Articles by: Cody Norman

 

• The Carouser Report: Carousing Safely

  Lifestyle October 4, 2012 at 12:17 pm Comments are Disabled

  In the dodgy world of journalism, the search for the truth is a sought out commodity. Fortunately for you, I am chock-full of it. Unfortunately, the powers that be see it otherwise. Like a stray scratching at the back door, the issue of college drinking is a permanent annoyance for those who have moved far beyond their college years. They like to use statistics to mash down the peeping blisters that glorify the drinking scene. An awful tragedy weighs heavy in the truth game. To that end, I can only say that for every horrific tragedy, hundreds are prevented by good folk who understand the phrase “Live tonight to party tomorrow!”  The burden falls on us to keep each other safe. In order to avoid the pithy, over-chewed rhetoric you’ve already heard about responsible drinking, I suppose, as always, I should give you some practical real world advice. It is a bad decision every time. Drunk driving is a ghastly sin. If you really need to get home, call a taxi, ride the bus, or call someone who hasn’t been drinking.  However, staying the night is your best option. Your bed will still be there tomorrow. I’ve slept everywhere: on […]

   
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  A New Take on Prohibition

  Lifestyle October 4, 2012 at 12:12 pm Comments are Disabled

  Book Review by Colleen Wilson In December of 1930, Jack, Forrest and Howard Bondurant were crossing a bridge with cars full of illegal moonshine when they were stopped by local sheriff deputies looking for trouble. Historical accounts of the event are unclear, but the altercation quickly turned violent and two of the brothers were shot. Decades later, Matt Bondurant, grandson of Jack, learned about the shooting and of the violent past his grandfather and great-uncles had experienced during Prohibition in rural Virginia. “In contemporary society everyone sort of universally agrees that [Prohibition] was a bad idea,” said Bondurant, author of “The Wettest County in the World.” “It was a terrible idea, so the people who were breaking the law during that time are not seen as criminals today, they were just more like interesting people.” The novel, which now sells under the title “Lawless” after the movie based on the same story, is a historical fiction about Frederick County, Va. during prohibition. Though the storyline is fictionalized, the characters are Bondurant’s ancestors and their real-life associates that Bondurant spent years researching. “My work is always heavily informed by research,” said Bondurant. “I write a lot about things that actually are. Sometimes […]

   
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  From Binding to Box Office: Former Mason Professor Matt Bondurant has Book Turned into Movie

  Multimedia, News1 October 4, 2012 at 12:02 pm Comments are Disabled

  Matt Bondurant caught his first break at Mason. After moving back to his hometown in Northern Virginia, Bondurant began interviewing for part-time academic jobs but was hired as a full-time faculty in Fairfax, a rare feat for an aspiring author with no publications to his name. “I was the guy with a Ph. D. and nothing else,” Bondurant said. Despite a heavy teaching load consisting of four composition courses, Bondurant published his first book shortly after coming to Mason. He immediately began working on his second book, efficiently using his infrequent free time to churn out another novel. “You have to manage your time,” Bondurant said. “But the teaching schedule allows some flexibility.” Because it is essential for an author to have numerous publications to his name in order to advance in the field of academia, Bondurant worked at an astonishing pace, publishing a book every three to four years. “If I hadn’t been under the gun, academically speaking, I would have spent another year or two on most of my books,” Bondurant said. “But, on the other hand, after three or four years, I get kind of sick of one thing. I invest myself in a world for three […]

   
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  Green Colleen: Upcycling Cereal Boxes

  Editorials October 4, 2012 at 11:51 am Comments are Disabled

  It’s hard to believe, but we are already five weeks into the semester. Almost all at once, the tests, readings and homework seem to have piled up, nearly crushing us under their weight. Around this time each semester, I start to become untangled. My laundry bin overflows, my hair is constantly in a messy ponytail and my desk becomes unrecognizable. Buried under a mountain of paperwork, I can hardly find a place to set up my laptop and get some work done. The environment is hardly conducive to a productive workspace. This week, I decided to shape up and get myself in order. I threw my laundry in the wash, brushed my hair and sat down to attack my desk. A short while later, I had a full recycling bin and stacks of neatly organized papers. The only trouble was that I still had no place to put them. Leaving them on my desk would only welcome the clutter back and stuffing the papers in the drawers would undo all of my work to organize them. The solution was upright desk organizers designed to hold papers and magazines. The problem was that I didn’t have any. A quick look through […]

   
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  Nutrition Impossible: A Guide to Eating Healthy, Even When on Campus

  Lifestyle October 4, 2012 at 11:47 am Comments are Disabled

  For many students, college is the first time away from home and their first real taste of freedom. It’s also the first time students do not get to sit down to a home-cooked meal every night. While most colleges offer healthy eating options, students tend to reach for the faster, unhealthier options, which can quickly lead to the freshman 15. Studies have shown that there are a number of reasons as to why students tend to gain weight at college, especially during their first year. College is a whole new social setting, and our culture associates being social with eating. When meeting up with friends, students almost always go to get something to eat. Southside is popular because you can swipe in and spend the whole day there, doing homework and getting up to grab something to eat every once in a while. Pilot House and Ike’s are popular for late night hang outs, giving students a chance to eat and chat early into the morning. Meal plans are designed to give students a wide variety of options as to what they can buy and how many times a day they eat. With a meal plan, a student can decide […]

   

• Mason Professors Start Online Economics University

  News1 October 4, 2012 at 11:43 am Comments are Disabled

  Mason Professors Dr. Tyler Cowen and Dr. Alex Tabarrok, both economists and co-authors of the Marginal Revolution blog, have announced their plans to launch their very own Marginal Revolution University (MRU) on Oct. 1. MRU will not only benefit Mason Economics students, but anyone with access to a computer. Internet users across the globe who are willing to learn about economics will have the opportunity to become an MRU user. As Cowen said in an email interview, “MRU will expand quality, access, and affordability to economics education.  It will aid the Mason brand and make it more global.  It will show Mason to be a hotbed of innovators, as it truly is.” Cowen and Tabarrok have carefully engineered an eight point curricular plan for MRU, which can be seen to the right. What makes MRU unique is that it is merely a learning module that can be used to create a MOOC. MRU will be simple and user friendly, therefore accessible for everyone around the world. Accessibility is key to this project for success, and social media is playing a huge role, especially in this day and age. Not only will MRU be completely free, but extra material will be […]

   

• “Diversity Sucks” Event Held in Liberty Square

  News1 October 4, 2012 at 11:42 am Comments are Disabled

  On Sept. 25, Mason hosted an event called “Diversity Sucks” in Liberty Square in order to stimulate conversations about diversity amongst students. The program was advertised by flyers posted around the Shenandoah neighborhood; the residents of Liberty Square were emailed directly by the event coordinators to participate in a discussion about diversity. Khorey Baker, Assistant Director of Residential Education and spokesperson of the program, said that his role in the program is not to define diversity for the attendees but to inspire them to engage in candid and open-minded conversations about what they think diversity is. Baker also said he is interested in bringing students together to create friendships and to help them prepare themselves to be better global citizens after college. As far as the name of the program goes, a resident of Liberty Square said that the title Diversity Sucks was designed specifically to capture the attention of people.  He was right.  Baker said that it is just a name to get a reaction.  The reaction was quite clear as all the seats in the lobby were taken. The program began with a brief introduction from Baker as well as the establishment of two ground rules: students will […]

   

• C4I Provides University with Unique Study Opportunities

  News1 October 4, 2012 at 11:40 am Comments are Disabled

  Those looking to not only bolster their resumes but also make an impact on a nation-wide scale might be interested in the Center for Command, Control, Communications, Computing and Intelligence, otherwise known as the C4I Center. Started in July 1989 by Dr. Harry Van Trees, the C4I Center, originally named the C3I since the computing component was not added until later, functions primarily as a research institute providing academic assistance to the U.S. military and other government agencies. Van Trees graduated from the prestigious West Point Military Academy at the top of his class and worked a series of positions for the Department of Defense in addition to spending over a decade as an electrical engineering professor at M.I.T., so he had an extensive background in the military, government and technology that made him an ideal candidate to supervise the C4I Center. “He understood that the military needed technological help that they could get from the university,” said Dr. Mark Pullen, C4I’s current director.  “He was convinced that Mason was a good place to the center because it’s close to military organizations and because of its innovative approach to information technology.” Pullen, who runs one of the laboratories at the […]

   

• Forum Educates Students on Voting

  News1 October 4, 2012 at 11:38 am Comments are Disabled

  As Election Day approaches, Mason student leaders are making sure everyone is honoring their civic duty and registering to vote. Last week, several organizations hosted an event for the upcoming election. On Monday, Sept. 24, the members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Student Government, Mason Votes and the Lead Office came together to conduct a voter’s forum for the student body. Entitled Kritical Konversation, the event took place in the Johnson Center atrium. Some of the topics discussed were the state of the country, the importance of voting, the candidates’ policies and voter registration laws. In attendance were Sarah Cioce, Assistant Director of the City of Manassas and Richard Mattox, former Congressional Press Secretary and current adjunct professor at Mason. Robert Hiter, senior communication major and member of Kappa Alpha Psi was one of the main people in charge of the forum. He discussed the purpose of the event and why it was so important to students, especially those who fall between the ages of 18-20— what is referred to as the millennial generation.  Students should encourage each other to vote because they make up 24 percent of the voting age population, he said. […]

   
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  Reacting to a Disaster: NFL Response Long Overdue

  Editorials, Sports October 4, 2012 at 11:28 am Comments are Disabled

  For nearly 92 years, the National Football League has been the cornerstone league in all of sports. Serving as an outlet for social activity, millions of fans across the nation gather with friends every Sunday. Until last season, at least in our generation, the NFL could seemingly do no wrong. When the players were locked out prior to last season, football was marred but not yet tarnished. It was bruised but unbroken. As this preseason progressed and the season got underway, television sets across the nation were finally changing channels. Coaches, players, media and fans spoke out in protest of the NFL’s newest blunder: employing replacement officials. Faces of the NFL, such as Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers, contested that the integrity of the league was tarnished. Games in weeks one through three in the 2012-13 season will forever have an asterisk. They will forever put a sour taste in the mouths of so many fans. Worst though, as difficult as it was to watch the referee saga, the occasions, any many ways, is a microcosm for the United States of America. It is commonplace in our culture to fight a major change, pretending hardships do not exist, until our […]