Recent Posts

• Iron Mason

  Sports January 29, 2013 at 8:53 pm Comments are Disabled

  Triathlons are a triumvirate of physical fitness, an ultimate test of endurance. While not everyone can get in the shape necessary to bike, swim and run long distances in one day, Mason Recreation has created an incentive program called the Iron Mason to challenge students to complete a triathlon over a three month period. The face and founder of the competition is Ethan “Mr. C” Carter, the Director of Fitness for Mason Recreation. Carter has created a series of YouTube videos as Mr. C, a celebrity within the fitness community who claims to be the fittest of them all. “We wanted to think of something to encourage physical fitness and get people active. This competition also has longevity and encourages competition,” Carter said. Starting Feb. 9, competitors will record their gym activity on log sheets as they race to finish before the final deadline of May 4. The program comes with several levels of difficulty and may be finished early for additional prizes and recognition. The standard Olympic Mason requires 2.5 miles of swimming, 75 miles of biking and 25 miles of running. For more intense competitors, the Ultimate Mason challenge requires 5 miles of swimming, 150 miles of biking […]

   

• Concerns about safety hinder club rugby recruitment efforts

  Sports January 29, 2013 at 8:52 pm Comments are Disabled

  The Men’s Rugby team is the oldest club sport at Mason, dating all the way back to 1965. Over most of those years the Rugby team  has had a very strong program. Currently the team is displaying that success again after a few rough years of redevelopment. “We’re on our way back up,” Club President Zander Shaw said. Two years ago the team did not win a single game, with some improvement last year. This fall season however, they shut out every home game and went undefeated for eight games before losing a tough  away match against Salisbury University. Shaw accredits the team’s successes to the brotherhood the group has formed over the past three years. “We’ve grown from spending all these years together and working hard at practice, but that’s one reason why we need freshmen; new blood to keep us alive,” Shaw said. The team is steadily growing but suffers from commitment issues at practice and tournaments. When  a few players can only make one practice a week and every other game it is difficult to improve and connect to the rest of the group. Understanding the commitment issue is key to long term improvement of club sports, […]

   

• JC Cinema Shows Golden Globe Winning Argo

  Editorials, Lifestyle January 29, 2013 at 8:51 pm Comments are Disabled

  The Johnson Center is screening a highly praised film, Argo, from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2. Tickets are free with a Mason ID, $1 for faculty and $3 general admission. Ben Affleck directs and stars in the thriller about the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran (IMDb). The movie times are either 6 p.m. or 9 p.m. Many moviegoers have admired the film, including revered film critic Roger Ebert, who awarded it the Best Picture of the Year. Along with Ebert’s award, it also won the Best Motion Picture-Drama at the Golden Globes and was nominated for Best Picture in the Academy Awards. I saw the film on its first weekend and fell in love with it, along with the rest of America.  It is a great story that delves deep into how the mission is executed and the conflicts that occur for the CIA in orchestrating the mission, as well as the diplomats in Iran who struggle to stay alive. The film has its historical flaws. For example, demonizing the British for turning away the America Personnel. In reality the British actually housed the six Americans but believed that the […]

   

• Miss Black GMU Raises Awareness

  Lifestyle January 29, 2013 at 8:50 pm Comments are Disabled

  February is not only a month dedicated to love, but it is a month dedicated to history. And to kick off Black History Month at Mason, there will be events upon events, including the anticipated 2013 Miss Black GMU Pageant. The Miss Black GMU Pageant hasn’t always been just a women’s pageant – students may remember previous years at Mason when there was the Mr. and Miss Black GMU Pageant. However, this year Mason’s trying out something new by having the pageant for women and focusing on the importance of scholarship, community service, philanthropy and academic excellence. “The contestants can benefit from competing in several ways,” explained Canesha Swift, Director of the Miss Black GMU Pageant. “[The contestants] will be raising awareness about issues at Mason during their pageant platform; they can be acknowledged by the community for leadership and academic excellence; this could be a stepping stone for some students to expand their network and become a student leader; and winning this title is a great opportunity to be at the forefront of uniting the black community and Mason at large.” The 2013 Miss Black GMU Pageant will continue to recognize leadership and excellence to further each contestant’s goal […]

   

• Returning to Mason Alumna Rita Donahue has a successful dancing career with Mark Morris Dance Group

  Lifestyle January 29, 2013 at 8:49 pm Comments are Disabled

  Rita Donahue first saw the Mark Morris Dance Group, and a glimpse of her future, when she was in high school. The group was performing at the Center for the Arts, and returns often on tours. As an undergrad studying English and dance at Mason, Donahue had the chance to perform a piece with the student dance company and be coached by Morris himself. Almost ten years later, Donahue is returning to Mason as a member of the company herself to perform at the Center for the Arts on Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. “I’m not sure if I would have pursued a career in dance if I hadn’t gone through the dance program at Mason,” Donahue said. “It was great experience that taught me discipline. And it was was a lot of fun. You can certainly find work as a dancer with some hard work.” Another member of the dance group, Billy Smith, is also a Mason alumnus. Donahue remembers coming to Mason to perform with the Mark Morris Dance Group and seeing Smith perform as a student. For half of the year the group is on the road, touring across the country […]

   
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  Alumna fundraises for her African Peace Corps village

  Lifestyle January 29, 2013 at 8:45 pm Comments are Disabled

  In her senior year at Mason, Jennifer Bent needed to fill her last few credits and found herself enrolled in an introduction to anthropology class. Little did she know that a few years down the road that class would play an important role in her life and career. “I remembered the professor teaching us that you cannot make assumptions on another culture based off the rules of your own,” said Bent, who is now in Togo, Africa working as a girl empowerment and education volunteer with the Peace Corps. Currently, Bent is working on a Peace Corps Partnership Project to raise $5,000 to buy desperately needed textbooks and chalkboards for the poor village she lives in. She has already raised nearly $1,000. The villagers have pledged to donate to help build new desks, plant trees and contribute to the classroom supplies. The overwhelming poverty and lack of development in the small village she lives in are made even more difficult by the rigid gender roles in the Togolese culture that Bent must battle. “It’s unlikely that I will be able to alter a whole cultural belief system overnight, or even over my entire time in service,” Bent said. “Despite this, […]

   

• Mason Makes Careers

  Lifestyle January 29, 2013 at 8:43 pm Comments are Disabled

  Every week, Broadside features a student or alumnus with a great internship or job to highlight the opportunities and potential earning a degree at Mason offers Name: Becca Norris Year: Junior Major: Integrative studies major with an individualized concentration in media: production, consumption and critique with a minor in electronic journalism Internship: Seventeen Magazine in NYC, N.Y.   What were some of your day-to-day responsibilities? On a daily basis I was responsible for creating the daily clips for the entire office which was basically the news and gossip breakdown of the day. I was the executive editors intern and I basically did whatever she asked as well as doing a lot of research for our health editor.   What was your favorite part of the internship? The best part, apart from getting my foot in the door of a major magazine, was the freebie table. Everyday items from designer makeup, books, designer accessories, shoes and more were put on the table and were up for grabs on a first come, first served basis. Needless to say, I got a lot of great stuff!   How have your classes at Mason prepared you for the internship? Mason helped prepare me by […]

   

• Overheard at Mason

  Editorials, Lifestyle January 29, 2013 at 8:42 pm Comments are Disabled

  My friends have said, on several occasions, that I should not eavesdrop. But here’s the thing: the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines eavesdrop as “to listen secretly to what is said in private.” By that definition, I would not consider what I do to be eavesdropping. In no way does the fifth row from the back of the lecture hall qualify as a private space. What is said there is said in public. I just got back from class and I am setting the scene for a story I am telling my friends about a pair of individuals I overheard talking before the lecture started. “Barely anyone else in the room was talking.” “You would think they would realize how loud they were talking.” I begin to describe the individuals picking out definable qualities; “The one on the left had this unusually high ponytail that mirrored the movements of her mouth while she talked,” and “The other one had this ugly pink sweater that literally made everything around her the same ugly color.” Using bits and pieces of what I have overheard, I put together as much as I can about what it is they are talking about. The ponytail girl is […]

   

• Patriots Activity Council hosts inauguration party

  Editorials January 29, 2013 at 8:39 pm Comments are Disabled

  On Nov. 6, Mason became a campus that helped vote Obama into his second term. The night of Jan. 25, Mason celebrated that effort. The event, titled as the Inaugural Ball 2013, was a high energy dance party decorated in American, Democratic pride. Red, white and blue hats were scattered on the tables, along with free food and a cake featuring the American flag. An array of balloons hung from the ceiling, waiting to be dropped on the frenzied dance-floor at midnight. The crowd was a pleasant mix of people wearing both casual and formal clothing – among them was an ecstatic pair dressed as a snowman and penguin. All cheered in excitement as the balloons showered them, officially commemorating their political accomplishment. From pounding mainstream dance songs played by DJ Rush Hour to a more alternative live band by the name of “Monster Band,” it was an occasion that catered to several tastes. The event was a celebration of the re-election of President Obama, but it had another theme tied in. “It’s honestly a partisan-friendly event,” said Robert “Bobby” Hagans, the student Lead Director of the Patriot Activities Counsel that organized the event. “The idea is for everyone to […]

   

• Mason Cable Network begins work on new live morning show

  News1 January 29, 2013 at 8:37 pm Comments are Disabled

  For years, Mason Cable Network (MCN) has been missing a key component of television: a live news program. On Feb. 5 at 10 a.m., the network is broadcasting its new and revamped news program, Mason Cable News (MCNews). The show will also be broadcasted on channel 231 and online on masoncablenetwork.com/live Tuesdays and Thursdays. Jake McLernon, a grad student and the general manager of MCN, is heading the new project. “There has never been a full-out live morning news program at Mason,” McLernon said. “There have been news programs in the past, but there’s never really been anything like this attempted. When students come out of high school, they’ve experienced the morning announcements that you’ll see on television screens in the mornings. We didn’t have that here. We do now.” MCNews is a significant addition to Mason Cable Network, not only because it will inform students about their school in an easy-to-access way, but also because it will give students interested in television broadcasting a chance to learn. “It’s a great experience for students who want to come, want to learn, and want to gain experience. We will show you the ropes, we will train you to read the teleprompter, […]