Recent Posts

• The financial side of studying abroad

  News1 May 2, 2011 at 11:01 pm Comments are Disabled

  With summer fast approaching, students will spend their time going home and visiting friends, working and saving money or furthering their education by studying abroad. But how has the continuing economic recession affected the study abroad program at George Mason University? “We do a good job of keeping our costs down,” said Kevin Stoy, marketing coordinator for the Center for Global Education. “I think it’s more perception than anything. When there’s a recession and the economy is struggling, people tend to think [studying] abroad is a luxury and less of a necessity, which we think is a huge mistake. I don’t feel that because the economy is struggling our costs have gone up.” What have affected the study abroad program costs, however, are international events. “I’ve been in study abroad for 25 years now,” said Mary Arnold, general manager for the Center for Global Education. “There [are] always ups and downs with pricing and expenses. They often correspond to gas prices because airline tickets go up, and the rise and fall of the dollar effects our pricing a lot.” The Mason study abroad program does its best to keep costs to a minimum by avoiding third parties and spreading the […]

   
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  Mason finds heir to the throne

  News1 May 2, 2011 at 11:00 pm Comments are Disabled

  George Mason was picked as an early preseason top-25 team and they will likely be favored to win the CAA this season. They return four of five starters, losing just two players, Cam Long and Isaiah Tate, to graduation. Everything seemed to be falling right in to alignment. Students and fans in the Fairfax community were counting down the days until the season opener in November. Then, the unthinkable happened. After 14 seasons at the helm of the Patriots, coach Jim Larranaga resigned from the program and accepted a job in Florida, making him the new head coach of the Miami Hurricanes. Mason fans were up in arms for the better part of the weekend, declaring the season over before it began via Twitter and Facebook. But the long-awaited announcement came on Saturday afternoon: coach Paul Hewitt, formerly of Georgia Tech, will become the new basketball coach at George Mason University. Hewitt was fired by the Yellow Jackets in March after posting a 190-162 record in 11 years at the school. He was just 72-104 in the Atlantic Coast Conference but coached his team to the 2004 national title game before losing 82-73 to Connecticut. Mason Athletic Director Tom O’Connor […]

   

• Proposed budget would raise in-state tuition by 5.7 percent

  News1 May 2, 2011 at 10:56 pm Comments are Disabled

  George Mason University Senior Vice President Maurice Scherrens and Provost for Academic Affairs Peter Stearns co-hosted a budget forum Friday in which they announced they were submitting a budget for 2011–12 to the Board of Visitors that calls for a 5.7 percent in-state tuition increase. The budget also outlines a 5 percent tuition increase for out-of-state students. In-state students are looking at a $432 increase in tuition, a $150 increase in fees and a $430 increase in room and board. Out-of-state students will face a $1,146 increase in tuition, a $150 increase in fees and a $430 increase in room and board if the Board of Visitors accepts this budget at its meeting Wednesday. Mason’s proposed 5.7 percent increase is in the middle of the pack, with University of Virginia and Virginia Tech among the schools with a higher percentage increase. William & Mary and James Madison University are two schools with a smaller increase. Changes in the state budget have forced Mason officials to make difficult decisions — while some faculty and staff members haven’t had pay raises in years, the amount of money the university receives from the state per student has steadily decreased since 2009. “If we […]

   
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  Aquatic Center closing for summer

  News1 May 2, 2011 at 10:50 pm Comments are Disabled

  The Aquatic and Fitness Center on George Mason University’s Fairfax campus will be closing over the summer to replace the facility’s ventilation, said Connie Benson, director of recreation.

   

• Sometimes, you have to walk in someone’s shoes to understand their pain

  Editorials April 25, 2011 at 6:55 pm Comments are Disabled

  I used to be unsympathetic towards allergy sufferers. These are the people whose eyes always look like they just broke up with their long-time partner and whose nasal passages are as constricted as a boa (the snake variety, not the feathery kind).

   
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  Sub-par is too kind of a description for Mason’s wireless network

  Editorials April 25, 2011 at 6:53 pm Comments are Disabled

  Doesn’t it piss you off every time you have to log in to access wireless internet here at Mason? What’s even worse is when you have to re-login after you already logged in an hour or two ago. Just the other day a friend and I were working on on-line Spanish homework. He finished 35 questions on part of the assignment, and when he hit submit, it directed to the log-in page and all of his work was deleted. He logged into the system less than two hours before this happened. What sucks is that this isn’t unheard of and it’s extremely frustrating. It’s ridiculous that you have to keep logging in just to maintain access to the Internet. It actually just did it to me now when I went to refresh my Facebook page. I understand the whole idea for logging in is to provide safety and security to those on the network, but the network doesn’t even support the latest version of Windows, Windows 7; at least that’s what it says half the time I login. The IT department at Mason doesn’t seem to communicate well to the students, either, just like many other offices here on campus. […]

   
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  Cheap Eats with Monika Joshi

  Lifestyle April 25, 2011 at 6:46 pm 2 comments

  In the mood for some authentic Indian food, but not willing to empty your pockets for it? This week, “Cheap Eats” brings you two simple yet appetizing recipes that can zest up your usual diet.

   
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  Award-winning documentary to premiere at JC Cinema

  Lifestyle April 25, 2011 at 6:41 pm Comments are Disabled

  This year’s Academy Awards honored many talented artists and recognized various rising stars in the film industry.

   

• 30 Seconds to Mars to perform at the Patriot Center

  Lifestyle April 25, 2011 at 6:38 pm Comments are Disabled

  “I don’t remember a moment I tried to forget,” croons 30 Seconds to Mars lead singer Jared Leto in the opening seconds of their latest single, “Closer to the Edge.” Since the release of their 2009 album “This is War,” 30 Seconds to Mars has rocked nearly 2 million fans in 30 countries across the globe during their high-energy tours. The L.A. trio came together in 1998 and released their self-titled studio album in 2002 which did poorly according to sales charts. Their 2005 sophomore effort, “A Beautiful Lie,” eclipsed their past failure, selling 3.5 million copies worldwide and becoming certified platinum in the United States. The title single of their third album, “This is War,” reached number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs chart along with the single “Kings and Queens.” Fresh off the plane from Santiago, Chile, the band recently performed at the inaugural international expansion of Lollapalooza with Kanye West, Deftones and The Killers. On Wednesday night at 7 p.m., the eclectic rock band will perform hits from their three albums at the Patriot Center. Tickets are on sale starting at $32.50.

   
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  Dare to resist the war on drugs

  Lifestyle April 25, 2011 at 6:37 pm 9 comments

  When people are given brownies on April 20, they may be curious as to what the brownies really contain.