Articles by: skline

I’m Rich! How About You?

Editorials March 8, 2012 at 12:47 pm Comments are Disabled

We live in a society where we are constantly bombarded with advertisements, sales and competition. We’re always on the lookout for the next Banana Republic sale and who has the new iPad. We obsess about how skinny Eva Longoria looks in a bathing suit. We judge ourselves and others based on unattainable ideals the media portray as realistic. In reality, these standards are designed to make us mindless consumers. As long as corporations enjoy wide profit margins, they’re not going to do a damn thing about the downfall of our society. Life is not a business transaction. Being a valuable individual is not about spending time and money accumulating material goods. It is not about saving time and money at the expense of health and happiness. Life is about attaining a balance, about having multiple human experiences as one develops; it is about constantly bettering oneself. But some individuals desire to spend their lives chasing fame and fortune. Honestly, what is wealth without the support and smiles of a loved one? Without the bonds of friendship and love, life amounts to nothing other than empty gestures and artificial relationships. So you’re at the local Giant and instead of purchasing the […]
He’s Got Spirit: Father Peter

Sports March 8, 2012 at 12:47 pm Comments are Disabled

Pacing back and forth atop the bleachers in the old Physical Education Building — now known as the RAC —, Peter Nassetta was the original “Super Fan” of Mason basketball. “I was the Patriot Platoon,” Nassetta said. “I was your fan. Screaming, yelling, taunting the other team and yelling at the referees — I did all of that.” Nassetta, now the chaplain of George Mason University’s Catholic Campus Ministry, graduated in 1982 with a major in business management from a small commuter school in Fairfax where the student apartments were the only residence hall available to students. He was involved in politics but, after a personal experience during his senior year, was encouraged to reevaluate his priorities. “I had to reevaluate things,” Nassetta said. “My faith then became the center of my life.” After getting involved with the Youth Apostles, a group that is called to reach out to every young person and make efforts to invite them to a life of truth, freedom and care, Nassetta began feeling that the Lord was guiding him into the chapel. “When you start thinking that maybe you’re supposed to be a priest, you start thinking, ‘I think you’re confused, God. You’ve got […]
CAA Player of the Week: Brig Tison

Sports March 8, 2012 at 12:45 pm Comments are Disabled

After the Baseball at the Beach tournament in South Carolina during the last weekend of February, senior third baseman John “Brig” Tison was named CAA Player of the Week. Tison put up nine hits in 18 at-bats, five RBIs, four scored runs and three stolen bases. Defensively, he had two putouts, eight assists and one error. Tison leads the team in multiple statistical categories, with a .448 batting average, .500 on-base percentage, six runs scored, 13 hits, two doubles, three walks and four stolen bases. “Individual awards are nice to get, but I was more concerned that our team was headed in the direction that we wanted to go,” Tison said. Tison started playing baseball when he was 4 years old, working with his father to build his skills. “I played at a really good baseball high school — James Madison in Vienna,” Tison said. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue playing through college.” Tison’s decision to play college ball has benefited him in multiple ways. “I had kind of gotten worn down. But when Mason offered me a spot on the team, it all worked out. I’m close to home, and my parents are at every game.” […]
Retention Rates on the Rise

News1 March 8, 2012 at 12:22 pm Comments are Disabled

Senior Dennis Savonarola is a popular guy. “You do end up getting a lot of calls,” Savonarola said. “They say, ‘Oh, I’m having this computer problem. You’re IT, so you must know how to fix it.’” As an information technology major, Savonarola may find that he is just as in-demand with employers as he is with his friends. And he’s in good company. Information technology has become the most popular major on campus, according to George Mason University’s Office of Institutional Research and Reporting. With an increase in enrollment of 46.5 percent over the past five years, IT is one of the fastest growing degree programs at Mason. That doesn’t surprise Savonarola. “I think a lot of people look at it as, ‘I’ll be able to get a job with this,’” Savonarola said. “There’s a bunch of things you can do with it. Pretty much everybody needs IT.” It just displaced biology from the top spot. That program has grown by 17.5 percent over the past five years. The third-most sought-after degree, curriculum and instruction, is in the education department. Communication and government round out the top five. On the other hand, the largest program in the art department, art […]
Recession Affects Student’s Degree Choices

News1 March 8, 2012 at 12:18 pm Comments are Disabled

Senior Dennis Savonarola is a popular guy. “You do end up getting a lot of calls,” Savonarola said. “They say, ‘Oh, I’m having this computer problem. You’re IT, so you must know how to fix it.’” As an information technology major, Savonarola may find that he is just as in-demand with employers as he is with his friends. And he’s in good company. Information technology has become the most popular major on campus, according to George Mason University’s Office of Institutional Research and Reporting. With an increase in enrollment of 46.5 percent over the past five years, IT is one of the fastest growing degree programs at Mason. That doesn’t surprise Savonarola. “I think a lot of people look at it as, ‘I’ll be able to get a job with this,’” Savonarola said. “There’s a bunch of things you can do with it. Pretty much everybody needs IT.” It just displaced biology from the top spot. That program has grown by 17.5 percent over the past five years. The third-most sought-after degree, curriculum and instruction, is in the education department. Communication and government round out the top five. On the other hand, the largest program in the art department, art […]
Patriot Games: ROTC Cadets Prepare for Army Careers

News1 March 8, 2012 at 12:17 pm Comments are Disabled

“Accountability is key,” said Michael Bell, George Mason University Reserve Officers’ Training Corps recruiting operations officer, as several armloads of dummy M-16s — affectionately known as “rubber ducks” — were carefully removed from Bell’s van by a line of ROTC cadets. Every Thursday, Mason’s Patriot Battalion hosts a leadership lab designed to test the cadets in hopes of preparing them for a career in the Army. Many are already contracted to join upon graduation. Some are not contracted but have the option to sign later if they decide Army life is for them. Still others have served a tour, sometimes two, in Iraq or Afghanistan and have come to get their degree. “They’re commissioned as a second lieutenant on graduation,” Bell, a member of the Massachusetts National Guard, said. The lab this Thursday focused on tactical movement; it was an exercise where the battalion is broken into squads of approximately a dozen cadets, each squad tasked with a certain scenario, typically involving the capture and securing of an objective. Cadet Kyle Corle gathered his squad in a circle in front of the intramural fields. He and cadet William Black built a hasty plan of action from multicolored tabs arranged on […]
Committee to Revisit Add/Drop Deadline

News1 March 8, 2012 at 12:16 pm Comments are Disabled

The Student Senate and Academic Policies Committee of the Faculty Senate are discussing the add/drop date. In fall 2011, the date was pushed forward, giving students only one week to finalize their class schedule. In March 2010, the Faculty Senate decided to push up the add/drop deadline. This was done despite a letter of opposition from Devraj Dasgupta, former Student Government president. The add/drop date was pushed up for two primary reasons said Janette Muir, associate provost of undergraduate education and former chair of the Academic Policies Committee. First, professors complained that two weeks was too long an interval for students to be absent from a classroom Muir said. “They’ve missed quizzes, they’ve missed homework. They’re not in the same position to succeed as a student that [has] been in the classroom [from the start],” Muir said. The second issue concerns financial aid. If the add period is extended, students must wait longer to get money from [federal] financial aid, Muir said. This is because the money cannot be granted until the add/drop date has passed, said Muir. For example, a student that has completed his FAFSA application must still wait for the date to pass. While that student is […]
Student Senator Resigns at Impeachment Hearing

News1 March 8, 2012 at 12:15 pm Comments are Disabled

A student senator resigned Friday at an Election Dispute Commission hearing after a resolution passed at Thursday’s Student Senate meeting called for an impeachment hearing. Senator Donald Garrett read his letter of resignation at the start of the EDC hearing. Questions remain about how his resignation relates to Student Government bylaws. “There are some discrepancies as to whether [Garrett’s resignation] is permissible [under Student Government rules],” said Student Government President Ally Bowers. “From my understanding, the resignation has to be approved, so there’s a chance there might still be a hearing.” Garrett has taken a number of steps in the legal system, including giving notice to members of the Student Government that he will file a petition involving Student Government and Virginia FOIA Law. Garrett said he plans to file the petition Tuesday. Resolution 27, which passed Thursday 26-2 with one abstention, cited several reasons for initiating impeachment proceedings against Garrett. Among these reasons, according to the resolution, was an email from Garrett to Bowers where he protested a proposed addition to the Election Code, Section 4.1, that would prohibit candidates from running for both Student Senate and an executive position within Student Government. According to the resolution, Garrett said […]
Forensics Team Heads to Rome

News1 March 8, 2012 at 12:13 pm Comments are Disabled

The George Mason University Forensics team will travel to Rome on Wednesday to defend its world championship title at the International Forensics Association Tournament. The 2012 IFA Tournament will last nine days, concluding on March 17. The IFA Tournament is held in a different city each year, with past locations such as Montreal in 2009, Berlin in 2010 and Budapest in 2011, where Mason emerged as champion. Most of the debaters competing in the tournament are students from universities in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. The IFA Tournament consists of four events: limited preparation, public address, interpretation of literature and parliamentary debate. These events will take place in hotel rooms and a banquet hall in the designated tournament hotel. Team members will spend several days in Rome preparing for the events. Preparation includes conducting research, practicing speaking and refining their form so the team will be ready to perform over the two-day competition period. The tournament is an important point in the team’s competition year. Team members look forward to traveling and extending Mason’s global exposure. “We are all going to work hard to represent Mason,” said team secretary Kate DeNardi, a senior public administration major. “We talk […]
Rector Says Goodbye, Talks Shop

News1 March 8, 2012 at 12:11 pm Comments are Disabled

On Wednesday, Rector Ernst Volgenau of the Board of Visitors gave his final address to the Faculty Senate. His tenure as rector of the board will end this June. At the meeting, the add/drop deadline was also discussed. Volgenau spoke about his admiration for the work that President Alan Merten has done for the university. “Until you’ve run a public organization in a public domain, you don’t realize what management is all about,” Volgenau said. “Even if things don’t go wrong, there are so many issues that come up continuously. It’s a trial.” Volgenau also spoke about incoming President Ángel Cabrera and also addressed concerns that the Faculty Senate had about his election. Previously on Feb. 8, the Faculty Senate called a special meeting to discuss issues they had with the manner in which Cabrera was elected, specifically the anonymous nature of the election that violated section 1.2.5 of the faculty handbook. According to section 1.2.5, “The search and selection process must include opportunities for the General Faculty to meet with candidates who are finalists for the presidency.” In this recent election, the general faculty did not have this chance. “Indeed the Board of Visitors did not technically follow the […]