Articles by: Cody Norman

Mason Aspires to Offer Anytime Dining to Students

News1 October 31, 2012 at 10:37 am Comments are Disabled

Last month, Mason Dining held a meeting with a variety of different food service companies, all of which were potential bidders to be the next food provider for Mason. University officials outlined several stipulations and obligations that the company would have to meet if it were to work for Mason, one of them being moving towards anytime dining. “We want to provide 24/7 dining by changing the hours of our dining halls to create a valued dining experience,” said Mark Kraner, Executive Director of Campus Retail Operations. It is this valued dining experience that Kraner believes anytime dining will provide. The plan starts with building more university regulated dining halls. Starting in 2013, Ike’s in Presidents Park will be closed and replaced by a dining hall similar to Southside that will seat 385 people that will service the Shenandoah neighborhood. Furthermore, plans are beginning to take shape to build a dining hall for the Aquia neighborhood between 2015 and 2016. These two construction projects, combined with the library expansion, a new residence hall and the removal of a lecture hall would not only dramatically change the layout of Mason’s campus, but also change the system of dining on campus. “These […]
Hateful Freedom of Speech

Editorials October 23, 2012 at 11:01 am Comments are Disabled

In recent months, an advertisement was put up in the New York Subway system that read, “In a war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad.” This advertisement raised much controversy even before it filled 400 different subway stations. Although at first the New York Transportation Authority rejected the advertisement, it was still protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution. Not only is the advertisement biased, it is also extreme and hateful. Referring to this advertisement directly, the words are of pure ignorance, hatred, and fear. Although the First Amendment is used to back up these hateful postings, I am left wondering; when does it become too much? When is it decided and by whom is it decided that freedom of speech could also become the freedom of hate? Under the First Amendment, anyone’s opinions are protected. Hate groups trying to undermine minority groups and religion abuse the luxury of the freedom of speech. They feel as if there are no legal consequences to hate speech. However, a combination of words that insult or dehumanize a group of people has a pretty high chance of disrupting the peace of the society […]
Fall vs. Spring Classes

Editorials October 23, 2012 at 11:00 am Comments are Disabled

Last week, while sitting in the Johnson Center, one of my friends made a comment about how they think fall semester has been so much harder than spring semester. Multiple people agreed with her and this got me thinking whether or not it was true. After researching this further, I found that many students felt this way but also thought that the semesters were equal. “Fall semester is more difficult because of the different course load offered between the two,” said Tania Ghods, an Information Systems & Ops Management major. “In a way fall is the beginning of the year and spring is the end, so professors may have the mind set to hit the ground running where as in the spring the semester could be viewed as the last stretch before summer vacation.” Fall semester is usually viewed as the beginning of school year and all the students are recharged from the summer. I think that the students at Mason want to do their best in the beginning to have that fresh start. In addition to the students, the professors also want to start off the new school year strong, and I am sure their syllabi reflect that. “Probably […]
Study Spaces on Campus

Editorials October 23, 2012 at 10:58 am Comments are Disabled

We have all felt that panic before, as you and some vicious stranger speed walk towards the same table on the third floor of the Johnson Center. Well, it could be anywhere on our sprawling campus, from the engineering building to Fenwick Library, but the hunt is the same. Your heart rate quickens and your legs tighten up as your order your friends to march forth, only to be sorely disappointed half the time. Study space is a highly coveted commodity on campus, and though we’re all aware of the popular places like the Johnson Center, Fenwick, or even Starbucks, there are many untouched areas on campus that offer a serene quiet that facilitates some fierce study sessions. Have you ever heard of The Ridge? If you are a commuter, probably not, and even if you live on campus, it is probably still a no. Unless you are involved with the Office of Housing & Residential Life, this hidden gem is still a mystery to you. Situated between Blue Ridge and Sand Bridge Hall (dormitories down from Southside), it is a 24/7 student study space filled with sofas, tables, and white boards. It opened up just a week ago, and […]
Culture Taught Through Dance

Sports October 23, 2012 at 10:56 am Comments are Disabled

Every Thursday at 6:30 p.m., the Aquatic and Fitness Center (AFC) begins filling up with the sound of African drumming. This is not a typical dance class that everyone has experienced: it is Kukuwa. Kukuwa Nuamah has been the African World Dance professor at Mason for the last seven years. She started these classes at George Washington University in an effort to make a difference and open students’ eyes to a wider scope of African culture. The classes at the AFC, as well as the credited class, teach students about Central, Western, Eastern and South African dance. These dances originate from the hundreds of tribes in Africa. Each tribe has different languages, values and religions; these things reflect back in the differences of the dances. Mason provides this dance class along with classes for other traditional dance genres, but this class can help anyone from dance majors to mathematics majors become better dancers. “All types of genres take from African dance. The fundamentals of dance come from Africa,” Nuamah said. Even if people are more concerned with getting a good workout than the dance aspect, Kukuwa is still a great class to take. Unlike other dance classes, Kukuwa uses every […]
Golfer Finds Right Fit at Mason

Featured, Sports October 23, 2012 at 10:53 am Comments are Disabled

Kevin Yerks’ collegiate golf career almost never got off the tee. His drive to Mason took detours in Miami and Harrisonburg. It took a shot-in-the-dark email to Mason’s men’s golf coach Scott King for Yerks, a junior at Mason, to find his collegiate home in Fairfax. Yerks’ post-high school golf career started with a scholarship to Johnson & Wales University in Miami, Florida. After a semester, Yerks realized that the Sunshine State was not a fit for him. He decided to bide his time at a community college just outside of Harrisonburg, Virginia, waiting for an opportunity to play collegiate-level golf again. “For a while, I thought I might not get a chance to play again, as many coaches had already filled their rosters and did not have a spot on their team,” Yerks said. “I was seriously thinking about never playing again.” That’s when King stepped in with an open spot on Mason’s men’s golf team. “I owe a lot to him for getting me here and giving me a chance at playing collegiate golf,” Yerks said. Yerks began playing golf around the age of four with his grandfather in Williamsburg, Va. Yerks quickly fell in love with the […]
Trap and Skeet: Greatness Hiding in Plain Sight

Featured, Sports October 23, 2012 at 10:48 am 2 comments

Despite their national titles, dedicated and diverse members and their unique sport, Mason’s Trap and Skeet Club is still not getting much recognition on campus. Trap and Skeet is a sport where people aim for perfection. The goal is to shoot as many birds or clay discs as possible. There are four rounds with 25 targets and the winner is determined by who hits the most birds. Seniors Sean Renfroe, Michael Campbell and sophomore Renee Murphy are all members of the team that have picked up the sport recently and excelled greatly. All three came to the team as inexperienced shooters. In Murphy’s case, she just began shooting a little over a year ago, but is now the best female on the east coast. The team members attribute this all to their coach Gary Olin and the support from the local shooting community. Olin is only a volunteer coach, but still spends around 100 hours every month with the team. A lot of other teams do not have a coach and are just student-run. Coaching has pushed Mason to the top and is the reason it can proudly call itself the best university on the east coast. “After a while, […]
Behind the Hoop with the Green Machine

Lifestyle, Sports October 23, 2012 at 10:45 am Comments are Disabled

Last week, students got their welcome back to basketball season with a spectacular performance from the Green Machine at Mason Madness. The Green Machine has been exploding in popularity around the region, frequently performing shows around the northern Virginia area at venues such as local high schools and Wolftrap. “I have had so many wonderful opportunities to get involved in Mason’s culture and spread it across the country: Cleveland, Charleston, Richmond, Blacksburg and even Puerto Rico,” senior member Betsy O’Keeffe said. Lots of present members knew before even stepping onto campus that they wanted to play for the pep band. They saw that the group’s energy and excitement made it one of a kind. “I first saw them at an open house and all I could think was, ‘holy shit, I want to be part of that insanity,’” Zach High said. The insanity he speaks of can be seen, heard and felt at every home game in the Patriot Center. The members are clad in their green and gold from head to toe. Doc Nix features his impressive get up and signature cane that he uses to direct the band’s raw power. The bleachers shake to their beats and clatter […]
President Cabrera Connects via Twitter

Lifestyle October 23, 2012 at 10:40 am Comments are Disabled

Mason’s sixth president, Dr. Angel Cabrera, is fearless when it comes to connecting with students. Nearing almost 6,000 followers and 9,000 tweets on Twitter, the new president has tapped into the world’s fastest social media outlet to show the surrounding Mason community what he is all about. Recognized as the World Economic Forum’s Global Leader for Tomorrow in 2002 and Young Global Leader in 2005, Cabrera strongly believes in diversity, innovation and global connections. It comes as no surprise that this progressive leader is an avid Twitter user. When asked for advice on how college students can use their own Twitter accounts more effectively, Dr. Cabrera retweeted me in just two minutes saying, “I thought college students were the experts at this!” “I follow people I learn new things from, therefore I write about things that catch my attention, that I find interesting,” Cabrera tweeted back. Cabrera’s wife Elizabeth Cabrera, an organizational psychologist, shares her husband’s passion for this in-the-moment news platform. “I like it for sharing info about issues of interest to me like workplace positivity and women’s careers,” she tweeted. After witnessing the Twitter conversation, Cabrera’s old friend Lucy P. Marcus, founder and CEO of Marcus Venture Consulting, […]
“Into the Woods” Introduces Musical Theater as a New Academic Program

Lifestyle October 23, 2012 at 10:36 am 1 comment

Murmurs hover over the room as some cast members of “Into the Woods” gather around the piano to warm up their voices, others go over their lines while putting on their costumes and others move around excitedly, munching on snacks, and laughing with each other. The black floor is covered with bright colored tape indicating position marks. Other sounds come from the sound effect table placed directly in front of the performing area as the sound designer shows the musical and theater directors his latest developments. Mason’s School of Music and Department of Theater have come together to produce the musical “Into the Woods” as part of a greater commitment from the university to offer a musical theater academic program at Mason. “Into the Woods” is showing at the Center for the Arts Concert Hall from Oct. 26 through Oct. 28. The initiative will materialize in the fall of 2013 when a certificate program will be introduced for theater majors who want to be musical theater certified. Both departments are working together to craft a new degree in musical theater which will be a shared degree between the two disciplines. This degree program will need to go to state review, […]