Recent Posts

• Obama’s war on terror: A review of the president’s terrorism policies

  Editorials April 12, 2010 at 1:21 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Brandon Minister, Staff Writer A paramount question of the last presidential election concerned the War on Terror. Neither candidate appeared to support the status quo. John McCain argued for a firmer commitment to our position in Iraq, upwards of 100 years if necessary. Opposing the effort was Barack Obama, who argued for a time frame for withdrawal from Iraq and for opening a dialogue with Iran. To offset what might appear a hasty wrapping up of the American offensive in the War on Terror, Obama supported an increase in activity in Afghanistan. Far from cutting and running, candidate Obama appeared to be shrewdly allocating resources for a more successful outcome. Now that his presidency is in its second year, any guiding principle directing Obama’s prosecution of the War on Terror appears incredibly well disguised. Firstly, the nation is no longer in a “War on Terror,” the phrase having been neatly removed from the administration’s vocabulary. Divorcing military action from the terrorism it is designed to stymie threatens to undermine public support on all fronts, not just those that displease the genteel class. Secondly, the public gesture has replaced the private victory. On Sept. 20, 2001, then-President George W. Bush […]

   

• The birds and the lights: Mason’s battle against nature

  Editorials April 12, 2010 at 1:19 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Justin Lalputan, Staff Writer One of the things that I love about George Mason University is that we’re constantly upgrading and improving our campus. One thing that we can say about our campus is that we always have a lot of construction going on. Recently, Mason has decided to upgrade the streetlights and replace them with brighter ones. At first look, this seems like a good move, however, the installation of these new lights may have some unforeseen consequences. At first, when I saw the new lights, I rather liked them. I liked the fact that I no longer tripped over random objects walking back from Ike’s at 4 a.m., and I could also see the faces of people who were also walking around at night. As I was walking one night, I noticed a sound that seemed out of place — the sound of a bird chirping. I checked my watch, which read 2:30 a.m., and thought that it was crazy for birds to be chirping at so early an hour in the morning. After talking to some people, I figured out that the birds could not sleep because of the lights. The new lights are bright, and […]

   

• Letters to the editor: ‘Lalputan only used Google to find terms.'

  Editorials April 12, 2010 at 1:17 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Amy Jenne I understand that everyone has his or her own opinions, but I was very unnerved when I read “New Age Cyberbullying.” I have researched cyberbullying on multiple occasions, and it was apparent to me that Justin Lalputan only used Google to find key terms. He did not really investigate what cyberbullying was or how it has been used. Cyberbullying, also known as electronic bullying or online social cruelty, is defined as “willful and repeated harm inflicted” on others. Technology is being embraced and becoming a dominant medium at a younger age than ever before. In 2007 alone, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry polled students and 42 percent admitted to being bullied through the use of the Internet. Cyberbullying is a huge issue because those who are bullied online are highly likely to skip school, to have detentions or suspensions, to carry a weapon to school or to have severe depression, substance use and delinquency in their lives. Although you, Mr. Lalputan, do not believe that cyberbullying is an issue because you find it laughable, it is an issue. These students who are bullied experience real suffering that can affect not only their emotional development, […]

   

• Mason student strives to prevent sexual assaults: What students should know during this awareness month

  Editorials April 12, 2010 at 1:15 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Alan Moore, Staff Writer April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and it is time that the student body steps up its efforts to end these atrocious acts. This is a difficult topic to stomach because many people know someone who has been a victim, and the subject matter is unpleasant. College students are unique because they hear about sexual assault more often than most people as a result of the sexualized and social environment in which they live. While extremely difficult to talk about, the George Mason University community needs to face these problems and commit to finding workable solutions. Sadly, sexual assault in college is not normally perpetrated by some creep hiding in the shadows. Among college women, nine out of 10 victims knew their assailant. The problem lies in our community and in people we associate with every day. Most have heard the alarming statistics that one in five college women will be a sexual assault victim before they graduate and 95 percent of attacks in college are not reported to law enforcement. Why are these crimes not reported? Many times victims are afraid of the assailant or lack faith in the justice system. So what can […]

   

• Powell's Playbook: Coach knows what is best

  Sports April 12, 2010 at 1:12 pm Comments are Disabled

  By John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor There is a difference between coaching and managing, but neither a coach nor a manager can teach the intangibles. Coaches have to teach the game to players; managers merely have to get all the moving parts to work together. Now managers cannot be in high school or intramural or club teams because their focus is on teaching how the game is supposed to be played. You might think that coaches have less to concern themselves with because of how little they are comparatively given, but they certainly have the hardest job in all of baseball. Now that I have started to coach at my old high school in Fredericksburg, Va., it kills me to watch a bad play unfold. When I was on the field, I could talk the team up, get some screaming going in the dugout and keep the emotions high everywhere. When my friend and I were in the dugout, you seldom heard us silent. From the coach’s viewpoint, you can teach guys where they are supposed to be on a play, how they need to think ahead of the play and you can try to keep them at a high […]

   

• One-hit wonder: Mason blanks Maryland Eastern Shore in doubleheader

  Sports April 12, 2010 at 1:11 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor Senior starting pitcher Becky Anderson continued her mastery over Maryland schools. In her latest outing, Anderson had a no-hit bid with two outs in the fifth inning, but was unable to register her second no-hitter of the season. Regardless, the George Mason University softball team went on to sweep the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks on Wednesday at the George Mason Softball Complex by a score of 8-0 in both games. The Patriots snapped a six-game losing streak to improve to 11-16 on the season while the Hawks fell to 1-17. After losing her last two decisions, Anderson was back in the win column, improving to 4-3 on the season. While Anderson was dominant throughout the first game of the doubleheader, the Mason offense was looking to respond after an abysmal showing in its last five games, having been shut out in four of those games. The team entered the day with just one run in the past 33 innings and struggled in the early going as they were blanked in the first two innings on Wednesday. The Patriots ended their misery as they put up four runs in the third inning and never looked […]

   

• The inner lane with Kimmy

  Sports April 12, 2010 at 1:07 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Kimmy Moss, Broadside Correspondent You may know me as the future 800-meter U.S. Olympian in the 2012 London Games, as you may have read in the paper a few weeks ago. While it is quite an accomplishment, considering the fact that I was able to qualify easily, one must ask, “Really? Craigslist?” Before I go any further, though, please, please tell me that you realized the article published two weeks ago about how I’ll be competing in the 2012 Summer Olympics was completely false. Other than lifting the minivan over my head, that is. Obviously, that was fabricated too. Regardless, how cool would that be? Anyway, just to clarify: hopefully you were clued in to the fact that the Olympics article I was featured in was published in the Roadside, a parody of Broadside, as an April Fools’ week treat. And hopefully you enjoyed it. Even though, from a personal standpoint, that article only slapped me in the face with the reality that I have not reached a lifelong dream to participate in the Olympics — thanks a lot, Roadside — it has, on the bright side, provided a nice transition for me to start writing for Broadside. However, […]

   

• Double trouble in the middle infield: Sophomore middle infielders look to build off impressive first year

  Sports April 12, 2010 at 1:05 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor Sophomores Rachael Davies and Tori Dudley may not ride a tandem bicycle, but the two coalesce as a formidable pair of middle infielders for the George Mason University softball team. While Davies and Dudley continue to develop for one of the emerging teams in the Colonial Athletic Association, the two players offer distinct resumes prior to their arrival at Mason. Davies, the shortstop, had a torrid start to the 2010 season, where she batted a then CAA-leading .471 in the first 12 games. Since then, she has cooled off as her batting average dipped to .343, but she remains a key player on the team’s offense, leading the team with a .443 slugging percentage and 59 assists on defense. Davies is one of the local products, hailing from Manassas, Va. after having played four years at Osbourn Park High School. While receiving offers from Monmouth University, East Tennessee State University and James Madison University, Davies felt that Mason was more suitable for her. Davies had excelled at Osbourn Park, being named to the all-district first team and all-region second team three times in her four-year career. Davies batted a career line of .400 during […]

   

• Sports in a minute: Mason Pitching Continues to Dominate

  Sports April 12, 2010 at 1:03 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor Senior starting pitcher Becky Anderson allowed a one-out single in the first inning and was untouchable after that as she recorded back-to-back one-hit performances, leading the George Mason University softball team to a 3-0 win over the Towson Tigers in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Mason battled closely with the Tigers in the second game, but the Tigers mounted a five-run fifth inning to go on to win 9-1, splitting the doubleheader on Saturday. The Patriots moved to 11-17 overall and 2-6 in the Colonial Athletic Association, while the Tigers went to 23-11 on the season and 6-2 in the conference. Sophomore shortstop Rachael Davies launched a two-out solo homerun in the first inning for the Patriots. That was the team’s only hit in the game. After allowing the lone Towson hit in the first inning, Anderson completely shut down the opposing offense. In four games against Maryland schools, Anderson allowed just one earned run on six hits in 24 innings while striking out 22 batters. In the latter game, sophomore starting pitcher Miranda Cranford threw valiantly from the mound, allowing just one run through four innings, but the Tigers were a handful […]

   

• Harlem highflyers

  Sports April 12, 2010 at 1:01 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor During warmups, the Washington Generals head coach had a message to the fans, the Harlem Globetrotters and the George Mason University basketball team. In a Michael Clarke Duncanesque voice, the coach stated that the Generals were going to humiliate the Globetrotters — humiliate them more than Mason’s own basketball team. Currently in their 15th week of the 2010 Magical Memories tour of 216 cities, the Globetrotters made their way to Fairfax as they entertained the crowd at the Patriot Center on Saturday night. In their 84th year of existence, the Globetrotters continue to provide crowd-pleasing entertainment as they have toured around the world over the years and played in over 25,000 games. Several famous Globetrotters of the past ranged from collegiate basketball stars to former professional basketball players, including the great Wilt Chamberlain. With the new wave of incoming players, the Globetrotters have continued to show the athletic and theatrical side of basketball. Prior to the main event, the Globetrotters’ mascot Globie entertained the crowd with a game of musical chairs and a magical act. At zero-hour, basketball returned to the Patriot Center as the players took center court. During warm-ups, each of the […]