Following a strike of Sodexo workers on Wednesday and Thursday, George Mason University administration announced Friday that they would investigate workers’ complaints against Sodexo. PG. 3
George Mason University’s Student Newspaper
See page 4 for clarifications and corrections to last week’s front page article “Riding in cars with boys.”
September 13, 2010
Volume 87 Issue 3
www.broadsideonline.com
FIFA comes to Mason Soccer facilities to be used if US receives World Cup bid
Photo by John Powell
FIFA officials came to George Mason University’s Patriot Stadium last Tuesday to see Mason’s soccer fields, which might be used in the 2018 World Cup if the United States receives the bid to host the tournament.
John Powell Sports Editor At 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7, FIFA officials came to look at Patriot Stadium to see if it could be used as a practice facility for the 2018 World Cup. U.S. Soccer has submitted a bid to host the famous world soccer championship in either 2018 or 2022. However, they seem to be focusing on the 2018 bid. They are competing with England, Russia, Belgium and the Netherlands, who have submitted a joint bid, and Portugal and Spain, who have done the same. Indonesia and Mexico have dropped out of the running. As part of the process, FIFA officials have visited prospective countries since July 19, looking at practice fields as well as host stadiums. This is where George Mason University comes in. The university’s soccer facilities were used for the 1994 World Cup as they may be in 2018. “It’s a visibility issue. It would be great for the students to know that the university is on a world scale. Now, in 1994, it was a practice site and we got great exposure. So I think for the students to have that type of feeling is great for the university,” said Mason’s Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Tom O’Connor, who is confident that the
facility will be used if U.S. soccer receives the bid. After University President Alan Merten and O’Connor welcomed the officials, Head Coach Greg Andrulis and his team followed suit, giving them some small tokens of appreciation including scarves and cups. The team even let some officials shoot on one of the team’s goals. The officials scored, of course. “I think we have a lot of things going for us: certainly the fields we have, not only the game field but the practice field, and the seclusion that we can give to the teams if they would like to have closed practices, plus, the distance between here and D.C. and quite frankly the distance between the Mason Inn and here. People didn’t know about the Mason Inn until they came today and we told them about it. There are many, many plusses for us to have it that year,” said O’Connor. FIFA will announce which country will receive the right to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on Dec. 2, giving them months to decide after inspections end on Sept. 17.
Photo by John Powell
George Mason University President Alan Merten was at Patriot Stadium along with Tom O’Connor, assistant vice president and director of Athletics, Greg Andrulis, men soccer’s head coach, and the men’s soccer team to greet FIFA officials as they viewed the fields.
C mmuting to campus Patriots weigh in on rift between commuter and on-campus students Erin Powell Student Life Beat Writer For years, George Mason University has been acclaimed for being one of the most diverse schools in the nation, bridging the distance between local and international students. Yet with each new semester, there seems to be a growing divide between two particular types of students — those who live on-campus and those who commute. “When you're a commuter, the only time you spend on campus is car-park-walk-class-walkcar-drive-home. You don't hear or see that much,” said junior Becca Marshall, who drives about a halfhour from her home in Reston to Fairfax for classes. This new divide is creating a social rift between commuters and on-campus residents, where interaction is limited. “Besides classes I wouldn't say there is that much [interaction],” said Marshall. “Everyone has their friends, and I'm sure some commute and some don't.” Living at home with parents or family members can be a hassle, especially if a curfew is involved.
“The people who live with their parents don’t have the nightlife like on-campus residents,” said sophomore nursing major Tina Hughes, who resides in the Chesapeake residential neighborhood. “There’s not a lot of opportunities to meet people.” Many commuters have a good reason for not living on campus. Most have the responsibility of a job or are trying to save money, especially with the cost of tuition skyrocketing. “It felt silly to pay so much more money to live 30 minutes away,” said Marshall. For many upperclassmen, choosing to rent a house or apartment with friends off-campus is common, but still not as convenient as living on-campus. “Because I lived on-campus prior to this semester, I probably know more on-campus residents than commuters,” said senior biology major Aaron Phillips, who commutes about five miles to campus via bicycle. “I miss being able to wake up 15 minutes before class starts and walking in right on time for the lecture. Everything I do now has to be worked out and arranged beforehand. Still, I really like living off campus and having a place [mostly] to my own.”
Parking Pains ‘We don’t have a parking problem . . . The problem comes in how close to your building you can park.’ Gregory Connolly Asst. News Editor With 5,400 students living on campus and many more who commute, the 12,400 parking spaces at George Mason University’s Fairfax campus see their fair share of use. “We don’t have a parking problem,” said Mason Press Secretary Dan Walsch. “The problem comes in how close to your building you can park.” Walsch said the number of spaces available throughout the day — though some may be in a less convenient location than others — meets the needs of the university community. “I understand the inconvenience people may feel if they cannot park as close to where they need to go,” Walsch said. Carola Sierra, a junior athletic training major, characterized the parking situation on campus as “horrible.” “I once had to park at University Mall by McDonald’s,” Sierra said. “Every time I come to campus I have to drive around for 10 minutes to find a space. I’m always running and it’s a pain.” “With a university this size, they [parking] does a good enough job,” said Patrick Graham, a senior sociology major, “but good enough can still make it difficult for the individual.” Graham said he knows there are complications with the logistics of parking in a school the size of Mason. “I don’t mind walking 10 minutes to class,” he said. “Some people, though, may have trouble with that.”
Although Mason is one of the largest universities in Virginia with over 18,000 undergraduate students, only about 5,000 live on campus. For many students, the benefits of living on-site outweigh
the negatives. “You have so many more resources [on campus] — office hours, the library … you’re just around people more,” said Hughes.
Walsch said the money from permit sales goes to maintaining parking facilities and paying the salaries of the workers who populate them. Mason parking keeps a separate account for money brought in by the permits. As for the future construction of more parking spaces, Walsch said nothing is set in stone. “There’s potential that we may build another garage,” he said, “or that we may add additional parking in the southwest part of campus.” Walsch said there are too many unknown variables at this point to comment on what such a project would cost or where the funding would come from. He said university officials consider the growth of the institution when new buildings are under consideration. “We’re always looking at ways to make our facility more workable for students, faculty and visitors,” Walsch said. He said the Fairfax campus attracts millions of visitors each year. “If a garage were constructed, it would have ample space,” Walsch said. “The cost would determine the size of the facility.” He said revenue-generating structures such as a parking garage are typically funded from a variety of sources, including the state of Virginia, student fees and revenue bonds. As the garage generates income, some of that money goes to recoup construction costs while some goes toward general upkeep of the garage, including the salaries of the workers who keep the building running.
However, even if there was increased interaction among these students, there will always be some who like to remain more secluded from university life. “I know plenty of social com-
muters, and I know plenty of reclusive on-campus residents. You’re going to be the same person you’ve always been, regardless of where you’re living,” said Phillips.