Broadside: Issue 9

Broadside

Nov. 5, 2012 Volume 89 Issue 9 BroadsideOnline.com

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George Mason University’s Student Newspaper

vs.

Obama

Romney

ELECTION DAY 2012

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Corrections:

- In the story entitled “Recreational Sex Culture Infiltrates College Sex Scene” published in the Oct. 29 issue, the editors mistakenly did not make the distinction of the piece being the writer’s opinion.

- In the story “Getting Out to Vote ‘Gangam Style’” Broadside misidentified Janelle Germanos as Janelle Lynn.

- In the article “Board of Visitors Approves Mason Campus in South Korea” published in the Oct. 22 issue, the quote: “The university must ensure that the Korean programs provide clear and continued beneifts to the Commonwealth of Virginia, including substantial opportunties for in-state students to enjoy study,” was misattributed to Robin Herron. The quote originated from documents dicussing the satellite campus’ effects on Mason.

News

Mason Partners with Statewide Organization to Encourage Innovation Last month, Mason partnered with fellow Virginian universities and organizations in the Virginia Innovation Partnership.

Universities involved include University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Northern Virginia Community College, and Virginia Commonwealth University, among others.

The partnership’s goal is to nourish economic growth and innovation in an effort to improve Virginia’s economic state.

It will receive one million dollars in federal funding over the course of two years from the i6 Challenge, aiming to promote sustainability and innovative projects in universities and beyond. The i6 challenge was created in 2010 and is managed by the U.S. Commerce Department Economic Development Administration’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Using these funds, the partnership will support projects that a review board, headed by former U.S. Chief of Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, deems the most promising.

The partnership will also provide mentor teams to facilitate new businesses around the projects. Mentor teams will include business, finance, investment, legal, subject-area and other experts.

The organization predicts projects in the areas of biotechnology, information technology, energy production and conservation, environmental technology and sustainability, high-performance manufacturing, bioengineering and medical devices, nanotechnology, modeling and simulations, health care and biosciences, microelectronics, security and safety, architectural and design-oriented fields, and information assurance.

MasonVotes and Mason Cable Network Organizes Election Night

Check Your Nuts

STEPHEN KLINE /BROADSIDE

The Testival was held on Thursday, Nov. 1 by the Office of Alcohol, Drugs & Health Education. The event focuses on informing students of the dangers of testicular cancer.

270

The number of Electoral College votes needed to win the Presidential election

Mason Cable Network and MasonVotes are teaming up to provide students with election night coverage. From 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Johnson Center Atrium, a panel of student representatives from social media outlets on campus will be following news related to the presidential election while providing a live stream.

The event will center on tracking the electoral college count as states report exit polling, interviewing professors in related fields, providing commentary on changes throughout the night and speaking directly to students who choose to voice their opinion.

Students are encouraged to visit connect2mason.com and/ or masoncablenetwork.com to view a live stream of the event.

Students can also tune into Mason Cable Network on channel 231 on campus television or visit the event live if they are intersted in participating.

Student Government Seeks Out Student Opinion on Campus Changes On Wednesday Nov. 7 from 11a.m. to 2 p.m., Student Government will hold a “What Do You Want Wednesday?” on the Johnson Center North Plaza.

The Student Government will be asking students whether or not they have ideas on how to change student life on campus.

Suggestions will be taken by the representatives of Student Government and be applied through work done by the organization.

Cookies will be provided to students who participate.

News

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# # # # Mason Exemplifies Future

#Tweetsoftheweek

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“Just toured Fairfax campus with head of facilities. Relieved to see no significant damage other than couple of trees and few leaks.”

- Angel Cabrera, George Mason University President tweeting after the storm

“Real crowded in @mason_dining’s southside - staff doing a good job of keeping food moving #gmu #mason #sandy” - David Bier, Mason Senior tweeting about dining’s work during the storm

“We recorded 5.3 inches of rain at GMU Fairfax Research Hall from Hurricane Sandy.”

- Harold Geller, Mason Observatory Director and professor on precipitation levels during Hurricane Sandy.

“What to do with an unexpected day off at home? For me, meet annual quota of at least three new stories for grandkids.”

CREATIVE SERVICES/GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

- Provost Peter Stearns on what he did with his days off on account of Hurricane Sandy

of Higher Education

Only at Mason.

Many institutions across the nation cancelled classes early last week. They notified students and staff through various outlets with text alerts, emails, impersonal social media updates and web postings among the most prominent.

Not at Mason.

Only as Patriots can students and staff tune in to the Twitter feed of the university president to obtain such valuable information. Only as Patriots can we interact and inquire about certain decisions directly with those responsible for making decisions.

Last Sunday evening, Dr. Ángel Cabrera took to the Twitter-verse to update students on the operating status of the university.

He kept students informed by announcing the times during which the Emergency Operations group would be meeting to make decisions.

He passed along hurricane

survival tips and reminded his followers to charge their cell phones to prepare for a power outage. And, perhaps most importantly, Cabrera made himself available to students and answered questions regarding operating status.

In addressing the Twitter-verse, Cabrera gave students instant, up-tothe-minute access to the decision-making process. His announcement came before the Mason website carried the information, and it came before the university social media accounts presented the information.

Former president Dr. Alan Merten instilled a desire for innovative learning and inventive progression.

Cabrera has picked up right where Merten left off, and he has continued to raise the bar.

While making announcements via Twitter may be all too common to, on the surface, consider groundbreaking, it exemplifies

Mason’s commitment to the tradition of innovation in even the most minute forms.

During this week’s Forum on the Future of Higher Education, Cabrera called this “both and exciting and challenging time for higher education.”

This forum, whose attendees spent much of last Thursday and Friday tweeting about the event, provided Cabrera with an opportunity to engage in critical conversations that aimed to lead Mason’s new president toward a new vision for Mason.

But perhaps, you could say, the future of higher education may only be in the future for students outside of the Mason community. Mason’s reputation for pioneering a new form of education is, perhaps, the future of education; a future where every institutions adopts a tradition of innovation.

STORY BY CODY NORMAN

The class you need starts next week.

And the next week.

And the one after that.

Graduate on time from your own school with courses from ours.

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*Transferability of credit is at the discretion of the receiving institution. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm whether or not credits earned at University of Phoenix will be accepted by another institution of the student’s choice. **To receive this offer, you must enroll by 12/31/12, but you may begin classes anytime between enrollment and 3/31/13. University of Phoenix is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (ncahlc.org). College credit granted by University of Phoenix. For information about University of Phoenix accreditations and licensures, please visit our website. While widely available, all courses and programs may not be available in all locations and in both online and on-campus formats. Please check with a University Enrollment Advisor.

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News

Alumnus Witnesses Hurricane Destruction in New York

DAVID SHANKBONE/CREATIVE COMMONS

Mason alumnus Alex Romano watched the devastation of Sandy unfold right before his eyes.

Working with CBS News in Midtown, Romano worked throughout the night, coordinating coverage for the incredible storm and reviewing live shots taken from all across New York City.

“I could see the storm evolve from all different parts of the New York metropolitan area at the same time,” Romano said.

Romano, a native of Sea Cliff, NY, watched as Battery Tunnel in Brooklyn flooded. He sifted through video footage of power lines and trees being snapped in half. He saw roads and subways just down the street from his office pummeled by rushing water.

“Every couple of minutes, there were new feeds coming in,”

Romano said. “When you watch the live news, you’re only seeing clips that last a few seconds. We’re seeing hours of footage.”

Completely swamped with work, CBS News had arranged for a number of its workers to stay the night in the Le Parker Meridian hotel.

As a surge of videos piled in, Romano watched as the crane atop a luxury Manhattan skyscraper partly collapsed, leaving its arm dangerously hanging over West 57th Street. The New York Office of Emergency Management evacuated several blocks of the surrounding area and within the evacuation radius was the Le Parker Meridian.

Though CBS News moved its employees to another location, Romano was without his belongings, which had already been

checked into the hotel, for several days following the incident.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Romano said.

Romano, who lives on Long Island, was unable to return home for several days, as all bridges, tunnels and public transportation had been shut down.

Without many of his belongings, Romano continued compiling footage of the devastation in workdays of more than 12 hours a day. He received hundreds of video feeds detailing the damage across the state of New York and, according to Romano, he was in awe the whole time.

“Seeing the devastation and destruction was remarkable,” Romano said. “Scary as hell, too.”

STORY BY CODY NORMAN

Animal Life Remains Largely Unharmed by Natural Disaster Trees and telephone poles were crushed like sticks within the grasp of what New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg called a storm of unprecedented proportions. Water rushed like a river down paths created by city streets. Land that was once occupied by some of the most visited vacation-spots in the nation was replaced by murky waterways of sewage.

Though it was no longer a hurricane, post-tropical superstorm Sandy punished the northeastern United States, leveling the Jersey Shore and killing more than a hundred people across 10 states. It whipped torrents of water over the streets of Atlantic City, pummeling the city’s fabled boardwalk, and set records in Lower Manhattan, where flooded substations caused a widespread power outage.

Despite all of the damage, however, very little wildlife was observed that perished within the destruction.

“Animals tend to flee,” said Dr. Alonso Aguirre, Executive Director of the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, via an email interview. “They escape into the forest, deeper water or higher skies when

they sense a natural disaster is coming.”

Little experimental data is available to determine if animals have a sixth sense to predict and prevent being injured during an unusual weather event. Many people, however, have anecdotes about animals being able to sense impeding changes in weather.

Researchers have tagged sharks before hurricanes that were observed fleeing to deeper waters before the storm arrived. Hannia Smith, Aguirre’s wife, observed grey squirrels prior to a storm that were piling up small branches to build a shelter just before heavy rain was expected.

Some animals, like elephants and birds, may be sensitive to the low frequency sound that waves emit during hurricanes or tsunamis.

Before the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, elephants fled to the top of mountains and saved a number of lives.

Birds may detect the slight changes in barometric and water pressure that signal a storm approaching.

Seismologists in Guanxi Province, China believe that snakes may be the most sensitive to subtle vibrations that precede an earthquake,

predicting the disaster about 120 hours prior to the major event.

Before an earthquake, snakes have

Animals tend to flee. They escape into the forest, deeper water or high skies when they sense a natural disaster is coming.

Dr. Alonso Aguirre

been seen acting erratic, repeatedly throwing themselves against the walls of their enclosures.

Like elephants, birds and snakes, most animals are widely believed to have a sixth sense that protects them from natural disasters.

“The reason the animals are fleeing the storm, the sound, air or

water pressure may not be proven,” Aguirre said. “Animals may just be reacting to the sound of an approaching storm or earthquake.

However, it is a fact that some animals can sense an approaching natural disaster.”

During the catastrophic Thailand tsunami, a disaster that killed more than 230,000 people, only one animal, a cow, was found dead – not including the fish that had washed out of the ocean. Although natural disasters oftentimes claim masses of human lives, it is extremely rare that wildlife deaths are observed.

Perhaps due to their highlyevolved senses, animals have developed an ability to cope with a harsh environment. A peregrine falcon can dive in a flight of more than 160 miles per hour, eagles and other birds of prey can see four or five times better than humans and dogs can smell up to 10,000 times better than humans. Animals, in most cases, are better prepared for the unknown in a world full of harsh climates.

“I think any animal is better equipped than humans to avoid a natural disaster,” Aguirre said.

“Humans are at a big disadvantage

to avoid disasters. [We have] so much to learn from the animal kingdom.”

While the survival rate in wildlife is astounding, the story is much different for our companion pets.

During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, more than 600,000 companion animals were killed, displaced or trapped in homes and left to drown or starve. In times of disaster, those who skip town using various forms of public transportation oftentimes leave their pets behind.

Though it may be impossible, and potentially unnecessary, to devote resources to saving wild animals from such storms, Aguirre urges pet owners to save pets and captive animals in cases of natural disasters.

“Free ranging wildlife, most of the time, take care of themselves,” Aguirre said. “The best medicine is not control, but prevention. We are contributing to a changing climate to a deteriorating environment.

Better habits by every human may improve the health of all sharing this planet.”

STORY BY CODY NORMAN

News

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OPINION

GREG THOMPSON/CREATIVE COMMONS

Jersey Native Laments Sandy’s Effect on the Shore There is nothing more frustrating or painful than watching as your hometown is torn apart while you sit in safety several hours away.

Hurricane Sandy struck my hometown, Toms River NJ, on Sunday Oct. 28. The storm hit the shore full force and in the course of one night, everything that I loved about growing up on the Jersey Shore was completely wiped out.

It may just seem like childhood memories to some, but my entire life was spent on the beaches and boardwalks that Sandy stole from us.

The first roller coaster that I ever rode is now just a twisted piece of metal. The boardwalk that I have walked every summer since before I was old enough to remember is left in splinters, in the sections where there is boardwalk left, that is. There are some places where it is just gone all together.

The ocean has completely overtaken the beaches that I used to lounge on for days at a time. It was where I laughed, and played and learned about everything that I love about life.

From the comfortable bubble that is Mason, it is hard to see the true impact of Hurricane Sandy.

Sure, it was a lot of rain and some nasty winds but not much more than that.

Students rejoiced over the fact that classes were cancelled for two days.

Some simply saw it as Mother Nature’s permission to slack and catch up on rest.

When all was said and done, there was no real damage to campus and just a day later, we are already back to business.

Everyone seems to be complaining about getting back to work and about being held responsible for assignments that were due days ago.

Very few seem to see the significant damage that was done to my home state or even care for that matter.

I wish that I could make them understand what it was like to end a summer night kicking waves walking along the beach while the lights and sounds of a crowded boardwalk filled the air. Maybe then they would understand what was lost.

I feel blessed to say that I did not lose any family members to the storm, and our property sustained minimal damage.

However, so many of the families in my community and others along the coast line were not so lucky.

Homes are flooded, shore businesses are in ruins and some families have lost everything.

Despite it all, I am confident that my hometown will be rebuilt. The power may not have been restored just yet, but the clean up has begun.

Schools have become shelters and an army of volunteers is preparing to rebuild our communitY. I would give anything to be there to help them.

As frustrating as it is being hours away and unable to join the relief efforts, it is inspiring to see the way that my community is coming together to take back our shore.

I have no doubt that we will come through this, because together we are Jersey Strong.

STORY BY EMILY BARTONE

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New Yorker’s Town Hit Hard

by Super Storm Sandy For the first 18 years of her life, Elvira Razzano lived on the shores of New York in a town called Lindenhurst, next to the beach, the canal and her family.

“I’ve lived there my entire life; that is, my entire life until college,” said Razzano, who is now a sophomore at Mason.

Last week, super storm Sandy swept up the east coast, nearly washing away Razzano’s hometown away with it. Lindenhurst is on the south shore of Long Island, right on the water. Towns on the East Coast were buffered from the swells of wind, water and sand by Fire Island, but Lindenhurst had no firstline of defense.

Residents were told to evacuate, but Razzano’s parents decided to stay.

“They never listen,” Razzano said. “They didn’t evacuate during Irene and they thought this time would be just a little worse. But it was a lot worse.”

Of the 15 houses on her street, her home is one of only two that were not devastated by the storm because of its position on an incline.

There was flooding on the first floor, but since the family just uses the space for an apartment for renters and a laundry room, the house is still livable.

Her parents did lose power, and Razzano has had limited communication with them since the storm.

“On Tuesday morning I got a text from my cousin saying they weren’t able to get in touch with my dad,” Razzano said. “He called me later saying the cell signal had been out. I was a little nervous, but I figured it was just the signal.”

Though her family got away without major

casualties, some neighbors and friends lost everything.

“One of my best friends lost his home,” Razzano said. “They had evacuated, but their home is so damaged that they’ll have to rebuild everything.”

Razanno’s mother has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, but Razzano says that the power outage has not had an affect on her mother’s health.

In the wake of the storm, Razzano has been impressed by the reaction and support from the community.

“I got an email from Mason because they knew my primary address was in NY,” Razzano said. “They gave me a list of resources I could access. It was great to see how the Mason community reacted. On Facebook there have been a lot of people participating in food and clothing drives, which I thought was nice to see.”

Though she has seen pictures and stories on her town, the full extent of Sandy has not sunk in yet.

“It hasn’t really hit me how bad it is,” Razzano said. “I feel sort of out of touch.”

Razzano will head home for Thanksgiving, but things will not be the same as usual. The family’s tradition is to hold the annual meal at her grandma’s house, which is on the water and was also affected by the storm.

“I didn’t realize how huge of an impact the storm would have,” Razzano said. “My family is really grateful that we didn’t lose our home or anyone we love.”

STORY BY COLLEEN WILSON

ELVIRA RAZZANO

Elvira Razzano at Tanner Park, where she often went as a child. Tanner Park lost part of the boardwalk in the storm.

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Pistol Marksmanship Popularity Grows One look at Mason’s course catalogue will reveal the plethora of classes available to students.

Courses run the eclectic gamut from Ornithology to Illicit Trade, covering every discipline of study from mathematics to event planning.

Among all of the classes available, it is interesting to discover that pistol marksmanship is in fact the mot popular one-credit course offered.

An unconventional and unique class, Pistol marksmanship earns students one academic credit and is offered in both spring and fall semesters.

To say it’s a relatively new class would be an understatement—it’s brand new. Offered for the first time in Spring 2011 through the School of Education and Development, the class filled immediately.

To the chagrin of the students, it had to be cancelled due to the lack of an instructor, but this current semester it’s in session and in full swing.

Any new class at Mason has to be approved by the faculty of the school in which it is offered.

The idea for pistol marksmanship came into being about four years ago from a faculty member who has since left Mason.

However, the School of Education and Development’s faculty still expressed interest in the idea, resulting in a round table discussion to flesh out the details.

According to Dr. Dominique Banville, the Academic Program Coordinator for Health and Physical Education, several faculty members were against the idea.

There were questions concerning the message of the class, as what was being pitched in the syllabus was not a self-defense

centric course but an introduction to the hobby and sport of marksmanship.

In the end, the faculty voted in favor of pistol marksmanship, began working on a syllabus, and integrated it into the course catalogue.

Before the course could officially be opened, the kinks had to be worked out.

“It was clear that we (Mason) would not provide the equipment,” stated Dr. Banville, meaning that the university would not supply the class with weaponry.

It was also necessary to find a facility willing to host a class of college students who are mainly novices when it comes to shooting.

These obstacles prevented the class from opening in Spring 2011; though it was offered—and filled up immediately—there was no instructor, and it had to be taken from the course catalog for that semester until one could be found.

Enter Benn Crandall, the instructor who saved the day. Dr. Banville by chance discovered that Crandall was qualified to teach the course—and not only was he willing, he was able to provide the equipment.

Crandall charges an equipment fee for the course and in turn provides the target pistols necessary to arm students for their exploration of, as states the syllabus, all aspects of competitive bulls-eye shooting.

The course begins with an extensive review of safety procedures—four hours, to be precise.

Required reading is comprised of documents from the National Rifle Association and the US Army Pistol marksmanship Training Guide.

“Safety is our number one concern,” said Crandall.

He makes it clear that the class sets out to instill in-depth knowledge of range protocol

and safety rules before any student gets his or her hands on a target pistol.

The students use .22 caliber rimfire semiauto target pistols.

After an introduction to all kinds of target pistols, students only interact with the .22 calibers.

There is a brief education on various barrel lengths as well as different types of actions.

These pistols are all the property of Crandall—a part of the collection he has accumulated since his days as a collegiate pistol shooter himself.

No doubt the originality and novelty of the class is what intrigues students when they scramble to sign up for it.

It’s another innovative course that Mason offers that stands out and provides an avantgarde option for a hands-on elective.

The small number of students allowed in the class contributes to an extremely engaging type of learning in which students are able to receive plenty of attention from the instructor.

When asked his opinion of why pistol marksmanship is Mason’s most popular onecredit course, Crandall responded, “I think it’s popular because it’s new—it’s different.”

Pistol marksmanship, though currently heavily male, is a sport that does not require brute strength in order for a participant to excel.

It is a sport that focuses on control and finely tuned motor skills, making it accessible to all types of people, male or female.

It’s an out of the ordinary course to add to a college transcript—and it caps at ten students.

News

Mason in the News

“Each candidate recognizes the downsides of emphasizing his own faith tradition, as surveys show substantial-sized minorities of voters expressing discomfort with Romney’s Mormon faith or not accepting the authenticity of Obama’s identity as a Christian.”

-- Mark Rozell, Mason Professor of Public Policy in an opinion piece for the Washington Post on the importance of religion in the upcoming election.

“After the housing bubble burst, the construction industry has gone way down. The numbers of works that are typically in the construction sector along coastal areas of Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland and Connecticut is limited. So in other words, the rebuilding period will take much longer than you would normally think.”

STORY BY ALEXANDRA PUGH

-- Anthony Sanders, Mason Professor at the School of Management spoke on FOX News about how long the clean up after Hurricane Sandy will take.

FREE TICKETS FOR MASON STUDENTS! THE VISION SERIES Innocent Until Nominated: Fixing the Presidential Appointments Process Jim Pfiffner, speaker Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. Free CA ADJUNCT ART FACULTY EXHIBITION November 5-30. Free FG JAZZ 4 JUSTICE November 9 at 8 p.m. $20 adu., $15 stu./sen.

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MASON SYMPHONIC BAND & PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE November 12 at 8 p.m. $10 adu., $5 stu./sen. CA 1 Free Ticket per ID Avail. NOW

FAIRFAX SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA November 17 at 8 p.m. $25, $45, $55 CH 1 Free Ticket per ID Avail. Nov. 6

THE VISION SERIES: Using Our Heads: Preventing Concussion in Youth Sport Shane Caswell, speaker Nov. 12 at 7.30 p.m. Free HC

AQUILA THEATRE Cyrano de Bergerac November 17 at 8 p.m. $24, $32, $40 HC 2 Free Tickets per ID Avail. Nov. 6

MASON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA November 14 at 8 p.m. $10 adu., $5 stu./sen. HC KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS® WITH 2 Free Tickets per ID Avail. Nov. 6 JEFFREY SIEGEL Claude Debussy – Clair de Lune MASON DANCE COMPANY - Fall Concert November 15 – 17 at 8 p.m. November 16 at 2 p.m. and Beyond November 18 at 7 p.m. $19, $30, $38 CA $15 adu., $10 stu./fac. HT 2 Free Tickets per ID Avail. Nov. 6 1 Free Ticket per ID Avail. Nov. 6

CHANTICLEER - A Chanticleer Christmas November 24 at 8 pm $24, $40, $48 CA November 25 at 4 p.m. $32, $40, $48 HC 2 Free Tickets per ID Avail. Nov. 13

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News

Broadside

Nov. 2012 Sept.

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World Police and Fire Games to Bring Revenue, International Athletes In July of 2015, Fairfax, Va. will host the World Police and Fire Games, an Olympicstyle athletic competition for public safety personnel from across the world.

Mason’s Fairfax campus will host nine of the 68 sporting events during the ten-day event from June 26 - July 5.

Founded in 1985, the World Police and Fire Games are a biennial event that offers international firefighters, policemen, customs and corrections officers a chance to showcase their athletic skills and represent their countries in a competitive arena.

The games have been hosted all around the world, and will stop in Belfast, North Ireland in 2013, before coming to Fairfax.

Though Mason has no obligation as the host site to entertain and serve the athletes and spectators, Benn Crandall, Director of Auxiliary Enterprises, is planning several business ventures for the event.

“From a business perspective, it behooves us to do the best job we can,” Crandall said.

Crandall hopes for the university to purchase a software program that would allow for the open summer dorm rooms to be rented out like a hotel rooms to athletes and spectators during the games.

“For a very small investment, we can make up to a six figure profit over the course of 10 days,” said Crandall.

In addition to turning the residence dorms into a hotel, Crandall would like to see food trucks and other food services marketed to the visitors to campus.

“It depends how much we want to spend on resources up front. With no advertising or work, we will make a small profit from this

event,” Crandall said. “But if we market and advertise and make some investments, we’re poised to make a lot of money.”

The 2015 games are being put together by the non-profit group Fairfax 2015, which has been working on the project since 2006, when the first draft proposals were created.

Bruce Blechl, executive director of Fairfax 2015 and lieutenant from Fairfax County Police Department, has put his work as an officer on hold to work full-time on the committee to put the games together.

Since the event will be hosted in the summer, Crandall and Blechl do not expect there to be problems with traffic.

Blechl said that the completion of the tunnel connecting Main Campus to West Campus, in conjunction with the fact that athletes will be transported using buses on loan from Fairfax County, will mean that traffic will hardly be affected COURTESY OF FAIRFAX 2015 at all.

To facilitate the events, volunteers will be needed to staff event and registration tables. As the date for the event draws closer, the county, Fairfax 2015 and Mason will be looking for volunteers to help.

Blechl said that the games are another way for international public safety personnel to give back to the community, both their own and the public. Donations will be made to organizations that support fallen heroes and young athletes.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring an event of this style to not only GMU, but to Fairfax county as well,” Crandall said.

STORY BY COLEEN WILSON

7

DOMINO’S PIZZA

ELECTION DAY !! !!

SPECIAL On Nov 6th, we support those who take the time to vote (Valid for Carry Out at University Mall location only) (Order 3 or more for delivery, Pan Crust additional, tax & delivery charge not included, $9 Minimum Delivery)

One Medium 1 Topping Pizza for $5.00 10649-A Braddock Rd (University Mall) Hours of Operation during GMU School Year Mon-Thurs 11am until 1am and Fri-Sat until 2am

(703) 352-0990 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. Deep dish & Brooklyn crusts are additional. Delivery charges may apply.

Drivers carry LESS than $20.00 MINIMUM DELIVERY is $9.00

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Local students participate in the program’s Summer Academy that brings students on campus to use Mason resources and engage in the classroom.

News

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY/EARLY IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM

Early Identification Program Provides Help to Local Youth Sophomore Paula De Medeiros knew from the time she first visited the Fairfax campus in seventh grade that she wanted to attended Mason.

“The first time we ever went to the Fairfax [campus] it was pretty cool, because I was like, ‘Oh college students,’” De Medeiros said. “It actually made it real for me.”

For many of her peers, however, college was just a word; it carried no meaning.

The Mason Early Identification Program (EIP) not only cultivated the meaning of college for De Medeiros at a young age, but it also produced long-time friends and the support of the organization’s community.

When Lewis Forrest, Executive Director of EIP, walks into the EIP student lounge, he’s greeted with a chorus of “Hi, Mr. Lewis,” from the students whose lives have been changed because of the EIP. “It’s an extended family,” Forrest said.

Mason EIP is a college-access program housed at Mason. EIP is designed to encourage students from seventh grade to have the opportunity to be their family’s first generation college student. In eighth grade and high school, students go through a series of classes and seminars to give them a leg up before they enter college.

Once in college, they have the benefit of a network of support within the EIP. “I give them the father speech when they come here: ‘I know you’re not in EIP as a high school student anymore, but as a college student, this is a place you need to stay connected because all of the resources that

are available here; we can network you in to a lot of that stuff,” Forrest said.

Participation in the program spans almost five years before entering Mason as a freshman. Through those five years, students develop relationships that without the EIP would not exist. De Medeiros met a group of people in EIP in which she still retains close friendships with.

“Even though Yazmin [Dzib] went to Osbourn Park, I would have never met her if we weren’t in the program,” said De Medeiros, who grew up in Manassas and went to Osbourn High School. “So then during EIP, we were a group of friends.”

The strong relationship between the students and Mason, also motivates them to succeed. EIP alumni have created a network of students and Mason faculty that they can rely on for support.

“Any time you spend four to five years with anybody, I think some sort of a relationship is made,” Forrest said. “Especially if you all have that one thing in common: none of our parents went to college and now we’re all here.

It’s a pretty cool thing to all be in that situation together and kind of root for each other’s success.”

“When you have friends and people that are going through the same thing, you motivate each other and you’re like, ‘Oh she’s doing it so I can do it,’” De Medeiros said. “So you don’t feel like, ‘Oh man, how am I going to get through this?’ You have people that you can text and be like, ‘Hey this is stressing me out,’ and they’ll be like, ’Oh no, do it like this,’ or, ‘I’ll

help you.’ It’s the motivation.”

Mason has embraced the EIP as a connection to the community surrounding Mason.

The EIP pulls 600 students from seven school divisions in the area. These divisions include Arlington, Prince William, Falls Church, Manassas Park, Manassas City, Alexandria and Fairfax.

“I think when folks in the communities see that for 25 years, Mason has supported a program like this to help students in their backyards get to Mason and be prepared to come to Mason, I think that’s a pretty strong statement that the Mason community has invested in the larger community whether it be Fairfax or Manassas Park or Falls Church City,” Forrest said. “I was in Falls Church City this morning and that’s one of the things that they said. It’s really good that our students have that advantage to see [Mason] and the students really get attached to Mason.”

The school divisions have embraced the EIP program and have awarded them recognition. In 2011, they received the Community Partnership Award in Arlington County. In 2010, they earned the District Partnership Award in Alexandria. Early on in the EIP’s history, they were recognized by the Department of Education and were invited to the White House as part of the High Hopes initiative.

On the other end, it’s an advantage for Mason’s admissions process as a recruiting tool.

“Even as an eighth grader, you go through the program, you’re on campus and you go

back to school and you’re one of two kids in your school that spent the weekend at Mason,” Forrest said. “That’s kind of a badge of honor for some students. So they know they want to go to Mason maybe as a ninth grader.”

Many Mason EIP alumni come back to the program during their undergraduate and graduate years to work in the EIP office, work as a mentor for other EIP students “The younger students, they’ve heard me a million times, but if I pull a student and say, come to this event and tell this group of ninth or tenth graders your story, then it resonates differently,” Forrest said.

The EIP is a cumulative effort of the faculty, such as Forrest, the students participating in the program, Mason and the local community as well as the EIP alumni such as De Medeiros and graduate student Bianca Alba.

“I was able to do the summer academy, mentoring, and was able to mentor throughout the years,” said Alba, who is currently working on a master’s degree. “That was a really great experience, so not only was I able to give back to an organization that gave me so much, but I was able to hopefully, you know, encourage a lot of the students in this program to continue to be in school and that it is a possibility. This program is a home away from home. We’re most definitely a family that you can count on.”

STORY BY NIKI PAPDOGIANNAKIS

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Documentary Features Controversial Chinese Artist A screening of the film “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry” in the Johnson Center cinema Nov. 14 at 6:30 pm.

The showing is hosted by Mason’s Film and Media Studies department, in conjunction with the English Department and Honors Collegeand will be free and open to the public.

This film, a documentary by first-time director Alison Klayman, depicts the story of a Chinese artist who expresses his beliefs and reaches out to the Chinese people through controversial works.

Weiwei has continued his work despite government backlash, which has included beating, and the destruction of a newly built studio.

According to a description of the documentary from Mason’s Film and Media Studies webpage, Weiwei describes his work this way: “As an artist, I value other artists’ efforts to challenge the definition of beauty, goodness, and the will of the times. These roles cannot be separated.

Maybe I’m just an undercover artist in the disguise of a dissident; I couldn’t care less about the implications.”

Beth Hoffman, an assistant professor of Mason’s English department,

introduced the initial idea of this event.

The idea spurred from an Honors 122 course she teaches this semester, Reading the Arts: Performance, Participation and Social Change.

“The course introduces students to a particular area of practice within the contemporary arts scene that takes social relationships as its object,” Hoffman said.

The material she teaches relates directly to Weiwei’s work and its influence over social issues.

Weiwei’s main motive behind his work is to challenge Chinese censorship and draw attention to many issues being suppressed by the government.

“He has put himself at enormous personal risk to try and draw attention to and resist censorship in China, and so I feel that his example makes the stakes surrounding social practice and what it can accomplish really tangible,” Hoffman said.

However, his work is very interdisciplinary and reaches many aspects of cultural and social issues.

Weiwei also utilizes social media in his work, a very prevalent device in today’s world.

“We all use social media; we all find ourselves part of a global community, and we’re all trying to make sense of what that means--politically, ethically, legally, personally. Ai’s story is one that we all should know,” Hoffman said.

This documentary aims to relate his story to all audiences. Students across almost any discipline will be able to find connections between their work and Weiwei’s.

Following the screening, there will be a question and answer session with Hasan Elahi, Associate Professor of Art at the University of Maryland.

Elahi has used similar methods of art and social media to spread cultural issues, and has dealt with lawful consequences himself.

Elahi has a story similar to Weiwei: as he was arrested in the U.S. under terrorist suspicions.

In backlash, he began a website to show his daily whereabouts in order to prove his innocence to the FBI. STORY BY EVAN PETSCHKE

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Rain or Shine Mason Dining Feeds Students on Campus

ASHTON BURZIO/GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

Ai Weiwei is the focus of the documentary “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry” which will air in the Johnson Center cinema on Nov. 14.

NOVEMBER 5TH-9TH

RISK MANAGEMENT WEEK DAILY TIPS

By: Taren Henry, Mason Dining Student PR

Hurricane Sandy brought Mason classes and offices to a close on Monday October 29th and Tuesday October 30th, but Mason Dining remained open with 63 brave employees facing the storm to ensure Mason students and employees were fed. The staff included a combination of individuals from catering, Southside, and the Johnson Center along with seventeen managers and some of the administrative staff who prepared, cooked and served the food and cleaned up after the food was served. Monday, the Southside and the catering culinary staff of Mason Dining produced a combination of 2,200 salads and sandwiches for the staff and residents on campus and distributed them from 1pm until they were gone shortly after 6pm. The staff’s efforts didn’t end after they finished passing out the food, though. Afterwards, on Monday night during the peak of the storm scare, eleven managers and six hourly employees stayed overnight to ensure that breakfast would be ready in the morning for students and staff. Steve Westgren, Director of Retail Operations for Mason Dining, proudly reflected on mason Dining’s efforts by saying “It was heartening to see the dedication, care and concern of our staff over these trying days, and I'm proud to be a part of the Mason Dining team and happy to have been of service.” Instead of taking the easy way out and using the excuse of not being able to fully staff dining facilities on campus because of the hurricane, Dining pulled together internally and successfully fed the Mason community.

For more information about Mason Dining visit Facebook.com/masondining

Monday - Risk Management is everyone's job, all year long.

Tuesday - When two cars collide, we can guide.

Effective Risk Management helps protect people, operations, and resources, allowing campuses to meet their missions.

Brought to you by The Office of Risk Management

Vehicle accidents should be reported to the police and The Office of Risk Management.

Wednesday - Don't leave it around, or it won't be found. Small electronic items should be placed in a secured desk drawer or cabinet when not in use.

Thursday - Property Loss? contact us. Inventory your department's property regularly. All property loss, damaged, or stolen should be promptly reported to The Office of Risk Management.

Friday- Be alert, so you don't get hurt. Wet

leaves and snow can be slick so, be aware of where you are stepping.

The Bottom Line? Campus risk management is everyone's job, all year long.

Help us create a culture of risk management!

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Phone: 703-993-2599

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In This Election, Economy is Key

Flashback to November 2008.

I was at an election results watch party waiting for the results to come in for the McCain/Obama election and slowly realizing that the Republican Party was going to lose. Not only did we lose the presidency, we lost our congresswoman’s seat, and the senate.

I thought about all the hard work I put in as a high school intern making countless phone calls, door knocking, and driving around the district putting signs into people’s yards. The 2008 election cycle was the first time I got to vote because I was one of the lucky ones to turn 18 a few weeks prior. Although we lost terribly, it did not deter me from working on campaigns year after year and fighting for what I believe in.

I had a glimmer of hope when the Republicans had a big win in 2009 with Governor Bob McDonnell and his ticket being elected and that is when I knew Virginia wanted to be a red state again. At that point I knew Virginia had their priorities set: job creation, affordable education, and going on the path to rebuilding the economy. That next year (2010), the Republicans took back the Congress and I knew this country was on the right path

again.

This upcoming election is absolutely crucial. People need to set aside the rhetoric and look up the cold hard facts. These past four years that President Obama has been in office have reversed the track the country was on. Yes, reversed. In what ways? Number one: unemployment. The unemployment rate has not gone down.

The president was simply too distracted by too many promises and too many initiatives at the same time. He simply had too much on his plate. It was great that he had all these great promises of hope and change in 2008, but now it’s November 2012 and I have to worry that I am going to graduate jobless because this economy is in the dumps.

I vote for economic security, because at the end of the day social issues and the like will not matter when you are jobless and have no opportunities for work. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have a plan that will reverse this economy, and they know it will not happen overnight or even four years…it will gradually happen over many years and it is going to take long because of the damage done by the Obama administration.

Most of all, I vote Republican because I

Of those polled: 139 were women 111 were men

believe in the American dream. Contrary to the Republican stereotypes, I am not wealthy and I did not grow up privileged. I grew up in an average middle class family that worked hard so we would never take a government handout and take money from people that earned their incomes. I believe in economic freedom, the right to get to where you want to be in life, for opportunities. This election is important because you need to make that decision too…live free or live with a government that does not believe people can make it on their own.

The choice is yours.

News

Campu 59.6%

Kristie Colorado Chairwoman of College Republicans

Obama

29 were out-of-state 221were in-state

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us Poll 19.2%

Romney 8.8%

Undecided

8.4%

Not Voting

4%

Other

20.8%

11

No Matter Who For, Get Out and Vote For many Mason students, including me, Tuesday will mark the first Presidential election that we are able to cast our vote in. In Virginia, we will be electing the President, a new Senator and members of the House. As influential as those offices are, I know there are still those among us who are reluctant to go to the polls because they believe their vote won’t matter. To you, skeptical Patriots, my message is this: This election is too important to sit on the sidelines and let the rest of the country decide it for you.

As college students, this election is important because our ability to pay for college and receive affordable health care are at stake. The Obama administration has worked hard to make paying for college manageable. The administration doubled funding for Pell grants and fought to keep interest rates on student loans from doubling. In contrast, Governor Romney has advocated reducing Pell grant funding to help reduce the national debt. While we can all agree that something must be done about the debt, we have to decide whether or not balancing the budget on the backs of students in the right choice. The Obama administration has also expanded

47.2%

32%

Republicans Democrats Other

health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act so that young adults can stay on their parent’s insurance until they turn 26, a policy Governor Romney has vowed to reverse on “day one” of his presidency.

This election is also important to us as future graduates. We will all be facing a rocky job market, a tumultuous global community, and a need to move towards energy independence. The Obama administration took a country that was losing jobs in 2009 and turned it into a country with steady job growth in 2012. It took a health care system that could deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions to one that expands affordable care to all citizens. The President ended the war in Iraq, reduced the number of troops in Afghanistan, and brought some of America’s greatest enemies to justice. The Obama administration has also laid out a clear plan to reduce our dependency on foreign oil while promoting clean energy, focusing not just on energy independence, but also on protecting the environment for future generations.

This election is also important in the fight for equality. President Obama,

Tim Kaine, and Gerry Connolly have all supported expanding access to preventative care and family planning services for women, equal pay, and equal rights for gay and lesbian couples. If we want to live in a country where a person can’t be discriminated against based on their gender or sexual orientation, we need to elect leaders who share those values.

Find yourself agreeing with me?

Disagreeing every step of the way?

Somewhere in between? Great! That means you have opinions. And it is my opinion that people with opinions should vote. Don’t sit this one out.

See you at the polls!

Megan Adamczewski President of Student Democrats

Freshmen Sophomores Sophomore Juniors Seniors Grad. 14

52 52 60 67

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News

Presidential Believe in America

Energy Independence

- Increase access to domestic energy resources - Streamline permitting for exploration and development - Eliminate regulations destroying the coal industry - Approve Keystone XL pipeline

The Skills to Succeed - Give every family access to a great school and quality teachers - Provide access to affordable and effective higher education options - Focus job training programs on building valuable skills that align with opportunities - Attract and retain the best and the brightest from around the world

Trade that Works for America - Curtail the unfair trade practices of countries like China - Open new markets for American goods and services - Build stronger economic ties in Latin America - Create a Reagan Economic Zone to strengthen free enterprise around the world

Cut the Defecit

Mitt Romney

- Immediately reduce non-security discretionary spending by five percent - Cap federal spending below twenty percent of the economy - Give states responsibilities for programs that they can implement more effectively - Consolidadte agencies and align compensation of federal workers with their prive sector counterparts

Champion Small Business

- Reduce taxes on job creation through individual and corporate tax reform - Stop the increases in regulation that are tangling job creators in red tape - Protect workers and businesses from strong-arm labor tactics - Replace Obamacare with real health care reform that controls cost and improves care

AUSTEN HUFFORD

Man

on the

Street

What is the most important issue to you in this

election?

“The economy because it needs to be better and it’s not where it should be.“ -Chris Phillips, junior

“Getting passed the recession so we can get more jobs, because I want a job when I graduate.” -Khurram Muhammad, junior

“The economy because we all need jobs and there’s not many to have.“ -Kyle Dingle, junior

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Platforms Forward

Make Education and Training and National Priority - Prepare 100,000 additional Math and Science Teachers - Train 2 million workers with jobs skills at our community colleges - Cut the growth of tuition in half and expanding student aid

Invest in Manufacturing - Create one million manufacturing jobs - Create a new network of 15 to 20 manufacturing innovation institutes to bring together business and research universities to ensure that the next generation of products are invented and manufactured here

Produce More American Made Energy - Reduce American dependency on foreign oil by cutting oil imports in half - Focus on American energy sources like oil, clean coal and natural gas - Dedicate research funds to renewable resources like wind, solar and bio-fuels

Barack Obama

Cut the Deficit

- Increase tax rates for those who earn over $250,000 a year - Reduce the federal deficit by $4 trillion over the next decade - Make tax cuts for the middle taxes for the middle class

Nation Building in America

- Bring the war in Afghanistan to an end - Apply half the savings from ending the war to pay down the federal debt - Use the other savings to invest in national infrastructure Platform summarized by Shane Smith, Mason Votes

DANIEL BORMAN

“Economic and social issues will definitely be the biggest issues because that’s just where our nation is at the moment.“ -Morgan Screptock, sophomore

“Immigration, social issues such as human rights, not so much the economy even though that’s a big issue for a lot of people. “- Emily Maldonado, graduate student

“Taxes and the future of green energy. Taxes are important for every citizen, especially for me because I have a lot of depreciations.” - Zhen Wang, junior

“The economy is the most important issue of this election because we’re all in college right now and then we have to deal with debt when we graduate.“ - Bryant Hilaire, freshman

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The Joke’s on Mitt The Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA) is a Mason affiliate research program that conducts scientific studies of the news and entertainment media. Headed by S. Robert Lichter, a professor of communication the center monitors the media for mentions and coverage of political campaigns.

The most recent study published studied how many times television comedians mentioned the candidates.

142 jokes at the expense 62 jokes at the expense of Mitt Romney on late night talk show monologues

of Barack Obama on late night talk show monologues

Mitt Romney is hoping to energize Republicans by announcing Paul Ryan as his running mate. Seriously?

That's like trying to spice up a bowl of oatmeal with more oatmeal.

–Jimmy Fallon



VIVA VIVANISTA

Republicans like Paul Ryan because they say he’s a fiscal conservative, and that’s a perfect balance for Romney who’s a guy that has an elevator for his Cadillacs.

–David Letterman

News

Top Ten Targets:

The policiticians that comedians love to hate 1. Mitt Romney (R) – 148 2. Barack Obama (D) – 62 3. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- 39 4. Bill Clinton (D) -- 28 5. Paul Ryan (R) -- 20 6. Prince Harry -- 19 7. Clint Eastwood (R) - 18 8. Joe Biden (D) -- 16 9. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – 15 10. Chris Christie (R) - 14

Romney Jokes

2.3:1

For every joke told about Obama, 2.3 were told about Romney. The greatest discrepancy between the two candidates was on “The Late Show with David Letterman” with 44 jokes about Romney and nine about Obama.

Obama Joke CHAD MCNEELEY

Apparently Mitt Romney wants to limit his appearances to places where no one will attack his positions. You know, like the debates.

–Craig Ferguson RACHEL LOVINGER

One of President Obama’s winning points last night was about how sanctions against Iran are crippling their economy. And believe me, if anyone knows how to cripple an economy, it’s President Obama.

–Jay Leno LEE STRANAHAN

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STEPHEN KLINE/BROADSIDE

Mason as a Polling Place In 2011, Mason was established as a voting additional amenity to campus life.

Out-of-state students who have registered precinct, giving resident students an opportunity to vote on campus in University Hall. For to vote on campus will be able to have a say out-of-state students, there is now the option in local issues like education, infrastructure to register a permanent residency and vote on and government that affect them as students at Mason. the Virginia ballot.

“It entices students to participate in the Voter turnout is expected to increase from democratic last year’s 74 voters process because it because of the presimakes the process dential and congresa lot easier to sional elections. not have to mail As of August, It entices students to particia ballot,” said approximately 400 pate in the democratic process Shane Smith, voters were expected because it makes the process a senior and senior to use the precinct executive editor of this November. lot easier to not have to mail a MasonVotes. “For However, because of ballot. me, being an out of the increased number state student who of registered voters has lived her for over the course of the four years now, being able to vote here solidisemester, the figure may have changed.

“Having an on-campus voting precinct is fies the feeling that his is home. I get to vote on a unique opportunity for Mason students. It issues that affect the areas where I live, which allows for us to show our feelings on a particu- makes me a proud resident of Fairfax.”

Even if turnout for the Mason precinct is lar issue or candidate without having our opinion diluted by other nearby voters,” said low again, the university will continue to have Donald Garrett, election officer and a junior a precinct until the next census and set of at Mason. “Also, it adds to our designation redistricting. as a residential campus. People who choose to live on-campus have a precinct that is an STORY BY COLLEEN WILSON

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Entertainment

LEAD.GMU.EDU

Active Leader Program Holds Skills Seminar According to Nick Lennon, Director of the Leadership Education and Development Office, “Every student has the capacity to be a leader in some way.”

The most difficult obstacle to overcome is the myth that you must hold a powerful position or claim some high rank in order to be a leader.

There is much more to being a leader than most realize, and that is what Lennon wishes to teach students through his work with the lead office and its two pilot programs, Active Leaders and the SEED program.

“This program has become sort of like my mission in life, more than just my job,” Lennon said. “I want to be able to look back and know that I helped to create a more positive world.”

The Active Leaders program invites students to take part in a 10-week seminar that builds leadership skills through various activities and reflection both in groups and individually.

The program is in its first year and the seminar began at the beginning

of the semester.

While the program covers a wide array of topics relating to leadership, it focuses on the importance of ethics, and incorporating ethics into every aspect of leadership decisions to facilitate a positive change.

The program is open to all students, which provides for an incredibly diverse and welcoming atmosphere.

Participants come from all backgrounds and all attend for very different reasons, however they share the common bond that is they wish to become stronger leaders.

The SEED program is an extension of the Active Leaders program that will begin its pilot year next semester.

It builds on what students take from the Active Leaders program and was devised to show students that there is more than one way to lead. Leadership is built through a combination of human service, ethical actions, engagement within the community, and acceptance of diversity.

While both the Active Leaders Course and the SEED program

It is my hope that the students who are involved with these programs will leave them more prepared to be leaders in their careers, their lives, whatever they go on to next are still in their pilot phases, their founder would eventually like to see all students have the opportunity to be involved with them during their college career.

The LEAD office is unique in that it offers more than just textbook facts, it offers opportunities for

experiential learning.

Experiential learning is the idea that an individual learns a great deal from the sum of their experiences that they could not have learned from a textbook.

The many programs that the office has to offer are developed to enforce the idea that leadership is made up of three primary principles.

Understanding yourself by accepting your strengths as well as your weaknesses.

Understanding others by accepting diversity and keeping an open mind at all times.

And finally by using that understanding through the filter of ethical decisions to make positive changes to the world around you.

This principle supports the mission of the LEAD office, which according to its Director is, “to help students feel empowered to make a positive difference.”

The LEAD office offers several opportunities for involvement throughout the year including seminars, conferences, and academic programs.

Their programs are open to faculty, staff and alumnae all of whom could benefit from these educational events.

For students especially, taking advantage provides the opportunity to pick up unique skills that will stay with them throughout their future lives and careers.

As Lennon points out, programs such as Active Leaders and SEED are also excellent additions to a resume.

“LEAD’s various opportunities can help students become better team players with strong communication skills, and much more. These are the top 2 qualities/skills that employers are seeking.”

That being said, what the LEAD office really offers is innovative and exciting ways for students to develop leaderships skills that they may never have thought possible.

“It is my hope that the students who are involved with these programs will leave them more prepared to be leaders in their careers, their lives, whatever they go on to next,” Lennon said.

STORY BY EMILY BARTONE

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Broadside Twitter Share your thoughts about Mason and Broadside with us on Twitter and follow along for this week’s news at @MasonBroadside

Mariam Waqar @Murrrrium

S/O to @MasonBroadside for printing a @ Mason_Science Education article this week!!

Be sure to read it on page 13

James Ho @_JamesHo

Shout out to @MasonBroadside for the story on @GMUMensLax!!!

Kevin Loker @KevinLoker

Just learned of Romney rally Monday at my alma mater, @GeorgeMasonU. Excited to watch @Connect2Mason, @MasonBroadside + @ MasonVotes cover.

ALEXANDRA SUDAK/BROADSIDE

Harvest Moon Cafe Provides Creative Performance Venue for Students day due to Hurricane Sandy.

Even so, the JC Bistro was full of people eager to celebrate Halloween by listening to their fellow students share their work and local bands perform their songs.

WGMU recruited The Ash Lovelies and Star FK Radium by perusing concert listings and reviews on a website focused on the DC music scene.

The radio station works to cultivate strong relationships with local artists, who gain exposure by performing at WGMU-hosted events.

As part of the event, Volition held a Scary Story and Poetry Contest, inviting participants to write a piece revolving around the theme obscure phobias.

First-place winner Mary Grant received a $100 cash prize, and her poem “Linonophobia” will be published in the fall issue of the magazine. The runners-up Makin and Shumalia Ahmad, who placed third for her short story “Anatidaephobia”, are published on the Volition website.

“We decided to create Harvest Moon Café for the same reason we hold many

great events throughout the year: to provide students with a fun and positive place to come interact with GMU’s creative community,” said Alexandra Hoey, Prose and Poetry Editor at Volition, in an email.

The event was primarily organized by Hannah Wing, Volition’s Co-Executive Editor, and Hannah Landsberger, WGMU’s Music Director. “[I] really liked the idea of giving students a way to celebrate the holiday,” Landsberger said, also via e-mail. “Not everyone likes to go out and party, so this was a different kind of gathering that people could come to have a good time and feel comfortable in. Once Volition agreed to cohost and we added a local mic hour to the event, all the places just seemed to fall into place.”

Volition and WGMU are just two of the many components of Mason’s Student Media. The various branches frequently collaborate on events.

In fact, later in November, Volition is holding an event with the Mason Cable Network, during which they

will show the winners of the Volition & MCN Volonté Film Festival, and on November 6, WGMU will cosponsor the Mason Votes Election Night Party with Mason Votes, MCN, Broadside and Connect2Mason.

The event involves a panel of Student Media leaders who will provide live commentary on the election as well as free pizza and giveaways.

Events like Harvest Moon Café are essential for engaging Mason’s creative community.

Not only is it an excellent opportunity for socializing, but it also provides students with an outlet in which they can share their work and fully engage in their artistic sides.

“Reading at the Harvest Moon Cafe event was actually a lot of fun,” Makin said.

“I’d never done anything like that before, and I was a bit nervous, but the people were really nice and were totally laid back. It was awesome. I liked being able to showcase something that I’d written, and I liked being able to be recognized for it.”

STORY BY AMY WOOLSEY

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The Johnson Center Bistro is silent except for a single voice infiltrating the darkness from the stage at the front of the room: “I know now that he will never go away. He will never leave me alone.

The Scary Man will always be there, hidden in the darkness of my room.”

The audience listens rapt as Kathryn Makin, a senior at Mason, reads her short story Shadows in the Dark, which won second place in a contest hosted by Volition, Mason’s undergraduate literary magazine.

When she finishes, her voice fading into silence, a wave of appreciative applause goes up among the wooden tables scattered about the restaurant.

Welcome to Harvest Moon Café, a Halloween-themed event organized by Volition, the student-run creative magazine and WGMU, the student-run radio station, that incorporated everything from costumes and live music to open-mic poetry and short story readings and, of course, free food.

Although originally planned for October 30, the event was postponed for a

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Nov. 5, 2012

Broadside OPINION

The Carouser Report:

The D.C. Horror Show The yellow taxi is spiraling down Route 66, transporting us to safety. The lights of oncoming traffic are a blur and I am trying my best to remain coherent.

The driver and I are caught up in a conversation about his homeland, India. I am having a hard time remembering where specifically he hails from, and he is having a hard time understanding my slurred ramblings.

The only thing I can focus on is the everincreasing fare. The numbers are rapidly reaching into the $60 range. I am frantic. I know there is no way I can afford the bill.

I am contemplating a high risk jump from the speeding van and taking my chances with the street.

Then it hits me like a kick in the groin: the big city, in all its attractiveness, has bested me. Now she is getting her last kick while watching me flee from her grip at 3:30 a.m.

As we cruise along, she is laughing as I squirm about in the cab, desperately trying to get out of a pickle.

The allure of Washington D.C. draws many to George Mason. Weekends in the big city are a commodity to many who seek the thrills of night life.

Unfortunately, partying it up in the city is best kept to those who know a thing or two about how the system works.

For those who are accustomed to the average college party, going downtown to drink can often become a daunting task.

The following are some friendly suggestions for avoiding a catastrophic night.

First, I know pre-gaming is our way of starting the night off right while saving some money. However, modesty goes a long way.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen friends try to be pre-game heroes.

Then, en route to D.C., they transform into puke monsters and everyone is stuck battling torrents of vomit. Remember, you are going to a bar; they have more booze.

Next, have a plan and direction for the place you want to go. Don’t just hop on the metro and try to wing it.

Doing some research will give you some idea as to where the best bars are located.

Once you’ve pinpointed a location, have a game plan.

The bar districts of D.C. are scattered and you will often have to take the metro or taxi to get from one bar to another.

Having a general layout of the night will

allow you to navigate the city with ease.

No one wants to be part of that lost tribe of Drunkopia.

Taking cash with you is also a good idea.

The mean city will literally leave you penniless. You will often think you had a great night, until you look at your bank account and notice the $300 void in your savings.

Plan a budget and stick to it. I recommend having around $80 with you. Gentlemen, this will also come in handy for all the cover charges you will inevitably have to pay.

Also important: consider what to wear. For the men, wearing something modestly classy is highly recommended.

Don’t dress as if you are making a trip to Home Depot. Getting refused entrance to a bar because you look like you just woke up is a buzz kill.

Ladies, I know you want to dress all fancy with the 4-inch heels, but don’t.

Your feet will look like a toad’s face by the end of the night. Also, you don’t want to end up walking around barefoot at the end of the night.

It’s likely you’ll step on some glass and contract gangrene. Having sexy legs Saturday night isn’t worth having a peg leg Sunday morning.

Lastly, and most importantly, know how you are getting home.

Check what time the last metro leaves D.C. Believe me, they won’t wait for you. Having to take a taxi home is by far the most costly mistake you can make.

The taxi man won’t care that you spent all your money on kamikaze shooters and gigantic pizza slices.

Of course, as always, be safe. Washington, D.C. can be a delightful place to spend your weekend evenings.

However, with poor planning, you’ll be sitting on a curb come 4 a.m., praying for your bathroom toilet while asking the homeless man next to you where the best cardboard lodging is.

EDITORIAL BY

DUSTIN POST

Entertainment

Mason Cable Network Reaches New Heights For 15 years Mason Cable Network (MCN), Mason’s student-run television station, has changed from channel to channel on the campus’s television line-up.

They have been on channel 19 and 89. This year finally they have started to broadcast in high definition on their current channel 231. There have been years of old videos and student work running on its 24 hour circulation. Now for the first time the network is trying something new.

Mason Cable Network has begun engaging in live broadcasting in various forms this semester. The ability to broadcast started with connect2mason.com last year through their online streams of International Week’s Opening ceremony and Greek Sing.

“MCN is taking the broadcasts to a new level,” MCN general manager Jake McLernon said.

In the last couple of months MCN has broadcasted the entire home season

of Mason’s Club Football team, Mason Madness and the Step Expo. Along with that, they hosted a live feed of President Obama’s recent grassroots event in the Center for the Arts.

“It is a really exciting opportunity that MCN has not had before,” McLernon said. “With the addition of live broadcasting, MCN is on the way to paving the way becoming a true television station that will innovate as we progress.”

MCN is not just working on live programs this semester, they are also taking advantage of their new in-office studio. They have produced several news segments, movie reviews and interviews in the studio that are on the channel’s current circulation.

MCN is using this all as part of its new mission of becoming the community’s all campus access channel.

“We want any member of the Mason community to come to us with their videos, ideas and produce shows

with us,” McLernon said.

“MCN can help train those who want to be involved with access to our equipment and facilities and do not know how. We can offer a time slot to people, circulating and distributing their programming to the campus.”

Though MCN has done all of this work in little under a semester’s time, McLernon knows that there is a lot more to come.

“What we have done so far is just the tip of the iceberg.,” McLernon said. “I feel strongly that when Mason and the community notices what we are doing and begins to get hooked on our programming, they will hopefully want to become involved and create their own.”

Students can watch MCN on channel 231 on campus and watch their live broadcasts on the network or online connect2mason.com/live.

STORY BY BRYAN DOMBROWSKI

Entertainment

Broadside

Nov. 5, 2012

19

OPINION

Green Colleen:

Brownie Bliss

MANNY ALFARO/BROADSIDE

Man Made Selection: Machines Take Over This is the digital age and people everywhere have surrendered many aspects of their lives to technology. What if someone were to tamper with those systems?

Mankind could be in a lot of trouble. What if those systems themselves decided to unshackle from their purposes and turn on their creators?

The machine uprising, a war between man and his own technology, might no longer be the works of science fiction.

“Two big things have to happen for a machine takeover: computers need to become sentient and thus capable of taking over the world and they need to want to take over the world,” said Dr. Trevor Thrall, Biodefense Director and professor of Public & International Affairs.

The point of singularity, the theoretical emergence of greater-than-human superintelligence through technological means, is that first step.

We are all very familiar with the incredible power of computers; try passing Calculus II without a calculator.

It is not just math, though.

Remember Watson, the supercomputer on Jeopardy?

A computer that was able to trump the longest and most decorated winner on the show with ease.

Man has been competing with his hardwired

counterpart for a long time and has been beaten in many fields.

Machines simply are not limited in the same way we are by our bodies and minds, but do not lose hope yet.

The state of technology is very advanced, but it is not perfect. We still have humans who pilot our military drones.

We still have software specialists maintaining our large computer systems.

Humans love their technology, but fortunately we do not trust the machines to run everything completely on their own. At least not yet.

Now if we assume computers reach a point of greaterthan-human intelligence, should we assume it means the end of mankind?

It all comes down to whether or not the computers develop a system of reason based upon similar human morals. Would they want to destroy us? Would they have any reason to do so?

It is possible that some of the machines would seek our destruction, but surely there is a chance that others would stand in our defense.

Transformers anyone?

Maybe that is a little too Hollywood, but what about the possibility of a fully mechanized military force running amok like Skynet from Terminator? Unlikely.

“We simply have not built any military systems like that; what is much more

susceptible is our power grid. It is old and fragile: just imagine a failure to the north in the middle of winter,” Dr Thrall said.

The possibility of singularity is a mysterious toss up, and the only way we will find out is to wait and see. A much more realistic threat is hurting each other with technology.

A constant cyber war rages on every second between the United States and China.

We use drones that can level entire buildings with the push of a button.

We are developing remote operated tanks. We are constantly trying to come up with better ways to kill one another without putting ourselves at risk.

“This is understandable: the world can be a scary place and you want to be secure, but the whole world is creating military technology that will make the world a much less wonderful place to live,” Dr Thrall explained, “and if the machines ever do decide to take over, we will have made sure they already have all the weapons they need to do it.”

Do not throw your all your electronics just yet. Have some trust in mankind to stay in control of their creations and a little faith that if singularity does come around, the machines will act a little more humane than we do.

STORY BY BRYAN DOMBROWSKI

There is nothing better than a warm, chocolatey gooey brownie. That is, until you add something in the middle.

I try to bake something for the Broadside staff each week during deadline, but I wanted to do something a little more exciting than your basic brownie.

I also had a bag of peppermint patties in my room that I needed to remove from temptation.

It was a perfect combination. I baked the patties right in to the brownies, creating a cool minty bite in the middle of the chocolate confection.

I always like the corner brownies best, so I made my brownies in muffin tins to give each one a bit of crunch on the edges.

The method is simple. Simply put together a brownie mix, either homemade or boxed, as you usually would.

Pour half of the batter into the pan, then drop peppermint patties in.

Fill the rest of the muffin cups or brownie pan with batter.

Bake at recommended temperature and time.

Be careful not to eat the brownies too quickly. The peppermint patty centers may

be much hotter than the exterior brownie.

If you’re not a fan of minty candy, you could subsitute the patties for any number of other sweets.

Leftover Halloween candy like peanut butter cups, Rolos or Snickers would be a perfect option.

One of our staffers, after taking a bite, said, “I feel as though I have transcended something.”

Really, you can’t go wrong with adding more sugar to a brownie.

EDITORIAL BY

COLLEEN WILSON

Advertisement

“Bad to the Bone” BBQ Columbus Day Mason Dining kicked operations into high gear to deliver the biggest and baddest BBQ event Mason has ever seen during the Columbus Day holiday this month. The “Bad to the Bone” Barbeque Cook-Off featured a BBQ 101 class, a rib-cooking competition, and free samples for all attendees.

Mason Dining served enough BBQ to feed over 1000 people: 300 pounds of pork shoulder, 200 pounds of chicken, and over 1000 ears of corn on the cob. The entire event, including preparation time, spanned over 13 hours, with a variety of different smokers and grills being hauled onto campus from the local area the night before.

Long-time barbeque pro and Manager of Southside, Mark Arnold, conducted an hour-long BBQ 101 class that taught basic techniques and principles in preparation, cooking, and the tools of barbeque. BBQ books, rubs, sauces, and commemorative long-sleeve shirts were given out by raffle to attendees throughout the day.

The main event for the day was the rib-cooking competition in which six teams went rib to rib to prove their BBQ skills. The teams were composed of Mason employees with significant barbeque backgrounds and regional differences. In order to perfectly tenderize their ribs, competitors began arriving around 5:00AM, still hours before sunrise.

All day, the smell of hickory smoke permeated the plaza near Southside and drew a crowd from the surrounding Mason community. The teams received an introduction from student rapper and event MC, The Virtuous “V” as they placed the finishing touches on their competition entries.

Ribs were ranked based on quality of appearance, taste, and tenderness. Five VIP Mason staff members and one celebrity judge, Kevin Walsh, were given the task of choosing a cook-off winner. Walsh is a Managing Partner of Capitol BBQ, a popular local source for information, ingredients, and BBQ equipment, which supplied the event with the essentials from eco-friendly charcoal, fire starter, to the smoking woods. After all six rib entries were carefully savored; first place was awarded to Bill Brown’s team, “GMU EHS.” Brown is the Fire and Safety Inspector Supervisor and was competing with fellow GMU Environmental Health & Safety Employees. Mark Arnold and the “Lost Pigs” received second place.

The “Bad to the Bone” BBQ was a delight for students during their holiday recess. In addition to all the hard work put in, Sodexo went a step further, besides using organic charcoal and an eco-friendly fire-starter, all the plates were eco-friendly also. Students can look forward to more entertaining and delicious free events from Mason Dining throughout the school year, such as Cram Jam, the free midnight pancake event held during finals in December and the Gingerbread House Decorating Contest held in November.

20

Broadside

Nov. 5, 2012

Broadside

George Mason University’s Student Newspaper

Cody Norman, Editor-in-Chief

cnorman2@masonlive.gmu.edu

Colleen Wilson, Managing Editor Stephen Kline, Photography and Design Editor Elise Baker, Editorials Editor Aaron Locke, News Editor Alexandra Sudak, Assistant News Editor Emily Bartone, Entertainment Editor Bryan Dombrowski, Sports Editor Jennifer Miller, Assistant Sports Editor Sae Rynn Kwon, Copy Editor Michelle Minnich, Copy Editor Manny Alfaro, Cartoonist Kathryn Mangus, Faculty Advisor Jacques Mouyal, Business Manager David Carroll, Associate Director Broadside is a weekly publication printed each Monday for George Mason University and its surrounding Fairfax community. The editors at Broadside 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 Editorin-Chief should be notified at the information given above. Broadside is a free publication. Limit one copy per person.

Broadside is on Twitter Follow along at @MasonBroadside for the latest news and notes around Mason

Editorials

A Reflective Time in Humanity Two weeks ago we had a sense of confidence and power in our destinies.

We had all the modern conveniences, with wireless internet, electricity, and fully intact government services. Our lives were hindered only by grueling studies, challenging classes, and a legion of first world problems. That was how so many of us lived here in Northern Virginia and in New England for that matter a mere two weeks in the past.

And then there was last week. The news came days in advance: a major tropical storm turned hurricane was coming. One for the record books, it took dozens of lives before it even reached the East Coast. Satellite photos and telling prognostications showcased it all: a brutal storm named Sandy was coming for us. And there was nothing we could do about it.

We the superpower, we the advanced society. All we could do was give it some punny appellations as it slogged towards the oldest states in the Union.

People everywhere could only run, pray, and as so excessively said, hunker

down as the winds kicked up and the rains poured.

Mason did as others did, canceling classes and bracing for the storm. In my neighborhood, within the same region of the Commonwealth as the main campus, we looked upward at the trees.

Those beautiful arboreal giants could so easily knock out the power or total a car, among other things. As wind and rain did come to land, many fell, upon fences, houses, and roads. They took out power lines and ceilings, disrupting for many the stability of former days.

Flooding hit as well, especially places like New Jersey and New York, as cars were brushed away like toy battleships in a bathtub. Political campaigns suspended and even after the storm had passed us, various offices at Mason canceled their hours and some professors considered further cancellation in light of the situations for their pupils.

All it took was a storm. All it took was a couple days of natural rage. As a result, the federal government shut down, thousands lost electricity, many died. In New Jersey and New York City,

To Each Their Own This past weekend I attended a Model UN conference in Bethesda, Md. with representatives from 100 other universities. During my time there, I befriended a Canadian from Montreal and we began to talk about American politics. He asked me: “Why is it filled with so much hatred and rivalry?”

Feeling perplexed I told him: “I’m honestly not sure why, and no American relishes it in our system.” After some thought I came to a conclusion that politicians are forced into two groups and not allowed to go in between ideological lines.

Today our politicians are condemned for bipartisanship. For example, a storm ravaged New Jersey and now they need assistance to get out of the ashes.

Left with a limited number of resources, Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, asked President Obama for federal aid.

President Obama visited New Jersey to witness the horrific sites with his own eyes as Governor Christie walked by his side. At the conclusion of the President’s visit Governor Christie said: “I cannot thank the President enough for his personal concern and compassion for our state and for the people of our state.” In response to his comments

the conservative public and the far right wing of the GOP attacked Christie.

In a tragedy that left 12 dead and thousands without homes, the conservative’s greatest worry is Christie getting along with Obama. I think there are more dire events than a new friendship between two men with contrasting ideologies.

But this is not just a conservative theme; the liberals are equally problematic.

In late May Cory Booker, the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey made a comment on the popular news show “Meet the Press” that President Obama’s campaign tactics against Governor Romney nauseated him. An embarrassed Democratic Party forced Booker to tape a You Tube video announcing his unwavering support for President Obama. Booker added that he was disgusted with both campaigns.

These two examples exemplify the divide between the two ideologies and how both refuse to cross paths. In the words of Mayor Booker this is nauseating and needs to stop.

It is okay to have differing views from someone else. Unless it is a policy like the “final solution” no one should be demonized for their beliefs. And I feel

OPINION

gasoline became rare, public services stopped, and desperation arose. Some attributed it to Divine Justice, others attributed it to Global Warming. Rather than go into the theological or scientific merit of the claims, simply take one point from all these words.

One week ago, so many of us lived our lives with the normal minor problems and issues of a first world middle class populace. We took things for granted and lived on. The next week our world stopped and found itself besieged by a power that we could only watch. Powerlessness, stagnation; being at the mercy of forces beyond our ability to tame. It was, if nothing else, a time to humble those of us who thought we could completely control our lives.

As the land dries and power returns, it is a lesson that should be kept in mind.

EDITORIAL BY

MICHAEL GRYBOWSKI

OPINION like I see this here at Mason.

It consistently appears that the liberal student body feels safer to speak out on this campus in contrast to the conservative students. After the first debate I asked a friend whom he planned on voting for; he responded by asking: “Are you liberal or conservative?” I told him I was moderate and proceeded to say: “I’ll probably vote for Romney”.

It made me wonder that if I said I was liberal would he respond with the same answer. More importantly, his question exemplifies the fear and divides between the two ideologies.

And it should not be that way, because we are a country where freedom means that we can dictate the direction of our country. Along with that, no person should be ridiculed for their opinion in direction.

To end this demonization we, the people, must stop it ourselves. As soon as this divide ends at the grassroots level, it will end in Washington.

EDITORIAL BY

NATE FALK

Editorials Broadside

Nov. 5, 2012

21

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Response to “Recreational Sex Culture Infiltrates College Relationship Scene” I found Emily Bartone’s article, “Recreational Sex Culture Infiltrates College Relationship Scene” disappointing and offensive. First, the author describes a scenario from the woman who wakes up next to a stranger and has rejected “the morals that she was raised with”.

Then she goes on to slut-shame her by saying that “for some reason, she just could not feel guilty”, because society encourages casual sex.

Actually, it’s the author’s ideas that do more harm than society.

I don’t believe that my moral compass lies between my legs. It’s possible to be a good person and still have casual sex. This is provided the sex occurs between two consenting adults. And that leads to the next problem: the problem seems to be with the woman’s actions in Bartone’s imagined scene. Nowhere does Bartone mention the stranger’s viewpoint, and this only reinforces the double standard that women are tarnished for having sex, but men escape unscathed. I want to be treated like an adult. What that means is I’m not some Taylor Swift princess put up on a pedestal and knocked off the minute I choose to have sex. And I expect the same adult behavior from my partner.

Because adults can have respectful, consensual, and, (gasp) casual sex.

And she really shouldn’t blame the pill for the shenanigans, either.

The pill doesn’t make women go out and want to be “bad”. It provides protection for responsible sex.

Women have to fight way too much for the basic right to access contraceptives, particularly with the current political climate, and myths like this only perpetuate the cycle of ignorance.

The feminist movement isn’t evil. Actually, it’s because of this that Emily Bartone is allowed to attend George Mason and voice her opinion. And encouraging

expression of sexuality is actually a good thing, not another factor leading to the evil of casual sex.

Expression of sexuality means not having to fake orgasm, so if the feminists get credit for that one, cool.

That makes sex enjoyable. Because that’s what sex is supposed to be: fun. I’ll choose that sex any day over lying back and thinking of England.

The reference to “50 Shades of Grey” is embarrassing because it does not actually represent a healthy approach to casual sex or sadism and masochism. Actually, “50 Shades of Grey” is about an abusive relationship. But it flew off the shelves because it does discuss sex frankly and, sadly, that’s what’s considered a refreshing view right now. It’s hardly surprising because the alternative, Twilight, was basically a tract for the abstinence movement. Neither should be regarded as models for healthy sex because in both the woman is infantilized and passive.

That’s the problem with the author’s view on casual sex: she can’t conceive that the woman is responsible for her own sex life and enjoys it. Instead, she’s a victim of the feminist movement, the free love movement, the pill, whatever.

The viewpoint is every bit as patronizing as the ideas in “50 Shades of Grey” and “Twilight”.

Those consequences of casual sex are the same as “regular” sex. But STD’s and pregnancy are preventable, and just because people are having casual sex does not deem them irresponsible. Actually, it makes many of them more conscientious. Look at the effectiveness of the abstinence movement.

I’m not haunted by my sexual choices, because they’re my prerogative. Sex is a healthy and normal part of life. I don’t need an article telling me why I’ve tragically ruined myself for relationships because of my sex life. And many college students (non-fictional ones, even!) agree with me. I’ll have to poll the next few strangers I wake up next to

just to be sure, though.

Katri Haas Response to “Recreational Sex Culture Infiltrates College Relationship Scene” The article entitled “Recreational Sex Culture Infiltrates College Relationship Scene” from the October 29 issue of Broadside is a self-righteous attempt for those who are against recreational sex to pass their moral judgment on the personal decisions of other college students. My first complaint is the placement of this article in the Entertainment section. The sly and snobbish remarks make this an opinion article, not something that belongs in a section meant for more objective reporting. The author of this article starts off in the beginning of her article with an anecdote about a college girl who has a one-night stand, following with the statement, “...for some reason she just could not feel guilty.

Why? Because society has led her to believe that it was ok.”

This statement is unfair to women and all people choosing to participate in sex for many different reasons. Why is it necessary for the author to mention that the woman in this scenario is not feeling guilty about having sex? Women have the right to have consensual sex whenever they choose and should not have to feel guilty about it. The author is completely wrong about society leading the woman to think it is okay not to feel guilty about a one-night-stand. All across college campuses, women are unfairly branded as “sluts” and “whores” for participating in casual sex. Society is still a harsh judge when it comes to the sexual activity of women. It is because of attitudes like those of the author’s that women are made to feel ashamed for their actions.

The implication made in this article that women should feel guilty for having sex is an attitude that does

not belong in this century, nor in the Entertainment section of the Broadside.

This article also seems to cast a negative light on the advancement our society has made since the birth control pill has been made more accessible. The pill gives women the freedom to make decisions about their reproductive health. The article implies that the pill, along with alcohol and cannabis, have made students participate in more casual sex without thinking about the consequences of their actions.

Why does the author of this article seem to think she has the moral authority to judge those who choose to have casual sex? If this article was in the opinion section, she would have every right to state that college students who have sex don’t think about the consequences, even though she is wrong.

In fact, because of the advancements our society has made, thanks to the feminists mentioned in this article, as well as several other groups, people are now practicing safer sex than ever. How can Bartone say that we aren’t thinking about the consequences?

According to Advocates for Youth, safe-sex education programs have made young people make healthier decisions about their sex life. Just because college students participate in casual sex does not mean they are not thinking about their future.

Programs at GMU such as Sexual Chocolate, as well as the free condoms available in the office of Alcohol and Drug Education, make it even easier for students to be prepared for safe sex. Students are using these programs and are thinking about possible consequences of their actions.

The concluding remarks in this “entertainment” article allude for the hope to return to the days when people did not participate in sex for recreational purposes. Sorry, but this is not the 1950s. Our advancements as a society have made sex

safer than ever. I am happy that as a culture, we are more comfortable and open about sex.

Janelle Germanos President, George Mason Patriots for Choice Response to “Recreational Sex Culture Infiltrates College Relationship Scene” Dear Editor The following letter was written and approved by the Feminist Student Organization meeting this evening.

We are writing you to give our objections of the recent article called “Recreational Sex Culture Infiltrates College Relationship Scene” published in the Entertainment Section of this week’s Broadside issue. The article is not news and does not belong in the Entertainment section. The message of the article is counteractive to the work of Housing and Residence Life, Sexual Assault Services, and many other offices on campus who teach students about consent and healthy relationships. The article puts blame onto a female student who was intoxicated in a situation or rape. The article also genders sexuality and discounts many women’s experiences. The article perpetuates slut shaming rather than educating the Mason community the importance of consent, how to give consent, and transform our culture away from rape culture.

To fix this error, we urge Broadside staff to issue a formal apology and write a new piece correcting the misinformation with a draft sent to Sexual Assault Services, Housing and Residence Life, the Women and Gender Studies, and the Feminist Student Organization for final approval before publishing.

Jason Von Kundra on behalf of the Feminist Student Organization

Want to share your opinion?

Letters to the editor are welcome and are printed on the basis of space, quality and timeliness. All submissions are the property of Broadside and may be edited for brevity, clarity and grammar. Material containing libel, racial slurs, personal attacks or obscenities may be edited or rejected. The author’s name, class year (and/or title where appropriate), major and daytime phone number must be included for verification of authenticity. The deadline for submission is Thursday by 10 p.m.

All unsigned staff editorials are written to represent the view of the Broadside staff, a diverse set of opinions determined by the members of the editorial board. Letters to the editor, columns, artwork and other commentaries strictly represent the opinions of the authors and do not represent the official opinion of the newspaper.

Contact Us Broadside George Mason University Mailstop 2C5 4400 University Drive Fairfax, Va. 22030 Phone: 703.993.2950 cnorman2@gmu.edu

22

Nov. 5, 2012

Broadside

Fencing Lunges at Expansion

Memories to Last a Lifetime

Field Hockey Season Comes to a Close

MASON FIELD HOCKEY

With her last season playing field hockey as a Patriot at its end, senior Kristin Clark looks back on her three year career with a heavy heart, but with memories that will last a lifetime. She is set to graduate in the spring.

“I’m so sad that this is my last year,” said Clark. “It was definitely all worth it, though.”

Clark, team captain and president of this club, started playing the sport 10 years ago after noticing how enthralled her older sister was with the game.

“Growing up, you always want to be like your older siblings, so naturally I wanted to play field hockey as well,” Clark said. “She’s my biggest influence.”

Clark joined the field hockey club her freshman year, and is hoping to continue her career as a player after graduation.

This past season, the team’s record was 3-5-1. Many of those losses were tight, close games that could have gone either way. This was a major increase from their last season, in which the team lost almost all their games.

Clark attributes this change to the new group of freshmen who were fully committed to the success of the sport and their team.

“One game that really stuck out was when we played against Loyola University,” said Clark. “We had no substitutes and we were playing away, with the odds against us. We were neck-and-neck for the entire game until we scored our 6th goal and played a more defensive game, going on to win 6-5. I feel very fortunate leaving the team in the hands

Sports

of these new players, as they are our future,” said Clark.

The club was founded in 1996 and is co-ed, one of only a handful at Mason.

“I honestly love the feeling of being able to go up against a guy and take the ball away from him,” said Clark. “It is just so satisfying.”

The club is looking for more men to join; as of now, there is only one man on the team.

“These girls go hard,” said freshman Will Krawczak. “If there are any other guys out there that love the game and want to achieve new heights, playing on the field with these girls will surely put a new perspective on their life.”

Other schools have made their club team open for men to become members as well, such as JMU, against whom Mason had a extremely close game with this season.

“Guys should feel more than comfortable to join, as we really do have a great organization here,” Clark said.

One probable inhibitor to guys joining the team is the idea that field is hockey is a girl’s only sport.

In the past, the sport has been girl’s only at Mason, but now it is a co-ed sport.

With this season coming to a finish last week, the team is working hard preparing for their next season in the upcoming fall. With this new batch of skilled players, the future of this team appears very promising.

STORY BY KERRY BURNS

Fencing, has become a dying sport in the world today.

But that is slowly changing as collegiate fencing programs are sprouting up throughout the nation, forming their own conferences and competing in tournaments.

With a new president leading the way, Mason’s fencing team is looking to make its mark on Mason sports, clinch the division and go even further in their quest for success.

Since its formation in 2008, the team has managed to maintain the number one seed in their conference this season.

With one tournament under their belts, Mason’s fencing team won gold in the individual fencing tournament on Oct. 14 and are looking to defend this title in their upcoming tournament on Nov. 18 at Saint John’s University.

“Our conference is a large one with two new additions, including Drexel and Georgetown,” captain Khalfan Javaid said. “There are excellent teams with great coaching and we have to work hard to be the best.”

Their number one title has come with a lot of determination and dedication as the team is one of the few in the conference without a coach.

“Since we do not have a coach, we have to put more research into the sport and work harder,” Khalfan said. “It is a disadvantage, but we are up to the challenge.”

While not having a coach is not as imperative in regular sports, it is much more significant in fencing due to the mental toughness required for the sport.

Fencing requires patience and perfection of skill and form with less physical contact like basketball or football.

“It is not just swinging a sword like everyone thinks,” Khalfan said, “There is much more skill and technique

ROGER DEAN/GMU FENCING CLUB

required than most people think.”

Since fencing is not a well known sport, the collegiate teams are highly dedicated to advertising the sport and getting others involved.

While the sport itself is highly competitive, members of different teams become friends and share a sense of camaraderie.

They are appreciative of the difficulty of the sport and help each other out despite the rivalry on the strip.

“Because we do not have a coach, the coach at the Naval Academy invites me to practice sessions once a month,” Khalfan said. “He gives out the lessons to his rivals because he sees the potential in us and wants to further the sport, not because

he is looking to crush the competition.”

Khalfan has worked hard at advertising the fencing club and is attempting to host a tournament at Mason for the spring semester.

He does find, however, that it is difficult to maintain a steady number of players throughout four years.

“If ten people come out for the season, it is likely only two or three will come back,” Khalfan said. “It is very different due to the mental toughness required, but it is a great club.”

The team is looking for both supporters and members for the season.

STORY BY JORDAN CONAHAN

Sports

Broadside

Nov. 5, 2012

23

Masonettes Enrich Dancer’s College Experience

MICHELLE CHIN/MASONETTES

Lindsey Iandolo, captain of the Masonettes, top right, is one of five senior Masonettes this year.

After the buzzer sounds, the crowd settles back and the teams head to the locker room, the floor is taken over by energetic dance moves.

The Masonettes have been getting the crowd excited the whole game, but halftime is their time to show off all their hard work.

One member that knows all about the time spent to try to perfect routines is Lindsey Iandolo, captain of the Masonettes.

She is now a senior, but her dedication to the team started even before auditions.

“I have been dancing since I was two years old, so being able to continue my dancing career was a major factor in picking a college,” Iandolo said.

When she saw Mason’s program, she decided that it was something she would love being a part of.

She audition was a grueling 7-hour process, but all the work paid off when she found out that she had made the team.

Now began the practices

three days a week for the big performances.

“At first it was nerve wracking to perform, but now it is a lot of fun to perform and have everyone see the results of our hard work,” Iandolo said.

On top of all the practices, Iandolo also was in the process of making some new best friends along the way.

With the Masonettes, Iandolo also found a new love for basketball.

“I somewhat understood before, but now I know it all.

I find myself watching March Madness when I never would have before,” Iandolo said.

It is not only basketball that the Masonettes support. The team has a lot of school spirit as a team and tries to attend many other sporting events.

“They are more involved and it helps them stay as part of the Mason community,” Iandolo said.

The Masonettes compete at Nationals in January every year. This is one of the hardest things for Iandolo because it prevents her from being able to go home for winter break.

The team also takes part in a lot of community service projects and team bonding sessions outside of practice.

Even with so much going on just within the Masonettes, Iandolo still finds time to be really involved in the Mason community.

She is the Vice President of the Chi Omega chapter, the representative for the Masonettes on the Student Athletic Advising Council all while majoring in integrative studies with a concentration in elementary education.

The Masonettes have made an impact of any basketball fans’ experience, but it has definitely changed the life on Iandolo.

“I really enjoy performing at the games and being a part of the Mason community. My teammates are my best friends and my college experience would have been completely different without Masonettes,” Iandolo said.

STORY BY JENNIFER MILLER

Lacrosse Prepares to Repeat Strong Spring Season Going into their fourth and final season as part of the women’s lacrosse team, seniors Ashley Argyros and Caitlin Formato believe that this is their year.

“It’s the best year. We’re having fun this year,” said Argyros and Formato, stating that this year has a whole different feel to it. “The vibe from the coaches to the players is just different.”

Led by coach Lauren Hay, the team finished their fall ball season with their best record since Argyros and Formato arrived at Mason. Fall ball, although it does not count towards anything, gets the team prepared for the regular season, which begins in the spring. Going 7-3-1, they have shown improvement in all aspects of their game, beating teams they would not have matched up against in years past.

Most recently, the team hosted a tournament as part of their fall

ball season. A big part of the tournament was to emphasize breast cancer awareness.

Teams are encouraged to wear pink for former player Kiersten Jauschnegg, who graduated last year. Jauschnegg lost her mother to breast cancer.

“We make sure we have pink headbands and whatever we can find we try and do. Last year we wore pink jerseys,” explained Argyros, a defenseman from Pittsburgh.

The Patriots went on to win all four games in the tournament for the first time. Beating Longwood, UMBC, Howard and Bucknell, the two seniors believe major changes have led to the team’s success. For the first time, the team has yet to name captains. Instead, they have established a leadership committee consisting of three seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and a freshman. The committee is responsible for making sure players

are going to meetings, class, organizing community service and that no one is slacking. Both Argyros and Formato are part of the committee and like the effects it has been having.

“It actually turned out better than I thought it would be,” said Formato, one of last year’s captains. “It makes the underclassmen step up a bit and there’s less pressure.”

Another big change has been the coaching. Along with Hay, new assistant coach Adam Norton has been a huge part for their newly winning ways.

“I think they both have balanced each other out really well. I don’t think it’s more one than the other.

They bring out the best in each other,” the two seniors explained.

While they may not have the most talented team ever, Argyros and Formato are confident this team is the best one they have been part of.

“To me, in sports, it’s all about being on the same page. A team can be full of the best athletes but they’re not going to win if the other team gets along well and has good attitude and plays together. And I think that’s what we’ll have more for us this year,” said Formato, the midfielder from Buffalo, NY. “We’ve had the talent to have a way better record the past three years we’ve been here.”

The team’s winning ways has their confidence higher than it has ever been. The next couple months of the offseason are the hardest time to keep that confidence high. “There’s a lot running, a lot of conditioning and stuff so the fact we ended fall ball on a really positive note that its going to fall through into our off season,” Argyros said.

The two believe the team’s great play will motivate them to carry their momentum into the offseason

and throughout the season. Unlike years past, they are ready to showcase what they have been working for.

“It’s taken four years to put it together and hopefully we’ll be able to tell people we’re 10-3,” said Argyros and Formato, emphasizing their goal to change the program to a winning one.

“You could say from every single person in our class from the point we stepped on campus till the day we graduate, we wanted the same thing. And this year we’re all on the same level.”

The new and improved lacrosse team will have to wait a while to prove to everyone they are the real deal as their home opener is not until Feb. 23 against Brown University.

STORY BY JAMES ZEMBRISKI

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Nov. 5, 2012

Broadside

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