Articles by: studentmedia

 

• Advancing on the Path; World Cup: U.S. Soccer Team Finds Pressure

  Sports February 18, 2010 at 11:17 am Comments are Disabled

  Donald O’Mahony, Broadside Correspondent The expectations will be high when the United States soccer team arrives at this summer’s World Cup. After their surprise run in 2002 and their tough draw in 2006, the Americans are poised for a solid showing in 2010. Americans everywhere were thrilled on Dec. 9 of last year when their team was drawn into a group with England, Algeria and Slovenia. Many worried that the U.S. would be drawn into another tough group like they were in 2006, with Italy, Czech Republic and Ghana. However, Group C looks to be one of the most straightforward groups going into the summer. If everything goes as expected, the U.S. should finish second in Group C and would likely take on Germany in the round of 16. The Americans would be looking to avenge a controversial loss to the Germans in the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup. It will be very important for Head Coach Bob Bradley to have his team playing at the highest level possible going into the summer. Whispers of a coaching change for the U.S. were starting to be heard before their outstanding performance at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which they […]

   

• Second Half Rally Falls Short

  Sports February 18, 2010 at 11:15 am Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor For the second straight game, the women’s basketball team fell short in an inspiring effort on the road. Mason lost its seventh consecutive game and 11th overall road game in a 51-47 loss to the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks on Thursday night. The Patriots dropped to 8-15 overall and 1-11 in the Colonial Athletic Association while the Seahawks improved to 8-15 overall and 3-9 in the conference. In the first half, junior guard Brittany Poindexter led Mason with eight points on 4-of-9 shooting and grabbed four rebounds, and freshman forward Janaa Pickard and junior guard Ashleigh Braxton added four points apiece. The team trailed 27-18 at halftime after shooting just 32.1 percent from the field. Mason started the game down 5-4 at the 15:37 mark, but the Seahawks responded with a 9-0 run and eventually extended its lead to 15 late in the first half. Down 25-10 at the point, the Patriots closed the half on an 8-2 run. Mason’s persistent run had gradually trimmed into the Seahawks’ lead; midway through the second half, Mason had trailed by just three points at 39-36. The Seahawks scored the next six points, but Mason again mounted a comeback, cutting […]

   

• Setup for the Future; Men’s Tennis Goes Young for 2010

  Sports February 18, 2010 at 11:10 am Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor For the first time in two years, the men’s tennis team will be without the duo of Brian Fitzgerald and Dan Schneider. In contrast to last year, Mason enters the spring 2010 season with a youth-oriented team. Head Coach Gary Quam returns for his 21st season with Mason. After being eliminated in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, the team wrapped up its 2009 season with a 5-12 record. With only three returning players from last year’s squad, the team looks to receive a large contribution from its newcomers. Mason will be headed by sophomore Jorge Osuna and freshman Kevin McMillen at the top. “Last year, we had an older team — we had a bunch of seniors. Now, we have a fresh team; we don’t have as much experience as last year,” said Osuna of the change entering this season. Osuna also believes that the recruitment can potentially lead to positive results next year. “We have really good recruits, so the future seems to be quite promising,” said Osuna. Osuna served as the team’s lone freshman last year. This year, the team brought in McMillen and five other freshmen. Osuna and […]

   

• Mason Hosts Lewis and Loyola

  Sports February 18, 2010 at 11:05 am Comments are Disabled

  Fernanda Bartels, Staff Writer Overview: The men’s volleyball team comes back to its home court this weekend. After playing against the Juniata Eagles and St. Francis Red Flash on the road, the Patriots have a busy weekend ahead against the Loyola Chicago Ramblers and Lewis Flyers. Mason last played the Ramblers and Flyers last March; the Patriots were downed by both teams in three sets. Opposite hitter Kyle Gramit led the Patriots on both matches, having 15 kills against the Ramblers and 10 kills against the Flyers. Mason played Loyola earlier on that season, and lost in five sets. Despite the loss, the Patriots recorded a total of 24 blocks, falling one block short of only one block to match the school’s rally-scoring era record. Mason: Junior outside hitter Eric Lucas adapted well to the hitter position and has led the Patriot offense with 58 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Andrew Dentler is second in kills with 49. Starting freshman middle blocker Piotr Dabrowski and freshman setter Javier Perez have been making the difference on the court; Dabrowski is first on total blocks with 20, and Perez has a team high of 180 sets. The Patriots rank second in kills, assists, […]

   

• Missing Shots, Missing Mo; Mason Drops Third Consecutive Road Game

  Sports February 18, 2010 at 11:03 am Comments are Disabled

  John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor It did not look very good for the men’s basketball team. No shots went their way, Old Dominion held a tight defense, and the only point that came in the first nine minutes was on a free throw from freshman forward Johnny Williams. “Five of our first six shots I thought were really good . . . but when you miss an easy shot, it’s still a miss,” said Head Coach Jim Larranaga. The Patriots were held to shooting only 44.4 percent from the field, while they shot 70 percent from the free throw line. Shooting problems were not the only things plaguing the Patriots (16-10, 11-4), but the nine first-half turnovers gave the Monarchs (20-7, 12-3) point after point on the fastbreak. They came on dribbles, they came on passes. Mason basically could not find a way to keep the ball, even giving it away on a shot-clock violation. The Monarchs, on the other hand, made crisp passes, picked up their own rebounds and Mason’s as well. “They have got a good team. They are good defensively, especially good when their rebounders are playing well,” said Larranaga of the Monarchs’ defense. The Patriots finally […]

   

• The Cost of Winning; Mason Sprinter Deals with, Overcomes Obsession

  Sports February 18, 2010 at 11:01 am Comments are Disabled

  John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor In his junior year of high school, Rachaunn Ruffin was ranked nationally for the first time in his life. While most would simply find an award of this stature a simple recognition of their dedication, Ruffin took a very different perspective on the new recognition. When he was young, Ruffin just played sports that involved running. “I just like running,” said Ruffin of how he began his athletic life. “Every sport that I played, whether it be soccer, football or basketball, as long as I could run, I liked to play.” He always had support from his family. “My father made me realize that I have great potential and that I should never settle for ordinary, even if I win,” Ruffin said of his parents’ impact. “My mom taught me if I lose that there are still people that care about you. I got so obsessed with winning that I thought that if I lose, nobody would care. She taught me that it was okay to lose sometimes.” He learned dedication from his high school football coaches. Specifically, they taught him how to be mentally sharp and that even when he was tired and in […]

   

• Mason Community Prevails Through Record Snowstorms

  Editorials February 18, 2010 at 10:27 am Comments are Disabled

  The past few days have been a test for everyone in the Washington, D.C. region; the consequence of over three feet of snow has made achieving normal, everyday activities very challenging. You have all been inconvenienced by the inclement weather, but somehow you have survived, and during this process have made us all very proud of the Mason family. You have stepped up in these most difficult of times. Knowing that there is no way to mention all the outstanding efforts of the Mason faculty, staff and students, noted are just a few of the many examples of different university efforts that far exceeded our greatest expectations: Physical Plant/Facilities Staff: On a 24/7 basis for the past 4-5 days, these dedicated men and women plowed and shoveled unprecedented depths of snow to clear the roadways and sidewalks throughout our campuses. These staff members put aside clearing their own homes to work on our campuses. Many of the staff stayed at local hotels since commuting back and forth was not practical. Campus Police Staff: Similarly, on a 24/7 basis the campus police department has kept the campuses safe, secure and attended to any emergencies that occurred. The university had thousands of […]

   

• The Non-Issue of ‘Climategate’ and The Real Issue of Climate Change

  Editorials February 18, 2010 at 10:25 am Comments are Disabled

  I was initially annoyed by Alan Moore’s recent piece on the opinion page in Broadside; I’m now thankful for the opportunity to set the record straight. After thoroughly refuting the baseless claims he made in his last piece about climate change that appeared in Broadside, I can’t pass up the chance to further educate Mr. Moore on the truth about climate change and the so-called “Climategate” scandal. However, doing so is easier said than done; like his previous piece, this one is so chock-full of errors it would take pages to refute them all. In fact, the quality of Mr. Moore’s arguments is so ridiculously feeble that I’m assuming most people that had the misfortune of reading them realized what they are: a distasteful and deceitful attempt to mislead the George Mason University community. That said, I will point out the inaccuracies in some of his more inflammatory claims. First of all, the so-called “Climategate” scandal is a non-issue. To give you a little background, the scandal in question is the result of computer servers at the Climate Research Center in the U.K. being hacked in late last November. The perpetrators of the crime released stolen e-mails to the public […]

   

• Eastern Shore to House Freshmen; Living Learning Communities to Reside in Facility

  News1 February 15, 2010 at 2:02 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ethan Vaughn, Asst. News Editor When the Eastern Shore housing area opens for the fall 2010 semester, it will be welcoming only freshmen. The new dorm building, which first housed students last fall, will be used to accommodate some of George Mason University’s Living Learning Communities (LLCs). The suite-style housing, which has no more than four residents to a bathroom or 16 to a common room, has been home to a mix of upperclassmen and freshmen this year and some Mason students are not happy with the transition. “ That’s really stupid,” remarked Jon Zerbonia, a senior administration of justice major. “Liberty [Square] and that stuff used to be all seniors, but then they opened it up to freshmen because so many people are trying to live here. I haven’t been able to live on campus because of the lack of housing. There’s no point in making [Eastern Shore] all freshmen. It actually kind of makes me mad.” Denise Taylor, the director of Housing and Residence Life, called the idea of Eastern Shore being changed into an all-freshmen area a misconception. “Eastern Shore was built specifically for Living Learning Communities,” Taylor said. “The only reason it wasn’t all LLC housing […]

   

• New Jazzman’s Locations; Locations Open At Fenwick and Art and Design Building

  News1 February 15, 2010 at 1:54 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brenda Shepard, Staff Writer For those on campus who love Jazzman’s Café in the Johnson Center, brace yourselves for an exciting development in Mason Dining: there are now more Jazzman’s to go around. Sodexo Food Services has introduced two new locations for the coffee shop on the Fairfax campus. The Art and Design Building (formerly known as the School of Art Building) and Fenwick Library are both featuring new carts that provide students delicious Jazzman’s food and drinks. “The Sodexo brand is recognized on campus,” said Denise Ammaccapane, resident district manager for Sodexo. “Now, [for Jazzman’s], there’s a mama and papa and a baby where students can get the same quality food.” Hungry students studying in Fenwick no longer have to leave the building to grab a snack or a coffee boost, and early morning classes in the new Art and Design Building are no longer a problem for students looking for a pick-me-up. After the first Jazzman’s cart was unsuccessful near the Sandy Creek Parking Deck, employees at both the Art and Design Building and Fenwick Library expressed interest in having it. Instead a new, smaller cart was designed and approved for both buildings. Many students are excited about […]