Recent Posts

• Mason Professors Start Online Economics University

  News1 October 4, 2012 at 11:43 am Comments are Disabled

  Mason Professors Dr. Tyler Cowen and Dr. Alex Tabarrok, both economists and co-authors of the Marginal Revolution blog, have announced their plans to launch their very own Marginal Revolution University (MRU) on Oct. 1. MRU will not only benefit Mason Economics students, but anyone with access to a computer. Internet users across the globe who are willing to learn about economics will have the opportunity to become an MRU user. As Cowen said in an email interview, “MRU will expand quality, access, and affordability to economics education.  It will aid the Mason brand and make it more global.  It will show Mason to be a hotbed of innovators, as it truly is.” Cowen and Tabarrok have carefully engineered an eight point curricular plan for MRU, which can be seen to the right. What makes MRU unique is that it is merely a learning module that can be used to create a MOOC. MRU will be simple and user friendly, therefore accessible for everyone around the world. Accessibility is key to this project for success, and social media is playing a huge role, especially in this day and age. Not only will MRU be completely free, but extra material will be […]

   

• “Diversity Sucks” Event Held in Liberty Square

  News1 October 4, 2012 at 11:42 am Comments are Disabled

  On Sept. 25, Mason hosted an event called “Diversity Sucks” in Liberty Square in order to stimulate conversations about diversity amongst students. The program was advertised by flyers posted around the Shenandoah neighborhood; the residents of Liberty Square were emailed directly by the event coordinators to participate in a discussion about diversity. Khorey Baker, Assistant Director of Residential Education and spokesperson of the program, said that his role in the program is not to define diversity for the attendees but to inspire them to engage in candid and open-minded conversations about what they think diversity is. Baker also said he is interested in bringing students together to create friendships and to help them prepare themselves to be better global citizens after college. As far as the name of the program goes, a resident of Liberty Square said that the title Diversity Sucks was designed specifically to capture the attention of people.  He was right.  Baker said that it is just a name to get a reaction.  The reaction was quite clear as all the seats in the lobby were taken. The program began with a brief introduction from Baker as well as the establishment of two ground rules: students will […]

   

• C4I Provides University with Unique Study Opportunities

  News1 October 4, 2012 at 11:40 am Comments are Disabled

  Those looking to not only bolster their resumes but also make an impact on a nation-wide scale might be interested in the Center for Command, Control, Communications, Computing and Intelligence, otherwise known as the C4I Center. Started in July 1989 by Dr. Harry Van Trees, the C4I Center, originally named the C3I since the computing component was not added until later, functions primarily as a research institute providing academic assistance to the U.S. military and other government agencies. Van Trees graduated from the prestigious West Point Military Academy at the top of his class and worked a series of positions for the Department of Defense in addition to spending over a decade as an electrical engineering professor at M.I.T., so he had an extensive background in the military, government and technology that made him an ideal candidate to supervise the C4I Center. “He understood that the military needed technological help that they could get from the university,” said Dr. Mark Pullen, C4I’s current director.  “He was convinced that Mason was a good place to the center because it’s close to military organizations and because of its innovative approach to information technology.” Pullen, who runs one of the laboratories at the […]

   

• Forum Educates Students on Voting

  News1 October 4, 2012 at 11:38 am Comments are Disabled

  As Election Day approaches, Mason student leaders are making sure everyone is honoring their civic duty and registering to vote. Last week, several organizations hosted an event for the upcoming election. On Monday, Sept. 24, the members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Student Government, Mason Votes and the Lead Office came together to conduct a voter’s forum for the student body. Entitled Kritical Konversation, the event took place in the Johnson Center atrium. Some of the topics discussed were the state of the country, the importance of voting, the candidates’ policies and voter registration laws. In attendance were Sarah Cioce, Assistant Director of the City of Manassas and Richard Mattox, former Congressional Press Secretary and current adjunct professor at Mason. Robert Hiter, senior communication major and member of Kappa Alpha Psi was one of the main people in charge of the forum. He discussed the purpose of the event and why it was so important to students, especially those who fall between the ages of 18-20— what is referred to as the millennial generation.  Students should encourage each other to vote because they make up 24 percent of the voting age population, he said. […]

   
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  Reacting to a Disaster: NFL Response Long Overdue

  Editorials, Sports October 4, 2012 at 11:28 am Comments are Disabled

  For nearly 92 years, the National Football League has been the cornerstone league in all of sports. Serving as an outlet for social activity, millions of fans across the nation gather with friends every Sunday. Until last season, at least in our generation, the NFL could seemingly do no wrong. When the players were locked out prior to last season, football was marred but not yet tarnished. It was bruised but unbroken. As this preseason progressed and the season got underway, television sets across the nation were finally changing channels. Coaches, players, media and fans spoke out in protest of the NFL’s newest blunder: employing replacement officials. Faces of the NFL, such as Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers, contested that the integrity of the league was tarnished. Games in weeks one through three in the 2012-13 season will forever have an asterisk. They will forever put a sour taste in the mouths of so many fans. Worst though, as difficult as it was to watch the referee saga, the occasions, any many ways, is a microcosm for the United States of America. It is commonplace in our culture to fight a major change, pretending hardships do not exist, until our […]

   

• Mason Cable Network: Green Machine Vlogs

  Multimedia October 1, 2012 at 3:45 pm Comments are Disabled
   

• Spreading the Smiles

  Editorials September 27, 2012 at 9:19 am Comments are Disabled

  As Mason students continue to embark on their fifth week of school, the stress and multitude of to-do lists are in full swing. Class readings, exams, presentations, group work, jobs, extracurricular activities, families, friends; how are we supposed to keep up with it all without exploding? There are the typical answers, such as time management, going to class and studying. To me, the one answer that is the most important is to keep a positive outlook. We all have days where our moods may be less than stellar, but do we really like feeling that way? When you have a positive outlook, there is no time to be unhappy because you are too busy being productive in order to keep up with the fast-paced trend that life brings. Lucky for us all, Mason is one of the friendliest, most welcoming places in the area. Looking back, the first conclusion I made as a freshman was about how nice everyone was. Just to make sure that I was not the only one who felt this way, I asked other students what they thought about the impression given off by Mason. “I felt that Mason did a good job of making the […]

   

• Martyrs for Mitt

  Editorials September 27, 2012 at 9:19 am Comments are Disabled

  The Republican Party has nominated a Mormon millionaire as its candidate for the highest office position in the United States, which is, of course, the presidency. Mitt Romney is not an easy candidate to champion. He has adjusted his stance on more than a few issues, is viewed by many as unprincipled, and, as recent events have shown, is a bit of a gaffe machine. But at the end of the day, Mitt Romney is the Republican nominee and as a voter who has a number of views that align with those of the Republican Party, I feel it is my duty to not only give Governor Romney my vote, but to stand up for him. It’s not easy to be an advocate for Governor Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan. I have been ridiculed, mocked, and laughed at. I have had my Romney Ryan stickers torn from my door far too many times. I have been called “ignorant” or “insensitive”, I have been told that I am as “out of touch” as the public has declared my candidate. I know I am not alone. I know that especially on a college campus, standing up for Mitt Romney […]

   

• We Are Home to Accessibility

  Editorials September 27, 2012 at 9:18 am Comments are Disabled

  Here we are at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, home to many great restaurants on and off campus. According to Google Maps, we are just 20 miles from the National Mall in Washington D.C., 14.5 miles from the Manassas National Battlefield and 19 miles from Arlington National Cemetery. There are many different places we can visit as students here at Mason. But the question is, do we take advantage of all the opportunities we have here at Mason? According to freshman Tosca Lanfranconi, “It’s very easy to get around the area because of all the shuttles. I have not had one problem getting somewhere because of lack of transportation”. I have to agree with Tosca because Mason could easily not put this much of an effort in allowing students to leave campus, but it does. Not only does Mason have CUE buses that take Mason students around Fairfax for no charge, but also free shuttles to the Vienna/ Fairfax-GMU metro station. As Mason students, we have the ability to travel through Fairfax and the nation’s capital, thanks to the shuttle and CUE buses. It’s the perfect system for us as Mason students because not only do we get our […]

   
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  Rugby, a Ladies Game

  Sports September 24, 2012 at 3:42 pm Comments are Disabled

  Rugby is a tough, physical sport that, while not popular in the United States, has a global appeal. The women of Mason’s Rugby Club are a combination of girls with previous experience and ones who are complete novices to the sport. Sherwin “Squirrel” Birashk, head coach of Mason’s Women’s Rugby Club, would have fallen into the latter category. “I started playing when I was 15. I was actually a baseball player, but I didn’t make the junior varsity squad,” said Birashk, who is affectionately known as Coach Squirrel. Birashk is a Mason alumnus who played for the Men’s Rugby Club from 1996-99. Back then, a women’s rugby club did not exist at Mason. While Birashk acknowledges that there is a different gender dynamic between the men’s and women’s teams, he knows that the girls he has coached are just as tough as the guys. “Back then, it was just starting to pick up a little. We had a couple of girls who just kind of wanted to come play around during our practices,” said Birashk. It would not be until about 10 years later in 2009 that Mason’s Women’s Rugby Club would officially be formed. Birashk came on as head […]