Oct. 6, 2014

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FOURTH ESTATE Oct. 6, 2014 | Volume 2 Issue 6 George Mason University’s official student news outlet gmufourthestate.com | @IVEstate

THE BALLROOM TANGO Debate over fair pricing for Global Center banquet room | page 8 (AMY ROSE/FOURTH ESTATE)

INSIDE: NEWS / RIOT GEAR / 4 • LIFESTYLE / COSPLAY / 10-11 • PUMPKIN BEER / 11

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10.06.2014

Fourth Estate

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Letter from the editor-in-chief:

Hau Chu Editor-In-Chief

Daniel Gregory

Don’t Panic I am taking a break from my marathon of “Gilmore Girls” -- ladies -- to write this letter to you because of habit, obligations and such. If anyone wants to talk to me about the early struggles between Rory and Lorelai, or wants to address why I choose to be the way I am, these are all reasonable and valid inquiries and my information can be found below.

But detours into Stars Hollow, Conn. aside, I wanted to have a discussion about the a crisis in the national sphere and the role that the media is playing in perpetuating this weird, unhealthy state of fear.

The one that I feel is causing an unnecessary amount of fear are the threat of the Islamic State -- IS/ISIS/ISIL/ -- approaching American soil.

Of course, I acknowledge that the core of the issue is a real geopolitical concern with relevant reasons for concerns within the affected region. What bothers me is the portrayal of the crisis by the media and public figures as some imminent threat to the United States, as opposed to something that can be dealt with in a reasoned, measured approach where we all maintain a basic awareness competency.

CNN conducted a temperature poll of Americans that resulted in this lede to their story, “Americans are increasingly concerned that ISIS represents a direct terror threat, fearful that ISIS agents are living in the United States. Most now support military action against the terrorist group.”

The media monitoring service, TVEyes, took a count of CNN coverage alone from Aug. 26 - Sept. 9 where the word ‘ISIS’ was uttered over 3,800 times. Clearly, the channel found its topic du jour and did its part on acting as a fear-mongering machine.

It is not only the media cycle that is making sure everyone knows of the imminent threat of ISIS on American values, but we can for sure count on politicians to drive up fervor for warfare.

Good ole’ boy, Rick Perry, governor of Texas, unrelatedly added on to the public CNN poll/dumpster fire idea that ISIS agents have already breached American borders.

“There’s the obvious great concern that because of the condition of the border, from the standpoint of it not being secure and us not knowing who is penetrating

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Managing Editor

across, that individuals from ISIS or other terrorist states could be,” Perry said. “I think it’s a very real possibility that they may have already used that.”

I’m sorry, I thought I was transported back to 2003-era Iraq War propaganda times for a second there, maybe it’s just dim-witted Texas governors that have that effect.

That last quote and media word count could easily have had a find and replace of ‘ISIS’ with ‘Taliban.’

In fact, a 2013 Gallup poll resulted in a story that led with this sentence, “Ten years have passed since the United States and its allies invaded Iraq, and it appears the majority of Americans consider this a regrettable anniversary. Fifty-three percent of Americans believe their country “made a mistake sending troops to fight in Iraq” and 42% say it was not a mistake.”

I really don’t want to discredit those who are concerned about the ISIS threat, but to hypothesize that ISIS agents are now embedded in the United States and using the argument of ‘you can’t say they’re not’ as your defense is absurd.

There are ways to address this issue now -- some might say it would’ve been worthwhile to explore some of these avenues sooner -- but to get all hot and bothered about this crisis because the media and politicians are drilling it in your brain seems silly to me. Let’s not leat fear get the better of us and plunge ourselves into another war with no planned exit in sight.

Now I can’t wait to write this same article in the next issue but replacing all of this with relevant Ebola hot takes, but maybe I will have pooped out all my innards by then and we will all be better off for it.

Niki Papadogiannakis Managing Editor

Alexa Rogers News Editor

Suhaib Khan Print News Editor

Sara Moniuszko Lifestyle Editor

Savannah Norton Print Lifestyle Editor

Amy Rose Photography Editor

Amy Podraza Asst. Photography Editor

Walter Martinez Visual Editor

Jill Carter Copy Chief

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News

10.06.2014

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Photo of the Week Not such an EGGcellent idea by Amy Rose, Fourth Estate Seen in North Plaza

Follow us on Instagram: @IVEstate Use the hashtag #IVphoto on snapshots of Mason for a chance to see it in a future issue!

Crime Log Sept. 29 2014-019304 / Hit and Run Complainant (GMU) reported a hit and run of a vehicle. Offender unknown/fled scene.

Damage estimated $500. (31/Stampfel) Lot K / Inactive / Occurred between 1:30 p.m. - 10:20 p.m.

2014-019272 / Counterfeiting/Forgery Complainant (GMU) reported a subject (GMU) created and used a fake parking pass. Officer referred case to Office of Student Conduct. (48/Bennett) Lot L / Referred to Office of Student Conduct / 12:30 p.m.

2014-019262 / Destruction/ Damage/Vandalism of Property Complainant (GMU) reported damage to a vehicle. Offender kicked vehicle and left a dent. Offender unknown/fled scene.

Damage estimated $300. (48/Bennett) Facilities Parking Lot / Inactive / 8 a.m.

POPULAR LAST WEEK 1 Drop in

2 New

liquor and drug arrests, Univ. Police reports

Rector sets goal to raise university endowment

The University Policy released a report earlier this week showing that drug and liquor arrests decreased by 50% from 2012 to 2013. On-campus drug referrals went up from 42 in 2012 to 65 in 2013.

Former Congressman Tom Davis has been appointed as Mason’s new Rector of the Board of Visitors.

In his new title, he hopes to help raise the university endowment and promote diversified thought.

ON GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM

3 New brand

profile phases out “Where innovation is tradition”

Mason’ new brand profile is a creative strategy for outreach, communication, and marketing.

The new 96-page packet provides guidelines for the university’s image and will phase out the “Where innovation is tradition” tagline.

IV news Mason Police ‘rarely use’ DOD military surplus program 4

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

10.06.2014

ELLEN GLICKMAN STAFF WRITER

(AMY ROSE/FOURTH ESTATE)

University law enforcement agencies are able to receive surplus military gear through a program with the Department of Defense.

Many college police departments have used the program since its creation in the late 1990’s.

It is called the 1033 program, or the Domestic Preparedness Support Initiative and allows the surplus military equipment to come at a dramatically reduced price. In addition to college police departments, the program is available to any local, state or federal law enforcement agency.

President Obama ordered a review of the program after the local police response to protesters in Ferguson, MO included heavy-armored trucks and other equipment obtained through the program.

According to Mason Police Chief Eric Heath, the Mason Police Department has rarely used the program. Heath said, to the best of his and his staff ’s knowledge, the department has used the program only once, several years ago, to acquire ceremonial rifles for an Honor Guard event.

“What they got was de-commissioned ceremonial rifles, so rifles that were de-commissioned, meaning they’re non-functional, and they’re transitioned and repainted and fixed up to be used for our Honor Guard.”

At a hearing, as part of the review ordered

by President Obama, federal supervisors of the program admitted “they had no way to track any ‘military-grade’ equipment supplied by the government,” said a USA Today article. In order to obtain data concerning law enforcement agencies’ use of the program, news outlets have had to rely on data provided by states.

Colleges like Ohio State University are drawing media attention due to their acquisition of equipment such as a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protection vehicle and an Army Humvee.

However, according to a Politico article, the

program also supplies items like office supplies and furniture.

Heath pointed out some ways the program has been beneficial to law enforcement.

He said many local or campus police departments are “barely getting by with their operating budgets, so that kind of a program can benefit those agencies who normally would not be able to shell out $15,000 to equip their department with rifles to deal with active shooter situations.”

Heath has worked for law enforcement departments at the University of Chicago, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Arkansas. He said most of the agencies that he has worked for that have used the 1033 program, have used it to obtain a version of M-16 rifles for active shooter situations.

“The majority of departments that I’ve had experience with generally get rifles and have the ability to get rifles they may use for an active shooter situations,” Heath said. “That really kind of changed the landscape of college law enforcement, with all of your most recent active shooter situations…transitioned the type of weapons they used in those situations.”

The rifles, Heath said, were altered to suit the functions and necessities of local law enforcement. For example, M-16s were altered so the guns were no longer semi-automatic.

Heath said he would consider using the program if it helped campus law enforcement best serve the Mason community.

“In the future, if I felt or my leadership felt there was some way we could benefit from the program, us and other law enforcement agencies would absolutely look into it,” Heath said.

“But it has to be reasonable. It has to cater to the community that we serve.”

A spokesman for Ohio State University has cited the school’s population size, approximately 57,000 students, as one reason that justifies possession of a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protection vehicle. Though Mason is the largest

A Mason Police Cadet stands on North Plaza to provide security. public university in Virginia, Heath said Mason accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in PD has no need for such a vehicle. de-commissioned military cast-offs, including 96 “It really just depends on agency,” Heath said. 5.56 mm rifles, 40 pieces of night vision equip“Size doesn’t necessarily dictate as to whether ment, and even an armored truck.” or not you get that type of equipment. It really According to an article from The Chronicle depends on the function of the agency.” of Higher Education, James Madison University For example, OSU’s Ohio Stadium hosts has received one copier, one typewriter, eight many large sporting events and can seat over entrenching tools, two printers, three trucks and 100,000 people. Heath said that creates poten- four shotguns. tially threatening situations that Mason does not Heath explained that determining the necesusually have to deal with. sity of surplus military equipment is the respon“From a threat standpoint, that’s a very large sibility of local and campus law enforcement target in preparation for emergency management leaders. and threat management,” Heath said. “Some “The onus is on the chiefs and the leadership of those tools and some of those resources are to really look at the department, the structure of necessary to be able to cope with an incident that the department and the function of the departmight occur. Now, is a tank good for Mason, or a ment, and say, ‘You know what, is that something Humvee good for Mason? Probably not because I really need for my community?’’ we don’t have those large scale venues.”

“Me personally, and I know my leadership Other local and campus law enforcement personally, we’re not going to go out and just agencies in Virginia have used the program more acquire equipment just because the government extensively than Mason. is giving it away,” Heath continued. “It has to be A local Charlottesville news station reported functional for our jurisdiction.” that “Since 2006 Charlottesville police have

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news

10.06.2014

Mason Merchants expands to new restaurants, stores

CLASSIFIEDS

(AMY ROSE/FOURTH ESTATE)

A sign at University Mall’s McDonalds indicating that the restaurant accepts Mason Money.

The program is now expanding reader that costs $375, according to RAQUEL DESOUZA STAFF WRITER to new locations and clients in the Mark Kraner., Northern Virginia area. Restaurants Kraner also says that as long as The Mason Merchant program such as Noodles & Company off of an account is not inactive for a year, restarted last year, forcing many of its Main Street and Freddy’s Frozen Mason Money can be used even after clients to rejoin.

Custard & Steakburgers off of Fairfax graduation. If it does become inacThe 10-year-old program through Boulevard were recently added to the tive, the account is closed and the Mason Dining allows students to use program. money is sent to the Virginia State Mason Money at local businesses and According to Jaret Romano, Treasury. includes 21 clients. the marketing specialist for Mason Though the system is convenient “Last year we restarted the program Money, more new and active Mason for many Mason students, Mason again because the provider we had Merchant clients in Fairfax include Dining is still trying to fix problems decided to no longer to do the busi- other retailers like Twins ACE that occur when people try to tip ness with us,” said Executive Director Hardware and Fairfax Surf Shop. servers with Mason Money. of Campus Retail Operations, Mark However, this is just the start of “That is one of the more difficult Kraner. “So we had to reset the Mason’s plan to add different types things. We’re working with that softprogram and go get the clients one of retailers to the Mason Merchants ware to see if we can fix that,” Kraner more time.” program. said. “We’ve asked the vendor to look This transition has raised questions Romano said that six more busi- at it.” as to if University Mall restaurants, nesses in Fairfax will be added to the Thomas Malone, a junior majoring including McDonald’s, are still accept- program soon, including Comics and in economics, uses Mason Money on ing Mason Money. According to Vice Gaming, 29 Diner, Fair Trade Winds, and off-campus at restaurants such President of Geo. H. Rucker Realty Jersey Mikes, Hollie Rob and Coyote as Manhattan Pizza, Panda Express, Corp. Chuck Mason, University Mall Grill.

Wendy’s and Potbelly Sandwich Shop restaurants in the program are still “We’ve been working with the off of Chain Bridge Road. accepting Mason Money during the Fairfax City Economic Development “Mason Money is extremely conveshopping center’s renovations, which Agency to expand [Mason Merchants] nient on and off-campus,” Malone are set to be complete by the end of downtown and with the Fairfax City said. “It’s also tax free so I save a little November.

Mall,” Kraner said. money when I use Mason Money over According to Kraner, approximateKarun and Toast Café in Arlington cash.” ly 22,000 students use Mason Money have also signed on to the program, For students such as Malone, Mason year-round and deposit about $2.5 according to Kraner. Mason’s Prince Money is a dependable resource. million a year through the program, William campus may get its first “I think Mason Money is extremely according to Kraner.

Mason Merchants restaurant with reliable,” Malone said. “I don’t even Andy Sachs, a sophomore studying Mason Dining in talks with for a new worry about bringing cash because I ecological restoration, regularly uses Subway in Beacon Hall. know I can count on Mason Money Mason Money at on-campus restauAll of the participating businesses when I’m eating around campus.” rants as well as the bookstore. have to post a Mason Money logo on “My parents decided to give me their front door or in front of their Mason Money to use to subsidize meal cash registers to let Mason students plans and aid in small bits of school know that they are active members. supplies that I had either forgotten or They must also purchase a card did not know about,” Sachs said.

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Students participate in historic climate march

(LAURA BAKER/FOURTH ESTAET)

ELLEN GLICKMAN STAFF WRITER

Several Mason students took part in the People’s Climate March, the largest climate change protest in history.

Over 400,000 people gathered together in New York City to incite significant action from world leaders attending a United Nations climate summit in the city. Voices came not only from New York but from around the world. According to the march’s website, 2,646 similar events took place in 162 countries.

“Any social justice movement in general is really trying to magnify people’s voices because essentially, in a democracy, that’s what it should be anyway,” said Samantha Parsons, a member of the GMU Environmental Action Group who helped organize the group of Mason students at the event. “[The government] tends to focus more on corporate money and corporate voices than the people’s.”

The protesters in the city congregated to express frustration with past United States government and UN responses to climate

change. Bill McKibben, a prominent climate activist and one of the main organizers of the march, wrote about this exasperation in his public invitation to the event.

“The ‘world’s leaders’ haven’t been leaders on climate change – at least not leaders enough,” McKibben said. “Like many of us, they’ve attended to the easy stuff, but they haven’t set the world on a fundamentally new course.”

“I think there is a recognition that climate change is an urgent global problem,” said Andrew Wingfield, an associate professor of sustainability studies at New Century College.

“I think there’s a recognition that we can’t really rely on our leaders to solve it for us. I think young people are sort of recognizing that and realizing they can use their voices to demonstrate their serious engagement with this issue and their

expectation that their leaders do deal with it.”

At the UN summit, President Barack Obama called on world leaders to recognize the movement.

“Our citizens keep marching,” President Obama said. “We cannot pretend we do not hear them. We have to answer the call.”

Obama also called on China to play a large role in solving the climate crisis.

“I met with Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli,” Obama said. “And reiterated my belief that, as the two largest economies and [carbon] emitters in the world, we have a special responsibility to lead. That’s what big nations have to do.”

He also promised that the United States would meet current goals for reducing carbon emissions and announce new ones “by early next year.”

Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said China would commit to “the peaking of total carbon dioxide emissions as early as possible.”

Other nations pledged money to the Green Climate Fund, a U.N. fund created to help developing countries adapt to climate change and adopt sustainable energy practices. While at the summit, France and Germany both pledged $1 billion. According to the fund’s website, the U.S. has not pledged any money, but Obama said the country’s leaders “have been working to shoulder with many [nations] to make the Green Climate Fund a reality.”

Wingfield thought members of the summit were cognizant of the climate protests.

“I think a march like this tries to show that people in large numbers who are passionate about an issue like this can have an influence,” Wingfield said. “I think it’s something that leaders notice.”

Wingfield said that how the protests are ”translated into specific impact is probably hard to

“Any social justice movement in general is really trying to magnify people’s voices because essentially, in a democracy, that’s what it should be anyway. [The government] tends to focus more on corporate money and corporate voices than the peoples.”

-Samantha Parsons, member of the GMU

Environmental Action Group

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determine, but they’re certainly worth the effort.”

Dana Dolan, a Mason student pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Policy whose research focuses on institutional change and climate change adaptation, also said the effects of the People’s Climate March will be hard to establish.

“It’s very difficult to track change back to the climate march itself,” Dolan said. “And whether it had an impact on the climate summit, I would be surprised, because my guess would be a lot of the action at the summit had been scripted out and negotiated beforehand. A lot of those kinds of meetings are more a show of the work that has happened before rather than the actual work going on.”

However, Dolan said the march could affect the outcome of future events. She called the demonstration “symbolic” and said that “those ideas and the bringing together of like-minded, action-oriented types of people are critically important to the overall trajectory of our policy changes.”

Dolan said the majority of responses at the summit “seem to be promises or future commitments that may or may not be lived up to.”

The real solution to climate change, Dolan said, might be found by looking at a smaller scale than the international level.

“A lot of localities are experimenting with different ways of approaching the problem [of climate change],” Dolan said. “We’re able to glean information for success, and maybe more so from failures, to sort of begin to understand what works and where different things work.

My research is very much looking at these scope conditions when things are working.”

Dolan said this is a major change from common thought concerning the role of the federal government.

“In particular my interests [include]…what can government do at that centralized level to facilitate these local experiments and help to accumulate knowledge of what works and what doesn’t work,” Dolan said. “That’s a real shift in thinking about what the job of the federal government is.”

She said most people think of the government’s problem-solving methods as either completely hands-on or hands-off; either it takes full responsibility of the situation or gives it to state or local governments. Dolan said the solution could reside in increased collaboration.

“I think that’s the only way…we have a chance of keeping up with the pace of change that is coming upon us with climate change,” Dolan said.

Parsons agreed increased attention to local actions could help mitigate the crisis.

“Once everyone works on the local issues it creates a domino effect,” Parsons continued.

“And essentially it becomes a national, international vision and goal.”

7 news Climate education program receives $3 million grant 10.06.2014

NATALIA KOLENKO STAFF WRITER

The program Climate Matters recently received a $3 million grant to help better communicate climate change to the public.

Dr. Edward Maibach, the director of George Mason University’s Center for Climate Change Communication and the lead investigator for the program, says that the $3 million grant will allow Climate Matters to recruit more weathercasters in more media markets, upgrade the training offered to weathercasters and do research that will improve the quality of the broadcast materials that are produced for the weathercasters.

Climate Matters was created with the help of Climate Central, an organization comprised of scientists who report facts about climate change and how it will effect Americans. Climate Matters produces broadcast material that their TV weathercasters then use to educate the public on the facts of climate change and how it can affect people and their communities.

Barry Klinger, a developer of Climate Matters and a professor of atmospheric, oceanic and earth sciences at Mason, says the grant will allow Climate Matters’ influence to spread.

“Climate Matters started as a pioneering collaboration between George Mason University, Climate Central and WLTX-TV in South Carolina to help television weather reports inform the public about climate change,” Klinger said.

“It won our WLTX colleague, Jim Gandy, a 2013 American Meteorology Society Award for Excellence in Science Reporting.

The new grant will help the Mason Center for Climate Change Communication extend this effort in climate reporting to a large group of media outlets across the nation.”

The program was started in hopes of educating people on climate change and its effect on society. Studies show that while climate scientists are the most trusted source of information on climate change, TV weathercasters

(LAURA BAKER/FOURTH ESTATE)

can reach a much wider audience. “[TV weathercasters] have great access to the public because most Americans still watch local TV news a few days per week, and they are excellent communicators,” Maibach said. “Fifty years of social science research has shown that familiarity leads to liking, and liking leads to trust. People are familiar with TV weathercasters because they invite them into their homes— on their screens—on average several times per week.”

Maibach hopes that the project will stress that climate change is not happening far away with little influence on Americans, but is happening in Americans’ backyards.

Timothy DelSole, professor of atmospheric, oceanic, and Earth sciences at Mason, warns students to make sure to use reliable information sources. He says that unlike Climate Matters weathercasters, many weathercasters do not actually believe global warming is happening.

“George Mason’s Center for Climate Change Communication

conducted a survey of TV meteorologists in 2010 and found that only 35% of them agreed that global warming is happening and is due to man,” DelSole said. “By contrast, 97% of the scientists who actively study climate change say that global warming is happening and due to man.”

DelSole also added that while it can be difficult to predict the exact effects of climate change on a small area like Mason, there is a high level of confidence that climate change will definitely affect Virginia.

“The probability of higher temperatures over Virginia will increase in the future, with many more days above 90 degrees compared to the end of last century,” DelSole said. “This change will stress vulnerable people, infrastructure, agriculture and ecosystems.”

DelSole also added that projections of precipitation are less certain, but that there seems to be good evidence that Virginia will experience increases in the frequency of heavy downpours. Virginia

is also more vulnerable to flooding because it has relatively flat coastlines and experiences a higher rate of sea level rise than the global average.

Klinger said there are many ways students, faculty and staff can make a small impact on climate change.

“We know that society can affect climate and make large and potentially dangerous changes in the environment,” Klinger said. “Mason already has a number of green initiatives which can be found at the Office of Sustainability. If you are interested in having a smaller impact on the environment, a good way to start is look at activities that take the most energy, such as driving, heating/air-conditioning and eating meat and find ways to do them so that you pollute less.”

DelSole says that the best things students, faculty and staff can do about climate change is have an honest discussion.

“The starting point of this discussion should be that the overwhelming majority of scientists who actively study climate change agree that the earth is warming and that the warming is due primarily to human activities,” DelSole said. “If we can’t agree that climate scientists strongly agree on this issue—a factual matter that can be checked— then I can understand why some people would be reluctant to support changes.

Why support changes if you question whether warming is real or whether warming is just a natural fluctuation?”

According to Klinger, this grant will benefit not only Climate Matters but will also greatly affect Mason.

“The grant will undoubtedly raise the visibility of Mason in this area,” Klinger said. “[Mason] is already making many important contributions to climate-related studies. Climate Matters’ efforts to educate the general public may highlight the many ways Mason staff and students are working on climate issues.”

news Global Center Grand Ballroom adjusts pricing

8

10.06.2014

ALEXA ROGERS NEWS EDITOR

Student organizations have recently found difficulty in booking events in the Mason’s Global Center Grand Ballroom due to pricing changes as the space transitions from a hotel to a university space.

Mason’s Office of Events Management manages the use of the Global Grand Ballroom through 25Live, Mason’s online scheduling system.

According to Director of Strategic Communications Michael Sandler, departments and student organizations are charged $645 for an event in the ballroom. This includes standard set up and housekeeping. Organizations are also charged $12 an hour for on-site support during the event.

After changes to the ballroom pricing began to impact student organizations, they were brought to the attention of Student Body President Phil Abbruscato.

“We all have a pretty general consensus that it’s not fair to student organizations,” Abbruscato said. “I understand the reasoning, our student activities fees are detracted to use ballroom in the Globe but I don’t think that’s fair.”

Storm Paglia, president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, tried to schedule an event in August for his fraternity in the ballroom through 25Live. He later received an email from Event Management that pricing was currently unavailable, although it could be as high as $2,000, and that the fraternity would be unable to book the space for their event.

“I think that’s a ridiculous fee,” Paglia said. “It’s our building and university property and the tuition and fees that everyone pays on this campus contributes to the operations of it.”

External clients are charged $2,300 plus $12 an hour for onsite support, according to Sandler. The fees are cut in half if the client only uses half of the space.

According to JJ Davis, senior vice president for Administration and Finance, despite the transition from the Mason Inn to the Global Center, Mason still wanted to extend the use of the ballroom to groups both within the university and in the community.

“Our view is that the ballroom is prime real estate for [Mason]. In the short term while we don’t have a total need for it, we should still make it available through events management for a fee,” Davis said.

The university offers two similar event spaces for student use for free, including Dewberry Hall in the Johnson Center, which has a open, maximum capacity of 900, and the Hub Ballroom, with a maximum capacity of 750.

However, Paglia feels that these spaces do not compare to the quality of the Grand Ballroom, which has a maximum capacity of 500.

“I think that we should be entitled, as student organizations, to be using this space because it is the nicest space on campus and really the only place [student organizations] can hold a nice event,” Paglia said.

Kayla Hirsch, vice president of risk management for Alpha Phi, attempted to book the space this past August.

However, unlike Paglia, she was told that her organization could book the space starting Sept. 1.

Hirsch succeeded in reserving the ballroom, but her organization needs to complete a checklist to successfully book the space.

Though she is still in the process of completing the checklist, Hirsch was emailed the student organization price of $645 for the ballroom just this past week.

According to Davis, the prices are

based on market rates and try to keep prices competitive with similar event spaces in the area. This differs from when the Mason Inn operated the space, when, according to Davis, the rooms were priced out of market.

Last spring, Alpha Phi held an event in the same ballroom at the Mason Inn, but the event was priced over $5,000. This charge did include catering, room set-up, a bar with wristbands for attendees over 21 and an event coordinator.

According to Davis, events management does not believe that they will make a profit off of the spaces and that the prices cover costs of the staff and labor time.

“If it were heavily used by the outside, maybe, but it’s not really branded to the outside community,” Davis said.

However, despite a significant cost reduction, Paglia feels that adding a cost for student organizations defeats the purpose of the Global Center, the intention of which the university has said is to bring domestic and international students together.

“It’s an injustice to keep the general student population from using this building, even though it’s designed to be the Global Center, the end goal

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was to bring together international students with the student population and by keeping [students] out of there with this fee, is only going against the mission of the Global Center,” Paglia said.

Abbruscato echoed Paglia’s feelings, stating that forcing students to pay for the space is not conducive to the purpose of the Global Center. He also added that he was hoping to talk with the appropriate administrators in the coming weeks to figure out what they can do to elevate the financial burden for student organizations to have access to this space.

“You’re trying to create a culture where student organizations are able to have their events and when you put a burden like that on it, it’s counterintuitive,” Abbruscato said.

While Abbruscato hopes the event space could eventually be free for student use, he realistically hopes that the price could decrease to something more feasible for all student organizations without increasing student fees.

“That’s a pretty enormous [price] for some student organizations that might not be able to attain that funding,” Abbruscato said. “It’s not fair to them.”

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#GMU “Taking real tough classes this semes(ROBERTO DE CECCO/FOURTH ESTATE)

ter like, outdoor doodling, intro to walking around, and advanced bar crawling. #College #GMU “

@ BuckshotFacials BROmanenco “Advising Tip of the Week: You can trust your friends with a lot, but when it comes to #advising, leave it to us. #GMU“

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@ DCITRecruiter IT Recruiter “Great to have @BradEdwards5 stop by the studio today on @WGMU Super Bowl Ring shot was a must have! #HTTR #GMU #SportsTalk”

@ JesseRobinson94 Jesse Robinson “Someone with a tube that has a built in flamethrower just walked by.

Strait badass #gmu #badass”

@ Poplapz David Fleming

Students in the dance program express color and movement through their performances.

POPULAR LAST WEEK 1 Mason

Fringe: Theater Review

Love is the theme of these two Mason Player productions; however the theme is examined in surprising ways.

These performances supplemented their minimal set with beautiful ensemble work, lighting and sound design.

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Review: Tips to The Equalizer On-Campus Pizza Delivery

A review of the new We have a list of what action-thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua to think about when and starring Denzel ordering pizza and Washington and having it delivered Chloë Grace Moretz. to your dorm. It is The movie’s length especially importleaves something to ant to pick up your be desired, but the cell phone when the delivery person calls. acting and cinematography make up for it.

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The art of cosplay: How to be Geek Week chic

(PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH PARROTT)

(PHOTO COURTESY OF KDORAN PHOTOGRAPHY))

Sarah Parrott cosplays Daenerys Targaryen from “Game of Thrones.”

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Tokyo Babylon cosplayer characters Subaru Sumeragi, Seishirou Sakurazuka and Hokuto Sumeragi posing at the Sakura Matsuri in New York.

ELENA GALINDO STAFF WRITER

Mason’s Geek Week hosted an informational cosplay panel where cosplay construction basics and convention etiquette were discussed.

It featured professional cosplayer Margie Cox. Two cosplay events were also held where Mason cosplayers exhibited their handiwork.

Cosplay, a fusion of the words “costume” and “play,” is a term used to describe the act of constructing or putting together costumes meant to represent characters from pop culture. ”Cosplayers” may exhibit their costume creations at conventions, fan meet-ups, competitions or performances.

Sarah Parrott, a sophomore and the Geek Week special events coordinator, was first inspired to cosplay after attending San Diego’s Comic Con when she was in middle school.

“Cosplay allows me to showcase my craftsmanship as well as to show my love for these characters and fandoms,” Parrott said.

For junior Laura Bingham, cosplay is equally as important.

“Cosplay is a way to become part of something you love. To embody a character from a piece of media that has touched you is something of a love letter to that respected series,” Bingham said.

“It’s a way to show your pride in and enjoyment of the source material and can allow you to meet other individuals who have been inspired by experiencing the same media.”

The numerous pop culture conventions are also great opportunities for fans with shared interests to gather and form friendships with each other. Freshman cosplayer Darcy Capps also enjoys the

sense of community cosplay can create.

“I really enjoy meeting new people who are also into the same things that I am,” Capps said. “Bonding over a costume can be a really great way to make a new friend.”

Cosplay is not always just about the “play,” and sometimes it can be a lot of cos-work. Elaborate costumes may take many hours to finish and can require advanced construction skills.

“I’ve made cosplays in 2 weeks, but on average, I’ll spend half a month planning it and a month actually working on it,” Capps said.

The costuming process may differ from cosplayer to cosplayer, and for each individual project.

“There are some [costumes] that I’ve built on store-bought items which required only limited alterations, so one day of shopping and sewing is all they take.” Parrott said. “Then there are more complex ones where I create my own pattern or alter an existing pattern, then make muslin mock-ups, and then build the actual piece. Those can take four or five full days of serious work.”

Cosplayers are not limited to a specific group or skill level.

Though there are those who cosplay on a professional level, most cosplayers are simply fans of comics, video games, animation and other facets of pop culture who wish to express themselves through costuming. Such fans often come together at conventions such as San Diego’s Comic Con and Baltimore’s Otakon.

“My favorite tip to offer beginners is to have fun! Don’t be scared to put yourself out there,” Parrott said. “Yes, it can be really intimidating with the masters in the room, but as long as you’re having fun, that will show.”

“You don’t always have to make the outfit a perfect replica of

what you’re cosplaying. Cosplaying is about taking something and making it yours,” said senior Sarah Metcalfe, who has been cosplaying for nine years. “Just because someone else has reached a high level, it doesn’t mean you can’t. Everyone starts out as a beginner.”

“The best advice I can offer is to beginners is to find something fun and run with it. If you don’t enjoy sewing, then by all means, hot glue to your heart’s content. Some cosplayers even opt to purchase their costumes as opposed to making them.” Bingham said, “Like with many hobbies, there is no one correct way to cosplay. In a hobby with so many facets, beginners should explore what they enjoy and hope to gain from cosplaying.”

In recent years, cosplay has enjoyed increased popularity worldwide. It is especially popular in Japan, which hosts the annual World’s Cosplay Summit where 18,000 attendees come from all around the world to see their favorite cosplayers compete for the title of Grand Champion.

“I hope everyone -- from hardcore geeks to those who have seen a Marvel movie or two -- will come participate in Geek Week. Geek culture is having a significant impact on popular culture, and we’ll be having great panels and screenings that will discuss that impact from multiple points of view,” Parrott said. “I also encourage everyone to step out and try cosplay. You might find a new passion, just like I did.”

Right Top: Cosplayers posing as characters from Homestuck, the popular web comic.

Right Bottom: Cosplayers preparing event.

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Pumpkin Beer (LAURA BAKER/FOURTH ESTATE)

Autumn ushers in a revolving door of seasonal selections in the beer world, and no beer has dominated the fall seasonal market like pumpkin beer.

(PHOTO COURTESY OFSMILEE JADE PHOTOGRAPGHY)

It is not just beer though. Pumpkin is absolutely inescapable. From September through November pumpkin is jammed down our throats: pumpkin scones, pie, tarts, lattés, even soup. Everything “tastes” like pumpkin, even beer. Almost every major player in the craft brewing industry makes pumpkin beer a staple in its fall seasonal line up.

It is certainly true that pumpkin beer is here to stay, but on an undergraduate budget, is it really worth buying? College is a wonderful time of exploration, and developing one’s taste in beer for the rest of their life is no exception. The issue that plagues the college drinker hoping to expand his/her palate is not just what they like, but whether or not the price is right.

Pumpkins are a long developing fruit. They take almost one hundred days after planting to ripen and become ready for harvest. This means no fresh pumpkin could ever find its way into the hands of a brew master until the third week of October, and the final product not set to hit selves until late December.

No one wants a pumpkin beer in December, so how on earth could brew masters everywhere have pumpkin beers on every grocery store shelf in America by mid-august? The answer is very simple. To meet the necessary timetable to market pumpkin beers to American beer drinkers during the fall season they cannot use fresh pumpkin, instead the vast majority of brewers use preserved pumpkin purees. Purees that in some cases contain vast amounts of Hubbard and Butternut squash.

(PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH PARROTT)

“To me a quality product is one that there is a market for, I have to set my personal tastes aside, if my customers demand a pumpkin beer in the fall, I have to carry it. If they are using fresh pumpkins or purees, what is the difference so long as they like them?” said Arthur Lampros, a wine and craft beer shop owner in the greater northern Virginia area about the subject of quality in pumpkin beer.

Squash or not, when it comes to spending hard-earned cash on any beer it comes down to taste alone. So in the spirit of anthropologists and adventurers before me, I charged into the craft beer world armed to the teeth with fall beers. I set up a blind tasting to see just what two of my peers would prefer in a fall beer regardless of accolades or advertising. A remarkable thing happened that evening, out of the four beers selected the pumpkin ale scored the lowest average score between the two subjects.

The pumpkin option received a pedestrian score of 5/10 and had the lowest perceived cost at $6.99 a six-pack. The local option I provided my subjects with outscored the pumpkin heftily with an 8/10 with an average perceived cost of $9.99 per six-pack, which just so happened to be the average cost for a six-pack of craft beers.

These two beers just happened to have the same base beer, they were both brown ales, but the pumpkin option was stuffed with baking spices that the subjects felt were over bearing.

“This doesn’t taste like pumpkin or even pumpkin derived, this tastes like pumpkin spices like cinnamon,” said Nick, a former Mason hockey player and craft beer nut. He went further saying that he would only ever drink it again if it was given to him, and would refuse to buy it.

After sampling the last two beers, a traditional German hefeweizen and British banana bread ale respectively came the revealing, which shocked my subjects. Having formed very strong opinion of each beer based on taste and not perceived quality through appearance or price, destroyed their preconceived notions of quality.

The price of the pumpkin beer sampled came in at $6.99 per 22 ounce “bomber” and was rated this past year as America’s best pumpkin beer by Beeradvocate.com [Ed. note: Pumking by Southern Tier]. The traditional brown ale came from a small Richmond area brewery, Legend Brewing Co., and cost a mere $3.49 for a bottle of the same quantity. Upon hearing this the second subject Sam said, “I will absolutely have this beer again,” said Sam, the second subject. “I would with no question have this in the fall over a pumpkin beer, and had I known this is local I would have paid even more than I thought I would have had to.”

It’s a matter of personal taste, but please, know what you’re drinking, and know what you are paying for.

Connor Smith is a senior communication major, sommelier and wine educator working in the Northern Virginia area. His mission in life is to find the world’s best sandwich and perfect beer to pair with it.

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(WALTER MARTINEZ/FOURTH ESTATE)

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(ERIKA EISENACHER/FOURTH ESTATE)

Patriot Center Preview SAVANNAH NORTON PRINT LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Oct. 10 at 8 p.m.

Marc Anthony Cambio de Piel U.S. Tour Multicultural music star Marc Anthony has kicked off his 15-city tour, making a stop at the Patriot Center. The “Cambio de Piel” tour follows his widely successful “Vivir Mi Vida World Tour,” which played at sold-out stadiums all over the world. It was one of the top 10 highest grossing tours of 2013. The performance will have music from his latest album Marc Anthony 3.0.

“Cambio de Piel,” the title of his tour, is also one of the titles of his nationally and internationally number one singles.

Weekend, comedian Gabriel Iglesias will perform live at the Patriot Center. Iglesias is one of America’s most successful stand-up comics, and the show will feature storytelling, parodies, characters and sound effects.

Oct. 18 at 8 p.m.

Mason Madness Mason fans will gather to watch the annual celebration of the first tip-off of the season. The night’s festivities will include performances

by Peter Rabbit and Snap Boogie from America’s Got Talent, Urbanknowlogy, the Masonettes, the Mason cheerleading squad and Doc Nix and the Green Machine. After the game, fans can go outside to view fireworks over the Mason Pond.

Oct.11 at 8 p.m.

Bastille U.K. sensation, Bastille is bringing the crowd favorite “Pompeii” to Mason’s campus while to kick-off their North American tour. “Pompeii” was the most downloaded album of 2013 and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. The album also includes the popular song “Bad Blood.”

Oct. 17 at 8 p.m.

Gabriel Iglesias Just in time for Family

Oct, 22-27 at 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Disney’s Frozen on Ice From the big screen to the ice, this beloved Academy Award winning animation has become one of the most successful Disney princess films of all time. There will be special effects, skating and a performance to the all-time favorite song, “Let It Go.” Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, his reindeer Sven and even Mickey and Minnie Mouse will be present.

Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.

Jimmy Lange vs. Tony Jeter A professional boxer and contestant of the NBC reality TV show “The Contender,” Jimmy Lange, is coming back to the Patriot Center after a two year hiatus. Lange will face off with Tony ‘Mo Better’ Jeter, who he last met in 2012 when Jeter defeated Lange in a 10-round middleweight battle.

Dec. 4 at 7 p.m.

10.06.2014

NOW HIRING DRIVERS! !!!GMU STUDENT SPECIALS!!!

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Small 10” pizza w/2 top / Sandwich / Pasta tin / 8pc Chicken (Code 9181)

The Christian rock group is bringing their Thrive Tour to Fairfax to support their latest album, “Thrive.” They will be performing some of their signature songs like “Who Am I” and “East to West.” Mandisa and Sidewalk Prophets will be opening up for Casting Crowns.

3 Mediums w/ 1 top each…$5.55 each

Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

WWE Live World Wrestling Entertainment performs hundreds of live events each year in major stadiums and arenas all around the world.

Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Kane, Dolph Ziggler and other favorite WWE Superstars are coming back to wrestle it out and bring some action to Mason.

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(Online only Code 9116)

One Xtra-Large Cheese…$8.99 (Online Code XL) 2 (or more) Med pizzas w/2 tops each….$5.99 each (Code 9193) (online code items good for both on & off campus delivery) (Remember some deals are not available online. Pan & Brooklyn crusts additional) Must mention special when ordering. Offer can’t be combined with other offers or specials. Prices do NOT include sales tax. Delivery areas may be limited to ensure safe driving and excellent service. Pan & Brooklyn crusts are additional. Delivery charges may apply. Drivers carry LESS than $20.00 MINIMUM DELIVERY is $9.00

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Mon-Thurs 10:30am until 1am and Fri-Sat until 2am (Summer and Mason school break hours we close at 12mid Mon-Thu and 1am Fri-Sat)

(703) 352-0990

10649-A Braddock Rd (University Mall)

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Mason Recreation offers more fitness classes

(ERIKA EISENACHER/FOURTH ESTATE)

Aquatic and Fitness Center patrons stretch before the new pilates class begins.

RAQUEL DESOUZA STAFF WRITER

can pay a $50 fee to attend unlimited amount of Gold Level classes, this includes yoga, pilates, and martial arts.

Mason is offering a variety of more times and types of fitness classes at their facilities.

According to Carter, Mason gyms charge a fee for Gold Level classes because the specialized instructors need to be certified in their practice, which takes of time and money.

According to Ethan Carter, director of fitness, Mason Recreation conducted surveys last year at the Recreation and Athletic Complex and the Aquatic Fitness Center to determine which times work best for students.

The student feedback helped Mason gyms add the 9-10 a.m. class slot.

“We have traditionally done 6 in the morning, or 7 a.m. and neither of those were very well attended,” Carter said. “So we wanted to move to a class that would still be in the morning time but then allow some people to get in between that grey area.”

Instructors and floor staff also do head counts of the number of males and females attending in each class. This helps Mason gyms decide which classes to continue and discontinue, according to Carter. Some of the most well-attended classes on campus are Zumba, Hatha yoga and the martial art form Krav Maga.

According to Carter, the increased amount of student housing near the RAC was also a consideration for expansion.

“In the past, it was paid classes over at RAC, free classes here [AFC], and so we wanted to expand the amount of classes students could go to,” Carter said. “Now with campus housing on the other side of campus, a lot of the students wanted to take classes over there.”

To answer to that demand, the RAC now offers group exercise classes, such as cycling, cardio and core. Zumba is offered on Wednesdays at 5:15 p.m. and Total Body Conditioning is at 5:15p.m. on Thursdays. All of the group level classes are in the Green Level category and are free for Mason students. Students

“We have a Krav Maga instructor, he’s a gold level instructor and he’s one of the few in the United States of America. He gives up his time to come back and work with us,” Carter said. “Again, I know a lot of time people get kind of conflicted because you have to pay for the classes. But just thinking about the expertise level that we have here at Mason with the instructors, that’s what I like to tell people to take into mind.”

Krav Maga is a form of martial arts that the Israeli military uses for self-defense. Mason also has offers Brazilian Capoeira, which is martial arts fused with rhythmic dance.

“On campus we’ve really been trying to work toward protecting oneself when out, so that is part of the reason we have made it known that none of our classes are really aggressive, they’re all catered to self defense,” Carter said.

It’s also the first semester that Gold Level classes are being offered at the Aquatic Fitness Center. Tai Chai is at the ATC Wednesdays at 9 a.m. and Pilates is on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. Noki Lee, a pilates and cardio kickboxing instructor, teaches the AFC 2 p.m. pilates class.

“This is one of the biggest gyms and the fact that we offer cardio and muscle conditioning, and now we’re doing pilates and yoga, it’s more variety,” Lee said. “I think it’s more variety and opportunities for students or staff.”

According to Lee, there are trade-offs to having classes at the RAC versus AFC. “For those who have flexibility around 2 or 3’oclock, they could

come here [AFC],” Lee said. “We also have more space and the ventilation is much nicer, we got fans and the RAC we don’t really have fans. I think at the RAC it’s personable because it’s small space, but it just isn’t as spacious as here [AFC].”

Justine Burke, a sophomore and psychology major, takes the 2 p.m. pilates class. She is a commuter and parks near the AFC. “I do like it in the Aquatic Fitness Center because it’s closer than the RAC, since I don’t have to walk as far over there. Especially when there’s parking issues during the day,” Burke said. “The only problem I have with it is sometimes we don’t have all the stuff that we do have at the RAC.” According to Carter, Mason wants to expand fitness classes to more locations on campus.

“We’re actually looking at trying to get into a couple of residents halls this year to offer some of the gold classes as well as the green classes for our campus community,” Carter said. “We’re trying to grow the best we can and feedback is always necessary.”

“The fact that we offer cardio

and muscle conditioning, and now we’re doing pilates and yoga, it’s more variety,” -Noki Lee, Pilates and cardio kickboxing instructor

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How not to evangelize According to the Book of Acts, the Apostle Peter’s preaching on the Gospel brought 3,000 converts in a single day. During the eighteenth century, John Wesley’s outdoor preaching spread Methodist Christianity throughout the working poor of London. In the twentieth century, the Rev. Billy Graham’s Crusade events brought hundreds of people at a time to change the direction of their spiritual lives.

With such great evangelists in mind, how did Mason’s recent visiting preacher do? Let us just say, not as well as Peter, Wesley or Graham.

On several occasions this semester, the suspender wearing, loquacious and vociferous fellow has shown up like others before him. He uses the typical strategies of shouting inflammatory rhetoric, which draw hostile crowds and unless otherwise noted, convert no one.

There are times when one cannot help but wonder if it is some big joke, a method actor practicing his character-creating ability.

Police have had to be present for the theatrical would-be proselytizer, as the impromptu audience effectively heckles him on his dubious points.

He is hardly the first of his archetype to come to Mason and inform everyone that they are going to an unpleasant hereafter. And he appears to reap similar results from his approach.

So what is driving his failure, especially in contrast to the efforts of Peter, Wesley, Graham and others?

First, the audience having a basic familiarity and acceptance of certain premises that the speaker is working with can help.

Peter spoke to fellow Jews and drew upon scriptures they found authoritative. Wesley preached to Britons and Graham to Americans who at the least had a Christian background.

Indeed, for centuries Christian missionaries, at the least the effective ones, were known to use cultural images seen as valid by the audience and even translate the Bible and various tracts into the native tongues.

Our visiting preacher dealt with an audience of various spiritual dispositions and views, with many unaccepting of his basic assumptions. He made little noticeable effort to understand the mentalities he was dealing with, casting a broad stroke of denunciation without any substantive critique.

Second, unlike our recent visiting preacher, the likes of Peter, Wesley and Graham spoke their spiritual message to audiences that wanted to hear what they had to say.

Even if not every hearer of Peter’s words agreed with his assumptions, after seeing the purported miracle he was involved in they were interested in listening to his explanation.

Even when Graham had Crusades in countries lacking a strong Christian background, many came because they were interested in what he had to say.

Students going about their school day are not asking for the shouting of a street preacher whose rhetoric is questionable in its merit and borders, if not crosses into, the realm of the hateful.

the Gathering do not stand in North Plaza and berate people as they pass by. Rather they offer positive contributions and worship opportunities for Mason’s student body.

This leads to the third contrast, the content of the message. Peter, Wesley, Graham and many others through the centuries brought messages not merely of judgment but of love, hope and promise.

CCM and Gathering have sponsored charitable events on campus, spreading awareness of needs for those in our community and beyond the borders of the United States.

While a critic of Methodism, Marxist historian E. P. Thompson recorded that the movement appealed heavily to the working class of England due to the ecclesiastical and social power it gave members.

What did the visiting preacher bring to Mason?

Talk of everyone going to Hell, being hesitant to say that he loved those he was reaching out to and other missteps.

CCM, Gathering, Peter, Graham, Wesley and so many others have done a better job of preaching the faith than the verbally volatile visitor to our campus.

Preachers like the one who has come to campus multiple times this semester almost seem satirical, as they fulfill the stereotypes so many modern Americans have of street evangelists.

It is possible the preacher had a more positive message underneath his presentation, but it was sorely lacking in the recordings of his words posted on social media.

His inflammatory remarks did little to win converts and why should it? Maybe if his audience largely agreed with him to begin with, such a presentation may work. But such a circumstance did not exist.

The preacher’s efforts are in strong contrast to the efforts of many Christian organizations recognized by Mason.

Groups like Catholic Campus Ministry and

MICHAEL GRYBOSKI COLUMNIST

From Mason to the classroom: learning the meaning of responsibility Shortly after I arrived on the Big Island of Hawai’i, the community taught me a new word I hadn’t heard before in either my English or Spanish lexicon: kuleana. It’s a term that refers to the responsibility that comes with privilege, and one I couldn’t have learned at a more perfect time.

I am the son of Central American immigrants and the first in my family to be born in the United States, graduate high school and attend and graduate college.

At Mason, I earned an integrative studies degree from New Century College, where I was introduced to a world full of cultural diversity. Through this experience, I analyzed the systemic inequalities that exist in this country and the injustices, both blatant and subtle,

that marginalized people face every day. Accompanied with such knowledge came the idea of hope, learning about those that came before us that pursued a more equitable world.

The more I learned about these systems of oppression, the more driven I felt to take action.

In my senior year, I applied to Teach For America, and after graduation, I moved to Hawai’i to teach fifth grade at Kahakai Elementary in Kailua Kona.

There, I learned from my kids as we both worked to overcome the barriers that rural poverty presents, and I also made sure to expose them to the possibilities open to them the same way Mason opened my eyes to the ones available to me. This experience hit home, as I was able to make

direct connections to my experience as a youth in the rural Shenandoah Valley. My grade level brought our students on a trip to Oahu, a more cosmopolitan place than the rural Big Island, where many of my kids had spent their whole lives.

We saw government buildings and met state representatives, spent a couple of nights doing community building activities at a local camp, learned about ancient Polynesian voyagers and toured the University of Hawaii and a local community college.

For many of my students, this trip was the first time they had been away from their home island. We were blessed with the opportunity to build deeper relationships with everyone who participated. Throughout the trip, the idea that our students

could be empowered was on full display, as we made sure to remind our students that all of the men and women we met in government buildings and on the UH campus were once fifth graders just like them. I wanted this to be more than a field trip – it needed to be the next step in my students’ journeys to the futures that they can create for themselves.

As we strolled around UH, I talked about my background and experiences at Mason, so that my students could associate the university experience with a person they knew and trusted. Many of my students’ parents migrated to Hawai’i from places like the Philippines, Mexico, the Marshall Islands.

It was clear that they were navigating the United States education system for the first

time just like I had. We talked about this common experience, and I used it to build deeper relationships and push them to reflectively think about their futures as boundless and full of opportunity.

This is kuleana. It was an honor and a privilege for me to have been able to finish high school and go to college. I now see it as my responsibility to help other kids who share a relatable story access the same opportunities that I was granted.

This month as I celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with my students, I know I have a duty to represent my Latino culture in a leadership position, use my experience to guide other first-generation Americans and work to better our society. Teaching

is difficult work, but it is also deeply inspiring.

As a Teach For America alum, I know that I am part of a growing network of diverse leaders that continue the movement of social justice in the classroom. As you think about how to actualize your own kuleana, remember your roots.

KEVIN ARGUETA IS A 2012 MASON ALUM. HE’S CURRENTLY IN HIS THIRD YEAR OF TEACHING IN HAWAI’I.

16

Sports

10.06.2014

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

IV

SCOREBOARD SCORE/ RECORD

DATE

OPPONENT

MEN’S SOCCER

SEPT. 30

NAVY

1-1 (T) [7-0-2]

WOMEN’S SOCCER

OCT. 3

UMASS

1-1 (T) [2-7-1]

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

OCT. 3

GEORGE WASHINGTON

1-3 (L) [5-11]

(GOPI RAGHU/FOURTH ESTATE)

SPORT

THE WEEK AHEAD SPORT

DATE/TIME

OPPONENT

HOW TO WATCH

MEN’S SOCCER

OCT. 7 7 P.M.

VIRGINIA

George Mason Stadium*

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

OCT. 10 7 P.M.

DAYTON

RAC Gym

WOMEN’S SOCCER

OCT. 10 7 P.M.

SAINT LOUIS

George Mason Stadium

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

OCT. 11 7 P.M.

SAINT LOUIS

RAC Gym

MEN’S SOCCER

OCT. 12 1 P.M.

SAINT LOUIS

George Mason Stadium

WOMEN’S SOCCER

OCT. 12 3 P.M.

DAYTON

George Mason Stadium

All men’s soccer, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball games played at home are streamed live on the Atlantic 10 Digital Network by our partners at Mason Cable Network. * - denotes a game that will not be streamed on the A-10 Digital Network

Timi Mulgrew works the field as he goes for the ball during Mason’s game against UMBC on Sept. 27.

THIS WEEK IN GAMES 1 Game of 2 Women’s the week: volleyball: Men’s soccer vs. Dayton vs. Virginia and Saint Louis The Patriots face one of their biggest challenges of the year when they host UVa. Mason is ranked 20th in the nation and hopes to leapfrog 19th-ranked UVa. -- who have stumbled from the number two spot in the preseason.

The volleyball team continues A-10 play against Dayton and Saint Louis in the RAC Gym. Mason has gone 1-2 in three in-conference games this season, with a victory against Fordham and losses to Rhode Island and George Washington.

3 Women’s

soccer: vs.

Saint Louis and Dayton The women’s soccer team takes on Saint Louis and Dayton as A-10 Conference play gets going.

The Patriots look to bounce back from poor out-ofconference play that resulted in a record of 2-7.