Articles by: news

 

• Mason student hit by vehicle: Currently in the hospital, condition unknown

  News1 April 5, 2010 at 12:21 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor A George Mason University student was left in critical condition after being struck by a car on campus last Monday. Michelle Dawson, 21, was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital after she was hit at approximately 9:35 p.m. on the night of March 29. The driver, Jeffrey Jenkins, a 23-year-old non-Mason student, was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian. Mason police gave no indication that Jenkins had been speeding at the time of the accident, which occurred just in front of the campus police station. “The vehicle remained on the scene,” Deputy Police Chief George Ginovsky said Friday. “[The driver] was cooperative and described what happened. The investigation is for all intensive purposes over.” An unidentified individual made a cell phone call to the Fairfax County Public Safety Communications Center, which notified campus police. Officer Eric Aman responded to the accident. Ginovsky said he was not aware of student complaints concerning the intersection, which some have said is dangerous and ought to be made safer with the installation of a stop sign or stoplight. “I’m not prepared to make that recommendation,” Ginovsky said. “I don’t think it’s necessary.” He nonetheless urged students to […]

   

• Budget cuts may affect CUE Bus: Students, faculty lobby city council for full continuation of service

  News1 April 5, 2010 at 12:18 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Matt Loffman, C2M Contributer At a community forum and special meeting of the Fairfax City Council on Tuesday, Mayor Robert F. Lederer said that the budget for fiscal year 2011 is the “most difficult budget” he has ever seen. Fairfax, he said, is facing an $11 million deficit. Despite his assertion that “no decisions have been made” concerning where to make budget cuts, Fairfax residents and George Mason University students came to the meeting to support the continuation of CUE bus service. Many had heard about possible cutbacks or eliminations of service from notices posted in city buses, which the mayor later dismissed as “misguided fear[s].” The city is only in the initial stages of budget negotiations and has not made any final decisions. The final vote to authorize the 2011 budget is scheduled for April 29 after two more public input sessions. Last week, City Manager Robert Sisson proposed his budget, which called for a CUE bus fare increase from $1.45 to $1.60. This hike would bring CUE prices more in line with Metro bus rates and would be on top of the previously announced rate increase, effective April 1, that raises the rate from $1.35 to $1.45. […]

   

• Patriot pigs to raise funds for the university: Students encouraged to save up spare change in piggy banks, then give to Mason

  News1 March 29, 2010 at 12:30 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Rashad Mulla, Broadside Correspondent George Mason University is targeting an untapped group for private financial support: undergraduate seniors. Through the Patriot Pigs program, a first-year project of the Office of Annual Giving, seniors are encouraged to collect spare change in a green piggy bank issued by Mason and give the funds to the school. So far, the school has distributed 4,000 piggy banks and received more than $1,000 from the approximately 100 already turned in, said Jewelle Daquin, assistant director at the Office of Annual Giving. The program is optional, and the school accepts donations of any amount. Patriot Pig donations, like regular private donations, can be restricted or allocated to the department or program of the donor’s choice. Student reaction has been mixed. Combined with rising tuition costs and other mandatory fees, some students disagree with the premise of the program — asking undergraduates, many of whom do not have full-time jobs, for money. “I feel like paying for tuition and the other fees for labs should be enough funding, alongside state and alumni contributions,” said Adam Katkhouda, a senior accounting major. “I don’t think they’re asking the right people. Undergraduates are not that well-off.” Chuck Soo-Hoo, a […]

   

• Catholic Campus Ministry Hosts Pro-Life Week: Participants encourage issue to be looked at philosophically

  News1 March 29, 2010 at 12:28 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor George Mason University’s Catholic Campus Ministry carried out its pro-life week starting last Monday, with special events at the campus chapel and elsewhere aimed at promoting pro-life views. Organizers said that the event’s goal was to take the pro-life message, with which Mason’s Catholic students are already well acquainted, and disseminate it to the school as a whole. “We’d been talking about this throughout the year,” said Katie Robinson, a junior English major and a member of CCM’s Bellarmine Board, which functions as an activities coordination body. “We’ve done a lot at [the] chapel to educate and raise awareness, and we wanted to take that to campus as well.” From Monday through Thursday, CCM participants set up a kiosk in the Johnson Center, where they used an innovative method to attract students. “We had a sign that said ‘Free Brownies,’” Robinson said. “We knew if we just said we were pro-life a lot of people wouldn’t come, so we offered free brownies and then passed out flyers and talked to anyone who wanted to talk to us.” The flyers included an advertisement for Olivia Gans, a pro-life speaker who came to campus on Saturday, […]

   

• Trouble the Water comes to the Bistro: Controversial film discusses injustices after Hurricane Katrina

  News1 March 29, 2010 at 12:27 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Helena Okolicsanyi, Broadside Correspondent Kimberly Rivers Roberts will always remember where she was on Aug. 29, 2005, and so will thousands of individuals still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, as documented in the film Trouble the Water. Roberts, who was in New Orleans when the storm struck, filmed her experience during and after Hurricane Katrina with a camcorder she bought for $20 just days before the disaster. She transformed the raw footage of her ordeal into Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize-winning and Academy Award nominated documentary Trouble the Water. Roberts, along with her husband Scott and their 2-year-old daughter, came to George Mason University’s Johnson Center Bistro to discuss what happened to them during Hurricane Katrina. Kimberly Roberts spoke and then answered questions from both a student panel and audience members. She discussed the role of the media, the lack of government response during and after the storm and how New Orleans is today. The event allowed students and faculty to understand what occurred during Hurricane Katrina and the effects still felt even five years later. Roberts talked about surviving the hurricane and the legacy the storm still holds in New Orleans and her Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood, one of the […]

   

• Lot I Closed for Construction Commencement: Housing project to add 600 beds to campus

  News1 March 29, 2010 at 12:20 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Yasmin Tadjdeh, News Editor Students parking on campus just lost an option. Recently, Lot I, a surface lot, was closed to begin construction on the Northwest Housing VIIIA complex. Students who previously parked in Lot I, which was used heavily by students living on campus, were given an option of getting a refund or parking at another location on campus. “[People with Lot I permits] were all given a choice — either downgrade to a general lot permit and be refunded $115, [the] difference between [the] general lot and Lot I pass, or [a] free upgrade to the Rappahannock Deck reserved area, [which are] levels four [through] five,” said Director of Parking and Transportation Josh Cantor. “I think most have come in, but I think we still have a few stragglers. [It] seemed to be about a 50/50 split of which option people chose.” According to Project Manager Nancy Pickens, the housing complex will begin construction soon. “The project consists of 600 beds of student housing in two buildings,” said Pickens. “One building will consist of apartment-type living and the other will have suite-type rooms. Construction should begin shortly with the opening of the facilities scheduled for August 2012.” […]

   

• Protesters Rally Against Ringling Bros. Circus: Animal Rights Collective Organizes Demonstration

  News1 March 29, 2010 at 12:14 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Yasmin Tadjdeh, News Editor For some students, the idea of a menagerie of animals coming to George Mason University is not one that settles well with them. Beginning this past Thursday, the Patriot Center hosted The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The circus, which performs annually at Mason, will be here until Sunday, April 4. However, its opening day was met with protests from various local animal rights groups, including Mason’s own Animals Rights Collective. At the demonstration, protesters gave out literature against the circus and animal cruelty, carried signs that read “Ringling Beats Animals” and wore body television screens, which featured videos from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals organization. Michael Dupuy, a junior systems engineering major and member of the ARC said, “By hosting the Ringling Circus, [Mason is] directly supporting animal cruelty.” According to the ARC’s website, gmu.edu/org/arc, they are “a group dedicated to raising awareness about animal rights on our campus and within the surrounding community. ARC was founded by a group of students that came together to protest the Ringling Brothers Circus on campus and to organize events pertaining to animal rights and vegan outreach . . . Our events […]

   

• Frats and soros compete for ‘Greek Week Champion’ title: Close to a year of planning put in to ensure success of this week’s Greek Week festivities

  News1 March 25, 2010 at 9:53 am Comments are Disabled

  By Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor George Mason University boasts students from all 50 states and 130 countries, but, this week at least, the Greeks are taking over. A cartoon-themed Greek Week, dubbed “Greekelodeon” by event organizers, began on Sunday evening, March 21 with a kick-off rally held on the SUB I quad where participants were treated to a professional DJ and free food. Greek Week will continue until March 28, with students from the 36 fraternal organizations on campus competing in a series of contests to win the title of Greek Week Champion, a title which confers yearlong bragging rights to the ultimate victor. Each event carries a number of points for the winning chapter, ranging from a mere 10 awarded at the end of the T-Shirt Competition to a whopping 200 for the fraternity or sorority that comes out on top in Greek Sing, an hours-long skit competition that is the most coveted jewel in the Greek Week crown. “That’s all very secret,” said senior government major Kellen Rosenfelder, on the routines being practiced for Greek Sing. “Everyone wants to be able to outdo everyone else.” Rosenfelder, a member of Delta Chi, is one of the four co-chairs […]

   

• RSA hosts ‘Haiti Awareness Talent Show’: Students will be encouraged to donate during the event via text message

  News1 March 25, 2010 at 9:47 am Comments are Disabled

  By Yasmin Tadjdeh, News Editor Students looking to help Haiti will soon have the opportunity. On Wednesday, the Resident Student Association at George Mason University will be hosting the Haiti Awareness Talent Show, where students will be encouraged to text donations to the disaster-stricken country. Taking place in Dewberry Hall in the Johnson Center from 9 to 11 p.m., the event has been in the works since late January. “Initially we were trying to find an event to put on [but] after the earthquake [in Haiti, it gave us the idea to put it on for them],” said Rufaro Mandizvidza, a sophomore economics major and representative of the RSA. “I personally had a couple of friends there, and it inspired me. I could have lost some friends, and they had so many experiences [that needed to be shared]. I wanted to use the resources I had and the resources RSA had and the influence to raise awareness.” At the show, attendants will be able to watch students make use of their various talents. Singers, dancers and poets will share the stage, according to Neal Landers, a sophomore biology major and member of the RSA. The event will also feature an […]

   

• Professors participate in health care debate hosted by Economics Society: ‘Separation of health and state’ to be discussed during Wednesday event

  News1 March 25, 2010 at 9:45 am Comments are Disabled

  By Matthew Harrison, Broadside Correspondent President Barack Obama’s Friday visit to the George Mason University Patriot Center injected new fire into the health care debate on campus. With the spotlight on health care issues, Mason’s Economics Society said it hopes to answer some of the questions faculty and students have regarding the reform process. The society will host a debate on the role of government in health care on Wed., March 24 in Room 80 of Enterprise Hall. Dr. Bryan Caplan, a Mason faculty member, will debate against economist Dr. David Balan on the issue. Professor Robert Hanson, a Mason economist with expertise in health care, will serve as moderator. “We would like the students to hear both sides of the arguments presented by professionals,” said Liya Palagashvili, vice president of the Economics Society. Debates and town hall meetings on the controversial topic have been heated. With members from both political parties presenting different and sometimes contradictory ideas, some feel that finding objective and balanced information has been difficult. The Economics Society said it hopes that this week’s debate will provide the in-depth discussion that is allegedly lacking in the media. “We want to get more of an academic view […]