Editorials

• Single-Mindedness and Religion in the JC

  Editorials, Featured March 24, 2013 at 11:22 pm 1 comment

  Every week there is at least one time – where I walk thought the JC in the early afternoon on weekdays, and there is at least one kiosk that, in some way or another, talks about SOME kind of Christian denomination (or Christian organization on campus) or another. Whether it’s the ‘Lutheran Campus Ministry,’ the ‘One God, One Message’ group, the ‘Tuesday Night Encounter’ group, or, more recently, the group with the sign that says, “What does the Bible really say?” I respect their right to free speech and the freedom to practice their religion, however there’s one problem in how they got to where they are: they don’t read their religious texts with an open mind. If anything, they’re biased toward the faith they call true. I’m not saying these people are necessarily wrong, but when it comes to promoting religion, it seems like they give don’t give a fair shot to both Christianity and whatever religion they are trying to get people to leave. I’ve spoken with several of these Christian organizations, and I can tell that they don’t give other religions enough open-minded thought or consideration. Pretty much every religious person is guilty of that to some degree […]

   

• Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

  Editorials, News March 24, 2013 at 9:39 pm Comments are Disabled

  I have never been a big fan of Taylor Swift, despite my often mocked love for country music. I find Swift to be childish and idealistic, even whiney at times, but when I read a recent article that called her the anti-feminist, I was ready to convert to team Swifty to defend her. The article, published on Thought Catalog, said that by purveying the stereotype of the virginal maiden who must kiss a few frogs before she finds her prince, Swift is going against all progress and ideals of feminism. I could not disagree more. The goal of feminism is not to define what the female experience should be for each individual, it is to empower women to be exactly who they want to be and pursue their own dreams and desires. The whole movement is pointless if women are held back in any way, be it shaving their heads and burning their bras or spending their lives pregnant and barefoot. Feminism is not about hating men, shedding your femininity or rejecting societal norms.  In fact, the word feminism itself was poorly chosen- feminism is equality and independence for all genders. For a woman to seek out a relationship with […]

   

• Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

  Editorials, News March 6, 2013 at 3:33 pm Comments are Disabled

  Each week I struggle to balance my schedule as a full- time student, an editor at the paper, a part-time babysitter and a girlfriend. Like everyone else on this campus, I am incredibly busy. Each week is an onslaught of quizzes, papers, interviews, articles, studying and my least favorite of all — the dreaded group project. Unlike Stephen Kline in Editorials, I am vehemently opposed to group work of nearly any sort. While I agree that working together and relying on others is an important life and career skill, I am far from convinced that the reason professors assign group work is because of a desire to teach students how to interact and work as a team. I cannot tell you how many times my professors have stood in front of the class, lamenting the class with the sad tale of how many papers and quizzes they have to grade each week. I am not contesting their hard work and dedication, I understand that being a professor consists of so much more than showing up and lecturing. But my sympathy only extends so far. Often, when professors design their syllabi to lighten their work load, they push the burden off onto […]

   

• Letter to the Editor

  Editorials March 6, 2013 at 2:58 pm Comments are Disabled

  Clarifying the public image of the George Mason Review As University students, we constantly look for opportunities to set us apart from others. Whether for a job application or for graduate schools, we want our resumes to shine without resorting to the use of actual glitter. I have a suggestion for that glimmering bullet-point, no craft supplies needed: the publication of student scholarship. When a work is accepted by a publication, it signifies that the author, researcher or artist can clearly articulate their ideas. It signifies effective communication skills, dedication and intelligence. Who would not want that on their resume? We might think of research-based writing when we first hear the word “scholarship,” but it actually offers much more diversity. Creative writing and visual art are an essential part of scholarship too. Quite simply, scholarship involves the exploration of an interest or question which contributes to the discourse of a discipline. Whereas scholarly publications usually reserve their precious pages for one particular type of work, Mason’s undergraduate publication, The George Mason Review, wants work from all disciplines, all classes and all students. If you have not noticed, we like to do things a little differently at GMU. We want to re-envision […]

   

• Resident advisor tribute

  Editorials March 6, 2013 at 2:54 pm Comments are Disabled

  After weeks of devising what combination of sophomores and seniors would be most beneficial, and a few stressful minutes online choosing your home for the next year, housing selection has finally come to an end. And, with this closing, comes an influx of conversations about housing. Residents will start listing their grievances with the area desks, housing staff, and finally, their own RAs. And this last part is personal to me, because, as an RA, I always find it disheartening to hear of residents who have had negative experiences with their RA. Last October was my first semester, and I was sweating bullets. All of the RAs were rounded up in Dewberry Hall two weeks before school started, and we played about a thousand icebreakers during that period. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the camaraderie among the staff and enjoyed every minute of that fleeting time. What had me scared was my own, empty hall. I found myself cutting out butterfly patterns and frantically making door decorations to get my mind off of the fact that I was petrified of the coming weeks. In a short time, my floor would be filled with 40 residents and it was my responsibility […]

   

• Does college education stand for intelligence or financial stability?

  Editorials March 6, 2013 at 2:51 pm Comments are Disabled

  When deciding to go to college, one does not go based on the expectation of simply learning more. Students go to college in order to graduate with a degree in a field of their interest, so that they can obtain a financially stable job. Many students come to Mason to take advantage of its location and so that after they graduate they can find a job in the metro area. Of course students will learn more despite their intentions. However, the attitude toward many classes shows that students don’t really want to be there, but instead that they are only there in order to fill that requirement for their degree so that they can graduate. Even during the first week of each semester, when everyone gets to play those oh-so-fun ice breakers about themselves, teachers will ask about their goals. They will ask you to say your name, major, an interesting fact about yourself and what you want to do with your major. I know when I am asked these questions I always say I’m not sure what I want to do when I receive my Communications degree and that I just want to find a job. I think that many […]

   

• Embracing the diverse beliefs on the political spectrum

  Editorials March 6, 2013 at 2:50 pm Comments are Disabled

  Mason is filled with hatred. Now it is not the typical kind of hatred such as when a person uses a derogatory word toward another with the intent to offend. The hatred I see has origins in the widely diverse political spectrum of the Mason student body. One of many issues that creates a spark is a reform of the country’s tax system. One student might believe that America should contribute their fair share to help their country bounce out of the recession. This interpretation can apply to many ideals—the first and foremost being higher taxes on the rich. A conservative student grapples with this issue and views fair share as a burden on the moneymakers. These moneymakers earned their money and have the right to retain their income. Now let me ask you: is either side wrong? Based on your perspective you will view one issue as a better solution than the another. So let’s step back on this issue and examine both policies’ outcomes. A vision with “fair share” would increase taxes on the most economically successful Americans to be used as public investment. This would stabilize government-run programs like defense, education and public parks. This creates a […]

   

• Mason reclaiming lost ground internationally

  Editorials March 6, 2013 at 2:47 pm Comments are Disabled

  Quite possibly it was Mason’s most epic fail. Despite the potential, in spite of the hype, the entity in question became a blemish on the grand story of that once minute college in Northern Virginia. Many undergrads going about the Fairfax, Arlington, Loudon and Prince William campuses may not know this, but there was a time when Mason had a satellite campus far from the shores of North America. I was a freshman when the Ras al Khaimah campus opened up in the United Arab Emirates in 2005. It was a big deal and for someone like me who had just moved away from home to live in the dorms for the first time, I wondered what it would be like to have a semester in the Middle East. During my pursuit of a bachelor’s degree I remember hearing very different stories from people about how good or bad it was over there. In many ways they were semi-autonomous, with their own student government and academic programs. However it did not last long. In early 2009, months before I graduated, Mason’s abroad campus closed down. Due to budgetary problems, the Board of Visitors withdrew their support from the campus before even a […]

   

• A case for group work

  Editorials, Featured March 6, 2013 at 2:43 pm Comments are Disabled

  “And now everyone break up into groups of four or five, these will be your teams for the big project this semester.” These words are inevitably muttered in every class, and what follows ends up being an excruciatingly awkward 10 minutes spent making small talk with perfect strangers. No matter how hard you try to form the “perfect” group, there will always be that one person who holds you back and makes you swear to yourself that you will never trust another living soul with your grade ever again. How the hell are you supposed to decide whom you want to be waiting on to finish their section the day before the project is due? There is no clear-cut answer, but it typically involves praying that you know at least one other person in the class and then pure luck. Side note: Discussing your schedule with your group might be even more awkward than forming the group. No, I have essentially zero free time from now until the end of time unless you want to hang out with me at 11 o’clock tonight. The best you can do is grit your teeth and deal with it. Become numb to the nonchalance with […]

   

• Development and Maturation at Mason

  Editorials, Lifestyle March 6, 2013 at 2:39 pm Comments are Disabled

  “I’m really sick and tired of waiting for that building to be finished. How much longer do I have to wait to use it?” says the elderly gentleman wearing a blue blazer walking towards Enterprise, in front of the unfinished Exploratory Hall. His sentiment is one that is common yet quite overused. We get it. Mason has a lot of construction. Mason, where renovation is tradition. But no one seems willing to accept the fact that the waiting may be worth the wait. Mason was founded as an independent university in 1972, which makes our university a mere 41 years old. Compared to the University of Virginia, founded in 1819, and William and Mary, founded in 1693, Mason is a baby. This young age makes Mason susceptible to a lot of weaknesses, one of them being growing pains. A young university will inherently struggle to fill its shoes. Mason does not have the luxury of being a university that has had upwards of 200 years to figure out what it is going to look like. Instead, we are forced to face challenges that other universities skate around using their age. So as we travel on the road to the future, these older universities […]