Editorials

• History Through a Paper: Over 40 years of journalism that helped shape a university

  Editorials May 3, 2010 at 2:08 pm Comments are Disabled

  By William Curtis, Opinion Editor It was with a comical obituary notice and a cover letter that read more like a call to arms in the October 06, 1969 issue that The Gunston Ledger became the paper we all read now, Broadside. Mason was nothing more than another college in Virginia; university status was only a dream at the time, but even some back in 1969 knew where the college was destined. In an article entitled “GMC’s Growth to Mushroom,” James Clarke, the director of Planning at Mason at the time said: “GMC would eventually become a cluster of colleges within a college. Each individual college would have its own student union building and administrative offices.” He went on to also say, “Eventually, George Mason would become one of the largest, if not the largest, colleges in the Washington area.” Little did anyone know that this assumption made by Clark in 1969 would be a reality 40 years later. And for all of this — the burning of draft cards, the changing of names, the construction of new and innovative measures for the campus — Broadside was there, doing what it has done and will continue to do even after […]

   

• To believe or not to believe: The role of religion in politics

  Editorials May 3, 2010 at 2:06 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Justin Lalputan, Staff Writer One of the principles that America is founded on is freedom of religion. People are free to believe in whatever they want. In addition, we also have a separation of church and state, but in reality, I think that’s a joke. We have raging debates about things like gay rights, abortion and stem cell research because of religious preferences; if we had a true separation of church and state, topics like these wouldn’t be a debate at all. I was reading the news online when I noticed an article by CNN philosopher Sam Harris entitled “Why we should ditch religion.” I feel that he is dead-on with his article. Harris essentially feels the same way that I do. He says that it’s ridiculous for people to do things (in political office) because of what God wants or doesn’t want, which is completely true. I feel that religion shouldn’t play a part in any decisions that a person makes while in political office. Instead, morality should play a larger role. Then, however, the debate arises whether or not morality is possible without religion. In a religion class that I took in the fall, we had a […]

   

• Lab science requirements are too much

  Editorials April 26, 2010 at 2:33 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Martin Lemaitre University and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) lab science requirements drive students senselessly far away from their interests. As we all know, it is crucial that we get a diverse education during our college careers, meaning that we get some insight into all kinds of different courses that might be useful tools at some point in our lives. That is why every university and college has a set of general education requirements for the students to take no matter what their major may be. I happen to be a student in the CHSS, where those requirements are naturally present in the curriculum. However, when I transferred to George Mason University last fall, there was something specific within this curriculum that caught my attention — the eight credits of Laboratory Sciences. I completely understand that every student should take one lab science course in college (four credits) to gain some general knowledge, but eight credits? Are those really necessary? The university alone requires seven credits for all students, which is still a lot for people who do not plan to major in science-related fields. As a communication major who aspires to one day work in […]

   

• ‘You don’t represent me’

  Editorials April 26, 2010 at 2:30 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Robert W Gehl Dear Student Government Administrative Subcommittee on Dining Services, In your recent letter “April Sodexo strike,” which can be found on connect2mason.com, you close by stating, “We, the representatives of the George Mason University student body, strongly condemn the false claims and accusations leveled against Sodexo and Mason Dining by the SEIU [Service Employees International Union].” You don’t represent me. I am willing to bet that you don’t represent many students. You see, the impositions you endured, where you lost your “ability to have [our] regularly provided services,” pales in comparison to the actual struggle of workers trying to live on low wages in one of the most expensive regions in the country. You speak of rights: “When we (the Taco Bell-deprived) are paying thousands of dollars a year for a meal plan, it is our right to have these regular services provided to us.” You speak of suffering: “When that right is infringed upon, someone must look out for the students, because ultimately we are the ones who suffer.” Take a deep breath and count the ways in which your lack of Jazzman’s coffee for a few hours on a weekday compares to a family’s lack […]

   

• ‘This is about unfair labor practices’

  Editorials April 26, 2010 at 2:28 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Kenny Reyna I am writing today in support of the Sodexo workers who have been mobilizing on campus and had a strike last week in response to unfair labor practices at George Mason University. The letter that the Dining Services Committee of Student Government released claims that workers are lying about what has happened to them. How can you sleep with yourself making such bold, unsubstantiated remarks? That letter is an obvious response from a subcommittee that is not interested in representing students. Instead they have taken a clear stance, without speaking to students or workers, in support of Sodexo management. By going against workers and representing the company of Sodexo, they are taking an administrative stance, and not one for students. Anti-union fliers have also been given to workers, which is clearly nothing but an obvious attempt to manipulate Sodexo workers and the public, to thus deviate and discredit the claims, efforts and stories that employees came forth with. After examining the letter, one can tell that panic and alarm were the driving forces to this childish response and that it is not a letter of valid concern over the well-being of their workers. It is up to […]

   

• The workers’ union must be stopped: Unions are ‘employing scare tactics and intimidation’

  Editorials April 26, 2010 at 2:25 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Alan Moore, Staff Writer The casual observer can see that the campus is currently embroiled in a labor dispute between Sodexo and its employees. At its heart is a disgraceful and thuggish attempt by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to expand its membership by any means necessary. It is time that these disgruntled employees need to quit their jobs or get back to work, thumbing the eye of this brutish union. The Administrative Subcommittee on Dining Services recently made a statement on the situation: “These protests have disrupted the peace of George Mason University with noise that has affected the academic setting. In addition, several dining employees and SEIU officials left students feeling uneasy entering Southside when these protesters illegally marched into the building, employing scare tactics and intimidation.” Last week, Mason spokesman Dan Walsch told the Washington Business Journal, “George Mason University is monitoring the current dispute between Sodexo and members of its workforce. Mason views this as an internal matter for Sodexo. The university hopes the points of disagreement within Sodexo are resolved quickly and in a manner that is beneficial to all concerned. Presently, the dispute has not resulted in any disruption of services to […]

   

• College Dems support workers: ‘Workers went on strike to send a message to Sodexo’

  Editorials April 26, 2010 at 2:24 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Pakiza Nasher and Frank Anderson, Co-Presidents, Kenton Ngo, Vice President The George Mason University College Democrats are disappointed with the irresponsible statements made by the Student Government’s Dining Committee against our food service workers. It is unfortunate that these members have chosen to make claims about the working conditions of our food service workers without even speaking with them. We have spoken with the workers. They want nothing more than a decent wage, affordable health insurance and justice in the workplace. They love George Mason University, its faculty and its students. Their complaint is with the upper management of Sodexo Corporation and its unfair working conditions. These conditions are not imaginary. One employee suffered a severe burn on her arm. She asked her manager if she could go to the hospital, but was told that if she wanted to go, she could walk. Another elderly worker was injured in a fall while unplugging an oven. Payment for her back brace was taken out of her vacation pay. These conditions are unacceptable, even before considering the low wages. The Dining Committee states that wages of $8.50 per hour are “competitive” because they are higher than the Virginia minimum wage. That […]

   

• Social media vs. social responsibility: Are we agents of change?

  Editorials April 26, 2010 at 2:22 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Dr. Peter Stearns, Provost, Dr. Sandy Scherrens, Vice President University Life, Corey Jackson, Assistant to the President/Director of Office of Equity & Diversity Services It is no secret that George Mason University benefits from our tremendous diversity within the student body. Although diversity is often characterized in terms of the legally protected categories — gender, disability, sexual orientation, race, age, national origin and religion — the diversity of thought that exists is also an important and essential component to our educational success. However, not everyone appreciates the diversity that exists at Mason. Recently, there were some anonymous racist blog postings on a non-university website submitted by members of the Mason community as well as some homophobic graffiti scribbled on a wall in Thompson Hall. In a multicultural society, we can all expect to be offended at some point by the language and deeds of others. That fact, along with broad First Amendment protections within the U.S. Constitution, does not mean that our university should excuse or condone the anonymous rants solely intended to degrade a person or group of people. Our community is smarter than that. Our community is stronger than that. It would be easy to condemn the […]

   

• Out of control spending: Obama splurging over 30 percent of our GDP

  Editorials April 19, 2010 at 2:12 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Alan Moore, Staff Writer With the massive amount of spending by the federal government, it is clear that we are on an unsustainable path to destruction. The Obama Administration has been spending money like a freshman with his first credit card; unbeknownst to him, he will have to pay it back in the very near future with interest. The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) used by the past Bush Administration infused public money into private enterprise, and the floodgates were opened to a range of big spending. TARP set the stage for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, simply referred to as the “economic stimulus plan.” $989 billion was shelled out to create and expand government programs and workforce, and it helped increase the federal deficit to almost $1.8 trillion. So who are the United States’ primary creditors? China owns $877.5 billion of our debt. Japan owns the next highest amount at $768.5 billion. Britain owns $321.7 billion, and Hong Kong owns $152.4 billion. Paul Volcker, former Federal Reserve chairman and White House economic adviser recently said, “If at the end of the day we need to raise taxes, we should raise taxes.” Do not take those […]

   

• The new Republican movement: America needs a stronger Republican Party

  Editorials April 19, 2010 at 2:11 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Justin Lalputan, Staff Writer To start with, politics are not something that I usually get involved in. Sure, I’ll have a friendly debate with someone about abortion or stem-cell research, but I generally don’t involve myself with either the Republican or the Democratic political parties. However, I must say that I don’t like what I see on the news these days. Since the Republicans lost the 2008 presidential election, they’ve seemed like a political party that didn’t have their feet on solid ground. I’ve watched numerous rallies, the most notable being the “Tea Party” rallies, and I can sense somewhat of a change stirring within the party. The thing is, when people see these rallies, they scoff at the people in them, and in many cases, call them ignorant. While it is true that sometimes some foolish things are said at these rallies, in other instances, the things mentioned are not foolish at all; rather, they simply reflect the ideology of the Republican Party and its constituents. While I understand that sometimes these views can be somewhat intense, the Republican Party needs to find some way to gain more popular support, and they need to do it now. I’ve […]