Post Tagged with: "Ethan Vaughan"

• Possible arson: Housing cart catches fire

  News1 April 19, 2010 at 12:46 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Yasmin Tadjdeh & Ethan Vaughan, News & Asst. News Editors Early Thursday morning a Cushman brand Housing cart caught on fire near Dominion Hall, causing approximately $7,000 in damages, said a police official. At 4:23 a.m. last Thursday, the George Mason University Police Department was informed of a fire near Dominion. However, by the time the GMUPD and the City of Fairfax Fire Department arrived, the fire had been extinguished by Securitas officers, said Assistant Chief of the GMU Police George Ginovsky. “Security officers from Securitas were on the scene and extinguishing the fire with fire extinguishers,” said Ginovsky. “The speculation from the [City of Fairfax] Fire Department is that someone threw a lit cigarette on the seat. It could be an accident, but we’re treating it as an arson.” According to Ginovsky, security officers on scene were unable to obtain any security footage or witnesses, making it unlikely that the case will be solved. If anyone has any information regarding this incident, please contact the GMUPD at (703) 993-2810 on their non-emergency line, or at (703) 993-4111 on their crime-solvers anonymous tip hotline.

   

• Condom heist in SUB I: Second theft baffles officials, police investigate

  News1 April 19, 2010 at 12:44 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor Employees at the Office of Alcohol, Drugs and Health Education (OADHE) were stumped last week when, for the second time this school year, unidentified thieves stole hundreds of condoms and other contraceptives from the clinic. “I have no idea [why this happened],” said Danielle Lapierre, assistant director of the OADHE. “[The condoms] are free.” The most recent incident happened on Tuesday between 3:30 and 4 p.m., and was apparently part of a coordinated effort. “The students said they had arranged with me to take the entire supply,” said Lapierre, a generalist who speaks with students about safe sex. “The receptionist told them to double check with me.” The two young men, described as East Asian and Caucasian, then walked to the back of the clinic and returned to the front, indicating to the official on duty that they had met with Lapierre when in fact no such meeting took place. “When I came back, the entire basket was gone,” Lapierre said. “But there was this one lonely little lube [bottle] left.” Lapierre filed a report with the Mason Police, listing the items stolen as condoms, lubricants and dental dams. While the police department is […]

   

• Physicians speak to students: Colloquium to teach young people about the joys, hardships of careers in medicine

  News1 April 12, 2010 at 12:21 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor George Mason University students considering careers in medicine will have a valuable resource to turn to on Tuesday, April 13. The Alpha Epsilon Delta Colloquium, to be held in the Johnson Center’s Room F tomorrow, will focus on the issues faced by those going into the medical field. The event will feature a pediatric physician, a resident physician and two medical students, each of whom is slated to speak for 10 minutes before taking questions from the audience. “They’re going to be talking about why they wanted to go into medicine,” said Dr. Ronald Bashian, who served as a pediatrician for more than 20 years before taking a leave of absence in 2002. “They’re going to be talking about what it means to be in medicine. They’ll talk about the exciting learning moments that taught them about being physicians, but they’ll also talk about the hard times.” Bashian said the colloquium’s goal was to give prospective medical students a full picture of what the journey to being a doctor entails. “Medical school is a difficult time,” he noted. “You have to learn this enormous body of knowledge, and [when] applied to the care of […]

   

• Trouble the Water comes to the Bistro: Controversial film discusses injustices after Hurricane Katrina

  News1 March 29, 2010 at 12:27 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Helena Okolicsanyi, Broadside Correspondent Kimberly Rivers Roberts will always remember where she was on Aug. 29, 2005, and so will thousands of individuals still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, as documented in the film Trouble the Water. Roberts, who was in New Orleans when the storm struck, filmed her experience during and after Hurricane Katrina with a camcorder she bought for $20 just days before the disaster. She transformed the raw footage of her ordeal into Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize-winning and Academy Award nominated documentary Trouble the Water. Roberts, along with her husband Scott and their 2-year-old daughter, came to George Mason University’s Johnson Center Bistro to discuss what happened to them during Hurricane Katrina. Kimberly Roberts spoke and then answered questions from both a student panel and audience members. She discussed the role of the media, the lack of government response during and after the storm and how New Orleans is today. The event allowed students and faculty to understand what occurred during Hurricane Katrina and the effects still felt even five years later. Roberts talked about surviving the hurricane and the legacy the storm still holds in New Orleans and her Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood, one of the […]

   

• Frats and soros compete for ‘Greek Week Champion’ title: Close to a year of planning put in to ensure success of this week’s Greek Week festivities

  News1 March 25, 2010 at 9:53 am Comments are Disabled

  By Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor George Mason University boasts students from all 50 states and 130 countries, but, this week at least, the Greeks are taking over. A cartoon-themed Greek Week, dubbed “Greekelodeon” by event organizers, began on Sunday evening, March 21 with a kick-off rally held on the SUB I quad where participants were treated to a professional DJ and free food. Greek Week will continue until March 28, with students from the 36 fraternal organizations on campus competing in a series of contests to win the title of Greek Week Champion, a title which confers yearlong bragging rights to the ultimate victor. Each event carries a number of points for the winning chapter, ranging from a mere 10 awarded at the end of the T-Shirt Competition to a whopping 200 for the fraternity or sorority that comes out on top in Greek Sing, an hours-long skit competition that is the most coveted jewel in the Greek Week crown. “That’s all very secret,” said senior government major Kellen Rosenfelder, on the routines being practiced for Greek Sing. “Everyone wants to be able to outdo everyone else.” Rosenfelder, a member of Delta Chi, is one of the four co-chairs […]

   

• McDonnell Order Does Not Protect Gays: Omission Based on McDonnell’s State Constitution Interpretation

  News1 March 1, 2010 at 1:30 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell issued an executive order last month protecting state workers from discrimination, but one particular group was left out: gays and lesbians. McDonnell’s Feb. 5 order, issued a month after he took office, “specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, political affiliation or against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities. The policy permits appropriate employment preferences for veterans and specifically prohibits discrimination against veterans as contemplated by state and federal law.” The governor’s executive order was mostly non-notable — it continued a long tradition in Virginia gubernatorial history — but it was significant in that it omitted gay and lesbian workers, who had been included in executive orders issued by Gov. Mark Warner and Gov. Tim Kaine in 2001 and 2005. “Had he simply not been the governor to take the next step, it would not have been noticed,” said Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia. “But what McDonnell did was to take us back. An executive order is only viable as long as the next governor lets it be. In a symbolic way, it takes civil rights a couple […]

   

• Textbooks Allegedly Sold for Crack: Mason Police Bust Bookstore Theft Ring

  News1 March 1, 2010 at 1:28 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor The George Mason University Police Department broke up a theft ring at the university bookstore earlier this semester, busting an operation where textbooks were stolen from the school and allegedly sold for crack cocaine. On Jan. 28, Mason police arrested Sandra Reid, 43, and Brian Boyd, 33, both non-students who had taken merchandise from the bookstore on two separate occasions. Both are to be tried in the Fairfax County court system, with Reid facing charges of grand larceny, concealment of merchandise and possession of cocaine, and Boyd standing for conspiracy to commit grand larceny. A third suspect has yet to be identified, but the police department says they are actively pursuing information. The drama began on Jan. 15, when bookstore employees observed several individuals behaving “strangely.” “It was the way they acted,” said John Howard, assistant general manager at the bookstore. “They lurked.” General Manager Barbara Headley stopped and confronted an unidentified suspect at the door who appeared to be putting books into his backpack. After a brief conversation, he dropped his bag and ran, whereupon Howard began chasing him while Headley contacted the police. Officers responded to the scene but the suspects had successfully […]

   

• New Century College to Hold Conference

  News1 February 22, 2010 at 1:56 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor George Mason University’s Center of Consciousness Transformation, in conjunction with MasonLEADS, will host a Leadership and Positive Psychology Conference in SUB II on March 19. The conference is being organized by New Century College students taking NCLC 295, an events management class, and while it is “geared mainly for Mason’s undergrads,” anyone may attend. The students said the function’s main purpose was to give attendees tools to “improve . . . leadership effectiveness” and “grow . . . workplace satisfaction.” Participants will hear from keynote speakers on positive psychology and leadership skills and will take part in panel discussions on the same subjects. Among the presenters are faculty members Jim Harter and Shane Lopez, who work with the Gallup Organization, and Todd Kashdan and Tojo Thatchenkery, who have written books related to the conference topics. Undergraduate students will be charged $15 to take part, while graduate students will pay $25 and non-students will pay $50.

   

• New Fraternity on Campus: Sigma Alpha Epsilon Chartered This Past Weekend

  News1 February 22, 2010 at 1:44 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor The Greek community at George Mason University got a little bit bigger this weekend. Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a colony of the national fraternal organization, joined the ranks of Mason’s fraternities and sororities when it was officially chartered in a ceremony at the International Country Club on Saturday night. The new chapter, which initiated 32 members this weekend, is led by President Saul Gomez, a junior accounting major and “founding father” who was elected to the top post at the start of this semester. Gomez took over from former president Josh Knox, a senior economics major who declined to seek a third one-year term because he is graduating in May. Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s history at Mason began in March 2008, but the roots for the fraternity’s installment here go back much further. “Starting a chapter was something I’d thought about all through high school,” said Knox. “I’m a legacy. My father was a Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the University of Maryland and my grandfather was one at the University of California at Berkeley, so there was a family connection. I also just wanted to be a member of something meaningful and liked that idea.” Knox was […]

   

• Spirited Students make mardi gras homecoming a success

  News1 February 22, 2010 at 1:35 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor n true Mardi Gras fashion, a variety of spirited events marked Homecoming Week. Highlights of the week included Monday’s Mardi Gras Madness, The Big Easy Pageant in Dewberry Hall, a can drive, a talent competition and a comedy show in the JC Cinema. The two major snowstorms that caused the university to close for nearly a week earlier this month caused some disruptions to scheduling, but they were minimal and most plans were carried out smoothly. “Everything is going well, especially [considering that] we had to change some things around because of the Snowpocalypse,” said Michelle Davis, Student Activities’ assistant director of programming. “We were supposed to have a tent in the North Plaza with different activities and we couldn’t because of the snow, but we just moved it to the Johnson Center,” said Davis, “We still had at least 100 people come around every day to participate, and while we would have had more if we’d done it outside it was still successful.”