Broadside January 23, 2012 Issue by Student Media George Mason University

Old Dog Learns New Tricks Thompson Hall re-opens after yearlong renovation. NEWS • Page 3

Vampires Still Have Fangs

Asserting His Dominance

Kate Beckinsale returns in the latest installment of the vampedout Underworld franchise. Check out our review. STYLE • Page 4

Since the start of the new year, Mike Morrison has stepped up his game to lead the first-place Patriots. SPORTS • Page 8

George Mason University’s Student Newspaper January 23, 2012

Volume 88 Issue 11

www.broadsideonline.com

The Construction Pays Off Mason’s Latest Project Now Open for Business With 600 New Beds and Subway Restaurant

Photos by: Jake McLernon

Left: Students move in to the newlyopened Rogers and Whitetop dorms. Whitetop is a suite style dorm while Rogers is apartments. The two buildings opened over break for students from the Commons to move in since the Commons are undergoing renovation. Above: Underneath Rogers, next to Lot H, a Subway restaurant and a convenience store have opened for business. Subway is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends. The convience store is open from 7 a.m. to midnight weekdays and 10 a.m. to midnight weekends.

Quick Hits Winter Welcome Week Begins Today By: Gregory Connolly Today marks the start of Winter Welcome Week, a celebration that runs through Saturday and includes snow tubing at Liberty Mountain Resort and an ice skating rink that will be set up Friday and Saturday between the Center for the Arts and Mason Hall. Events begin at 10 a.m. Monday and run through Saturday night. All the events are free for George Mason University students except snow tubing, for which students can register at weekends.gmu.edu for $25. The fee includes the ticket, a meal and transportation to the Pennsylvania resort, said Erica Cosentino, assistant director of weekend initiatives for the Oﬃce of Student Involvement. Cosentino managed a group of four undergraduates and one graduate student who have been planning the week since November. Now in its second full year, Cosentino said Winter Welcome Week has already been established as one of the signature on-campus events for Weekends at Mason, the group tasked with planning the event from the ground up.

See WELCOME, Page 2 New Member Appointed to BOV By: Justin Lalputan Tony Jimenez, president and CEO of MicroTech, has been appointed to the George Mason University Board of Visitors. Jimenez’s appointment follows the departure of David

Ramadan, who was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Jimenez serves on the Board of Trustees of the Living Classrooms Foundation, a non-proﬁt organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of young people in impoverished areas. He is also and advisor for the Presidential Economic Recovery Advisory Board on Education. The 16 members of Mason’s Board of Visitors are elected by the governor of Virginia and serve four-year terms. The Board of Visitors deals primary in policy making and also elected Mason’s incoming president, Ángel Cabrera. Lecture to Detail Electronic History Archives By: Justin Lalputan Dan Cohen, director of George Mason University’s Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, will discuss the implications of digitizing history and having electroniconly archives on Jan. 30, 2012. This lecture is part of Mason’s Vision Series and will take place in the Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. There is no cost for attendance and no need for a ticket. Cohen will discuss the potential for the loss of important information, as well as the exciting possibilities that digitization of information can provide. Cohen is an associate professor in the Department of History and Art History and is the co-author of “Digital History: A Guide to Gathering, Preserving, and Presenting the Past on the Web.”

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Management Stuck in the Past Associate Prof Likens Current Management Practices to Those of Industrial Revolution Janelle Germanos Staff Writer Despite the technological and resource expansions of the last century, Mark Addleson, George Mason University associate professor of public policy, says that organizations are still being run as if we are in the Industrial Revolution. “Management evolved in a factory system during the Industrial Revolution,” said Addleson, the author of “Beyond Management.” “The work that we do now has changed in a very fundamental way.” Addleson believes that modern-day management is identical to the way factories were run in the 19th century, but it needs to adapt to the new kind of work that is most prominent. “Most people do not work in factories,” he said. “The work is very diﬀerent from the kind of work that existed at the time when management evolved.” According to Addleson, the management that evolved in fac-

tories was meant to handle rou- Addleson said. “If you look at pictine, repetitive, solitary labor. tures from 19th century workers, “The practices of management you can see that they never interwere all designed to organize that acted with each other.” According to Addleson, mankind of work,” he said. In addition, Addleson said he agement interferes with groups believes that management prac- and teams that people organize themselves into. tices today are antiquated and “People get “Management evolved taken off projects potentially disin a factory system and switched to ruptive to knowledge another project,” during the Industrial Addleson said. worker effiRevolution. The work ciency. “Groups are usually that we do now has pretty messy. This “We still talk about is because of the changed in a very [current] managetraining and we fundamental way.” ment mindset.” still talk about efficiency,” AdAddleson -Mark Addleson, George stresses that work dleson said. “We are still Mason Associate Professor has evolved into mentioning the of Public Policy knowledge work, which cannot be distinction between managemanaged in the ment and workers.” Because the same manner as 19th century facwork of today is highly social, tory work. “There is a huge gap between management is no longer the most effective way to get work the way work is being organized in terms of management mindset done, he said. “We ask questions and we lis- and what it takes to do good ten to what each other has to say,” knowledge work,” Addleson said.

“This is why management is dead.” Currently, Addleson notes that there is too much control in the decision-making process. “High control and compliance go together, and those are not appropriate for knowledge work,” Addleson said. “Management is a mindset, and as soon as you use it, you put everyone back in this 19th century mindset.” Addleson does not think that management can be easily reformed to be more eﬀective. “Tweaking it is not the issue. There is such a big gap that we need to rebuild things from the ground up,” he said. “This means pushing management aside.” Addleson believes that people can organize themselves and that the workplace needs to recognize this. “Until you can let go of the structures, people are unable to organize themselves,” he said. “A lot of people are self-organizing in one way or another, but the management practices interfere with their ability to do that.”

Underdog Patriots Best Rams Moton Scores 29, Lewis Holds VCU’s Hurt to 17 Points, Five Rebounds John Powell Intercollegiate Athletics Liaison Taleia Moton’s 29 points gave the Mason women’s basketball team the upper hand in their matchup against the favorite VCU Rams. VCU (11-7, 4-3) came to the Patriot Center expecting an easy win against a Mason team (9-9, 3-4) against whom they had historically done well. The Rams’ Courtney Hurt came into the game averaging 23.4 points per game, good for ﬁfth in the nation, and 12.7 rebounds per game, the best rate in the nation. Despite early turnovers, the Patriots’ sharp shooting kept them ahead or close to the Rams for the entire ﬁrst half. They shot 50 per-

cent from the ﬁeld, making 15 shots, three from beyond the arc, heading into the locker room with a 35-26 advantage. Most notably, Evelyn Lewis, despite poor numbers on the stat page, did her job well on the blocks. Over the course of the game, she held Hurt to 17 points and ﬁve rebounds over the game. With Hurt tied up under the net, toss-ups started going Mason’s way. With the kick-outs, point guard Moton’s hot hands changed the game dynamic. She made a phenomenal 12 of 14 shots and went 5-of-7 from the line. If Moton’s scoring was not enough, fellow top-of-the-key guard Amber Easter scored 20 points and grabbed a team-high nine re-

bounds. Hurt’s scoring limitation was too much for the Rams to overcome. They never recovered from the ﬁrst-half deﬁcit. Andrea Barbour tried to step up, scoring 15 points, but the shots would not fall. Even in her work, Barbour only went 5-of-13. While the Rams’ shooting rate fell from 44.0 to 42.9 percent, the Patriots kept pressure on. Their 59.3 percent shooting rate in the second half held a double-digit lead that never looked to be in jeopardy. Mason took to their underdog role with a 13-point win, 71-58, and looks to keep it up when they host Towson 7 p.m. Thursday night.

Broadside

News

The total, in millions, spent to renovate Thompson Hall.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Event Calendar Monday, Jan. 23 Make Your Own Photo Snowglobe Southside, Lobby 4 – 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 25 High 5 for off-Campus Students Parking Lot A 7 – 10:30 a.m. Ugly Sweater Party Johnson Center, Bistro 7 – 9 p.m. E-Verify Overview University Hall, Room 2001 1 – 1:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 26 Commemorating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Theatre Department Winter Convocation de Laski Performing Arts Building, TheaterSpace, Room 105 6 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 27 Center for Global Educartion Open House Johnson Center, George’s 12 p.m. Concert: River North Dance Chicago Center for the Arts, Concert Hall 8 p.m.

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

POLICE FILES Jan. 16

DUI 2nd offense in 10 years/Refusal Field House Elizabeth Renfro (non-GMU) 31 of Woodbridge VA was arrested for DUI and Refusal. She was transported to Fairfax County ADC and held on $3000.00 secured bond. (16/Chandler). Larceny Mason Inn Unsecured purse was stolen from a cubicle. Total loss of items estimated at $460.00. Case under investigation. (59/Soccio). DUI Field House Yuriel Choi 30 (non-GMU) of Centreville, VA was arrested for the above offense and transported to Fairfax County ADC where she was held until sober. (59/Soccio)

Jan. 18

Theft from a Building HQ Complainant stated that person(s) unknown stole two sets of headphones from his office. (48/Surber) Trespass Warning University Hall An individual was issued a trespass warning to all GMU owned property. (46/McCartan) P O M w t (

Jan. 19

Gas Leak PW Campus An underground gas line was damaged when it was struck by construction equipment. No injuries reported. (15/Green). Driving Under the Influence University Dr. / Ox Rd Andrew Michael Jurek, 21 (GMU) of Virginia Beach, VA was arrested for DUI and transported to the Fairfax County ADC. (37/Radfar) Simple Assault Student Townhomes Officers responded to a fight in progress subjects did not wish to prosecute. One subject was transported to INOVA Access. (56/Lighthiser)

Police Files are taken verbatim from www.gmu.edu/police. Broadside does not make any changes to public records.

Winter Welcome Week Features Giveaways, Refreshments Freemasons, from Front Many free giveaways are planned for the week; students who participate may well walk away with some combination of scarves, magnets, hats, ChapStick, temporary Mason tattoos and refreshments, said Jess Tomko, a junior criminology, law and society major who was one of the undergraduates who helped plan the week. “The team is really excited to spearhead an event that takes an entire week instead of just the weekend,” Tomko said. Several sponsors are helping to make the week’s events possible

including Housing and Residence groups, and run from 10 a.m. to 2 Life, Student Government, Mason p.m., Monday through Friday at Dining and the Office of Diversity the Johnson Center, Cosentino Programs said. and Multi“We want cultural students to make Services. Each day of Welcome Week Mason home,” Cosentino said. Each will feature a kiosk where day of “We want them to students can go for inforWe l co m e feel involved. mation, free giveaways and Program Board Week will feature a has focused more refreshments. on Homecoming, k i o s k where stuso Weekends at dents can Mason has taken go for information, free giveaways this on.” and refreshments. The kiosks are Other events include Tuesday staffed by different campus Bingo in the ballroom of the Hub

(SUB II), a “Winter Wonderland Feast” Wednesday at Southside, a new-to-Mason social Thursday in the Hub Ballroom and a Madden Tournament Thursday at the Corner Pocket, also located in the Hub. The Johnson Center Cinema will show “Happy Feet 2” Thursday through Sunday at 6 p.m. each day. The cinema will also screen “50/50” Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m. For more information — including a complete schedule of events — visit winterwelcomeweek.gmu.edu or weekends.gmu.edu.

Broadside

News

Monday, January 23, 2012 | 3

Thompson Hall Completes Renovations Construction Finishes on Year-Long Update Despite Delay

Photo courtesy of the Department of Instructional Technology

Thompson Hall has been redesigned with modern classrooms made to be both comfortable and useful to teachers and students.

Michael Lagana Broadside Correspondent Thompson Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus and the location of the College of Education and Human Development, will be open for the spring semester following a yearlong renovation. Planning for the renovation began in 2004 and construction officially commenced in fall 2010. The goal was to modernize its classrooms and make the building more comfortable for students and staff. Although the projected date of completion was initially supposed to be less than a year after groundbreaking, construction crews had to delay the project in January 2011 when they discovered that the building’s main concrete supports were eroding. “This threw a big wrench in what we were trying to accomplish,” said Thompson Hall Project Manager Mike Herman . According to Herman, the unforeseen delay required all of the old concrete supports, columns and slabs holding up the building to be replaced, which added an extra six months to the projections. After the new supports were installed, construction restarted on the project and was finished by late fall 2011. Describing the construction

project’s goals, Herman said, “We wanted to have a much more [energy-] efficient building. We wanted to take care of all the old issues that Thompson may or may not have had. We wanted to make sure we had a clean building, a building that was maintainable. And we wanted to make sure that all hazards were mediated and no longer an issue, and I think we accomplished all of that.” The renovated building is a certified Leadership in Energy Environmental Design silver renovation, which ensures that the renovation has complied with advanced environmental standards set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council. It features state-of-the-art fireproofing, automatic indirect lighting to minimize light glare and advanced classroom technology. In the halls, students and staff will find outlets by each seating area. Like all buildings on campus, Thompson Hall is 100 percent WiFi enabled, featuring more routing stations to ensure that signals do not slow down and that students can surf normally. Each classroom contains seating for 28 to 35 people, which may be adjusted to accommodate more students if needed. Staff members can control the high-definition projection

screen from an advanced control panel on each desk; the technology is designed to be standard throughout the university. Movable furniture in classrooms allows students to work more easily in groups or for staff to rearrange furniture for a more personalized teaching experience. “We wanted to have a classroom that could meet all sorts of different teaching styles that professors will come in here with. And having university classrooms that professors from all over would be using, we wanted something very versatile to be able to meet their needs,” Department of Instructional Technology Thompson Hall Project Manager Zack Shearer said. The total cost of the project is around $12 million, and took just over a year to complete. Now that students and staff will be able to begin using the building, DoIT encourages student and staff feedback regarding the new technology and the design of their learning spaces. “Any feedback we can get from students is a delight, because they are the users, and by getting their feedback, we can do a better job of providing for their educational needs,” said Tim Murphy, director of Classroom and Lab Technologies in DoIT.

If you believe the law should be about justice, this is the school for you. Imagine working side by side with distinguished attorney-professors on real cases. For those who want to make a difference, who like being part of a spirited community providing legal services to our most vulnerable residents, there’s no better legal education. The David A. Clarke School of Law is Washington D.C.’s only public law school. As such, it’s affordable, with numerous scholarship opportunities. To learn more, visit our website at www.law.udc.edu, e-mail us at lawadmission@udc.edu or call 202-274-7341. Visit UDC-DCSL in our new building and attend our Spring 2012 Law Day Open House on March 24th Ask about our Advocate for Justice Scholarship

The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008 www.law.udc.edu

Broadside

Style

The number of days until Spring Break starts! Huzzah.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Must-See Events this Spring Quick Rundown on a Few of the Top Events You Don’t Want to Miss Homecoming

Pride Week

Homecoming Week starts next week. The theme this year is “This is Where the Magic Happens.” This is the time to show your pride for your fellow Patriots. Come out and be a part of the annual pep rally that kicks the party off. There’s a pageant, talent show, lip syncing contest and a lot more. And let’s not forget the most important part — Patriot basketball! This year the men’s basketball team takes on the Old Dominion Monarchs in what will no doubt be a heated contest.

Two words: drag show! If this is your first year at Mason, do not miss this must-see event; it’s easily one of the most fun times you could have on campus. Mason is proud to support its LGBTQ community and offers a variety of fun and educational activities that everyone can enjoy to help raise awareness. Past events have included Queer-eoke, participation in the National Day of Silence and Pancakes with Some Queer on Top.

Greek Week

International Week

Shack-a-thon, a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity, kicks off Greek Week and sees different Greek chapters sitting out in their homemade huts collecting money for the charity. There are plenty of games and other fun things, so don’t miss it!

Mason Day Mason Day is the end-of-the-year party. Finals might not happen until the week after, but for at least one day, everyone’s relaxed and at ease. With carnival rides and vendors set up, it’s like something right out of the movie “Grease.” The exception being that you’re probably likely to bump into at least 20 drunk people. Past performers have included Cobra Starship and the Plain White T’s.

International Week is usually the first or second week of April and has been a tradition at Mason for over 30 years. Kicking off the event is the Opening Ceremony, which features a parade made up of students and faculty showcasing their heritage and pride. From cricket tournaments to dance competitions, there is a variety of events that everyone can enjoy. -By Jeffrey Giorgi

Kate Beckinsale Returns to Slay After a Subpar Third Entry, This Franchise Returns to Form Jeffrey Giorgi Style Editor I vividly remember seeing the original “Underworld” in theaters back in September 2003. The reason the memory is so embedded in my head isn’t because I thought the movie was great; quite the contrary — I didn’t care for it all. A hurricane just so happened to rip through my town and the movie theater was one of the only places to keep power. How I miss the days of my youth. The reason the original “Underworld” didn’t sit right with me is because it was advertised as a film about an epic war between werewolves and vampires. What was delivered amounted to about 15 minutes of action with far too much gothic exposition. Then the second one came out and once again the trailer got my butt in the theater. But this time the promise was kept. I enjoyed it so much that I returned to the original. And though I still feel it’s inferior, I better appreciate it for the important story-telling purpose it serves in the overall narrative of the series. Barring the third film, which was a prequel devoid of leading lady Kate Beckinsale, it’s been five years since we saw some good old vampire-versus-werewolf action. And to those who even think to utter the words “Twilight Saga,” I say to you, good day, sir. Despite my trepidations about the gap in between films, “Underworld: Awakening” soundly delivers what is easily the most action-packed film of them all. Gone is the bloated mythology that usually drags out the run time. This is a sleek, strippeddown, bone-crunching action film clocking in at appropriately the

90-minute mark. One of my biggest gripes with these movies has been that, with the exception of a few scenes in the original, the world in which these movies take place has always seemed devoid of normal humans. So adding humans to fight for the first time in the franchise definitely took the series in a different direction and finally made the world these characters inhabit feel real. If there was one complaint that I could make, it’d be the lack of Scott Speedman. Considering he played such a vital and intricate role in the first two films, his departure and in turn the lack of proper resolution for his character is slightly irritating.

Lastly, this film was shot using real 3-D so the effect is fully realized. If you saw the last “Resident Evil” film in 3-D then you can get a pretty good idea of what you’re going to experience. The film’s aesthetic is naturally dark, and 3-D only makes objects dimmer, but it looks as though they brightened many of the objects that pop out in postproduction. Personally, I’ll pay to see anything that features Kate Beckinsale. Throw in all violence and carnage that should ensue when two monsters clash and you’ve got a decent reason to spend your money seeing this one on the big screen.

Broadside is looking for a copy editor. If you think you have what it takes, drop by our office on the first floor of Student Union Building II. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate a working knowledge of the English language. A background knowledge of Associated Press style is preferred but not mandatory.

Make sure to pick up your copy of the second issue of Courtside Seats on Feb. 14 as Mason takes on VCU in the Patriot Center. CourtsideSeats.OnMason.com

@Mason_Courtside

Broadside

Opinion Monday, January 23, 2012

Broadside

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

George Mason University’s Student Newspaper

Thumbs up to Subway on campus! Now we can all eat fresh.

Gregory Connolly, Editor-in-Chief

Cody Norman, Managing Editor Jacquelyn Rioux, Copy Chief Justin Lalputan, News Editor Rebecca Norris, Opinion Editor Jeff Giorgi, Style Editor Cody Norman, Sports Editor Pat Carroll, Asst. Sports Editor Stephen Kline, Photography Editor

Thumbs up to the new dorms — if only every Mason patriot could live in such extravagant luxury.

Benjamin Shaffer, Copy Editor Priya Pansuria, Copy Editor Michelle Buser, Designer Dylan Hares, Staff Reporter Colleen Wilson, Staff Reporter Hannah Smith, Staff Reporter Janelle Germanos, Staff Reporter John Powell, Collegiate Athletics Liaison Jacques Mouyal, Business Manager Kathryn Mangus, Faculty Adviser David Carroll, Associate Director

Thumbs down to SOPA Thumbs down to ice and wintry weather spoiling our fun!

Let’s Add Some Minutes to the Doomsday Clock Student Group ‘Global Zero’ Aims to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons

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 editorin-chief should be notiﬁed at the information given above.

WILL ROSE

Broadside is a free publication. Limit one copy per person. Each additional copy is 25 cents.

Columnist

Welcome back to school! When we ponder the end of the world, we might imagine pop-culture depictions of Mayan predictions or devastating climate change. Rarely do we seriously consider the bright, annihilating ﬂash of nuclear catastrophe — despite the fact that more than 21,000 nuclear warheads remain in the world today. But the threat posed by nuclear weapons is more dangerous than ever and awareness of that threat is returning to public dialogue. Many factors have contributed to this shift in public attention, such as the increasing likelihood of nuclear terrorism and heightened anxieties about

the ambitions of countries like Iran and North Korea. It was also brought about by the eﬀorts of Global Zero, the international movement for the elimination of nuclear weapons. Thanks to Global Zero — and the student leaders who have taken the campaign to their campuses and communities — world leaders are once again turning their attention to the nuclear question. The only viable response to that threat is to eliminate nuclear weapons and secure all nuclear materials worldwide: “global zero.” Currently at George Mason University, 50 people and I are dedicated to achieving this goal as student leaders of the Mason chapter of Global Zero, one of 100 such chapters worldwide. Our chapter represents an important part of a constellation of eﬀorts involving 300 political, military, business, civic and faith leaders — and nearly half a million citizens — to eliminate nuclear weapons worldwide. Here at Mason, our chapter hosted a screening of “Countdown to Zero” and peti-

tioned leaders in Washington to cut the bloated nuclear weapons budget. We’ve campaigned on the frontlines of a tremendous global movement alongside current and former heads of state, national security advisers, military commanders and celebrities. And we want you to join us. On Feb. 18–19, student leaders and activists from around the world will come together at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut for a special Global Zero Student Summit. The program will include sessions on 21st century movement-building, civic engagement and strategies to galvanize the Global Zero campaign, as well as discussions between students and eminent leaders, experts and senior government oﬃcials. Some of these oﬃcials include former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Jack Sheehan, Amb. Richard Burt, former CIA Operative Valerie Plame Wilson, former IAEA Director-General Dr. Hans Blix and leaders from cutting-edge advocacy groups.

If you want to get involved in our effort, join us in New Haven next month. Contact wrose@gmu.edu, gmu@globalzero.org, or register to attend at globalzero.org/reachingzero. Find me on Facebook at facebook.com/WilliamCRose for free tickets (they are limited, so hurry). No matter your background, level of experience or knowledge of the issue, you can play a valuable role in this crucial effort, starting with attending the Student Summit. We are the first generation for whom a world without nuclear weapons is possible, and the work required to make that world a reality is the defining challenge of our generation. But the obligation is ours, the time is now, and we hope you will join us on the road to zero in February. Our chapter will also be hosting a second screening of “Countdown to Zero.” Keep your eyes peeled for our flyers once we secure our date and time!

SOPA Places Unfair Limits on Our Digital Society Controversial Bill Aims to Strip Internet of All We’ve Come to Know and Love Last Wednesday, the Paul Panasiuk Internet lay quiet as thousands of websites, big and small, blacked-out their pages in solidarity to protest legislation known as the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act. A black rectangle covered the infamous Google logo and Columnist Wikipedia directed all its pages to a site urging visitors to contact their representatives to oppose the bills. The next day, some 19 senators officially withdrew support or opposed PIPA, including seven co-sponsors. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky announced he would be the first to filibuster the bill when it comes to vote on Tuesday. It is extremely important that all who enjoy

browsing a censorship-free Internet, posting YouTube videos or sharing content, whether it’s an article link or song, on a social networking site such as Facebook, stand up and oppose this legislation. In a few months, the Internet may not exist in the form we know today. Under the proposed law, copyright owners will be able to have websites that contain their content removed or blocked by a judge. This may seem logical in theory, but thousands of sites, some of which we use everyday, could be shut down. Imagine all the copyrighted content posted on Facebook and YouTube every day. Larger sites may be able to bypass getting shut down but sites like Vimeo and Reddit, as well as a considerable number of other sites and blogs, will be shut down. Even search engines like Google can be forced to remove all copyrighted content from their searches. This attack on the Internet is essentially an at-

tack on the freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment. The Internet is the newest — and what seems to be the last — frontier where people can freely share information, communicate with others across the world and explore new interests. Eliminate this, and you take away not only our generation’s largest form of communication but myriad online communities. The Internet is the only place where average people can express their opinions and bypass the mainstream media. It is no surprise that the largest media companies have come out in support of SOPA and PIPA along with hundreds of large corporations such as The Walt Disney Company, Viacom and Sony. This legislation is a perfect example of the destruction caused by corporatism, or the partnership of big business and government. The Internet will be chained and slowly dismantled until the courts

Want to share your opinion?

Editorial Board: Gregory Connolly, Editor-in-Chief Cody Norman, Managing Editor Jacquelyn Rioux, Copy Chief Rebecca Norris, Opinion Editor

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. 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.

and corporations have complete control over content and all file-sharing programs deemed as “rogue” websites are gone. Supporters claim the legislation will protect the United States’ intellectual property from foreign thieves. However, the legislation fails to draw a line between what is acceptable and what is not. A single complaint due to a copyright infringement can cause an entire site to be shut down indefinitely and puts the burden of proof upon the domain owner. Additionally, those caught streaming copyrighted content are subject to a maximum prison sentence of five years. If this bill does become law, there is no telling how far its vague rules will be taken. This assault on Internet freedom cannot succeed, for it will likely never be repealed. If you have a few minutes, please call your elected officials and tell them to oppose SOPA and PIPA.

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.

Phone: 703-993-2950 Fax: 703-993-2948

Free Tickets for Mason Students! Visual Voices Series

Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel

ART, LAW, & BUSINESS John Mason, speaker

RUSSIAN RAPTURE: RACHMANINOFF AND TCHAIKOVSKY

Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Free HT

Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. $19 $30 $38 CH ff FreeStudent Tickets AvailableJan. 17

RIVER NORTH DANCE CHICAGO

Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. Free HT

Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. Free CH

Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Free HT

CHUCHO VALDÉS

HONORS MUSIC FESTIVAL Featuring the Mason Wind Symphony Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. Free CH Aquila Theatre THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. $24 $32 $40 HC ppd LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableJan. 17 ff

=Family Friendly

TSCHAIKOWSKI ST. PETERSBURG STATE ORCHESTRA Feb. 4 at 8 p.m.; $25 $42 $50 Feb. 8 at 8 p.m.; $30 $38 $46 FreeStudent Tickets AvailableJan. 24

BB=Black Box

CH=Concert Hall

Center for the Arts

CH CH

ppd ppd

Arlo Guthrie BOYS NIGHT OUT Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. $24 $40 $48 CH ppd LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableJan. 31

Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. $23 $38 $46 CH ppd FreeStudent Tickets AvailableJan. 24

703-993-8888 or cfa.gmu.edu/students

FAIRFAX

Virginia Opera ORPHÉE by Philip Glass Feb. 10 at 8 p.m.; $44 $72 $86 Feb. 12 at 2 p.m.; $48 $80 $98 LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableJan. 31

Visual Voices Series

MESSAGES THAT STICK Tom Sherman, speaker

Aquila Theatre MACBETH Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. $20 $32 $40 CH ppd FreeStudent Tickets AvailableJan. 17

=Pre-performance Discussion

Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. Feb. 11 at 3 p.m. & 8 p.m. Gen Ad: $25 Fac/Staff: $10 Students: $5 CH

THE FUTURE OF HISTORY Dan Cohen, speaker

HONORS MUSIC FESTIVAL Featuring the Mason Jazz Ensemble

ppd

VAGINA MONOLOGUES

The Vision Series

Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. $21 $34 $42 CH ppd LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableJan. 17

Faculty Artist Series PETER HAASE, violin & KELLY KER-HACKLEMAN, piano Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. Free HT

CH HC

DL=de Laski Rm. 3001

ppd ppd

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Monday, January 23, 2012

The Power of the First Lady Historical Trends Show That Presidents Often Turn to Their Wives Rebecca Norris

Columnist Who can believe that it has been a whopping four years since Wii and the iPhone ﬁrst appeared on the market and since sites such as Pandora and Flickr ﬁrst began generating fan approval? Better yet, who can believe that it’s been nearly four years since the last election and the spectacular inauguration of Barack Obama? The moment that Obama mentioned “spreading the wealth” during his campaign in 2008, he was slandered by opponents claiming he was a socialist. Yes, he set up a debt plan, job reform and health

care, but can those be deemed real reasons to hastily disapprove of our Commander in Chief? After all, hasn’t America been exposed to socialism throughout history? Socialism is defined as being a broad set of economic theories that advocate for an egalitarian society. Think about it: Taxes, services provided to citizens for free (such as the fire department) and even signs inscribed with the word “public” marked the beginning of a metamorphosis to a more socialized environment. Stepping up to the plate as George W. Bush’s successor takes a great deal of gumption in itself. People should not have assumed that Mr. Obama would immediately be capable of completely repairing the United States after a Republican war-enthusiast left office. Nevertheless, it’s nearly four years later and Election Day is right around the corner again. There’s one question that still remains: How will the candidates —

Obama included — sway citizens’ votes? Historically, in times of need, presidents look to their side for help, only to be rescued by their wives. Up until recently, Michelle Obama chose to stay as hidden as possible, despite being featured on the covers of major magazines for her stellar wardrobe. Nevertheless, with votes in question, the ﬁrst lady is taking on, as The New York Times would say, the role of “motivator in chief.” More and more we are receiving news of Lady Obama hosting fundraisers and private events aimed towards gaining more votes for her husband. Michelle Obama is not alone, believe it or not. Throughout campaign and presidential history, candidates such as George Bush Sr. and John F. Kennedy, along with others, required a little extra help gaining needed support. Barbara Bush immersed herself in everything from projects with Republican Women’s groups and universal literacy to

Make Me A Sandwich Gender Roles Could Stand an Infusion of Humor Clara Everett

Columnist Let’s talk about women. I’m going to go ahead and say it: We’re great. Seriously, we are. We’re fun, cool and snuggly. But we can also be a little oversensitive. When it comes to sexist jokes, overreaction has become a little too common. Let’s take a hypothetical woman, for example. This scenario is all too realistic: “Make me a sandwich.” “How dare you! I’m an independent woman. You make me a sandwich, you sexist pig.” Seriously, do you have to be that rude about it? Good humor is one of the most important qualities a person can have, and you are clearly lacking in it. When you ask your

boyfriend to set up your DVR for you, does he have a freakout and accuse you of being a sexist pig? More often than not, that reaction is highly doubtful. Now, let’s get one thing straight. I was raised by a single mom, out in the country, where I mowed the lawn, made dinner, split wood, baked cupcakes, changed the oil in my car and quilted. I am a firm believer that women can do just about anything that men can and vice versa. I am far from sexist. The difference between me and the hypothetical woman mentioned above is that I have a sense of humor. However, let’s be honest. There are some things in life that simply are more specific to each gender. Men go fishing, women bake cookies. Men go out for beers, women go out for martinis. Men make home repairs, women make babies. It doesn’t mean that a woman can’t fix cars or that a

man can’t be a homemaker. It just means that it’s more common and socially accepted for it to be the other way around. Both sexes need to stop kidding themselves. Women and men are just diﬀerent. Yes, there are always exceptions to the rule, but generally, there are activities and issues that are of greater interest to one gender than the other. That’s just how it is. So, ladies, next time your man asks you to make him a sandwich, don’t freak out. I bet he does a lot for you, so why not thank him with some meat and cheese between a couple slices of bread? Whether you can make him a sandwich yourself, or have to go to Subway, I’m sure he’ll appreciate it. However, you really should know how to make a sandwich. It’s what women are for. Come on, people. I’m just kidding … or at least partially so!

the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Despite being in the lime light with voters who were dismayed at some of her beliefs, Barbara Bush stuck by her convictions and said, “The personal things should be left out of, in my opinion, platforms and conventions.” Her involvement in society added to her husband’s reputation and, over all, led to a more successful campaign. Jackie O was and is the pinnacle of fashion. John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, apart from being the first on the West Lawn of the Capitol, also gave way to the first world-wide, trend-setting fashion statement by a first lady. Sporting a high neckline and pearls, Jacqueline Kennedy’s wardrobe became the epitome of class and fashion in America in the 1960s. Jackie O wasn’t only applauded for her garment choices but also for advising her husband with his speeches and his Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Profiles in Courage,” responding to constituent mail

and reaching out to the Latin community. Fluent in Spanish, her outreach through a televised commercial regarding her husband’s election was able to reach a wider array of constituents and was even deemed to be one of the most influential political ads of all time by YouTube, as well as being part of the course content for Communication 230 at George Mason University. Past, present and likely in the future, behind every great man, there will be a great woman, and vice versa. Consequently, when we find out that the man in the Oval Office must lean on his wife for support, it sheds light on the use and meaning of this metaphor. Alone, a man is capable of a great deal. However with the support of a spouse, loved one, girlfriend or what have you, the trajectory for success will surely be aggrandized.

The Tebow Train We Should Examine Our Motives For Worshipping the ‘God of the Broncos’ Clara Everett

Columnist “Tim Tebow is the man.” Oh, really? Is he the man? How long have you held that opinion, exactly? Wow, only a few months? What a coincidence — that’s pretty comparable to the span of time for which he’s been extremely popular. There is a recent phenomena occurring in football. It’s called the “Tebow Train.” “Fans” hop on and oﬀ the Tebow Train at will, depending on Tebow’s success or failure at any given time. When Tebow is on a hot streak, Tebow Train’s popularity is boosted, and it seems that hordes of people want to talk about just how great they are. On the other hand, when the god of the Broncos is performing at a level less than magniﬁcent, Tebow fans are nowhere to be found. The sound level dwindles

from a deafening volume of gloating to, almost instantly, a browbeaten silence. Now, before I have outraged Tebow “fans” beat me up, let me add a disclaimer: Tim Tebow is a remarkable human being. He is godly, athletic, good-looking and just overall pristine. But his character, his looks and his athletic ability are not the issue here. The issue is his bandwagon, consisting of girls fawning over his purity and attractiveness and guys who are convinced that maybe, if they pull for Tebow, they’ll pick a winning team for once. Admittedly, there is also a smattering of true Broncos fans, but I’ll go ahead and say that they are not exactly the majority. Take the Patriots vs. Broncos game, for example. Before the game, conversations such as this could be heard in varying forms between friendly rivals across the country: “The Patriots are going to kill it tonight.” “Yeah right, bro. Tebow has God on his side. There’s no way the Broncos can lose. Oh and he’s still a virgin, too, in case you haven’t heard a million times already.”

The Broncos fans that used this logic, however, did not stop to fully consider the true essentials of the situation. While Tebow put his faith in Jesus, he failed to realize that Jesus was preoccupied playing quarterback for the Patriots under the alias Tom Brady. This statement is backed up by the incredible five — yes five — touchdowns that Brady passed in just the first half of the game, three of which were caught by Rob Gronkowski. See, Tebow-ers? Most teams have multiple great players — not just one superstar. The truth is that football imitates life. And in life, the “Gentleman’s Quarterly” cover model with Super Bowl rings and a supermodel wife beats a virgin any day of the week. Sorry, that’s how it is. Tebow fans, do you have anything to combat that with? No? Didn’t think so. So, Tebow Train passengers, let’s get real. Yes, he’s a great guy. Yes, he’s a good quarterback. But he is not the messiah you’re making him out to be. So please, for everyone’s sake, jump off the bandwagon and find a team you genuinely like, for reasons beyond one player’s good personal qualities.

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GOP Quick to Cast Out One of Their Own Romney the Victim of Unfair Scrutiny From Republican Party Madeline Eldridge

Columnist I was fully prepared to watch the Obama 2012 campaign caricature the GOP’s inevitable nominee, Mitt Romney, as a rapacious, blood-sucking capitalist who shuts down factories, kills jobs and converses in Wall Street parseltongue. It is to both my dismay and surprise that Republicans have been the ones leveraging such misleading attacks against Mr. Romney and, more importantly, against free enterprise itself. Mr. Romney’s GOP rivals have plenty of material to work with if they are looking to attack the frontrunner on his fiscally conservative credentials. From his support of ethanol subsidies, to his failure to present plans for sweeping tax and entitlement reform, to the infamous albatross otherwise known as “Romneycare,” Mr. Romney has long been known for putting politics before principle. Rather than attack Mr. Romney on these legitimate grounds, the frontrunner’s GOP rivals have instead elected to attack free-market capitalism with a series of sound bites, television advertisements, short films and other tools of agitprop intended to portray Mr. Romney as a parasitic leech who sucks companies dry before hightailing his way out of town with a multi-million dollar bonus in his back pocket. I’ll begin by addressing Mr. Romney’s tenure at the private equity firm, Bain Capital. When Mr. Romney began his tenure at Bain, he worked primarily in a field known as venture capital. Venture capitalists perform an invaluable role by providing early-stage funds to high-risk, high-return startups and small businesses. In fact, many companies whose products you most likely use on a daily basis got started with the assistance of venture capital. Have you listened to any music on your iPod lately? Have you checked your Facebook News Feed today? You can thank venture capitalists for that. During his time at Bain, Mr. Romney provided venture capital

to companies such as Staples and the Sports Authority. Using this early-stage funding as a catalyst, these companies proceeded to flourish and grow, in the process creating thousands of jobs as well as real wealth in the form of goods and services. Rick Perry has disparaged Mr. Romney as a “vulture capitalist,” but clever epithets will not change the fact that venture capitalists like Mr. Romney are indispensible to our economy insofar as they facilitate investment in fledgling firms and industries with high-growth potential. Having delved into Mr. Romney’s accomplishments as a venture capitalist, I would now like to discuss his role as a corporate raider, which has been subjected to intense scrutiny in recent weeks. Like venture capitalists, corporate raiders perform functions that are essential to our economy. Principally, corporate raiders help solve what is referred to in economics as the principalagent problem, or the problem that arises when an agent, such as a corporate manager, lacks sufficient incentives to act in the best interest of his principal — the shareholder. To quote a recent article from The Economist, “Post-war American capitalism was dominated by managers, not shareholders. These salaried sultans ruled over sprawling conglomerates with elaborate hierarchies and ornate headquarters. The three-martini lunch was de rigueur.” In other words, before the emergence of corporate raiders, corporate managers were known for mismanaging companies and padding their pockets at the expense of shareholders. Corporate raiders bundle money from investors and use that money to finance leveraged buyouts of underperforming firms. After purchasing a controlling stake in a firm, the corporate raider will overhaul the company and streamline its operations in an attempt to maximize the company’s profits. This process may involve senior management replacements, worker layoffs, factory shutdowns, asset sales and other measures aimed at reducing the company’s costs and increasing its profit margin. Once the company’s share values have increased, the raider sells his shareholdings to the pub-

lic at a substantial profit. Since corporate raiders only earn profits for themselves and their investors if they succeed in revamping the firm and, thereby, increasing its share values, they have every incentive to be successful in improving the firm’s operations and increasing its profitability. As of late, several GOP candidates and their super PACs, along with a plethora of media pundits, have decried the fact that Mr. Romney, in his capacity as a corporate raider, at times sold off company assets, shut down factories or laid off workers in an attempt to save companies from impending bankruptcy. I would like to remind these people (ahem, Newt Gingrich, ahem) that bankrupt companies don’t employ anybody. No corporation or industry is immune to the bottom line, nor is it immune to innovations in technology or exogenous shifts in consumer demand. Sometimes jobs must be cut or factories shut down in order to keep a company afloat. Other times, whole industries become superfluous due to the emergence of new and better technologies or changes in consumer preferences, in which case firms may be best served by liquidating their assets and investing in industries with a future. To quote Danny DeVito’s character Larry the Liquidator in the movie “Other People’s Money,” “You know, at one time there must have been dozens of companies making buggy whips. And I'll bet the last company around was the one that made the best goddamn buggy whip you ever saw. Now, how would you have liked to have been a stockholder in that company?” Personally, had I been a stockholder in a buggy whip manufacturing company way back when, I would have been happy to have a corporate raider swoop in, liquidate the company and make my stocks worth something again. It is also important to bear in mind that the term “stockholder” doesn’t solely encompass wealthy individuals. It encompasses individuals of all income levels, as well as institutional investors such as universities, pension funds, mutual funds and charitable foundations. The artificial delineation between Wall Street and Main Street is nothing more than a false

dichotomy. Nearly all citizens of this country have something at stake on Wall Street, be they college students, retirees or charity recipients. According to a film produced by a pro-Gingrich super PAC, Mr. Romney’s mission at Bain Capital was singular: “to reap massive rewards for himself and his investors.” This is absolutely true. The raison d’être of any firm in a free-market economy is to maximize returns for its investors. After all, why would anyone invest in a firm in the first place if they did not expect to see a positive return on their investment? Returns give investors an incentive to take risks, an incentive to lend their money to businesses that promise to put it to good use. Mr. Romney didn’t make money for himself and his investors by investing in startups that later went broke, or by taking over companies and then driving them into the ground. He made money by investing smartly in businesses that showed potential. He made money by turning around companies that were otherwise doomed to failure. Of course, like any investor, Mr. Romney did not succeed all of the time. But his record at Bain demonstrates clearly that he succeeded more often than not. In the end, we are all made better off by corporations and the private equity firms that invest in their good management and profitability. As consumers, we benefit when companies produce goods, services and technological innovations that increase our material well-being. As workers, we benefit when companies earn profits, because rising profits signal firms to expand and create new jobs. As stockholders we benefit when companies maximize profits and thereby increase the value of our shares. The beauty of free enterprise is that it ensures we all have a stake in the system. It gives each one of us an incentive to maximize wealth creation, job creation, technological advancement and economic efficiency. I am baffled by the fact that Mr. Romney’s detractors criticize him simply for following through on this incentive, but I am even more baffled by the fact that they criticize him for following through on it successfully.

SOPA: Overkill Has Never Hit So Close To Home Megaupload’s Demise the Beginning of the End Jeff Giorgi

Columnist When I hopped online Wednesday morning, I couldn’t have been happier with what I saw. My Facebook wall was flooded with anti-SOPA and anti-PIPA sentiments including quick links to write your local congressmen and let them know how much you detest the proposed bill. Just the day before, hardly anyone knew what SOPA or PIPA were. Then Wikipedia, Craigslist and even Google went black for a day to support opposition to the bill. That’s how you get people to pay attention. Prior to the black out the MPAA commented on the event saying, “A so-called ‘blackout’ is yet another gimmick, albeit a dangerous one, designed to punish elected and administration officials who are working diligently to protect American jobs from foreign criminals. It is our hope that the White House and the Congress will call on those who intend to stage this blackout to stop the hyperbole and PR stunts and engage in meaningful efforts to combat piracy.” Well, that’s one way of looking at it. But the simple fact is this bill is being written by people who have zero clue about what the Internet is exactly. They are in fact writing a bill so broad that it would mean the end of the Internet as we know it. Goodbye GIFS and memes. Oh, you enjoy looking up videos on YouTube and posting them on your Tumblr? Hope you also enjoy five years in prison.

The word “nerd” has been a popular way for supporters of the bill to try to hide their lack of knowledge about the workings on the Internet. Hell, even I won’t claim that I know nearly enough about how it all works, but I do know that even if a shotgun will kill a fly, that doesn’t mean that that’s the appropriate tool for the job. Megaupload, the popular file-sharing site, has just been shut down; several of their top executives now face a number of fines and jail time. I understand that there were probably a plethora of copyrighted films available for download, but at the same time there were also a number of films that people have every right to download. In 2010, the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus claimed the site was “overwhelmingly used for the global exchange of illegal movies, music and other copyrighted works.” In the court case Atari Europe S.A.S.U. v. Rapidshare AG, a higher regional court in Dusseldorf it was declared that most of the traffic on the site was legal and that to assume otherwise warranted unjustified suspicion against all file-sharing sites and their users. Most of these sites are based out of foreign countries which is why the U.S. government is trying to get SOPA passed, because at this point there is nothing they can necessarily do. In a world where the meaning of freedom is constantly called into question, the Internet is a last refuge and it’s being attacked by Hollywood and dumdum politicians. I urge you all to reach out to your representatives and let them know that you oppose SOPA and PIPA. For more information go to americancensorship.org

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Sports

The number of blocked shots freshman Erik Copes recorded in the ﬁrst half of a game on Jan. 12 against Drexel. That total ranked second all-time in Mason history.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Too Tough to Handle

Photo by John Powell

Since 2012 began, Morrison is averaging almost 13 points and seven rebounds per game for the first-place Patriots.

Morrison Asserting His Dominance in the New Year Cody Norman Managing Editor Welcome to Fairfax, the home of the George Mason Country Club. The Patriots have a reputation across the CAA as the finesse team. Their scouting report says that you can get under their skin, punch them in the mouth and they’ll sit back and take it. After all, this is Fairfax, Va., one of the wealthiest cities in the United States. But, since the arrival of Paul Hewitt, Mason has gotten tougher. They’ve gotten meaner, more tenacious and more inclined to punch than be punched. “They say the scouting report on us is that we’re soft,” Mike Morrison said. “They say you can push us around, you can punch us in the face and nothing will happen. But I know [Ryan Pearson] isn’t going to let that happen and I’m not either.” Late in the first half against Delaware last week, Morrison

stood nose to nose with the Blue Hens’ forward Hakim McCullar just minutes after McCullar shoved him to the hardwood on the opposite end of the floor. Both players were assessed technical fouls but that moment was the epitome of Morrison’s growth this season. “We play physical down there. Sometimes fouls will be called on us, sometimes fouls will be called on them. Sometimes there will be technical fouls, as long as it’s in the spirit of the game.” Coming into this season, it was obvious that Morrison had gained a significant amount of muscle. He was much quicker, much stronger with the basketball and had picked up a variety of post moves from new assistant coach Roland Houston. And with those developments, the 6-foot-9 forward has made significant strides on both sides of the basketball. Since the turn of the new year, Morrison has averaged almost 13 points a game while snatching down bet-

ter than seven rebounds a night. He’s been active defensively, recording 16 blocked shots in seven games in 2012. “When you have confidence you can score, you will,” Morrison said. “Coach Houston is a great big man coach and he’s done a great job of instilling that confidence in me.” Again on Wednesday night, Morrison accepted the challenge of going head-to-head with the nation’s fourth-best rebounder, Jamelle Hagins, and dominated the matchup. He scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds compared to just 10 points and six rebounds from Hagins. As one of three seniors on the team, Morrison has solidified his role as not only a productive member of the team, but a vocal leader for the Patriots. He took the reins this offseason, serving as the voice for the team and helping to retain a strong team bond despite losing a number of key components to last year’s Colonial Athletic Association regular season championship team.

Morrison plays the game with incredible emotion. His high-flying dunks and impressive blocked shots ignite the Patriot Center crowds but, at times, serve as the Achilles heel for the St. Petersburg, Fla., native. “He’s working. We’ve got his free throw shooting to improve. We’ve got everything improved. Now we just have to get him to stop talking to the referees,” Paul Hewitt joked after Wednesday night’s win over Delaware. Morrison has built an impressive collegiate career due in large part to his intensity. His emotional outbursts fire up the crowds as well as fellow senior forward Ryan Pearson. Since coming to Mason in 2008, the front court tandem has built an incredible bond both on and off the floor. They pick each other up and continue to enjoy playing the game of basketball – potentially their last season together – side by side. “We’re just trying to enjoy our last year together,” Morrison said. “If one of us is yelling, both

of us are yelling.” Pearson continued: “We came in together and we’re going out together. We are the leaders of this team and we have a different way of leading. We go out there, screaming and yelling, and we get our team fired up.” Both Morrison and Pearson are in the top-20 in the conference in scoring, leading the way for the Patriots to retain the top spot in the conference heading into February. “When Ryan gets an andone, it makes me want to get down there and get me an andone, too,” Morrison said. “We just build off of each other.” With conference victories over Delaware and Towson last week, Mason holds destiny in their own hands as they sit atop the CAA with a 7-1 conference record. They’ll host UNC Wilmington on Monday before heading to Towson for a one-game road trip and returning home to host James Madison on Saturday.

Remaining Schedule 1/23 vs. UNCW, 9 pm 1/25 @ Hofstra, 7 pm 1/28 vs. JMU, 2 pm 2/01 vs. Delaware, 7 pm 2/04 vs. ODU, 5 pm 2/08 vs. Hofstra, 7 pm 2/11 @ UNCW, 7 pm 2/14 vs. VCU, 9 pm 2/17 vs. Bracketbuster 2/22 @ NU, 7 pm 2/25 @ VCU, 4 pm 3/02 - 3/05 CAA Tournament in Richmond, Va.

Vote for the Patriot Platoon Student Section in running for best in the nation Cody Norman Managing Editor

Photo by John Powell The Platoon’s recognition as one of the top student sections in the nation is due in large part to the energy Doc Nix and the Green Machine bring to every home game.

Fewer things create a buzz like a men’s basketball game at the Patriot Center. Dosimeters in the building tip the scales at more than 100 decibels as the Patriots, who owned one of the longest home winning streaks in the nation entering this season, cruise past opponents. Doc Nix and the Green Machine rock the arena with performances that rival the Best Damn Band in the Land, prompting Mason fans to Don’t Stop Believing with a unique rendition of Journey’s 1981 hit. The Patriot Center personifies the meaning of home court advantage. It is the reason the Patriots went on a 645-day home winning streak that stretched from

March 2009 to December 2011. It is the reason the Patriots haven’t lost a home conference game in over a year. And it is an atmosphere that compares to few schools in the nation, an atmosphere that many strive to achieve. As a part of the 2012 Naismith Awards, Mason’s own Patriot Platoon has been nominated as one of the top 80 selections for Student Section of the Year. Representing 21 conferences, including the Big East and Big Ten Conferences, the Naismith Award will go to the loudest, most passionate fans in the nation and will be decided the fans in two rounds of public votes combined with a scoring of finalists by the Naismith Awards Boards of Selectors. The award will take into consideration criteria such as the student section’s name and atten-

dance, as well as photos, video and a write-up submitted by the nominating school. Fans can vote once every 24 hours for their favorite student section. Rankings will be posted every Friday through Feb. 12 at Facebook.com/ILoveCollegeHoops.

Scan the QR Code into your smart phone and vote now for the Patriot Platoon as top student section in the nation.

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A Fan’s Perspective

Freshman Year Report Card

Section124 Daniel Zimmet Patriot Platoon Member There are hundreds of players in NCAA Division-I basketball that have ball-handling skills or can knock down tough shots. However, a high basketball IQ is what sets good players apart from great players. As we roll past the midway point of this season, the progression of the young freshmen talent on our team is extremely important. Corey Edwards, Vaughn Gray and Erik Copes are all slowly developing and finding their niche in this Paul Hewitt coaching system. As aforementioned, a high basketball IQ is an essential attribute that players need to have to play at a higher level in college basketball. All three of our freshmen have not only a high IQ, but also the ability to continue to learn and improve their game while they are here. Edwards started the season extremely well but has gradually played very average possibly due to the tough physical grind of playing in the NCAA. Gray was

extremely tentative at first but has slowly began to find his stroke. Finally, Copes has shown his big man power moves and has been a steady player while improving each game. Edwards is a quick passing, wide-vision type of true point guard. Aside from Andre Cornelius, who naturally scores points, he could be considered the only true point guard on the team. Fans need to look past the fact the he doesn’t score points for Mason. Although he has yet to accumulate over nine points in a game, he is a player that sees the court extremely well and kicks out passes for others to rack up points. His hands are also extremely quick. One on one against a defender means he’s in his ideal situation to pick up a steal which leads to fast breaks and more shots for us. Vaughn Gray has taken a little while to get into his Mason basketball flow. I think one of his main problems was that he doesn’t quite know where he fits into the team. All of the recruiting profiles clearly state that he is a slasher but, so far at Mason, he has been a shooter. On The Morning Breakdown radio show

on WGMU, Mike Morrison even talked about how he believes that Gray is the next Cam Long. His size and shooting ability allows him to flex between shooting guard and small forward. Aside from Sherrod Wright, in my opinion, he is the only other player that can switch between those two positions instantly without any experience trying it out. Finally, Gray has found his shot. It’s clear that he is going to be a catch and shoot player. His quick release allows for minimal spacing between him and the defender, which will be exciting to watch for years to come. If anyone follows the hashtag #MasonMBB on Twitter, you will know that #CopesBlockParty was nearly trending in the game against Drexel. It is pretty clear what his role is going to be for his time here. It seems like he can almost predict where a player is going to drive to hoop from and anticipates his blocks before they happen. Morrison also stated on The Morning Breakdown that he predicts that Copes will break the current Mason record for most blocks in a season, which was set by George Evans at 210. The CAA

record might be even tougher to top which is 516 set by Navy’s David Robinson. Copes also has a turnaround floater that will be tough to defend. Since he is still just a freshman, he is still figuring out the perfect touch. However, once he figures it out, I think we’re going to see some points and blocks out of him. With the help of Uncle Roland, Copes is going to develop into not only a dominant CAA player, but I believe a dominant NCAA player as well. With these three guys leading the charge as the future of our program, the CAA should be put on watch for many years to come. Many coaches have mentioned that Coach Hewitt is able recruit just about any player he wants and fit them into his system exactly as he plans. As the years roll through and more and more freshmen classes come through, we’re going to see an even more dominant Mason basketball team in an already proven Paul Hewitt system.

Check out more from Daniel Zimmet at Courtside Seats online at CourtsideSeats.OnMason.com or scan the QR Code to the right into your smart phone.

Patriots Surprise the Rams, 71-58

Monday, January 23, 2012 | 9

Despite Incredible Career, Legacy of Joe-Pa Rightfully Tarnished Forever Cody Norman Managing Editor Football defined his life. And, consequently, football caused his death. Through 61 years as coach of the Penn State football program, Joe Paterno became the epitome of the Nittany Lions. He was at the forefront of many “We are – Penn State” cheers that echoed throughout the student body. He was the most celebrated man at a university whose high standards and graduation rates far outweighed his incredible success on the football field. Like the institution, his legacy was as solid as the Paterno statue that adorns the front of Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa. He had arrived at a rural college in 1950 as an assistant coach and was promoted to head coach in 1966. Under his guidance, Penn State grew into a public research university, all the while winning more games than any other coach in history. His teams regularly posted high graduation rates as his team ranked No. 1 academically out of the top 25 football teams in 2009 and 2011 by the New America Foundation’s Academic Bowl Championship Series. Behind such athletic and academic success, Paterno became the holier-than-thou figure whose community involvement and worshipped ideals were acknowledged across the country. He was, to some, the best thing that had ever happened to college football. Yet, after 61 years on the campus, Paterno was left to clear out his Happy Valley office in shame on Nov. 9. Worse still, after sexual molestation accusations surfaced against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, Penn State’s reputation as a clean, high-quality institution was flushed -- right along with the legacy of Joe Paterno. And rightfully so. His legacy as the average-Joe who could do no wrong is over. Despite his claims of ignorance, Paterno knew about what was happening the campus that, in

his own words, he ran. He had to know. According to grand jury report, graduate assistant coach Mike McQueary approached him with disturbing news after walking into the locker room late one night to the sight of Sandusky and a young, defenseless boy “fondling” one another in the shower. And, for once, Paterno’s holier-than-thou morals were to be put to the test. A rational man, the man who many people thought was Joe Paterno, would have taken reports directly to the police. They would have been so horriﬁed by stories of someone molesting young children in a locker room that nothing -- not even the sanctity of a football program -- would have stopped them. But Paterno did nothing more than call his superiors and dust his hands clean, leaving them to sweep reports under the rug and allow the holy legacy of Penn State, the legacy that Paterno himself worked so hard to build, to continue. Paterno knew. He knew about the disgusting events that were taking place in his locker room and made the choice to turn a blind eye toward it all. Not because he didn’t care; no, not Joe Paterno. But because he didn’t care enough. The legacy of a campus legend is forever tarnished. And it is tarnished for good reason. If he could not be swayed to report such repulsive events to authorities because, as he said, he aimed to “build up, not tear down,” then what else was Paterno keeping hidden that, now following his death, the world will likely never know? The character of a man shines brightest when no one is looking. So who was Joe Paterno, really? Throughout his 61 years in State College, Paterno preached and he advised all of his teams to “play as hard as you can, don’t be stupid, pay attention to details and have enough guts in the clutch that you’re not afraid to make a play.” And, by all accounts, Joe Paterno failed.

CLASSIFIED Help Wanted FEMALE TALENT/HOST(s) NEEDED for local tv show on Cox, Channel 10. We cover live events such as music events, film festivals, DC Fashion Week, parttime, no experience necessary Call Chris 703-655-7273

Janaa Pickard is averaging nine points per game for the women’s basketball team this season after sitting out her sophomore year with an injury.

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There isn’t a better place to get your start than Broadside. Stop by the Student Media Office in Student Union Building II or email Cody Norman at cnorman2@ masonlive.gmu.edu to find out how you can get involved today.

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Need weekday evening and weekend help for picking/dropping our children from/to school/home for after school activities- driving limited to Fairfax county (15 miles or less from McLean). Looking for reliable, mature and responsible student with a car, cell phone & good driving record. Will offer attractive compensation. Please email with your contact number : vshankarmd@gmail.com

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Welcome to George Mason from Parking Services and the Office of Parking & Transportation! Your 1st class assignment : Pass Parking 101! To help you out, we copied the professor’s notes. Parking 101-Some Tips to Help Get You Started 1. Parking lots fill up fast-Allow extra time, especially the 1st few weeks of class to find a space. 2. Tuesdays and Thursdays (including the evenings) are the busiest days on campus. 3. On the busiest of days, it is recommended that those arriving to campus later in the morning park at the Field House as the lots on east campus will often fill-a 15 minute walk to the Johnson Center. Also, don’t forget that general lot permits are valid on Levels 1-2 of Rappahannock River Parking Deck (but not in the visitor area). 4. There’s even a free shuttle that will take you from West Campus Lot & the Field House to east campus. Check out http://shuttle.gmu.edu for info on the shuttle’s hours of operation. 5. Parking permits are required to park in any lot on Mason property. 6. Always read the signs to know if a lot or area is restricted to a certain type of permit. Don’t ever park in reserved, service/repair, state vehicle and administrative spaces. 7. Parking lots are enforced all year round, including the 1 st week of classes and even when classes are not in session. Don’t believe the myths and rumors about a grace period. 8. Check the parking website http://parking.gmu.edu for the latest information regarding hours of enforcement and other important news affecting parking on campus and even when classes are not in session. 9. If you’re a commuter student and want to save some money, you can park in the West Campus Lot located by the softball stadium. Parking at the West Campus Lot is only $90 for the entire year. Please note that all freshman residents will be required to park in the West Campus Lot (or can buy a Rappahannock River Deck, Lot I, or Lot J reserved permit). The West Campus Express shuttle from West Campus Lot will run from the West Campus Lot to the Field House, to Rappahannock River Lane and then to President’s Park from 7am-1am M-F and 2pm-1am on Sunday. 10. Visitor parking is available in Mason Pond, Shenandoah (formerly Sandy Creek), and Rappahannock River Parking Decks as well as metered lots. 11. Pay attention to your Mason email as students are often emailed about temporary lot closures. 12. Information about online permit sales and online citation appeals and payment options is available at http://parking.gmu.edu. 13. Reserved student permits for Rappahannock River Parking Deck and Lots I&J are still available! 14. Find out where the next shuttle is at any stop using the new NextBus system-you’ll never have to ask where the bus is again! http://www.nextbus.com 15. Always contact Parking Services if you have questions or concerns! We’re located in the Parking Services building next to the Shenandoah (formerly Sandy Creek) Parking Deck. You can also call us at 993-2710 or email us at parking@gmu.edu 16. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook at http://twitter.com/MasonParking, http://twitter.com/MasonShuttles, and www.facebook.com/MasonParkingTransportation

Tired of driving on the crowded area streets and highways? Want to save $$$$ instead of buying a parking permit? If you are, Mason is giving you options so you don’t have to drive your vehicle to campus. Check out http://transportation.gmu.edu for details! Don’t forget-you can bicycle or walk to campus as well if you’re close! New bike lanes , bike racks, and bike shelters added around campus-check out http://bike.gmu.edu! Zimride Have a car? Need a ride? Check out http://zimride.gmu.edu for information on ridesharing Mason to Metro Shuttle You can ride the Mason to Metro Shuttle which runs between the Fairfax Campus and Vienna Metro station from 6:00am to midnight M-F. There is also extended service until 3:30am on Fridays , from 8:30pm to 3:30am on Saturday nights, and 5:30pm-11:30pm on Sundays to help you get back and forth to DC! For more info, go to: http://shuttle.gmu.edu Prince William Shuttle You can ride for free on the Prince William shuttle that runs back and forth between the Fairfax and Prince William campuses between 7am-10:20pm M-F. The shuttle also stops at the Target at Manassas Mall. For more info, go to: http://shuttle.gmu.edu Gunston Go Bus The new Gunston Go Bus provides service from Fairfax campus to University Mall, Fair Lakes Center, Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax Corner, and Old Town Fairfax from 3pm-10pm-now 7 days a week with late hours until 1am on Friday-Saturday. CUE Bus You can take the CUE Bus-IT’S FREE!!!! Just show your Mason ID and you can ride for free on any of the City of Fairfax CUE buses. They all pick-up at the bus stop on Fairfax campus at the CUE bus stop adjacent to the Rappahannock River Parking Deck and can take you to various places in Fairfax with all routes winding up at the Vienna Metro Station. For more info go to: http://www.fairfaxva.gov/CUEBus/CUEBus.asp Metro Rail From the Vienna Metro Station you can take the Orange line to the Arlington campus or beyond into DC. The Virginia Square Metro stop is only 2 short blocks to the GMU Arlington campus. West Campus Express The new West Campus Express operates from 7am-1am M-F and 2pm-1am on Sundays, providing service between Presidents Park and West Campus lot, with stops in between at Rappahannock River Ln and the Field House. The shuttle has no set schedule but there will be a bus approximately every 15-20 minutes. Campus Circulator The Campus Circulator operates from 8am-11pm, providing service around Patriot Circle every 10-15 minutes with stops at Sandy Creek, Mattaponi River Ln, Concert Hall, Aquia Creek Ln, Chesapeake River Ln, Masonvale, and Presidents Park. Zipcar Need a car? Cars on campus by the hour or day. Gas and insurance included. Get special rates at zipcar.com/gmu. For all shuttle information, go to http://shuttle.gmu.edu or email us at shuttle@gmu.edu. If you have any questions or suggestions, email transportation@gmu.edu. Follow us at www.facebook.com/MasonParkingTransportation or http://twitter.com/MasonShuttles and http://twitter.com/MasonParking.