Articles by: Cody Norman

 

• National Society of Black Engineers Hosts Seminar

  News1 October 16, 2012 at 2:21 pm Comments are Disabled

  As Veldesta Evans says, “Education is the equalizer for any African American. If you get educated, no one can take that away from you.” Evans spoke at the Terror Zone Summit  (TZS) hosted by the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) on Sep. 29. The event aimed to empower young African Americans and help them pursue careers in engineering and other fields in the technology world. Evans, along with several other speakers, provided professional tips and guidance to a crowd of dozens of Mason’s young African Americans. “I want to help young people understand what it is they’re up against when they get out into the world. And I just wish that when I was younger, I had somebody to help me along the way to help me get to the next step. Every time I am asked to help someone get there, I do it,” Evans said. Mason’s NSBE chapter, specifically its executive board, in conjunction with the Region II Regional Executive Board of NSBE, especially the Terror Zone Coordinator of NSBE, Will Dalton, organized the event. Mason’s NSBE executive board is comprised of President Christian Adounvo, Vice President Johnetta Saygbe, and Faculty advisor Dr. Gerald Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon is […]

   

• University Adds Official December Convocation For Graduates

  News1 October 16, 2012 at 2:19 pm Comments are Disabled

  As of this year, students who graduate this December have the choice of attending a formal convocation during the winter to honor their collegiate accomplishments rather than waiting until next May to walk with the rest of the students. The convocation is taking place on Dec. 20 and between 1200 – 1300 students, including doctoral, are expected to attend. Students interested in attending the ceremony will not be from participating in next May’s convocation, but they will still be able to have the traditional commencement where they are identified by their majors. Unlike the formal university commencement, convocations are important to many students because, by attending them, they are individually recognized for their achievements. “There was a sense that we needed to have some way to really honor the December graduates,” said Dr. Janette Muir, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education. There have been graduate receptions held during winter in the past but last year’s gave way to a new idea.  Muir said that the reception held at Mason Inn last December was a product of success because it was so crowded. “Mason Inn was just too small for our needs,” Muir said. The ceremony this December will be held at […]

   

• Online Gaming Provides Opportunity for Scholarships

  News1 October 16, 2012 at 2:18 pm Comments are Disabled

  The increasing cost of a  college education has made it more difficult for students to pay their bills, inspiring students to find more innovative ways to come up with the money. A new company by the name of Grantoo has taken inventive steps to create different avenues for students to earn money for their tuition payments. With Grantoo, students can sign up to win money by simply playing games similar to the most well known Smartphone applications. Through fun and friendly tournaments, sponsoring companies like Nike and Citibank work with Grantoo to help make over $100,000 available to winning participants. Oct. 15, the first game will begin, which will essentially be a trivia. The game being held in November will be very similar to Draw with Friends, a modernized version of Pictionary. Even students who are not skilled at online gaming may want to log in. Grantoo’s main goal is to spread the word on student debt, so 25 percent of the money goes to students who are simply being active with the program by talking about it and referring friends. More people involved means more attention from high-money sponsors. What is really unique about this scholarship, however, is that […]

   
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  Alumnus Uses Mason Experience to Inspire College Goals in Students

  News1 October 16, 2012 at 2:17 pm Comments are Disabled

  The typical Mason Alum carries their Mason pride with them long after graduating. Susan Gregorash, a graduate from Mason for undergraduate studies, is able to display her Mason pride in her first grade classroom at Vega Elementary in McKinney, Texas. Influenced by the No Excuses University, a program built to encourage college readiness at a young age, Gregorash decorates her classroom with Mason gear to teach her young students about the importance of college education. “My kiddos know that I attended and graduated from George Mason University. They know that you can choose what you want to be and study different things at Mason,” Gregorash said, “Most importantly, they know that there are other great schools that can be found all over our country.” Vega Elementary is one of many schools across the country experimenting with such programs. The No Excuses University, founded by Damen Lopez in 2004, attempts to solve the problem of college readiness prevalent throughout the nation, primarily in poorer communities. He found that often kids in poverty do not hear about college until High School, and this often sets them up for failure when it comes to further education. Schools must apply to be a part […]

   

• Ombudsman Serves as a Mediator for Student Issues

  News1 October 16, 2012 at 2:14 pm Comments are Disabled

  The very nature of the college environment makes it susceptible to issues both inside and outside the classroom. To combat these issues, Mason provides the Office of the Ombudsman. Located on the third floor of Sub I is the Office of the Ombudsman which serves students as an independent party who assists  them as best as they can in matters that both involve academic and non-academic issues. Students may have already been visited by the Ombudsman in classes this semester, as they are launching their Civility Project. The project’s focus will be on promoting the core values of civil interactions in diverse community and to help initiate dialogue across campus on civility. “The role of the Ombudsman at George Mason University has evolved over the last decade,” said Dolores Gomez-Moran, Certified Organizational Ombudsman Practitioner. She has served for Mason’s Ombudsman’s office for 12 years and has seen the expansion of the responsibilities and outreach to the students grow over the years. The office itself was originally established at Mason in 1999, when Dolores was initially the Ombudsman for Student Academic Affairs. As a joint effort of the Office of the Provost and University Life, the responsibilities of the department grew […]

   

• Patriot Leaders Applications Now Available to Students

  News1 October 16, 2012 at 2:13 pm Comments are Disabled

  Students looking to spend their summer at Mason should look no further than the Patriot Leader program. Organized through the Office of Orientation and Family Programs and Services (OFPS), the Patriot Leader Program is a part of the office’s goal to provide a cohesive orientation, supportive system and purposeful experience. “Mason has had Orientation Leaders in some form ever since Mason has had new student orientation, however the position team and Patriot Leader team began to form in 2006,” said Student Program Coordinator at OFPS Matthew Crush. The Patriot Leader team is responsible for welcoming and assisting new members of the Mason community. Primarily, this responsibility is met through orientations held throughout the summer. However, Patriot Leaders also assist with Sibling Weekend, Freshman Move-In, out-reach events and Parents’ Weekend. Students interested in applying should know the following information. First off, Patriot Leaders, “must exhibit leadership qualities both inside and outside of the classroom, be full of Mason spirit, passionate about helping people and possess a desire to develop their own leadership potential,” said Crush.   Those who believe they possess these qualities are encouraged to submit their applications. All applications that are completed with correct information by Nov. 29 at […]

   

• Student, Marine Corps Reserve Returns Home

  News1 October 16, 2012 at 2:12 pm Comments are Disabled

  To hear about and to live a military lifestyle are two very different concepts. In August 2011, Dexter Bowling Jr. was a first year transfer student at Mason. While taking a full course load and adjusting to a new university, Bowling was preparing for the unknown. “You hope for the best,” Bowling said, “but you still prepare for the worst.” As a reserve in the United State Marine Corps, Bowling was saying his final farewells to family and friends before being shipped off to boot camp at Paris Island, S.C. “You don’t know what you signed up for until you actually get there,” Bowling said. “You only know what everyone has told you.” Bowling, whose girlfriend Keina Salazar Schweikart is a student at Mason, spent the three months enduring hell on Earth. He had no access to technology and was allotted just one hour a day to write letters home. After just a few days at Paris Island, Bowling began to contemplate quitting. He heard stories about other Marines who never heard from their families during boot camp, and Bowling missed his family and friends far too much to endure that uncertainty. “When you see someone all the time, you […]

   

• Cabrera Gives Students Advice for Successful Leadership

  Editorials October 16, 2012 at 2:10 pm 1 comment

  What does it mean to be a good leader? Though the term leadership is often defined as the process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal, its connotations range from a variety of complex concepts and opinions – each of them valid, but shaped through different lenses. Put quite simply, though, we are all leaders. “Every day, we are leading and we are following,” said Dr. Angel Cabrera, speaking at his first Presidential Leadership Dialogues on Oct. 2. “When you decided to follow someone, why do you decide to follow them? Who do you decide to follow?” Cabrera defined leadership in much more manageable terms, suggesting that each time we are in an unfamiliar place, we look to others who seem to know what they are doing – even in minute situations such as finding a restroom. We subconsciously ask ourselves two questions: Does this person have knowledge? and Does this person have values? “Every time you follow someone, you are assuming a risk,” Cabrera said. Using “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” a historical piece written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963, Cabrera spoke about the intricacies and the complexities of being a […]

   

• Romney the Clear-Cut Winner in Debate No. 1

  Editorials October 8, 2012 at 12:22 am Comments are Disabled

  Following the first presidential debate, two things have been made clear. The first is that Mitt Romney knows what he is talking about and he will have a bigger impact than expected. The second is that Barack Obama cannot stand alone. Romney was quick on his feet with thought and he was professional as well. He made statements and backed them up with statistics. Whenever Obama called him out on something, Romney had no problem explaining it and disproving Obama’s claim. He did this through the unfair treatment he received from moderator Jim Lehrer, who would cut him off and enforce time limits only on Romney. The President spoke for four more minutes than Romney in a debate where each speaker has the same time limit. The same cannot be said of Obama. He stumbled and mumbled his way through the night. He couldn’t maintain eye contact with Romney when Romney was speaking. Right from the start when the President asked the moderator to move on to another question and then proceeds to give a rebuttal, it showed that he was uncomfortable and on the run. Obama did not even know the details behind the policies he is pushing, saying […]

   
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  On Stage With Obama

  Editorials October 8, 2012 at 12:14 am Comments are Disabled

  Being approached discreetly by a woman telling you to leave a line that you have been waiting in for at least 20 minutes seems like the beginning of some cheesy spy movie, but that is exactly what happened to me at the Obama Campaign Rally here at Mason and lead to one of the best experiences I have ever had. After arriving a little later than I should have and only realizing this after I got there and the line was already weaving through campus past the Johnson Center. After being in line for a while without getting anywhere, everyone around me began to talk about the possibility of not getting in and I was crushed. Here I was with the luck to actually get a ticket and I was not going to get in to the first Presidential campaign I ever had the chance to attend. That is when a well-dressed woman walked up to me and asked if I would like to sit in the stands behind the President on stage. Her hushed voice and only a green post-it note made me hesitant to get out of line and head down to the front of the line. I […]