5-03-2010 Broadside

Volume 86 Issue 12 broadsideonline.com Monday, 05.3.10

Broadside George Mason University’s Student Newspaper

Sodexo workers explain grievances to Student Government Employees reiterate concerns regarding pay and unsafe working conditions Asst. News Editor Four Sodexo w orkers, accompanied by Service Employees Int ernational U nion organizers and about 10 student supporters, appear ed at a Student Go vernment Senat e meeting Thursda y to further express objections regarding dining ser vices, r epeating assertions that manag ement has engaged in “intimidation and discrimination.”

The student lawmakers heard t estimonies fr om Southside emplo yees Angelica Hernandez, F rancisca Gomez and Elizabet Blas F alcon. U nion organizer Ama ya Henry

translated their r emarks fr om Spanish, w hich focused on payment and injuries sustained on the job.

Addressing a room of about 40 to 50 students , Falcon said that she w as denied immediate medical attention following a grease burn.

“You can g et hurt and they won’t call an ambulance,” Falcon told Student M edia after speaking t o the Student Senate.

“After an hour and a half of being int errogated b y a supervisor, I was finall y taken t o the hospital. I was treated lik e an animal.”

Falcon was not the only one alleging misconduct. T wo workers, Gomez and Angelica

Student allegedly sexually assaulted Alleged attack occurs in Presidents Park’s Madison Hall Yasmin Tadjdeh News Editor A Geor ge M ason U niversity student was allegedly sexually assaulted on the second floor of Madison Hall, a freshmen co-ed dormitory in Presidents Park, in the ear ly morning hours on Sunday, A pril 25. A ccording t o police records, the alleged victim reported being sexually assaulted by an ac quaintance in her dorm room.

According to M ason’s Pr ess Secretary Dan W alsch, the incident involved a young couple who w ere together from late Saturday nig ht int o Sunda y morning. During the c ourse of the stay, “behavior occurred that was un wanted by the female,” said Walsch. The alleged victim then contacted the Mason Police Department.

Currently no one has been charged with any crime involving the incident.

“If we do make an arrest — I’m not sa ying that one will be [made] — it will be [included in the] blotter,” said Assistant Chief of the Mason Police Department George Ginovsky.

According t o Ginovsky, the case is still under investigation.

Both the M ason P olice Department and the university have been in c ontact with both parties in volved in the incident, according to Walsch.

Students were not notified of the alleg ed sexual assault via the Mason Alert System.

Ginovsky maintains that the case did not warrant the system’s usage, as it did not present a threat to the Mason community.

“The alert system is [meant to be] used as an alert sy stem, not as a breaking news sy stem,” Ginovsky said.

Walsch also believed that usage of the sy stem w as not warranted.

“It w as not deemed to be a threat to the Mason community . . . because it was contained and isolated to one specific c ouple,” said Walsch.

According t o W alsch, had the alleg ed sexual assault c ome from a random at tacker w here a predator was involved, the Mason campus would have been alerted.

Mason Alert is a notification system used by the university to contact students and other Mason c ommunity members during an emer gency situation.

Messages ar e sent via text message to users’ cell phones and e -mail ac counts. The alert system was put in place after the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings.

According to WUSA9 News, the M ason Police Department is receiving help fr om the F airfax County Police with the case.

Student hit by car moved to rehabilitation center Michelle Dawson undergoing speech and brain therapy Emily Sharrer Editor-in-Chief The r oad t o r ecovery for Michelle Dawson, the student who w as hit by a car w hile in a crosswalk on Patriot Circle on March 2 9, is going to be a long one sa y family of the junior marketing major.

Dawson, w ho w as recently moved fr om INO VA F airfax to a local rehabilitation c enter, is currently under going speech, brain and oc cupational therapy according to Danielle Dawson, Michelle’s older sist er and a senior art and visual technology major.

“She’s g onna be in a wheelchair f or a long time, there’s just no definit e answ er right no w,” said D anielle Dawson, w ho has been at Michelle’s side almost ev eryday since the accident.

“She’s a fighter and she ’s doing everything the doctors are

telling her to do with the various rehab that she’s going thr ough,” said Michelle ’s dad, D ave Dawson.

“It’s like a waiting game and everyday we get a new little piece of the puz zle. [Michelle and Danielle] were lik e insepar able.

[Danielle’s] basically taken off her semester to help rehabilitate Michelle, w hich is sweet of her and we all appreciate that. Thank god D anielle’s there with her everyday and night,” he said.

The driver of the car that hit Michelle D awson, J effrey Jenkins, a 2 3-year-old nonMason student was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian.

“She’s been at the rehabilitation c enter for a little over a w eek and she ’ll be rehabilitating for quite a while. . . she’ll be w alking ev entually, hopefully without even a cane or crutches, but that’s still months away,” said Dave Dawson.

Hernandez, additionall y told Student M edia that Sodex o offered inadequat e pay and sometimes r educed pa y without providing explanation.

“I’ve been working her e f or 24 years,” said Gomez. “M y problem is that I was making $11.67 [per hour], and aft er a review my pa y was r educed t o $11.32 [per hour]. They didn’t say why, and I want them to explain.”

Some Student Go vernment members w ere sk eptical of the statements made by workers.

“These claims ar e ridiculous,” said Alex Romano, a member of the Administrative Subcommittee on Dining Services that earlier this month issued a str ong stat ement in

support of M ason Dining’ s management. “I’m c onfident they’re not true. I think [the workers] are being unfairly targeted by SEIU. SEIU promises higher pay, but that’s not in writing. How can they guarantee that?”

Sodexo Resident District Manager Denise Ammac capane expressed confusion at the accusations in a phone interview with Student M edia after the meeting.

“Everyone has a right to come to me and no one has come to me at all,” she said. “We also have a 24-hour hotline and callers can be anonymous. Why wouldn’t they come to me?”

Newly-inaugurated Student

Government President D’Leon Barnett showed int erest in the issue, saying resolving the matter would be a priority.

“We need to sit do wn with both Sodexo w orkers and [management] t o come t o common ground,” Barnett said. “I know through my ex perience with Denise Ammaccapane that [Sodexo managers] w ant to provide fair opportunity for all employees, but the concerns that workers h ave are raising a lot of eyebrows, including in Student Government.”

Barnett’s position stands in contrast to the views expressed in the dining committee’s let ter, the onl y prior Student Government action regarding

the unionization efforts.

However, he denied distancing himself fr om the outgoing government’s policies.

“I can’t speak on the past or on w hat’s writ ten,” he said. “To get to the truth, we need to have a panel with both sides. Then we can better help, and we can all be happy campers.”

As of pr ess time, no unfair labor practices appear to have been filed with the N ational Labor R elations Boar d against the Sodexo account at Mason.

A petition has not been sent to the NLRB f or a f ederallysupervised secret ballot election.

For more information visit www .connect2mason. com

Come fly with me

PHOTO BY MICHAEL BRASHIER

Ethan Vaughan

A Piper L-4 Grasshopper airplane was one of eight planes Avia on Club members got to fly during the club’s first-ever ‘Flight Day’ last Saturday.

New Aviation Club lets prospective pilots take the controls during ‘Flight Day’ at Warrenton Airport Emily Sharrer Editor-in-Chief It’s been near ly three years since Rick Davis, associate pr ovost for under graduate education first hatched the idea of a flying club at George Mason University, close to a year since student J ames But tery began rallying support and gathering paperwork to make it a reality, and a little over a month since the M ason Aviation Club has been instated at Mason.

Already the gr oup has gather ed close to 200 F acebook fans and 50 official members, 29 of whom gathered on Saturday for the club’s first-ever Flight Day at Warrenton-Faquier Airport.

“This is r eally a t est semest er for us , we’re just kind of seeing w hat w orks and what doesn ’t,” said Conor Dancy, a freshman environmental science major and vice president of the Aviation Club.

Last Satur day, the Aviation Club got together at W arrenton Airport t o fly airplanes, eat BBQ, and have a meet and greet with local pilots, including famed Flying Circus A erodrome airshow pilot Charlie K ulp, also kno wn as “the Fl ying Farmer.”

“In the a viation w orld Charlie Kulp, especially around her e, is a pretty big celebrity, so even just the fact that he would come out to something like that, in the eyes of the aviation community, that’s a really big thing,” said Buttery, a senior c onflict analysis and resolution major and president of the Aviation Club.

Through their local c onnections, Buttery and Dancy w ere able to borrow a hangar f or the day fr om local aviation services company Skyworld Aviation, while local pilots g ave club members rides in their planes, gi ving them a chanc e to take the controls if they so chose.

“It was absolutely incredible that they would just be willing to sho w up,” said Buttery, who has been a fl ying-enthusiast since he w as a child and has his Private Pilot License. “All the pilots donated their time and their money and their aircrafts, so it didn’t cost the flight members anything.”

Quick facts on the GMU Aviation Club So far, the club has 50 official members.

Senior James Buttery is the president, and freshman Conor Dancy is the vice president.

The club held its first “Flight Day” last Saturday, and 29 members got the chance to fly planes at the Warrenton Airport.

Next year, Buttery and Dancy hope to hold “Flight Days” for club members twice a semester.

To find out more about the brand new club visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ GMUAviation

Members of the Flying Circus, a Bealeton, V a. gr oup that performs wing walking, parachuting and acr obatic acts , offered Aviation Club members free rides in their planes — a service that normally costs hundreds of dollars ac cording to Buttery and Dancy.

“I’ve looked at [their] website and what they char ge for a ride at the Flying Circus and w hat they w ere just gi ving a way w as absolutely amazing,” said Buttery.

“There w as not a sing le person yesterday who didn’t walk away with a huge grin on their face,” said Dancy, who has his Commercial Flig ht Lic ense and is working toward his C ertificated Flig ht Instruct or certificate. “I t couldn’t h ave gone any better.”

Over the summer But tery and D ancy are planning air tr affic control t ower t ours and other small ev ents for interested club members, and in the futur e hope to host “fly outs ,” w here the students w ould take day trips in planes to places like New York, Philadelphia or other nearby cities. The pair also hopes to host other successful flig ht days like Saturday’s event.

“Our f ocus is on really fl ying; getting people in the air,” said Dancy. “We probably are g onna take as many trips as w e have meetings.”

The ambitious pilots are also planning on off ering official introductory courses to help club members int erested in getting their pilot’s licenses.

“We kinda get you half way there,” said Buttery, “it’s not fl ying an airplane, but it’s learning all the little mechanics.”

“Our ultimate goal with this, I guess is to provide a strong background in aviation for people w ho ev entually w ant to learn how to fly,” added Dancy. “We can ’t gi ve them their pilot’s licenses but we can teach them what they need to know so that they can get it more easily, and in less time and spend less money.”

For mor e inf ormation on the Aviation Club visit w ww.facebook.com/GMU Aviation.

Broadside

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News

210,000

210,000 gallons of oil are leaking into the Gulf of Mexico each day from the British Petroleum oil rig spill.

Monday, May 3, 2010

CAMPUS UNDER CONSTRUCTION Development projects to continue into fall semester George M ason U niversity spent $240 million on construction pr ojects during the 20092010 school y ear, and it will continue to build int o the f oreseeable future, with a score of ongoing efforts reaching completion this summer.

Of the 22 items currently underway, 12 of them major construction projects, eight will make their debut between the fall and spring semesters.

Opening their doors this summer will be the Biomedical Research L aboratory at Princ e William, the Hylton Performing Arts Center at Prince William and the Aquia building at Fairfax in May; the Hampton Roads housing facility at Fairfax, the de Laski Performing Arts Building addition at Fairfax and the Mason Inn at F airfax in J uly; and the Pilot House at Fairfax and the Center for Student Success in the SUB I addition at Fairfax in August.

Thomas Calhoun, vice president of Facilities, expressed particular ex citement about Hampton R oads and the Pilot House, which he said would “be a great addition to campus life.”

“These pr ojects markedly improve the university as a whole and make it an exciting place to be,” Calhoun said.

In addition to those projects concluding in the summer, a number will either continue into the fall or will begin with the start of the new school year.

In particular , University Hall, an administrative building, will be under construction until May 2011; Housing VIII, a 600-bed

April 28

April 27

April 26

POLICE FILES Grand Larceny Parking Lot A Complainant reported person(s) unknown entered their unsecured vehicle and removed a laptop computer and other items. Loss estimated at $1,180.

(29/Aman) Suspicious Event Freedom Aquatic & Fitness Center Two individuals were witnessed attempting to enter a parked vehicle. Suspects left area in a white, commercial van with Maryland registration. (46/Tilley) Grand Larceny Presidents Park Complainant reported person(s) unknown stole a laptop computer that had been left unattended in a common area. Loss estimated at $1,000. (29/Aman) Grand Larceny & Destruction of Property Rappahannock River Parking Deck Complainant reported person(s) unknown broke a window on their vehicle and removed stereo equipment sometime between 4/23 and 4/27. Loss estimated at $856. (20/Brudvig) Vandalism Northern Neck Person(s) unknown cut the power cord to the complainant’s keyboard (electric piano). (39/OrtizDuran)

April 29

Trespass Warning Brunswick Hall Two non-GMU students were issued Trespass Warnings after harassing a student. (25/Green) Shoplifting Johnson Center An unknown person went into the convenient store and stole various merchandise. This case is under investigation.(41/Rapoli) Grand Larceny/Petit Larceny HQ Shaun Sibley, 20 (GMU student) of Natick, MA was arrested for Grand Larceny and released from the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on an unsecured $2,500 bond. Andrew Dentler, 20 (GMU student), of Mechanicsburg, PA was arrested for Grand Larceny and Petit Larceny and was released from the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on an unsecured $5,000 bond. (52/Bickerton)

Police Files are taken verbatim from www.gmu.edu/police.

Broadside does not make any changes to public records.

of tuition. The M ason Inn will generate r evenue over time. It provides, f or the first time, oncampus t emporary lodging and expanded c onference facilities that will allo w the university to host academic conferences in ad-

dition t o pr oviding a plac e for parents or new students to stay when visiting the campus.”

In fact, Calhoun said, Mason should look to maintain expansion, even during difficult financial times that have led to tuition

spikes, increased classroom sizes and an overall higher cost of living.

“It is important for Mason or any university to continue to stay current,” he asserted. “Advances in technology and chang es in

teaching methods translate to a need for updating our facilities.

My opinion is we would become stagnant if we weren’t always looking to impr ove our physical assets.”

PHOTO BY JACOB MCLERNON

Asst. News Editor

facility, will rise in Lot I; and an addition to Scienc e and Tech II will begin at the end of the next school year.

“There will be about the same number of projects underway next year as this,” Calhoun elaborated. “These will be less visible because of the location and type of the projects. The total dollar value of these projects will also be slightly less, which might also suggest that the impact will be less.”

Calhoun was critical of the idea that the uni versity should slow expansion during a time of increasing budget cuts and a deep recession.

“One must understand that there are multiple ways in which capital projects are funded,” Calhoun said.

“Some are funded directly by state appropriations. Others are funded with revenue bonds, where revenue from future operations of that facility will pay the debt. Residence halls and parking garages ar e ex amples of these types of projects. Still others rely heavily on the g enerosity of donors to the university. The de Laski family’s gift funded most of the Performing Arts Building addition.”

Calhoun also claimed that Mason’s steep tuition hikes in recent years were unrelated to the number of construction projects and said that some projects would be financiall y beneficial t o the university.

“The cause of rising tuition is due primaril y t o a r eduction in Commonwealth funding of operations,” he explained. “If we were to st op c onstruction, it w ould have little to no effect on the cost

Campus construction continues over the summer and through the next fall to further improvements and renovations to campus.

Mason’s 14-year-old Youngest high school grad in the nation successfully juggles class and extracurriculars Emily Sharrer Editor-in-Chief For most 14- year-old girls, finishing the eig hth gr ade and finding a boyfriend are top priorities. E ven notions of a hig h school prom and getting into college are still distant dreams. But George Mason University freshman P aige Epler , the youngest high school graduate in the nation, is not most 14-year-old girls.

In fact, she doesn’t even like the Jonas Brothers.

“I lik e Vivaldi,” said Epler , who has been featured on major news programs to tell her unique story — that of a child g enius who attends George Mason University, has broken a world record for successfully completing 200 laps on the monkey bars in less than 40 minutes and cr eated a program on sharks endorsed by the Smithsonian — all before she even has her learner’s permit.

Epler, w ho w as homeschooled, graduated high school and attended her first high school prom at just 12, is an ambitious tween, who bides her time taking classes at Mason, practicing her violin and participating in a local Pokemon league.

But for Epler, it’s all in a day’s work.

“I still have time to play with my friends. I can balance my social life with my academic one.

The best part is I’m going to graduate early from college so I have all this time to figure out what I want to do with my life,” said Epler.

Pam Epler , P aige’s mother says that at an early age it was ev-

ident Paige was gifted. At just 1 ½ years old, Paige was able to sing “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” and read spice labels.

“It w as our first baby, w e didn’t really know that it was that special…and I knew that reading spice labels was really something, so I said well let’s grab the camera for this one, but it wasn’t really until later on when she was really around a lot of little ones that I notic ed a vast difference,” says Epler.

At 4 she was reading on at least an eighth-grade level, but even no w, the Eplers don’t let Paige’s ac celerated intelligence level or her long list of accomplishments go to her head.

“I try really hard to stay away from numbers and tests like that because I will always think that every person has a potential and that they are much more than a number,” said Pam Epler.

“That doesn ’t mean y ou’re any better or any worse than anyone else,” adds Paige, w ho w as just 13 when she started classes at Mason last semester. “I t just means you might have a higher potential, but whether you reach that potential, whether you can get there, that’s what matters — Paige Epler, the youngest student at Mason, reads a book during class. not how far you can go, but how far you do go.”

Although the 14-year-old is full potential at my own pace and mom is the student,” says Paige. the youngest student on campus, if my own pace is a lot faster than “It’s funny seeing their reactions.”

“When we initially went to Paige doesn’t regret her decision somebody else’s then that’s fine.” class people Epler, a high school teacher, this particular to push ahead with her schooling — even though that does mean sometimes enrolls in some of the thought I was there to help her,” she’s surr ounded at school by same classes as her daughter to said P am. “I t didn’t take them get work done towards her recer- long to figure out who was helppeople 5-10 years her senior.

“I didn ’t see an y sense in tification, and students are often ing who.” waiting until I was much older,” confused when they see the pair says Paige. “I wanted to reach my in class.

“Some people think that See EPLER, Page 4 COURTESY PHOTO

Ethan Vaughan

Broadside

Mason Ecosphere Environmental action group collects over 100 pounds of trash Jason Von Kundra EAG Co-Chair On Satur day morning , April 15, members of the Environmental Action Group participated in the inaugur al Mason Beautification Day. According to Environmental Action Gr oup member and history major Anthony Murray, “Cleaning our campus is an important thing do; the trash that we collected would otherwise likely end up in the Chesapeake Bay, polluting our w ater and endangering the wildlife that live there.”

According t o the Chesapeake Bay Program, more than 16 million people li ve in the Bay’s watershed. “I think a lot of people take it for granted,” said M urray. “M any people don’t realize how important it really is, but the Bay truly is an integral part of Virginia’s economy and its very identity .

Without the Bay, Virginia would be a very different, and [a] much less wonderful state.”

According t o the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a local nonprofit or ganization dedicated to protecting the Bay, the destruction that has been wreaked on the Bay has been staggering. “Sinc e colonial times, the Bay has lost half of its forested shorelines, over half of its wetlands, nearly 90 percent of its underwater grasses and more than 98 percent of its oysters.”

Emily Miles, c o-chair of the En vironmental Action Group, says keeping our environment healthy, including the Chesapeake Bay and other bodies of water in Virginia, requires both individual responsibility as well as government action.

“First of all, the state and local governments must incr ease public access to the Bay and its

tributaries,” Miles said. “Right now, access [to the Bay] is limited; it is difficult for many people in Virginia to even get to the water, so there is little incentive for many people to care about something that they perceive as a pla yground for the wealthy folks that can afford homes on the beach. ” Miles continued, “Additionally, g overnments must str engthen and enf orce existing laws that prevent pollution from ever entering the Bay or other waterways. Beach clean-ups are great, but obviously they are not the solution because the litter on the beach is not even the problem, it is a symptom of the problem. The real problem is that without access to the water, people can’t appreciate it, and w hen they can’t appreciate it, they are unwilling to do their part to protect it.”

Environmental A ction Group member and health, fitness and recreational resources major Masooma Munir added, “It felt good to give back to my environment that gives me so much. It’s nice to know that it will be a little less dirty because of w hat I did. It w as a lot of fun.” Worth noting is the fact that En vironmental Action Group members collected 3,586 cigarette butts.

This eff ort is part on the Environmental Action Group’s ongoing efforts to give back to the community through cleanups and other similar activities.

Anyone int erested in helping should contact the EAG via email at gmueag@gmail.com.

LEARN MORE Visit

green.gmu.edu/climate/cap.html

MAY 3–MAY 7

EVENT CALENDAR MON.

Mason Wind Symphony: Graduate Student Conductors Concert Concert Hall 8 p.m.

TUES.

Off-Campus Housing Fair JC, South Plaza 3 – 4 p.m.

WED.

Board of Visitors Meeting Mason Hall 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

THURS.

De-Stress Fest: Music, Munchies & More Northern Neck, Starbucks 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

FRI.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Fest Concert Hall 7 – 10 p.m.

SAT.

Mason Opera: Humperdinck's Hansel & Gretel Harris Theater 8 p.m.

For more events and activities, check out: today.gmu.edu

Monday, May 3, 2010 |

3

Take the stress off exams Spring Finals Madness helps students relax Jason Hasnat Broadside Correspondent In the midst of final presentations and ex ams, George Mason University will be holding its Spring F inals Madness event from 10 p.m. to midnig ht on Tuesday in Dewberry Hall.

There will be plenty of free food, games, giveaways and live performances f or students t o enjoy before they settle in for the long haul of studying f or their exams. Exams this year begin on Saturday, May 8 and end on Wednesday, May 12 due to the almost w eek-long class canc ellations from “Snowpocalypse.”

“It’s a g ood w ay to release stress,” said sophomore communication major Diana Pham. “It’s perfect timing for finals week.”

The event, host ed b y Student Centers in conjunction with Mason Dining and Alphi Phi Alpha’s Iota Alpha chapter, was created to give students an op portunity to have fun and blow off some steam before finals really kick off next week. One of the major draws of the event is the free swag, which many students are looking forward to getting.

According to Mecca Marsh, associate director of Training and

Programs f or Student C enters, there will also be scantrons and blue books available for students to take.

Spring Finals M adness is a continuation of Fall Finals Madness, w hich took place last se mester. It was the first time an event like this had taken place, but it was a hug e hit; over 500 students showed up at the Johnson Center Bistro, packing themselves int o the small corner restaurant.

One aspect of last semester’s event, w hich w as popular with the students , w as the perf ormances put on by the performing arts majors.

“George M ason’s very own performing arts majors put on singing and dance performances for their f ellow students and friends, gi ving their friends an opportunity to w atch and sup port them,” Marsh said.

Based on the immense success of last year’s event, Student Centers decided to set up another, but with some extras that students will enjoy.

One of the major chang es that Student C enters is imple menting for Spring F inals Madness does not involve the food, giveaways or performances but rather the venue. This semester’s

event will be mo ved fr om the Bistro to Dewberr y Hall, and it will run an hour longer than last semester’s event.

“We g ot a lot of requests from the students to extend the time length and incr ease the space,” said M arsh. “ This time, there will be more room for the students, and folks will be able to dance.”

It is har d f or students to turn down such an exciting event that offers food, fun and dancing through the evening, especially at a time when their courses demand so much fr om them. “I think we all need a little break from studying,” said freshman IT major Chris Lester. “It’d be nice to get away from [the stress] for a bit.”

Other students , however, felt that their time would be better spent stud ying. “People would want to come, but they’ve probably locked themselves inside studying,” said senior communication major C ourtney Bailey.

Whether you need a break from typing all those papers or you just want to grab a bite while you bust a move, take some time off to check out Spring Finals Madness. Chances ar e y ou de serve it.

Students sound off on extended finals •“The change of the final schedule killed me because I used to have a week in between my two most difficult finals and now they are back to back with less time for me to take them.”

- Richard Malebranche, Senior, Information Technology major

•“It is a major hassle and I wish professors would have moved the finals.

After my last final I have to rush in order to get everything ready for my trip overseas.”

- Victoria Mangam, Senior, Global Affairs major

•“It’s an inconvenience because one of my finals is two days before graduation; teachers don’t really follow it anyway.”

- Marisa Harriston, Senior, Communication major Quotes compiled by Kristin Conklin

Golfers fight against cancer Tournament raises funds for leukemia and lymphoma research Beverly Scholnick Broadside Correspondent The Students Against Leukemia and Lymphoma (SALL) organization will host its annual golf tournament at Fairfax National Golf Club in Centreville on Monday, May 17, beginning at 7 a.m. Over 70 people ar e ex pected to attend.

SALL is a nonstock corporation f ounded b y Geor ge M ason University f oreign languag es major James Nance. Nance hopes to spread SALL to other universities in the D.C. metro area. The drive behind his dedication to charity is simple.

“If I didn ’t, no one else would,” Nance says. “I didn’t want to go through college not having done anything to give back to the community or better, the world

around me.”

All the pr oceeds fr om the tournament will be donat ed to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) to support cancer research.

In addition to c onducting research, the LLS also t eaches newly diagnosed patients how to work effectively with their doctors, provides prescription drug assistance, c onnects patients with financial resources and provides many other vital services.

But the t ournament is not only about good will.

“Aside from the fact that 100 percent of the profits will be donated to charity and finding a cure for cancer,” says Nance, “the following are included: continental br eakfast, bar beque lunch, green fees, golf cart, 18 holes of golf, on- course drinks , prizes,

awards and many giveaways. The tournament will be a relaxing day of golf and fun.”

Golfers can register for the tournament and view the g olf course on SALL’s w ebsite, www.studentsagainstleukemia.or g. The price of registration is $125 per golfer.

Leukemia is a blood cancer that forms in bone marrow. According to LLS’s website, “People can get leukemia at any age. In 2008, about . . . 44,270 adults and 4,220 children [were] expected to develop leukemia. It is most common in people over age 60.”

Lymphoma is a cancer that forms on the lymph nodes in the body. ABC News’ w ebsite ex plains, “Lymph nodes are filtering stations along the chain of lymph dr ainage fluid. Lymph drainage fluid drains the excess

fluid from all parts of our body; the best ex ample people ar e aware of l ymph nodes is when they get . . . strep throat and get swollen glands in their neck.

Those g lands ar e really lymph nodes r esponding t o the infection in the throat.”

LLS’s website estimates that “In 2009, about 601,180 people [were] living with lymphoma or are in remission. This number includes about 148,460 people with Hodgkin lymphoma and about 452,720 people with nonHodgkin lymphoma.”

The money raised at SALL’s annual golf tournament is sure to help many people.

But if you miss the tournament, you still have more opportunities to help . SALL is currently planning a charity bowling tournament for this fall.

Goats invade GMU Initiative to assist women living in Uganda Pras Gustanto Staff Writer Goats have been given negative associations in most of Western cultur e. The Greeks envisioned their half -man half goat nature god Pan as a lecherous deity . Christianity also considered goats to be a symbol of evil, with people in the Middle Ages believing that g oats w hispered dirty sentiments into the ears of saints.

For modern- day U gandan women, however, g oats ar e a source of life that provides sustenance f or families . The utilities the goats provide enable women to f orm their own small businesses and allo w them to sa ve enough money to send their children to school.

This past W ednesday, George M ason U niversity’s Women and Gender Studies Center invited a family of farmers to bring their goats to North Plaza to raise money and a wareness for the socio -economic plig hts of low-income Ugandan women.

It is all part of an awarenessraising joint eff ort with the Women’s Center for Job Creation (WCFJC), a non-governmental organization based in Minnesota and Uganda.

David K eller and M elanie Thatcher, a farming family from Nokesville, V a., provided the goats.

Students and passersby participated by donating money into the effort’s money collection jar.

It takes $50 to sponsor a goat to Ugandan women.

“What happens is that the WCFJC will show them how t o use these goats in ways that could bring more money to their families,” said Bessie Vaughan, a senior hist ory major who was a representative at the event. “[It]

helps them to be more economically stable . . . they will learn how to milk [the goat] or shave i t to sell products to the market.”

Since the project started in October 2008, 48 goats have been purchased.

Thanks to this project as well as the various other efforts of the

WCFJC, as many as 200 women and their families have been empowered and have started on their way out of poverty.

Judeo-Christian culture may have used goats to drive sins out of a village; but f or U gandan women, goats are a way to bring salvation back into the village.

PHOTO BY EZEKIEL WATKINS

News

This past Wednesday, George Mason University’s Women and Gender Studies Center invited a family of farmers to bring their goats to North Plaza to raise money for the socio-economic plights of low-income Ugandan women.

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Broadside

| Monday, May 3, 2010

News

Founders Hall coming soon

MSA collects supplies for Muslim women’s shelter

New building on Arlington campus to open in January

PHOTO COURTESY OF ORGANIZATION

Muslimat Al-Nissa

Asma Hanif, the co-founder and current director of Muslimat Al-Nisaa.

Shafi Khan Broadside Correspondent

TONIGHT!

The Muslimat Al-Nisaa, a shelter for abused and battered Muslim w omen is curr ently located in Baltimore, Md. The shelter for safety reasons does not give out its address, vetted guests are asked to meet at an address a few blocks away and then follow a car to the house that blends into its unassuming street.

Once inside, the large house is warm and full of life, children running and playing, as their mothers tr y t o cope fr om the trauma of broken homes they left behind. In the tight knit American Muslim Community, where there is always family, these women are the ones that really have nowhere else to turn, and it if it wasn’t for this shelter, the cold streets would be their home.

After being mo ved b y the scene, students in the GMU Muslim Students’ Association started to brainstorm on how they could increase their in volvement in community ser vice pr ojects and also r each out t o the George Mason University c ommunity.

Out of this brainstorming, the GMU Muslim Students’ Association launched the newly formed outreach c ommittee. “The out reach committee is a branch of the GMU Muslim Students’ Association w hich focuses on involving individuals in philanthropic, community-engaging activities,” explained Sarah Albani, a freshman neuroscience major and one of the

founders of the outreach committee. She added “we hope to raise awareness about our faith by bridging gaps that may exist and promoting collective involvement within our society.”

In this spirit of ser vice the outreach committee dedicated its first project to supporting Muslimat Al-Nisaa, the only shelt er serving homeless and bat tered Muslim women and children since 1987. It began a coordinated and large-scale eff ort to c ollect sup plies for the shelter while raising awareness about the importance of the services it provides.

On Friday, April 9, the outreach committee invited Imam Johari Abdulmalik who delivered a rousing and emotional talk at Mason beseeching the students to get more involved in community service projects.

Supplies c ollected for the shelter piled up in a large corner of the room as Ms. Asma Hanif, the co-founder and current director of Muslimat Al-Nisaa, explained the importance of the shelter to the women and children who have no alternative source of support and expressed her gratitude for the efforts of the outreach committee.

She stated that those efforts had increased a wareness about the shelter and led more w omen to seek its help.

The MSA outreach committee used this event t o launch a two-week long dri ve to c ollect supplies and toiletries for Muslimat Al-Nisaa, and with the permission of the university, a bin

was placed in the Johnson Center near the Information Desk to collect more supplies until the April 23.

This effort, however, is only the beginning f or the outreach committee. H anaa Gar aad, a sophomore stud ying healthcare administration and psychology and an or ganizer with the out reach committee, said, “One event we're planning for next October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, will be an evening dedicated to domestic violence awareness. We're also hoping to do a project with Habitat for Humanity at some point during the academic year.”

The outreach committee also hopes to garner the support of dedicated volunteers to make its future projects successful. Hamna Riaz, a junior bio -chemistry major, and chair of the project, urged students to get mor e involved with the outreach committee’s eff orts. She said that “students are able to support our committee by signing up on the MSA listserv as volunteers. We understand that as students, we have time limitations . H owever, with our combined eff orts we will be able to ac complish many gr eat things, God willing.”

Many of those who have volunteered with the outreach committee and assisted in organizing the dri ve for Muslimat Al-Nisaa have found it to be a rewarding experience. Muhammad Elsayed, a senior administr ation of justice major, said that “the most rewarding part of being involved in community ser vice is seeing the impact that it has on our community members. The w omen and children at Muslimat Al-Nisaa shelter have been deeply impacted by the work of the volunteers, and this has been a very moving and rewarding experience for all those involved.” Sumaya Al-Hajebi, a junior sociology major, stated that “the best part of being part of such a committee is the feeling you get afterwards w hen y ou see how much difference you've made in someone’s life. The smile, the tears of joy, and the gratefulness they show makes all of your hard work pays off.”

Sean Joyce The Stylus Correspondent A giant, shiny building has appeared in the middle of George Mason’s Ar lington campus. And you ma y be wondering, will y ou ev er actually st ep foot in this stat eof-the-art facility? If you are taking classes in the spring of 2011 or after, the answer is yes.

The sev en-story building, known as Founders Hall, will open for classes in January 2011 and will be the new home of the School of Pubic Policy.

The building will also contain space for the Graduate School of Education; the College of Arts and Sciences; the School of Inf ormation Technology and Engineering; the School of Management; the College of Nursing and Health Sciences; the Institute f or Conflict Analysis and Resolution; the College of Visual and Performing Arts; Instructional Facilities; and the Interdisciplinary C enter f or Economic Science.

EPLER, from page 2 Paige hasn’t completely outgrown her entir e adolesc ent phase, however.

“Sometimes I kind of get fed up with my parents,” says Paige, who dreams of moving into an apartment in Georgetown with her best friend M addie. “ One minute I’ll be like, ‘I never wanna move,’ the next minute I’m like ‘I wanna move as soon as I’m old enough, this house is boring.’”

One of the most recent projects Paige has taken on is a campaign called “Marketing Math and Scienc e f or Gir ls.”

With support from the Women and Genders Department, Paige is reaching out to major companies like Toys R U s and Disney and encouraging them to change

Monday, May 3 at 8 p.m.

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described how the opening of Founders Hall will aff ect the campus: “The oc cupancy of Founders Hall will trigger moves in each of the existing buildings on campus . Units currently in the Original Building that are not mo ving into F ounders H all, will relocate t o the Truland Building.”

The uni versity plans t o decommission the Original Building in an eff ort to move toward the final phase of a three-part plan for dev eloping the Arlington campus.

The first phase, H azel Hall, which houses the School of L aw, was completed in 1998.

Founders H all is the second phase. The third phase includes the replacement of the Original Building with a new 750,000square-foot building.

The Sty lus is a new publication on the Arlington campus.

Epler launches ‘Marketing Math and Science for Girls’ campaign

Graduate Student Conductors Recital Featuring the GMU Wind Symphony

Tuesday, May 4 at 8 p.m.

Free/Non-ticketed CH

In addition to 256,000 square feet of offic e and classroom space, Founders Hall will also provide a muchneeded 160,000square-foot parking gar age. The building will also include a new libr ary, bookstore and auditorium.

There will be a large open plaza in fr ont of the building for students to enjo y during non-blizzard conditions. The current schedule calls for trees to be planted in the plaza b y the first week of May. According to T om Calhoun, vic e president of Facilities, the project has no w reached a cost of approximately $85 million.

Founders H all is near ly 8 5 percent c omplete and is expected t o be r eady f or occupancy ar ound November.

Once complete, some units will begin moving from the various buildings of the Arlington campus to their new space in Founders Hall, though classes will not be held in the building until Spring 2011.

Karen Pirhalla, Ar lington campus ex ecutive offic er,

gender-biased marketing, so that young girls are shown in advertisements playing with math, science and adventure toys and are encouraged to pursue their interests in math and science.

“In the catalogs you see boys playing with all the science and sports toys and the girls are playing with hearts and flowers and Barbies and cooking stuff,” said Paige. “I’m actually really serious about this, I’m not just doing research and writing a paper…I’m getting out there, I’m actuall y working with these c ompanies and I’ve gotten responses.”

In mid-April, Paige was featured on the F ox 5 M orning Show in a live interview to talk about the new campaign.

On Wednesday, Paige will give a PowerPoint presentation

about the campaign in Innovation H all room 1 31 at 1:30 p.m.

The presentation is free and open to all students.

“She is such an outstanding and dedicated young lady,” said University Spok eman D an Walsch. “We are glad and proud to h ave h er as part of our community.”

Whether studying, hanging out with friends or dreaming up what mig ht be a successful future, Paige remains down-toearth and unfazed by her ability to accomplish so many feats in so little time, including being one of, if not the smartest 14-year-old in the country.

“I know it’s something extraordinary, but it seems kind of ordinary for me. I’m used to it.”

GMU Opera Recital

Mark Morris Dance Group

GMU Honors Recital

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Open House Memorial Day Weekend Free swimming for non-members from noon to 4 p.m. on May 29, May 30 and May 31.

Student and family memberships available. Visit www.fairfaxpool.com for more information and to sign up.

Broadside

Style

|5

1992

Record sales w ere amped for Def Leppard’s Adrenalize, which sa t atop the charts this week in 1992.

Monday, May 3, 2010

New sparring club uses oldworld techniques Jason Ulrich Broadside Correspondent

George checks

OUR NUTS Annual festival a smash hit with students Aisha Jamil Broadside Correspondent “Check your nuts!” — The memorable slogan blared out by volunteers that no student who attended this year’s Testival will forget. The slogan was also printed on this year’s blue T-shirts that featured several large peanuts on the front with the word “Testival” bolded and enlarged on the back.

Testival, which is an annual testicular cancer awareness-raising event, provided George Mason University students a fun way to learn how to check themselves for lumps.

With games like T esticle Toss, Guess that Nut, Balls to the

Wall and Plinko, students w ere ready to stop by and play. Winners received prizes such as a blue balls keychain, a ballsy mouse pad, a nutty stress reliever, a ShamWow or a “Check Your Nuts” calendar depicting ordinary objects in suggestive poses.

When asked what he learned at the event, sophomore Justin Ladson replied enthusiastically, “I learned how to check my balls!”

In order to get the prized Tshirts, students had t o talk t o three diff erent v olunteers about testicular cancer, who taught them how to check for unusual lumps and nodules.

“I learned ho w to do a selfexam,” said sophomor e g overn-

ment major Nicholas M ondi.

“They actually made me touch fake balls to feel for nodules. This is definitely a good idea.”

Founded three years ago by Danielle L apierre, the event is sponsored by the Office of Alcohol, Drug & H ealth Education (OADHE), Phi Sigma Kappa and University Life. Testicular cancer targets men ages 15 to 40 and is a curable cancer if caught in time.

Phi Sigma Kappa Pr esident Patrick Rooney, a c o-sponsor of Testival, was in charge of aligning his fraternity as v olunteers with the event. They gave out free Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and helped the O ADHE inf orm students of the risks of getting testicular can-

with

In Bed Billy

Reconnecting to the past for the sake of a future Billy Curtis Sex Columnist Every now and again it’s a good idea t o tak e a moment t o stop and ev aluate the g ood in your life. We oft en forget to do this, and in the process can sometimes disr egard w hat is important to us in the long run.

Goals, friendships , relationships: all can be lost as quickly as they were found.

But lif e is funn y.

Connections ar e c onstantly changing; one minute y ou’re dating someone, the next you are enemies and never speak again — or so you think. The many roles people play in our lives are important, and it’s also

important t o remember that no matter what happens betw een anyone you encounter in this life, it’s for a reason.

I had been asking m yself questions about the ties I had to the people w ho w ere important to me pr esently, t o the people I had lost in the past and t o the endless possibilities of w hat the future ma y hold. This got me contemplating some reconnections, along with some failed ones, a friend of mine and I had been going through recently.

Caroline and I had been friends since we were introduced in c ollege, and aft er gr aduating, she mo ved back to her

hometown in New Jersey.

Before she r eturned to Jersey, she had met a man named Jacob w hile at home one weekend. He was smart, certainly attractive and seemed as normal as anyone else. But looks can be more than deceiving — they can be devastating.

After a few short months of dating long distance, J acob simply disappear ed; there w ere no signs of pr oblems in the relationship. J acob’s reason was that he wasn’t over the ex he just broke up with a couple of months back. Car oline was left wondering w hat happened and what she c ould have possibly done wrong.

cer.

“It kills over 400 people a year,” explained Rooney. “This is a staggering number , especially when it’s curable.”

Along with men taking an oath in the middle of the North Plaza “to check their balls once a month,” w omen also pledged to ensure their bo yfriends or hus bands did the same.

“It’s important for us girls to know what we are dealing with,” said Sulma Perez. “If we are touching them regardless, we might as well check for lumps down there!”

If you missed the event this year, Testival will come back next spring to teach us the basics about our cojones.

When Car oline mo ved home, she had mo ved on fr om Jacob and was starting over again in a familiar place. One nig ht while out drinking with her friends, as Caroline or dered her dirty vodka martini, a touch she recognized caug ht her at tention and upon turning around, she saw Jacob standing behind her.

The initial shock of running into him was a bit much, but she recovered and quickl y remembered how much she liked him from their brief conversation at the bar. And so they exchanged numbers and began seeing each other again.

In a c onversation one da y, Jacob t old Caroline about the ex he hadn ’t been over when they had pr eviously dated. He felt horrible about what he’d done to her, and was willing to make it up to her f orever — words that aren’t original, and promises that are rarely kept.

Jacob and his ex had dat ed for o ver five y ears and w ere in line t o get married until the engagement w as broken off .

Jacob nev er told her the reason the wedding never happened and left most of the important details of his pr evious r elationship a secret. I t seemed as though Caroline’s r econnection with

Walking past one of the ballrooms in SUB II, spirited grunts, shoe squeaks and sword thrusts echo as two students engage each other in a sparring match using long swords.

Some people join clubs to share in their ethnicity, some to share in a f oreign languag e, while others have a strictly political aim.

But there is one club on campus that puts all these aspects of modern society behind them for a couple of days out of the week. It is the George Mason Medieval Swordsmanship club, or GMMS for short.

The swordsmen practice in medieval w eaponry, helping each other learn different styles and techniques from countries such as Germany and Italy.

Most of each meeting is made up of drills and sparring until “the desired result is met, or if something weirder is found,” says J ames Clar k, club president and biolog y major .

“We also laugh, joke and generally enjoy ourselves, even in the middle of a spar.”

Still limping into existence, this club normally meets in an aerobics r oom inside the Aquatic Center or a ballroom in SUB II on Wednesdays and Sundays from 3 to 6 p.m. History professor Samuel C ollins is the faculty adviser t o this rag-tag group.

According t o history major and GMMS member Tim H all, the weaponry that is used c onsists of wood and steel swords for slow and controlled fencing and drills, modified kendo shinais (a J apanese p r a c t i c e sword), and padded sword simulat ors are used f or fast er fencing with more intent.

The weapons used t o spar are replicas of three different types of swords, orig-

Jacob was bet ter f or both of them.

Caroline w as happier than ever about her born-again relationship with Jacob.

Everything seemed fine, and after almost a y ear of dating , marriage w as dr opped ont o the conversation plate.

Then J acob started becoming distant towards her out of no where, ignoring her phone calls and texts, and w hen he was with her she would feel as though he wasn’t there at all.

Finally, Car oline began to wonder w hat w as g oing on with Jacob. How c ould someone g o from talking about marriage t o not talking at all?

One nig ht when J acob said that he w as at home relaxing, Caroline decided to see if he was really home.

Doing some investigating, Caroline f ound out that J acob was at his ex ’s apartment, and that his ex of five y ears w as actually his present gir lfriend of six years.

Caroline r ealized that during their sixth year of dating, she was the other woman and the secret connection that Jacob was having with his ex was really his full-time relationship.

It turned out that Jacob had

inating in E urope betw een 1250-1600 C.E., much lik e the techniques used.

T h e s e techniques range fr om Dardi (Italian) to Sigmund Ringeck (German), though Clark stat ed that he “ also mixes some S co tt i s h Macbane and Portuguese Montante into [his] t echnique.”

Legitimate meetings f or the club still seem t o be f ew and far be tween, but on the sporadic occasion of gr oup gatherings, the practice and sparring seem straight out of Braveheart.

With st eel clanging and student-warriors los ing and gaining ground b y the second, this is a display of martial art not often seen, but de serving of an audience nonetheless.

Launched last semester, the club is currently one of the smallest M ason clubs with about 10 official members, thoug h according to Clark, very f ew actually show up.

While the group’s growth seems severely delayed, with the exciting nature of the club , it should only be a matter of time before its numbers increase.

made his reconnection with Caroline f or kicks — stringing her along and leaving her alone, even mor e hurt the second time than the first.

She ask ed me w hy this happened to her, and w hy she deserved this. I had no answers for her, only the reassurance that she would find someone new and better w ho w ouldn’t treat their second at tempt at a relationship as something on the side, let alone their first.

It’s smart to keep g ood people in your lif e, and while sometimes it can be a lit tle difficult to kno w ho w these people will aff ect y ou, but limiting y ourself out of fear due to past misc onnections is only going to hurt you in the end. No one lik es saying goodbye.

Sometimes it’ s tough, but it can be the onl y option left a vailable to you.

As this semester comes to an end, think about w hat y ou’ve learned this year, and if the people y ou c ongregate with, the people y ou dat e and the people you sleep with will be connections that will last long.

6|

Broadside

Monday, May 3, 2010

Magic: The Gathering A card game bringing students together

Style

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Ramy Zabarah Staff Writer We’ve all seen them, we’ve all heard them and we’ve all judged them, but does an yone actuall y know them?

For most students, the bottom level of SUB I is a place to get a quick bite to eat, gr ab a drink after a long day of class or play a game of pool to unwind. But for a certain gr oup of students , it’s a place w here they can be themselves.

Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game introduced in 1993 that has been credited as the precursor for other games such as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! But Magic: The Gathering — or Magic, for short — is the main focus of this certain group of students who rule over the kingdom of SUB I. Although Magic is this group’s main game of choic e, other similar games might make their way t o the table, such as seminal fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and various board games.

Games of Magic are played in phases between two or more people. Each player starts out with a certain number of health points, and the objective is to either cause your opponent’s cards to run out, or to reduce his health to zero. The latter is done by using moves — or “lands” — to cast spells on your opponent.

According to sophomore IT major Scott Hetzer, the rules are so complex that an official manual had to be published. And it wasn’t exactly light reading.

“The published t ournament rule book is about 500 to 600 pages,” he said.

While onl y a hobby, and a

“

We’re complete nerds, but it’s better than smoking.

”

great excuse to get together with friends and socializ e, there ar e places for these students in competitive Magic tournaments.

In fact, along with the standard Magic cards, there are also collectible players’ cards, similar to baseball or bask etball cards, with pr ofessional Magic players pictured on the front and their statistics listed on the back. The data even includes their winnings from tournaments, which sometimes exceed $50,000.

As I sat at the table and watched two students duel, reminiscing about the da ys w hen I used to play Pokémon, I notic ed their passion for the game as well as the spor adic g lances w e received from the people around us.

Naturally, in an environment like this, there is plenty of criticism from those outside of the gaming community.

Surprisingly enoug h, this doesn’t bother the students as much as one w ould assume.

When asked about their image in the ey es of the g eneral Mason population, Mark Maceren spoke for the whole with confidence in his voice and a smile on his face.

“I’ll br and the group,” said Maceren. “We’re complete nerds.

But it’s better than smoking.”

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The best of the decade that was Ross Bonaime Staff Writer This past decade was a huge one for film. It’s hard to believe, but before the last decade, superhero movies w ere c onsidered risky ventures, Harry Potter and The L ord of t he Rings were just books and the most suc cessful films in 3D were Jaws 3-D and Friday the 13th Part III. So with that, let’s look back at the 2000s for the top five films of the last decade.

This is m y last column f or Broadside, so I would just like to say thanks to anyone who took a minute to read my articles each week.

5. The Royal Tenenbaums The decade w as ripe with quirky c omedies like Juno and

Little Miss Sunshine, but Wes Anderson’s take on family dynamics was borderline perfection.

An incredible cast featuring Gene H ackman, G wyneth P altrow, Ben Stiller and Luk e and Owen Wilson in their greatest roles has a style all its own and its views on love, relationships and growing up in mayhem make it a fantastic comedy.

4. Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 The 2000s w ere also about breaking down the norms, something Quentin Tarantino does better than the rest.

Tarantino split up his fourhour film int o tw o perfectly matched parts — one high in action, the other ripe with his trademark dialogue.

Tarantino br ought action

back to the big screen that was exciting, yet still had substance.

3. Memento Before Christopher Nolan directed one of the most successful films of the decade, The Dar k Knight, he made Memento, only his second film.

Memento is a modern da y film noir told in revolutionary ways. The style that Nolan cultivated in the film hig hly influenced his later movies, such as his take on the Batman franchise and The Prestige.

With his masterful work in the last decade, Nolan instantly became one of the great new directors.

2. WALL-E Animation w as one of the most successful styles of film in

the 2000s . While Dr eamWorks had some suc cess with Shrek, Pixar owned animation.

Their style of taking simple stories told from new viewpoints with humor and large emotional impact culminat ed with one of their finest films , WALL-E. The story of the tr ash-compacting robot was incredibly daring.

The movie broke the rules by telling the first 20 minutes of the story with no dialogue. Featuring a strong anti-consumerism message and important lessons about how we treat the earth, WALL-E was gr oundbreaking and will stand in history as one of the greatest animat ed films of all time.

1. Eternal Sunshine of t he Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless M ind is quit e possibly the greatest example of film perfection in the 2000s.

The film f eatured the decade’s most accomplished screenwriter, Char lie Kaufman, one of its most adventurous directors, Michel Gondry and masterful performances by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.

This story of lo ve lost but hopefully not lost f orever was touching and spellbinding in a way that was a revolutionary look at the contemporary love story.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind could easily be the most important film in terms of message, story, substance and style in the entire 2000s.

It’s all about you Center for the Arts Britt Wright gets personal on WGMU Tea Hadzic Broadside Correspondent Monday seems t o be the most dreaded day of the week for students. But not for Britt Wright.

Wright is a w eekly DJ and host of his very own radio show on George M ason U niversity’s WGMU. The title of his show is The W right Hour, an hour-long show airing every Monday from 5 to 6 p.m.

Wright’s sho w is entir ely about you. You tell him what you want to discuss and what you want to hear, and he’ll make it happen for you . . . with a spin of his own style.

“My duty is to entertain students thr ough music and select conversations,” said W right, a sophomore communication major from Richmond, Va. “I deally, I wanted people to finishing their Monday evening off just right . . . and what better way than with The Wright Hour.”

Hosting a sho w during his college career was not in Wright’s plans. H e actually took C OMM 148, which is the Radio Workshop course, during his freshman year.

If a student does extremely well in the course, he or she is asked to host a show in the actual studio.

Looks like Wright received an Aplus.

Wright has discussed all sorts of topics ranging from relationships and dating in college to spring flings and summer hookups, as well as other hot matters roaming around campus. At times he successfully freestyles his way through a show.

“My favorite thing about the radio show is giving my thoughts and playing music that correlates with them,” said Wright. “My least favorite thing is you don’t kno w exactly kno w ho w man y people

are listening to it.”

Without really knowing how many listeners he has, Wright promotes his show very strongly via Twitter and Facebook, and, of course, word of mouth. There is also an open door policy at The Wright Hour. Wright lets students and faculty help him co-host the show and talk about topics, giving listeners different views.

“I like when people are here in the studio with me,” said Wright. “It’s more entertaining for me. Sometimes I f eel awkward talking to myself.”

A special guest Wright would love to have on his show is President Alan Merten. Wright is anxious to see what listeners would like to discuss with Mason’s number one man.

Wright plans to run the same style show next year, but hopes to get a later spot in the evening. He believes that most students will be settled in their dorms and will be more likely to tune in. Wright also loves Slow Jams, and evenings are perfect for this music genre.

“The best experience has been the actual experience of having the opportunity to learn and potentially get a job through my stint with WGMU Radio,” said Wright. His goal in life is to host NBC Nightly N ews, but Wright would gladly accept a path in radio if opportunity comes knocking.

Don’t miss out on DJ So Wright these last few days this semester! Listen to The Wright Hour every Monday at 5 p.m. Call in and speak your mind, make special requests or just shout someone out.

703-993-WGMU wgmuradio.com To apply for a show, contact Program Director Alex Romano.

Calendar

2010-2011 Patrick Wall Style Editor George Mason University’s Center f or the Arts (CF A) has long been a cultural beacon in the Northern Vir ginia ar ea.

From orchestral shows t o the ater, the CFA’s schedule gathers together the best of the world’s cultural icons.

The 2010-2011 season marks

the CFA’s 20th anniversary. To celebrate, the venue will showcase some of their best talent yet. For students looking f or a show, the CF A has their bases covered.

“The Great Performances at Mason series has such incredible variety and there really is something for everyone.” Said Public and Media Relations Coordinator Jill Graziano. “I see The Mer-

chants of Bollywood doing really well among students given the emphasis that Mason places on diversity and the rise in popularity of Indian cultur e in recent years.”

To pur chase tick ets t o a CFA event, or to view a complete listing of ev ents, visit cfa.gmu.edu or call (703) 9932787.

Sunday, June 6 American Youth Philharmonic 3 p.m.

Concert Hall

Friday, June 12 Mark Morris Dance Group 8 p.m.

Concert Hall

Saturday, October 2 MOMIX: Botanica 8 p.m.

Concert Hall

Friday, October 22 The Merchants of Bollywood 8 p.m.

Concert Hall

Broadside

Style

Monday, May 3, 2010 | 7

FACES OF MASON Stories of the people shaping our campus community

Lizzy Nguyen Catherine Luensmann ‘Cause I’m freaking fabulous’ Fareeha Aziz Broadside Correspondent “Zesty, bubbl y, outspoken and nerdy” are all words that describe parts of Lizzy Nguyen’s personality. Once w hen ask ed w hy she should win a body building contest at the hypnotist show on campus, she replied with, “’Cause I’m fr eaking fabulous!” N guyen describes herself as an extrovert who loves to laugh and be a comedian, but school work brings out her serious side.

This is apparent in her typical routine of conducting research in Dr. Kashdan’s psychology lab, doing Asian impressions or watching the latest episode of Chuck.

Nguyen is a senior psychology major in the Honors Program. For the past two years, she has been assisting in ongoing research on social anxiety, relationships and well-being. She’s currently working on her honor’s thesis, which is on daily anger.

Of psychology Nguyen said, “What’s cooler than studying people around us . . . happiness , knowing ourselves, why we are the way we are . . . tools we can use to better oursel ves.” She said psychology first caught her interest while taking an AP psy chology course in high school. She felt inspired by her teacher’s passion for the subject. Later she felt intrigued b y the Stanf ord prison study conducted b y Philip Zimbardo.

She was inspired to commit to the major due to her desire to understand people ’s intentions and actions. She also has a general interest in social psychology and thinks psychology is in everything we do, and it is about understanding humanity as a w hole. After graduation, she plans t o tak e a year off to continue working in Dr. Kashdan’s research lab and eventually head to graduate school.

Nguyen feels George Mason University has given her the resources t o succeed and become

more in volved in psychology.

Nguyen chose to attend the school when her famil y mo ved fr om Pennsylvania t o Virginia t o be closer to family. She said growing up in Pennsylvania was not always easy because she w as the onl y Asian student. When she moved to N orthern Virginia in ninth grade she r ecalls feeling more a part of the community. In terms of Mason’s community, Nguyen feels that she is always meeting new people and stays involved in various acti vities ev en though she commutes.

In addition, Nguyen spends her time as the editor-in-chief of Volition literary and art magazine.

She said Volition satisfies her interest in poetry and art because it lets her be creative. She said, “After I graduate, I’m passing the torch . . . I have to give it up.”

During her spar e time, she enjoys watching comedies, doing bikram yoga, belly dancing, running, r eading and pla ying r ock band with her little brother. You can find her listening to a variety of music fr om The Beatles and Elvis to Cher. Nguyen also enjoys doing random stand-up routines while speaking in a Vietnamese accent. U pon m y request, she stood up from her chair and spoke in a motherly voice with a Vietnamese accent. I must say her impressions ar e ac curate and v ery funny. It helps that she speaks fluent Vietnamese at home.

Nguyen’s ultimate goal is to hopefully contribute something to the field of psychology someday.

Her advice for incoming freshmen is to manage your time wisely and get to really know your professors.

She said, “Do not be afraid to look stupid when it comes to asking for help.” Lastly, she ad vises c ommuters to get involved so you feel a part of the community. This is very g ood ad vice from a Viet namese comedian and psychology major who’s voicemail on her cell phone encourages you to “do your thang!” after the beep.

Drew Duke ‘The Goosefather’ Kimberly Sarmuksnis Broadside Correspondent In high school, senior communication major Drew Duke enjoyed producing, dir ecting and editing films , but he nev er realized that he could make a career out of it until he came to George Mason U niversity. N ow on campus, Duke has developed a reputation f or his work and has been recognized by students on campus for his achievements.

Last year, a resident advisor that came to Duke’s dorm recognized him as the Goosefather and complimented him on his video.

The Goosef ather, w hich Duke wrote, directed and produced, is a spoof of the classic children’s tale The Goose That L aid t he Golden Egg. In the video, which has been aired on GMU-TV (channel 89), Duke pla ys the main r ole as the Goosefather. Duke enjoyed working on the video because it allowed him to be creative and he was “able to make it his own since he was in total control of the project.”

But pr oducing films wasn’t Duke’s first choice at Mason. Like many students here, he changed his major. His first major was mechanical engineering, but he discovered b y his sophomore year that it was not for him.

Duke’s r oommate, Andr ew Clark, helped inspir e him to find his new major . Clar k’s major is film and video studies. Duke realized f or the first time that he would be able to do something that he enjo yed as a major and possibly a car eer. He decided to

change his major to communication with a concentration in media production and criticism, because he could “direct and edit videos, but also have a broad communication degree.”

Now as a senior, Duke still enjoys his major. His latest project for his visual communication course included w orking on graphics and shooting and editing for the Fairfax Choral Society. The project consisted of making a promotional video for the group that will be featured on their website and uploaded to YouTube.

For the pr oject, Duke attended a c oncert by the Fairfax Choral Society and edited different clips together. Duke enjoyed the project because it allowed him to “work with a real life client.”

This summer, Duke is looking to expand on his media production ex perience and find an internship. He is hopeful that his future internship will “allow him to gain hands-on experience and network with professionals in the industry.” Ideally, he would like to be able to get out and shoot stories in the local community.

Duke plans on graduating in August after the completion of his internship, but will be walking in the May c ommencement c eremony. He is happy to be the first member of his family to graduate from c ollege and his family is proud of him for such a remarkable accomplishment.

Duke is hopeful that he will be able to find a job in media production aft er he gr aduates and someday start his own video production company.

‘I want to travel to as many countries as possible’ Amy Hensby Broadside Correspondent It’s a normal M onday, and Catherine Luensmann wakes up to her alarm at 7 a.m. Her classes at George Mason University start at 9 a.m., and last until 5:15 p.m.

Her weekly schedule usually runs along these lines, whether it is a workday or a school day, just like most of us.

Born in Tacoma, Wash., her family moved to the homeland of her mother when Luensmann was a little over a year old. As far as she knew, she w as German.

She li ved in German y among close-knit family and friends for the next eight years, and the halfAfrican American, half-German Luensmann grew up in a very traditional manner.

Her mother mo ved Luensmann and her younger sister back to the states for the sake of their stepfather’s work. This time they settled in Woodbridge, Va., where the girls were placed in the local elementary school.

As a child, she remembers the most impressive part of moving to the United States was that “Everything her e is bigg er and farther apart. I remember thinking there are so many big spaces, roads, buildings.”

Speaking t o Luensmann now, you would never guess that English was her second language or that she once had to adjust to American cultur e. She dr essed quite fashionably in the common style of a 21-year-old American woman, and w hen ask ed w hat type of music she lik es, she explains, “I love R&B, rock, hip-hop, alternative - anything I can sing along to or has a nice beat.”

For fun, she g oes out to clubs, t o the movies and is the kind of person t o tr y anything new at least onc e. A favorite hobby of hers is definitely traveling, whether it’s to visit her family every two years or to a new country or state.

To aid her in the adjustment of moving to the states at 8 years old, there were programs in Germany as well as the United States that prepared her for the transition. “I took a year of English in a German school bef ore mo ving, and took a y ear of ESL in the states,” she admits.

The change in language was the easy part. Luensmann sa ys that the most difficult part of moving was “Leaving all friends and famil y behind [and] not knowing anyone here. There were no familiar faces here and family is thousands of miles away.”

This ma y be what landed Luensmann at Mason. The fact that she already had to leave behind her ext ended family and childhood friends may have been why she felt so strongly about not leaving her mother , sister and brother to go to college. “I chose to go to Mason because it's close.

I wanted to stay near my family.”

Since Luensmann pays f or her own education through loans and holding down two jobs at a time, on average, she says sometimes it f eels lik e M ason is too pricy a uni versity for her. Although, since Mason was the only college she considered attending, she jok es that, “I f eel lik e I'm being ripped off, but that might be college in general.” Northern Virginia living is also known to be expensive, but again it is the price to pa y t o be around those you love.

As many commuters do, Luensmann usually hangs out in the Johnson Center when on campus, and that is w here she eats and gets most of her studying done in between classes. Luensmann says that another highlight of Mason that also serves as a comfort for her is the fact that it is such a diverse campus.

While she would like to participate in clubs or organizations

on campus, with a full class load and full-time work schedule, “there’s just no time.” Things that inspire Luensmann and keep her going are “ seeing beauty in nature. Also people w ho ar e g enuinely nice and caring .” Her mother is the most inspirational person to her: “She's an amazing woman who never gives up and always has a positive outlook on life.”

Her mother ’s strength in bringing Luensmann and her sister here and starting a str ong, new life for them is what drives her towards ensuring a successful future for herself. As a global affairs major studying Japanese and Russian, Luensmann aspires to have a s uccessful career that allows her t o tr avel t o different countries.

“I want to travel to as many countries as possible. Aft er a while, I would love to settle on a sunny beach somewhere.”

When ask ed if she thinks she will li ve long-t erm in the United Stat es or if she plans to eventually return to Germany, her current plans hold homage to the states. “I’ll probably li ve in the states, although I mig ht mo ve back to Germany for a few years at some point.”

Farhana Jamil: Supermom ‘I take classes and scramble to do homework’ Aisha Jamil Broadside Correspondent Cooking, cleaning, working, mothering and going to graduate school are no easy tasks for just anyone. Some say that only a person with super qualities could do that. Someone like Supermom.

And that is ex actly w hat Farhana J amil, 36, is commonly referred to among her family and friends. J amil, a Geor ge M ason University gr aduate student is studying inf ormation systems.

She graduated with a Bachelors in management inf ormation systems fr om M ason in 200 4 and currently works as a Software Engineer at Verizon.

Born in Peshawar, Pakistan, Jamil came to the United States when she was only 16 years old.

From liquor stores to various fast food restaurants, J amil labor ed hard to make a living.

“My first job in the states was for $2 per hour at a Calif ornian liquor store,” said Jamil.

Jamil, w ho came to the United Stat es with her parents and fi ve siblings, did not ha ve proper w ork authorization to work legally during the first year.

“It was hard at first to support our family of eig ht for my parents,” said J amil. “I did the best I could to help them out as much as I could.”

Indeed, that is what J amil did.

“She woke up for school at seven in the morning and didn’t get back until midnight because of work. She really helped us out,” said Shahana J amil, F arhana’s mother.

Tired from all the struggle, Farhana and her family decided to move out of California.

Moving to Fairfax, Va. after

five years of living in the Golden State, Jamil met her current husband, Tahir Awan.

It w as love at first sig ht.

“When I first saw her, I immedi etly knew that she was special,” said Awan.

They got married a year later.

At 22, J amil, who had been attending N orthern Virginia Community College, w as also pregnant with her first child.

“Full-time school, full-time work, full-time marriage and now a full-time baby on the way,” said Jamil, “I thought that I was going to go insane.”

However, J amil did not go insane. Inst ead, she attended school during the da ys and worked on weekends at Dunkin Donuts. She would take her one year old daughter to class if it was necessary.

“I w ould al ways buy her a

bag of chips to keep her quiet in class,” said Jamil, “I did what I had to.”

In the end, ac cording to Jamil, all this “hard work paid off.”

Attending M ason is truly a dream come true f or J amil. She enjoys being back at school doing what she loves to do – learn.

“I take a class and scramble to do homework,” said Jamil. “[It] makes me feel young again.”

Currently, she li ves in Gainesville, V a. with her long time husband of 13 years and her three kids. Telecommuting from home f or Verizon, J amil seems pretty content with her life.

“I wake up and I am at work two minutes later. I make lunch for the kids when they come home from school and spend time with my family for a little bit.

Then I go to class at Mason,” said Jamil, “I am pretty happy.”

Kemisha Denny: Transfer ‘The only thing that turned me off about Mason was that it didn’t have a football team’ Karima Scott Broadside Correspondent Loving and outgoing, Kemisha Denny, a 21-year-old junior, majoring in athletic training, reflects on her first semester experiences here at Mason as a transfer student, sharing her interests, hobbies and goals.

She attended Dean College, a small college institut e in Franklin, Mass., where she realized that a two-year college program was not enough, and that she needed to transfer to a fouryear program of higher education.

“There w eren’t a lot of schools in New York City that offered my major, and I didn’t want to be distracted,” said Denny. “I wanted to be at a bigger school where I could be close to home.”

Denny was raised in N ew Rochelle, N.Y., a subur ban ar ea not too far from the city, but her family originated from Barbados, where she learned of her family’s

strong beliefs in west Indian culture.

In middle school and hig h school, Denn y ran track, which had an immediat e influenc e on her choice of study. Her dreams involve working in a high school setting w here she can teach sports medicine and gr adually work her way up into the college arena of sports education and medicine.

So, I begg ed the question.

Why Mason?

“Mason w asn’t my first choice. It was University of South Florida,” she said. Her parents just moved to the state of Virginia on business, and she said being closer to her family was far more important than her “attraction” to the South.

“I liked the warm weather and the people. But I really wanted t o be close t o home.

Mason seemed lik e the best school. And it was.”

“The only thing that turned me off about Mason was that it

didn’t have a football team, and I love football,” she laughs.

Most students that transfer to Mason almost always experience dilemmas with the transferring of their credits.

“I’m nev er transferring again,” said Denny. “Its worst than applying as a freshman. Transferring is like starting all over.”

Denny is not only talking about academically but also so cially and physically.

“I knew about Mason, but I didn’t know the people,” she explained. A pparently, she did know one person – a high school friend also transferred to Mason.

And for the first time, Denny was introduced t o the people of Mason.

Thanks to Denn y’s hig h school friend, she has been open to g etting involved on campus with different organizations and activities such as L ove H er Fiercely literary w omen’s gr oup and the Caribbean Student Association.

As w e sat in a residential study room, w e laughed and talked as if we were life-long girlfriends. And naturally, we got right into talking about the things that she loves to do. Listening to music was first on her list.

“Mary J . Blig e, M elanie Fiona, Alicia Keys, Rihanna,” says Denny. “I love listening to music – especially Reggae music!”

Apparently, she has a long list of hobbies as well: shopping at H&M, Delias and F orever 21, Reggae dancing, working out at the g ym, traveling, visiting friends and hanging out with friends.

With respect to her major and her dream to have a successful career in sports medicine, I asked, What is your world goal?

“If I could, I would push more people to go to school. Education is a big thing to me. If I could encourage people to go to school and/or better themselves, I would be happy.”

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Monday, May 3, 2010

Broadside

Style

Denise Ammaccapane: The Chef

‘Reliable, knowledgeable, responsive and always makes herself available’ Reuben Jones Broadside Correspondent Strolling down Patriot Circle on a frigid Saturday evening in a customized and personalized white PT cruiser is not only President Alan Merten who waves to onlookers of the Homecoming Parade but also the proud owner of the v ehicle, Denise Ammaccapane.

“I was always told I needed a hobby,” said Ammaccapane in her clear-cut Jersey accent. “I needed a car.”

A car is what she found, and now it is her pride and jo y, one that she gives the name “Va-nilla,” the “Va” standing for Virginia.

Joining a PT Cruiser club may have been her hobb y but what gives her the self driven determination and sometimes o verwhelming passion she possesses is the goal of tr ying to provide the best food service to George Mason University.

In her 27th month on the job as regional district manager of Sodexo and director of Mason dining, Ammacappane is not someone who gets tired easily.

She begins her day at 7 a.m. and doesn’t leave M ason until 7 p.m. With a 12-hour workday six days a week, a driven mentality is simply a requirement.

Ammaccapane has picked up that drive after being in the food service business for 18 years.

Ammaccapane never wanted to be in the f ood business . She hoped to be a physical education teacher aft er at tending c ollege.

But when she realized the pay was less than subpar, she decided to try out a new major at the community college she was attending at the time.

The major was hotel/restaurant management. Ammaccapane was high on the work and loved the one -on-one at tention. After completing the major, she moved

on t o the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Then she picked up a job in the f ood business , and nev er looked back.

Ammaccapane spent some time as a chef and, although it was many years ago, she insists today she could leave her downstairs office at any time to walk upstairs and make meatloaf for anyone entering Southside.

Ammaccapane has had close to nine jobs at Sodex o ranging from doing work in training, cooking or corporate work.

When Ammac capane learned of an opening at Mason, she decided to apply because she “always wanted to work on a college campus,” and she “didn’t want to be in the real cold.”

The int erview process was extensive with 20 people on a panel drilling her on a variety of topics. Ammac capane, however, called the process rewarding be-

cause, as she saw it, “[I] knew what I was walking into.”

Now two years later, Ammaccapane has o verseen dr astic changes in Mason dining, including the nationally r enowned Southside dining eatery and new restaurants in the works including The Original Bur ger C ompany and the Pilot House, scheduled to open next school year.

Being responsible for a dining company that has 25 locations, 456 employee and serves 3 and a half million people per year isn’t a job that comes without stress.

Ammaccapane handles the stress of the job by making sure she knows what is going on at each location and addressing the concerns of every customer.

“Food is so personal, ” said Ammaccapane.

That’s why she is in volved with her staff and with the cus tomers. She mak es sure to hold people accountable for the work

Mateen Ashparie Cindy Vasquez ‘Dream big’

Rania Olibah Broadside Correspondent Mateen Ashparie is a junior at Geor ge M ason U niversity, recently tr ansferred fr om NOVA Community College. He is majoring in biolog y, and hopes to get into medical school. With his medical degree, Ashparie says, “I want to one day become the sports medicine physician for my favorite NFL team, the Washington Redskins.” When asked about the impossibility of this goal, he replied concisely, “Dream big.”

Ashparie was born on January 5, 1989 and grew up in Burke, Va., not too far from Mason’s Fairfax campus . Although he seems like the typical commuter student that is char acteristic of Mason, Ashparie is different because outside the school, he becomes the teacher. J ust across Ox R oad, in the familiar University Mall, Ashparie works for Black Belt Academy (BBA) as a martial arts and fitness instructor.

Since the age of 10, Ashparie has in vested the majority of his free time mastering the martial art of Tae Kwon Do. At the age of 17, he earned the title of Black Belt.

Since then, Ashparie has been working at Black Belt Academy as a Tae Kwon Do instructor to all age groups.

Additionally, Ashparie runs the Lil Dr agons program at BBA, which is a speciall y cr afted T ae Kwon Do class for 3 to 5-year-olds.

He comments, “Nothing is better than seeing those little faces excited to learn what you know how to teach.” Ashparie also picked up teaching a kickboxing class for BBA. When asked where his interest in martial arts originated, he replied, “Ever since I was a little

kid, Jean Claude Van Damme was my hero.” And that’s where the obsession allegedly began.

He also attributes his love for Tae K won Do to his role model and older brother, Y ousef Ashparie. Yousef was also trained and employed by BBA throughout his college years at Mason. However, Mateen depends on his brother for more than just BBA-related issues.

Ashparie describes his older brother saying, “Yousef is a good person…He ‘s made something of himself by working hard, and he’s always been there for me because he has strong family values.”

Mateen, t oo, holds famil y very high on his priority list; evident b y the fact that his best friend is also his first cousin, Ali Baluch. Baluch describes Ashparie as filling the “big br other role” amongst their cousins. He says, “when we were younger, I would run my mouth and he would fight my fig hts.” Sinc e then, Ashparie does not fight, but remains an influential figure in the lives of his younger c ousins and family in general.

His emphasis on the importance of family also influenced Ashparie’s choic e of c ollege.

When asked why he chose Mason he said, “I didn’t want to miss out on my little brother’s life,” referring to his 7-year-old brother, Sultan.

Ashparie spends most of his time balancing school, family, and his football and martial arts passions. To add to his full schedule, he has also r ecently tak en up teaching himself ho w to play piano. Ashparie is a fun, yet f ocused and responsible student; he is definitely a great new addition to the Mason community.

‘Keep your heads in the books, but enjoy your time to the fullest’ Akuender Kodi Broadside Correspondent With her vivacious and captivating personality, it’s impossible not to be drawn to Cindy Vasquez’s aura.

Though she ’s small and fun-sized, this extraordinary young lady carries responsibilities twice her size. As the first born in her family, Vasquez not only has three younger siblings to set a good ex ample for, but has parents who expect her to fulfill all of her heart’s desires.

When the Civil War broke out in El Sal vador in the early ’80s, V asquez’s parents w ere compelled t o migrate t o the United Stat es in hopes of a brighter and promising future for their family.

Vasquez’s mother struggled t o quickly adapt t o the American w ay of life and to break the language barrier that she lacked. If Vasquez were to crown an individual as her role model, she states, “I would give that title to my mother.”

A day in the life of Vasquez involves, but is not limited to, classes, w ork, meetings and spending time with her lo ved ones.

Wrapping up her third year at Geor ge M ason U niversity, Vasquez is a government and international politics major full time and an intern part time.

She’s curr ently emplo yed by the Department of J ustice, Civil Rights Division, which she picked up her sophomore year to compliment her degree.

Aside from the government

job and her government major, Vasquez is actively involved in clubs and organizations that interest her most.

She is the treasurer of the Hispanic Student Association (HAS) for the 2009-2010 school year, a member of the pre-law honor society, Phi Alpha Delta, and a member of the CLEO program, Council on Legal Education Opportunity within the honor society.

Vasquez has manag ed to juggle all acti vities simultane ously, with a smile that can light up a room and a laugh that warms the hearts of many.

As a rising senior, Vasquez is ecstatic to see what is in store for her and to begin that next stage in her life. Pursing a law degree is in the horizon of her near future, with a focus on human rights.

Despite the hectic career that a waits her, V asquez sees herself in 10 years, settled and married in the D .C., M d., Va. vicinity with one child of her own as w ell as a few adopt ed children.

For the time being, her priority is to finish her college career strong and take life as it is presented to her.

Summing up her college experience, V asquez snick ers and stat es, “Definitely a wild rollercoaster, with turbulence, but the best experience thus far.”

For advice to the upcoming freshman, she smiled intently and c ontinued, “Keep y our heads in the books , but enjoy your time to the fullest, as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

they do.

“I do it right or I don’t do it at all,” she said.

Ammaccapane can be seen walking the floors of the Johnson Center or driving a golf cart down the paths of campus to monitor each dining location. But what she really prides herself on, is making sure to be involved.

“Communication has changed tr emendously,” said Denise Napoliello, the treasurer of the Staff Senate.

Napoliello met Ammaccapane w hen she first came to Mason and since then they have developed a close relationship. “[Ammaccapane is] reliable, knowledgeable, responsive and always makes herself available,” said Napoliello.

In fact, the director of Mason dining is so r esponsive that she gives her cell phone number out freely to anyone who wants it.

This has gone over well with

students especiall y those w ho work with her on a weekly basis. “[Denise is] one of the best people I kno w, and the best administrator I h ave worked with,” said sophomor e Alex Romano, who serves on the subcommittee of dining ser vices for Student Government and has been a staff senator sinc e his freshman year.

“She is passionate and cares about what the students say.”

It is hard to please everyone when food is on the line. But Ammaccapane does her best to return e-mails and phone calls and to make herself available all for the sake of the students, staff and faculty at Mason.

“We really like having Denise here,” said Napoliello.

The praise is a sentiment that has been expressed from students and professors alike, and Ammaccapane is just as happ y to be at Mason ser ving cust omers one sandwich at a time.

Dionne Foster ‘Your college experience is what you make it’ Allie Hunter Broadside Correspondent As May is upon us, anticipation for graduation is increasing for seniors who are ready to leave George Mason University behind and enter the “real world”. This is no ex ception for senior Dionne Foster. With the end of the school year approaching fast, Foster is excited to be graduating and is starting to look towards the future.

Foster ent ered Mason as a freshman in the fall of 2006. H er involvement in clubs at Mason reflects what she was taught as a sociology major . F oster is co-president of Amnesty International and is a part of the Alternative Br eak program. One of the best experiences of college for her came through an Amnesty International event that she organized herself. It w as an ev ent on the death penalty and race. “We filled up the room we had and it was a really awesome moment. I t was the first big event I’ve organized,” Foster said.

Additionally, Foster is really involved with community service and has participated in two major trips during the past school year.

During the winter, Foster traveled to N ew Or leans’ L ower Ninth Ward with the L ower 9 project group to help rebuild homes for displaced families after Hurricane Katrina. She helped by doing lots of sanding of wood and debris removal. Foster enjoyed meeting the people who lived there and listening to all of their stories.

Foster took another trip during Spring Break to New York City for HIV/AIDS outreach and service. While there she worked with Gay M en’s H ealth Crisis to help prepare for the AIDS walk, with FROST’D, F oundation f or R e-

search on Sexually T ransmitted Diseases, to encourage people on the street to get tested and handed out c ondoms, and with Hearts and Voices to help set up for performers at Hospice Care Centers for those with AIDS. When she isn’t donating her time to help others, Foster likes to relax and read poetry. She also really likes food and g oing out to eat. When asked what the perfect day would be for her, Foster gave an answer quite expected. “Sunny with some water nearby and fireworks. A good day with friends, oh and world peace.” Foster said. She would also, along with the rest of allergy sufferers, like pollen to disappear!

Now that graduation is around the corner, Foster is taking time t o r eflect on her time at Mason. “I don’t feel like I’m graduating. I t will be an int eresting transition.” Foster said.

She had this advice for freshmen that are unsure what to think of the college experience. “Get involved and find out what you care about. Being in volved benefits your community and yourself” she said, “Your college experience is what you mak e it. Whether you get involved with c ommunity service, Greek Life etc.. It’s really about self exploration.”

After gr aduation Foster wants to find a job at a non-profit organization that deals with human and w omen’s c entered rights. She also w ouldn’t mind some tr aveling, especially t o Uganda, Australia or India. There is no question that F oster is excited t o be graduating. Another thing is for sure; Mason, and the community at large, can ex pect great things out of Dionne Foster post graduation.

U.S. Army: To join or not to join?

‘The idea of working 9 to 5 on a civilian job scares me more than getting shot at’ Alexandra Orellana Broadside Correspondent Katesha Biagas, a Florida native and George Mason University student, starts her day at 4:30 a.m.

The 31-year-old public administration major dons on her full Army combat unif orm and heads t o campus, ready for a physically and intellectually stimulating day.

Biagas is a sergeant in the U.S. Army and a student in the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps. As she w alks ar ound campus , she hardly goes unnoticed. Her boots alone w eigh appr oximately two pounds each.

“At first I just want[ed] to blend in,” Biagas says. “But then, when I wear my fatigues and people c onstantly st op me and sa y ‘thank y ou for y our service,’ it makes [me] feel good.”

Biagas joined the Army at age 22. She had completed a few semesters of community college but quit f or economic reasons. She was recruited at a Walgreens pharmacy, where she was working full-

time to support herself.

The Arm y paid for Biagas’s education and she soon c ompleted her associate degree in radiology. Upon being deployed to Iraq in 2008, the Army placed her as a non-commissioned officer in charge at Camp Adder in Tallil, Iraq.

“I had two soldiers under me,” she said. “Even though I was the manager, I put myself on the regular schedule. I did that just to keep morale [up].”

The Army’s primary appeal is its economic inc entive, but a lifestyle of discipline and adventure is equally attractive. Biagas, and fellow Mason students Grant Zivan, Eddie Castaneda and John Holland, all c onsidered a car eer with the Army for similar reasons: they soug ht an education and a challenge.

For some, the Arm y deli vered.

“There’s a big difference between me being right out of high school and [thinking] ‘Oh I’m in college, cool, let’s do this or that,’” said Gr ant Zi van, a 22- year-old

cadet from Fairfax. “Now, [I just think] ‘I h ave a job to do. People are depending on me. I have to get it done.’ It’s really cool having this kind of responsibility. I go to bed at 11 p.m. I wake up at 5:50 a.m.”

Before joining the Army, Zivan also worked at a pharmacy.

He w as the a verage c ollege student. But he also faced economic difficulties paying for college. He worked 9 to 5 as a supervisor at a CVS pharmacy in Fairfax.

After his first semester at Mason, Zivan decided to seek out the Army as a way of paying for college. H e had tried to enlist right after hig h school, but was dissuaded by his parents.

“I have no regrets,” he said of the lifestyle he chose. “The idea of working 9 to 5 on a ci vilian job scares me more than getting shot at.”

But Zivan is not in it just for the thrill.

“I h ave been on the Dean’s List ev ery sing le semest er sinc e I’ve been a cadet,” said the history major. “You have officers teaching you that have actually been there

and done it. I feel like if I get bad grades I’m letting them down.”

For Zivan, the Army has provided the fulfillment he was looking for. He receives the intellectual motivation t o succeed academically and the adventure that his old life lacked.

Zivan curr ently spends his summers in rigorous officer training programs. He attended cadet field training at West Point Military A cademy upon joining the Army.

“It w as the c oolest thing I have ever done in my entire life,” Zivan said.

In a typical male’s fascination with w ar, Zivan is eag er to see combat. He acknowledges the reality of his situation. H e could soon fac e deployment t o Afghanistan, a region of unrelenting danger and instability.

Yet fears don’t plague Zivan.

As he sees it, obtaining combat experience is the only way to earn respect as an officer.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said with excitement. “If you’re a new lieutenant and you don’t have

the combat patch on your shoulder, you’re not going to get much respect. The sooner the better to get that experience and g et that respect.”

But the Army is no such thing as one-size-fits-all.

Castaneda, a 19-year-old sophomore and psychology major from F airfax, also look ed at the Army as means of financing his college education. He eventually desisted.

“I thoug ht of the consequences,” he said of his decision to ultimately not pursue a car eer with the Army. “My mom [doesn’t support it and] is afraid of losing me.”

Though Castaneda agrees that he could benefit fr om the Army’s discipline, he also believes the decision to be responsible lies within each person.

“I’m responsible enough,” he said. “ The risk [is] too much for me. I’m the first person to go to college,” he adds, reflecting on his mother’s fears.

Holland, a government and international politics major also

considered joining the military his freshman year at Mason.

“It crossed my mind,” he said, of his intention to join the ROTC program. “It didn ’t w ork out. It was difficult on my schedule and my parents are against me joining the military.”

The Army is often a last resort for students in need of tuition assistance. Discipline and responsibility are an unintended byproduct.

But the benefits don’t stop there. A monthly stipend and a fit body are perhaps enough to close the deal.

“There is gratification,” Biagas said. “I love that when I [dress up] my body is so fit. I just love that.”

As for the extr a at tention, Zivan says it is matter of pride.

“I love that. I absolutely love it,” he said through a wide smile.

“I don’t want to blend in. I’m glad that it sets me apart because I am putting so much time and eff ort and sacrifice that I want to be recognized for it.”

Broadside

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Sports

4

The number of times the baseball team scored at least 20 runs in a game this season.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Mason blanks GW Dudley jacks first home run of 2010 season

Sports in a minute Brian T. Chan Sports Editor

Brian T. Chan Sports Editor

Mason trounces No. 7 Dukes the Terrapins The George Mason Univer- dominate Mason sity baseball team walked over

PHOTO BY | RANDY URICK

Sophomore Tori Dudley hits her first home run of the 2010 season in their win over the George Washington Colonials

flashed the leather in the field in the fifth inning. Ranging to her right, Dudley made a solid snag on a line drive from Colonials sophomore right fielder Lauren Wilson to end the inning.

The Patriots had been relatively quiet for the first five innings, managing just three hits.

But the bats suddenly erupted in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Patriots compiled a seven-run inning to pick up the team’s second straight win.

Junior pinch runner Stephanie Strother led off the inning with a stand-up double on the ninth pitch of the at-bat and moved over to third base on a single from freshman third baseman Megan Blank, who provided a multi-hit game for the Patriots, going 2-for-3 on the day. Threatening with runners in scoring position, sophomore pinch hitter India Adams walked to load the bases.

Colonials freshman starting pitcher Elaine Nescio, who gave up six runs on six hits and struck out five batters while walking four, was relieved by junior pitcher Ali Pardo. The

Colonials could not get out of the inning unscathed as Weiner was hit by a pitch to score Strother. Senior left fielder Kate Bustin and freshman pinch hitter Samantha Barney walked back-to-back, prompting Pardo’s early exit.

After sophomore center fielder Alyssa See grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Weiner from third base and extend the lead to 6-0, sophomore shortstop Rachael Davies smashed a bases-clearing double into the gap in right-center field to close the game.

Davies had been quiet offensively in the last month; after going 2-for-10 in the weekend series against the Georgia State Panthers, Davies came out on Wednesday with a strong 2-for4 line and three RBIs. “I think she’s starting to now get relaxed a little bit, get her pitches to hit a little bit more, and she’s just as good of a hitter when she does that,” said Verbanic.

Verbanic utilized his three pitchers, each tossing two innings. Sophomore Miranda Cranford, freshman Amanda

Buffington and senior Becky Anderson combined for a twohit shutout and were economical with a total of 85 pitches. On the flip side, Nescio threw a total of 122 pitches while Pardo gave up three runs in her 14pitch appearance.

Entering the weekend, the Patriots sat in seventh place in the Colonial Athletic Association standings, two games behind the fourth-place Drexel Dragons and one game behind the Delaware Blue Hens and James Madison Dukes. Mason took on the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks over the weekend.

Verbanic remains cautious about the team’s approach in Mason’s remaining games.

“You can’t take anyone for granted,” said Verbanic. “Softball at this level is very good and very competitive. The minute you start taking someone for granted, this game will humble you and they will humble you.”

9–0

Battle of the aces Vote Lincecum and vote Halladay Brian T. Chan Sports Editor From 2001 through 2005, the American League Cy Young award was all about getting wins as five different 20-win pitchers took home the hardware. But this is not necessarily the case when searching for the top pitcher in baseball.

Last year, San Francisco Giants ace pitcher Tim Lincecum picked up 15 wins, recording a lower win total than Scott Feldman of the Texas Rangers, as well as Jered Weaver and Joe Saunders of the Los Angeles Angels; Lincecum was by and large a much better pitcher than any of them or any pitcher in the National League.

Beating the St. Louis Cardinals’ duo for the NL Cy Young, Lincecum established himself as the NL’s top pitcher for the second straight year.

The competition is much stiffer this year with Roy Halladay filling in for the Philadelphia Phillies, Dan

Haren continuing his solid pitching with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies’ flamethrower Ubaldo Jimenez, who already tossed a no-hitter in the first month of the season, working his way into the mix of NL elites.

In the past three years, Lincecum was valued at 17.2 WAR, the highest in all of the major leagues, with Halladay coming in second at 16.4 WAR. Lincecum also had the lowest FIP at 2.69 in that span. Ever since his rookie year, he has gradually decreased his walk total and increased his strikeout-to-walk ratio (K/BB); so far this year, he has a 6.14 K/BB, walking just 1.78 batters per nine innings.

It will not be easy for Lincecum to win his third consecutive Cy Young with Halladay there as a roadblock, but dominating on the mound against the hot-hitting Phillies and in front of his counterpart last week, Lincecum is the most feared pitcher in the league.

Chris DeMarco Staff Writer It is hard to argue that one pitcher is better than the other in the argument of whether Roy Halladay or Tim Lincecum is the superior pitcher in the National League.

So far, their stats are equally stellar. It seems that Roy Halladay has been the best pitcher so far, but by only a hair.

If you look at the numbers for Halladay (4-1, 1.80 ERA, 33 strikeouts) and Lincecum (4-0, 1.27 ERA, 43 strikeouts), they are close.

What makes Halladay the better pitcher is that he is the lone ace on his team, while Lincecum is just the leader of a talented group that includes Matt Cain and former Cy Young winner Barry Zito.

Halladay does not have the luxury of a dominant bullpen, while Lincecum does.

Halladay is essentially expected to go out and pitch seven-plus innings every

game because the bullpen for the Phillies is that unreliable.

Although Halladay may be on the most talented offensive team in the league, he also has no one to really back him up with Cole Hamels and the ageless wonder Jamie Moyer not being too reliable as of yet.

Facing greater pressure to start the season, the Phillies have been riddled with injuries to two of their starters, Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ, which just adds more pressure for Halladay.

More is asked of Halladay every game than any pitcher in baseball because of those behind him in the bullpen.

In all but one game so far this season, Halladay has been essentially unhittable and dominant every time.

Halladay has been consistent throughout his entire career, and now that he is finally a contender, he will be even better than he was in the past, pushing him ahead of Lincecum.

the Maryland Terrapins in College Park, Md. in their 20-6 dominating win on Tuesday.

Mason improved to 27-12 overall while the Terrapins fell to 15-29. The four-hour marathon has been the longest game for Mason thus far, but the team did not l eave without winning its fourth consecutive game and 10 of its last 11.

Senior shortst op Ryan Soares went deep twice, knocking in a total of six RBIs in the game. Soares started the scoring with a two-run blast in the first inning and smashed another home run in the Patriots’ sevenrun inning.

The Patriots totaled 19 hits and eight walks to produce 20 runs. Mason reached the 20-run plateau for the fourth time this season.

Leading 7-1 after fi ve innings, M ason started to pull away in the next two frames with four runs in the sixth inning and seven runs in the seventh inning.

In the sixth, redshirt junior first baseman D an P alumbo, who w ent 2-for-4 with three RBIs, doubled in two runs. Sophomore right fielder Dan Schafferman followed with a two-run single.

In the seventh, the Patriots got the first two runners on base, and with one out, Soares came through with a home run to right-center field.

Schafferman w alked to force in a run, and junior designated hitter Shane Davis scored on a wild pitch.

After fr eshman second baseman Christopher Cook tallied an RBI with a walk, Palumbo scored Mason’s seventh run with another wild pitch from Terrapins sophomor e pit cher Kyle Blackwell.

While the Terrapins answered with two runs in the bottom half of the seventh inning, the Patriots responded with a run in the eighth inning and another in the ninth inning to extend their lead back to 14.

Senior starting pitcher Kris Mengle, who improved to 3-1 on the season, t ook the hill f or Mason, lasting two hitless innings, but walking three batters, which led to a run for Maryland.

Senior southpa w Darren McLean went two innings, giving up three hits without allow-

The women’s lacrosse team fell behind early in the game and was unable to recover as the No. 7 James Madison Dukes manhandled the P atriots in H arrisonburg on Thursday in their 17-5 win.

Mason wrapped up its 2010 schedule with a 3-14 o verall record and a 0-7 record in conference play while the Dukes improved to 14-2 o verall and concluded a perfect conference regular season at 7-0. The loss marks Mason’s 10th consecutive loss.

The Dukes w ere able to avenge last year’s 8-7 loss to Mason b y scoring 1 7 goals on Thursday. Sophomore attacker Ariel Lane had a quick hat trick to start the game, scoring the first three goals within the first four minutes of the game.

The sec ond g oal marked Lane’s 30th goal of the season.

Lane w ould end up sc oring a total of five goals in the game to increase her season total to 33.

Junior midfielder Chelsea Gamble put Mason on the board a minute later with her 13th goal of the season. After a JMU goal, Mason cut the Dukes’ lead to one at 4-3 as senior attacker Cristina Maurizi sc ored back-to-back goals.

However, the Dukes went on a seven-goal rampage to end the half with an 11-3 lead. The team’s scoring spree did not end as the Dukes scored four straight goals to start the second half to take a commanding 15-3 lead.

Maurizi scored her hat trick goal at the 12:21 mark, but the insurmountable lead was too much f or M ason. Sophomor e midfielder Emily Ellisen scored an unassist ed goal, r ecording Mason’s fifth goal of the game.

Aside from Maurizi’s three goals and Gamble’s two assists, no other Patriot recorded double-digit points.

The Dukes, on the other hand, received substantial contributions from a number of players. Lane totaled five goals and an assist, while sophomore attacker and midfielder Monica Zabel, who led all players with eight points, had two goals and six assists.

Sophomore midfielder Caitlin McHugh and junior attacker Mary Kate Lomady each recorded a hat trick in the game.

PHOTO BY PETER FLINT

Sophomore second baseman Tori Dudley did not fear falling behind two strikes early in the count. Instead, she found an opportunity to put some good wood on the ball, hitting her first home run as the George Mason University softball team topped the George Washington Colonials 9-0 to sweep the season series on Wednesday at the George Mason Softball Complex.

The Patriots moved to 1722 on the season while the Colonials dropped to 5-36 overall, losing their 11th straight game.

Mason had a sluggish 1-5 start, but after going through ups and downs, the team concluded its non-conference schedule with an even 12-12 record. Mason wrapped up with a 14-16 home record.

“We knew going into this [season] that we were a young ball club, and there were going to be some growing pains early,” said Head Coach Joe Verbanic.

“What I really love is the way that they have learned and embraced working hard and learning the game; they’re really starting to put it together.”

After starting slowly, the Patriots tallied their first hit in the third inning as Dudley sent a 1-2 pitch to straightaway center field and over the 225-feet sign, scoring junior right fielder Kara Weiner for a two-run home run. Dudley, who registered three home runs last season, recorded her first of the season in the team’s final home game.

“I’m actually more comfortable being deeper in the count than early in the count, so it was a way to make myself shorten up,” said Dudley.

“When you swing well and you don’t get the hits you want, you shorten up; results happen when you want them to.”

In the recent weeks, Dudley has raised her batting average, finding ways for hits to drop in. She has been a vital part to Verbanic’s offense and the team’s success.

Along with the gamechanging hit, Dudley also

ing a run. Redshirt sophomore Branden Bartlett was perfect in the final two innings, striking out two batters.

Dan Palumbo walked twice in the 10-3 loss to the No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers on Wednesday in Charlottesville.

10 |

Broadside

Monday, May 3, 2010

Sports

Who says you can’t go home Corner infielders have been a huge impact on the young team

PHOTO COURTESY GOMASON.COM

MEGAN BLANK

Freshman Megan Blank is not the only country music fanatic on the diamond as she walks up to the plate to her favorite artist Miranda Lambert’s song “ Gunpowder & Lead.” Sophomore Katie Rynex, a self-described “country girl” herself, has been another key addition to the George Mason University softball team’s corner infield pair.

Rynex, who entered the weekend with a .247 batting average, leads the Patriots with seven doubles and 22 RBIs. Primarily as the cleanup hitter, Rynex plays a number of roles on offense, but her main role is to execute the task.

“I’m just worried about getting the job done,” said Rynex. “When I’m leading off, my job is to get on base; if there are runners on, my job is to get a base hit.

In addition to producing runs with the bat, Rynex also helps create runs with her speed. Rynex is one of the team’s top base stealers with five stolen bases out of six attempts.

“I love the fact that [Head Coach Joe Verbanic] has a lot of confidence in me [to steal bases],” said Rynex. “It’s all about using our eyes and knowing what to do.”

Graduating fr om H erndon High School, Rynex attended Ball

State University and missed the bulk of last year due to an ankle injury. After a y ear, she opt ed to transfer back to her home state, finding a golden opportunity with Mason, one of the growing teams in the Colonial Athletic Association.

“I mesh better with this team,” said Rynex. “I lo ve the coaches; they’re both doing great work with me and helping me relax.”

Being closer to home, she is able to play in front of her friends and family. Rynex also finds playing at the gorgeous George Mason Softball Complex another benefit in transferring to Mason.

Rynex is an enthusiast for water-related activities, which include fishing, tubing and jet skiing. In the offseason, she stays in shape by running continuously to improve her endurance for the upcoming season.

From the very beginning, Rynex found a way to fit in with her teammates, comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores.

Rynex sees that confidence and trust are vital elements in the team’s ability to compete in the CAA and defeat some of the top teams.

“It just continues with confidence because we all need to have confidence in each other and trust one another,” said R ynex. “As a building block, what we did, com-

ing out and beating Georgia State, we stayed pumped and that’s huge; we need to build off that.”

Rynex continues to improve her individual play. She is second on the team with 16 runs scored and has a .360 slugging percentage. While she has been able to hit the ball into the gap for doubles, Rynex was able to put the ball over the fence for the first time in her career two weeks ago.

In a stunning upset over the Georgia Stat e P anthers, R ynex scored the game’s only run. For Rynex, her most memorable moment thus far has been rounding the bases after hitting her first collegiate home run.

“Even coming in, one of the guys said that I looked like a little kid on Christmas — I had a huge smile on my face,” said Rynex. “I knew I hit the ball well because it came off the bat well, and I heard everyone screaming; when I got to hear that it was a home run, I’m just running around with a huge smile on my face.”

Across the diamond, Blank has seen substantial playing time as the team’s regular third baseman. In 34 starts in her 35 total appearances, Blank has a .247 batting average and is one of three players with 12 RBIs. Blank has been a useful asset to the team.

However, she was not originally penciled in to play the hot

Favorite... food: Chocolate movie: Monsters, Inc. tv show: The Office book: Sherlock Holmes artist: Miranda Lambert vacation spot: Any beach MLB team: Philadelphia Phillies MLB player: Shane Victorino

PHOTO COURTESY GOMASON.COM

Sports Editor

KATIE RYNEX

Brian T. Chan

corner. After playing part-time in the outfield, Blank filled in and adapted to her position, but switching from the outfield to the infield posed challenges for her.

“As an outfielder, you have a long throw, but it’s a different mentality [than at third base],” said Blank. “At third base, you have so much more time — you can field the ball and just kind of sit there if you want to and you still have time to get the girl out.”

In addition to making adjustments on the field at the collegiate level, Blank has adapted herself to her own daily life in college.

“Fall semester was very difficult [f or me], ” said Blank. “I thought I had no time — I wanted to put extra time in practice; I always f elt lik e I had too much homework to do.”

Since the start of the spring semester, Blank learned how to rearrange her priorities , put ting homework aside for practice time.

While softball has been a major part of her life, Blank’s journey first began when she was just a toddler.

“My dad always tells the story [of] when I was 2 years old [and] I would carry around a Wiffle ball bat and he would pitch to me,” said Blank.

Blank is one of many in her family to play softball. Her mother

Favorite... food: Steak and mashed potatoes with green beans movie: A League of Their Own tv show: True Blood book: Go Ask Alice artist: Tim McGraw vacation spot: Fort Myers, Fla. MLB team: Boston Red Sox MLB player: Jason Varitek

and father, uncles and aunts and grandparents all played slow-pitch softball. Blank was the first in her immediate family to play fast-pitch.

After four years at Conestoga High School, the Leola, Pa. native chose to attend Mason for what it offered to the history major. Blank first heard about Mason from her father, w ho w as looking at the school online and found some thing intriguing on the f orum about Mason.

“I was looking at a couple of different schools all along the East Coast, and I chose Mason because of my major and being in the D.C. area was a good place for internships, and I wanted to play softball too,” said Blank.

Blank’s hobbies include hanging out with friends and playing tennis.

“I’m a social butterfly,” said Blank. “I lo ve hanging out and playing Rock Band. We go off campus sometimes, like the other night we went to watch my friend’s sister’s lacrosse game.”

While her energy is a major part of her play at third base, Blank believes that her mentality to play the position is her greatest strength.

“The mental wall that you have to build for yourself and just attack the batter; you have to want the ball,” said Blank. “As soon as

Movin’ On

John Powell Asst. Sports Editor I’ve been har d on some teams this year and I’ve been easy on others . And I’ve let readers know a little too much about my NASCAR obsession.

In the w orld of George Mason U niversity sports though, we are wrapping up the spring season, the tail end of this year’s sports. So let’s take a look at what happened this year

and what to look forward to in the future.

The first thing that comes to mind is the women’s soccer team and the women’s tennis team, who both enjoyed turnaround years. On the women’s soccer side, the team graduated nine seniors and w on nine more games than the previous year.

The women’s tennis team improved from last year’s mark of 9-12. While the team seemed

to have problems facing Drexel in the c onference championship, it will be looking to beat them next year, especially if they meet in the tournament again.

I’ve been singing the praises of the track and field team. The women’s team finished second in the conference championship, and the men’s team won the championship.

How can a team possibly improve on that? By winning it again, and continuing its dominance in the conference.

In the world of wrestling, Mendbagana Tovuujav (it took me a long time to get the name right) showed his dominance

you fear the batter, that’s when you’re going to miss the ball and that’s when you’re going to mess up and make mistakes, especially at a corner position when the ball gets on you really fast.”

Blank’s exceptional defensive play has been shown by her .925 fielding percentage. Blank credits her head coach for her success on defense. Ever since she set foot on Mason, Verbanic emphasized the fielding technique of funneling the ball to her body.

In addition to continuously improving her defense, Blank hopes to progress on offense and provide more to the scoring.

“For next year specifically, I want to swing a little bigger bat,” said Blank. “I really want to improve on my offense. It’s something I think about every day — it’s how you score, it’s how you win.”

The Patriots have made great strides this season, but while the improvements have led to greater confidence, Blank looks to continue this growth for the team in the near future.

“For 2011, I think we just need to keep setting the standard,” said Blank. “This year, we set a standard, and as far as building off that, I think that we just need to take it a step higher and not just say that we want to compete with these teams, we want to beat them.”

by being named Second-Team VaSID All-State at 174 pounds.

The rest of his team needs to take his lead and back up the sophomore leader to win next year’s matches.

The softball team needs to turn themsel ves around though. Some of the team’s key players have been highly publicized b y Broadside in the Player Spotlight section, and they need to live up to higher expectations.

The baseball team needs to show dominance in its only two remaining conference series, and especiall y in the championship. The team needs to get the momentum to push it into doing well in the latter part of the year.

The women’s basketball team needs to find some way to score. Even a great defensive team can’t win a game if they fail to put shots up and points on the board.

I know I’ve beat the men’s basketball horse to death, but I really am ex pecting gr eat things from them, such as making it to at least the third round of the championships, if not winning it.

So look out next year for the conference predictions, and good luck to all teams, athletes and especially you, my incredible readers.

Want to read more about Mason’s sports online?

Go to:

threeonegreenlight.wordpress.com

Broadside

Sports

Monday, May 3, 2010 |

11

SPRING SPORTS OVERVIEW

Baseball

PHOTO BY | RANDY URICK

Softball The softball team has overcome its shaky 1-5 start to the season with a c ouple of winning streaks. M ason finished last season with an abysmal 2-19 conference record, but they h ave surpassed that t otal with fi ve conference wins in their first 1 5 games. The Patriots recorded wins against the conference’s t op t eams, including the defending champion J ames M adison Duk es and the second-place Georgia State Panthers.

Mason pick ed up tw o impressive victories against the Towson Tigers.

In the midst of a playoff race, the pitching has been exceptional, starting with the ace, senior Becky Anderson. Alr eady throwing a perfect game and six shut outs, Anderson ranks fifth in the CAA with a 1.56 ERA and has issued the fewest walks among all starting pit chers. The team is fifth in the conference with a 2.94 ERA. The offense has struggled at times, but the team’s use of small ball has helped them win six one-run ball games. Sophomor e Katie R ynex has been a key addition, leading the Patriots with eight extra base-hits, seven of which are doubles.

Women’s Tennis

Men’s Tennis

The w omen’s tennis team set a new milestone with 21 wins this season. After winning all seven matches in the fall season, the Patriots start ed the spring season with three losses . The team quickly responded with six wins in the next seven mat ches to improve to 1 3-4 b y mid-M arch. M ason won its record-breaking 14th win on March 27 and soon started April with six consecutive wins.

The P atriots ended their season in a tough first-round loss to the Drexel Dragons in the CAA Tournament.

Freshman Kierst en P appas and junior Lindsay Gr ay were named to the All-CAA Third T eam for doubles , w hile Pappas garnered thir d t eam honors in singles pla y.

Pappas won a total of 17 matches, 14 of which came in the No. 1 slot. Despite posting a 10-11 record at the No. 2 slot, Gray won 6-2 as the No. 1 singles player. Sophomor e Br ooke Blackwell was nearly unstoppable, winning 19 of 20 mat ches. J unior Aryn Christman led Mason with 21 wins in sing les. The Pappas/Gray doubles team posted a 12-4 record this season.

The men’s t ennis t eam entered the season with sev en newcomers, six of w hom were fr eshmen. L ooking t o develop fr om a young t eam, the Patriots started the season 3-3, but lost six of the next eight games shortly after.

Mason had a str ong finish to close out the r egular season, posting a 4-3 r ecord in April. As the N o. 9 seed in the CAA Tournament, the Patriots dropped 5-0 to the Drexel Dragons in the first round.

The P atriots had major contributions from the No. 1, N o. 2 and No. 3 players. The top three sing les players c ombined for a record of 38-36. Sophomor e J orge Osuna, who had a solid 10-9 record at the No. 2 slot last year, post ed a 10-13 r ecord as the t op singles player.

Freshman K evin M cMillen also had a strong season, having an ev en 10-10 season.

Primarily as the N o. 3 singles player, freshman Patrick Mulquin led the team with 15 wins. He won all four of his matches at the No. 2 slot.

Women’s Lacrosse The women’s lacr osse team has been unable to c onsistently win games sinc e its strong 2008 season when the team finished 125 and received a national ranking in the Top 25.

Last year, the t eam went thr ough a drop-off, posting a 6-10 record; this year, they continue to spiral downward, winning just three games to go along with 13 losses.

Prior t o the r egular season finale against the J ames M adison Duk es, the P atriots wrapped up their home schedule with a tough 10-9 loss to the Old Dominion M onarchs, falling to 2-9 at home.

Despite their lost season, however, several players h ave emerged and provided a big impact. Junior Madalyn Jamison set the school record with 80 car eer assists in the Patriots’ final home game. J amison has been M ason’s top player with 26 g oals and 37 assists . She leads the CAA with 2.47 assists and 4.2 points per game. Sophomore Emily Ellisen, who had a tremendous rookie y ear with 26 g oals, increased her sc oring with a team-high 30 goals this season. J unior Chelsea Gamble has the t eam’s thir d-highest point t otal with 12 goals and 13 assists.

Men’s Track and Field The men’s track and field t eam started its outdoor season with a bang, placing second at the M ason Quadr angular. In that event, the men’s team had fi ve first-place finishes. In the other meet host ed b y M ason, the same fi ve team members qualified f or the IC4A. M ason had a strong showing in the Raleig h R elays with nine Patriots qualifying for the IC4A. The team recently participated in the P enn R elays in Philadelphia.

Sophomore Rachaunn R uffin had two IC4A-qualifying runs in the 100-met er and 200-meter dash, posting times of 10.45 seconds

and 20.78 seconds, respectively.

Freshman David Verburg also qualified for the IC4A in both events after running the 100meter dash in 10.76 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 21.65 seconds.

The 4x400-meter relay team of V erburg, sophomore Nick Vaughn, fr eshman Geor ge Empty, and sophomore Ja-Vell Bullard finished in a time of 3:09.40 in the Florida R elays last month. J unior Dwig ht Webley had the best score in the long jump event with a mar k of 7.35 meters in the Mason Spring Invitational.

PHOTO BY | PETER FLINT

PHOTO BY | PETER FLINT

Not ex pected to follow last season ’s explosion on off ense, the George Mason University baseball team has f ound ways to remain c ompetitive despit e being picked to finish sixth in the C olonial Athletic Association in the pr eseason poll. The Patriots h ave belted a total of 30 home runs thus far, w ell short of their 82 home runs from last season, but the team has been a threat on the base paths, posting a .419 onbase percentage, leading to 3 36 total runs scored.

Senior Ryan Soares leads the conference with 23 doubles and is among the top three in batting average and RBIs. Soares is one of the team leaders with six home runs in his solid final season. The team’s pit ching leads the conference with a 4.79 ERA. Senior Kevin Crum is the ace of the staff with a 5-1 record and a 3.81 ERA. R edshirt fr eshman Chris O’Grady has filled in nic ely in the rotation, leading the team with a 3.57 ERA. O’ Grady, who garnered the CAA R ookie of the Week award recently, has a 3-0 record in his first season.

PHOTO BY | PETER FLINT

PHOTO BY | STEPHANIE KNAPP

PHOTO BY | PETER FLINT

Brian T. Chan | Sports Editor

Men’s Volleyball The men’s volleyball t eam started the season 3-2, but after hitting a f our-game skid, the Patriots w ere unable to g et back on the winning track, losing 10 of the next 11 matches.

Prior to the quart erfinal win against the Rutgers-Newark Scar let Raiders , the P atriots started coming t ogether, picking up wins against the Saint F rancis R ed Flash and the Juniata Eag les. M ason bat tled closely with Penn State in their final regular season match before falling 3-1 on Senior Night.

Sophomore L ance R ogers garnered F irst Team All-East ern Intercollegiate Volleyball

Association honors f or his strong play this season. R ogers averaged 1.3 1 blocks per set, ranking 16th in the nation. H e also tallied 1 52 total kills this season. Sophomor e Andrew Dentler led the P atriots with 306 kills , an average of 4.43 per set.

In his first year as the team’s outside hitter, junior Eric Lucas recorded 2.0 4 kills per set and was among the t eam leaders with 14 service aces. F reshman Michael K vidahl was part of the t eam’s strong r ecruiting class this year. Kvidahl was second on the team with 205 kills.

Women’s Track and Field The women’s track and field team ranked fifth in their out door season opener at the Mason Quadr angular. Capturing three first place finishes , the women’s t eam had thr ee ECAC qualifiers.

Freshman M andissa M arshall recorded a score of 3.8 meters in the pole vault event, and seniors M arie F ields and Tiara S windell crossed the finish line first and second in the 200-meter dash to also record an ECACqualifying time.

In the Raleig h R elays, S windell came in

second with a time of 54.85 sec onds in the 400-meter dash.The 4x400-met er relay had one of the best showings f or M ason, placing fifth among 35 schools. The 1,600-meter sprint medley ranked second out of 23 teams.

Marshall clear ed the bar with a sc ore of 3.65 met ers. M arshall was the only representative fr om the women’s t eam t o compete in the prestigious P enn R elays. H er score of 3.86 met ers was the sixth-highest mark in the pole vault event and her personal best.

12 |

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Opinion Monday, May 3, 2010

Broadside

George Mason University’s Student Newspaper Emily Sharrer, Editor-in-Chief Sonya Hudson, Managing Editor Nicole Wiesenhahn, Copy Chief Yasmin Tadjdeh, News Editor Ethan Vaughan, Asst. News Editor William Curtis, Opinion Editor Meridith Kaufman, Asst. Opinion Editor Patrick Wall, Style Editor Pearson Jones, Asst. Style Editor Brian Chan, Sports Editor John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor Peter Flint, Photography Editor Evan Benton, C opy Editor Christina Salek-Raham, Copy Editor Benjamin Shaffer, Copy Editor

Angela Light, Designer Ayn Roberts, Designer Randy Urick, Photographer Stephanie Knapp, Photographer Ross Bonaime, Staff Reporter Scott Miller, Advertising Director Genevieve Timpone, Advertising Representative Catherine Kutz, Advertising Representative Jacques Mouyal, Business Manager Kathryn Mangus, Faculty Adviser David Carroll,Tech Adviser

Editorial Policy The letters, columns and views expressed on this page are solely those of the writers. They do not reflect the views of Broadside or its staff, unless otherwise noted.

Broadside is a weekly publication printed each Monday for the George Mason University and surrounding Fairfax community. The editors at Broadside have exclusive authority over the content that is published. There are no outside parties that play a role in the newspaper’s content, and should there be a question or complaint regarding this policy, the editor in chief should be notified at the information given above.

Broadside is a free publication. Limit one copy per person. Each additional copy is 25 cents. © 2007 by Broadside . All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the editor in chief.

To believe or not to believe The role of religion in politics Justin Lalputan Staff Writer One of the principles that America is founded on is freedom of religion. People are free to believe in whatever they want. In addition, we also have a separation of church and state, but in reality, I think that’s a joke. We have raging debates about things like gay rights, abortion and stem cell research because of religious preferences; if we had a true separation of church and stat e, topics like these wouldn’t be a debate at all.

I was reading the news online when I noticed an article by CNN philosopher Sam Harris entitled “Why we should ditch religion.” I feel that he is dead-on with his article. Harris essentially feels the same way that I do. He says that it’s ridiculous for people t o do things (in political office) because of what God wants or doesn’t want, which is completely true. I feel that religion shouldn’t play a part in any decisions that a person makes while in political office. Instead, morality should play a larger role.

Then, however, the debate arises whether or not morality is possible without religion.

In a religion class that I took in the fall, we had a discussion about whether or not it was possible to have a sense of morality and justice without religion. I came to the conclusion that it was entirely possible. For example, when a pedophile molests a young girl, regardless of the r eligion that a person follows, that’s wrong. This is not the same thing as gay marriage, which honestly, many people w ouldn’t view as wr ong if religion didn’t tell them otherwise.

I think that if someone was an atheist, or didn’t associate him or herself with any specific religion, he or she would make great decisions in office, because he or she wouldn’t feel that it is necessary have to cater to what any specific religion dictates.

Quote

That isn’t to say that I dislike leaders who have strong religious foundations. While it is true that religion is not required for morality, often times a strong religious foundation can endo w str ong moral values within individuals, and we all know that some of our politicians could use some of those values in their lives.

There are a lot of issues in today’s society that aren’t heavily influenced by religion. The problems of poverty, environmental pollution and medical illnesses are all issues that plague our world, and they are all issues that have almost nothing to do with religion. In cases like these, it doesn’t matter what religion someone follows, they all have different ideas and solutions for these problems. The only time religion causes conflicts is when the issue is something like abortion, where religions have a clear stance on the issue.

In an ideal w orld, elect ed leaders would be able to put aside their religions and personal biases to make the best possible decisions for their constituents, but that’s not the case. Everyone who gets elected to political office brings his or her baggage with him or her, and religion is included in that baggage. Still, politicians and their constituents should strive to not push their beliefs on other people.

I’m a Muslim, so according to my religion, I should be against gay rights, but I’ m completely f or them. Why? My answer is simple: This is America. What I personally think shouldn’t matter when it comes to other people. Yes, I may personally not want gay marriage or abortions, but once I start preaching my beliefs and tr ying t o make them into law, then I’m crossing a line that shouldn’t be crossed. Religion is important, but knowing when to reference it is even more important. We have separation of church and state for a reason, so let’s try to uphold it.

of the

Week:

“What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose.”

— Margaret Thatcher

History Through a Paper Over 40 years of journalism that helped shape a university It was with a comical obituary notice and a cover letter that read more like a call to arms in the October 06, 1969 issue that The Gunston Ledger became the paper we all read now, Broadside. Mason was nothing more than another college in Virginia; university status was only a dream at the time, but even some back in 1969 knew where the college was destined. In an article entitled “GMC’s Growth to Mushroom,” James Clarke, the director of Planning at Mason at the time said: “GMC would eventually become a cluster of colleges within a college. Each individual college would have its own student union building and administr ative offices.” He w ent on to also sa y, “Eventually, George Mason would become one of the largest, if not the largest, colleges in the Washington ar ea.” Little did an yone know that this assumption made

by Clark in 1969 would be a reality 40 years later. And for all of this — the burning of dr aft car ds, the changing of names, the construction of new and innovative measures for the campus — Broadside was there, doing what it has done and will continue to do even after I leave this office as this issue is printed: bringing the truth to the students of George Mason College and University.

When I first began working for Broadside, I was informed of the history of its name. The story I was told was that the name was changed to Broadside because of the size of paper we used for each issue, which is called “broadside.”

While I understood the context for this name, most readers would never. Then I read the cover of the issue in which Geor ge M ason’s newspaper The Gunston L edger became Broadside. The staff of the newly named newspaper publication made their decision to rename the paper very apparent with, “The George Mason College Newspaper staff has decided that the title of our publication [The Gunst on Ledger] no longer represents the

because he was told that a felony charge would keep him from being eligible to be drafted into the Vietnam War. When the student showed up at Shea’s house with the car, Shea informed him that this act would not keep him from being drafted. The only reason Shea was charged was because he never reported the student’s name in regards to the stolen car.

In an article in the same September issue, “Draft Cards Burn as Resistance Mounts,” teachers and students alike came together to show their disapproval of the war in Vietnam, and like many others around the country at the time, they burned cards to show their disdain for the direction the country was taking. Four professors made their claims of disapproval of this w ar, and Broadside was there to record and print in their pages the opinions of each of the five professors who opposed the war that day.

Not much has changed since then, and Broadside continues to follow the original creed of bringing the truth to its readership. And while we may use computers and technology to writ e our st ories now, we still manage to make typos, we still forget things and we even still miss deadlines — some things will always transcend the barriers of time. The accurate and truthful news that is printed here still holds the message and motives that the trail blazers of yesteryear believed in. They felt that George Mason’s newspaper needed more than just a name; it needed a purpose.

Broadside has sho wn us a glimpse into the past, a portrait not many will ever notice or care about.

Almost as if it was a time capsule, it has shared with us the thoughts and desires of Mason’s past students who came here for the same ideals we are here for now, yet they experienced different things. They viewed the world through acid rain drops and rose-colored glasses.

They sa w a more violent w orld

then we can ever imagine. Working for Broadside has brought this world alive in my eyes, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity t o be the voice of Mason’s opinions. It has been a wonderful ex perience that has taught me multitudes of life lessons, and has helped shape me into a more humble and compassionate person, as well as a skilled editor and writer.

Fortunately, while the art form that is printed journalism slowly comes to its death in the very near future, we can still see a more vivid past because of what Broadside has done in previous issues and what it will continue to do in the future.

This recognition, this acknowledgment of what life was like for college students back then, may help current students in their pursuit for a better education at Mason today. The clichéd expression of being doomed to repeat history because its lessons were nev er learned is more than appropriate in this context. These historical volumes tell us what George Mason used to be lik e, what its dreams and goals for growth were back when it was freshly titled as a university and how a small college became an amazing university . . . with the help of one newspaper.

My final words to the student body as your opinion editor: Keep growing and learning fr om not only your college education, but from the lessons you learn in life.

Looking back on your past experiences are what will guide you in the right direction in life and keep you from making mistakes in the future.

And one last thing: When referring to our paper, it’s not “The” Broadside, it’s just Broadside.

— William Curtis Opinion Editor March 2009 – May 2010

The corruption of the SEIU Beatings, embezzlment and intimidation

Alan Moore Staff Writer As the Service Employee International Union (SEIU) continues to invade our campus , I thought it prudent to discuss some of the past transgressions of this evil organization. To the Sodexo workers attempting to unionize with them: you should first get to know your would-be master. It will make all the promises in the world but you’ll end up a patsy to its greed. Its laundry list of offenses includes embezzlement, beatings and intimidation.

The USC University Hospital employs 600 SEIU members. Recently, those workers were upset with the union’s treatment and filed decertification petitions so they could break away and affiliate with another union. But the SEIU filed charges to block their vote and is using money from worker dues to launch a public relations campaign to ban all unions from the hospital. If it can’t have the workers, no one can. SEIU seems to live by the code of the mafia — once you’re in, you’re in for life.

The SEIU is also connected to the Rod Blagojevich scandal. The disgraced former governor of Illinois attempted to trade a job with the SEIU-affiliated organization

Want to share your opinion?

Submit your letter to the editor or artwork to: opinion@broadsideonline.com

Note: Letters to the editor are welcome and are printed on the basis of space, quality and timeliness. Letters to the editor must be no longer than 350 words. All submissions are the property of Broadside and may be edited for brevity, clarity and grammar. Material containing libel, racial slurs, personal attacks or obscenities may be edited or rejected.The author’s name, class year (and/or title where appropriate), major and daytime phone number must be included for verification of authenticity.The deadline for submission is Thursday by 10 p.m.

things which we want it to stand for.” For those who didn’t understand the meaning or importance of the change, the staff even decided to include the definition of “broadside” from the Dictionary of American History, which stated: “In 17th century America, broadsides were used for poetical effusions, news it ems and political propaganda.” The renamed staff included such historical facts to continue to give evidence and reason for the name change. They explained that this name was used for works that were handed out faster and in larger circulation before the revolution. Also, that they were important for the sole purpose of getting pertinent information f or the f oundation of democracy in America.

“We feel that in these important times, the name Broadside not only symbolizes the effort on our part to reach the students with the news, but also continues the tie with the history of this country that our school maintains. Thus to us, the new name will also become a new pledge to keep the students of George Mason informed with the truth.” And with these final words, the newly named Broadside gave way to a new generation and method for the delivery of its news.

This pledge has stood the test of time. As editors and staff came and went, Broadside maintained its pledge to the dispersal of the truth regarding Geor ge M ason.

Even during times of war, the staff of Broadside was there to record history in the making.

Broadside was present when the draft cards of the 1969 Selective Services involuntary draft were burned. In fact, during the year of 1969, Broadside printed many different articles regarding this subject. In the Sept ember 2 3, 1969 issue of The Gunston Ledger, a philosophy professor, James M. Shea, was being charged with being an “accessory after the fact” in a case involving a student w ho w as AWOL and who had stolen a car

Change to Win for the appointment to President Obama’s former senate seat. The SEIU is mentioned prominently in his criminal complaint as being central to the effort to engage in the pay-toplay scheme.

Beatings are commonplace for the SEIU. For example, last month a hospital worker was assaulted by an SEIU goon in Garden Grove, Fla. In April 2008, the union sent busloads of members to a labor conference in Michigan to violently interrupt a meeting of the California Nurses Association. Luckily, only one person had to go to the hospital even though there were several episodes of violence and intimidation.

In A ugust of last year, tw o SEIU members were arrested for beating up Kenneth Gladney, who was peacefully protesting health care reform at a town hall meeting held by Missouri Representative Russ Carnahan (D-3rd).

Last November, Ken Hamidi, a cable access reporter, was severely beaten by local SEIU members at the behest of the union bosses for merely attending a union meeting.

He was planning to write a story on union corruption.

Around the same time in Allentown, P a., SEIU boss Nick

Editorial Board: Emily Sharrer, Editor-In-Chief Nicole Wiesenhahn, Copy Chief Sonya Hudson, Managing Editor William Curtis, Opinion Editor Meridith Kaufman, Asst.Opinion Editor

Balzano violently ranted to the city council against 17-year-old Kevin Anderson for cleaning up a local park as part of his Eagle Scout project. Balzano claimed that union members were the only people allowed to do any work for the city.

He told the council, “None of them can pick up a hoe. They can’t pick up a shovel. They can’t plant a flower. They can’t clear a bicycle path. They can’t do anything. Our people do that.”

That same month, SEIU representatives threatened to have their own immigrant members deported in Fresno, Calif. after outrage ensued w hen it w as discovered that the SEIU tampered with ballots in a union election.

Also outr ageous — union dues went to fund the equally corrupt Association of Community Organizations f or R eform N ow (ACORN). Among ACORN’s many dubious achievements, they were recently caught on video giving housing ad vice for a brothel to journalists pretending to be a prostitute and a pimp.

Other scandals r egarding union dues include Tyrone Freeman in California, who in 2008 embezzled money to buy cars, cigars, alcohol and to play golf. National board member Byron Hobbs

resigned after being caught stealing $9,000 for personal expenses.

Both are under federal investigation.

The list of SEIU’s violations is too long to mention them all here.

I highly enc ourage y ou to visit www.nrtw.org, www.purplepeoplebeaters.com and www.seiuexposed.com to learn more about the corruption of the SEIU. So what is Mason doing about this problem? Nothing. Our campus is completely devoid of leadership. Our out of touch administration won’t lift a finger to combat the SEIU thugg ery but they thought it necessary to send out a campus -wide e -mail, reprinted in Broadside, to give a platform to a c ouple of racist numbskulls f or something that practically no one even knew about in the first place.

From threatening Boy Scouts to beating up peaceful protestors, the shamelessness of the SEIU rolls on. If you think they won’t resort to violence to get their way then think again. For those who believe the only issue here is wages and benefits, you are incredibly naïve.

This struggle is about power, influence and money . The SEIU couldn’t care less about the Sodexo workers.

Contact us!

All unsigned staff editorials are written to represent the view of the Broadside staff, a diverse set of opinions determined by the members of the editorial board. Letters to the editor, columns, artwork and other commentaries strictly represent the opinions of the authors and do not represent the official opinion of the newspaper.

Broadside George Mason University Mailstop 2C5 4400 University Drive Fairfax, VA 22030

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