Recent Posts

• Secularism is the devil: A poison that destroys America from the inside out

  Editorials September 13, 2010 at 3:26 pm Comments are Disabled

  On any college campus in the U.S. you will find many clubs and organizations that can be classified from diverse to outright bizarre.

  At George Mason University, you can join a club that celebrates belly dancing or another that practices medieval sword fighting.
  There truly is something for everyone but there is one club that takes the spirit of these activities to a disappointing new level: the Secular Student Alliance.

   

• Mason theft is unacceptable: ‘George Mason University reminds me of the Oklahoma bus station’

  Editorials September 13, 2010 at 3:22 pm Comments are Disabled

  A number of years ago, I took a bus trip from Los Angeles to Kansas City. I thought it would be a fun way to see the country. My parents reminded me that my grandmother once took a bus from Pittsburgh to Dayton to visit us and then insisted that they buy her a plane ticket home. “Oh, she was just over-reacting,” I thought. “It can’t be that bad.” My friends, it can be that bad. Each bus stop was filthier and more crime-ridden than the last. Also, one peculiarity of bus travel I was not previously aware of was that passengers spend a lot of time in bus stations. A good rule of thumb is to expect to spend as much time sitting in a bus station as sitting on a bus. Phoenix was worse than LA. Albuquerque was worse than Phoenix. Amarillo was worse than Albuquerque. But it wasn’t until we were pulling into Oklahoma City that the bus driver made the announcement, “This bus station is in a bad neighborhood.” Evidently it would not be enough to keep your bags next to you; it was strongly recommended that we have our bags in hand the entire time. […]

   

• Why does anyone honestly care? We need to stop giving the spotlight to attention-starved lunatics

  Editorials September 13, 2010 at 3:18 pm Comments are Disabled

  There are a lot of crazy people in America. I don’t think that anyone would deny that. If left alone, they are generally harmless, but when the media starts giving them attention, things can get out of hand. A great example of this is the “Burn a Quran day” that was planned by Pastor Terry Jones. In order to send a message to terrorists, Jones and his congregation wanted to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of 9/11. When I first heard about what Jones wanted to do, I was outraged. I couldn’t believe that he wanted to do such a stupid thing. Then, after I calmed down and read more about it, I wasn’t mad, just disappointed in myself for allowing Jones to get me so riled up. Jones thinks that burning books sends a message to Islam. It doesn’t, all it does is piss people off. See, that’s just what Jones wants: to evoke controversy and get his name in the spotlight. However, as college students, we have an obligation to dig deep and find the truth. The truth is that there isn’t anything important happening, just a crazy pastor and his 50 followers. Sometimes, we […]

   
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  Mason admin steps in after protests: Will investigate dining workers’ claims of mistreatment

  News1 September 13, 2010 at 3:16 pm Comments are Disabled

  With members of George Mason University’s dining services on strike and the heart of campus spotted with purple-shirted protestors, Mason’s administration announced Friday that they would investigate dining service workers’ complaints about their employer. Workers employed by the Mason dining services contractor Sodexo have said the company provides poor wages and benefits and have alleged injuries on the job like cuts and burns due to unsafe working conditions. After being lobbied by GMU Students for Workers Rights, Mason administration met with workers Wednesday and later announced that their Office of Internal Audit and Management Services would look into individual worker claims and analyze the competitiveness of workers’ wages and benefits. The protests erupted on campus Wednesday and Thursday and gathered over 80 participants, including Mason students, out-of-state Sodexo workers and the Service Employees International Union. Of Mason’s more than 530 dining employees, Sodexo reported approximately 60 to 70 workers attended the strike on Wednesday and Thursday, which matched the rough visual count of protestors in the North Plaza and at the speak-out in the Johnson Center Cinema on Thursday. The protest had a tightly organized quality, featuring a megaphone, organized chanting and enlarged color pictures on placards of worker injuries, […]

   

• Hispanic Heritage Month is here: kick-off, meet-and-greet on Wednesday

  News1 September 13, 2010 at 3:00 pm Comments are Disabled

  Hispanic Heritage Month begins Wednesday with an 11:30 a.m. meet-and-greet event, Bienvenida Latina, at the North Plaza. Students can mingle and learn about Hispanic student organizations on campus, as well as enjoy free food and music. National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through Oct. 15, is a time when Hispanic Americans’ contributions are recognized and commemorated. It was started in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson. Special events this week for Hispanic Heritage Month Wednesday, Sept. 15 Bienvenida Latina North Plaza 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16 ODPS Common Grounds: “Language, Power and Identity” JC, Gold Room 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17 EFF Reite! Comedy Jam JC, Dewberry 7:30 p.m. Everyday this week: Exhibit Nuestro Orgullo Latino JC Gallery 123 Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. “Hispanic Heritage Month is the most beautiful month of the year because it gives people the opportunity to celebrate their roots and traditions,” said Adriana Bonilla, a senior government and international politics major with a minor in Spanish. “It also gives the opportunity to other individuals from different backgrounds to learn more about the Hispanic Culture.” “When I look into the mirror, I see all of my ancestors, and I also […]

   

• Event Preview: ‘Is there an Obama doctrine?’: Journalist talks foreign policy

  News1 September 13, 2010 at 2:47 pm Comments are Disabled

  Noted political commentator and journalist Peter Beinart is giving a talk on President Barack Obama’s foreign policy at 3 p.m. Thursday in the Johnson Center Cinema. Beinart is a member of the New America Foundation, a contributor to Time, a former editor of the New Republic, an associate professor at the City University of New York and the senior political writer for the blog, The Daily Beast. Beinart’s opinion column on The Daily Beast has covered topics ranging from Israel, the war on terror, the politics of the Obama Administration, and most recently, Park51, the proposed mosque located near ground zero in New York City, according to The Daily Beast website. “He is a provocative commentator. We want students to get a very fresh take on the Obama international outlook,” said FitzGerald. FitzGerald said that Beinart was suggested as a speaker by George Mason University International Affairs faculty member, Colin Dueck, who studied with him while at Oxford University.

   
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  Getting High at Mason: Vertical obstacle course offers free climb

  News1 September 13, 2010 at 2:38 pm Comments are Disabled

  If you have got an urge to get vertical – way vertical – and a way to the George Mason University Prince William Campus on Thursday, there is a chance to take part in an open climb through the 3-D obstacle courses offered by The Edge.
  The Edge, a team-building group that specializes in outdoor ropes courses of varying height, will offer a “free climb” at the Experiential Education Center between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept.16, at the Prince William campus, where the group set up shop last September.

   
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  College Tuition: A Necessary Evil

  News1 September 13, 2010 at 3:57 am Comments are Disabled
   

• MASONLIVE ready to roll

  News1 September 7, 2010 at 6:27 pm Comments are Disabled

  MasonLive, the new e-mail system, is open to all students. New students already have the e-mail address, and returning students are encouraged to opt-in before the mandatory, automatic switch comes mid-semester. The new e-mail system allows users more than 200 times more space in their inboxes than the MEMO mail, the current GMU e-mail account. MasonLive is only for students. Faculty and staff must continue to use the MEMO mail because the state of Virginia and Mason regulations require employee e-mail to be hosted at George Mason University, and Microsoft only offered the service to students and alumni. ­­David Robinson, director of client relations in the Technology Systems Division, explained that one new feature of MasonLive that MEMO mail lacked is the use of the back button. “It works like any other social networking site.” said Robinson, “Instead of disconnecting you when you hit the back button it continues to the site.”

   
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  Fraternity included in $20 million lawsuit after student is injured in car accident

  News1 September 7, 2010 at 6:16 pm Comments are Disabled

  Across the nation, Friday night means party time for college students. For George Mason University students, it often means traveling off campus to bars or fraternity houses for a night of dancing, drinking and meeting new people.