took my father dropping me off at Copalis Beach and leaving me there until I called to tell him what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”

Those people, whoever that may be, can be counted on to always push every ounce of energy out of you are important to your success.

As recruits begin to sign commitments, current Mason student-athletes should be evaluating their own performance.

“How can I guarantee myself that I’ll have the same success and that my blueprint will work?” said Ohno after deciding to compete in the Olympics again after a four-year break.

For Ohno, he decided that he needed to become a leaner and faster version of himself. For some, that may be as simple as improving backhand serves or gaining 10 pounds of muscle.

“I sat down in my basement which was set for performance with my newly hired trainer to tell him my commitment levels,” Ohno said. “He told me it would be the hardest possible transition and that I would have to go to the Olympic Games as hungry as I had ever been.”

Ohno dug deep within as he trained five to six times a week with three to four workouts a day, with his ultimate goal of competing in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Ohno spoke of his adopted trigger words to ensure that he would never be irrelevant again.

“Zero. Regrets. These became my trigger words,” Ohno said. “I wanted to make sure that at the end of it all I could write down all of my goals and be able to check off all of them.”

Any portion of Ohno’s presentation can be taken out of the speed skating relm and still be completely relevant to all athletes.

Ohno is an eight-time Winter Olympic medalist with unmatchable wisdom on a never-give-up attitude approach.

As athletic seasons round to a close without championship appearances, it is important to remember that feeling and come back striving for zero regrets.

Ohno walked away from the 2010 Olympics with a record of eight medals for a U.S. Winter Olympian (two gold, two silver and four bronze). His trigger words and ability to stay relevant in the sport of short track speed skating make up a story relatable to all.

DARIAN BANKS PRINT SPORTS EDITOR