Articles by: news

 

• Engineers Day Celebration: Students Show Off Mechanical Marvels

  News1 February 22, 2010 at 1:48 pm Comments are Disabled

  Yuri Svjagintsev, Broadside Correspondent George Mason University launched its annual Engineers Day on Thursday, much to the excitement of students and faculty. According to Linda Kovac, director for Corporate Relations, “the event was designed to introduce students and their projects to potential employers.” Entries included practical fixes to modern-day problems and machines that satisfy scientific curiosity, all created by individuals and teams of students. One group, known as the RoboPatriots, designed a troupe of soccer-playing robots. “We are here because we need sponsors for our project,” said Christopher Vo, a Ph.D student studying robotic motion. The price to enter the competition is $20,000 and each robot costs $2,500. Included among the other projects was a wireless walking stick for the blind, which used Wi-Fi routers to triangulate a position for the user. Peter W. Pachowicz, associate professor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was most excited about showing off a self-balancing bike, which used a gyroscope in the center of the machine to automatically right the vehicle when it fell sideways. “Such a technology could be very useful,” said Pachowicz. Other projects had a stated environmental purpose and were designed to help reduce global climate change. Josh Finks, […]

   

• New Fraternity on Campus: Sigma Alpha Epsilon Chartered This Past Weekend

  News1 February 22, 2010 at 1:44 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor The Greek community at George Mason University got a little bit bigger this weekend. Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a colony of the national fraternal organization, joined the ranks of Mason’s fraternities and sororities when it was officially chartered in a ceremony at the International Country Club on Saturday night. The new chapter, which initiated 32 members this weekend, is led by President Saul Gomez, a junior accounting major and “founding father” who was elected to the top post at the start of this semester. Gomez took over from former president Josh Knox, a senior economics major who declined to seek a third one-year term because he is graduating in May. Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s history at Mason began in March 2008, but the roots for the fraternity’s installment here go back much further. “Starting a chapter was something I’d thought about all through high school,” said Knox. “I’m a legacy. My father was a Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the University of Maryland and my grandfather was one at the University of California at Berkeley, so there was a family connection. I also just wanted to be a member of something meaningful and liked that idea.” Knox was […]

   

• Job and Internship Fair Nears: Event to Help Students in Struggling Economy

  News1 February 22, 2010 at 1:42 pm Comments are Disabled

  Bridget Fox, Broadside Correspondent Serious job seekers should look no further than George Mason University’s annual job and internship fair. The fair is an opportunity for students to learn about potential careers, check out the competition or even land a position. Employers will be recruiting for every major, and professional dress is essential. “Our goal is to get a variety of employers to attend the fair,” said James Barricelli, career services assistant director for employer relations. Because of the economy, some job sectors, like the non-profit industry, are cutting back on salaried employees and searching for non-paid interns. However, prospects for internships and federal government jobs look to be higher than usual, with the CIA, State Department and the Secret Service represented. Overall employer involvement has decreased slightly from 2009, falling from 180 to just over 150 attendees. Students can find information about participating groups and categorize them by major or industry online at careers.gmu.edu. Preparation is key. “We recommend that all students involved should research employers they are interested in prior to the fair itself,” said Barricelli. “Being able to explain how you can contribute to the company will not only maximize your amount of face time with recruiters, […]

   

• Snow Storm Still Causing Headaches: With Giant Snow Piles and Icy Sidewalks, Anxiety Over Safety Remains a Concern

  News1 February 22, 2010 at 1:38 pm Comments are Disabled

  Yasmin Tadjdeh, News Editor Although ‘Snowpocalypse’ has been over for two weeks now, the effect of the massive storm is still clear at George Mason University. When students returned on Friday, Feb. 12, much of the campus was covered in knee-high snow, despite the efforts of Mason to clean up the campus. Although significant progress can be seen currently, the storm still continues to cause headaches on campus. With some sidewalks still icy, some students find getting around Mason to be a challenge. For some time, according to junior English major Katy McCaddin, the stairs behind Student Union Building II were covered in snow. McCaddin stated that “they were literally a ramp.” McCaddin was also concerned with the large snow piles that are currently peppering the general parking lots. “[The snow piles] make driving a little frightening because you have to go out in the road to see traffic, so it is a little hazardous,” said McCaddin. “But I understand why they had to make the piles — they had to get it off the roads.” McCaddin was also concerned with melted snow that had frozen overnight onto sidewalks, making walking through campus treacherous. According to Josh Cantor, the director […]

   

• Spirited Students make mardi gras homecoming a success

  News1 February 22, 2010 at 1:35 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor n true Mardi Gras fashion, a variety of spirited events marked Homecoming Week. Highlights of the week included Monday’s Mardi Gras Madness, The Big Easy Pageant in Dewberry Hall, a can drive, a talent competition and a comedy show in the JC Cinema. The two major snowstorms that caused the university to close for nearly a week earlier this month caused some disruptions to scheduling, but they were minimal and most plans were carried out smoothly. “Everything is going well, especially [considering that] we had to change some things around because of the Snowpocalypse,” said Michelle Davis, Student Activities’ assistant director of programming. “We were supposed to have a tent in the North Plaza with different activities and we couldn’t because of the snow, but we just moved it to the Johnson Center,” said Davis, “We still had at least 100 people come around every day to participate, and while we would have had more if we’d done it outside it was still successful.”

   

• Georgetown Teams with Mason; Schools Form ‘George Squared’

  News1 February 18, 2010 at 12:14 pm Comments are Disabled

  Natisha Venzen, Broadside Correspondent Students pursuing careers in medicine may have just found their golden ticket. Say hello to “George Squared.” According to George Mason University Provost Dr. Peter Stearns, George Squared is a partnership between George Mason and Georgetown medical schools to find ways to develop and deliver medical education programs based on Mason’s Prince William Campus. “Georgetown will provide the medical strength and George Mason will provide strength in areas like biomedical technology, proteomics and other aspects of medical related research,” said Stearns. The collaboration will additionally generate a joint certificate program next year designed for people who are hoping to improve their preparation for medical school, and in the following year, that is fall 2011, we will open a joint masters program also designed for people heading in the health professions,” Stearns continued. George Squared promises to be an exciting collaboration of schools that medical students will soon be able to take advantage of. “We have really good professors from George Mason and Georgetown, and with this partnership, teachers from both colleges will be training these students, and people who go through this training will have [a] top notch education,” said Abigail Perez, a freshman nursing major. […]

   

• Grab a Mask; Mardi Gras Themed Homecoming Week to Commence

  News1 February 18, 2010 at 11:31 am Comments are Disabled

  Bridgit Fox, Broadside Correspondent Homecoming 2010 is guaranteed to work the George Mason University community into a frenzy with a whole week of inspiring events, which began yesterday with our women’s basketball game against Old Dominion University. The week’s events are to include the highly anticipated “Big Easy” Pageant hosted by Reann Ballslee, also known as Ryan Allen, Lip Syncing on the Bayou, Can-Can for Cans and many more. Considering Homecoming will fall during Mardi Gras, everyone is asked to “Unmasque Your Spirit” with a quintessential New Orleans theme. “We started planning for Homecoming back in the beginning of the fall semester,” said Assistant Director of Programming in Student Activities Michelle Davis. “It can get tricky because we don’t know the time of the game until two weeks before, so we have to be careful of that as well.” Can-Can for Cans, taking place on Tuesday in the Student Union Building II ballroom is the charity event Mason will be supporting during Homecoming this year. This competition invites students to craft structures out of non-perishable food donations, all the while being as imaginative as possible. Each team will be critiqued not only on their creativity, but also on the amount […]

   

• No More Mr. and Ms. Mason; Gender-Neutral ‘Mason Majesty’ to Replace Former Titles

  News1 February 15, 2010 at 2:47 pm Comments are Disabled

  Yasmin Tadjdeh, News Editor This year, not only will the homecoming queen be without a vagina — homecoming will be without a queen. Starting this year, following last year’s crowning of drag queen Reann Balslee as Ms. Mason, homecoming will no longer have the Mr. and Ms. Mason competition, but will opt for just one winner, known as Mason Majesty. “We, [being] Student Activities and Program Board, discussed that we wanted to be more inclusive to all persons on campus — no matter how they identify . . . [The removal of the Mr. and Ms. Mason competition] has been in discussion for years,” said Assistant Director of Programming in Student Activities Michelle Davis, noting that it was not brought about specifically because of a drag queen winning the Ms. Mason title last year. Citing Mason’s diversity, Davis said it made sense for the competition to be gender-neutral. Davis did not consider the altering of the competition to affect the tradition of the pageant. “It’s the same tradition, going with the times, evolving with the times,” said Davis. Last year’s Ms. Mason winner, Ryan Allen, also known as Reann Ballslee, was enthusiastic about the change to the competition this year. […]

   

• How Snow Days are Decided; Safety and Financial Loss Taken into Consideration

  News1 February 15, 2010 at 1:38 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor George Mason University’s closure policy is independent from that of area public schools, a fact that will come as no surprise to students who trudged to class in early February while Fairfax County classrooms were shut due to inclement weather. While Mason was closed for four days during last week’s back-to-back blizzards, it often remains open even when road conditions make it difficult for some to come to class. “Our priority is to stay open,” said Dan Walsch, George Mason University press secretary. “One would be hard-pressed to think of a time when we were closed for four days straight. ­­­We did have two days last semester during finals where we had to close, and I think there might have been one last year.” Walsch said the university contends with many factors when choosing whether to close, including road conditions, campus navigability, input from police, county, and city officials and the financial impact on the school. “There is a cost factor involved,” Walsch said. “It involves paying overtime and double time for some employees. There are about 5,000 people living on campus, and they need to be fed. That doesn’t change just because we’re closed. […]

   

• Construction Continues: On-Campus Developments Far From Over

  News1 February 15, 2010 at 12:56 pm Comments are Disabled

  Reuben Jones, Broadside Correspondent If you are tired of waking up to the smell of asphalt and burning rubber, your dreams of a construction-free campus are unfortunately far away. According to Tom Calhoun, the vice president of Facilities, this summer will be even busier with construction than last summer which saw the building of the RAC, Engineering Building and the Art and Design Building. Beginning as soon as this April, the newest building of many to come is expected to open. The Aquia Building is being built by West Hall and, when completed, will be the permanent home for the University Data Center. The building will also serve as a temporary location for classrooms and offices that will be affected by the Thompson and West Hall renovations. The 157-unit Masonvale housing center should be completed by April of 2010. Masonvale contains townhomes and stacked flats for George Mason University staff and faculty. Expected to be finished this summer is the addition onto the Performing Arts Center. The addition will add “dance and orchestra practice and performance spaces and a Wellness Center,” according to the Mason facilities website. The much-anticipated Mason Inn is also expected to finish this June and to […]