Articles by: skline

 

• Relive 2011-2012 With GMView

  Lifestyle April 9, 2012 at 3:27 pm Comments are Disabled

  In high school, usually around the end of May or the start of June, there would come a day when students got together to connect and reflect over the past year — yearbook day. What you might not know is that George Mason University has its very own yearbook, GMView. “Students don’t think about how important a yearbook is going to be in the next five to 10 years,” said Cynthia Lont, faculty advisor to GMView. “I get a lot of students who contact me and ask if I still have extra copies of older editions.” Like many programs at Mason, GMView is entirely student-run. “I teach a class called ‘The Yearbook Workshop every semester,” Lont said. “It brings students from across [the] university because everybody needs that one more credit in a 300 level course to graduate.” The Yearbook Workshop not only offers students an opportunity to earn that ever-elusive last credit, but it also provides a chance to become a part of something larger. “A lot of them are actually students who probably work part time or full time,” Lont said. “They’ve never really had a chance to be part of a tradition here at Mason. They’re not […]

   

• Button Mashing – ‘Xenoblade Chronicles’

  Lifestyle April 9, 2012 at 3:26 pm Comments are Disabled

  With the loud, fan-driven uproar about “Xenoblade Chronicles” not coming to North America, Nintendo has finally responded, announcing that the game will hit shelves stateside April 6. It’s a thumbs-up for the Wii, which is heading toward its final days in preparation for Nintendo’s next console, Wii U. “Xenoblade Chronicles” will feel untraditional compared to other games in the genre, but it will still satisfy the needs of the most jaded RPG lover. Take a 60-hour campaign, a plethora of side quests and an out-there story about people who reside on the backs of giant robots, and you’ve just hit the RPG mother lode. “Xenoblade Chronicles” follows 18-year-old Shulk, who resides in Colony 9 (located on the foot of a giant, fallen, mechanized fighting robot named Bionis). When the colony is attacked by the Mechon, which are a horde of machines from the Mechonis (another giant, fallen robot), Shulk obtains the legendary energy blade called the Monado, which was thought to be the sword of the Bionis eons ago. With this, Shulk leaves Colony 9 to stop the looming Mechon threat. He is joined by Reyn, a willful Defense Force soldier; Fiora, Shulk and Reyn’s childhood friend; Dunban, the previous […]

   

• Headphones On – The Great Lake Swimmers

  Lifestyle April 9, 2012 at 3:24 pm Comments are Disabled

  The Great Lake Swimmers are a Canadian folk-rock band led by singer-songwriter Tony Dekker. Their fifth album, entitled “New Wild Everywhere,” is a job well done. In the past, the band had recorded its records in some odd places. Their fourth album, “Lost Channels,” was recorded on an archipelago between the U.S and Canada. For “New Wild Everywhere” they decided to move into the studio, a decision that almost certainly contributed to the quality of the music. Like most of their work, this album has heavy themes of nature and our interaction with it (without feeling preachy). “Ballad of a Fisherman’s Wife” is a song dedicated to those affected by the BP oil spill, while “Easy Come Easy Go” feels like a nod to The Eagles and other bands of that era. The musicianship showcased on “New Wild Everywhere” is definitely another good reason to give it a listen. Miranda Mulholland’s violin is clear, strong and effortlessly melodic. When paired with Dekker’s ethereal voice, the combination is inspiring. My only complaint about the album is that the guitar work is less interesting than it could be. There is something lacking and the album could have been even more impressive if […]

   

• Should We Blame the Gun or Gunman?

  Editorials April 9, 2012 at 3:23 pm Comments are Disabled

  News viewers in this nation and around the globe have witnessed a recent surge in incidents involving gunmen turning their weapons against innocent people. Just a few recent examples include Jared Loughner, Anders Breivik, Robert Bales and George Zimmerman. Perhaps most notable for college students is One L. Goh, who took the lives of several classmates at Oikos University in California last week. Goh’s actions reignited debates about student safety at universities across the country, including here at George Mason University. A vital question at the core of this issue must be answered: Is the gun or the man who wields it to blame? Guns themselves cannot be solely blamed, considering they are inanimate objects. Guns are just one of the abundant tools of violence. Before the advent of the firearm, murderous individuals perpetrated wanton killings and destruction using different tools; such as swords. Even today, as the tribal conflict in Rwanda illustrated, a machete can do as much, if not more, damage as a gun. Even a needle can be used to kill, as was the case in the elimination of North Korean defector Ahn. If somebody intends to do harm, he will inevitably find a means of doing […]

   

• Freedom of Speech Stretches Only So Far

  Editorials April 9, 2012 at 3:22 pm 3 comments

  I am a strong believer in freedom of speech. I believe that if you think abortion is wrong, you have a right to express that opinion. If I’m walking to class, and you approach me about anything — whether you just have to talk to me for, literally, the sixth time about Heavenly Mother, the Church of Latter-Day Saints, the environment chickens have to live in, your ongoing abortion protest — I will smile, take your pamphlet and drop it in my notebook. I hate to see passersby who often forget their manners. Activists are people with feelings, not brainless, inanimate objects, so I make sure to never be rude. Though I may already have an opinion about the subject you’re advocating or protesting, one that I do not expect to change — give me a pamphlet because I’ll take it, and I’ll look at it. One thing I strongly disagree with, however, is the manner in which the most recent abortion protest unfolded. We have censorship on television for a reason; if you are opposed to seeing graphic images on television, you switch off the TV. But if I need to get to class and there are 20 pictures […]

   

• Construction at Mason: A Double-Edged Sword

  Editorials April 9, 2012 at 3:21 pm 1 comment

  Construction: You hear it, you see it, you smell it — it’s everywhere. It’s part of daily life here at George Mason University. You can walk your regular route one day and find out the next day that it’s going to take you an extra five minutes to get to class because construction workers just broke ground on a new project. It can be a hassle in the everyday lives of students, but at the end of the day, the finished products are part of the reason why Mason is such an innovative university with a rapidly expanding student body. Construction at Mason really is a double-edged sword. It’s amazing how many new buildings and parking decks have sprung up in just the past few years. When I was a freshman just four years ago, there was no Recreation and Athletic Complex, School of Art, Eastern Shore, Hampton Roads, Rogers and Whitetop, Rappahannock Parking Deck, Mason Inn, Engineering Building or University Hall. In fact, Southside was just opening. Buildings like Thompson Hall have been completely renovated, and Science and Technology is getting a huge expansion, with STII in the process of being completely gutted. A lot has obviously changed over […]

   

• Online Dating: Has it Gone to Far?

  Editorials April 9, 2012 at 3:20 pm Comments are Disabled

  Many of you are probably familiar with online dating sites such as Zoosk, Match.com and eHarmony — websites specifically designed to help you find a compatible partner. But now, with the advancements of technology and the growing number of participants, many of these online dating sites are coming up with new strategies to draw even larger crowds. Virtual dating is a relatively new type of dating system. Like online dating sites, it allows individuals to form relationships with others all over the world. The interesting concept of virtual dating is it combines online dating with online gaming. Like online dating sites, you are required to create your own profile and search around for people who interest you. Once you come across a profile you like, you simply click a button and ask that person out on a date. This is where virtual dating starts to branch out onto its own path. On an online dating site, if that person responds “yes,” you would have to pick a place to meet and show them a good time, whereas on a virtual dating site, you would go on a “virtual date.” You choose an avatar image that will best represent you, and […]

   
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  Intramural Tournaments Gauge Student Interest

  Sports April 9, 2012 at 3:18 pm Comments are Disabled

  Any time there is enthusiasm for a new sport, a tournament is held in the spring to gauge student interest. If there is enough commitment, then the sport becomes a league in the fall. “There’s definitely some interest here some of the teams are not organized, but both dodgeball and ultimate frisbee will become intramural leagues in the fall,” said Paul Bazzano, intramural and recreational sports assistant director. Sports management majors are required to have a directed practicum experience, either paid or volunteer. Over the course of 10 to 15 weeks, the students are expected to provide opportunities for others to gain skill and knowledge in an entry-level sport. Seven teams signed up for the ultimate frisbee tournament, but only four showed up and were able to compete. Matt Florence, a health, fitness and recreation resources major who organized the ultimate frisbee tournament under the practicum experience program, reached out to the ultimate frisbee club team for support. “I played many other sports with very intense rivalries. Ultimate frisbee has a sense of community-building and fun like no other sport I’ve ever played,” said Tim Rusbasan, a senior and captain of the men’s club ultimate frisbee team. “It’s about sportsmanship. […]

   

• Freshman Orientation

  Sports April 9, 2012 at 3:14 pm Comments are Disabled

  Being a college freshman is a new, unusual and stressful time for a majority of students. Living with a roommate, maintaining a full course load and constantly attempting to find a place in the college environment can push students to the limit. Throw in hours of practice every day, 7 a.m. workouts and the constant pressure of trying to prove yourself on the golf course to that mix and it makes for a whirlwind of day-to-day tension and mental unrest. However, freshman Andrew Brenneman handles the same docket of activities while maintaining a dignified poise and clear mindset. “Being on the golf team does take up a lot of my time. On top of classes, I practice about three or four hours a day, sometimes even more than that. I don’t see it as any extra stress because I enjoy what I’m doing, and I like playing golf. It’s actually a nice break from the day,” Brenneman said. Of the golf team’s 11 members, Brenneman is currently one of only two freshman on the entire squad. Being on a team consisting of mainly upperclassmen has pushed Brenneman to test himself against the veterans and their experience “For the first semester […]

   
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  The Final Frontier

  News1 April 4, 2012 at 4:26 pm Comments are Disabled

  Jupiter is 483.5 million miles away or four times as far from the Earth as the Earth is from the sun. There is a good chance most George Mason University students will never see it as more than a distant light in the night sky, barely discernible from a star. Harold Geller, a professor in the astronomy department, is helping to change that. He hosted one of his ongoing astronomy observing sessions last Monday. These sessions give any student a chance to use Mason’s astronomy observatory tower atop Research I to better see and understand the universe. Geller has been hosting the sessions at Mason since 1996, eight years before construction began on Research I. It wasn’t that long ago when he directed the students’ attention through telescopes much smaller than the one that he now uses. It’s 9:00 p.m., an hour after the session begins, and the line coils down a narrow staircase leading up to the main telescope. Jupiter was the focus of this session. The night was clear, and both the planet and its four Galilean moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, were visible. Outside, another line formed for a smaller telescope focused on the moon. While […]