Lifestyle

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  Marc Anthony to visit Mason

  Lifestyle September 7, 2010 at 5:47 pm Comments are Disabled

  George Mason University is about to get a lot hotter. Marc Anthony, the world’s top-selling salsa artist, will be performing on Sept. 11 at the Patriot Center.

   

• The softer side of a crime boss

  Lifestyle September 7, 2010 at 5:15 pm Comments are Disabled

  I recently left the AMC Tysons Corner Movie Theater slightly nauseated.

   
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  Bookstore more conscientious: New clothing line bought by book store pays employees fair wages

  Lifestyle September 7, 2010 at 5:14 pm Comments are Disabled

  With rising costs of living in a time of economic struggle, more corporations are becoming aware of the mistreatment of workers and recognizing their rights to unionize. In an attempt to also raise awareness, several colleges and university bookstores across the nation are partnering up with a new apparel company that promotes fair pay and works out of a factory that respects workers’ rights and ensures a safe and healthy work environment. The George Mason University bookstore is among those taking a stand against worker abuse and mistreatment. Alta Gracia is a new brand of T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies owned by Knights Apparel that works out of a factory in Villa Altagracia, Dominican Republic. There, workers are paid 33.8% of the legal minimum wage, which is equivalent to approximately $3 an hour. In a short statement about Alta Gracia’s initiative, CEO of Knights Apparel Joe Bozich explained the unique motivation behind this hopeful frontier. “To my knowledge, this is the first apparel brand anywhere in the world to compensate the people that are making the product not based upon what’s required of us, but based upon what we calculate as a living wage,” said Bozich. With wages this much higher […]

   
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  Future of Construction: A glance at the faces of Mason construction

  Lifestyle September 7, 2010 at 5:09 pm Comments are Disabled

  It’s become a familiar sight for students: bulldozers moving dirt, workers in hardhats leaning over blueprints and even the occasional parking lot conversion. For the past decade, George Mason University’s campus has been a place of drastic change. At the forefront of this change is Mason’s Facilities Management department. Led by Bob Endebrock, the department oversees the logistical aspects of new buildings on Mason’s three campuses in Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William. According to Endebrock, 10 new facilities have opened since April on Mason’s three locations. Helping Endebrock oversee these projects are two Mason alumni, Project Engineer Hieu Tran and Project Inspector Chris Ellis. Both interned at Facilities Management during their time at Mason and were offered jobs after graduation. Now, Tran oversees building projects and renovations while Ellis works to ensure the new work is properly installed and complies with city ordinances. As students know, the building process can be a long one. According to Endebrock, getting a building from its planning stages to completion can take as many as eight years, as was the case with the Arlington campus. Departments in need of a new building submit their plans to Endebrock and his team, who then work with […]

   

• U.S. Army: To join or not to join?: ‘The idea of working 9 to 5 on a civilian job scares me more than getting shot at’

  Lifestyle May 3, 2010 at 1:49 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Alexandra Orellana, Broadside Correspondent Katesha Biagas, a Florida native and George Mason University student, starts her day at 4:30 a.m. The 31-year-old public administration major dons on her full Army combat uniform and heads to campus, ready for a physically and intellectually stimulating day. Biagas is a sergeant in the U.S. Army and a student in the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps. As she walks around campus, she hardly goes unnoticed. Her boots alone weigh approximately two pounds each. “At first I just want[ed] to blend in,” Biagas says. “But then, when I wear my fatigues and people constantly stop me and say ‘thank you for your service,’ it makes [me] feel good.” Biagas joined the Army at age 22. She had completed a few semesters of community college but quit for economic reasons. She was recruited at a Walgreens pharmacy, where she was working full-time to support herself. The Army paid for Biagas’s education and she soon completed her associate degree in radiology. Upon being deployed to Iraq in 2008, the Army placed her as a non-commissioned officer in charge at Camp Adder in Tallil, Iraq. “I had two soldiers under me,” she said. “Even though I was the […]

   

• Faces of Mason: Stories of the people shaping our campus community

  Lifestyle May 3, 2010 at 1:37 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Fareeha Aziz, Broadside Correspondent; Amy Hensby, Broadside Correspondent; Kimberly Sarmuksnis, Broadside Correspondent; Aisha Jamil, Broadside Correspondent; Karima Scott, Broadside Correspondent; Reuben Jones, Broadside Correspondent; Rania Olibah, Broadside Correspondent; Akuender Kodi, Broadside Correspondent; Allie Hunter, Broadside Correspondent Lizzy Nguyen: ‘Cause I’m freaking fabulous’ “Zesty, bubbly, outspoken and nerdy” are all words that describe parts of Lizzy Nguyen’s personality. Once when asked why she should win a body building contest at the hypnotist show on campus, she replied with, “’Cause I’m freaking fabulous!” Nguyen describes herself as an extrovert who loves to laugh and be a comedian, but school work brings out her serious side. This is apparent in her typical routine of conducting research in Dr. Kashdan’s psychology lab, doing Asian impressions or watching the latest episode of Chuck. Nguyen is a senior psychology major in the Honors Program. For the past two years, she has been assisting in ongoing research on social anxiety, relationships and well-being. She’s currently working on her honor’s thesis, which is on daily anger. Of psychology Nguyen said, “What’s cooler than studying people around us . . . happiness, knowing ourselves, why we are the way we are . . . tools we can use […]

   

• Center for the Arts Calendar 2010-2011

  Lifestyle May 3, 2010 at 1:29 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Patrick Wall, Style Editor George Mason University’s Center for the Arts (CFA) has long been a cultural beacon in the Northern Virginia area. From orchestral shows to theater, the CFA’s schedule gathers together the best of the world’s cultural icons. The 2010-2011 season marks the CFA’s 20th anniversary. To celebrate, the venue will showcase some of their best talent yet. For students looking for a show, the CFA has their bases covered. “The Great Performances at Mason series has such incredible variety and there really is something for everyone.” Said Public and Media Relations Coordinator Jill Graziano. “I see The Merchants of Bollywood doing really well among students given the emphasis that Mason places on diversity and the rise in popularity of Indian culture in recent years.” To purchase tickets to a CFA event, or to view a complete listing of events, visit cfa.gmu.edu or call (703) 993-2787.

   

• It’s all about you: Britt Wright gets personal on WGMU

  Lifestyle May 3, 2010 at 1:26 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Tea Hadzic, Broadside Correspondent Monday seems to be the most dreaded day of the week for students. But not for Britt Wright. Wright is a weekly DJ and host of his very own radio show on George Mason University’s WGMU. The title of his show is The Wright Hour, an hour-long show airing every Monday from 5 to 6 p.m. Wright’s show is entirely about you. You tell him what you want to discuss and what you want to hear, and he’ll make it happen for you . . . with a spin of his own style. “My duty is to entertain students through music and select conversations,” said Wright, a sophomore communication major from Richmond, Va. “Ideally, I wanted people to finishing their Monday evening off just right . . . and what better way than with The Wright Hour.” Hosting a show during his college career was not in Wright’s plans. He actually took COMM 148, which is the Radio Workshop course, during his freshman year. If a student does extremely well in the course, he or she is asked to host a show in the actual studio. Looks like Wright received an A-plus. Wright has discussed […]

   

• The best of the decade that was

  Lifestyle May 3, 2010 at 1:25 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Ross Bonaime, Staff Writer This past decade was a huge one for film. It’s hard to believe, but before the last decade, superhero movies were considered risky ventures, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings were just books and the most successful films in 3D were Jaws 3-D and Friday the 13th Part III. So with that, let’s look back at the 2000s for the top five films of the last decade. This is my last column for Broadside, so I would just like to say thanks to anyone who took a minute to read my articles each week. 5. The Royal Tenenbaums The decade was ripe with quirky comedies like Juno and Little Miss Sunshine, but Wes Anderson’s take on family dynamics was borderline perfection. An incredible cast featuring Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller and Luke and Owen Wilson in their greatest roles has a style all its own and its views on love, relationships and growing up in mayhem make it a fantastic comedy. 4. Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 The 2000s were also about breaking down the norms, something Quentin Tarantino does better than the rest. Tarantino split up his four-hour film into […]

   

• Magic: The Gathering A card game bringing students together

  Lifestyle May 3, 2010 at 1:23 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Ramy Zabarah, Staff Writer We’ve all seen them, we’ve all heard them and we’ve all judged them, but does anyone actually know them? For most students, the bottom level of SUB I is a place to get a quick bite to eat, grab a drink after a long day of class or play a game of pool to unwind. But for a certain group of students, it’s a place where they can be themselves. Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game introduced in 1993 that has been credited as the precursor for other games such as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! But Magic: The Gathering — or Magic, for short — is the main focus of this certain group of students who rule over the kingdom of SUB I. Although Magic is this group’s main game of choice, other similar games might make their way to the table, such as seminal fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and various board games. Games of Magic are played in phases between two or more people. Each player starts out with a certain number of health points, and the objective is to either cause your opponent’s cards to run out, or to reduce […]