Broadside January 30, 2012 Issue by Student Media George Mason University

Game On Mason students connect outside the Rathskellar through a card game called Magic: The Gathering. STYLE • Page 5

Commons Under Construction

National Celebrity

Construction has begun on yet another project — George Mason University; where renovation is tradition. NEWS • Page 3

Men’s basketball walk-on and former American Idol contestant Jordan Baird will sing National Anthem. SPORTS • Page 10

George Mason University’s Student Newspaper www.broadsideonline.com

January 30, 2012

Volume 88 Issue 11

Homecourt Advantage Vote for the Patriot Platoon as Naismith Student Section of the Year

OHRL Nixes Room Retention, Group Priority Says Goal is to Reduce Uncertainty, Help Underclassmen Find On-Campus Housing Hannah Smith Asst. News Editor

Photo by: Stephen Kline

Sporting his new asian-themed attire, Doc Nix has the Green Machine and Patriot Platoon in prime position to run away with the Naismith Student Section of the Year award this season.

Cody Norman Managing Editor tion.

There is still time, Mason Na-

With the Patriots sitting atop the CAA with a 10-1 conference record and students returning to school to ﬁll the Patriot Center for Saturday night’s matchup with James Madison, the Patriot Platoon is up for the Naismith Student Section of the Year award. As part of the award, the Platoon has been nominated as one of the top 80 selections representing 21 conferences, including the Big East and Big Ten Conferences. It will be presented to the loudest, most passionate group of fans in the nation and will be decided by the fans. Fewer things create the type of buzz around the city of Fairfax like a men’s basketball game. Stu-

dents, professor, families and fans pack the arena for home games. They pour into Brion’s Grill and Hard Times Café for watch parties and postgame meals, awarding Coach Paul Hewitt a standing ovation each time he enters the restaurant. As they did on several occasions on Saturday night, noise meters in the Patriot Center hover far beyond 100 dosimeters, tipping the scales and assisting the Patriots, who owned one of the longest home winning streaks in the nation entering this season. Doc Nix and the Green Machine rock the arena with unrivaled performances, prompting Mason fans to “Don’t Stop Believing” with a unique rendition of Journey’s 1981 hit. The Patriot Center personiﬁes the meaning of home court advantage. And the Patriot Platoon, the Green Machine, Doc Nix

and Mason fans across the nation create an atmosphere that many strive to achieve. As part of the Naismith Awards, the Patriot Platoon aims to top the charts and earn their recognition as the nation’s top student section. The ﬁrst two rounds of voting will be public, followed by a scoring of ﬁnalists by the Naismith Awards Board of Selectors. The award will take into consideration criteria such as the student section’s name and attendance, as well as photos, video and a write-up submitted by the nominating school. Fans can vote once every 24 hours for their favorite student section. Rankings will be posted every Friday through Feb. 12 at Facebook.com/ILoveCollegeHoops.

Current Standings: (1)

Purdue

(2)

Kansas

(3)

San Diego State

(4)

Gonzaga

(5)

Kentucky

(6)

Indiana

(7)

Utah State

(8)

Syracuse

(9)

Illinois

(10)

Duke Scan the QR Code into your smart phone and vote now!

The Office of Housing and Residence Life has made changes to the housing selection process which includes the elimination of room retention, priority for groups and a new $300 security deposit. OHRL is doing these things to reduce uncertainty in the housing selection process. This year, those with the least amount of credits will be given priority in housing selection. This is designed to give underclassmen a better chance at living on campus, said Jen Frank, assistant director of Housing Services. At an information session Thursday, some were concerned that this threatens senior privilege. “We do acknowledge that some portion of seniors will be on the Guaranteed Waiting List from the start of the process,” Frank said. “We really think that the older students are more suited to deal with that ambiguity of being on the wait list.” Those seniors will still be guaranteed housing on campus, just maybe not in the location of their choice. Students also will no longer be able to retain the same housing they have now, but instead will reenter the housing pool each year. Another change is that group applicants will be given priority over individuals in the housing selection. “[Students] spend all their time and energy on roommate and suitemate problems, and the community

doesn’t get built because there’s all that negativity there,” said Frank. The idea is that people who know their roommates ahead of time are more likely to have a positive roommate experience. There will also be a new $300 deposit that students must pay after selecting their housing. OHRL instituted this to make students commit to living on- or off-campus. They will credit the deposit back to students’ accounts in October, Frank said. Last year, the OHRL website crashed during housing selection. In order to reduce traffic, selection this year will be staggered so that students will be given a widow of time to select their housing. Group applicants will choose a leader to login and choose their housing. The OHRL website will also feature a new tool called Room Locator, which will allow students to see which rooms they can select as they become available, said Myra Gibson, housing services coordinator at Eisenhower, at a Housing Selection Forum Thursday. The additional 600 beds that will come from the opening of the Whitetop and Rogers dorms next could make up for the 500 or so people who apply but are not guaranteed housing. It will also mean more choices for upperclassmen that are the last to select housing. “This is the year to do that change,” Frank said. “Because if we do it any other year more people will end up on the wait list.”

Tips For Finding Good Housing -Form a group. For shy residents, Mason will be hosting Roommate/Suitemate Socials Feb. 2, 6 and 15. -Form a group of four. 70 percent of housing at Mason is built for four people. That’s

why groups of four will go first in the housing selection. -Apply on time. Regardless of whether you are a group or an individual, everyone applies for housing between February 13 and 17.

Board of Visitors Selects President Dr. Ángel Cabrera Set to Take Office in July Justin Lalputan News Editor Following the announcement of the retirement of current president Alan Merten, the Board of Visitors created a task force to fill the vacancy, which has resulted in Ángel Cabrera, 44, becoming the sixth president of George Mason University. Cabrera will officially take office following Merten’s retirement effective June 30. The process of finding a new president was not easy, said Board of Visitors and Presidential Task Force member Lovey Hammel. According to Hammel, Mason utilized the national search company Greenwood/ Asher & Associates to aid in the search for a new president. The task force decided what they wanted in a new candidate — such as innovation and a drive to improve the university — and then gave their specifications to

the company. The task force then had to search through hundreds of potential candidates, and presented the best picks to the Board of Visitors. It should be noted that the task force does not select the president. “The Board of Visitors decides,” Hammel said. “The task force goes through the candidates and presents the Board of Visitors with options.” An oddity in this selection process is that the candidates were anonymous through the entire process, and even the Faculty Senate was not aware of the identity of the candidates, which caused tension among some members at the Dec. 9 meeting. Faculty Senate members claimed that the anonymity of the candidates contradicted rules in the faculty handbook. The anonymity of the candidates was an oddity because in past Mason presidential elections,

including Merten’s own in 1996, the candidates were known to the community and professors. At the Dec. 9 meeting, Linda Monson and June Tangney, two members of the task force, told members of the Faculty Senate that Mason granted secrecy to this election to protect the jobs of some of the possible candidates. Monson declined to comment when Broadside reached out in an email. After the Dec. 9 meeting, the Board of Visitors decided to elect Cabrera as the sixth president of George Mason University, and he was oﬃcially sworn in on Dec. 15. Cabrera is the president of the Thunderbird School of Global Management and received a B.S. from Madrid Polytechnic Institute and a Ph.D. from the Georgia Institute of Technology which he attended as a Fulbright scholar. In 2002, The World Economic Forum named Cabrera a “Global Leader for Tomorrow,” and two

years later, he was named by BusinessWeek as one of the 25 stars of Europe. Later, in 2007, the United Nations asked Cabrera to chair an international that formed the “Principles for Responsible Management Education.” Cabrera commented on the fact that members of Mason’s administration are leaving in the coming year. “I do hope not everyone leaves at once,” Cabrera said. He added that he considers his staff to be a big part of how he runs a university. “Being a president is like being a CEO of a company, but it’s different in many ways,” Cabrera said, commenting on his mindset as a university president. At the ceremony on Dec. 15, Cabrera was also reminded of the shoes that he has to fill. Since Merten took office in 1996, Mason has increased enrollment from 24,000 to 33,000 students and has

Photo by: Stephen Kline

Dr. Ángel Cabrera was introduced as the sixth president of George Mason University on Dec. 15, 2011. tripled the number of freshmen. In addition, the average GPA of accepted Mason students has risen from 2.89 to 3.65. Cabrera wants to improve recognition of the Mason brand,

and said the best way to do that is through the accomplishments of faculty and students. “[I want to] bring the world to Mason, and take Mason to the world,” Cabrera said.

Broadside

News

492

The number of beds the Commons will hold after renovations

Monday, January 30, 2012

Event Calendar Monday, Jan. 30 Vision Series: Dan Cohen Center for the Arts, Concert Hal 7 p.m. Homecoming 2012: I Just Can’t Wait to be Mason Majesty Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall 8 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 31 Business Fest 2012 Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall & Cinema 1– 5 p.m. Homecoming 2012: You Ain’t Never Had a Patriot Like Me The Hub, Ballroom 8– 10 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 1 International Cafe: Tea and Games from Around the World Student Union Building I, Patriot's Lounge 12 – 2 p.m. Men’s Basketball : Mason vs University of Delaware Newark, DE 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb.2

Women’s Basketball : Mason vs Drexel Philadelphia, PA 7 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 3 PB Annual Battle of the Bands The Hub, Ballroom 8 p.m.

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

Jan. 23

POLICE FILES Possession of Marijuana & Possession with Intent to Distribute Potomac Heights Tyler M. Foki, 19 (GMU) of Centreville, VA was issued a summons for Possession of Marijuana. Brandon L. Rubin, 19 (GMU) of San Marino, CA was arrested for Possession with Intent to Distribute. Subject was transported and released over to the Fairfax County ADC. (56/Lighthiser)

Jan. 25

Jan. 24

Petit Larceny Robinson Hall B 2012-001011 / Petit Larceny. Complainant reported property stolen. Estimated loss $109.00. (17/Millan) Drunk in Public Rogers Hall Patrick C. Schilling, 18 (GMU) of Zionsville, PA was arrested for DIP. Subject was transported and released over to the Fairfax County ADC. (31/Stampfel) Medical Blue Ridge Hall Aided party was transported to Access Hospital. (38/ Rourke) Warrant Service Mattaponi Ln. Donell Brown (Non-GMU) 29 of Alexandria VA was arrested on a bench warrant out of Fairfax County. He was held without bond. (59/ Soccio)

Jan. 26

Possession Of Marijuana Shenandoah River Lane Chad Bonadonna 19 of West Point VA, Christian Tamburilla 19 of Petersburg VA, Joshua Klein 19 of Morganville NJ, Brian Vance 19 of Toms River NJ, Edward Kim 19 of Coral Springs FL. All GMU students were issued summons for possession of marijuana and released. (49/Broughton) Underage Possession Of Alcohol Hampton Roads Nicholas Figeac 22 of Smithfield VA, Justin Satkowski 20 of Hadley MA, Anthony Ennis 22 of Fairfax VA, Paul Asche 21 of Vienna VA . All GMU students were referred to GMU Housing and The Dean of Students. (40/Ross). Suspicious activity Eastern Shore Student was observed watching videos that had other students concerned. (60/Stahl)

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

BOV Talks Korea Branch, Athletics Also Discuss Front Royal Zoo, Women for Women International Justin Lalputan News Editor The George Mason University Board of Visitors met Wednesday to discuss and update several endeavors that the university is currently undertaking. One of the most important items presented at the meeting was an update on Mason’s eﬀorts to establish a branch in Songdo, South Korea’s Incheon Free Economic Zone. According to the Songdo Task Force, Mason has not ﬁnalized the plans for the foreign

branch because it has not received a post-five-year financial analysis from its Korean partners. There is still hope amongst administration officials that the information can be gathered in time for a tentative March 2013 opening of the Songdo branch. Another major talking point of the meeting was the budget for Mason’s athletic program. In a PowerPoint presented in part by Thomas O’Connor at the meeting, it was stated that only two percent of Mason’s budget goes toward athletics. This means that of the $858.9 million that Mason has at

its disposal, athletics receives only $17.4 million. It was also stated that Mason’s athletic program is not self sustaining; fully 75 percent of the combined athletic program’s revenue is generated through student fees, according to the PowerPoint. The collaboration between Mason and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., was also mentioned at the meeting. The institute is operating a zoo at Front Royal, the purpose of which is to protect endangered

species. “They have 3,200 acres in Front Royal,” said Daniel Clemente, vice rector of the Board of Visitors, who recently visited the zoo. “[There were] cheetahs living in their natural habitat, not in cages. All that was between us was chicken wire.” Another item discussed at the meeting was the eﬀorts of Mason graduate Zainab Salbi, who founded Women for Women International, an international women’s rights advocacy group. The next meeting is planned for March 21.

Hot Spot Now Open New Restaurant Uses Social Media to Create Menu Jake McLernon C2M Photo/Video Editor For the Chinese New Year, Burrito Del Ray is out, and an experimental menu-rotating restaurant is in. The Hot Spot, open during weekday lunch hours, replaces the Sodexo-brand burrito location in Student Union Building I, making Taco Bell the only current location for quick Mexican food on the Fairfax campus. Its menu style is departure from the consistent menus of grab-and-go locations on-campus, and a test of Mason Dining’s social media usage: The new dining option will serve a different type of cultural food every week as chosen by users on Mason Dining’s Facebook page. “Students are looking for a variety of options. They don’t want to see it get monotonous and stagnate,” said Ram Nabar, Mason Dining’s resident district manager. “At the end of the day, they want a fresh rotation of menus.” Exactly how the voting process will work is currently being decided by Mason Dining. For the ﬁrst week of classes, the dining location served Chinese stir fry. “The idea would be to have the voting done a week ahead of the menu,” Nabar said. “We can say, 'Hey! This is what’s coming up!'” Upcoming cultural menus include Caribbean, Italian and Latino food. “We are really excited to immerse cultural aspects with the food that we do at Mason Dining,” Nabar said. Burrito Del Ray lacked the sales to remain sustainable, according to Nabar. “Whether [or not] people preferred Taco Bell, they weren’t touching Burrito Del Ray,” Nabar said. Before Burrito Del Ray, the SUB I dining location was a Damon’s Express, a quick-food version of the neighboring Damon’s restaurant that occupied the current Rathskellar space. Mason Dining promoted their newest addition to campus during the ﬁrst day of classes through a special arrangement with the New World Bilingual In-

stitute and their Dragon Dance students to give them an opportuteam. nity of cultural diversity, commuThe NWBI was founded in nity service, and unity,” Wang 1993 with its Dragon Dance team said. “They thought it would be a founded in 2007 lot of fun. Those students at Mason. Dining “The idea would be to asked the team to really wanted to join and have come to Mason have the voting done a on the first day of self motivation week ahead of the and carry on classes to help menu. We can say the tradition.” welcome stu‘Hey! This is what’s dents for the new Originally, the Dance was year. coming up!’” to be held outMonday ’s team consisted side at North -Ram Nabar, Mason Dining Plaza, but due primarily of students from Resident District Manager to the rain, it Thomas Jefferson started downstairs near High School who asked for the day off to participate. Dewberry Hall and ended near Terry Wang, the president of the the Johnson Center Information Institute, participated with the Desk. student team as their drummer. “It was a very limited space, “We started with high school but we managed,” Wang said.

The colors of the dragon, red, gold and silver, all together symbolize prosperity. The red is special during the Chinese culture as it is said to ward oﬀ evil spirits. “Everybody was excited to think they were contributing to their culture,” Wang said. Wang also acts as the International Educational and Cultural Consultant for President Alan Merten and Provost Peter Stearns. The Hot Spot is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday through Friday.

Story taken from Connect2Mason

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Contructionâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;Beginsâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;onâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;Commons Newly-Renovated Dorms to Open Doors in Fall 2012 features student lounges, a vending area and a common kitchen. Asst. News Editor The spaces themselves will The new Commons renova- feature more modern furniture, tions will offer residents amenities renovated common rooms and such as better community space, new carpet. Residents will also new furniture and updated laun- have more laundry facilities. According to Facilities, the dry facilities. project was â&#x20AC;&#x153;The dorms authorized in are slated to reâ&#x20AC;&#x153;These newly renovated July 2010 and open fall 2012,â&#x20AC;? spaces will provide our construction said Associate was slated to Director of incoming freshmen being in FebHousing Servstudents an excellent ruary of this ices, Brian introduction to life at year. Davis. However, â&#x20AC;&#x153; T h e s e Masonâ&#x20AC;? construction newly renovated has already spaces will pro-Brian Davis, Associate started. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The vide our incomtotal cost of ing freshmen Director of the construcstudents an exHousing Services tion to Comcellent intromons is duction to life at expected to be Mason,â&#x20AC;? said approximately $12 million,â&#x20AC;? Davis Davis. This coincides with an effort said. This is on track budget with by the Office of Housing and Res- the planned cost. The capacity for the Comidence Life to make the housing selection process friendlier to un- mons will be 492 beds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The residents who lived there last fall were derclassmen. The renovations in the Com- moved to the newly constructed mons will make the facilities more Rogers and Whitetop for the efficient and safe. This includes spring semester,â&#x20AC;? Davis said. The opening of the Combetter temperature control, a fire alarm/suppression system and mons will allow students to select electrical systems, according to Rogers and Whitetop in the housing selection for fall 2012, accordthe Mason Facilities website. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The students can expect ing to the OHRL website. Since students can no longer some great things happening in the newly renovated Hanover retain their housing, current residents will have to choose their building,â&#x20AC;? Davis said. Hanover is a community dorm again during the housing sebuilding in the Commons that lection. Whitetop features suite-

Hannah Smith

Photos by: Stephen Kline

Construction has already begun in the University Commons and is slated to continue until fall 2012. The Commons are a group of buildings that house underclassman. While renovations are underway, students have been relocated to Whitetop and Rogers, located on the edge of Patriot Circle. style dorms, and Rogers is made up of apartments. Originally constructed in 1986, the residential halls of the Commons were in need of renova-

tion. The university is also fitting them to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines, according to the Facilities website. The ADA was passed

four years after the residential halls of the Commons were erected. With all the upgrades to residential halls plus the near-con-

stant construction of new buildings, Davis is optimistic about the future of Mason. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is truly an exciting time to be at Mason,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Man on the Street: What did you think of the State of the Union address last week?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t watch it because I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like being lied to. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all still trying to play to their strengths and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not necessarily honest.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I watched part of it. I thought the president did a really good job reinvigorating the nation, especially going into election year.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of his ideas that felt weird was the proposed law to keep kids in school until theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re 18. I see where heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coming from, but 16 year olds should be able to choose.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I thought it was terrible. He said he wanted to tax the 1 percent the fair amount. Since Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be a future billionaire thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bad for me.â&#x20AC;?

Ashraf Abed Graduate student Software Engineering

Linden Abston Freshman Public Administration

Kwaku Edusei Junior Accounting

William Phan Junior Finance and Economics

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The number of years since Magic: The Gathering was introduced by Wizards of the Coast.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Looking Trendy Without Breaking the Bank High-End Fashion Designers Meet Department Store Prices Kaitlyn Reitz Broadside Correspondent

They say chic isn’t cheap, but fortunately for college students the game is changing. Many designers have created or are working on a more-affordable sister line that can be purchased by the general public. These lines are not only less expensive, but also allow designers to reach out to a wider array of people. Designers from Karl Lagerfeld to Missoni to Stella McCartney have all collaborated with different chain stores to create their more reasonably priced clothing lines. So what is it about designer duds that get everyone so excited? First off, designer clothing is typically of higher quality than clothing found in a local mall. Though the quality of the clothes is reflected in the price, customers are also paying for the designer’s name. When it comes to buying a Gucci purse for $2,000 or a Dior dress for $3,000, most shoppers simply cannot justify the price. But when consumers can buy clothing and accessories from the same designer for less, most cannot say no. This is why these designer collaborations have become so popular. Some even have customers lining up outside the store just hoping to pick up a piece from the collection. When

Target first started its Go International design collaborations, some of the designers they worked with weren’t as well known, such as Luella Bartley and Behnaz Sarafpour. Since then, the store has teamed up with bigger names including Rodarte, Zac Posen and the ever-popular Missoni. To date, Missoni has been the fastest selling of Target’s designer collections according to a CNN article. The collection consisted of over 400 different items ranging from scarves to sleepwear and a bicycle. Within hours of its launch, the demand for the Missoni collection had caused the Target website to crash. The site was back up briefly only to crash again. Within 48 hours of the collection’s debut, most Target locations were sold out both in stores and online. Though originally scheduled to be in stores from Sept. 13 through Oct. 22, 2011, most of Target’s stores barely had the collection for more than a day. Some consumers even went as far as to purchase items from the collection solely to resell on sites like eBay for almost double the price. Though none of Target’s previous collections had been quite this popular, their designer collaborations have always been a hit with the general public. Most recently they’ve

teamed up with Jason Wu, the designer of Michelle Obama’s inaugural dress, to create a line that includes clothing and handbags. Wu’s collection hits stores Feb. 5. Many other stores including H&M, Topshop and Puma have collaborated with other designers to create more affordable lines. Karl Lagerfeld, head designer of Chanel, was the first designer that Swedish retailer H&M worked with, and within hours many stores were already sold out of his collection. H&M has also teamed up with Stella McCartney and Viktor & Rolf. British retail chain Topshop has worked with British designers from Christopher Kane to Comme des Garcons. Puma even got in on the action and teamed up with the late Alexander McQueen to create a line of sneakers. Designer collaborations have become a big trend in the fashion world. These collections not only allow designers to reach larger audiences but also bring more customers to the stores for which they are designing. These collaborations consist of everything from clothing to shoes to jewelry and other accessories. Next time you think that you can’t afford clothing from your favorite designer, check your local chain stores and you might find just what you’re looking for.

Photo Courtesy of Kyle Lane/Flickr

Target has been a major player in fashion in recent years by mixing trendy clothing with aﬀordable prices.

TV Is Not What It Used to Be Columnist Wonders What Happened to Wholesome Entertainment Miriam waqar

columnist

Leave it to Beaver 1957-1963

Boy Meets World 1993-2000

Friends 1994-2004

Sabrina the Teenage Witch 1996-2003

The Sopranos 1999-2007

Jersey Shore 2009 - ?

For the great majority of Patriots, growing up on the Eastern Seaboard during the '90s evokes memories that fill one with the nostalgic longing for yesterday. In neighborhood playgrounds across the states, Pokémon battles erupted among elephant pants-clad elementary schoolers, Pluto was still a planet, a hot plate of Pizza Pockets awaited in the kitchen after school and Walkmans were all the “rage.” Times were good but even better once Saturday morning arrived, when one ran down to the family basement and binged on all the new cartoons of the week. These days, kids don’t

get excited over Saturday mornings like they once used to. The Millennial generation is now coming to an end and the new additions to our society, Generation Z’ers, are not given the justice they deserve from television programming. The moral education that was once provided through shows such as “The Wild Thornberrys”, Rocket Power, “Zoom!” and “Doug” have been replaced by mindless humor, inappropriateness and bad role models. This does not bode well for the future. As children, the Millennials were graced by a set of programs that exemplified the changing morality of our nation. Becoming less conservative and embracing all the diversity that was becoming a part of the classroom was a big theme in many TV shows. However, shows today are becoming a bit too “modern” with lewd material

much too mature for a younger audience being shown on a regular basis. Watching Cory make all those dumb errors, and then have Mr. Feeny give him a moral education has been replaced by clubbing adventures in “Jersey Shore” — a show that gains more than 50 percent of its audience from the “tweens” of today. The all-too-adult content of this show is introducing a type of dangerous revelry that kids see as the norm, and this is true for much of today’s programming. Perhaps the greatest disappointment of today is the lack of role models. In the ‘90s, American teens had an actor or actress who they could look up to, from Amanda Bynes to Frankie Muniz. In the 2000s, these role models turned into irresponsible individuals who made poor decisions. From DUIs to underage pregnancies, current actors

represent a small percentage of modern teenagers who are not fit to give anyone any advice! The steady degradation of suitable television role models within our society is inevitably leading to a less-wholesome upbringing for many children in America. Overall, the quality of television is definitely declining within the United States. The type of content shown has gone from innocent and helpful to mature and vulgar. Today’s kids are definitely at a risk with all of these negative external influences. What this bodes for the future of America is unclear, but it’s definitely foreseeable that as innocence dies out, kids will be absorbing content that is neither appropriate nor safe for their growing minds.

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Monday, January 30, 2012 |5

SUB I: The Gathering Mason Students Connect Through Card Game major Nathan McBrady. “There are just too many styles of play.” Indeed, Magic is a Anyone who’s ever game that is easy to learn eaten at the Rathskeller, or yet extremely difficult to any other dining facility in master. Here at George the lower level of Student Mason University, it’s less Union Building I, has probably noticed the “What people need crowd of people that usuto understand about this game is that it’s ally forms just outside the played across every doors of the RAT. To the age spectrum, every average passerby, that’s all major, every race it is — a group of people and every huddled around, playing a gender...And as long as you’re willing to card game. But what game laugh and not take could possibly keep people it serious, you’ll so invested that they find have fun playing it.” themselves in the same place most days? One -Brett Oye, junior Latin American Studies Major word: “Magic.” Magic: The Gathering is a popular card game played by an estimated 12 million people about the competitiveness around the world, in which and more about having fun players assume the roles of with friends. warring mages as they “I was just wandering summon creatures and cast around, looking for Chickspells to attack their oppofil-A,” said nents, draining their life until only o n e man is l e f t standing. “ I f you were to try and sum up Magic in 10 words or less, you couldn’t,” said sophomore economics Jeffrey Giorgi Style Editor

freshman computer game art and design major Rudy Wielman. “I came in here, I think, the third week of last semester and just started playing.” The group that hangs out outside of the RAT is non-exclusive and welcomes any and all players, even if they’ve never picked up a deck before. “I had never played till I sat down and said, ‘Hey, this looks fun. Could you teach me how to play?’” McBrady said. “Anyone can just come up to this group and want to learn how to play, and someone will give them a deck and teach them how.” Despite the game’s popularity, a negative stigmata endures, one that is often applied to Magic players in much the same way as it is to players of other fantasy-based games. “What people need to Photo by Andrés Aguiluz Rios/Flickr understand about this Magic: The Gathering, a fantasy themed trading card game, is game is that it’s played by an estimated 12 million people worldwide. p l a y e d studies major Brett Oye. world, we all role play at “If you go to tournaments, some point. And while across you’ll play against anyone some of you may laugh e v e r y from electrical engineers and make snide remarks, a g e to doctors. And as long as take a moment and think s p e c - you’re willing to laugh and about this: Most Magic t r u m , not take it serious, you’ll tournaments offer over e v e r y have fun playing it.” $200,000 in cash prizes to major, every Whether you play winners, including race and video games, fantasy foot- $45,000 to the top player. every gender,” ball, LARP or any other Not bad for just a card said junior activity that requires par- game. Latin America ticipants to enter a fantasy

Smartphones May Damage Relationships New Technology Introduces Score of New Problems Aneela Wadan Broadside Correspondent

We have all noticed that most George Mason University students are on their phones when walking from one class to the next. A majority of students are on iPhones or application-savvy smartphones. According to CNET, the popular tech media website, over one-third of the U.S. population owns a smartphone. This means that every third person sitting in your class right now has one. On what would seem like a completely irrelevant note, many couples are also calling it quits and many friendships are now losing value. So what does this have anything to do with smartphones? It has to do with smartphones because many blogs and editorials are now seeing a correlation between deteriorating relationships and this popular technology. There are more than a few reasons why your beloved iPhone is keeping you single — reasons like distractions. Half the time when you’re on a dinner date and your phone keeps vibrating, you will eventually check it. And this will lead to the infamous line, “Sorry, what’d you say?” or playing Temple Run on your iPhone while tweeting about your date. Now that’s a really bad first impression and will probably be your first and last date. Miscommunication is another common problem. There probably have been times when you sent a funny, sarcastic text to your sig-

nificant other, but he or she wasn’t in the joking mood. Miscommunication is probably the most frustrating problem with smartphones. A text cannot only be misunderstood but also misread and misinterpreted. Even a simple “OK” can come off seeming slightly annoyed. The phone — like the future of your relationship — is in your hand. So just call the person. What about secrets? Most people have probably been in an incident in which their significant other’s phone went off and they rushed to silence it. What about those mysteriously flirty messages on his phone from some other girl? Smartphones have damaged many relationships because unfaithfulness is easier when you can just text or download an entirely separate app to communicate with other people that your better half never has to know about. Then there’s the blame game. When you’re annoyed with a friend you’ll most likely ignore them. Unlike a friend, a girlfriend or boyfriend will continuously call and text. A whole day of ignoring calls and texts will get you nowhere. Once they show up on your doorstep what will you say? Probably something unimaginative such as, “My phone died,” or, “I just got all your texts!” Congratulations on using excuses that stopped being viable five years ago. Smartphones, or any cellular phone, have benefited relationships tremendously as well. But as

Photo by Stephen Kline

Conversation via smartphone can quickly take a turn for the worse as people are still adapting to new technology.

we readily adapt to this common technology we also find loopholes to abuse this privilege. This puts a great deal of stress on any relationship. Using a smartphone will

become almost necessary in the future, but we can’t forget to give an actual hug and kiss to the ones we love. “XOXO” simply will not suffice.

Liam Neeson Dances With Wolves in ‘The Grey’ Except Instead of Dancing With Them, He Kills Them Jeffrey Giorgi Style Editor

You may think you’re a badass, but until you trek across the Alaskan wilderness with next-to-no supplies while a pack of savage wolves is stalking you, you can go ahead and just sit down. “The Grey” stars the baddest of badasses, Liam Neeson, in pretty much the same role he played in “Taken” and “Unknown.” The difference here is that instead of punching thugs, he’s punching wolves. This begs the question: Why do we keep putting Chuck Norris on a pedestal when clearly Liam Neeson is the new standard for all things manly? In case you’re unfamiliar with the premise of the film, it’s about an oildrilling team and their fight for survival after their plane crashes in the northern Alaskan wilderness. As if things aren’t bad enough, shortly after they come to terms with the direness of their situation, the band of survivors encounters a pack of wolves that make their journey home all the more dangerous. The theme of man versus nature is one of the oldest tropes in literature. Director Joe Carnahan, known for his films “Smokin Aces” and “The A-Team” takes a tenser and more tightly wrought approach to action in this film. It’s not about explosions and spectacle here; it’s about survival. Carnahan made another film earlier in his career, “Narc” starring Ray Liotta, and with “The Grey,” it’s apparent that that was the film he chose to channel. “The Grey” could have easily been an action film devoid of characters, laced with placeholders whom we would just be waiting to watch die. Instead we’re given well-developed characters with multiple layers to explore. So when the inevitable comes, and characters start to die, you feel it. Another underlying theme tackles the question of which group is stronger and more capable of surviving. It’s a pack-versuspack situation. There are a few moments throughout that really highlight this idea including a howling scene that I won’t spoil for you. Make no mistake: This is a man’s man-type of film. I recommend making this one part of a guys’ night out. Go out with your friends, enjoy the film and then hit up the bar and debate who among you is more capable of surviving nature. Just don’t actually try to go out and survive in the wild. Stick with your backyard for now.

Broadside

Sticking to a New Year’s Diet Resolutions Ought to be More Than A Two-Week Affair Rebecca Norris Opinion Editor

As the New Year opens, individuals are inspired to commit themselves to some sort of goal. There are millions of possible goals; one of the most prominent, however, lies within the realm of health and fitness. Over the past four years, adult obesity has hit an all-time high in the United States. Where there used to only be one state that had obesity rates surpassing 30 percent, there are now 12. According to “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2011,” a report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Virginia is among the 25 states that have adult obesity rates between 25 and 30 percent. Living in a society dominated by media, we are constantly exposed to commercials that deal with weight loss. Special K, NutriSystem, Jenny Craig. Yes, we want to change the way we look, but is there really a need to spend the money? As great as it would be to step on a scale and see words of encouragement instead of unwanted numbers, it’s important to realize that it will never be as easy as commercials portray. Famous children’s illustrator and animator Karen Lamb once said, “A year from now, you’ll wish you started today.” So as college students, let us not only get off on the right academic foot

but the right athletic foot also. Whether you’re battling the nearly-inescapable Freshman fifteen — the alleged average weight gain among first-year undergrads — or merely want a better physique for personal reasons, George Mason University’s fitness centers allow for goals to be accomplished and dreams to come true. As you’re establishing your spring semester routine, make time for an hour at the gym, or merely a run around Patriot Circle. Remember that your metabolism slows down throughout the day, so it’s best to eat your biggest meal with the most carbohydrates for breakfast, and slim down as the day fades on. Most importantly, never go to bed hungry, for your body needs energy while you sleep. Without nourishing food, your body will attack your muscles before fat, and lastly your bone. Many times, people will hit the gym and indulge in conscientious meals for a few weeks; however, by the time February rolls around, the crowds begin to die down and reveal the habitual gym-goers. The key to sticking to your resolution is to ignore feelings of discouragement. Oftentimes, people who are attempting to gain a better physique and healthier lifestyle put an end to their efforts because results are not occurring as fast as they would

Photo by Stephen Kline

The Recreation and Athletic Complex (the RAC) oﬀers more than 15,000 square feet ﬁlled with excersise equipment to help you meet your New Year’s resolution.

like. It is essential to realize that it takes roughly four weeks to notice changes in your body, around eight weeks for your close friends to notice, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world. If you can stick it out for 12 weeks you will not only surprise yourself but also gain the healthy lifestyle that you have always hoped for. With Spring Break around the corner, stick to your goal and do your part to help lower obesity rates in Virginia.

On Campus Fitness Centers The RAC -Monday-Friday Noon to 8 p.m. -Saturday/Sunday Noon to 5 p.m.

Man on the Street How are you spending Valentine’s Day?

Don’t Get Left Behind On Love’s Holiday

Guys! Valentine’s Day is around the corner and there are a lot of creative gift possibilities and inspired date ideas you can arrange for your girlfriend — even on a tight budget. 1. Have a picnic under the stars at the Mason Pond. If the date is going well, say something romantic like: “If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you’ve made me smile, the entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand.” (If the date isn’t going well, start talking about how you were abducted by aliens and that the mother ship could land at any minute.)

you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands [or boyfriends], they just don’t.” So, if you didn’t get a gift, don’t worry. Getting her to exercise will make her feel good. 7. Bake something. Everyone knows the key to a man’s heart is through his stomach. The same is true for women. Something with chocolate would really be special. Do you get the idea? If you’re nodding your head in agreement, I have a news ﬂash for you: You’re an idiot! If you’re a guy, you have no choice but to buy ﬂowers, bring candy, go to a nice restaurant and end the night with a movie or a show. A limo would be nice, but not absolutely necessary. You should plan on spending at least $250. If you can’t do this much, you shouldn’t be dating. And don’t expect any fancy gifts for yourself. Just being in our presence should be enough.

Mary Gillespie, freshman, forensics major “Going on a date with the boyfriend.” Parham Ghassemi, freshman, engineering major “Handing out valentines to my fellow floormates.” Devandas James, freshman, music major “I’ll be spending it with the love of my life, Robyn Meier.” Kalyn Harris, freshman, forensics major “As far as I know, nothing.” Photos by Stephen Kline

Free Tickets for Mason Students! TONIGHT!

columnist

2. Take your date “window cornier the better. 4. Have a coffee date at Starshopping” at Tiffany’s to look at jewelry. Then, speak vaguely bucks. To make her feel special, about how she deserves the best just cross off all the words on the and how you warning label at can’t wait until the bottom of Take your date the cup except you start mak‘window shopping’ ing the big for “you’re exat Tiffany’s to look tremely hot.” bucks with at jewelry. Then, your George 5. If you speak vaguley about have absolutely Mason Unihow she deserves no money, spend versity degree. the best and how This way she a day with the can at least enOccupy DC proyou can’t wait until vision a bright testers. Tell your you start making and promising date you want to the big bucks with share your love future. your George Mason 3. Give with other soUniversity degree. sentimental cially conscious This way she can at gifts. For expeople trying to least envision a ample, take a make the world a bright and better place. Just picture of the promising future. two of you, put make sure you it on the front bring plenty of hand wipes. of a 2012 calendar, with a romantic sentiment 6. Go someplace to exercise. underneath like, “How do I love As Elle Woods pointed out in thee? Let me count the days.” The “Legally Blonde,” “Exercise gives

Skyline Gym -Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - Midnight -Saturday-Sunday 11 a.m. - Midnight

The Aquatic Center Monday-Thursday 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

How to Win Valentine’s Day Krista Germanis

Saturday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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

The Vision Series

THE FUTURE OF HISTORY Dan Cohen, speaker Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. Free CH

Theater of the First Amendment CH CH

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

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

CHUCHO VALDÉS

DR. RALPH STANLEY & THE CLINCH MOUNTAIN BOYS

Visual Voices Series

MESSAGES THAT STICK Tom Sherman, speaker

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

CH HC

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

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

=Pre-performance Discussion

=Family Friendly

Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. Free DL Faculty Artist Series LISA BERGER & PATRICIA HUSSEY, voice Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. Free HT Visual Voices Series

THE VISUAL MADE VERBAL Joel Snyder, speaker Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Free HT

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

Center for the Arts FAIRFAX

Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. $24 $40 $48 CH ppd LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableFeb. 7

JOHN KILKENNY, percussion & JULIANNA NICKEL, flute

CH=Concert Hall

Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. $21 $34 $42 CH ppd LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableFeb. 7

THE “ALL NEW” ORIGINAL TRIBUTE TO THE BLUES BROTHERS

Faculty Artist Series

BB=Black Box

Feb. 17 & 19 at 2 p.m. & Feb. 17 & 18 at 8 p.m. $30/adu. $15/stu. TS LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableFeb. 7

COMPLEXIONS CONTEMPORARY BALLET

Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. ff $30 $38 $46 HC ppd LimitedFreeStudent Tickets AvailableJan. 31

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

CAN’T SCARE ME, THE STORY OF MOTHER JONES

DL=de Laski Rm. 3001

GTIII=Grand Tier III

SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. $22 $36 $44 CH ppd FreeStudent Tickets AvailableFeb. 7

METROPOLITAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. $20 $32 $40 CH ppd FreeStudent Tickets AvailableFeb. 14

HC=Hylton Center

TS=TheaterSpace

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7 0 3 - 9 9 3 - 7 7 5 9 o r h y l t o n c e n t e r. o r g / s t u d e n t s

Hylton Performing Arts Center PRINCE WILLIAM

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Style

Catching Up With Fashion Club

Monday, January 30, 2012 |7

Le Reader Rage

Students Explore Passion for Fashion Through Conversation, Games Jeffrey Giorgi Style Editor

Upon hearing names like Louie Vuitton, Marc Jacobs or Chanel, do you find your mind racing with images of runway walks, designer wear and all things trendy? Then Fashion Club is for you. “It’s not just about strictly dressing fashionably,” said Fashion Club President Veronica Harmon, a senior integrated studies major. “It’s about interacting with your peers and having fun. We do community service and have fun. It’s more than just fashion.” Yesterday’s Rose, a non-profit thrift store in Old Town Fairfax, serves as the source for one such community service project. “They sent us an email since they had heard about us,” Harmon said, “and they decided, since we were local, to ask us to start volunteering and help promote them and in turn they would help us as well.” If you’ve ever passed the thrift store, you’ve probably seen a bit of their work. On top of helping in the store in various capacities, the Fashion Club has also set up several of the display mannequins seen in the windows. “We have a really good

relationship with [Yesterday’s Rose],” Harmon said. “We recently had the opportunity to hold a silent auction and used [their] clothes.” During the first meeting of the semester, the club organized a trivia game, “Survivor: Fashion Club,” to get everyone at the meeting excited about fashion. Some of the topics covered included “Name That Trend” and “Guess Who’s Wearing.” The enthusiasm shown by the roughly 20 people in attendance bodes well for the club’s future here at George Mason University. The meetings are held at 7:30 p.m., every other Thursday, in room B on the third floor of the Johnson Center. All those interested are welcome to attend the next meeting on Feb. 9. “We’re going to be having a makeup party, so if you like makeup, you should bring a friend out,” said club treasurer Janel Taylor, a sophomore communication major. “And if you’re a guy, bring your girlfriend out and get her some makeup.” If you were to play the word association game with fashion, men probably wouldn’t be in the upper echelon of winners. The Fashion Club recognizes

this and is working toward a solution to make it more accessible to the male population here on campus. “We’re actually trying to make it more guy-accessible,” Taylor said. “We have some guys that do come on and off.” There were at least four men at the club’s last meeting, but the president recognizes the inevitable gender gap and is taking steps to shrink it. “It’s kind of hard because we are all girls,” Harmon said, “and there aren’t any guys on the executive board. Changing that is a big goal of ours for the next year.” While just a small club right now, its founders have high hopes for the future. “I feel like it’s something that will definitely grow into something more,” Harmon said, “and the more members we have, the more we can put ourselves out there.” And just in case you don’t think you’re the fashionable type or feel that you have no business in Fashion Club, think about this: “Everyone has a fashion style,” Harmon said. “You woke up this morning and picked out your clothes, that’s your style. Own it.”

Think you can do a better job making a rage comic? Submit your best shot to jgiorgi1986@gmail.com.

Broadside has a new website coming soon to an Internet near you. Don’t miss it.

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Don’t miss a beat: Twitter — @MasonBroadside

What is Volition Magazine? Volition is GMU’s Undergraduate Art & Literature Magazine in Student Media. Volition’s Spring 2012 Submission Deadline is April 4th, 2012! Submit your art, prose, and poetry today! For more information visit about Volition, please visit our new website at: volitionmagazine.onmason.com Volition’s Bi-Annual Cover Competition The rules/guidelines are as follows: -Must be in black and white (the medium is up to you, paint, photography, charcoal, maybe a sharpie!) -Your work should be in a landscape layout that can fit into 7.5 (height) by 17 (width). This does not mean it has be that small just make sure it looks good in that size. We will be adding photo’s of our previous covers for examples. -Nothing profane -Include Volition somewhere in your art work or photography Deadline: March 4th, 2012

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Opinion Monday, January 30, 2012

Broadside

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

George Mason University’s Student Newspaper Gregory Connolly, Editor-in-Chief

Thumbs up to some great music coming our way--Rise Against, Blake Shelton and Mac Miller.

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

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 Cody Norman, Sports Editor Colleen Wilson, Asst. Sports Editor Stephen Kline, Photography Editor

Thumbs up to the Superbowl and the Giants and Pats Thumbs up to Burger King and Potbelly for delivery: these are truly the best of times. Thumbs down to Mason for every restaurant they open that isn’t Chipotle. Thumbs down to an all too early add/drop date.

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

Thumbs down to climate change--we may be enjoying these nice days right now, but what about the next generation?

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

Comparing Obama to “Radical” Leader Will Not Work for Republicans in 2012 Gingrich, GOP Should Nix Alinsky References

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

President Obama Signs Away Our Civil Liberties The NDAA Authorizes the Indefinite Detention of American Citizens Paul Panasiuk

Columnist Do you hear that? That is the sound of the president and Congress tearing apart the Constitution. While many of us were out celebrating the new year, President Obama was privately signing our civil liberties away. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 was masqueraded as a defense appropriations bill, but deep within its pages laid a short passage: Sections 1021 and 1022, that allowed for the indeﬁnite detention of American citizens. Citizens can be detained out of suspicion of terrorist activities without charges being brought against them and certainly without due process, as stated clearly in the Constitution. President Barack Obama released an executive statement after signing the bill that read, “the fact that I support this bill as a whole does not mean I agree with everything in it.” In other words, I want the power to detain American citizens, but I will probably never use it. The president may or may not use this provision. However, what is to stop future presidents from abusing it? Given the president’s three year civil liberties track record, I simply have no faith that he will keep his word. In a matter of three years, Obama has managed to extend the Patriot Act, keep Guantanamo Bay open, and assassinate American citizens he deems as terrorists, among several other violations. His record places him above former President George W. Bush as the one of the worst

violators of civil liberties this country has ever seen. And if he manages to have another four years, which is quite likely, he will be able to do much more damage. But, of course, people will stand by and defend him because he is “better than the other options.” When it comes to Election Day, it is not too hard to peel back the gilded layer of ﬁnely-tuned rhetoric and see your two choices are more or less the same. One side wants to regulate your economic choices, while the other wants to regulate your personal lives. Both want to expand the military empire overseas, invade countries and “protect America’s interests.” Both want to expand corporate welfare and subsidies to their campaign donors and economic interests. Both want to prop up unelected American-friendly governments by funding their militaries with billions of taxpayer dollars. And both want to suck more executive authority from the U.S. Congress, making it harder and harder for citizens to restrain foreign and domestic policies in the future. My words are not an endorsement of any one policy, candidate or party. It is more of a plea to care about returning the role of government back to protecting our civil liberties — not taking them away. It is time to return to the Constitution and protect due process and the rights of all individuals. There is no doubt the government fears the people, or else they would not pass this authoritarian legislation. Although terrorists surely exist, its deﬁnition has been drastically expanded to scare us into supporting policies, which also endanger our rights. We need some real change. It is time to reboot the system.

Rebecca Norris

Opinion Editor Elections are revving into high gear as January comes to a close. The 2012 presidential election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 6, leaving candidates 281 days to step up to the plate and present a platform that will leave no room for discussion and immediately gain them the title of Commander in Chief. In our day and age, negative advertisements are common aspects of campaigning. However, recently Newt Gingrich has begun to take a new approach to this method. Saul David Alinsky was a farleft community organizer from Chicago. Despite his likeness to leaders such as Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, he was well liked by much of the United States,

right and left. Therefore, I’m bewildered that Gingrich would attempt to create a negative tie between President Obama and Alinsky. It would be false to say that Obama’s views don’t resemble those of Alinsky. However, it would also be false to say that the resemblances they share constitute a bad thing. Alinsky’s main effort was to strengthen equality by organizing the poor and powerless in an attempt to articulate their grievances. He didn’t respect private property rights and he believed that everybody should be guaranteed a certain way of life. Similarly, Obama sets forth to organize a society that provides for the betterment of individuals with legislations including universal healthcare and tax cuts, which will in effect bring about a levelplaying field. Some people may argue that Obama doesn’t respect private property rights, private businesses and hardworking millionaires. However, he is merely attempting to create a level of equality throughout the United States. In response to the popular conserva-

tive view of disdainfully looking down upon what our president is trying to do for our country, I ruefully look down on you for not realizing that your views are not perfect either. After all, if you have such a problem with the idea of Obama limiting property rights, how can you deem it acceptable to limit a person’s civil liberties and their choice in regards to topics such as same-sex marriage and abortion? In 1971, Alinsky wrote “Rules for Radicals,” a book that aimed to inspire the generation of young activists that was present in the 1970s to step forth and change the country. “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It’s hard to counterattack ridicule, and it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage.” The aforementioned quote is rule number five of Alinsky’s book. Perhaps this rule sets the stage for not only radicals but politicians as well. According to journalist Stephanie Gutmann, “regimes with tentative hold over beleaguered populations deflect anger away from their own corruptions and mistakes with the deploy-

ment of a greatly embellished, even invented, external enemy.” Although this comment was geared towards Obama’s tendency to imply that the state of the nation is primarily due to the catastrophe known as the Bush Era, Gingrich’s attempt to portray Obama as a socialist, possibly even a communist, shows that he too tries to point fingers. For decades the media has been the main platform for politicians to attempt to make a mockery of their opponents. Positive and negative advertisements are aired for a reason, whether to advance a candidate or create the downfall of another. Perhaps Gingrich felt the need to point out similarities in order to veer attention away from New Jersey governor Chris Christie’s comment claiming that Gingrich “is an embarrassment to the party.” This same attempt, a comparison between Alinsky and Obama, was made in 2008 prior to Election Day in hopes of keeping the White House under the Republicans’ belts. However, it didn’t work then, and it won’t work now.

Respect the Military Despite Differing Views Cititzens Make Snap Judgements Regarding U.S. Soldiers When someone in the military does something irresponsible, it’s not a military problem: it’s a people problem. At the beginning of the month, there was a story reported in The Columnist New York Times that centered around a video of four U.S. Marines urinating on the bloodied bodies of Taliban soldiers; literally everyone in the United States government, excluding Rick Perry, detests that action, and it’s something I think should be condemned not just on the account of human dignity, but for the sake of our country’s reputation. So there’s my opinion on that — the actual action committed by four, isolated guys that in no way represent the entirety of the branches of the U.S. military, which leads into my second and more elaborate opinion: the second you bash the military or pretend that every American soldier would take pictures with or piss on dead bodies of the people they just killed, you become an idiot in my book. Walk into a class at West Point — every single one of those people will be willing to give their life to protect our country, yet you’ve got the nerve to label them all as hyper-nationalist

WILL ROSE

jerks; yeah, that’s an opinion you should be ashamed of. My late uncle was a Captain in the U.S. Navy, two of my uncles fought in Vietnam — one on my mother’s side and the other on my father’s. Four of my good friends will be graduating in 2015 and then going on to serve their country — one at Wake Forest ROTC, one at Marquette ROTC, one at MIT ROT and the fourth at West Point. Two good friends of mine

...so you really should think before you’re critical of an entire organization based on the actions of a few extreme members...

will be entering into military programs soon. Not a single one of those people would ever piss on an enemy’s body. And though they respect their country too much to be seen doing something that ignorant, I think it’s pretty damn oﬀensive for someone to act like the entire purpose of each individual in the United States military is to act as some kind of terror-

ist to every country we enter. There’s a mission, and you do it — period. And regardless of your political beliefs, how much you hate George W. Bush or Barack Obama, you do what you need to do to protect your country. It takes a big person to serve this country — not necessarily in stature, but in character. It’s a service that I can guarantee half of us take for granted — that our country will always be the land of the free, and will always be fertile to an “American dream.” But someone’s out there every day risking their life to protect yours. What these guys did is regrettable; arrogance in all forms leads to, at best, strained negotiations and for every military that gives its enemy ammunition to use against them, but arrogance isn’t the policy of the U.S. military. The policy of the U.S. military is to protect my rights, and to protect your rights … so you really should think before you’re critical of an entire organization based on the actions of a few extreme members, and that doesn’t just apply to the military, but to the Occupy movement, the tea party, the Boy Scouts, the Roman Catholic Church, Republicans or Democrats, the rich or the poor — I mean, really guys … I kid sometimes, but if we can just realize that not every individual represents an entire movement, we’d really learn to get along.

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Monday, January 30, 2012 |9

Quality of Television Continues to Plummet in 2012 Current Television Programming Lacks Appeal of ‘90s Shows Clara Everett

Columnist There is something very important that needs to be discussed. Television. Okay, so it’s not very important, but I’d say it’s at least moderately important. I mean, who doesn’t watch at least some TV? What we need to talk about is the fact that the quality of television in recent days has plummeted. For proof, let’s think about the most recent TV shows to make their debut. On CBS: first and foremost,

“Rob,” featuring Rob Schneider. I am at a loss for words right now. Any show starring Rob Schneider is bound to be an utter disaster, much less one named after him and built entirely for him. Why was it necessary to create such a miserable excuse for a television show? As if “Rob” isn’t enough, another terrible show has recently been released: the “Napoleon Dynamite” animated series. Aired on Fox (shocker), the show is based, obviously, on the 2004 movie. Now, the thing about this show is that it is written by Mike Scully, you know, that guy who wrote “The Simpsons” and “Everybody Loves Raymond.” So it actually has the potential to be good. Just kidding! Let’s get real; it is 100 percent repetitive, filled with bad jokes, and relatively close to an overall nightmare. Oh, is Tina a fat lard? Do you love ‘ligers,’ Napoleon? Is your best friend named Pedro? Thank

God there’s a show to illustrate these fascinating facts, since I’m sure none of us were aware until now. Luckily for us, the show will only be airing for a few short weeks. Now let’s talk about those shows that outlived their entertainment factor years ago and should have long been cancelled. Take “American Idol.” We are now on season 11 of this show. Why, God, why? I mean really, there aren’t even any good horrible contestants this time around. Where are all the talentless losers for us to laugh at? Oh, that’s right, they were exhausted during seasons one through nine. Now that they’re gone, there is literally no reason for this show to still exist. In case you didn’t stop watching “NCIS” in ninth grade like everyone else, there’s a fun new show for you, too! It’s called “NCIS: Los Angeles,” and it’s just as mediocre as the original. There is great

debate over whether or not it’s as poor quality as “CIS: Miami.” I believe the general consensus is that “NCIS: LA” is a half notch above any show starring David Caruso, so at least there’s that. Let’s continue onto another show that every normal person got bored with around his or her freshman year of high school: “Fear Factor.” Yes, it’s back for season seven. Joe Rogan, everyone’s favorite host, is still the commanding officer of the show, which features poor quality contestants, unimpressive stunts and the classic consumption of revolting substances. Really, there are only so many types of bugs in the world. And after a while, there’s just no shock factor to seeing a person cram maggots in their face. It epitomizes poorly thought out criteria merely to fill a void in a station’s program sequence. Oh, and don’t worry, everyone.

Integration of Opinions Could Serve Government Well Political Debates Turn Ugly Without the Ability to See Both Sides of the Argument Rebecca Norris

Opinion Editor Recently I was talking to a friend when he downright avoided delving into his political viewpoint. As I pressed further, he explained that it’s a free country and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However, upon presenting their stance on any matter—religion, politics, what have you, they then become liable for their utterances. As American citizens we are exposed to arguments presented by Republicans and Democrats, Atheists and Christians, and hopefully, we are able to settle said disputes in a mature and well-thought out manner. To quote the NYT, “Envisioning a charitable but rigorous approach,” is the key to any successful debate. I do not mean successful in that you will get your

way every time, but rather that you are able to present your cards to the table without making an utter fool of yourself. All too often politics and religion bring out the very worst in people. They lead to sneers and jeers of opponents, alongside raised voices, rolled eyes, and consummate disproval. In an era where change must begin to happen now, our country will not get anywhere if our most serious debates are handled with little care and are highly symbolic of an elementary school mock government system. After all, wasn’t it in grade school that we were supposed to leave behind the silly habits of heedless mockery in regards to our opponents, or shall we say the silly habits of children? So we must wonder why it is that we seem trapped within the conﬁnes of something that we should have long grown out of. Quite simply, many American citizens have forgotten what it means to gain perspective, and attempt to view something from someone else’s stance. If only we were to hold ourselves to the standards of the philosopher’s rule, we would allow our thoughts and opinions to be consumed by

the idea of charitably contriving our opponent’s views and attempting to gain the best understanding from them. Certainly, there are people in this world who genuinely understand and rummage their thoughts for the appropriate thing to say while in the midst of a debate. Nevertheless, some, rather many, still remain who claim to recognize where the other side is coming from, while at the same time spewing nonsense in an overwhelmingly fast sequence. This type of behavior, that is seen all too often, makes it clear that they did not gain insight but rather formulated what they were going to say next while their opponent was explaining their slant. Imagine where our nation would be if politicians would take the time to think and argue like a philosopher? Rather than demoralizing politics into a mere contest between two individuals of two separate parties, perhaps our nation would ﬁnally begin to repair itself for the better. Currently, America is undergoing the race for President. The Republican candidates all accredit orthodox views regarding

government, the economy, and religion. They believe that there should be less government interference, a balanced budget, and overall support of Christianity. As a citizen attempting to acquire a better understanding of Republicans and their views, I must question why it is that they wish to exemplify slight government interference in economics, but have no problem dictating a religion and code of ethics based upon said religion for the people of this country. While I stand by my convictions as a left leaning centrist, I in no way disavow some of the great ideals that republicans hold. It’s my second year of college and I am ﬁnally beginning to understand that the subjects that are constantly part of the discussion board in America will always boil down to politics and religion. Citizens must be able to speak freely about these subjects without fear that it will in some way cause uproar. Nearly a century ago America gained the common sense to integrate races; it’s time that we gain the knowledge, and the power that comes with, the integration of opinions.

Letter to the editor GMU Student Outraged at the Treatment of Military Dear Broadside Editors, It was nice to see the Anti-Military issue addressed in the December/Holiday Edition of the school newspaper. I would like to make some of my thoughts known, too. As the daughter of a mother and father who have retired from the United States Navy, the granddaughter of a fighter pilot and former Deputy Commander of an air force base of another country and the great-grand daughter of a man who lost his life in the U.S. Army in WWII in a death march, a heaviness, sadness and fire overcomes me when I hear others criticize this country’s military. The men and women of the U.S. military are some of the most organized, thoughtful, dedicated and strongest people on this planet,

and they deserve our respect. To increasingly reduce their efforts from honorable to evil is repulsive. Just who do we think we are? We have no right, no right at all, to bite the hand that so generously and willingly is the source of our security of free will and free expression. They sacrifice their lives, professional and personal, on a daily basis; they have to leave their families behind and face endless months at sea and in the arid desert, fighting for something they proudly believe in, while we indulge in the comforts and luxuries of our lives at home, with the freedoms bought at so high a price at their expense — and yet, how do they feel when they finally come home? After a long and frustrating deployment, they are met with hostility and criticism by the very people they protect. It is absolutely dis-

gusting. They do not deserve that treatment, least of all from the people in their home country, whom they protect. And yet, instead of honoring our heroes, we are breaking them down and discouraging them, calling them “predators” and “murderers” when it is we who are behaving like insensitive animals towards them. May it be for our everlasting shame. We all ought to point the finger at ourselves and hold ourselves accountable for such disgrace; we need to count our blessings, and be grateful to the ones who so willingly paid for it. After all, they are the ones braving the frontlines so that you and I don’t have to be. Sincerely, A. Perez, Junior

“Two and a Half Men” is still on and it’s still as horrible as ever. But wait, there’s added fun this time around. Now that Charlie Sheen is gone, guess who got to replace him. Please, just guess. Okay, I’ll tell you. It’s Ashton Kutcher. So basically the producers are just trading one washed-up, burned-out actor for another. Excellent choice. What happened to the days of “Deadwood,” “Friends” and “Freaks and Geeks?” To be fair, there are still good shows on TV. “Dexter,” “How I Met Your Mother” and “Criminal Minds” still deliver quality television. But some of the best shows are rapidly going downhill, and producers are just grasping at straws. If there is ever another show as incredible and successful as “The Honeymooners,” House” or “Lost,” the world will officially be back on track. Dare to dream.

Mass Media Presents a Pretty Lie Media Creates Unrealistic Expectations for Consumers Hala Numan

Columnist Sometimes, I wish I was a hooker. If I could be an intellectual, charming hooker — and there aren't many out there — then maybe I could win the affection of a man like Richard Gere, a crisp Wall Street sweetheart. Perhaps, I'd be doing my nightly rounds and he'd show up in a fancy convertible, and we'd ride into the misty night with our ﬁngers interlaced. He would have the liberty to erase my shameful midnight exercises and he'd simply enjoy both the philosophical and mundane conversations we'd engage in. The fact that I'm even willing to fancy this implausible delusion demonstrates the disappointing eﬀect that the media has on our thoughts. For those of you who don't know, the movie “Pretty Woman” is a beautiful cinematic accomplishment proving that the strength of true love removes all obstacles. Realistically, this happens every day whether we choose to notice it or not. But what we seem to ignore is that on the writer’s part, this is a creative endeavor to employ a fantasy that wins the hearts of the masses which then transforms them into money-making machines. Living in reality, we attend school, make it to work with a minute to spare and rarely sit down to eat a peaceful meal, with no hookers to be found. If you simply replace the writer of a movie with a CEO of a multi-million dollar company, then you’ll begin to fathom my point. Basically, the CEO authors a fantastical narrative that leads us to believe that if we charge these unnecessary Jordans to our Visa then we're going to be more likable. Or if we buy this L'occi-

tane face cream, men will be more attracted to us. We begin to believe that these embellished ideals, standards and norms must be followed in order to socially function. The problem is we never question the process of why a big business is eerily similar to the likes of a drug pusher. Essentially, these big businesses utilize the media to persuade individuals to place the latest clothes, food, jewelry and electronics on a pedestal and we become addicted to the flashy lights. Then they swoop in to make money off of the people who are willing to cough it up. They push a lie — publicly misconstrued as the truth — onto the masses to gain a paying audience. They push their agendas hard trying to sway us to believe that McDonald's is not unhealthy and that there aren't sweatshops in China and India dedicated to making your $160 Nikes that took about $8 to make. Furthermore, this allows them to take advantage of opportunities that afford them the liberty to be greedy villains that make them the elite one percent that possesses more money than the collective remaining 99 percent. They want you to absentmindedly fantasize about being a hooker near Beverly Hills that is unrealistically chauffeured around by a limo and afforded an elite lifestyle. They want you to mindlessly work hours on end to fulfill your minimum payment and ask for a credit increase to afford yourself a new North Face jacket. The media feeds us a sedative that puts us to sleep in a world where fantasy becomes a reality and we drudge forward through a dream of unrealistic expectations. While we're asleep in la la land, the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. Soon enough, the middle class disappears in an endless pile of credit card bills. There's one simple solution to all of this: slap ourselves awake and realize we're being raped of our rights as consumers and as humans.

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The conference ranking of the men’s basketball team heading into the ﬁnal month of the season. Mason is 10-1 in the conference and 18-5 overall.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Time Out

Walk-on to Sing National Anthem at Homecoming Game Former American Idol Contestant Jordan Baird Will Show Off His Skills Before Saturday’s Game not be nervous during the song. “The singing part isn’t what’s nerve-racking,” he said. “The two minutes leading up will be the nerve racking part. But it will be great. I’m looking forward to it.”

Mike Morrison, Ryan Pearson Take Their Talents to Radio

Photo by John Powell Redshirt sophomore Paris Bennett isn’t getting the amount of playing time he thought he would coming into this season

Oft-Injured Forward Sidelined Again John Powell Athletics Liaison Paris Bennett started the first exhibition for the Patriots to open their 2011-12 campaign. He also started the second, before an injury sidelined him for 10 games, the reason fans have not heard his name much since then. Returners came back with a vengeance and underclassmen -even freshmen -- had a chance to step up. A second injury in three years cost him more than any other player could. “I think if he doesn’t get injured, he’s playing a lot more,” Coach Paul Hewitt said. “He had a bad ankle injury versus Marquette and subsequent to getting back on the court, he had a bad blister on the back of his foot. All those things contributed to a situation where certain guys got ahead of him.” Starting guard Andre Cornelius missed 10 games at the beginning of the season, but came back and upended the starting lineup, moving in where Hewitt rotated underclassmen at the top of the key. Forward Mike Morrison missed nearly all of his offseason games coming back from an injury of his own, but came back knowing his starting job would not be in jeopardy.

Both upperclassmen had something that Bennett could not claim. Not age, not their class, not even the number of minutes they played in years past, but the fact they had already established themselves as role players. Cornelius returned as a point guard who liked to shoot – before he was moved to the shooting guard role – and Morrison returned as the team’s strong, physical hype man. “[Cornelius] was one of three guys that had the most minutes that were played out of all of us,” Bennett said of last year’s point guard. It was Bennett’s second experience missing a chunk of playing time. After breaking his wrist his first year, he was sidelined alongside teammate Vertrail Vaughns, making both of them redshirt sophomores this year. Vaughns came back keeping his unorthodox shot, draining treys from every part of the arc, eyeing the six-man spot after Isaiah Tate left. Consistency gave him a starting job. “Coach feels like, in that situation, they could go in,” Bennett said. “He’s the coach, he’s got to make decisions. I can’t do anything about that.” The backcourt has undeniable depth to stay around for a few more years and the front-

court has all of the team’s experience as well as the youth to back it up. “Right now, Bryon [Allen]’s playing pretty well,” Hewitt said. “Sherrod [Wright]has really put together some solid games. [Cornelius], the second half, has been stepping up, making big threes, shooting the ball well. Vertrail, defensively, on the ball, is really, really tough. Corey [Edwards is] a good basketball point guard. “Paris can play. Ryan [Pearson]’s probably the Player of the Year in the league. Mike [Morrison] is a big-time 5-man. Erik Copes is a shot-blocking rebounder. It’s nothing about him. It’s more of a numbers crunch.” For a first-year coach, the aim is to win games and to see how different players could have an impact on the game. In that regard, Bennett should have had the upper hand. “Early in the season at practice, I was very impressed with his knowledge. There was a game, there were a couple of practices where Bryon was out with the flu or something like that and [Bennett] ran the point,” Hewitt said. “He’s a very smart player. He’s going to be a heck of a coach one day.” 2011 was not the first time Hewitt saw the guard. Before Rivals.com named Bennett as the top small forward recruit in the

CAA, Hewitt saw him play at St. Patrick. “The first time I saw him play, I think I was there for Kyrie Irving. He’s always been a good guy,” Hewitt said. “I remember seeing him playing a high school game, might’ve been his senior year in Trenton, he got popped in the mouth.” Even after that game, where -- if Hewitt’s memory recalls correctly -- he missed the postseason with a concussion, Bennett pushed through in getting recruited by Mason. This is only one more step on a bumpy road. “I’m proud of how he’s handled everything. He’s been terrific,” Hewitt said. “I’m sure he’s frustrated. I understand it, but I’ve always told players you go back to your room, you scream and yell and shout because you’re frustrated. That’s fine, but when you’re part of a team, you have to stay ready and have a positive outlook.” With motivation like that from his coach, Bennett is certainly not taking a back seat to his own recovery. There are seemingly no thoughts of transferring, just thoughts on working for another opportunity. “All I’ve got to do is keep playing hard. I know if I work hard, I’ll keep getting better,” Bennett said. “I love it here.”

Throughout their successful careers for the men’s basketPhoto by John Powell ball team, seniors Mike Morrison and Ryan Pearson Cody Norman have always worn their emoManaging Editor tions on their sleeves. As entertainers, Pearson and Morrison Walk-on junior Jordan interact with the crowd during games and seemingly feed off Baird is a unique talent. the crowd’s noise to win basketHe has been on “American Idol.” He performed live for ball games in the Patriot CenSimon Cowell on “The X-Fac- ter. They talk to the Platoon tor.” And he will be singing in and the Green Machine. They front of a sold out Patriot Center on Saturday night as the talk to each other and direct men take on Old Dominion to their teammates. They talk to put an exclamation point on opponents. And, now, they have been Homecoming week. Right out of high school, talking live for WGMU Radio, Baird packed his bags for Or- serving as the color commentalando in hopes of landing a deal tors for play-by-play announcer Malenich during with a major record label. He George excelled through four rounds of women’s basketball games. “I was of“American Idol” fered to do it,” before being “Mike has never Morrison said. eliminated and, “And, as a commet a mic he thus, winding up munication at Mason where didn’t like.” major, I thought he is pursuing a it would be some -George Malenich, degree in music. good experience “Something Women’s and fun at the like that hapsame time.” Basketball pening right out Morrison of high school -Play-by-Play called the game it was just a as the women Announcer blast,” Baird defeated Towson said. “You can 78-54 on Thurstake something away from almost any experi- day night. Malenich, who has been ence. So that was a really big doing play-by-play for 12 years, learning thing for me.” Despite his lack of playing has enlisted the services of fortime for the Patriots, Baird is mer players including Rob Anenjoying the grind of a long derson, Gabe Norwood and basketball season and contin- Luke Hancock to help him call ues to work hard, preparing games. This year he chose Pearhimself for the opportunity that son and Morrison, two of the he might one day be needed on biggest supporters of Coach Jeri Porter and her team. the floor. “Mike has never met a mic “[College basketball] has been a dream come true,” he he didn’t like,” Malenich said. said. “We know our place as ”He did a great job.” Though he hopes to pursue walk-ons. But just because you a career in basketball, Morrison know your place doesn’t mean you can’t be working for some- says he just wants to stay around sports as long as possithing more.” ble. He would consider working On Saturday evening, Baird will be called upon to sing the in radio if that kept him around National Anthem before the Pa- the industry. “If you listened to it, I triots take on the Old Dominion Monarchs. The sold out thought we did a pretty good Patriot Center will be the sec- job,” Morrison said. “We worked ond-largest crowd he has ever well together. I think I might be performed for but says he will able to get a job next year doing it.”

More Than a Game Isaac Johnson Runs Away with NFL Madden Championship Cody Norman Managing Editor The life of a college student. Despite the workload and other scholastic challenges involved in a semester of academia, students all over find the time to workout their thumbs through video games. The Mason recreation department capitalized on students’ thirst for video games and challenged them to participate in an NFL Madden Tournament on Thursday night in Corner Pocket. Sixteen participants began the tournament at 7 p.m. in Student Union Building II, playing four rounds until junior Health, Fitness and Recreation Resources

major Isaac Johnson walked away as the champion. “I can only play a couple games in a row,” Johnson said. “Otherwise, I get tired. So that was difficult.” Despite playing a couple games a day, Johnson came into the tournament at a major disadvantage. While Johnson plays at home on his XBOX 360, he was forced to make the switch to a Playstation 3 in the tournament. As well, he typically plays online as the Detroit Lions but, because contestants could not update the standard 2012 rosters, Johnson adapted and elected to play with the 2012 NFC Champion New York Giants.

Johnson led at the half 14-7 and completed the victory by a final score of 23-14. “The first game was the toughest,” Johnson said. “I went with the Cowboys in the first game and was matched up with the Steelers. I won by a touchdown but the game was really close.” As a junior, Johnson still has one year left to compete in the tournament and plans to capitalize on the opportunity, aiming for his second straight title in 2013.

Photo by Stephen Kline Isaac Johnson, winner of the 2012 NFL Madden Tournament, was awarded an autographed Washington Redskins football.

Sports

Broadside

Monday, January 30, 2012 |

CAA Outlook: Old Dominion Measuring Up Against Back-toBack Tournament Champions

Cody Norman Managing Editor From top to bottom, the CAA is one of the most impressive mid-major conferences in college basketball. The parity in this league is unusual and, as such, presents the possibility that any team currently ranked in the top five has the potential -- and, in some cases, the expectation -- that they can and will win the conference tournament in Richmond this March. With preseason CAA Player

of the Year Kent Bazemore playing stellar basketball, the fourthranked Old Dominion Monarchs (13-9, 8-2) find themselves in prime position to make a push for their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Bazemore is a unique talent in this league. His impact on both ends of the floor is unrivaled across the conference, as his defensive pressure oftentimes leads to easy buckets for the Monarchs. After being recognized as last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, Bazemore has used his 2011-12 campaign to develop a

more well-rounded game. Scoring 13.9 points per game and grabbing 5.6 rebounds a night, the 6-foot-5 senior forward has led the Monarchs to an 8-2 mark in the conference heading into February. Teammate Chris Cooper weighs in at 230 pounds, muscling his way to 11.1 points and an even 10 rebounds per game. Defensively, the big-bodied forward has swatted a team-high 24 shots and picked up 17 steals underneath the basket. The tandem of Bazemore and Cooper stacks up against nearly any duo in the conference

Section124

Coach: Blaine Taylor (10th season)

and could prove to be a scary force come tournament time. Their ability to defend both the paint and the perimeter poses matchup problems for opponents, but their experience is unmatched within the CAA. Winning the CAA Tournament and playing into the NCAA Tournament in the last two seasons, Bazemore and Cooper know what it takes to win basketball games. Their veteran leadership -- along with the guidance of Coach Blaine Taylor -- makes this team an unfavorable and scary matchup in Richmond.

Key Players: Kent Bazemore -13.9 points per game -5.6 rebounds per game -49 steals in 2011-12 -2010-11 CAA Defensive Player of the Year

-10.0 rebounds per game -24 blocked shots in 2011-12 Against the Patriots: Jan. 5 vs. Mason Mason 63, ODU 54 Feb. 4 @ Mason (Homecoming) 5:00 p.m.

Chris Cooper -11.1 points per game

The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law

A View from the Platoon

Pearson is CAA Player of the Year Daniel Zimmet Patriot Platoon Member To earn the honor of being named CAA Player of the Year, you need to have stats that stand above the competition and prove your ability to play consistent dominant basketball on a day-today basis. However, you also need to play a role on your team in which you are an essential key to the team’s success. In other words, similar to Peyton Manning’s role with the Colts, if the CAA Player of the Year was removed from his team then the team would struggle significantly. Mason’s starting forward Ryan Pearson is not only a leader of this team, but also plays a key role towards this team’s success. This season, five of the CAA’s most elite players we’re selected to the Preseason All-CAA first team. ODU’s Bazemore, VCU’s Burgess, Drexel’s Givens, William & Mary’s McDowell, and last but not least our very own Ryan Pearson. Typically the Player of the Year will come out of the All-CAA first team, and this season Bazemore was selected as the preseason favorite. Out of that entire group Pearson is hands down the toughest player out on the court. He will never let anyone outphysical him underneath the basket. If another player is going to get a rebound against him, they are going to have to get

physical to get it before him. This is clearly seen by his stitched up lip after suffering a deep cut against Hofstra. Pearson has established himself in this conference and amongst other forwards as being a feared powerhouse of a player. When he is on the court his teammates also play better. Due to his high level of skill, he has the ability to draw double and triple teams of defense. That automatically leaves two or three of our players wide open to knock down a shot. Simply put, he impacts the game each time he’s on the court whether he is scoring points or not. The first thing that needs to be evaluated for Player of the Year is what a player’s position is in respect to the category that they excel in. Obviously, all players under consideration need to have the ability to score a lot of points. A guard is not going to excel in rebounding, but should stand out in assists or steals. The same goes for forwards. A big man isn’t going to pick up a ton of assists, but will stand out in rebounds and blocks. Through 10 CAA match-ups, statistically speaking, none of the previous five players are leading the CAA in any individual category (points, rebounds, assists, steals, or blocks). UNCW’s Rendleman, Delaware’s Hagins, and ODU’s Cooper are the only three players who are averaging a double double per game.

During CAA play, Pearson is averaging 13.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. It is clear that when he is in the game, the Patriots play at a different level and their rhythm is almost tailored to his style of play. His unorthodox left-handed approach makes him one of the best in the conference at scoring points. Putting up 29 points and 15 rebounds the other night against JMU clearly helped his case as well as statistics. Essentially, when Pearson gets hot, we win games. On the other hand, if Pearson is struggling then other players have to step up and guide the team to victory. If a player has that much affect of a team’s ability to win, then there is no reason they shouldn’t win. As of right now, not only can Pearson make a case by his own numbers for Player of the Year, but his original competition might just be playing their way out of the running. If I had to vote right now, my All-CAA First Team would consist of Rendleman, Bazemore, Givens, and of course Pearson. As of now, that fifth and final spot is still up for grabs. I think that his biggest competition will either be Bazemore or Rendleman. However, due to Pearson’s consistent numbers, ability to take control of a game, and essential contribution to our team – he will win this year’s CAA Player of the Year.

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Learn more at www.law.edu THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA Columbus School of Law WASHINGTON, D.C.

Celebrating 125 Years

Broadside

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Back With Philly Swag

Photo by John Powell Pickard missed last season after suffering a torn ACL during the preseason. She is back and averaging 9.1 points per game through 18 games this season.

Janaa Pickard has Returned in Full Force After Injury Last Season John Powell Athletics Liaison Two seasons ago, redshirt sophomore forward Janaa Pickard led the team with 45 blocks in 30 games as one of the women’s basketball team’s most consistent defenders off the bench. In preparing for last season, she sustained an injury that is becoming all too common for teams needing to play rougher: She tore her ACL during the preseason. It was an unfortunate, freak injury. “The exhibition game last year, most people probably don’t even remember, we’re up in our full-court pressure,” Coach Jeri Porter said. “She’s on the ball. She

goes one way, her leg goes the other and [she] didn’t see a minute on the floor for us last year.” For a team relying on new blood to transform the program from perennial underachievers to competitors -- a lofty goal in itself -- the loss of Pickard for the 201011 season would prove difficult to overcome. The Patriots went 13-17 overall and 7-11 in the conference for an eighth-place finish and a first-round loss in the tournament. Pickard worked as much as possible during the offseason and at the midway point of the conference schedule, proves she did not miss a beat. Through 18 games she totaled 33 blocks, good again for the team lead. She became a scor-

ing force, even on a team where Taleia Moton seems to drain every shot she puts up. Her 9.1 points per game is good for third on the team. “I kind of jokingly told her yesterday after practice that I’m starting to see a little bit of that Philly swag coming back,” Porter said, “because every game she’s getting a little more mobile, and looking a little more like herself.” That’s not to say the transition was not difficult. Support staffs always help. “I never had any serious injuries,” Pickard said. “But I had my teammates and my coaches push me through it and tell me to keep working and that I’d get back eventually.” It may have been her first transition -- from playing in high

school to playing in college -- that led to the injury in the first place. The player and coach each have a different view of that transition. “Transferring from high school to college was about confidence,” Pickard said. “Once you develop that confidence, it helps the shots go in.” Porter’s take is more telling; it shows a possible reason that specific injury could have occurred. “I think the biggest transition for her coming out of high school was the physicality. She was always kind of a finesse jump shooter -- long, athletic,” Porter said. For a finesse player, the transition to a more aggressive defensive and offensive style of play was difficult. Combined with a

confidence that she could do more on the team, she played more aggressively. The quicker style of play put her body ahead of her legs for the accident. But the season off hurt nothing. It gave her a year to develop as a stronger player and gave her time to better understand her coach’s system and become a smarter player. “For a kid like Janaa, it’s huge,” Porter said of the year off. “She’s super smart, [has a] really high basketball IQ. We’ve even talked about what kind of things she saw sitting last year that she can now use to her advantage.” The time transformed the player into one of the leaders while still young in her Mason career much like how teammate Taleia Moton’s year off and Sher-

rod Wright’s year off on the men’s side marked a visible improvement. “I develop every year as a person, as a player. I don’t know. It just happens,” Pickard said. She came in with a blocking strength and with more time on the court. Her rebounding and scoring numbers should improve as she becomes more physical and her body catches up to her style of play. “She’s a kid that we’re really excited about,” Porter said. “With two more years beyond this one and the skill set she’s got, we just think that the sky is the limit for her.” And Pickard is content where her career stands. “I’m just happy to contribute to this program as long as I can.”