Broadside February 27, 2012 Issue

Charity Work Pi Kappa Phi charity aims to help the disabled.

NEWS • Page 2

Coming Soon: Rugby

Hunger Games 101 Let us satiate your hunger for all things Hunger Games.

STYLE • Page 5

Rugby team preps for Spring season — catch all the details here.

SPORTS • Page 12

George Mason University’s Student Newspaper Volume 88 Issue 16

Patriots Claim No. 3 Seed in CAA Tournament After Loss to VCU Men’s Basketball to Take Two-Game Losing Streak to Richmond

Committee: Professor Guilty of Research Misconduct Edward Wegman Asked to Apologize and Retract Study Adam Sylvain C2M Managing Editor

Photo by: Stephen Kline

Senior Ryan Pearson watchs the final minutes Saturday’s game at Virginia Commonwealth University from the end of the bench after fouling out.

Get the whole story on page 10.

Review

Blake Shelton Plays Patriot Center Students Line Up for Incandescent Performance Krista Germanis Asst. Style Editor The Patriot Center was packed Saturday evening for the Blake Shelton concert.

Audience members got their money’s worth too, seeing opening acts Justin Moore and “The Voice” contestant Dia Frampton.

Each of the acts played several songs and got the crowd excited before Blake Shelton came out.

He had quite the entrance, descending from a platform onto the stage while colored lights flashed and the bass shook the whole arena.

He kicked off the night singing “Footloose” and “All About Tonight.” Once he secured the attention of the audience, Shelton began telling stories and asking them questions.

Shelton is one of the most humble people in show business; he made a point to say multiple times how grateful he was for his fans and how he really is just a regular guy. He held audience members’ hands, threw guitar picks into the crowd and thanked select individuals for the posters they held up.

It was evident Shelton really cared about his fans and really paid attention to them. “[Seeing so many people in the Patriot Center] made me a little bit nervous, y’all,” Shelton said. “When I get nervous I tend to drink, all right? I can already tell I like you all, by the way. I don’t wanna be like that kinda guy that says that way too early.

But there’s somethin’ going on here between me and y’all. I don’t know if you noticed or not.”

He then went into singing “Home,” one of his most popular

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February 27, 2012

A university investigative committee has concluded that George Mason University professor Edward Wegman is responsible for misconduct in a co-authored study published in the journal Computational Statistics & Data Analysis.

The committee’s findings were released Wednesday in a statement issued by Provost Peter Stearns to Mason faculty.

“The relevant committee did find that plagiarism occurred in contextual sections of the [Computational Statistics] article as a result of poor judgment for which Professor Wegman, as team leader, must bear responsibility,” said Stearns in the statement.

According to Stearns, the statement to faculty is one of three sanctions levied by the university in response to the findings. Wegman has also been asked to apologize to the journal and to retract the study.

Additionally, an official letter of reprimand will be placed in Wegman’s file.

The letter of reprimand is a document which outlines the results of the committee’s investigation and states Wegman’s responsibility for the misconduct, according to Stearns.

Throughout the course of the investigation and now following the committee’s findings, Wegman maintains his position with the university as a professor in the Department of Statistics.

“The conduct applied to introductory elements of an article, not to the essential research findings of the article,” Stearns said. “Had it been a more serious case, the sanctions would have been more serious.”

Results of the investigation, as noted in the statement, conclude that Wegman is responsible for misconduct in one of two separate reports called into question: a 2008 article appearing in Computational Statistics & Data Analysis and a 2006 congressional report critical of scientists’ reconstructions of past climate conditions.

According to Stearns, the investigation involved four committees in total. Both charges were first brought to separate committees for inquiry. Once the charges of both

actions were deemed to warrant investigation, each charge was moved to two separate faculty investigative committees.

The faculty committee responsible for investigating the 2006 congressional report unanimously concluded that no scientific misconduct occurred. The separate committee in charge of investigating the Computational Statistics & Data Analysis study found that misconduct did occur in “contextual elements” of that article. This was also a unanimous decision, according to Stearns.

Plagiarism allegations surfaced in 2009 when retired computer scientist John Mashey published an analysis of Wegman’s reports on the Deep Climate website.

Wegman responded to Mashey’s allegations in the fall of 2010, in an email to C2M. "I will say that there is a lot of speculation and conspiracy theory in John Mashey's analysis which is simply not true," Wegman said. “We are not the bad guys…We have never intended that our Congressional testimony was intended to take intellectual credit for other scholars' work.”

Wegman called the charges against him “unprecedented in my 42 years as an academic and scholar."

The university began its investigation into plagiarism charges in 2010 following a complaint filed by University of Massachusetts professor Raymond Bradley. The complaint accused Wegman of plagiarizing one of Bradley’s textbooks and copying information from other sources, including Wikipedia.

In the faculty statement, Stearns addressed criticism from some who believe the university failed to quickly render judgment and was disinterested in the charges.

“While our procedure is indeed prolonged, in part because of federal requirements and in part to assure due process,” Stearns said. “Any implication of lack of concern is entirely misplaced.”

C2M has reached out to Wegman for comment.

Story taken from Connect2Mason

Student Club Promotes Bike Use, Sustainability Photo by: Jake McLernon

Blake Shelton played to a sold-out crowd Saturday at the Patriot Center. His hits include “God Gave Me You,” “Honeybee” and “Drink on It.” songs, so the audience could sing God’s sakes. It’s what you’re sup- songs.” along with him. posed to do — sing and listen to He then proceeded to sing Shelton did a great job relat- country music. Drink beer and his first hit song, “Austin,” as the ing to his audience, which was raise hell, ain’t that right?” crowd went crazy. filled with college students and The concert was fantastic.

Some other songs that were country music fans. He talked a The atmosphere was energetic played throughout the concert inlot about drinking and made and fun, and the performers were cluded “Drink On It,” “Kiss My jokes about how his record com- running and dancing all over the Country Ass,” “Ol’ Red,” “Honeypany was not happy with him for stage. bee” and “Hillbilly Bone,” foltelling everyone he drinks while Towards the end of the show, lowed by an encore performance performing.

Shelton decided to play some of with his newest single, “God Gave “I’ve gotta drink a drink of his earlier hit songs.

Me You.” my drink,” Shelton said as he took “I actually have songs even After the show, Shelton a sip of what he implied was alco- older than that crap,” he said. “Yes tweeted, “Thank you Fairfax!!!!!!! I hol. “It’s a good time for y’all to do I do, yes I do. I actually have a love y’all so much I just pissed that too, by the way. I mean we’re song that’s really old. It was my myself to write message instead just all hangin’ out around here, first song. But I don’t want to be of a bathroom break...” listening to country music for an old bastard up here singin’ old

Free U-Locks Available for Mason Bike Riders Nathan Dorfman Staff Writer George Mason University’s cycling club is gearing up for another exciting semester on campus.

“This is the club’s second semester in existence,” said student liaison officer Patrick Harvey, a senior psychology major.

The cycling club has two primary goals: building a cycling community on campus and promoting cycling as a form of sustainable transportation in Northern Virginia.

“Now we’re just really trying to get people who enjoy cycling to

ride together,” Harvey said.

Although the cycling club has no official partnerships, it collaborates with the Mason Transportation Department and the Office of Sustainability.

Together, the cycling club and Transportation Department are offering free u-locks this semester, as part of an on-campus bike registration program.

“U-locks are a much more secure way of locking up bikes than a cable lock,” Harvey said.

Through the registration program, students would provide

See BIKES, Page 3

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3,000

The amount in dollars that Push America raised at last year’s Miss Push America beauty pageant

Monday, February 27, 2012

Event Calendar Monday, Feb. 27 Love Your Body Week Feb. 27 – March 2

Tuesday, Feb. 28 El Salvador Today: 20 Years After the Peace Johnson Center, Cinema 4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 29 Open Climb at the EDGE Prince William Campus, The EDGE 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Information Session: Department of Homeland Security The Hub, Rooms 4 and 5 5 p.m.

Women's Basketball: JMU Patriot Center 7 p.m.

2012 Sojourner Truth Preface: Scarred Justice Johnson Center, Cinema 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 1 Women’s History Month March1– 31 BHM: Minority Bone Marrow Drive Student Union Building I, Patriots Lounge 2 – 4 p.m.

Gbay Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall 8 – 11 p.m.

Friday, March 2 Concert: Big Time Rush Patriot Center 7 p.m.

PB Annual Battle of the Bands Walnut Street Theatre: Proof 8 p.m.

Pi Kappa Phi ‘Push’es Mason Fraternity-Run Charity Aims to Help Individuals with Severe Handicaps Justin Lalputan News Editor Pi Kappa Phi’s chapter at George Mason University is raising awareness and money to help the severely handicapped with its Push America program. The fraternity hopes to recapture the success of last year, when it raised roughly $3,000 at its Miss Push America Annual Pageant.

According to junior global affairs major William Callahan, historian of the Push America effort on Mason’s campus, Push stands for “promoting the understanding of the severely handicapped.”

Push America is a nonprofit organization created in 1977 by members of Pi Kappa Phi to help individuals with severe handicaps.

The effort has spread across the nation to different chapters of the fraternity in the years since.

Pi Kappa Phi plans on holding the Miss Push America Annual Pageant on April 14. Students are encouraged to attend, and a nominal entrance fee will be donated to Push America.

This year, Pi Kappa Phi plans on incorporating more student organizations into the event.

“Last year was basically just fraternities and sororities because we had a limited scope and limited time. This year, we’re trying to reach out to all organizations if we can,” said sophomore Nikhil Bali, Push America chair.

For last year’s Miss Push America beauty pageant, Pi Kappa Phi reached out to sororities and a few organizations for involvement. In all, 10 students participated.

Each of the 10 participants,

Photo by Mikey Powers

Contestants in the Miss Push America beauty pageant are featured above. This year’s pageant will be on April 14 and will be featured as a part of Pi Kappa Phi’s Push America program. all of whom were female, were told that part of the contest was raising $100, Callahan said.

“Each girl raised about $700 dollars by herself,” Callahan said.

“Then we had the beauty pageant, and we ended up raising about $3,000. It was probably the biggest Push event we’ve had on campus.”

Pi Kappa Phi donates the money from the Push America effort on campus to the national organization, which then uses the money in programs to help handicapped individuals.

One such program is Build America which builds houses for severely handicapped people who

cannot afford housing for themselves. They also help build wheelchair ramps and improve accessibility.

Though nothing has been set in stone yet, Pi Kappa Phi plans to have the events be more campusoriented, and it also plans on reaching out to other fraternities for support, Bali said.

“It’s not really about whose fraternity you’re in. It’s about helping out these kids,” Bali said.

This year, in addition to the Miss Push America Pageant, Pi Kappa Phi also plans on having a week of events, ideally including some cycling events, Bali said.

Mason Inn Changes Management Crestline Hotel & Resorts to Take Over for Aramark Mason Inn at a Glance:

PB Annual Battle of the Bands The Hub, Ballroom 8 p.m.

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

Feb. 19

Trespass Warning Starbucks Subject was trespassed form Starbucks. (41/Rapoli)

Feb. 22

Feb. 21

Possession of Marijuana Braddock Rd. and Roanoke Rd. Possession of Marijuana. Patrick Michael, 20, of Silver Spring, MD (Non-GMU) was issued a summons for the above offense and released. (50/Issa)

Feb. 20

Feb. 18

POLICE FILES Warrant Service.

HQ David Vernburg, 20, of Fairfax, VA (GMU) was arrested on an outstanding warrant for assault. He was taken to Fairfax ADC where he was released on an secured bond. (51/Huete)

Simple Assault Potomac Heights Victim reported a past occurred assault. Prosecution was declined. (49/Broughton) Driving Under the Influence Ox Rd. /Braddock Rd Sean Callahan, 23 (Non-GMU) of Springfield, VA was arrested for DUI. Subject was transported and released over to the Fairfax County ADC. (46/McCartan & 56/Lighthiser) Accident Roanoke River Lane Four vehicle accident without injuries. Vehicles traveling too close and failed to pay attention. Estimated damages $5800.00. (47/Bietch).

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

Broadside does not make any changes to public records.

Push America has also been associated with cycling, dating back to the Journey of Hope event which began in 1988. In the Journey of Hope, members of Pi Kappa Phi bike from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. Pi Kappa Phi urges members of the community to come out and support the events.

“It’s a good feeling helping those who have not been given the same opportunities as you,” Bali said, “even if you came and gave your one dollar, and you sat down and clapped and danced with them, it’s amazing.”

Photo by Mikey Powers Photo by Stephen Kline

-Opened Sept.

21, 2010 -148 rooms -Standard rate: $149/night -10 Conference rooms -LEED-certified Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council

The change in management at the Mason Inn from Aramark to Crestline Hotel & Resorts may result in several changes in the way the hotel is run. Crestline Hotel & Resorts is a locally based company.

Hannah Smith Asst. News Editor The Mason Inn is changing management, effective April 1.

Crestline Hotel & Resorts will take over for Aramark, which has been in charge of operations since the hotel opened in 2010. The move is due in part to the recent volatility of the economy.

The business plan for the Inn was created in the pre-recessionary economic climate, according to George Mason University Senior- Vice President Maurice Scherrens. When the real estate market changed fundamentally, so too did the hotel industry.

“All of our original assumptions were no longer the proper foundation for the business partnership,” said Scherrens in an email. The Inn did not meet the occupancy rates that had been projected, and the turnover for managerial positions was high.

The Conference Center was offtarget from the amount of business that was expected from the local community.

However, unlike Aramark, Crestline is based locally in Fairfax.

“They understand the Fairfax market and how to serve the Fairfax community,” said Gregg Toney, assistant vice president of Auxiliary Enterprises, which oversees the Mason Inn. He believes that Crestline will bring in more local businesses to the Conference Center.

There are also economic advantages to selecting a locally based company. For one, transportation costs will be cut significantly.

Most of the changes to the Mason Inn will happen behind the scenes. Crestline has a “superior training program,” said Toney, which will help the Inn retain good employees. In addition,

Crestline will have a different overall style in the way it manages the Inn. “I suspect that you will experience a different ‘feel’ to the venue after April first,” Scherrens said. “We [also] expect the restaurant to have a different focus, which should help establish the venue as a destination restaurant for the community.”

When asked about the possibility of a rates increase, both Scherrens and Toney said that the issue has yet to be decided. The Mason Inn is expected to have a greater share of the local market, and the future rates will reflect market competitiveness.

As for possible lay-offs after the transition, some of the nonmanagerial staff have been offered jobs. The rest may be transferred to other hotels or conference centers managed by Aramark.

Crestline was chosen over 12 other hospitality companies, in-

broadsideonline.com

cluding Ararmark, that submitted proposals to manage the Mason Inn, Toney said.

The Mason Inn is funded by self-generated revenue. The profits from the Inn go directly back into the university to fund scholarships and to pay off debt, as stated in Auxiliary Enterprise’s annual budget report.

Therefore, the choice to have Crestline manage the Mason Inn came down to revenue. The economic viability of the Inn contributes to the overall economic viability of the university, as is the case with the University Bookstore and the Patriot Center, which are also under the umbrella of Auxiliary Enterprises.

“We’re not in the business of making money for the sake of making money,” Toney said. “We make money with the idea of trying to keep tuition and fees and student expenditures as low as possible.”

Broadside

News

Monday, February 27, 2012 | 3

Construction Begins on Panda Express Expected to Open Third Week of April

Photo by Stephen Kline

The furnaces in the Heating and Cooling Plant provide the majority of campus with both heating and domestic hot water. Employees working at the plant moniter the furnaces 24 hours a day to ensure maximum engergy efficiency.

Mason Uses Energy-Efficient Heating Heating and Cooling Plant Utilizes High-Temperature Hot Water Justin Lalputan News Editor George Mason University is utilizing the latest, most innovative technology to provide students with energy-efficient heating and cooling on campus.

“We use a high-temperature hot water system, not steam,” said Jeffrey Counts, assistant superintendent of the heating and cooling plant at Mason. “Steam systems are common. High-temperature hot water systems are not very common. In the future, they probably will be. They are more efficient and require a lot less maintenance.”

The hot water system not only provides heating for students in both classrooms and dormitories but also provides domestic hot water, which students use when they shower and brush their

teeth.

“Our high-temperature hot water goes through a heat exchanger at the location [of the housing facilities] and their heat exchanger converts the hot water to domestic water for the showers,” Counts said.

The heating and cooling plant also utilizes a chill-water system that cools about 92 percent of the campus.

Though the hot water system requires less maintenance than a steam system, there are still several things that can go wrong. According to Counts, a weld joint may break, expansion joints and the high temperature valves may leak and the slip joints might break or corrode. Slip joints are used to join two things that may or may not be in motion. Expansion joints are used to absorb heat-caused expansion.

The four maintenance workers staffing the heating and cooling plant spend roughly 50 percent of their time keeping the hot water system in working order, Counts said.

The heating and cooling plant has installed sump pumps — devices used to pump water — and installed alarms on the pumps so that if something goes wrong, an alarm goes off in the heating and cooling plant. Additionally, a visual indicator locates the source of the problem.

The plant monitors the amount of chemicals in the hightemperature hot water that are present to prevent corrosion and also checks the pH levels and conductivity of the water.

Monitoring these levels allows Mason to save energy and money.

“We’re pretty much doing

everything to operate at peak efficiency,” Counts said. “We clean our own boilers. We clean our own cooling towers. And, sometimes, we maintain our own equipment instead of sending it out for repair.

We can get a lot of stuff repaired pretty cheap for [Mason].”

Counts, who has been at Mason for 25 years, said that even though he could get paid more elsewhere, he enjoys working at Mason.

“I’ve been here for 25 years and I’m going to see it through till the end,” he said.

Counts also believes that his crew is topnotch and hard-working.

“There are some people who are lazy. You won’t find them here,” Counts said. “My guys are reliable. They go out and get the job done.”

Feels Like Summer

Photo by: Jake McLernon

Construction workers begin turning the empty space into a full-menu Panda Express.

Rebecca Barbush C2M Assitant Editor Construction began February 17 on a full-menu Panda Express, one of four new retail spaces to be located in University Hall and the first quick-service on-campus dining option not managed by Sodexo.

As of right now the location is expected to be open 60 days from Feb. 17, putting the potential opening date in the third week of April, according to Mark Kraner Executive Director, Campus Retail Operations, Auxiliary Enterprises.

Temporary walls have now been put in place as the first step in construction that was in fullforce on February 20. Following Panda Express, the administrative building will soon be home to a UPS store, an Einstein Bros Bagels and the Everlasting Life Café.

The Everlasting Life Café, a vegan soul food restaurant to open fall 2012, will be the second privately managed full-service dining option to come to campus. Boxwoods, the full-service restaurant located in the Mason Inn and run by Aramark, was the first.

“It’s nice that there’s something else coming to campus that the students will like,” said Ram

Nabar, Sodexo Resident District Manager and head of Mason Dining. New to Mason last year, Nabar was not part of the planning for the new chain location, but still said he thinks it will be a good addition to campus dining.

“We did a lot of research to see what would be the best fit,” said Kraner. With over 400 people in the offices and around 4,000 people passing through the building on a daily basis, University Hall possesses a unique demographic made up of administrators, faculty and students. Kraner said he hopes that students and faculty with weekend and evening classes will benefit from the new retail spaces.

Operated through the Panda Express parent company, Mason’s location will not offer a deal for meal plan holders but will accept Mason Money, Freedom and Bonus Funds. Operating hours will most likely be between 10:30 a.m. and 10 p.m., with the potential for weekend hours.

Story taken from Connect2Mason

Bike Registration Program Has Many Benefits BIKES, From Front

Photo by Stephen Kline

Students took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather this week by enjoying themselves outdoors. Two students, featured above, provided musical entertainment for other students traveling between classes.

News Briefs MCN Looking For Volunteers Mason Cable Network, George Mason University’s student-run cable television station, is looking for volunteers to help design its logo, join its production crew and submit entries to the Uberfest Spring Break Film Challenge.

MCN, which began operating this year, airs original programming on channel 231 in high definition. MCN broadcasts 24 hours per day, seven days per week to 5,000 residents on the Fairfax campus, according to MCN’s website.

MCN’s push to recruit student volunteers in multiple roles is the product of the desire to encourage student involvement and to get the network off the ground.

“Uberfest is a collaboration between Program Board and MCN and is a film festival open to Mason students to get students involved in making films and to get involved with MCN,”

said Jessica Williams, office manager and associate producer at MCN. The Uberfest Spring Break Film Challenge, co-sponsored by MCN and Program Board, is comparable to 48-hour film festivals. Entrants will have only 10 days over spring break (Mar. 9– 19) to complete their films, which includes writing, editing and producing. Films will be judged and screened at Uberfest on April 23, with prizes to be announced.

According to Williams, MCN gives students a chance to advance themselves professionally through exposure to the teambuilding process, making connections and gaining realworld experience. “MCN lets other people’s talents shine through activities like filming,” Williams said. “It’s [a] real-world experience.”

By Michael Lagana

Keith Clark to Deliver Vision Series Lecture Keith Clark, an associate professor of English at George Mason University, will discuss the often-overlooked fiction of African-American writer Ann Petry during the Vision Series lecture at 7 p.m. tonight at the Center for the Arts Concert Hall.

Clark describes Petry’s fiction as radical.

“From the 1940s through the 1960s, few African-American women problematized race, gender, sexuality, gender and class in the way that Petry did,” Clark said. “She was daring in a time when African-American writers were expected to toe a particular line.”

Clark explains that in “The Street,” one of Petry’s more renowned books, characters are victimized by racism and patriarchal structures practiced by white and black men, which degrade the Harlem community as a whole.

Clark notes how in Petry’s works, black men as well as white men are victimizers.

In supporting this point, Clark quotes Petry herself, who noted how “all people, regardless of their race, are combinations of good and evil.”

Admission to the lecture is free and no tickets are required.

An informal reception will follow the event.

The Vision Series publicly highlights Mason professors’ research and creativity and is designed to promote thought-provoking discussions.

Students, faculty, staff and community members are welcome to attend.

By Nathan Dorfman

their serial bike number to the cycling club and Transportation Department.

“In the unfortunate event that the bike is stolen, we would use the bike registration to help get the bike back,” Harvey said.

“When students register bikes with Mason, they will receive a free u-lock to use on campus.”

Harvey also explains that the bike registration program will provide statistical insight on the extent of Mason’s on-campus cycling community.

“This is vital information for the cycling club and Transportation Department,” Harvey said.

Currently, the cycling club comprises a core group of about 10 students, with members ranging from freshmen to seniors.

“More students tend to come in and out, though,” Harvey said.

The group’s greatest challenge stems from increasing its membership. Harvey attributes

the cycling club’s relatively low membership to seasonal factors.

“Not many people ride bikes on campus due to the winter weather, and the club started in the off-season of late fall,” Harvey said. “But we want to broaden our background and recruit lots of students who enjoy cycling like we do.”

As of now, the cycling club is also in the process of developing partnerships with local bike shops.

Harvey acknowledges cycling’s physical and environmental benefits.

“I see cycling as a fun way to get good exercise, recreate and get around for trips that aren’t over 10 miles,” he said. “I also like that riding my bike means there is one less car on the road.

I am helping myself and the environment.”

Harvey emphasizes that club members are united by this mentality.

The cycling club organizes weekly mountain bike rides on Fridays at 4 p.m.

Want to read Broadside? Pick up a copy at these locations.

- Johnson Center entrance near North Plaza - Johnson Center near the library on the first floor - Johnson Center next to the Bistro - Innovation Hall entrance first floor - Skyline Gym, main lobby - Southside, main entrance - Lecture Hall - Starbucks - SUB I bottom floor - SUB II outside of the Office of Student Media

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The number in thousands of dollars, that GBAY made last year

Monday, February 27, 2012

Autographed Football and More at Annual GBAY Event

Students Auction Off Items, Proceeds Go Toward Mason Scholarship Fund Krista Germanis Asst. Style Editor Luckily, eBay has better things to do than sue George Mason University for stealing its name and logo for the university’s signature GBAY event.

GBAY is an auction hosted by Mason students to help raise money for Mason’s scholarship fund. Private donations from local businesses as well as donations from various campus officials will be raffled off to the highest bidder.

Items to be auctioned off include: a Barnes & Noble Nook, lunch for you and two friends with President Merten, lunch with coach Paul Hewitt of the Mason men’s basketball team, a signed football from Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith, Monster energy drinks, a skiing package for Liberty Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania, a Vera Bradley bag, tickets to Six Flags America, sports

memorabilia and much more.

“GBAY is a student benefit auction,” said Mark Mansdoerfer, a junior double-majoring in management and accounting. “Everything that is being sold is donated from businesses in the area and from departments within the school. The money earned from the online donations site and the items sold will then be given to the general student scholarship fund.

The event is in its third year, where we have raised $10,000 and $15,000, respectively, in each of the first two years.”

The auctions not only help students by earning more scholarship money to give back, but they also offer a chance to purchase some really interesting items.

“Many students really reap the benefits and rewards of the scholarship fund, so this is kind of an opportunity for them to give back,” said David Bier, a junior double-majoring in government &

international politics and conflict analysis & resolution. “It also gives them a chance to win a lot of really cool prizes.”

“It’s a great opportunity because it helps people in need,” said Mason Ambassador Julie Whitacre, a junior nursing major.

In years past there have been many highly coveted items auctioned off for Mason students.

“Last year there was a banner from a light pole in Indy [from 2006] when Mason went to the Final Four that actually sold for over $2,000,” Bier said. “The year before that, the first year, they auctioned off access to a handicapped single in Northern Neck. I think that went for about $1,500.

This was just to get into it — not actually the rent and everything, just access to it.”

One year Bier won an auction for naming his own burger at the Rathskeller. The “Bier Burger” has bacon and cheddar and American

Viewing Life ThroughTumblr Blogging Site Makes Sharing Information Easy for Anyone Kaitlyn Reitz Style Editor The social media and blogging landscapes live and die by the clock. If something is cumbersome enough that it takes more than a few seconds to accomplish, good luck getting anyone to use it.

That’s where blogging websites like Tumblr shine: The interface is simple and the commitment is minimal.

“I definitely find Tumblr to be addictive,” said freshman Bridget Bush. “I like that it allows you to more or less create a website that endlessly updates with things that you find interesting, since you choose [which blogs] you follow. It is also an outlet for sharing how you feel, what you think and what you like in the world.”

While many students find themselves addicted to Tumblr, not all share that sentiment.

“I could go the rest of my life without Tumblr, if such a dismal fate were forced upon me,” said freshman government and international politics major Patrick Greenwalt. “Though Tumblr helps emphasize the humanity in us all.

I share and express things on Tumblr I otherwise would not, since Tumblr has a sense of anonymity about it.”

Tumblr allows its users to create their own personalized blog within a matter of seconds. Everything from the font to the background and theme can be modified. Pinterest, a social gathering website, is basically a virtual inspiration board where people can pin different photos. Many

users have multiple boards all of them related to specific categories like fashion and food. Polyvore, another social media website, also allows people to share photos by creating photo sets and collages, typically of outfits. People can then click on a specific item and find an online store where they can purchase it.

According to statistics from Forbes Magazine, Tumblr receives 526.37 million page-views per day and there are currently 37.63 million active Tumblr blogs. While some of these blogs have a few hundred followers, others have tens of thousands of followers, making them “Tumblr famous.”

With sites like Tumblr and Pinterest, it can be hard to create an original site because most people’s pages are simply filled with regurgitated pictures and sayings.

This is not to say that there are not some original pages. But this is where people can really see the difference between Tumblr and Pinterest blogs and individuals’ own personal blogs made through BlogSpot. Personal blogs take a lot more effort because the individual has to come up with original content and they typically take all of their own photos.

The fact that Tumblr blogs take such little effort to create is one of the many reasons that they are so popular. Each blog on Tumblr also has the ability to reach so many people at such a rapid rate that stores such as Urban Outfitters and Black Milk Clothing have created their own Tumblrs.

Urban Outfitters uses their site to post shots of their clothing;

many of the pictures being the same as those printed in their magazine. By posting these pictures on their personal Tumblr, fans and basically anyone who likes the photos can share them with others by simply clicking reblog. This allows UO to reach thousands of people, often within a matter of minutes. Each picture has a link to UO right under the photo so that people can easily be directed to their site and to also give credit to the photo.

Black Milk Clothing is a company based in Australia that makes dresses, tops and skirts, but they’re most famous for their leggings. Black Milk leggings are unlike any others. Some are covered with pictures of actual galaxies taken by NASA while others are covered with jellyfish. Pictures of girls wearing the company’s galaxy leggings can be seen plastered all over Tumblr dashboards and blogs. This is a great way for the brand to reach out to people all over the world. The company even has their own Tumblr where people can post pictures of themselves wearing Black Milk products.

There are Tumblrs out there for everyone. There is even a new Tumblr dedicated to problems at George Mason University — everything from the temperature of Southside’s plates to the long lines at Pilot House on Thursday nights. The popularity of sites like Tumblr only seems to be increasing and whether you are interested in fashion, food or problems at Mason, there is a blog out there for you.

#VJ M E Z PVS

S ÍT VNÍ

cheese on it and has been there for almost two years now.

“I just kind of sat back and waited while two other guys pushed the bidding to $180, then I hopped in and won the bidding at $215,” Bier said.

There will be other opportunities to name foods at Mason this year, including a smoothie at Freshens, a sandwich at Subway and a pizza at Pilot House.

“GBAY is going to be different every year simply because we have new items to auction off each year,” Mansdoerfer said. “This year we will be auctioning off an autographed hockey stick signed by Sergei Fedorov and a one-night stay at Sofitel Luxury Hotel in D.C. You never know what new items we get each year, which makes GBAY different every year.”

This year’s GBAY will be held on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the JC Atrium.

Photo by Peter Flint

Last year, Gbay raised over $15,000 in support of student scholarships.

I d Rather Be Eatin This Week, Sakoontra

Sakoontra offers a variety of Thai dishes. Like most Thai restaurants their plates range from mild to spicy Photo by Katie Hennis

Katie Hennis

Sakoontra is a Thai restaurant located in the Costco Shopping Plaza off of West Ox Road in Fairfax. I am very partial to all Asian cuisines, but am especially drawn to Thai restaurants. I heard about Sakoontra from classmates and coworkers, but never tried it out until last week. My friend, Adam, shares my affection for the various dishes offered at most Thai restaurants, so I invited him to join me.

We started out with the hoy obb, which is an appetizer of steamed mussels served in a tangy, slightly spicy lemongrass broth. The mussels themselves were very large and juicy. The lemongrass broth contained sliced red onion and whole basil leaves, which also amped up the flavor. The dish is served with a sauce that has a little kick, but doesn’t make or break the taste.

Adam ordered the pad phed per my suggestion. I didn’t

suggest the dish because I had ever eaten it before, but because I was interested in trying it as well. This dish is prepared by stir-frying bamboo shoot, red and green peppers, fresh chili pepper and basil in a fiery red curry paste. As with most of their entrées, you have the choice of mixed vegetables,

I definitely recommend Sakoontra to Thai food lovers, those who are curious to try Thai cuisine and those who love spicy food.

chicken, beef, pork or a seafood combination of shrimp, scallops and squid. It is served alongside a large serving of white rice. When the dish first came out, it smelled a little funky, but it tasted delicious.

The sauce was very spicy — as indicated with two chili peppers on the menu — so I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who cannot handle a decent amount of heat.

As for my entrée, I selected

the keow wahn, which is a green curry dish. I ordered mine with the chicken, which is simmered in green curry with coconut milk, bamboo shoot, green and red peppers and basil. This dish was also served with a heaping bowl of rice, which I proceeded to pour the green curry over. I love spicy food and believe that when it comes to Thai food, the spicier the better. This isn’t the spiciest curry dish on the menu, but it packs the perfect amount of heat to satisfy my taste buds and was also very refreshing.

The restaurant itself has a funky feel with a lot of different colors and some neon lights. They do not offer any discounts for Mason students.

However, they do feature specials daily. The portions are generous (I took over half of my entrée home), which really makes a difference when considering the price. I definitely recommend Sakoontra to Thai food lovers, those who are curious to try Thai cuisine and those who love spicy food. Until next time, I’d rather be eating…

EŽ ŵĂƩĞƌ ǁŚĂƚ ũŽď LJŽƵ ǁĂŶƚ

ŵĞĚŝĂ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ŝƐ ĞƐƐĞŶƟĂů͘ 'Ğƚ LJŽƵƌ ŶĂŵĞ ŝŶ ƉƌŝŶƚ ĂŶĚ ŽŶůŝŶĞ͘

Sakoontra Hours of Operation Business Sunday - Thursday 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m. / Friday - Saturday 11:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Delivery Lunch: Monday - Friday 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Dinner: Monday - Sunday 5 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

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Monday, February 27, 2012 | 5

The Hunger Games Get the Rundown on the Most Anticipated Film of the Year

Jeffrey Giorgi Style Editor Synopsis – The Hunger Games is a televised competition where one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 must compete in a fight to the death in an outdoor arena until only one survivor remains. The games are punishment for a rebellion that took place before the start of the story and that caused the destruction of the 13th district.

The story specifically follows Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old who volunteers to enter the competition in place of her younger sister, who had been chosen through the lottery. Then there’s the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale. Don’t fret, though.

Whereas the focus of the “Twilight” series was on the sickening love triangle between Bella and her boy toys, “The Hunger Games” takes a much more interesting approach to the way emotions play out amongst people in a kill-orbe-killed situation.

By the Numbers – There are over 2.9 million copies of the “The Hunger Games” in print. Originally, only 50,000 copies were printed before eventually increasing to 200,000 and then expanding further. The book is available in 38 countries with 26 different foreign editions going to print. It spent over 100 consecutive weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list. It’s also one of only six novels

to have sold over one million copies on the Kindle.

The film, for which presale tickets were made available on Wednesday, has already broken the presale-ticket record by selling out hundreds of movie theaters around the country. “Twilight’s” third film “Eclipse” previously held the title for most first-day ticket sales.

The World – The story is set in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, located in the former United States. It consists of 12 districts and the highly advanced Capitol that rules all. All the wealthy and powerful live in the Capitol, while each district provides a resource that keeps the Capitol running smoothly. There was once a 13th district, but after a

rebellion that led to the creation of the Hunger Games themselves, the 13th district was destroyed.

The 12th district, where the story begins, mines coal as its primary resource, and is also where Katniss is from. It is located in the region known as Appalachia, not at all far from George Mason University.

The film opens March 23 at a theater near you!

“Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch — this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand...” Katniss Everdeen “The Hunger Games”

All Photos by: Google.com

derlying plots throughout the series. But then there’s Peeta.

Peeta is the male chosen to represent District 12 and hails from a slightly wealthier family than Katniss. He’s had a thing for her since he was a young child, but as is often the case, never had the nerve to tell her how he felt.

While not a major player in “The Hunger Games,” a constant presence lurking in the background is President Snow.

Ruling over the Capitol and all of Panem, nothing happens in his world without his knowledge or consent.

Surviving – Prior to the start of the event, all of the participants — or “tributes,” as they’re called — spend time in the Capitol being interviewed and attempting to win the crowd’s favor. They’re interviewed to give the audience a sense of who they are and why they should be supported. This is paramount to the struggles that await them. Much like sporting events nowadays, having the crowd in your corner

greatly impacts your performance. During the games, viewers can send packages to the tributes containing things like food and tools to help them in their battle. Audiences love drama — just watch TV and you’ll see. Katniss knows this and wins over the crowds’ favor by using the one thing no can resist getting involved in — romance.

Free Tickets for Mason Students!

TONIGHT!

The Players – Katniss Everdeen is the story’s main protagonist, and the story is told through her point of view. She lives in District 12, the poorest district, and takes care of her sister, Primrose, after the death of their father died in a mining accident.

Katniss makes a living by hunting on the borders of her district and selling her kills on the black market. She brings her lifelong best friend Gale with her on many of these hunts.

Like Katniss, Gale has become the head of his family after his own father died in a mining accident. His relationship with Katniss forms the basis for one of the un-

The Vision Series

BEFORE TONI MORRISON AND ALICE WALKER: THE FORGOTTEN FICTION OF ANN PETRY Keith Clark, speaker Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.

Free CH

NORDWEST DEUTSCHE PHILHARMONIC

Celtic Nights JOURNEY OF HOPE Mar. 16 & 17 at 8 p.m. ff $32 $40 $48 HC ppd LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableMar. 6

Eugene Tzigane, conductor; Amit Peled, cello Mar. 4 at 4 p.m. $25 $42 $50 CH ppd FreeStudent Tickets AvailableFeb. 21

FAIRFAX SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Rick Rowley, piano

MASON JAZZ COMBOS

Mar. 17 at 8 p.m. $25 $35 $45 $55 CH LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableMar. 6

Mar. 6 at 8 p.m.

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Faculty Artist Series

ANNA & FRIENDS Feb. 27 at 8 p.m.

Free HT Mason Players Studio Series

MFA Thesis Exhibition BROOK MARCY, SUZANNE DE SAIX Mar. 6-23 Free FG

THIS IS OUR YOUTH

MASON WIND SYMPHONY AND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Mar. 1-3 at 8 p.m.; March 3-4 at 2 p.m. $12 adu., $8 stu./sen TS LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableFeb. 21

Mar. 7 at 8 p.m. $15 adu., $10 stu./sen. CH LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableFeb. 28

Walnut Street Theatre PROOF Mar. 2 at 8 p.m. $20 $32 $40 CH ppd FreeStudent Tickets AvailableFeb. 21

CEDAR LAKE CONTEMPORARY BALLET

BALLET FOLKLÓRICO DE ANTIOQUIA, COLOMBIA

VIENNA BOYS CHOIR

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Pre-Performance Discussion

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Mar. 10 at 8 p.m. $21 $34 $42 CH ppd LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableFeb. 28 Mar. 11 at 4 p.m. $23 $38 $46 CH ppd FreeStudent Tickets AvailableFeb. 28

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Virginia Opera THE MIKADO Mar. 23 at 8 p.m. $44 $72 $86 Mar. 25 at 2 p.m. $48 $80 $98 LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableMar. 13

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Christopher O’Riley & Matt Haimovitz SHUFFLE. PLAY. LISTEN. Mar. 24 at 8 p.m. $21 $34 $42 CH ppd FreeStudent Tickets AvailableMar. 13 MFA Thesis Exhibition

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TAO THE ART OF THE DRUM Mar. 18 at 4 p.m. $24 $40 $48 CH ppd FreeStudent Tickets AvailableMar. 6

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6 | Monday, February 27, 2012

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Button Mashing: Asura’s Wrath

Head Phones On: Zee Avi

Is This New Experiment in Gaming Worth $60?

Antonio Washington Columnist After playing the demo of Capcom’s “Asura’s Wrath,” I found myself taken aback. I never would have thought that a game such as “Asura’s Wrath” could compete with the same farcical game play that is seen in Sega’s “Bayonetta.” If you haven’t played the demo, I highly encourage you to do so. Some of the scenes in “Asura’s Wrath” will have even the most jaded gamers raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

Our acrimonious hero, Asura, has hit the trifecta: betrayed by his seven demigod comrades; banished and cast down from Heaven for a whopping 12,000 years; and to top it off, his daughter has been kidnapped. Now, with a long-stewing thirst for vengeance, Asura has awakened — and he wants some payback.

The storytelling elements behind “Asura’s Wrath” are infused with a plethora of anime elements: the classic, brief intermissions that most anime have; the standard pitch-black screen with “to be continued” in both English and Japanese in the corner; and finally, the end-ofepisode synopsis of the upcoming episode.

Combat is fluid and simple.

The O/B button performs Asura’s basic melee attacks. Holding the circle buttons commands Asura to do a dash attack.

The square/X button is used for long-range fighting. Holding square will allow Asura to shoot a volley of never-ending blasts from his hands. You can move the crosshairs with the L-pad, as well.

Pressing the triangle/Y button executes a heavy attack.

Using this technique, however, will put Asura in overheat mode, which is indicated with a small

circle that can be seen over the rage-infused Asura. Overheating doesn’t lower any of Asura’s stats, but you cannot perform another heavy attack until the aforementioned indicator — that rotates counterclockwise — has disappeared. When approaching a downed enemy, hitting triangle will initiate a special attack that, like the heavy attack, will overheat Asura.

Mashing the X/A button functions as the jump command.

Pressing circle after X will command Asura to perform a dive bomb attack. The X/A button serves as the recovery button. By pressing X after Asura takes damage, you reduce the damage and avoid tumbling along the demigod-battered landscape.

Counterattacking is simple.

An on-screen prompt will show you the corresponding button to press in order to initiate the counterattack.

The R1 button is evasion.

However, you will not use this very often because a guy who can lift a tree-sized finger that has him pinned down does not need to evade anything. L1 is used to lock on to enemies; moving the R-pad is used to toggle locked-on enemies.

Inflicting and receiving damage increases the Unlimited Gauge located near Asura’s health bar. Once full, pressing L2 will activate Asura’s Unlimited Mode, which gives him a strength increase and a temporary immunity to overheating. The Burst Gauge fills up as Asura inflicts damage to enemies. Pressing R2 will initiate a devastating attack from the six-armed protagonist.

The controls are easy.

Throughout the game, you are told what to press and when. Cinematic sequences are the real meat of the game and this element is what makes “Asura’s Wrath” repetitive at times.

From YouTube to Your Stereo

Photo from Google.com

Photo from Google.com

During the over-the-top cinematic sequences that trigger you to raise a hand at your television in a “this is way too much” fashion, you must keep your controller near you. There will be scenes in “Asura’s Wrath” that will prompt you to perform a series of on-screen actions during combat scenes to increase the Synchronic Rate (that you will be graded on) with Asura.

The result screen shown at the end of every episode will show how well or poorly you performed during the episode, how fast you completed the stage, the total battle points — calculated by the number of times you used heavy attacks — and finally the Synchronic Rate. Also shown at the end of the episode are the extras you’ve unlocked, such as concept art, movies, trophies, gauges and bumpers. Gauges can be switched with other gauges that you’ve unlocked while playing the main story. For example, unlocking and switching to the de-

fender gauge can decrease the damage you take from enemies.

The option to replay previously completed episodes on other difficulty levels adds to the replay value of “Asura’s Wrath.”

From the main menu, players are able to select and play any episode they desire upon completion. From here, players can replay the episode, or look at the results for the selected episode.

Solid voice-acting, simple controls and electrifying graphics aside, the game is only six hours long. This rightfully makes gamers finicky about picking up the game in the first place. After all, it’s a $60 title. Gamers need more than six hours of game play for a pricetag that hefty. However, if you like ridiculous, relentless, over-the-top action, “Asura’s Wrath” is definitely worth it and will prompt you to ask yourself, “What can top that?” .

Look it up on Fairfaxpedia Student Designs Website to be Number One Source for Local Information

Freshman economics major Frank Muraca knows Fairfax.

Considering Muraca’s thorough understanding of Fairfax County policy issues, one would think he has studied the region for many years. Actually, Muraca is 18 years old and has been studying at Mason for less than a year.

A graduate of Monticello High School in Charlottesville, Va., Muraca never lived in Northern Virginia for any substantial period of time before attending Mason. Yet just this year, Muraca developed Fairfaxpedia, an online encyclopedia of Fairfax County.

“It’s free, unbiased information about local issues,” Muraca said, describing his website.

Muraca first thought about creating Fairfaxpedia last summer while working in his hometown for nonprofit news website Charlottesville Tomorrow.

“Charlottesville Tomorrow created Cvillepedia, which is like Wikipedia but for Charlottesville,” Muraca said. “I thought I could do

the same thing in Fairfax.”

To date, Fairfaxpedia contains over 100 articles.

“It’s still young and just getting started,” said Muraca, who has spent over four months building the site. “I didn’t know how far I wanted to take it.”

The most daunting obstacle that Muraca overcame was his lack of web design experience.

“I had no knowledge of servers and web posting,” Muraca said.

Considering that MediaWiki, a free open source software wiki package, already provided a template, Muraca didn’t have too much technical work to stand in his way.

“It was just a matter of putting it all together,” Muraca said.

Currently, all members of Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors have pages on Fairfaxpedia.

Yet, the Board of Supervisors is likely unaware of Muraca’s site.

“I haven’t contacted them,” Muraca said. “I’m still working on

supplies the song’s background beat, creating an almost slow-motion hippie version of beat boxing. Her vocals range from high to low with great ease as she sings lyrics describing a lover’s fight. The song is refreshing because Avi reflects perfectly on how frustrating fighting Columnist with your man can be, with Zee Avi’s music makes lyrics like “You say that I need me want to be on a beach. therapy/ Well, my darling, so Right now. Seriously. I’m now do you/ Don’t need for you to furiously scrolling through tell me/ What is wrong in all I the travel section of Pinterest, say or do.” But, all the while, trying to envision myself on this tense scene is set against these amazing beaches. Her a laidback, mellow beat. The music is that relaxing and per- kind of palm-trees-swayingsuasive, which is probably in-the-breeze beat that would why it got a satisfying 4.5-star be the last thing on your mind fan rating on iTunes. if you were fighting with your On the 25-year-old boy toy, with the possibility Malaysian singer/song- that a shoe could be thrown w r i te r / g u i t a r i s t / u k u l e l e “right through that concrete player’s newest album, “ghost- wall.” Clever. bird,” released on Aug. 23, “Roll Your Head in the 2011, she offers up another Sun,” is also a chill song that soothingly folk-pop set of has a very Bob Marley-feel to songs. This album is the folit. A very low-up to girly Bob Avi’s 2009 Marley, that Avi is a true YouTube self-titled is. I suggest d e b u t phenom, who just four this song be album, served with years ago posted a which a heavy dose video which ended up still holds of sun. Rea five-star being praised by laxation will rating on soon follow. strangers for i Tu n e s .

Come to showcasing her Avi is a think of it, t r u e effortless singing that is exYouTube actly what ability. phenom, I’m going to who just do when this four years ago posted a video bipolar Fairfax weather lightwhich ended up being praised ens up, and we get some conby strangers for showcasing stant spring. I’m going to grab her effortless singing ability. some tanning oil and some Her music was quickly passed Zee Avi. on to respected music video Another solid track on director Emmett Malloy, who the album is the opening then signed her to Brushfire song, “Swell Window,” which Records. (Fun fact: Brushfire is all about riding the waves Records is partly owned by and relating it to waiting for popular folk-rocker Jack John- your special person. son.)

One thing I don’t like The first couple of songs about Zee Avi’s music is that it are the epitome of tranquility, makes me realize how very exas ukulele and guitar chords cruciatingly pale I am. She are softly strummed behind just had a concert at Rams Avi’s voice which floats along Head On Stage in Annapolis, with the beat. A few bongo- Md., this past Saturday. The sounding drums are even in- rest of her tour dates are up on fused in songs such as her site zeeavi.com. I’m just “Milestone Moon.” The most going to assume that everyone popular of Avi’s songs on walked out of there with iTunes, “Concrete Wall,” is flower leis around their necks also the most innovative track and thoughts of bikinis dancon the album. Avi’s own voice ing in their heads.

Amanda Lee

it.”

Muraca hopes that Mason students can help contribute articles to Fairfaxpedia.

“A wiki is only as valuable as the content that average citizens put into it,” Muraca said. “Anyone who thinks they can add content should.”

As he regularly updates Fairfaxpedia, Muraca has a nuanced grasp of dilemmas that impact Fairfax County politics. According to Muraca, Fairfax County’s two most pressing predicaments involve transportation and the economy, which are interconnected.

“As Fairfax grows, transportation and the economy function together,” Muraca said. “We must ask where people choose to live — in automobile-accessible developments or in walkable communities.”

Muraca also said that because the federal government is reducing military spending—which is a major part of Northern Virginia’s economy—Fairfax County will

need to find other primary revenue sources.

“As the federal government cuts back, Fairfax County will have to rethink how it does business,” Muraca said, suggesting that Mason has a big role to play in the technology sector of Fairfax’s economy.

Reflecting upon Mason’s cultural climate, Muraca said that if more students live on campus, there can be a greater sense of community and the City of Fairfax can become more of a college town.

“Currently, people come to class, commute and leave,” Muraca said. “As Mason becomes more populated, it can become more integrated with the city.”

To get involved with Fairfaxpedia, visit fairfaxpedia.com or email Muraca at fmuraca@masonlive.gmu.edu.

R-Rated Comedy at its Best In Case You Didn’t Know, Paul Rudd is Funny Jeffrey Giorgi Style Editor I’m not a math major, but when I see the equation of Paul Rudd + David Wain (director of “Role Models” and “Wet Hot American Summer”) + a commune of hippies, I expect the solution to be a laugh-my-ass-off comedy.

Good thing I can still do basic problem solving.

“Wanderlust” stars comedy vet Paul Rudd and the no-longerquite-a-box-office draw Jennifer Aniston as a couple of Manhattanites who suddenly find themselves without a place to live after Rudd’s character George loses his job unexpectedly. The couple is then forced to move in with George’s brother in Atlanta, but along the

way there they stop at a bed and breakfast and that’s where the movie really kicks off.

I’m so thankful for the modern R-rated comedy. Whereas it used to be a dumping ground for puerile stoner-comedies, filmmakers like Judd Apatow, Evan Goldberg and even the likes of Rudd and Seth Rogen have proven that you can have a hilarious film with a rich story at the center.

Even without the presence of the usual suspects like Jane Lynch, Ken Jeong or Bill Hader, the supporting characters of this film steal most of the gags. That’s not to say that there aren’t some familiar faces in the cast. Even if you don’t know the names, you know who Michael Ian Black and Joe Lo Truglio are.

The real show-stealer though is Justin Theroux as Seth, the leader of the hippies. While the script is definitely responsible for his best lines, he puts so much into his performance that it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role.

Earlier I touched on the fact that this was an R-rated comedy. It definitely deserves that, and it should be known that if you found yourself uncomfortable watching Jason Segel’s genitalia flopping around during “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” then you might want to think about skipping this one, though you’ll definitely be missing out.

Based on advertising leading up to the film’s release, there was little doubt that this was anything more than an R-rated comedy not

@MasonBroadside

packing the title “Hangover.” So it was unceremoniously dumped in theaters on a weekend when every member of the armed forces was going to be spending his hardearned cash on a less-than-coherent action film with real Navy SEALs in it.

Early box-office receipts have “Wanderlust” coming in at No. 8 with only a little over $6.5 million.

That’s two full spots below “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” which is in its second week. What the hell is wrong with people?

Sometimes movies just don’t find their target audience till they hit home video, and I think it’s safe to assume at this point that “Wanderlust” will see a second life in DVD and Blu-Ray sales.

|7

Opinion

Opinion

100

The number of times the world could be destroyed with existing stockpiles of nuclear weapons

Monday, February 27, 2012

Broadside

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

George Mason University’s Student Newspaper

Thumbs up to the Blake Shelton concert this past Saturday night.

Thumbs up to Bob McDonnell for not setting Virginia back 50 years with an unneccessary bill requiring intrusive ultrasounds.

Thumbs up to Women’s History Month coming up in March.

Gregory Connolly, Editor-in-Chief

Cody Norman, Managing Editor Jacquelyn Rioux, Copy Chief Justin Lalputan, News Editor Hannah Smith, Asst. News Editor Rebecca Norris, Opinion Editor Jeff Giorgi, Style Editor Krista Germanis, Asst. Style Editor Cody Norman, Sports Editor Colleen Wilson, Asst. Sports Editor Stephen Kline, Photography Editor

Benjamin Shaffer, Copy Editor Priya Pansuria, Copy Editor Shannon Park, Copy Editor Michelle Buser, Designer Dylan Hares, 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 Mason’s loss on Saturday at VCU. Thumbs down to a frigid and windy weekend. It was all the more unpleasant after we were spoiled by lovely sunshine and unseasonably-high temperatures.

Thumbs down to the Aquatic and Fitness Center being closed over the weekend. Sure there was a CAA tournament, but what about the rest of us?

The letters, columns and views expressed on this page are solely those of the writers. They do not reect 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 notiďŹ ed at the information given above.

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

Elephants Aided By Government Interference, Vote Against It Conservative Constituents Engage in Hypocritical Endeavors

Š 2011 by Broadside. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the editor-in-chief.

Rebecca Norris

Got an opinion to share? We accept letters to the editor and are on the lookout for new columnists. If you’re interested in occupying these pages, visit the Office of Student Media on the first floor of Student Union Building II (The Hub).

Opinion Editor When the term “conservative� comes to mind, so do the ideas of prohibiting gay marriage and the distribution of contraceptives alongside less government interference and a hatred for programs that foster government reliance.

What’s so surprising is that residents of the most conservative states — those people who elect the hard-line conservatives who in turn promise to ban government interference — receive 21.2 percent of their income from the federal government, as opposed to 17.1 percent for residents of the most liberal states.

Currently, the GOP is more conservative than ever before, going all the way back to 1879. Therefore, it is

logical that the Republican candidates are strongly opposed to increasing the safety net also known as government reliance.

The American public has witnessed the way life has unfolded under the Obama administration.

According to GOP candidate Rick Santorum, one of the most prominent issues that Obama fosters is America’s addiction to “the narcotic of dependency.�

Despite what Santorum believes, Obama hasn’t set out to radically expand the safety net. Rather, the poor state of the economy has reduced personal incomes to such a level that more and more people are becoming eligible for unemployment benefits.

We must then question why it is that the people who utilize government programs the most are voting against that which they rely on so heavily.

The fact of the matter is that government beneficiaries are simply confused about where they fit into the system.

According to Suzanne Mettler

of Cornell University, 44 percent of Social Security recipients, 43 percent of those receiving unemployment benefits and 40 percent of those on Medicare have said that they “have not used a government program.�

So I wonder why it is that people vote conservative — especially if they are dependent upon programs that conservatives are attempting to eliminate. “Conservatism is a partially heritable personality trait,� said Jonathan Haidt, associate professor of psychology at the University of Virginia. “[It] predisposes some people to be cognitively inflexible, fond of hierarchy, and inordinately afraid of uncertainty, change, and death.

People vote Republican because Republicans offer ‘moral clarity’ — a simple vision of good and evil that activates deep seated fears in much of the electorate.�

Haidt’s analysis of conservative voters’ reasoning makes sense, considering that Americans who regularly attend church are more likely to vote Republican. Therefore, the

whole idea of “moral clarity� settles in place because people of God, or people who believe in a higher power in general, generally are searching for just that.

In reality, those who identify with Republican party conservatism based primarily on spiritual principles don’t realize that some of policies that they so adamantly stand against, are in fact policies that they benefit from.

The fact of the matter is that too many people neglect to support themselves fully and instead choose to rely heavily on government programs. The expansion of these government programs — whether it’s Medicare, Social Security, welfare or something else — is telling people that they can fall back on the government. It allows them to believe that they have one less thing to worry about when in reality it is fostering the crippling idea that they will gain more from the government if they are less successful within the realms of their own lives.

The Carousel Rider — The Rule Book for All Brilliant Women Follow These Rules and Watch Your Life Unfold The world is really cold without a cute pair of mittens. And life is pretty hard without a simple guideline to living happily. No one has all the Columnist answers as I sure as hell don’t.

However, many pieces of received wisdom have been whispered down the grapevine and finally — we have answers. So what are the rules that brilliant women should live by?

Envy no one.

Once a woman begins feeling envy toward another woman that’s the second she has forsaken her ability to support and empathize with her sister. More importantly, when you’re focusing on another individual’s successes and failures you forget to rec-

Hala Numan

ognize your own. Essentially, you’ve lost sight of what truly matters — bettering yourself. One sentiment to travel with: Your life is not a “Mean Girls� remake.

Write a mission statement. It doesn’t have to be long. It could be one word that encompasses your reason for being the brilliant lady you are. It could be a long poem that represents you.

As you grow, your mission statement should be refined to fit your needs and desires. Every woman’s mission statement should have the underlying theme of bettering herself and the world, even if it’s smiling more.

Smile and cry. Do just that. Smile at everyone you see. If they don’t smile back then you just gifted yourself with the release of endorphins which are guaranteed to keep you smiling. When you’re at home after a day of smiles, cry. Crying is an excellent way to release pent up stress which can sus-

tain a healthy emotional lifestyle.

Become a yogi. Stretch every morning and every night, even if it’s only for five minutes.

Stretching helps your muscles and joints remain in balance and youthful, which reflects on your fresh faces, ladies. If you want to take it a step further then practice yoga.

Yoga is an amazing way to maintain an exercise regimen and feel sexy. If you keep one eye open, you’ll see me flowing through my Vinyasa atop the supple green grasses on campus. If you’re not interested in yoga, then buy a pair of running shoes and beat the floor. I don’t work out in gyms because I love being around nature. But if the gym is for you, then by all means add the weights.

Just find something you love and let it make you happy and healthy.

Eat avocadoes and don’t ever forget the olives! In general, change the way you think

about food. Food is a source of sustenance and pleasure. It is not, however, a way to fill a void by crunching on Doritos all day.

Throughout your day, invigorate your body with fresh fruits and vegetables. And don’t neglect the avocados! These foods keep you lean and feeling like the sexy beast you are.

Remember, drink plenty of water and add a lemon wedge for style, class and flavor!

Mirror Snow White. In other words sleep. A lot. It’s effortless. Just turn off “Sex and The City� reruns and do it more often.

Devour books. “Read, read and keep on reading.� My grandfather’s words will never cease to echo in my heart and mind. He was one of the most amazing scholars and that’s because he was a reader. A book can accompany you in times of heartache, loss, joy and peace. A book is a companion in every essence. Always have a book in your purse.

Kindle, nook, and iPad counts too!

Grab Cinderella and the whole gang.

Your girlfriends are your support system and your gateway to a world of plentiful smiles and laughter. Spend at least one night a week out with your girls or try takeout Tuesdays and play catch-up. After a long week of loony managers and demanding professors, it’s refreshing to kick back with a salad, magazines and gab the hours away with your soul sisters.

Ride on carousels. Do it. It’s fun and reminiscent of a carefree childhood. The “ride on carousels� rule is not only confined to carousels; it’s representative of doing things that are carefree that make you feel at peace. If cutting a ticket to California for a week alone is what that means to you, then ride that carousel and laugh the night away.

These are not the only rules I choose to live by but they are a thoughtful starting point. The main point to these rules and the unmentioned others: smile, work hard, sleep much and witness your life unfold brilliantly.

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t #F BU MFBTU ZFBST PG BHF PS BHF JO countries that permit enrollment of adults only) t )BWF B NFEJDBM EJBHOPTJT PG BTUINB t #F PO B TIPSU BDUJOH •2-agonist or noncorticosteroid medication for at least three months prior to this clinical trial t /PU IBWF VTFE BO JOIBMFE DPSUJDPTUFSPJE GPS BU least six weeks prior to this clinical trial Qualified participants will receive clinical trial-related medical evaluations and clinical trial medication at no cost. In addition, reimbursement for travel may also be provided.

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Broadside

8 | Monday, February 27, 2012

Opinion

Obama’s Birth Control Mandate is Nothing More Than a Trojan Horse New Plan Hurts Everyone, but Most of All Women I’m sure President Madeline Eldridge Obama thinks he’s doing me a huge favor by offering me “free” birth control. Well, Mr. President, thanks but no thanks. The truth is, I’d much rather shell out 20 bucks for a pack of Trojans than deal Columnist with the plethora of unintended economic consequences this mandate will inevitably breed.

For starters, the birth control mandate has “moral hazard” written all over it. A moral hazard occurs when people overuse a beneficial resource because they don’t pay for it directly. Currently, when women are deciding what type of birth control to purchase, they likely factor in cost as a major consideration. For example, a woman who isn’t very sexually active might use condoms in lieu of the pill in order to save money. Or she might decide to use the generic version of a birth control pill rather than the name brand version because it’s less expensive.

Once birth control becomes “free,” however, price will no longer be a consideration. If you’re paying for dinner with the company credit card, why order the Caesar salad when you can get the filet mignon? Similarly, if you aren’t footing the bill for your own birth control, why bother with the generic version if you can get the brand name at no additional cost? The point is, whenever something is offered for “free,” people use more of it and they don’t take cost into consideration. This creates a huge problem because consumer goods and services are never free. Ultimately, somebody’s footing the bill, and that person may very well be you.

This leads me to my next reason for opposing the president’s birth control mandate: It will cause the cost

of contraceptives to skyrocket. Currently, birth control manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to make their products cheaper so that they can undercut their competitors. Once the mandate takes effect, however, price will no longer be a consideration for consumers.

Consequently, birth control manufacturers will be incentivized to raise prices rather than lower them. This, in turn, will decrease women’s access to contraception by limiting the ability of those without employer-provided insurance to purchase birth control out-of-pocket.

Another major problem with the mandate is that it will lead to higher insurance premiums. Sure, the mandate forces insurance companies to offer unlimited contraceptive coverage free of any deductibles or copays, but if you think that insurance companies are just going to sit quietly and take the hit, you’re living in la la land.

Insurance companies will simply make up the cost by jacking up premiums. The cost of paying for “free” contraception, therefore, will be automatically built into the cost of your insurance.

If you’re thinking these higher premiums won’t affect you because your employer pays for your insurance, think again. Although you may not pay for your insurance directly, you pay for it indirectly through reductions in your monetary compensation. For example, if it costs your employer $500 annually to provide you with insurance, you’ll simply receive $24,500 a year in monetary compensation instead of $25,000. Let’s say that the Obama mandate causes the cost of your annual employer-provided insurance premium to double to $1,000 annually. Now your monetary compensation will be reduced to $24,000.

In addition to reducing workers’ salaries, employers may also shift the insurance premium burden to consumers by jacking up prices on goods and services. This will hurt the middle class substantially, but it will be par-

ticularly devastating for the poor, who already have a difficult time affording basic goods like food and clothing. Therefore, the mandate screws over the most vulnerable members of our society by not only reducing their access to affordable contraception, but also by increasing their overall cost of living.

To boot, the mandate is likely to exacerbate unemployment. By causing the price of insurance premiums to rise and thereby making it more expensive for companies that cover the cost of their workers’ health insurance to hire additional employees, Obama’s mandate will cause companies to employ fewer workers than they would if insurance premiums were less expensive. Also, by increasing the cost of insuring women relative to men, the mandate will inevitably lead to gender-based employment discrimination. To quote American investment broker and financial commentator Peter Schiff, “Women are going to pay through the nose for birth control once it’s free.”

Finally, I would like to address a claim that many of the mandate’s supporters have made, which is that the mandate will reduce net health care costs by increasing women’s access to contraception and thereby preventing unwanted pregnancies. I have several issues with this line of reasoning. First off, women already have access to birth control; they just have to pay for it. If you’re thinking the mandate is designed to increase access for those who can’t afford it, think again. Only the very poor currently have trouble affording relatively inexpensive forms of birth control, such as condoms. However, the mandate does not address the very poor, because it applies only to employer-provided insurance plans. This means that the only women who are being guaranteed “free” birth control are women who not only have jobs, but good jobs that offer relatively generous non-monetary compensation packages.

Nuclear Proliferation Threatens Us All A Need for Action Motivates Mason Students

Will Rose

Columnist This past week George Mason University students Michael Jordan, Joe Butt, Elena Bragg, Natalie Niemeyer, Erica McKenney and I attended the “Reaching Zero Conference” at Yale University. The conference was a meeting of ambitious minds coming together to discuss the most reasonable route to zero nuclear weapons. We met at Yale hoping to liberalize knowledge and share ideas that better help us achieve a world without the threat of a nuclear holocaust.

We took our seats Saturday morning in the art gallery within a sea of notable politicians and diplomats, conversing casually with them about the dangers of nuclear weapons.

Sitting to my immediate left was Hans Blix, formerly head of both the International Atomic Energy Agency and of the U.N Monitoring, Inspection and Verification Commission. Ahead of me was Yale’s president, Rick Levin, and to the right were Bruce Blair, president of the World Security Institute and co-founder of Global Zero, along with Matt Brown, former secretary of state of Rhode Island and the companion founder of Global Zero.

President Levin began the conference with a presentation in which he warned us of the dangers inherent in ignoring nuclear proliferation.

The first panel consisted of Blix, chief negotiator of the first START Treaty Richard Burt, former Indian foreign secretary Shyam Saran, nuclear weapons scholar Jonathan

Schell and director of strategy and campaigns for Global Zero Galit Gun. They spoke about the Global Zero movement, answering questions regarding what Global Zero has done to initiate reductions in the worldwide nuclear arsenal and the feasibility of reaching that goal.

While moderating the discussion, Brown offered a very clear metaphor about how individuals can work together to change the world.

He evoked the children’s story “The Emperor’s New Clothes” to illustrate what can happen in a world run by presumptuous cognoscenti. According to Brown, if all of us could look at international nuclear arsenals, which are capable of destroying the world 100 times over, we could be the ones who say “Something about this doesn’t make sense,” much like the lad who points out that the king in the fable is not bedecked in royal finery, but is walking through town stark naked. If just 300 such weapons between Russia and the U.S. maintain the same climate of deterrence, what is the purpose for the excess 18,000 warheads held by these two countries?

Rose Gottemoeller, the chief negotiator of the New START, followed the first panel and spoke on behalf of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was unable to attend. She shared her opinion of the movement and noted how we, as international activists, have contributed to the negotiation processes.

She answered a very interesting question regarding how countries that do not have nuclear arsenals can

contribute to the movement in a very compelling way. In her response, Gottemoeller reminded the curious crowd that, regardless of a country’s absolute leverage, it’s still important to get informed and spread the message. This is a global problem that requires a global solution, not a state problem requiring domestic solutions; we’re all at risk.

The next panel included many prominent international figures, including president of the Brookings Institution’s Arms Control Initiative Steven Pifer, as well as former U.S. Atl a n t i c Command commander in chief General Jack Sheehan. The panelists discussed tactical, relatively low-yield weapons of mass destruction acquired

by European states after the fall of the Soviet Union. Sheehan, who personally oversaw that strategic placement of the weapons, insisted that if it were “just that easy” to pull them out of the countries, he would have done it.

He said that many countries in the area have little reason to trust the international community and worry about the security of their state, especially those who were once part of the Soviet Union.

Later, we heard from former Iranian nuclear negotiator Seyed Hossein Mousavian concerning the climate of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, followed by Lawrence Korb, an assistant secretary of defense under Ronald Reagan, concerning the cost of maintaining

Brown offered a very clear metaphor about how individuals can work together to change the world.

wastefully expensive nuclear arsenals.

At the reception that night, I spoke with Blix concerning his roles in the IAEA, the Iranian nuclear program and what he angrily deemed “the illegal Iraq war,” while Joe got his opinions on alternative energies.

Pifer, Blair and I talked briefly about the roles of biological and chemical weapons and what variables they added to the movement for arms reductions. And have no doubt that, before we left, we asked Yale’s president which pizza shop in New Haven really was the best.

Valerie Plame Wilson, the CIA agent outed by the White House and the subject of the book and movie “Fair Game,” ended the conference with a talk about having the courage to serve. She reminded us that it was important to question things and to make bold assertions and bold moves. And so we left the conference with a wealth of knowledge, which I’m sure we all will use in our push for a world free of nuclear weapons.

In short, the thrust of this article goes back to the need for action.

We live in a world where it often seems impossible to make a difference, but organizations like these are blatant proof that being involved with a cause and voicing an opinion really can make a bigger difference than you think. Brown closed the summit with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “If the single man plant himself indomitably on his instincts, and there abide, the huge world will come round to him.” A 3month-old organization brought six students to a conference where they spoke, as friends, to people many others have only read.

So plant yourself on a goal, on an opinion, stick to it and change people’s minds. And if someone tells you it’s not possible, ask them if they’ve tried.

Additionally, assuming that offering women free birth control will prevent unwanted pregnancies is like assuming that offering people free gym memberships will decrease obesity rates. Birth control is only effective if you use it correctly and consistently. Unfortunately, many women don’t. According to a Cosmopolitan article, a 2008 study found that 27 percent of women who use birth control use it incorrectly. Meanwhile, a Guttmacher Institute Study found that in 2001, contraception was used during the month of conception for 48 percent of unintended pregnancies. The fact is, unplanned pregnancies are pretty easy to prevent. Many of them happen not because women lack access to birth control, but because they choose not to use it or they use it improperly.

I believe President Obama’s contraception mandate is nothing more than a cheap political ploy that will ultimately hurt the jobless, the uninsured, consumers, workers and, most of all, women. Contraception will end up being vastly more expensive, which will hurt those who don’t have jobs or employer-provided insurance plans and who, therefore, have to pay for contraception out-of-pocket. Consumers will end up paying more for goods and services as firms try to pass on the cost of higher insurance premiums. This will act like an implicit consumption tax and will most adversely affect the poor.

Higher insurance premiums will also translate into reduced salaries for workers, higher levels of unemployment and gender discrimination.

In sum, the birth control mandate does a hell of a lot more harm than good. If the president really cares about women and ensuring their access to high quality, low cost contraceptives, he ought to repeal this mandate immediately.

Student Government Monthly Coming Soon: Police and Housing Forum Welcome back for another great edition of Student Government Monthly.

We hope everyone had an enjoyable and safe holiday break.

SG would first like to thank all those who came out to our Senate meeting on Thursday, Feb. 16 to support the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. It was amazing to see students at Mason with so much enthusiasm and engagement in the political realm. SG hopes to replicate that turnout at our meetings in the future.

Coming up on March 7, SG is holding a Police and Housing forum at 6 p.m. at the Patriot Lounge in Student Union Building I. The purpose of this forum is to raise awareness and understanding of student rights on campus as well as the duties of resident assistants and police.

Too often we hear students complain that they do not know their rights when a police officer or RA knocks on their door.

This forum is to answer any questions those students

may have.

There will be members of the police department and administration on hand to help answer those questions.

This forum is not a battleground for students to come and complain about a charge they have received.

Rather SG is here to help the students connect with the authorities to better safeguard themselves from trouble.

Also, there will be free food and drinks during the event.

Be sure to stay on the lookout for advertisements regarding SG’s annual Academic Advising Expo coming up on March 27 running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the bottom floor of the Johnson Center in Dewberry Hall.

This is a huge event coupled with free food and giveaways.

More details will be released soon.

As always, be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.

Both of these links can be found on our new and rvamped website sg.gmu.edu.

broadsideonline.com

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Broadside

Opinion

Monday, February 27, 2012 | 9

Letters to the Editor On Student Government Lawsuit In response to the Feb. 13 article entitled “Lawsuit Leads to Policy Change in Student Government,” it is apparent that Broadside did not accurately represent the entire story.

According to the public minutes from the Oct. 18, 2011 meeting of the Government and Academic Affairs committee, Michael Jordan came up for appointment to the George Mason Student Senate. The committee chose to vote by secret ballot after committee members voiced concerns to Chairman Matthew Short about how they felt they could not vote how they wanted due to the fear that another member of the committee would seek retribution against them. Chairman Short listened to the concerns of his committee members and voted via secret ballot. According to the minutes, after the decision to vote via secret ballot was made, Senator Donald Garrett, also a member of the G&A committee, voiced his concerns that secret ballot voting was illegal under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Chairman Short continued the meeting over Garrett’s objections, and Jordan was defeated by a vote of three yeas, three nays and three abstentions.

On Dec. 1, over a month after the vote on Oct. 18, Jordan filed his lawsuit, beginning the court case Jordan v. Short.

Shortly following notification of the filing, Student Government changed its voting procedures on Dec. 1 to bring them in line with FOIA. Yet Michael Jordan continued with his lawsuit.

Various details of the case soon

emerged that bring several important questions to the forefront. If Jordan’s real goal was to bring about change in policy at Student Government, why didn’t he drop his lawsuit after the change was made? Did Jordan go through the channels available to him at the university level before deciding to pursue legal action in state courts? Additionally, why did Senator Garrett choose to raise objections at the Oct. 18 meeting about secret ballot voting instead of other meetings where secret ballots were used?

As an outside observer, it seems to me that this was not a moral crusade, but rather a sort of nuisance devised in order to railroad certain members of Student Government. If Michael Jordan really wanted to change ballot procedures, he would have dropped his lawsuit against Short right after the policy change was made. He would have accepted an offer to redo the vote under the new ballot procedures, and he would have decided not to go to court. This does not look like it was an attempt to change policy; it looks like it was harassment.

Signed, Zack High, freshman, civil, environmental and infrastructure engineering major Catholic Church Going Too Far with Abortion As many of you may remember (if you watched the news a lot last year), the Westboro Baptist Church which was known for its absolute hatred of gay people was a big news topic in early 2011 for

Protesters: The Plague of George Mason Rabble-rousers Outside JC Urge Students to Find a New Route Clara Everett

Columnist You know what I love? I mean really just love? Being accosted on my way across campus.

Picture this: It’s an average day outside. I’m looking fresh with my dinosaur backpack, making my way to the Johnson Center to not study or do anything productive.

Suddenly, a little commotion catches my eye. My nostrils dilate as I detect the scent of a pack of them on the prowl. It’s a group of those obnoxious protesters promoting this or protesting that. I stealthily conceal myself behind some bushes and watch the i n te ra c t i o n s take place.

Protester: “Hi — yes — have you heard about [insert stupid cause here]?”

Innocent passerby just trying to get to class unscathed: “No, I sure haven’t.”

Protester: “Well, let me just tell you a little bit about it. Here’s a pamphlet, which you will crumple up as soon as you walk away from me and throw in the nearest possible trashcan. We are out here today to make people more aware of blah blah blah blah….”

It’s at about this time, if not sooner, that you stop paying attention.

These people are the absolute worst. If you are one of them, I’m sorry, but no one likes you.

Now, let’s get back to me hiding in the shrubbery. I have a few options. I can sneak around these protesters and find a different way to get into the JC, which requires a little extra effort.

Or I can march directly into the danger zone, risking a conversation with one of them. This is the dilemma that plagues each of us every time we see these people lurking about.

Let’s talk about the pros and cons involved with this decision.

We’ll start with the alternative of finding another way to your destination, rather than walking through the prowling pack of protesters just waiting to leap on you and make you late.

The problem with this option is that, in rerouting your journey, you will probably end up being late anyways.

So if time is of the essence this is probably not the best choice for you.

Then again, you shouldn’t fool yourself into thinking that it might be beneficial for you to stroll straight through the scrum of bojanglers with your head held high.

It is not realistic for you to think that you will make it out untouched. You may think that if you don’t make eye contact, you’ll be safe.

Think again.

Eye contact is helpful but not at all necessary for getting these people to creep on over and start talking to you about gun rights or abortion or some weird new religion.

So basically, when it comes to this set of circumstances, you have two choices: being late or being late after having your dignity stripped away by an uncomfortable conversation with a miserable protester.

I have been approached many times, and it is never a pleasant experience.

They also never seem to appreciate my sense of humor when it comes to asking inappropriate questions.

To those of you who make a habit of skulking around campus and pestering normal people, don’t be surprised when you get rude responses and short answers, or you are just blatantly ignored.

And if you’re an innocent victim just trying to make your way across campus, learn to expect to be bojangled at least once during your college career at George Mason University.

It happens. But no matter what, do not, under any circumstances, get involved in their cause.

Because what happens then is that you become one of them.

You become a protester. And no one likes a protester.

It is not realisitic for you to think that you will make it out untouched.

its anti-gay protests at the military funeral of a gay Marine. They also were a newsworthy topic as they appealed all the way to the Supreme Court when the father of this gay Marine sued the group.

And more recently, Catholic groups across the country have been rallying to outlaw abortion, whether it be a wellknown demonstration like the March for Life or just a small picket line outside the local abortion clinic.

Well, I spit in the face of these things.

First of all, being gay or lesbian is not a choice (as Dr. Phil McGraw said on Anderson Cooper in October 2010). In the King James Bible, which was one of the earliest English translations of the Bible, it says in Leviticus 20:13: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of [these men] have committed an abomination...” It’s important to understand that when the Bible was written, the word “abomination” was different than it is today. Back then, it just meant homosexuality was an unusual thing to do. And even when the King James version of the Bible was translated, “abomination” still had a slightly different meaning than it does today. Most people don’t realize this, so when the New Living Translation was created, for example, that same quote is worded so that the message is of homosexuality being “a detestable sin.”

The Bible also says not to judge and that only God judges. I have a good friend who I’ve been told is gay and he’s still a good person.

On another level, in terms of abortion, the Catholic Church is going way too

far with the abortion issue. If our country decided to outlaw abortion, that would only infringe on women’s rights to choose for themselves. If a woman wants to kill her unborn child and be subject to God’s judgment, then the government shouldn’t be the one to decide that. Don’t get me wrong! I’m pro-choice, but antiabortion! Everyone should be anti-abortion.

I actually was raised Catholic and one of the reasons my family left the church we attended mass at was because the priests there told us not to vote for Obama because of his views on abortion. I mean, come on! You don’t say that.

That’s also one of the reasons I abandoned the whole “denominations” idea of Christianity. I didn’t leave the Catholic Church, but I only consider myself Christian now — nothing more, nothing less.

Sincerely, Tyler McDonald, freshman, religious studies major Slut Shaming is Not OK I don’t know if any of you are aware of the term “slut-shaming,” but allow me give you a definition: “Slut-shaming, also known as slutbashing, is the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings and/or acting on sexual feelings. Furthermore, it’s about the implication that if a woman has sex that traditional society disapproves of, she should feel guilty and inferior. It is damaging not only to the girls and women

targeted, but to women in general and society as a whole. It should be noted that slut-shaming can occur even if the term ‘slut’ itself is not used.” (Taken from http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com /2010/04/04/what-is-slut-shaming/) A blaring example of this appears in the style section of the Feb. 20 edition of Broadside. In the “Tips with Krista: Make Facebook Hate You” column, she states, “Post annoying photos. [Some of the worst are] pictures of you kissing someone — we already know you’re loose, you don’t need to advertise it.”

In no way is this at all humorous or entertaining. It is a clear case of slutshaming. I am appalled that not only would someone say this, but also that someone would be okay with printing this for an entire college campus to read.

Posting a photo of a kiss is not evidence of someone being “loose.” It can be an expression of love, of friendship, of anything. It is unfortunate that someone can be judged so harshly for simply posting a photo like that online.

I strongly encourage you — whoever reads this — to put some thought into your editing or what your writers post. As an aspiring journalist, I originally had hopes for writing for this university’s paper. However, if these are the types of articles that are able to be published, Broadside is a huge disappointment.

Sincerely, Asia Gruber, sophomore, integrative studies major

Don’t Be Afraid to Share Your Opinion Opinions Help to Create a Person’s Identity T h e power of opinions isn’t one that we direct much attention to.

Words are just words, right?

Words themColumnist selves have no real meaning, but it’s people within a cultural group who establish and attach shared meanings to them. Or at least that’s what my “Understanding of Intercultural Communication” textbook says. Our opinions are strung together with those cultureladen meanings, and we attach emotions to a strand of language that many times we struggle to voice. Whether the opinion is about abortion, climate change, religion or politics, when we fiGrace knight

nally muster the courage to share them, no one wants to listen. I am pro-choice, a believer that climate change is real and I am a registered Democrat, but does any of that mean anything?

Many times, those labels categorize me as a crazed feminist liberal who thinks Al Gore has the answers to all environmental problems. Labels and categories cloud what we really try to say or accomplish.

Take what happened when Congress tried to pass the health care reform bill. Both Democrats and Republicans spent months wasting taxpayers’ money, pointing fingers and getting hung up on their respective party’s opinions instead of doing the right thing and working together to create a working piece of legislation.

I think one of the biggest challenges our government faces, regardless of who ends up in office, is learning to run our country as a cohesive unit.

As a college student, I’ve entered a vital time in my life when I am forming opinions that will help construct my belief system. I try to live my life with an open mind and heart, but it is a challenge. The belief systems we string together often act as a front for our ignorance and our unwillingness to open our minds to each other.

Opinions don’t define who we are, but they contribute to the overall creation of our identities. Is it the fear of isolation or the fear of being rejected that imprisons us in the confines of our own minds? We dedicate so much of our time to the concerns of others that we lose sight of ourselves.

There is a certain respect and discipline that comes with listening to the opinions of others, opinions that many people choose to disregard.

So as I sit here at my desk, writing down my opinions — opinions for the opinion section, no less — I ask a final question: What do you think?

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Broadside

10 |

Sports

Sports

1965

The year the men’s club rugby team got its start

Monday, February 27, 2012

Patriots Drop Season Finale in Richmond Loss to VCU Puts Mason at No. 3 Seed Heading Into this Weekend’s Conference Tournament

Photos by Stephen Kline

(Left) In his first season as coach, Paul Hewitt has Mason ranked third in the conference heading into the tournament. (Right) Mike Morrison scores two of his 10 points against VCU as the Rams exacted revenge against the Patriots this season with a 89-77 victory.

Cody Norman Managing Editor RICHMOND – As the Rams lined up to pose for a picture with Bradford Burgess on Senior Night, the Patriots emerged from the tunnel much to the irratation of the sold-out crowd inside the Siegel Center.

Their unwanted presence in the background of the Rams’ photo drew a subtle exchange of words between the two rivals.

VCU had just been disrespected on their home floor. And they would not soon forget.

“We noticed,” said Shaka Smart, VCU coach. “And we fed off of it.”

From the opening tip, Mason was a step slower than the active VCU defense.

They turned the ball over 14 times in the first half, helping the Rams build a 16point lead heading into the break.

Point guards Bryon Allen and Corey Edwards had more turnovers (6) than the entire Rams’ roster in the first 20 minutes of play.

“I’m of the belief that they are the kind of team that is going to have those runs,” Hewitt said. “But if you hang in

there, you’re going to give yourselves a chance.”

The second half, however, carried a much different tune.

Mason outscored their opponents 50-46 in the half, chipping away at a sizeable deficit and pulling within 11 points on several different occasions.

But just when the Patriots would find a rhythm, they’d fall victim to a tough break and see their deficit build back up before eventually falling by a final score of 89-77.

“The second half did a better job,” Hewitt said.

“We had a couple chances to get back into the game, but a couple technical fouls kind of killed our momentum.”

Seniors Mike Morrison and Ryan Pearson were called for technical fouls for hanging on the rim and for protesting a call, respectively.

Falling by 12 points, the Patriots played at a heavy disadvantage from the charity stripe.

They were whistled for 12 more fouls, allowing VCU to shoot 47 free throws in comparison to the Patriots’ 28 attempts.

“We fouled them,” Hewitt said. “I thought we could have done a much bet-

ter shot defensively, moving our feet. But we fouled them. That’s why the numbers were so off.”

Three Patriots recorded double-digits in the scoring column, as Pearson led the way with another solid 24-point, 9-rebound outing.

Morrison contributed 10 points and nine rebounds, while Sherrod Wright continued his strong play off the bench, scoring 11 points in 25 minutes.

Mason finished the evening with 20 turnovers and just 10 assists, despite allowing 17 assists and seven total turnovers for the Rams.

With the loss, Mason fell to the third seed in this weekend’s CAA Tournament back down in Richmond.

They will play the winner of Georgia State and Hofstra on Saturday night with the potential to face off for a third time this season against the VCU Rams.

O’Connor Addresses Rumors About Move to A-10 Back in October, the Atlantic-10 conference expressed informal interest in

adding Mason and VCU to their conference.

As talks between Temple and the Big East conference heat up, so have rumors about both CAA rivals joining La Salle, Dayton and Rhode Island in the A-10.

“Rumors are rumors,” said Tom O’Connor, assistant vice president and director of athletics.

“There’s a lot of disinformation out there.”

The New York Times reported in October that Hofstra president Stuart Rabinowitz had reached out informally to A-10 members Charlotte, Richmond and George Washington to gauge their interest in joining the CAA, citing two people with knowledge of the talks.

“About six months ago, we talked as a league about expanding rather than hav-

ing anybody leaving,” O’Connor said. “Stability is one of the strongest parts about our league.”

Despite the rumors, O’Connor insists that the CAA and Ivy League are the “most stable” conferences in the country.

“We seem to all like each other,” O’Connor said.

“We seem to all have the same philosophy. When we talk about the future, we talk it about it being together.”

Without an offer on the table from the A-10, O’Connor would not speculate on the potential to move conferences.

He did, though, seem confident in the conference’s ability to remain stable with the 12 teams currently in the conference.

“There’s really no need to [move conferences] right now,” O’Connor said.

Sectio n A View from the Platoon 124 With Tournament Time Approaching, It is Time to Rebound Daniel Zimmet Patriot Platoon Member There is one arena in the entire country that gets you fired up to walk into as a Mason fan. Going into the Siegel Center down in Richmond gets your blood boiling.

It’s a hostile environment and VCU cannot stand Mason just as much as we cannot stand them. In fact, I even saw a shirt that said “I’m a VCU fan, and a fan of whoever is playing Mason.”

It was loud in there. After we interrupted their Senior Night presentation by running onto the court for warm ups, boos rang throughout the arena louder than at any other point during the entire game.

You could tell that VCU was fired up about that and used it to their advantage right out of the gate.

There was clearly something going on that Coach Hewitt didn’t like throughout the game.

Whether it was illegal screens or another type of violation, there was something that got Hewitt visibly upset, and he let the referees hear it.

I mean, their players were wide open for threepointers. There is no way that our rotation defense was so poor that we gave up that many open outside shots.

I’m not one to blame the referees for a loss; however that game was clearly called one way. You don’t even have to think back to fouls that were called or not called, just look at the stat sheet.

We had 28 free-throw attempts, while they had 47. For such a psychical game both ways, there

is no way that the foul numbers should have been so skewed.

In the end it came down to turnovers again.

The pressure shut us down, and we had weak ball handling.

We only ended up taking four fewer shots than them and made four more than they did. Therefore, statistically, we shot better than VCU did. However, when you give up so many points off turnovers, it’s tough to fight back from that.

Players, coaches and fans alike need to do one thing leading up to this upcoming CAA Tournament. Flush these past two games.

There is one time in the season that truly matters, and that’s tournament time. We will be facing either Georgia State or Hofstra on Saturday evening at 8:30.

Obviously, we want to face Hofstra and it doesn’t seem too out there since they whomped UNCW this past weekend. If Mason and VCU both win on Saturday, we will play each other again on Sunday.

However, first let’s just worry about one game at a time and go from there.

Historically, Mike Morrison, Ryan Pearson and Andre Cornelius have not played well in the CAA Tournament.

Hopefully, since this will be their final time in the Richmond Coliseum, they’re going to bust out in their own beast mode and play at their peak.

Every single player on our team needs to know their role and execute.

With a full week to prepare, we’ll be mentally, physically and emotionally ready to begin the quest to cut down the nets on Monday night.

Broadside

Sports

Monday, February 27, 2012 | 11

Workout of the Week Brittany Richardson, sophomore rower on the Mason Rowing team

The Erg The ergometer, commonly known as the erg, is an indoor rowing machine.

The machine is a cardio-focused, and measures the amount of energy a rower generates.

“It doesn’t look like it, but the machine uses more legs than arms,” Richardson said.

Good technique requires that the rower never leans too far forward or too far back.

The most common injury on the erg machine occurs in the lower back.

“Erging is a way to practice being on the water when it’s too cold to actually go out. It helps us work on technique and build up endurance so that when we go on the water we’re in shape,” Richardson said.

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Dominos.com

Interested in becoming a sports writer?

There is no better place to get your start than in the Office of Student Media.

Photos by Jake McLernon

Stop by the office in the lower level of SUB II or email Cody Norman at cnorman2@masonlive.gmu.edu with any questions.

Cut out your own bracket!

12 | Monday, February 27, 2012

Broadside

Sports

Men’s Rugby, Home of the Gang Green “Rugby is a brotherhood.

You go out on the field and bleed with your comrades,” - Zander Shaw, club president and fly half

Zander Shaw, sophomore, takes off with the ball at a practice for the spring season.

Photos by: Stephen Kline

Team Gears Up for Spring Season Colleen Wilson Asst. Sports Editor The George Mason University men’s club rugby team is gearing up for its 47th spring season.

Founded in 1965, men’s rugby is the oldest club team on campus.

During the fall, the team plays competitively in Division II of the Potomac Rugby Union.

Games and practices are held for fun and training purposes during the spring.

“We’re all here because we love the game,” said senior civil engineering major Rawaz Mutabchi.

“We’ve had matches before where the teams were unevenly matched, so we swapped teammates so that we could keep playing.”

There were approximately 40 men on the team last fall, though the players and coaches are always looking to recruit more.

“No matter what size you are, we have a position for anybody,” said sophomore photography major Zander Shaw.

“When I first started playing, I was scared and had no idea what I was doing. The game is very natural, though. I picked it up very easily,” Head coach Fred Bardot has been playing rugby since he was 6 years old and played professionally in France, Argentina and the United States.

For the past 10 years, he’s been coaching at Mason and working for USA Rugby to coach clinics and start new youth leagues around the country.

“While I grew up playing many other sports, I was attracted to rugby from the start,” Bardot said.

“The values of our sport — effort, friendship, sacrifice, courage and respect for yourself, the opponents and the referees — were al-

ways important to me.”

Rugby is comparable to American football and soccer.

Two teams of 15 face off with no protective padding, each trying to touch the ball down on the opposite end of the field, which is called a pitch.

“I played soccer my whole life. I kept getting kicked out of the games because I was too physical, so rugby seemed like a good opportunity,” Shaw said.

“It’s like non-stop football combined with contact soccer.”

Though the game is played without padding or protection, Shaw insists that it’s safer than football.

“Playing without pads makes you more hesitant and less likely to get injured,” Shaw said. “You learn to tackle well and use correct form.”

For the less competitive spring season, Bardot hopes to build up the young team’s skills.

Since rugby is played continuously with no time-outs, coach input during the game is very limited, and Bardot has worked to teach to team to rely on themselves during the game for decision making and team work.

Rugby will return to the Olympics in Rio in 2016, and Bardot hopes to have athletes that can represent both the United States and Mason in the games.

“We are a pretty young team, but we increasingly get players with high school experience, so our job is easier,” Bardot said.

“At one point, Mason Rugby was playing at Division I level.

We’re back down to II now,” Mutabchi said.

“This semester, I’d like to see us build the team and work on the fundamentals of the game so that we can return to a higher division.”

On and off the field, the team works together, describing themselves as a family away from home.

“Rugby is a brotherhood. You go out on the field and bleed with your comrades,” Shaw said.

Mason men’s rugby begins of-

ficial practices for the spring season on Tuesday.

The first game is on March 24 against Marymount College.

Photos by: Stephen Kline

The men’s rugby team was founded in 1965 and is the oldest club team on campus.