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Women’s rowing finding the right combinations

Featured, Sports April 15, 2013 at 6:04 pm Comments are Disabled

The women’s rowing team took the water on April 7 in Occoquan, Va. for the Occoquan Sprints. The race was only the second official race of the spring season. Because it is still early in the season, the team used the race to try different combinations of rowers for their boats. “We had a lot of lineup switches and, as a result, we gained, overall as a team, a lot of speed throughout our two Varsity Eights and both of our Varsity Fours and also the Novice Eights,” senior rower Bridget Hally said. “I think the expectation was to go in there and race our own race, and I think all boats accomplished that. So we were very happy with the results.” The changes to the lineup came after the opening spring race of the season at the Murphy Cup in Philadelphia on March 30. Coach Geoff Dillard was not entirely satisfied with the results at that event and felt the tweaks were necessary to keep pace with other teams. “I think coming off the first race, we did not necessarily race our own race. So, we were definitely looking to keep our heads in the boat and knowing that […]
A case for community service

Editorials April 15, 2013 at 5:52 pm Comments are Disabled

In the eighth grade, my tiny kindergarten through eighth grade school required that all students complete 10 hours of community service in order to attend the class field trip, at the end of the year. At the time, 10 hours seemed like devoting your entire life to a cause. Then in high school, I participated in a program that required me to complete at least 100 hours of community service. Needless to say, I longed to be back in eighth grade. Both of my grade school conundrums represent a current trend in the way our generation views community service. We have institutionalized service to such an extent that it no longer operates the way it should. Rather than being selfless and altruistic, it has become a means to reaching a selfish end. Our provisional assistance to someone or something is meant to serve a more permanent purpose in our own lives rather than someone else’s. This is not to say that examples of selfless community service do not exist, or that everyone who participates in community service is an inherently selfish person. However, this is meant to say that the moment we create a system that makes community service an obligatory responsibility, […]
Registration Frustration

Editorials April 15, 2013 at 5:51 pm Comments are Disabled

The time has come for class scheduling. For some, picking classes is as easy as picking your favorite ice cream. For others, such as myself, it takes careful planning and coordinating. I’m a communications major, and I still have trouble finding the right classes to take. So, I have no idea how students who are undecided find classes. There are so many options, especially after you have completed all the general education classes. Thank goodness for advisors. Not to brag, but the academic advisors in the Communications department are extremely helpful. While the advisors do what they can to inform us about the classes that we should take, the decision ultimately rests with the students. And that’s were things get tricky. Business majors, Physics majors, English majors, and so on, all have to take the same classes. This can become a problem if a student has a late registration time. Every semester, it feels like every person in my major wants to take all the classes that I want to enroll in. This is why it’s good to have back up classes or multiple versions of your schedule. I ran into similar problems when I was making my schedule for this […]
Continue I-Week diversity

Editorials April 15, 2013 at 5:50 pm Comments are Disabled

Once I viewed the opening ceremonies of International Week as people passed through North Plaza with flags and different attires, I began to gain an admiration for the week. My personal favorite part of the week was the 81 flags hanging throughout the JC. These flags lit up the room and mesmerized Mason students with their differing patterns, illustrations, and colors. The students began dialogue after gaining a strong interest in all 81 of the represented countries. When they ate, studied, and walked through the JC I’d hear a group of people contemplating the flags country of origins. Conversations like these were the main attribution for my admiration. International Week facilitated exploration for each student to gain some sort of new knowledge. Whether that was learning about traditional Irish attire, the design of Saudi Arabia’s Flag, or a deeper understanding of Hispanic dishes, we all learned something new. But don’t let the closing ceremonies end that exploration. Continue to learn about the wide variety of cultures that are on Mason’s campus. Go to a cultural club on campus like: the Indian Student Association, CRU, Hillel, the Korean Student Association or any other one that interests you. Play the Sporcle flag quiz to gain […]
17-year cicadas expected to invade the coast later this spring

Editorials April 15, 2013 at 5:48 pm Comments are Disabled

If you have not heard, the 17-year cicadas are making a very large appearance this spring. For those of you not familiar with the cicada, they are those large bugs that look like an oversized fly. You also may remember them by their sound or mating call. I think their mating call resembles a drill drilling into something, so it is definitely not a sound you hear everyday. They make the loudest sounds out of all insects, so be ready for a noisy spring. If this description still does not ring a bell, then maybe you remember their crunchy shells you found sticking to trees or scattered on the ground when you were in between the ages of 16 and 18. These bugs may seem frightening but in reality they are harmless. First off, they live majority of their life underground which is weird yes but they only come above ground for one reason, and that is to mate. The male cicadas are the ones who make the extra loud noises because they are trying to attract a mate for themselves. Second, if you were to Google what a cicada looks like, their appearance itself might not sit well with you. Their […]
Israeli Apartheid: the new South Africa

Editorials April 15, 2013 at 5:46 pm 6 comments

Oh, the good days we live today: the times of oppression and institutionalized racism are most definitely behind us. We Americans pride ourselves on the utmost principles of universal human rights declared by the UN: of all persons born free and equal and having the right to life, liberty and security. It’s great that we call ourselves a democratic society while financially assisting in the institutionalization of an ongoing apartheid system in Israel – while funneling over 30 billion of your hard-earned U.S. tax dollars in military aid over the span of a decade to an oppressive Israel to ensure that Palestinians civilians are being denied the universal rights valued intrinsic to all humans. They’re being stripped of these rights only to be maimed, shot, brutalized and ethnically cleansed. Former president of South Africa and veteran of South African apartheid Nelson Mandela has brazenly remarked on the ongoing Israeli apartheid and occupation of Palestinian land. In 1997, at the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, he remarked on its atrocious realities, “That injustice and gross human rights violations were being perpetrated in Palestine. But we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians” […]
Mason at the movies

Lifestyle April 15, 2013 at 5:43 pm Comments are Disabled

This week, the Office of Student Involvement (OSI) will host screenings of two critically-acclaimed, Academy Award- nominated films, free for Mason students. Wreck-It Ralph On April 20 and 21, OSI Films celebrates Siblings Weekend with its free screening of Disney’s clever, hilarious and heartwarming “Wreck-It Ralph.” Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly), the villain of an arcade video game, longs to be as beloved as the game’s hero, Fix-It Felix, Jr. (Jack McBrayer). So, he abandons his game in search of one in which he feels he belongs. Traveling through several video game worlds, including the first-per- son shooter “Hero’s Duty” and the candy-coated kart racing game “Sugar Rush,” Ralph finds a kindred spirit in Vanellope Von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a spunky “glitch.” Together they battle the forces that threaten to shut down the game world forever, and Ralph must find it in himself to finally become a hero. “Wreck-It Ralph” is so unbelievably creative and witty. Its fascinating worlds are fully realized, and its characters are lively and likable. The eye-popping visuals and thrilling action sequences are perfectly complemented by slapstick humor, nostalgic cameos from classic video game characters and heartfelt scenes that pack an emotional punch. Its imaginative premise is […]
Patriot Activities Council hosts Paul Mitchell fashion show

Lifestyle April 15, 2013 at 5:28 pm Comments are Disabled

The Patriot Activities Council teamed up with future professionals of the Paul Mitchell, the School at Tyson’s Corner to co-sponsor their end of the year, runway event — Inspiration Through the Ages — on April 13 from 7-9 p.m. in Dewberry Hall. This year, Paul Mitchell presented their seventh annual fundraiser to raise money and awareness for charitable organizations within our local Northern Virginia and metropolitan areas. The theme of the runway event was: “The future and past of beauty and fashion.” “This is our third annual show at George Mason, and every year for our fundraising we like to do a fashion show that showcases our future professionals’ talents. So, we thought it would be a cool way to go back in time and show different styles and trends,” said Melissa Steinburg, public relations and marketing specialist for Paul Mitchell. The runway show was divided into sections based on different fashion eras, such as the Regency era, Victorian era, the New Romantics, the 20th century and the Oriental era. They gradually showed the abrupt change in our world of fashion and how each era holds cultural significance to many people during that time period. Every year, fashion trends and […]
Mason Ambassadors raise general scholarship funds

Featured, Lifestyle April 15, 2013 at 5:24 pm Comments are Disabled

The fourth annual GBAY auction and student scholarship benefit is making strides to financially help current and future Mason Patriots. This year’s auction was held on April 11 at 5 p.m. in the JC Atrium, and the event has been hosted by the Mason Ambassadors for the past four years. The Ambassadors are a group of students selected by Mason Ambassador Advisors and the executive board of the Ambassador organization every year in order to spread their Patriot pride across campus — especially among incoming Mason students. Their goal for GBAY is to raise money to assist students who have exhausted their financial aid and still need help paying a steadily-increasing tuition. “In 2010, Dean [Andrew] Flagel, who before going to Brandeis [University] was the dean of admissions at Mason, thought it would be cool if a student organization raised money for students. So, he approached the Mason Ambassadors,” said Claire Forman, the assistant director of annual giving for Mason’s development office, which is in charge of incoming donations to the university. “He thought it would be great for students to not only share their experiences and pride for Mason with other students, but to also keep Mason’s current students […]
International Week celebrates its 33rd anniversary

Featured, Lifestyle April 15, 2013 at 5:20 pm Comments are Disabled

Students from more than 100 countries are celebrated during the week of April 6-14, and each year, student organizations and offices create events that will expand the community’s knowledge of Mason’s diverse campus. iWeek also launched its new logo this year, as a result of doing away with iWeek themes. The highlight of iWeek 2013 is how Mason can celebrate cultural differences and remain a unified community. Global Love To learn more about intercultural relationships, and relationships in general, WAVES (Wellness, Alcohol and Violence Education Services) sponsored Global Love on April 10, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the JC. Mason community members were able to learn about the different types of food that symbolize love and friendship from around the world, while offering discussion on how to bridge cultural gaps and build cultural similarities in relationships and friendships. Poetry on the Plaza On April 11, the writing center filled East Plaza with spoken poetry. The event, held from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., invited students to share their own favorite international poems, in either English or their native language. “Every time I’ve moved to a new place, I’ve packed up my poetry first,” said Paula Beltrán, who serves […]