Articles by: skline

Don’t Be Afraid to Share Your Opinion

Editorials February 27, 2012 at 3:26 pm Comments are Disabled

The power of opinions isn’t one that we direct much attention to. Words are just words, right? Words themselves have no real meaning, but it’s people within a cultural group who establish and attach shared meanings to them. Or at least that’s what my “Understanding of Intercultural Communication” textbook says. Our opinions are strung together with those culture-laden meanings, and we attach emotions to a strand of language that many times we struggle to voice. Whether the opinion is about abortion, climate change, religion or politics, when we finally muster the courage to share them, no one wants to listen. I am pro-choice, a believer that climate change is real and I am a registered Democrat, but does any of that mean anything? Many times, those labels categorize me as a crazed feminist liberal who thinks Al Gore has the answers to all environmental problems. Labels and categories cloud what we really try to say or accomplish. Take what happened when Congress tried to pass the health care reform bill. Both Democrats and Republicans spent months wasting taxpayers’ money, pointing fingers and getting hung up on their respective party’s opinions instead of doing the right thing and working together to […]
Slut Shaming is Not OK

News1 February 27, 2012 at 3:25 pm Comments are Disabled

Slut Shaming is Not OK I don’t know if any of you are aware of the term “slut-shaming,” but allow me give you a definition: “Slut-shaming, also known as slut-bashing, is the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings and/or acting on sexual feelings. Furthermore, it’s about the implication that if a woman has sex that traditional society disapproves of, she should feel guilty and inferior. It is damaging not only to the girls and women targeted, but to women in general and society as a whole. It should be noted that slut-shaming can occur even if the term ‘slut’ itself is not used.” (Taken from http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com /2010/04/04/what-is-slut-shaming/) A blaring example of this appears in the style section of the Feb. 20 edition of Broadside. In the “Tips with Krista: Make Facebook Hate You” column, she states, “Post annoying photos. [Some of the worst are] pictures of you kissing someone — we already know you’re loose, you don’t need to advertise it.” In no way is this at all humorous or entertaining. It is a clear case of slut-shaming. I am appalled that not only […]
Catholic Church Going too Far with Abortion

Editorials February 27, 2012 at 3:24 pm Comments are Disabled

As many of you may remember (if you watched the news a lot last year), the Westboro Baptist Church which was known for its absolute hatred of gay people was a big news topic in early 2011 for its anti-gay protests at the military funeral of a gay Marine. They also were a newsworthy topic as they appealed all the way to the Supreme Court when the father of this gay Marine sued the group. And more recently, Catholic groups across the country have been rallying to outlaw abortion, whether it be a well-known demonstration like the March for Life or just a small picket line outside the local abortion clinic. Well, I spit in the face of these things. First of all, being gay or lesbian is not a choice (as Dr. Phil McGraw said on Anderson Cooper in October 2010). In the King James Bible, which was one of the earliest English translations of the Bible, it says in Leviticus 20:13: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of [these men] have committed an abomination…” It’s important to understand that when the Bible was written, the word “abomination” was different than it […]
On Student Government Lawsuit

News1 February 27, 2012 at 3:23 pm Comments are Disabled

In response to the Feb. 13 article entitled “Lawsuit Leads to Policy Change in Student Government,” it is apparent that Broadside did not accurately represent the entire story. According to the public minutes from the Oct. 18, 2011 meeting of the Government and Academic Affairs committee, Michael Jordan came up for appointment to the George Mason Student Senate. The committee chose to vote by secret ballot after committee members voiced concerns to Chairman Matthew Short about how they felt they could not vote how they wanted due to the fear that another member of the committee would seek retribution against them. Chairman Short listened to the concerns of his committee members and voted via secret ballot. According to the minutes, after the decision to vote via secret ballot was made, Senator Donald Garrett, also a member of the G&A committee, voiced his concerns that secret ballot voting was illegal under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Chairman Short continued the meeting over Garrett’s objections, and Jordan was defeated by a vote of three yeas, three nays and three abstentions. On Dec. 1, over a month after the vote on Oct. 18, Jordan filed his lawsuit, beginning the court case Jordan […]
Student Senate Passes Resolution Supporting DREAM Act

News1 February 20, 2012 at 3:21 pm 1 comment

George Mason University student senators passed a resolution Thursday that voiced their support for the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. Many interested students packed into the meeting room at Mason Hall to witness the resolution. The resolution, which supports a federal act that would grant permanent residency to illegal aliens who meet certain requirements, passed 20–5, with one senator abstaining. The resolution was introduced by Clerk Elizabeth Baires and Senators Randy Salter, Michael McKenney, Jason Von Kundra and Donald Garrett. The issue divided the senators into two camps — one was fully in support of the resolution, while the others were concerned that voicing a political opinion in a resolution goes beyond the scope of Student Government. A few senators were also concerned that their constituents would not support the resolution. “As representatives of George Mason University Student Government, it’s definitely within our scope,” said Von Kundra, who supported the resolution. “It’s our obligation to voice student opinions.” Kundra said he hasn’t encountered many students opposed to it. “I don’t understand how if this resolution would pass, it would hurt anyone,” Kundra said. The vote attracted many Mason students who wanted to observe the deliberation. Student Government […]
Norovirus Hits NoVa

News1 February 20, 2012 at 3:18 pm Comments are Disabled

George Mason University officials are concerned with the norovirus, a contagious gastrointestinal virus that has been reported in the Washington, D.C., metro area, though no cases have been reported at Mason. Symptoms of the virus include vomiting, abdominal pains, fever and diarrhea. The virus is spread by coming into contact with an infected person or a surface that has come in contact with an infected person, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention norovirus factsheet. According to an email sent to the Mason community by Sandy Scherrens, vice president of University Life, there have been no cases of the virus reported on campus, although members of the Mason community are encouraged to practice good hand-washing, to disinfect surfaces and to stay home if they feel ill. According to the CDC norovirus factsheet, the norovirus has a recovery time of one to two days and is best treated by drinking plenty of fluids. There is no known cure for the virus. According to a Washington Times article published on Thursday, 85 students at nearby George Washington University in Washington, D.C., became sick with the virus over the past week. “Due to the outbreaks at George Washington University, this is […]
JC Computer Lab Gets a Facelift

News1 February 20, 2012 at 3:17 pm Comments are Disabled

The Johnson Center computer lab will be closed for two weeks in mid-March for renovation which entails replacing old furniture, carpeting, paint and monitors. According to Matthew Silverman, project manager of the J.C. Computer Lab renovation for the Division of Instructional Technology, the renovation is scheduled to begin on March 9 and end on March 23. The revamp will bring new carpeting, new furniture, new paint, new computer monitors and a completely new layout to the lab. “Really, what we are focusing on are the environmental improvements to the lab,” Silverman said. “If you are in the lab right now, I think a lot of what you will see is people are nested back-to-back and it is a very tight environment. So, the goal is to open up the space, make circulation better and [make it] easier for students to see if a seat is available.” Since the JC opened in 1995, the design of the computer lab has remained the same, with a few minor improvements being made. Those changes were limited to adding more seats in order to increase capacity. The lab’s current furniture is outdated and was designed for larger monitors, not the thinner, lighter liquid-crystal display […]
Who is Original Burger?

News1 February 20, 2012 at 3:15 pm Comments are Disabled

“Talk to me, talk to me” are familiar words heard echoing from Original Burger through the second floor of The HUB (Student Union Building II). The voice beckons customers in line to choose the toppings they want piled on their burgers and has become a hallmark element of the Original Burger experience. But what is the story behind this voice? And what makes Original Burger so efficient in delivering hot, quality burgers to customers? “It’s all about teamwork here. Everyone works together,” Original Burger shift supervisor Abdul Kowsar said. “We try to deliver 100-percent customer satisfaction.” At Original Burger, customers can customize their burgers any way they want and can choose from several different meats, toppings and sauces. Additionally, customers can choose from a variety of milkshakes and salads. But customized burgers are not the only part of the Original Burger experience. Team member Rob McCrary, the man behind the voice greeting customers in line with “Talk to me,” has been working at Original Burger since the new dining venue was opened in spring 2011. McCrary leaves his home in Lorton, Va., around 8 a.m. each day, taking three different buses to reach work around 10:45 a.m. Despite the long […]
New Office to Help Off-Campus Students Feel at Home

News1 February 20, 2012 at 3:12 pm Comments are Disabled

You see them in parking lots, in classes and in passing. With only 4,500 beds available, many students must travel to school each day. Fully 80 percent of the student body has lived off campus at some point or continues to do so. This is the challenge that faces the newly created Office of Off-Campus Student Programs and Services: How can an extremely diverse group of students — from all age ranges and all backgrounds — feel they’re getting a similar university experience as their on-campus peers? “[Many off-campus students] catch a shuttle, get in the car, go to the academic building and then leave,” said Scott Blevins, the assistant director of Patriot Leader Initiatives within Orientation, Family Programs and Services. Blevins has been tasked with overseeing the new office that will reach out to off-campus students and tailor programs to meet their needs. “The hard part is getting past the word ‘commuter’ and its negative implications,” Blevins said. “You’re going to get all kinds of answers from students when you ask them about their time at Mason, from ‘I love it’ to ‘This is an expanded high school where I go to class’ and everything in between.” The hardest […]
Mason Student Has a Bright Futura

Lifestyle February 20, 2012 at 3:11 pm Comments are Disabled

Bright Futura is an online college newspaper, blog and video-based community. As stated on its website, Bright Futura is powered by students, for students. Founded by George Mason University biology major Max Garland approximately four and half months ago, Bright Futura is an interactive blog-style site full of articles on current events, music suggestions, memes, jokes, advice on navigating through college life and much more. Tell me about yourself, and how you came up with this project. MG: I attend George Mason and I study pre-med, and through the course of going through all of the in’s and out’s of college, I found that advisers weren’t very helpful. But I didn’t find much that could be told on how to get through college, other than books written by adults. So I looked at websites that could do so, but there really wasn’t one. So I decided to make a relevant and not-so-relevant hybrid of fun and serious college life online. When did you start Bright Futura? MG: I started this in fall of 2011. I launched into a practice version of it on tumblr. I saw that people were interested, but I had never built a website before, so I […]