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BROADSIDE AND CONNECT2MASON PRESENT
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F O U R T H E S TAT E Feb. 10, 2014 | Volume 1 Issue 16
George Mason University’s official student news outlet
new provost
Presentations for final four candidates begin | P. 5
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Valentine’s Day is approaching, and I hope everyone is getting ready and celebrating in their own way. Whether it’s the typical heart-shaped box of chocolates, bouquet of roses, and shtick-laden greeting card for your significant other. Or ringing in the new season of House of Cards by yourself with a cartoonishly large pizza and a few drinks. The missus and I will be joining other ancient history buffs and reenactors on campus and fronting for the competing holiday to Valentine’s Day. I speak, of course, of the ancient Roman pagan ritual of Lupercalia. Now you may be asking, “what’s a Lupercalia?” Well, because ancient Romans were weirdos, Lupercalia involved the ritualistic sacrifice of goats and a dog by a group of priests called Luperci. These animals were then skinned and feasted upon. Following the feast -- and stick with me, because this was a real thing -- the children who took part in the feast would run around with pelts of the sacrificed animals slapping women. Why would women be slapped around with goat skin? In the belief that a strike from the Luperci-sacrificed goat skin would increase their fertility. Lupercalia, like Valentine’s Day, was the one day during the year where pagans and Romans
decided to make an effort in celebrating the one they loved as opposed to making it clear every day in their dismal existences. So far, this Lupercalia celebration has everything: the ritual knife, wool dipped in milk, and two laughing boys. We’re still hoping the Fairfax goat herder pulls through for us to have a truly happy Lupercalia. If anyone would like to join this celebration of love and fertility, I’ll see you all at 3:47 a.m. in the PV Lot on Feb. 15 -- an honorable mention that was left on the cutting room floor for “Lovely Spots at Mason” found on page 7. RSVP to the Facebook event, follow us on our Xanga and endorse myself and other participants on LinkedIn for ‘efficiency in slapping with goat skin.’
HAU CHU EDITOR-IN-CHIEF gmufourthestate@ gmail.com
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CORReCtIONs In last week’s article, “Arts in the Real World brings opportunity to Mason,” the caption to the accompanying picture misidentified the graduate in the picture as Jordan Pugh. His actual name is Baron Pugh. We apologize for the error.
Hau Chu Editor-In-Chief
Daniel Gregory Managing Editor
Alexa Rogers News Editor
Suhaib Khan Print News Editor
Genevieve Hoeler Lifestyle Editor
Sara Moniuszko Print Lifestyle Editor
Stephen Czarda Sports Editor
Darian Banks Print Sports Editor
Launch your career in Peace Corps. Office Hours Thursday, Feb. 13 10:00 - 5:00 p.m. SUB 1, Room 3400 To schedule an appointment, contact Scott: skumis@peacecorps.gov Apply by March 1 for remaining 2014 departures. Jobs in Guatemala, Ghana, Samoa & more.
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Why FOURTH ESTATE ? Prior to Broadside, the student newspaper was called The Gunston Ledger. It was changed in 1969 to better represent the politically out-spoken student body at the time. A “broadside” was a pamphlet used during the American Revolutionary War to help spread information. While Broadside has become an important part of life at Mason, we believe it no longer represents the overarching goals of student-run news. Though not specifically outlined like the three branches of government, the concept of a fourth estate referred to journalism and the media as an important tenet in upholding justice and liberty through establishing an informed public. These historic roots coincide with the transforming industry of modern journalism.
Fourth Estate operates as a publication of Broadside. Fourth Estate is printed each Monday for George Mason University and its surrounding Fairfax Community. The editors of Fourth Estate have exclusive authority over the content that is published. There are no outside parties that play a role in the newspaper’s content, and should there be a question or complaint regarding this policy, the Editor-in-Chief should be notified at the email provided. Fourth Estate is a free publication, limit one copy per person. Additional copies are 25 cents payable to the Office of Student Media. Mail Fourth Estate George Mason University Mail stop 2C5 4400 University Drive Fairfax, Va. 22030 Phone 703-993-2950
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The Official Pizza of Mason Athletics!
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(VERNON MILES/FOURTH ESTATE) (Pictured from left to right, front row: Anne Schiller, Sergio Fernandez Delgadillo. Back row: Roberta Jackson, Eduardo Medina-Mora)
MASON ESTABLISHES PARTNERSHIP WITH MEXICAN UNIVERSITY VERNON MILES ONLINE NEWS EDITOR
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n the Delegates’ Lounge of the Department of State, the Mason Enterprise Center finalized a deal to take their business incubator model global. The deal formalized a partnership between the MEC and the Autonomous University of Nuevo León to build economic prospects in Mexico as well as collaborative business ventures. This is the first partnership formed under the Small Business Network of the Americas, a recently launched State Department program, making this partnership a landmark deal. Mason’s representative at the event, Anne Schiller, vice president for global strategies and professor of anthropology, signed the agreement with Sergio Fernandez Delgadillo, vice president for sustainable development at UANL. Among the gathered dignitaries were Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roberta Jacobson, and Ambassador of Mexico to the United States, Eduardo Medina-Mora. “For me, this initiative really exemplifies two of the most important policy goals we have,” Jacobson said. “One is stimulating small business, not only because it is a job generator in both countries, which is crucial, but also because the majority
of small businesses don’t export. So by linking these two centers and allowing entrepreneurs to come in and get help…what that means is our entrepreneurs can begin to export.” The partnership was formed out of the annual business conference in Orlando last September hosted by America’s Small Business Development Center network. The aim of the conference was to build connections between American and foreign business networks. Each of the 75 foreign business networks would have three appointments with similar American networks where the companies would work out a series of ideas and potential collaborations. “Mason senior leadership recognizes UANL as a thought leader in Mexico,” Schiller said. “We strive to be a catalyst for innovation. We believe this partnership will result, not just in job creation and capital gain, but in an open exchange of knowledge and experience.” UANL is the third largest university in Mexico with seven campuses in Nuevo León and is launching its first business incubation programs with the guidance of the MEC. The MEC manages several business incubation sites across Northern Virginia. The program was ranked one of the top ten national business incubator centers nationally and one of the top twenty internationally by the UBI Index, a Stockholm based
research initiative. “The partnership increases globalization, increased access to best practices,” said Keith Segerson, executive director of the MEC. “They have a program that supports businesses across Mexico; we have a similar one here in Virginia. There are tangential benefits of research, faculty exchanges, collaborative grant projects…so anytime we have an agreement internationally, and it always includes a suite of options. There are also global business developments, it’s not just building their business base, they create ideas and innovations and we can collaborate on those.” The partnership is specifically designed around businesses that can develop exports. As of 2012, Mexico was the second largest goods export market, and Mexico is the United States’ third largest goods supplier. However, 70% of this trade is managed by 70 companies. “The ability of small enterprises to participate is severely limited,” Medina-Mora said. “There are two good moments to plant a tree 20 years ago, and today. The tree of NAFTA has given us good fruit. The read economic powerhouse is us, is North America, we just need to be prepared to grasp that, to take the step, to take the risk.”
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(AMY PODRAZA/FOURTH ESTATE)
PROVOST CANDIDATES SPEAK TO MASON COMMUNITY
(AMY ROSE/FOURTH ESTATE)
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SUHAIB KHAN PRINT NEWS EDITOR
he provost search committee presented Dr. Diane Chase as one of their four chosen finalists for the position of university provost on Tuesday, Feb. 4th. Chase, an anthropologist by training who is currently the Executive Vice Provost at the University of Central Florida, spent the session presenting her relevant credentials and experience, as well as answering the questions of the various Mason faculty members and staff in the audience. “I really do have a variety of personas, like all of us,” Chase said. “There’s the me that’s in the classroom, the me that’s in the field being a researcher, and there’s the me that looks like this, with the glasses and the suit on.” Chase made frequent allusions to her anthropological work in presenting her administrative background and credentials. She discussed her archaeological work in the ancient Mayan site of Caracol, and said that we are able to learn a number of lessons from this ancient society, such as shared egalitarianism, wealth accessibility and sustainability. “There’s lots of parallels we can take from the archaeology in this place in the middle of the jungle, and draw them into the present,” Chase said. Chase’s duties as Executive Vice Provost at UCF include developing budget plans, academic program review and directly overseeing a variety of units on campus. As her successes at UCF, she listed bringing together the previously divided international units, completed a successful fifth year reporting to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, creating a promotion path for instructors and lecturers and established an online process for uploading and reviewing
promotion and tenure. “In terms of current projects, I’m working on a project on faculty leadership development, on international sites,” Chase said. “We’re working a pathway program with a competitor to INTO, and a lot of different graduation and retention initiatives, because our concern is not just bringing in students, but making sure that they leave with that credential that they should have.” Chase remarked that she could bring a number of things that worked in tandem with what Mason was already doing. “Probably more than anything else in the immediate future would be my experience with higher education in the state of Florida,” Chase said. “Where we’ve been faced with making changes and adapting quickly to external factors and trying to understand and appreciate those things in advance in terms of planning, and how interconnected things are.” She also discussed the changing landscape of higher education, and her belief in the value of a liberal arts education. She said that it was important for students and lifelong learners to understand how we know things from different disciplinary perspectives. “I also understand really well some of the concerns that we face in public institutions around the country,” Chase said. “[In Florida] we’re receiving a lot of questions about what is the cost of a degree, what is the value of a degree and in terms of whether we get a future funding, the kinds of performance measures we’ll need to meet.” According to Chase, both her anthropological work and her administrative work required working with a team. “There’s no such thing as an ‘I’ in archaeology,” Chase said. “I would argue that there’s no such thing as an ‘I’ in provost.”
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VERNON MILES ONLINE NEWS EDITOR
n a presentation to administration and faculty, David Wu, a finalist in Mason’s Provost search, highlighted the need for universities to be responsive to trends in higher education. Out of 70 applicants, Wu, dean of the Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science at Lehigh University, was chosen by the provost search committee as one of the four finalists for the position. “What really impressed me was the enthusiasm of the faculty and staff,” said Wu in his introduction to the crowd of Mason administration and faculty. “When I started my research, the first thing I read was your strategic plan. It’s one of the best I’ve ever read. I particularly liked the phrase ‘best university for the world’. It’s a good fit for the way I see things.” Wu has been dean of the college for the past 10 years. Trained as a system’s engineer, Wu has experience dealing with large scale, complex systems. Wu credited being a good listener as vital to addressing problems in higher education. “A good listener doesn’t just take everything in,” Wu said, “but does something about it.” Wu used the example of a professor who approached him at Lehigh about a village in Honduras that had been devastated by a hurricane. As dean, Wu contacted a student club called Engineers Without Borders and eventually got a water supply system for the town. There were problems with distributing the supply and dealing with political factions, so the group recruited students from other majors. Cross-department projects became one of the main talking points of the conference. “I really think that the role of provost is a
bridge… Think about different colleges and departments within a university. They can seem like different countries, but the job of the provost is to find that common ground,” Wu said. “The strategic plan isn’t a plan, it’s a communication tool. We say ‘this is what we want to be when we grow up’ and that helps us say ‘this is where we’re going’. A bridge can help us get there.” According to Wu, another way to address higher education problems is to build academic ventures. “The idea is to have an understanding of the field to identify a niche we can impact,” Wu said, adding that 22 percent of the nation’s population is reaching “elderly” but that hospitals are not equipped to handle it. “The solution is secondary care facilities and home care, which is already very popular in Europe. What is needed is the technology infrastructure to make that happen,” Wu said. There’s a need for portable, ubiquities medical technology, so we identified portable medical devices as our niche.” Wu also highlighted his experience in dealing with raising money for the school. “In a private university, if we want to do something,” Wu said, “we need to raise every single dollar for that to happen.” As part of the strategic plan, research has been made a core component of the university’s academic programs. Administrators hope to raise about $180 million in research funding over the next few years. In Wu’s experience, putting resources into research and funding have often been rewarding. “I see a large number of institutions in a multi-discipline setting, so how do you go from excellent to distinctive,” Wu said.
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“Distinctive is really making an impact on the world; by having research with consequence.” Like the other candidates, Wu followed his presentation with questions from the gathered faculty and staff. A series of questions addressed Mason’s increasing focus on becoming a more global university. With the debut of Mason’s Korean campus and the university’s mixed results with global campuses in the past, Wu was asked about his vision for running a successful international school. “Go in with eyes wide open,” Wu said. “The experience is always mixed. When you go to a table of collaboration, you need to be very clear what you want out of that relationship. Talk to the right people, do your homework, and look from a strategic perspective at what you want from that relationship.” “How does international outreach and international ventures strengthen the university?” asked Anne Schiller, vice president for global strategies and a professor of anthropology. Wu drew on his experience with global education as a dean. “If there are additional connections, especially for programs that aren’t usually
international, we have a process for faculty to write up a proposal for a global aspect,” Wu said. “We had some very good programs for student activities. Faculty took students to Italy to study architecture, many go to developing countries.” To conclude, Wu connected the answer to one of his earlier topics of addressing trends in global education, “I think many of them fall into those natural projects that can develop in unexpected ways.”
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COOKS AND CRAFTS
Almost-Forgot-itwas-Valentine’s-Day Strawberries
(AMY ROSE/FOURTH ESTATE)
Lovely Spots MASON
SAVANNAH NORTON STAFF WRITER
While there are many romantic locations in the Washington D.C. and Fairfax area, Fourth Estate wants to remind Mason students that there are many places on the Mason campus that go unnoticed and are not recognized for their romantic potential.
1. Center for the Arts At the Center for the Arts, there are performances nearly every weekend from ballets to plays with free student tickets if obtained in advance. This Valentine’s Day, the Center for the Arts will be showing the Virginia Opera’s production of “Ariadne auf Naxos” on Feb. 14-16. Also, in a theater, there is no need to worry about unexpected weather problems. Theaters provide warmth and shelter from the elements.
2. Mason Pond Multiple benches line Mason Pond where students may sit and enjoy the thrum of nature on Mason’s Fairfax campus. There are ducks to watch to avoid awkward silence, and sitting down in the fresh air will feel like a sweet escape from schoolwork. It is not a heavily populated area during the evenings making it perfect for alone time.
3. The Rathskeller
One of Mason’s most popular restaurants for students, The Rathskeller gives you that relaxed and casual atmosphere you and your date might be looking for on Valentine’s Day. With a sports bar-like menu, the Rathskellar has many appetizers that are built to share, so that you can have a cheaper meal for two. There is also background music and television to fill periods of silence if the date is going less than amorously.
4. Bench Row The Bench Row in front of Fenwick Library is one of the most unique places on campus. With a variety of benches representing the many organizations on campus, you and your date can make a game of choosing which bench to sit at. Sit there for hours, talk, take selfies or drink hot chocolate from the nearby Starbucks or Peet’s Coffee. Bench Row can even be romantic in the evenings as the sun sets upon the buildings and the surrounding lawn.
5. North Plaza Lawn The North Plaza is not only one of the best places for people watching, but also for a date with your Valentine. You and your date can lay down a blanket and set up a picnic. To pass the time after you eat, play a board game or bring out a deck of cards. Sitting in the middle of campus will make your date feel like the center of attention.
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am the maître de of two things: forgetting what day it is and avoiding the oven at all costs. This week, Fourth Estate wanted to give you a Valentine’s Day treat that is not only easy and cheap to make, but also fast for those of us who are still writing “2013” a little over a month into the new year. Here’s a treat for those who totally forgot that Valentine’s Day is upon us. I found this dessert by looking for easy recipes that do not require any kitchen appliances more intense than a microwave. To those still residing in dorms, you should be
Ingredients: 20 Strawberries 1 Softened Cream Cheese Package (3 oz) 2 Tablespoons Chopped Walnuts 1.5 Tablespoons Confectioner’s Sugar
Preparation: 1. Dice up two strawberries and set them aside. Cut the stems off of the rest of your strawberries so that they can stand up without assistance. 2. Take your small army of strawberries and cut x’s into the tips of them and cut most of the way down. If you cut completely through, you have gone too far. Each strawberry should have four wedges. 3. Put the cream cheese into a bowl and beat it until it’s fluffy. 4. Toss in your diced strawberries, chopped
able to make this recipe as easily as those with kitchens. A refrigerator, however, would not be amiss. This recipe also does not only go for those who wish to woo their date with their culinary genius, either. Share it with a friend or do what you really want to do and eat the whole thing yourself. Who cares? It’s Valentine’s Day and Valentine’s Day weight never counts, especially when you’re single! (Note: I am not a scientist, so I might be wrong about previously mentioned data). walnuts and powdered sugar and stir them into the fluffy cream cheese. 5. Spoon them into your strawberries. The original recipe calls for a teaspoon, but considering how messy it will be, just do your best. 6. Eat on the spot, or put your confectionary masterpieces into the refrigerator and let them get cold. 7. Enjoy. Happy Valentine’s Day! Check out www.gmufourthestate.com for the accompanying video.
GENEVIEVE HOELER LIFESTYLE EDITOR
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The harm in “harmless” campus culture A week and a half ago, an email sent over the Delta Zeta chapter of Sigma Chi fraternity Listserv at William and Mary gave everyone a look into the mind of one disgusting and disrespectful human being. The message spoke of the writer’s idea for a community outreach program called “Save the Sluts.” The email encourages the men of the fraternity to help the “lesser sex” on the campus by having sex with them. “Sluts are everywhere…allow your eyes to wander from the feet up the long and slender legs of the lesser sex until finally you arrive at God’s greatest gift: the box,” he writes, explaining how to spot these supposedly desperate women. While one can only hope the contents of this, unfortunately, well-composed email is a joke, it’s a nod to the objectification that runs rampant on college campuses. It’s clear that some men still view women as objects. In college, they expect women to show up at parties barely dressed, drink too much, and serve them (in every sense of the word) while saying absolutely nothing about it. It’s a culture and it’s especially prevalent Thursday-Saturday night. Women aren’t simply the victims in these situations. In fact, some of us might subtly
encourage this behavior. The Sigma Chi email was obtained by Total Sorority Move, a website that posts a female perspective on Greek life news. One would think they would condemn the email, but rather, they find more fault in the fact that the brother called rain boots “ugly.” “I just can’t stand for an email in which you use the term “box,” or claim rain boots are ugly,” the writer complains. Quite frankly, I’m a bit more disgusted by TSM’s response than the email itself. It sends the message that women are more concerned with what men think of their appearance than any potential perverted motivations. It’s a standard that leaves us as the constant subject of male objectification. And while collegiate women continue to standby and be relatively silent on this issue, worse things are beginning to happen as a result. Last month, a student at Dartmouth posted a message on a campus website, “Bored at Baker,” that detailed how to rape a female student, whom he referred to as the “Choates whore” based on where she lives on campus. The message encourages male readers to find the “Choates whore,” earn her friendship and trust, provide her with too much alcohol, and
then, ultimately, have unconsented sex with her. Perhaps the most frightening statement in the entire post is when the anonymous writer assures readers that his advice is credible because he has already “been there.” Increasing reports of sexual assault on college campuses, such as this one, have gone as far as the White House, prompting the Obama administration to create a special task force called the “White House Council on Women and Girls” that is dedicated to coming up with strategies to combating sexual violence. A recent report from the task force said that 1 in 5 women have been sexually assaulted while in college and that the “dynamics” of college life, such as abuse of drugs and alcohol, are contributing the problem. Thankfully, the alleged victim at Dartmouth wasn’t as passive as the esteemed writers at TSM. She responded to her attacker’s post on the same website, explaining how difficult her life at Dartmouth has become since she was attacked and how little the university did to help her. Even if the person who wrote this post wasn’t the victim of the perverted male, what’s most important is that she took a stand against his
behavior. The person illustrated how destructive objectification can be. It’s reactions such as these that will gain the most traction in this situation. I can’t say I’m necessarily above my own criticism. I’ve fallen victim to objectification and done absolutely nothing about it while I’ve been in college, as do many other respectable women. But if women refuse to be more vocal about condemning objectification, it’s going to keep happening and become something much more serious. It has to be our collective response to messages like this that ends it completely. The next time you see me struggling to make it to class at 9am in my $40 boots that are falling apart after enduring the Northern Virginia winter, know that my “box” doesn’t need saving; nor will it stand for the men and women that encourage this kind of behavior on college campuses. ALEXA ROGERS NEWS EDITOR
The plight of the modern-day racist Perhaps the most interesting aspect of bigotry today is how it seems to take place primarily online or behind closed doors. By now, most people have seen the Coca-Cola Super Bowl commercial in which “America the Beautiful” is performed in seven different languages against the backdrop of the scenery and diversity of American society. In addition to the commercial itself, most people have also heard of the vitriolic reaction of many outraged Twitter users, all of whom seemed to take personal offense to the six non-English languages featured in the commercial. The reaction on Twitter was to be expected. The Internet can be an echo chamber of ignorance and racism, as we’ve seen before when Indian-American Nina Davuluri was crowned Miss America and when Puerto Rican-American Marc Anthony performed the National Anthem at the 2013 MLB All-Star game. The impersonal nature of Twitter and Facebook allows the bigoted to speak their minds without an immediate threat of repercussion. This leads to these painful xenophobic spectacles following the broadcast of anything and anyone not conforming to the straight, white Christian archetype. As a non-white, non-Christian American, I can easily say that I wasn’t all that upset by the online reaction to the Coca-Cola commercial. Unfortunately, as any individual belonging to a marginalized group understands, there will always be hateful, bigoted people somewhere in the world. What we don’t expect, however, is to find these people to be the very people we interact with on a daily basis. Recently, a white friend mentioned to me in passing that when the commercial aired, the group of people she was with were outraged because “this is America” and “we speak English.”
Another friend, also white, related that an individual he was with used crude, offensive words to describe some of the ethnicities depicted in it. I was struck by these accounts, both of which were from Mason students, because I have never heard such bigoted language in this part of the country. I went to a high school in which white people were considered a minority, the student population elected two consecutive gay class presidents, and it was just as common to hear Spanish being spoken in the halls as English. Like some other Northern Virginia natives, I naively assumed this level of tolerance and diversity was relatively constant across the region. Obviously, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I have never heard racist rhetoric said directly to me for an obvious reason: I have brown skin. What these anecdotes illustrate is that racist individuals will remain silent in front of the marginalized, but show their true colors amongst those like them. Racism is just as alive today as it was a few decades ago. The difference is, racism has been forced out of the public sphere, but it still lives on and festers in private circles, unable to manifest as explicitly as it was once able to. Racists keep to themselves, silently cursing the multitude of languages spoken in the United States today, as well as ostracizing those who are different than them amongst each other while maintaining poker faces in the civilized public sphere. This exclusion of ideology from the public sphere is not only limited to racism. Sexism and homophobia face similar realities. On the surface, homophobia may seem to be dissipating, especially when looking at the sensationalism of the marriage equality cause by artists such as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis,
but this rhetorical tolerance in the public sphere means little when confronted with data that indicates that poverty rates are higher for LGBTQ adults than for heterosexual adults. In a study published by the Williams Institute at UCLA, researchers found that “24% of lesbian and bisexual women are poor, compared with only 19% of heterosexual women.” Similarly, the rhetorical condemnation of racist ideology in day-to-day interactions means virtually nothing for those individuals still subject to individual and systematic discrimination by protectors of an institution now confined to the private sphere. I grew up speaking English and Urdu bilingually, with neither of them being my true first language. In my family conversations, one language always morphed into the other depending on the context, and I still find myself unable to fully express myself in either language by itself. Urdu is unquestionably an American language for both myself and for the millions of other Pakistani/Kashmiri/Indian-Americans living in this country, and I’m grateful to Coca-Cola for using their platform to indicate that we aren’t foreigners living in a foreign land. This is a nation built upon the idea of pluralism of ideology, faith, and speech. Those of us that speak non-English languages are, in fact, Americans in the truest sense. The fact that our country lacks an official language is not an accident; rather, every single language we speak is by definition a national language. SUHAIB KHAN PRINT NEWS EDITOR
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Lacrosse assistant coach brings fresh outlook DARIAN BANKS PRINT SPORTS EDITOR
The Mason women’s lacrosse team welcomed a third coach, Kaitlyn Pasko, previously from Le Moyne University who brings with her important perspectives and coaching techniques to better the team during the offseason. She assisted the Le Moyne lacrosse team to three consecutive NCAA Division II tournament appearances and served as the offensive and recruiting coordinator. When Pasko joined the Mason team in October, the women had already started fall ball for about a month. “I went out to practice after being in the office and for the first couple of practices, I was just a fly on the wall,” Pasko said. The team quickly opened their arms to Pasko and the many ideas that she brought with her from Le Moyne. “The team welcomed her by going around in a circle and introducing ourselves by sharing our names, where we are from and one interesting fact about ourselves,” said Sarah Clark, junior. “A couple days after she joined the coaching staff, I met up with her individually to chat, which was great, because we got to know each other better and helped us form trust and a close bond.” Pasko made an effort to mesh with the team, which made it easier for her to integrate her ideas. “She fit in immediately and got right into the groove of coaching us. We welcome her by working hard and listening to what she had to say,” said Katie Mascolo, senior. “The addition of a third coach has helped us tremendously because we were able to get more one-on-one
attention.” Although Pasko focused on offense at Le Moyne, she would switch between defense and offense every few weeks to give the women a change in coaching. She now focuses on defense and draws knowledge from personal experience. In college Pasko played defence, attack and midfield. “Coach Pasko impacted the Le Moyne team in a variety of ways. She was organized, vocal, had a very high lacrosse IQ and was extremely competitive,” said Le Moyne Head Coach, Beth Hewitt. This knowledge base could benefit the Mason team for their season beginning on Feb. 19 against Longwood University. “I think a challenge for other schools will be our eight meter defense, pressure defense,” Pasko said. “It’s all about being out in your face and making it harder for the other team to pass the ball.” Pasko has drilled attack and transition for the defensive players making it second nature. “As a defender I feel that I am much better prepared because of this. The drills we do in practice really get our attack moving and are very game-like and challenging to the defenders – which I love,” Clark said. “There is a great dynamic between the team and coach Pasko. Everyone responds well to her; she is so knowledgeable,” Clark said. “She shows a lot of respect for the coaching staff and players and is very genuine when she speaks. The team really takes in everything she says, because she wants us all to succeed. The open and honest communication has really added to the dynamic.” Pasko’s coaching style is “very intense” because she expects a lot out of her players.
“She always tried to motivate them to want to play for each other,” Hewitt said. “Coach Pasko always did a great job making sure that each new player understood the game of lacrosse and was confident in the system that we were trying to run.” The players have welcomed Pasko by matching her dedication to the team to have a stronger season than their overall 5-11 finish last year. “I was really impressed when they came back from winter break. They’ve all come back in awesome shape,” Pasko said. “At the Monday and Wednesday morning workouts, we had to tell them they could slow down.” Morning workouts focus on the strength of the athletes while the addition of Pasko has allowed for more individual time with players to improve certain aspects athletically and mentally. “In the fall, Coach Pasko and I spent many consecutive individuals working on my stick skills, which I have noticed a huge improvement in,” Clark said. “Currently, she and I are working closely on building my confidence as a player.” Pasko’s attention to defense has also helped improve Mascolo’s skills close to the goal. “Coach Pasko has definitely helped me with my one on one takes and my feeds inside the eight meter,” Mascolo said. Pasko has dedicated a lot of practice time to perfecting different aspects of the defense just as she did at Le Moyne to help break down the opponents’ defense. “In the Northeast-10 Conference, we have a large number of teams that run a backer defense,” Hewitt said. “She spent a lot of time working to figure out ways to beat it. We have
been pretty successful in running some of the systems that she camp up with and we do continue to use those today.” Pasko has brought that same passion and commitment as she has spent a lot of time figuring out what the Mason women specifically need to work on. “We’ve spent a lot of time going over how to take advantage of every team with man-ups and when you’re one on one with the goalie,” Pasko said. “We’ve also worked a lot on escaping double teams on offense and my hope is that our girls will be patient enough and confident enough with the ball. There always has to be someone man up.” Despite being predicted to finish fifth in the Atlantic 10, Pasko’s coaching has made the team more confident about their performance. “I predict that this upcoming season will be much better with Coach Pasko at Mason,” Clark said. “We are fortunate to have her and coach Adam (Norton) super tuned in with the attack and midfield.” Pasko has seen the dedication of the team, but still looks to make the most of the two weeks before their season beings. “We still can improve on marking up on cutters and staying tight on cutters,” Pasko said. “We’ve been practicing crash call which is anytime a ball enters the eight meter mark, the entire team collapses so that no one can score.” Conference play begins April 6th and the team is working with five returning starters and eight newcomers. “I truly believe all of the new elements Coach Pasko has added to our team will contribute to the success we will have this season,” Clark said.
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HUMAN RIGHTS TAKES CENTER STAGE IN
S O C H I O LY M P I C S
STEPHEN CZARDA SPORTS EDITOR
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early 34 years after the controversial 1980 Winter Games in the former Soviet Union, the central focus of the international sporting world will be on Russia once again this month as they host the Winter Olympics in Sochi. While concerns over security and housing conditions have already passed Russia’s normally tight-knit media structure, human rights issues have been pinnacle to many across the globe. Last July, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on a controversial law that provides strict bans of “propagation” of homosexuality to youth in the country. After passing through parliament by a lopsided vote total of 436-0, individuals and groups that are deemed guilty of “propagating” in-person can receive hefty fines. Those that propagate content the Russian government deems homosexual via Internet or mass media face even larger penalties. The bill also directly impacts foreign agents, as one can receive over two weeks of jail time if convicted of public showcasing. This specific clause raised questions from the international community with thousands of athletes entering the country for the Winter Olympics to include six openly gay participants. One month after the law sparked criticism, the Russian government cooled the fires, at least temporarily, with a letter to the International Olympic Committee that explained no discrimination against gay athletes will take place during the Games. Dr. James Bernhardt, professor of Russian language at Northern Virginia Community College, explained the issue is one that dates back to the 1980 Games. The media response, however, is much greater. “All over the world, including in Russia, people are being harassed simply because of who they are, or who they love,” Dr.
Bernhardt said. “Being a member of the LGBT community in Russia has never been easy. I was amazed at the courage and strength of the gay and lesbian students I met in Russia back in the 1980s. The next question is possible post-Olympic repercussions towards Russians.” Mason Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning Resources Associate Director Richard Chollar explained that the situation is one in murky waters following the Closing Ceremony on Feb. 23. “A distinction during this time period is there are hundreds of thousands of people that come in for this period of time, what are they operating under?” Chollar said. “But eventually they get to leave. How is this going to be differently treated for Russian citizens and LGBTQ Russians?” Last Thursday, video surfaced on the Internet of attacks on gay rights activists. The video, posted by Human Rights Watch, depicted brutally violent assaults. “Part of the interconnecting things here are that if some of us want to have some sort of response or action, and we have a particular objective in mind for that, just be thinking who might this impact in what ways and how let’s not do things that might actually end up putting more people in danger.” While there are no openly gay athletes competing for Team USA, there is a portion of the U.S. population that believes sending athletes to Russia sends a signal of acceptance to the human rights violations. “There are LGBTQ queers and activists who are furious and think that any participation that we are doing is feeding and rewarding this country’s anti-gay politics,” Chollar said. “Whether they are going to bring more attention to this regardless of what the athletes would want.” The other portion of concern comes from notable sponsors, like AT&T, who denounced Russia’s anti-gay laws, McDonalds and Coca-Cola, who provided a moving tribute to America’s diversity during last weekend’s Super Bowl. “Coke is trying to improve its visibility, brand and reputation,” Chollar said. “They had this wonderful diverse ad during
the Super Bowl and you could see that they probably welcomed the backlash. There was a same-sex couple in that ad. There is another group of people that are saying what you have done co-opts us, because you are putting millions of dollars into this Olympics in a country that is doing so much damage.” The idea of boycotting the games surfaced at one point in the media, but instead of sitting out the XXII Olympic Winter Games, President Barack Obama added several notable names from the LGBTQ athletic community to counteract the Russian laws, and his decision to keep Team USA in competition will allow athletes to reach dreams that they have worked hard for over the past three-plus years. “In our case what the President has done, and it hasn’t been said publically to Putin, with our own participation is we’re going to hold back any of the government officials and instead load the committee with activists and openly LGBTQ folks,” Chollar said. “He hopes that one of the consequences of all of this is that out Olympic athletes end up winning a lot of medals.” Whether the multi-sport event changes Russia’s deeplyseeded views on human rights remains to be seen. “Whether that’s going to lead more towards newfound permission to treat gay folks differently all the way to violence, whether they’re going to try and show they’ve cleaned up their act for the period of time the Olympics takes place and the cameras are on and everything is cool, but anybody who is recorded or seen may get punished later, those are some of the fears.” Dr. Bernhardt hopes the Games are the start of altering outdated views. “I hope the attention the Olympics have focused on LGBT rights in Russia turns out to be a step in the right direction.”
FREE TICKETS FOR MASON STUDENTS! SEEING AND RESPONDING TO ITALY EXHIBITION Feb. 10 – Mar. 7 FREE MG
PETER NERO Music of the Heart February 15 at 8 p.m. $60, $52, $30 CA 2 Free Tickets per ID avail. NOW
VISUAL VOICES SPEAKER SERIES Activist Arabia: Revolt as Medium, Street as Canvas Adel Iskandar, speaker February 13 at 7:30 p.m. FREE HT
KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS WITH JEFFREY SIEGEL The Power and Passion of Beethoven February 22 at 8 p.m. $38, $30, $22 HC 2 Free Tickets per ID avail. Feb. 11
VIRGINIA OPERA Ariadne auf Naxos February 14 at 8 p.m. $86, $72, $44 February 16 at 2 p.m. $98, $80, $48 CA 1 Free Ticket per ID avail. NOW
MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP February 22 at 8 p.m. February 23 at 4 p.m. $46, $38, $23 CA 2 Free Tickets per ID avail. Feb. 11
703-993-8888 or cfa.gmu.edu/students
Center for the Arts
FAIRFAX
MASON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND FRIENDS February 24 at 8 p.m. $10 adu., $5 stu./sen. CA 1 Free Ticket per ID avail. Feb. 11 THE PEKING ACROBATS February 26 at 7:30 p.m. $48, $40, $32 HC 1 Free Ticket per ID avail. Feb. 11 HEDDA GABLER February 26 at 8 p.m. February 27- March 1 at 8 p.m. $15 adu., $10 stu./fac. TS 1 Free Ticket per ID avail. Feb. 18
CA CENTER FOR THE ARTS HT HARRIS THEATRE HCH YLTONC ENTER MG MASON HALL GALLERY TS THEATERSPACE
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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Workout of the week: burpees
n honor of the Homecoming game on Saturday, this week’s exercise will hopefully get you prepared for all the jumping you will do when you cheer on the Patriot basketball teams. Burpees are a great full-body exercise that can test your strength and fitness level. To perform this exercise, you first want to make sure you have enough floor space. 1 • Start in the upright position, followed by jumping up. 2 • Then come down to a squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you. 3 • Kick your feet back to a pushup position. Quickly return back to the squat position. 4 • Then go back up to the starting position for another one. I challenge you to start out with five rounds of 10 burpees and by the end of the week attempt to do 10 rounds of 10 burpees. For the more in-shape individuals, add two pushups before coming back to the starting position. If you still find that easy, then try adding a pullup after you come up from your pushups. These exercises make for a good superset with any chest press or back exercise. Check gmufourthestate.com for subsequent video of this excerise along with video and instruction from last week’s exercises: wall sits and standing lunges. ANDREA FINFROCK COLUMNIST
Mason baseball
FACTS
Join the 2014
On Friday, February 14th, Mason baseball will play their first game of the 2014 season vs. the University of South Carolina Upstate. To prep you for Mason’s first season in the Atlantic 10, here are a few facts/ notes to keep an eye on this season (compiled by Stephen Czarda/Sports Editor) :
Mason was picked to finish fifth in the conference behind defending A-10 champions St. Louis, VCU, Rhode Island and Richmond.
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Senior Tucker Tobin is returning for his senior season after leading the team in batting average (.335), homeruns (eight), RBIs (37) and slugging percentage (564%).
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Mason is looking to rebound from an 18-35 season in which they lost 12 games by two runs or less. On the flipside, however, they lost games by a margin of five or more 16 times to include back-to-back 16-1 defeats against Deleware and Maryland.
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Mason’s first A-10 game will take place on Friday, March 21st against Fordham University. Picked to finish ninth in the 12-team conference, Fordham finished 2013 with an overall record of 22-33.
The nonconference schedule is highlighted by a midweek matchup vs. preseason No. 13 University of North Carolina on March 21st. The Tar Heels won a country-high 59 contests last season. The Patriot pitching staff will be led by Anthony Montefusco who recorded team-bests in wins (five), ERA (4.14) and strikeouts (80) in 78.1 innings from the mound .
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Leading the way for the 33rd straight season is Billy Brown. Getting his first win as head coach in the spring of 1982, Brown has led Mason to at least 30 wins 14 times and guided the 2009 squad to an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.
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The A-10 tournament will start on May 21st in St. Louis.
Tryouts For the Co-ed Stunt & all Female Dance Team.* Saturday, March 8th
Want a Leg up on the Competition? Join the current Cheerleaders and coaches for clinics. Saturday, Feb. 8th & Tuesday, Feb. 18th *must be 18 years or older by April 1st
MORE INFORMATION: BALTIMORERAVENS.COM/CHEERLEADERS