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• Liberals and education: ‘Perhaps professors are to blame’

  Editorials September 27, 2010 at 3:22 pm Comments are Disabled

  Most people who have been exposed to higher education can reasonably assume the majority of college students identify themselves as liberals. Driving around the George Mason University parking lots you can see an influx of “Obama for President” and cheeky liberal slogans on bumper stickers. Even though most Americans identify themselves as conservative and the latest Gallup poll finds conservatives outnumbering liberals 42-20 percent, this trend is reversed on college campuses. But why? Perhaps professors are to blame. According to a study done by Mason’s Center for Media and Public Affairs, 72 percent of American university and college professors claim to be liberals while only 15 percent are conservative. Additionally, 50 percent affiliate themselves with the Democratic Party with only 11 percent claiming to be Republicans. Students attend college to prepare for the real world; it is reasonable to assume that the purveyors of such knowledge directly influence their politics. Why liberalism dominates the faculty of colleges and universities is a different debate entirely. It may have something to do with many professors spending their lives in academia, outside of business and competition. Liberalism is based in fanciful idealism. It would be great if everyone was guaranteed money and benefits […]

   

• Letters to the editor – Sept. 27 issue

  Editorials September 27, 2010 at 3:19 pm Comments are Disabled

  The student secular alliance fires back at Moore On Sept. 13, Alan Moore penned an editorial stating, among other things, that the U.S. Constitution does not mandate a separation of church and state and that the Secular Student Alliance is a threat to American culture. In response to church-state separation, we could go through a litany of court decisions, treaties and comments by the Founding Fathers that prove Mr. Moore wrong, and there are many. What is more important though, is whether we all still understand and agree on its benefits. A secular government is not an atheistic government. It just refuses to take sides on issues of religion. Many theists recognize this protects them and does not hinder them. If schools lead children in prayer, will it be a prayer you agree with? If the creation story is taught in school, will it be your creation story? We’ve spoken with students from a number of theist groups and found almost universally that we share respect and support for church-state separation. But Mr. Moore betrays that his true agenda is political when he attempts to equate non-theism with liberalism. There have been many prominent non-theists who would bristle at such […]

   

• Ladies, trust us, it’s a guy thing: The federal government teaches men to wash their penises

  Editorials September 27, 2010 at 3:14 pm Comments are Disabled

  Maybe the guys at the National Institutes of Health were remembering their early teen years, when washing their genitals was stimulating. For whatever reason, they spent over $800,000 in stimulus money on a research project intended to teach uncircumcised African men to wash their genitals. Perhaps no issue today better showcases our political process’s extent of disrepair than this. It’s all there: a naked boondoggle, a nearly indefensible waste of tax dollars and the approval of both houses of Congress along with the signature of the president. I can’t remember the part in high school history where we learned about the intense debate among the Constitutional Convention delegates regarding penis washing. I’m pretty confident something like that would have caught my attention. There was a time when questions of constitutionality were serious concerns. Not in our lifetimes, granted, but once upon a time. These days, most constitutionality questions quickly turn into bouts of anxious hand-wringing with the moaned mantra, “Oh, if only we had a way of knowing what the intent of the Founders would have been had they foreseen this issue!” On this particular question, there’s no anxiety required. No, James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” did not […]

   

• Obama’s failed recovery: an unstable economy

  Editorials September 27, 2010 at 3:13 pm Comments are Disabled

  Many economic laymen like myself have been befuddled by the rise and subsequent stagnation of the unemployment rate in the U.S., even though just last week a group of economists said that the recession has been over since 2009.

   

• Point and Counterpoint: Should Mason sell cigarettes?

  Editorials September 27, 2010 at 3:05 pm Comments are Disabled

  Elizabeth Perry / Asst. Opinion Editor Much to the alarm of one George Mason University smoker, there is no place on campus where one can purchase cigarettes. The selling of alcohol, however, is permitted in a bar where students are free to drink on campus grounds. Why would a university agree to have a substance as mind altering as alcohol available on school property, but prohibit the sale of cigarettes? The effects of cigarettes are far less detrimental to brain activity and response time than alcohol. While it is true that tobacco is more dangerous to an individual’s physical health than alcohol, the threat of cigarettes to a smoker’s immediate safety and that of those around him or her is slight to nonexistent in comparison to alcohol. There is no record of someone being injured or killed in a car accident caused by a driver’s overdosing on cigarettes. There is, however, the proven statistic that 17,000 people are killed in alcohol-related accidents every year in the U.S. Similarly, it would be preposterous for a woman to claim she was raped on account of being too buzzed from cigarettes to defend herself. If anyone has ever woken up beside a stranger […]

   

• Mason 5-0: Police officer assigned to work out of dorms

  News1 September 27, 2010 at 2:58 pm Comments are Disabled

  Students now have a police officer working out of a dorm to alleviate concerns of George Mason University residents. Officer Emily Ross of the Mason Police Department started the assignment on Sept. 13 as the first Mason housing liaison officer. Her office is located in room F204 in the Potomac Heights dorm. “The mission of this program is to improve the security and safety of the resident students,” Ross said. Ross said she will follow up on tips about drugs and alcohol to improve enforcement in the dorms but will also provide alcohol education and serve as a resource for students who need advice. Ross said she can address any issues from roommate troubles to problems with boyfriends or girlfriends to fears that a friend might be contemplating suicide. “Come to me if you have a concern … and talk about it, just to get some advice,” Ross said. “I’m there to assist you with any issues that you have and if it is not my issue to handle I will refer you to whomever you need to be referred to. I’m a source of information, if nothing else.” Another issue Ross hopes to address is sexual assault. She said […]

   

• Fusing Cultures: Upcoming October Festival to feature food, dance and fashion

  News1 September 27, 2010 at 2:56 pm Comments are Disabled

  Cultural Fusion Fairfax is returning to George Mason University for a third year from Oct. 6-27, opening with tables in the Quad, free food, information and activities.

   
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  Scholarships: An alternative to student loans for college tuition

  News1 September 27, 2010 at 2:53 pm Comments are Disabled

  Finding yourself increasingly strapped for cash? Sick of counting your loose change? No job? Try a scholarship. Although some people are beginning to rise out of their economic slump, students still struggle to find jobs. And less pocket money certainly means less money put towards education. One of the oldest and most popular ways around this dilemma is scholarships. They are, essentially, free money. Unlike loans, there is nothing to pay back, and some are even awarded directly to your bank account instead of the school. However, many students forget that scholarships are even an option. Instead, they go straight to student loans. Why? Perhaps it is the effort involved in searching for them. “I feel like they want to take advantage of scholarships, but they don’t want to take the time,” said senior psychology major Daniel Soranzo. “They don’t feel like they have the chance.” For many, the problem began in high school. Students had to search through folders filled with sheaves of paper to find a good scholarship, only to realize they didn’t qualify for it. Now, most scholarship resources are electronic, making the search less of a hassle. George Mason University is working to improve the scholarship […]

   
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  Zipcar returns: Car-sharing service to offer rentals at Fairfax, Arlington campuses

  News1 September 27, 2010 at 2:48 pm Comments are Disabled

  Zipcar, the popular short-term rental car service, is now available for members of the George Mason University community. “The Zipcar program as a whole is really aimed at providing people who don’t have a vehicle but occasionally need a way to get around,” said Josh Cantor, director of parking and transportation at Mason. The service costs $8 per hour and $66 per day to rent one of the four vehicles – two Toyota Priuses and two Scion XBs – assigned to Mason. Two vehicles are available at the Fairfax campus and two at the Arlington campus, Cantor said. “At Mason, we are always looking for new ways to innovate,” Cantor said in a press release. “By bringing Zipcar to campus, we are continuing with this tradition and offering students, faculty, staff and the community a new and greener way to think about transportation on campus, in a hassle-free and economically friendly way.” In order to become a “zipster,” Mason community members can visit http://www.zipcar.com/gmu. There is a $35 annual fee for the service, though free annual memberships are available to departments for business use. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is open to […]

   
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  Fearless: GMU students, ROTC cadets rappel down side of Fenwick Library

  News1 September 27, 2010 at 2:40 pm Comments are Disabled

  Two by two, Patriots scaled Fenwick library. The 90-foot western wall provided an intense training exercise and exhibition for Patriot’s Day at George Mason University. Rappelling is a core training event for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. “This training teaches students [cadets] how to challenge themselves and trust their training and leaders,” said Major Paul Kremer, the professor of Military Science at the Patriot ROTC Battalion. This training was not limited to cadets of the Patriot battalion. Anyone willing to sign a liability waiver could rappel. “This is a chance for students to experience something different and to see if they are interested in the army,” Kremer said. “There are a lot of smiling faces, and that is what we’re looking for.” Rappelling is an inherently dangerous activity. Safety was a paramount concern. Before anyone was allowed to get near the ropes they were instructed on safety procedures, how to tie their “swiss seat” harness and inspected by the staff at several stations, Kremer said. The event drew a large crowed of onlookers, and those who wished to sample the ROTC experience. “It was a chance to do something fun,” said freshman Nick Nicholson. “It was kind of a […]