Articles by: studentmedia

 

• Student protests Obama’s health bill: Fears mount as the House passes health care legislation

  Editorials March 25, 2010 at 10:15 am Comments are Disabled

  By Ashley O’Donnell, Guest Columnist As someone who had cancer four years ago and will lose my health insurance in two months because I’m graduating, there’s a lot I fear when it comes to health insurance. President Obama’s speech on Friday only made that fear worse. He told the audience that he wants to add more choice and competition to the insurance market, but those are the very two things that will be taken away if his version of the bill gets passed. This is why I was surprised when he said, “I don’t believe we should give government or the insurance companies more control over health care in America. I think it’s time to give you, the American people, more control over your health.” That statement is hypocritical, rhetorical “inaction.” The government already controls 49 percent of the health care market through Medicare and Medicaid, and they are going bankrupt, barely covering all the needs of those on these plans. What few realize is that private insurance companies are already heavily regulated. According to the Cato Institute, “States also limit enrollees’ freedom to purchase only the coverage they wish.” A study conducted in 2007 by the Congressional Budget Office […]

   

• Former student pleads ‘not-guilty’ to terrorism charges

  News1 March 25, 2010 at 10:05 am Comments are Disabled

  By Sonya Hudson, Managing Editor A one-time George Mason University student studying accounting, Umar Farooq Chaudhry was one of the five Northern Virginian men charged by Pakistani authorities on accounts of terrorism-related crimes last Wednesday. The five men were arrested in Pakistan in December according to the Associated Press. Chaudhry, born in 1985 in Sargodha, Pakistan, was reported by the university to not have been taking classes at Mason at the time of his arrest. “He was not a student here taking classes at the time this thing happened,” said Dan Walsch, the university press secretary. Walsch explained that the university did not have prior knowledge of Chaudhry’s arrest. Chaudhry and the four other men, all Muslim between the ages of 18 and 24, pleaded “not-guilty” to five counts of terrorism-related crimes, which included planning attacks on Afghan and United States territory, according to the Associated Press. Prosecutors and the Pakistani police describe these men as “hardened jihadists” whereas the defense portrays them as humanitarians who traveled to Afghanistan to aid the Muslims who had been displaced by the war. The trial is scheduled for March 31 in Sargodha, the birthplace of Chaudhry, before a judge, as Pakistan does not […]

   

• Tomato pricing woes hit campus: As tomato prices rise nationally, students now have to request the red fruit

  News1 March 25, 2010 at 9:49 am Comments are Disabled

  By Sonya Hudson, Managing Editor Always forgetting to ask for your sandwich without that tomato? Well, now you don’t have to. Tomatoes at dining facilities across campus will now be available only upon request. During the prolonged January cold snap, Florida farmers, the main source for fresh winter tomatoes for almost the entire country, lost about 70 percent of their crop. According to a Feb. 25 United States Department of Agriculture report, about two-thirds of the tomato crop in the major southwestern production region was destroyed. This means an increase on the prices of tomatoes nationwide. A year ago, the average wholesale price for a 25-pound box of tomatoes was $6.50 compared to today’s price of $30. Reggie Brown of the Florida Tomato Grower’s Exchange, a tomato farmer cooperative in Maitland, Fla., told The Associated Press that normally Florida’s growers would ship about 25 million pounds of tomatoes a week, but now they are only shipping about a quarter of that. In an effort to save money George Mason University has chosen to offer tomatoes upon request only. “We’re not going to just put tomatoes on every sandwich,” said Denise Ammaccapane, resident district manager of Mason dining. Ammaccapane emphasized that […]

   

• SODEXO WORKERS SIGN PETITION

  News1 March 25, 2010 at 9:40 am Comments are Disabled

  By Emily Sharrer, Editor-in-Chief Sodexo workers at George Mason University are in the process of gathering testimonies and signing a petition to demand more affordable healthcare options, better working standards and the right to form a union — an entitlement, which a group of employees alleges has led to hostile working conditions and harassment on the job. “The reason why we are doing this is because we know that a lot of things that are being done by the company is against the rights of the workers,” said Andres Ujueta, who works in Southside. “There are a lot of things that need to be taken care of.” Since last fall, workers for Sodexo across the nation have been petitioning to combat low wages, discrimination and other grievances against management at their respective working locations, and several weeks ago Mason Sodexo employees decided to join in the fight. According to Fabricio Herrera, a lead organizer at the Arlington branch of the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, Mason Sodexo workers have been discouraged by employers from joining a union, though the National Labor Relations Act guarantees workers the right to join unions without fear of backlash from employers. According to charges […]

   

• Health care reform passes House

  News1 March 25, 2010 at 9:39 am Comments are Disabled

  By Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor aIt was a close one, but the United States House of Representatives made history Sunday evening when the chamber narrowly passed President Barack Obama’s health care reform bill. The piece of legislation, which cleared the Senate late last year, squeaked through the lower house as Democratic leaders, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, rallied support among lawmakers to attain the 216 votes needed for passage of the controversial measure. The bill, which has an initial cost of $940 billion, is estimated by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to reduce the national deficit by $143 billion over the course of ten years. Opponents of the landmark legislation have dubbed it a government takeover of the American health care system and claimed that it will fundamentally restructure one sixth of the U.S. economy. When President Obama appeared on the campus of George Mason University last Friday to speak at the Patriot Center, however, he was quick to dismiss such notions. “You’ve heard that this is a government takeover,” Obama said to the crowd of more than 8,000. “You’ve heard we’re going to kill granny. You’ve heard that most of this will benefit illegal immigrants. Those are crazy ideas. […]

   

• Forensics team wins big at world tournament: Group takes highest honors at tourny for second year in a row

  News1 March 25, 2010 at 9:38 am Comments are Disabled

  By Evan Benton, Staff Writer The George Mason University Forensics team traveled to Germany last week to take part in the International Forensic Association tournament, held at the Park Iron Hotel in downtown Berlin. In addition to winning the team sweepstakes award (effectively the championship) for the second straight year, Mason also had five world champions: Samantha Sapienza for Informative Speaking, Katie Miller for Poetry, Jen Torres and Tyler Dailey for Duo Interpretation, Danielle Ohrenberger for Prose and Mickey Cox for After Dinner Speaking. The IFA promotes the diversity of forensic competition in countries around the world, where up to 35 colleges and universities attend and compete. Last year’s IFA tournament was held in Montreal, where the Mason team brought home their first Championship trophy since entering the tournament for the first time in 2008. Basically, this means that the team has swept the only two years they’ve been in the tournament. For Mason Forensics, this represents one more victory for a team that has produced 35 national champions since 1975, and has a trophy case of more than 14,000 trophies. “Well the university just continues to be so proud of the forensics group and the job they’re doing representing […]

   

• Tensions rise as AG’s visit nears: Protest planned in light of Cuccinelli's recent legal option

  News1 March 25, 2010 at 9:36 am Comments are Disabled

  By Kevn Loker, C2M Executive Editor When an elected official — or any other successful public figure — returns upon invitation to his or her alma mater, they usually receive a warm welcome. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s situation is a bit more complicated. A potential 200 Mason students, faculty, alumni and community members will be on site to protest Cuccinelli’s law school visit slated for 5 p.m. Tuesday evening, according to Robert Pilaud, past president of the George Mason University School of Law (GMUSL) Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Law Association (GALLA) and current secretary of the Lambda Alumni Chapter of the George Mason University Alumni Association. The protest comes over two weeks after a letter the attorney general wrote to Virginia universities was leaked to the public. In the letter, Cuccinelli gave a legal opinion advising the state institutions to remove ‘sexual orientation,’ ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ from the language of their nondiscrimination policies on the basis of current Virginia state law as determined by the General Assembly. [An op-ed written by the attorney general defending his position can be found in today’s Opinion section.] The letter sparked an onslaught of outrage across the state, with online social media […]

   

• Lewis Dominates Mason

  Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:44 pm Comments are Disabled

  Fernanda Bartels, Staff Writer The men’s volleyball team started off a long weekend with a loss against the No. 15 Lewis Flyers in a non-conference match. Mason fell short in three sets (21-30, 21-30, 28-30). Lewis improved its record to 8-2 while the Patriots dropped to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in conference matches. After beating the Saint Francis Red Flash in four sets (30-23, 24-30, 30-26, 30-25) and falling to the Juniata Eagles in three close sets (30-28, 32-30, 30-28) on the road, the Patriots could not pull off the victory against the Flyers. The Flyers led throughout the first set and the majority of the second set, but Mason challenged the nationally ranked team in the third set, as the teams battled through five ties. “I think we came out a little flat,” said junior outside hitter Eric Lucas. “Every time that we brought it back, it seems like we made an error and we let them get ahead of the game. We didn’t continue our momentum.” The Patriots were led by sophomore outside hitter Andrew Dentler with 10 kills and Lucas with eight kills. The Mason offense was inconsistent compared to the Flyers. The Flyers were led by […]

   

• Ice Hockey Below the Radar

  Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:43 pm Comments are Disabled

  Josh Apple, Connect2Mason Reporter The word “ice” around George Mason University garners thoughts of the blizzard conditions, the slippery roads and sidewalks around campus and a four-day miniature winter break. However, for 20 Mason students, the word “ice” means only one thing: hockey. Unbeknownst to most students, the Mason club ice hockey team exists and is on the rise. Unlike the roller hockey team, which was founded just two years ago, the ice hockey squad has been around for about a decade. The club had a slow start but has quickly gained momentum this year in terms of interest and talent level. Erik Gibbons, a 23-year-old graduate student from Fairfax, said, “Historically, [Mason] has been one of the worst teams in whichever league we play in, that is until this season.” The team competes in the Blue Ridge Hockey Conference, which is comprised of the Atlantic, Carolina and Colonial Divisions. Mason is in the Atlantic, along with Catholic, JMU, Northern Virginia Community College, Radford, Virginia Military Institute and William & Mary. The squad is currently fourth out of the eight teams with a conference record of 8-5, including sweeps of NVCC and VMI. Overall, they have a solid record of […]

   

• Mason Looks to End Its Sea of Losses

  Sports February 22, 2010 at 2:41 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor Overview: Entering last week, the women’s basketball team lost its eighth consecutive and the 13th of its past 14 games after falling to the Old Dominion Monarchs on Sunday at the Patriot Center, 66-52. The George Mason University Patriots continued to struggle in the Colonial Athletic Association, winning just one of 13 conference games, and holding a conference-worst 8-16 overall record. The team will take on the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Patriot Center. The Seahawks entered the week with a 9-15 overall record and 4-9 conference record. Mason: The Patriots came up short in Wilmington two weeks ago, coming back from a nine-point halftime deficit to cut the lead to one point several times. But in the end, the Seahawks spoiled Mason’s rally with a 3-pointer which beat the shot clock buzzer. Junior guard Brittany Poindexter had a solid performance, tallying 15 points and grabbing five rebounds, including four offensive boards. Poindexter is the team leader with 12.4 points per game, and she ranks third on the team with 4.7 rebounds per game. Mason won all seven home games in non-conference play, but since then, the team’s performance on its […]