Multimedia

Mason students recreate the Harlem Shake

Featured, Lifestyle, Multimedia February 17, 2013 at 5:55 pm Comments are Disabled

Nearly 200 people showed up at Southside on Feb. 17 wearing giant penis costumes, banana costumes, gorilla suits and one guy was even wearing a floppy, rubber horse mask. The list of outrageous and quirky costumes goes on and on, but why are these Mason students running around campus in bright spandex, neon bathing suits and panda costumes? Many have heard of “The Harlem Shake,” a YouTube sensation gone viral, and remakes and parodies of the video are now popping up. So of course Mason students Ryan Glass and Vince Gomes decided to bring “The Harlem Shake” home to Mason. “The videos are going viral, so why not take advantage of the opportunity to make a video like this?” said Ryan Glass, the producer and director of the video. The video was shot at four locations on campus – outside Southside, on the spiral staircase of the JC, the George Mason statue and a Lecture Hall classroom. And as many could imagine, filming the remake was an unexpected treat for Mason’s students and visitors. Mason student Orshi Buzas was watching the video being filmed outside Southside. “Oh yeah, I definitely think this will go viral – all the [Harlem Shake] […]
Photo of the week: Passion for basketball fuels alumni love

Featured, Multimedia February 12, 2013 at 5:10 pm 6 comments

Passion for basketball fuels alumni love Joe Shannon proposed to his girlfriend Ellen Face during the eight minute media time out at the Feb. 9 men’s basketball game against Delaware. Though Shannon completely surprised Face, he was more than confident he would not be turned down. The couple met through mutual friends 10 years ago as undergrads. They reunited two and a half years ago and began dating, sharing a mutual love for the Mason men’s basketball team. The couple travels to see the team play in conference tournaments each year in Richmond with their mutual friends.
Photo of the week: Taking advantage of the weather

Multimedia, News, News1 February 4, 2013 at 2:41 pm Comments are Disabled

Junior Alex Budnick utilizes the fresh snow by visiting Liberty Mountain in southern Pennsylvania. Unseasonably warm weather put a strain on local ski resorts earlier in the season, but the recent cold weather and snow has allowed area snowboarders and skiers to visit the mountains.
Real food is sweet at SweetGreen

Lifestyle, Multimedia February 4, 2013 at 1:10 pm Comments are Disabled

With the New Year and a new semester kicking off, keeping up with 2013 resolutions can be more difficult than keeping up with the Kardashians. The most common resolutions include losing weight and becoming healthier. Whether you live off or on campus, there is a restaurant to indulge in without worrying about getting off track – and it will leave you feeling relaxed and energized. Sweetgreen is a relatively local food chain restaurant with locations in only D.C., Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Luckily, the closest Sweetgreen is in Fairfax and is only 17 minutes away from campus. So what makes Sweetgreen, well, sweet? Sweetgreen specializes in fresh, quality-made salads in which the ingredients come from local and organic farms. Nowadays, most people don’t know where their food originates, which is why Sweetgreen places a chalkboard in the restaurant to let customers know exactly where they get their food from. Sweetgreen is perfect for vegetarians, vegans and anyone that is trying to lead a healthy life – or simply enjoy a delicious meal. The restaurant is Chipotle-style, where you have the choice of picking one of Sweetgreen’s eight signature salads, or you can customize your own salad. If you are indecisive, […]
Freshman’s parkour video goes viral on YouTube

Featured, Lifestyle, Multimedia February 4, 2013 at 1:04 pm Comments are Disabled

When Omar Zaki first laid eyes on a parkour video on YouTube when he was in high school, he never considered that one day one of those videos would be his own; especially one that would earn over 45 thousand views. “Just like anybody else, I saw the videos when I was younger and thought ‘That’s crazy, I could never do that, forget it’ and put it to the back of my mind,” Zaki said. The skills he showcases in the video, which follows him running, jumping and flipping across Mason’s Fairfax campus, has been nearly two years in the making. “It started when I met my best friend Adam, and he and I were talking about wanting to try it,” Zaki said. “Coincidentally, around the same time, my step dad was at work and one of his co-workers gave him the name of a parkour gym called Urban Evolution.” Urban Evolution is one of several parkour gyms in the Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland area that allows for individuals to be trained in the skills of parkour, freerunning, gymnastics, break dancing aerial acrobatics and more. “The first thing I say to anyone learning parkour is this: you learn […]
Sophomore convinces world-renowned experts to speak at Mason

Featured, Multimedia, News, News1 February 4, 2013 at 12:56 pm Comments are Disabled

Rejection knocks most people down, but when sophomore Peter Pham is on a mission, it is hard to tell him no. Pham, an integrated studies major, spent months trying to get in touch with some of the most intelligent and respected professionals in the international relations field and was discouraged to learn that his phone calls and emails were largely ignored or fielded by secretaries. So he decided to try something different. This past summer Pham took a road trip and visited his idols in person to convince them to come to Mason and speak to his Patriots for Foreign Service club. His trip covered ground between the University of Chicago, Princeton, Harvard and Yale. Perseverance paid off, and Pham was able to convince Dr. Joseph Nye, the former dean of the Kennedy School at Harvard, a renowned political scientist to speak in Dewberry Hall at 9 a.m. on Feb. 6 to speak on the presidential advancement of American foreign policy in the twentieth century. The event is open to the public and Pham encourages anyone with an interest in foreign service, despite their degree program, to attend. “We are looking for people who want to work in foreign service, […]
Exhibit showcases new international campus in Korea

Featured, Multimedia, News, News1 February 4, 2013 at 12:55 pm Comments are Disabled

Far from the humdrum suburbs of Fairfax, Mason’s new satellite campus is becoming a reality in Incheon, South Korea. To introduce the new campus in a more visual way, the Office of Global and International Studies is hosting an exhibit in the Johnson Center 123 Gallery from Feb. 4-8 each day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. “This will be a Mason campus with its own personality,” said Anne Schiller, Vice President for Global and International Strategies. “It will be both different and familiar and help students expand their global understanding.” Set to accept its first Mason students in 2014, Songdo Mason is a university built into the concept of an aerotropolis, or an airport city. Built on 1,500 acres of land reclaimed from the sea, Incheon, located near the capitol city of Seoul, is within three and a half hours of one quarter of the world’s population. “East Asia has always been an area of commitment for Mason,” Schiller said. “This is a natural continuation of the commitment Mason already made with the Korean government.” Songdo University Global Campus is one of many initiatives in a city that hopes to become the world’s gateway to East Asia. “American education […]
Fueled by the Fans: Okoloji Shines in Patriots Debut

Multimedia, Sports November 19, 2012 at 2:10 pm Comments are Disabled

Believe. That is the men’s basketball team motto for this season. Each player wears a bracelet with the word believe written on it. The Patriots believed as they opened their season Friday with a 63-59 win over Virginia at the Patriot Center. It was their first ever win over Virginia in school history. The bracelets, given by Hewitt, represent their belief in each other and as a team for this season. “He [Coach Hewitt] said I believe in you guys. I fell like we can do a lot of great things with this team. I’ve been through a lot of teams and for him to say that shows he really believes in us,” Anali Okoloji said. “We belong here. We have to prove to people that we belong here. Even though we’re a CAA team, we are actually one of the better teams in the country. That is what I think.” In front of a sold out crowd, junior guard Bryon Allen drained the go ahead three with only a minute left in regulation as the shot clock expired. Allen, who finished with 13 points, was also responsible for an early steal that electrified the crowd and got Mason off […]
A Trip to Eastern Market

Lifestyle, Multimedia November 19, 2012 at 2:00 pm Comments are Disabled

Dream of the ancient cities of the Middle East, and chances are, you will picture large extravagant palaces, curved, domed architecture and the occasional flying carpet. Think Aladdin! But the clearest image that will come to mind is that of an open air market. Located in the center of town, it is filled with the hustle and bustle of merchants peddling their wares, elders swapping stories and people browsing and bargaining for goods. Believe it or not, Eastern Market, located in Washington DC, is just this kind of market place. It contains all of the hustle and bustle of an open air trading bazaar, yet it is suitably integrated into its Southeast DC neighborhood. At this sprawling marketplace, come enjoy fresh food, snacks, art work and music while experiencing a unique slice of DC culture. The heart of the market is located on 7th St SE between North Carolina Ave SE and C St SE. On the weekends, the street is closed to traffic and vendors set up tables one after the other under shaded awnings to peddle their wares. Of particular interest, keep an eye out for Anthony Reddix and his giraffes, woven from strips of aluminum cans. Expect […]
Mason Takes LEAD on Sandy Relief Efforts in Student’s Hometown

Featured, Multimedia, News1 November 19, 2012 at 1:57 pm Comments are Disabled

Incredible winds ravaged the area of Ocean Township. Trees and power lines crashed to the ground. Just as the storm began to take form, a neighbor’s tree fell through the roof of Jordan White’s home in Monmouth County, New Jersey and created a large hole in the ceiling, allowing rain to pour directly into the house. When Hurricane Sandy began pushing its way up the shoreline in the Northeast United States, winds broke the sand dunes and eliminated any hope of isolating the devastation on the beach. In short time, sands covered the streets in Ocean Township and blocked much of the drainage systems in the surrounding area. As a result, White’s home, along with many others in the area, were severely flooded from the storm. “It’s just a house, so it can be replaced,” said White, a leadership consultant in the LEAD Office. “Everyone in the house is okay. The hardest part for me is the town.” To add insult to injury, White’s family regained power just in time to lose it as a result of the more recent snowstorm that further devastated the area. White’s family, like many others in the area, is currently living in a house […]