Recent Posts

• Student Group On Campus Unites Forces with PETA: New Organization Promotes Animal Rights

  News1 October 6, 2009 at 1:31 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brenda Shepard, Broadside Correspondent The Animal Rights Collective organization will be holding Animal Liberation Week, today through Thursday, Oct. 8. Students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to engage in conversation and educate themselves about animal rights, animal abuse and the choice to live a vegan lifestyle. ARC, in conjunction with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, will be showing a series of visual displays, entitled the Animal Liberation Project. The exhibit looks back through a history of human slavery, showing the juxstaposition of the justifications for animal cruelty today. The exhibit will be on the North Plaza of the Johnson Center on Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. “It’s so ingrained in our culture to eat meat,” said senior conservation biology and global affairs major Christine Kauffman. “Animals can feel and suffer just like humans do. Now we have the means to end their suffering because of us.” The ARC is in its first semester as a recognized group on campus, but has spent many years protesting the circus at George Mason University. Organizers of the event said that after seeing PETA’s display on the National Mall this summer, the group contacted PETA, who was receptive and excited […]

   

• Laziness: Just Another Word for Nothing Better to Do: How The Many Uses For Others Can Come in Handy

  Editorials October 1, 2009 at 3:06 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brandon Minster, Staff Writer My wife has no discernible mob ties, but I married her anyway. One characteristic she shares with New Jersey’s finest waste management executives though, is her ability to get other people to do her dirty work. Every mob boss knows not to whack anyone himself (are the kids still saying that these days?); that’s why you have deadbeat nephews. Anytime a rival gets rubbed out, you can be miles away with an airtight alibi. This is my wife’s guiding principle whenever she needs to make a phone call, especially to someone she’s never met. She just talks about how badly it’s needed and about the consequences of not doing it, until I make the call for her. While I’m on the phone, she’s often somewhere else, working on her airtight alibi. I wonder why she needs to maintain plausible deniability about these calls. The next time she asks me to call someone named Tony the Plumber and say, “The cannoli is in the pot,” maybe I should decline. Not having to do the things you have to do looked like fun to me, and I wanted in on the act, so we had kids. It’s extra […]

   

• Letter to the Editor

  Editorials October 1, 2009 at 3:05 pm Comments are Disabled

  Stephanie Tran, Global Affairs It’s often been said by administrators and student tour guides that George Mason University is so diverse, and that Mason has so many international students. There’s no doubt that this is true, but it’s also true that around campus, many international students, especially Asian ones, bunch up in groups, a little apart from other Mason students. Sure, Mason may be diverse, but are we all bridging gaps between other groups? Let’s rewind a bit. I’m talking from a strange, some would say “unique” position of being raised both as an American and an Asian (Vietnamese). Though in many ways I’m Americanized (e.g. Christmas and birthdays) and speak English, not Vietnamese, I also know more about Vietnamese culture (e.g. proper bows to elders) than some of my grandparents’ generation. This brings me to my topic: That invisible, but strong divide, between many of the Asians on this campus and other Mason students; one that I can see from both sides. This cultural line is what causes Asian students to talk to me first, or ask for my help. They look towards familiar-looking people who they think can help them regardless of whether I know them because they’re […]

   

• Global Warming: The Falsehood Coming to a Campus Near You: The Lies and Deceptions You May Have Been Told

  Editorials October 1, 2009 at 3:02 pm 5 comments

  Alan Moore, Broadside Contributor I have been a graduate student at George Mason University for only a few short weeks but I have already heard more about the “indisputable fact” that global warming is caused by man more times than I ever heard as an undergraduate, and I’m not even studying the natural sciences. It does not take someone majoring in the natural sciences to understand faulty research and it is irresponsible to ignore the growing objection to the reasoning behind theories on man-caused climate change. This global warming hysteria has infiltrated our campus and it is time to expose it for what it truly is: laughable, at best. The first issue that is always lobbied hard for by global warming proponents is the notion of the sea levels rising to unsustainable levels because the polar ice caps will melt. First, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes states that the rising sea levels may in fact be cyclical and there is no evidence that man contributes to these rising sea levels. Second, the melting of glaciers is countered by the formation of glaciers in other parts of the world, although you never read about it in the news. […]

   

• Internship Raises Cancer Awareness: Mason Student Builds Cancer Fundraiser From Ground Up

  News1 October 1, 2009 at 3:00 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brenda Shepard, Broadside Correspondent Salon Bleu will be holding the “Cuts for the Cure” fundraiser on Sunday, Oct. 4 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The entire day will be spent doing haircuts and blow-drys and 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Maryland Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Located in Tysons Galleria in McLean, Salon Bleu will have many extras to offer patrons the day of the fundraiser. There will be about 20 stylists involved as well as a massage therapist from Equinox who will be doing complimentary chair massages, a makeup artist from a surprise retailer doing complimentary applications, a DJ from Bose, and catering from Maggianos and Entyse, the new restaurant at the Ritz Carlton. With so many treats, doorprizes, raffles and gift bags being given out during the day, any appointment more than pays for itself. Some of the prize packages include a Betsey Johnson purse, gift certificates to movie theaters and even services from a reputable wedding planner. Anyone interested in attending is encouraged to call and make an appointment even if just for a blow-dry or styling. This project was born out of the efforts of one George […]

   

• Students Show Support for AIDS Awareness: Mason Plans Ahead with Mason Team for AIDS Walk in D.C.

  News1 October 1, 2009 at 2:58 pm Comments are Disabled

  Sebastian Flores, Broadside Correspondent In the many brochures and flyers handed out by George Mason University’s fraternities, organizations and event sponsors throughout campus, one small fact on an information card the size of a postcard stood out among the rest. In the lower right-hand corner of this card, there was a little red box, and in white letters it stated, “ONE in 20 adults in D.C. has HIV. It’s time to put your foot down.” Some students at Mason are aware of the gravity of this situation and have taken it upon themselves to do something to change it. On Oct. 3, Washington, D.C. is hosting their annual AIDS walk to support the fight against AIDS. The five-kilometer walk is a fundraiser, focused on collecting donations for the Whitman-Walker clinic in D.C. The mission of the clinic is to serve D.C.’s diverse community, with special expertise in HIV care. In honor of the AIDS walk, Mason has put together multiple “teams” to participate in the walk. Aside from the major team called “George Mason University,” a number of different fraternities and sororities have felt a need to give back to their community by forming teams of their own to raise […]

   

• Student Activities Surveys Campus for Fall Concert Acts: Survey Technology Gets Feedback from Students

  News1 October 1, 2009 at 2:57 pm Comments are Disabled

  Katherine Morgenegg, Broadside Correspondent As the vacant Nov. 16 fall concert approaches George Mason University, the Student Activities Office invited students to participate in an online survey on Surveymonkey.com to vote for which bands or artists they would like to see perform. Surveymonkey, a relatively new piece of technology at Mason, is in its second year of use, but has been growing in popularity at other colleges. Surveymonkey has been used not only for surveys but for registrations and other online forms at Mason over the past two years. The link to the survey for the fall concert was posted on the Welcome Week Facebook group where students answered one question: who they wanted to see perform. The choices consisted of The Zac Brown Band, Keri Hilson and Drake, Drake and Kid Cudi, The All-American Rejects and Taking Back Sunday, and David Cook and Keri Hilson. Based on the results, Student Activities chose the most popular pairing to pursue in signing a contract. Although the results of the survey are in, they cannot be released yet as the contract has not been completed. “Hopefully, we will be able to release that [information] within the next two weeks,” said Dennis Hicks, […]

   

• Fundraiser Held for Student Scholarships: Over 2,000 Attended Annual Event

  Lifestyle October 1, 2009 at 2:55 pm Comments are Disabled

  Patrick Wall, Style Editor The rain may have been falling last Saturday, but grey skies couldn’t dampen the electric feeling at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts. Students, faculty and community members gathered for the fourth annual Arts by George! fundraiser. Arts by George! is an annual fundraiser presented by Mason to raise money for scholarships. Appropriately, the money goes to students within one of the seven programs within the arts department. Since its inception in 2005, the program has been a huge success. “It is the buzz of Northern Virginia,” said William Reeder, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, “and that is the result of the quality of the student performer, and we are so incredibly thankful and proud.” This year, Reeder feels confident that the fundraiser brought in over $100,000 in scholarship funding. Combining a silent auction with a series of concerts and displays, Arts by George! aims to engage its patrons and show them firsthand how their contributions impact students. For the auction, the usual spread of golf outings and fancy dinners were up for grabs, but there was also plenty of art to be had. Works created by Mason students and faculty […]

   

• Daisy Doesn’t Disappoint: Brand New Returns with Latest Offering

  Lifestyle October 1, 2009 at 2:54 pm Comments are Disabled

  Patrick Wall, Style Editor Brand New has spent the better part of their career challenging listeners. Like Pearl Jam before them, the Long Island quintuplet has never stayed satisfied with legions of fans more than willing to follow along. With Daisy, Brand New has created one of their best and most challenging albums. Brand New has never been a band to stay in one musical head space for very long. Each album sounds vastly different than its predecessor and Daisy is no exception. The whining pop punk of Your Favorite Weapon now a distant memory, Brand New continues to experiment with new sounds and textures. Daisy is, in a word, dense. Much like the band’s last release, 2006’s The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, this new album is difficult to approach. In truth, it’s a very coarse record that feels almost grimy at first listen. But in true Brand New style, the patient listener is rewarded with an album that is solid from start to finish. Anger and frustration have always been central to the mystique of Brand New, and that doesn’t change on Daisy. The lead single, “At the Bottom,” still broods and explodes like many of […]

   

• Spoken Word Artist Shows No Fear: Georgia Me Makes Appearance at Fall for the Book Festival

  Lifestyle October 1, 2009 at 2:53 pm Comments are Disabled

  Pearson Jones, Asst. Style Editor This isn’t your typical hipster coffee shop haiku poetry reading, where performers speak barely over a monotone whisper and their less than conclusive endings are met with the sound of snapping. Slam poetry, also called the art of spoken word, is poetry in action and trust me, it can get really loud. These poems represent the performers’ joys, hardships and daily aspects of social life that they could do with out. On Thursday, professional spoken word artist and member of the Peabody award-winning and Emmy-nominated cast of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, Georgia Me (also known as Tamika Harper) emceed the second annual Fall for the Book poetry slam that was held in the downstairs Johnston Center Bistro. Profanity was prevalent at the event and holding back wasn’t an option as the artists of spoken word gave students a sometimes less than comfortable insight into their lives. The real testimonies given during the performance were unique in their delivery, but had relatable themes. Dennis Hicks, associate director of Student Activities, which organized the event, was pleased with how it went. “I like watching students evolve their work and see the compositions they put together,” said […]