Oct. 18 issue

Pinkberry frozen yogurt is coming to Fairfax! Check out the Style section for information on how you can win prizes during the store’s grand opening.

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

October 18, 2010

Volume 87 Issue 7

Mason Madness

Cody Norman Asst. Sports Editor

Following the introduction of every other member of the men’s and women’s basketball teams, senior guard Cam Long emerged from the smoke-filled tunnel for his final Mason Madness event. Long, who is on pace to finish his career among Mason’s all-time leaders in points, rebounds, assists and 3-pointers, took on a significant challenge last season as he captained an extremely young basketball team.

“Cam, more than anybody, felt the burden of carrying such a young team last year,” said Coach Jim Larranaga. “And no player can make up for as many youthful errors we were making. But now, those guys have a year of experience. They’re playing smarter. And I think it’s going to add an awful lot to [Cam’s] game.”

Long, like the rest of the players, got an opportunity to showcase their talent and give the George Mason student body a chance to get a taste of what may be to come this season at Friday’s event.

Following performances by Peter Rabbit, the legendary bucket drummer from New York City, Urbanknowlogy 101, the Masonettes, Mason Cheerleaders and Doc Nix and the Green Machine, Long and his teammates put on a show for Mason fans.

“It’s a great turnout like it always is. The crowd is always there. That’s one thing I love about this school. The fans are just amazing and I give them all the love in the world. Regardless of whether we’re losing or winning, the fans are always there showing us how much they love our team” Long said.

Last year, you may remember, then-sophomores Ryan Pearson, Mike Morrison and Andre Cornelius competed as super heroes in the dunk competition. Looking to build on last year’s performance, the junior trio pulled high-flying sophomore Luke Hancock on to their team and performed as the JabbaWockeeZ, a popular dance crew who is known for wearing plain white masks and gloves in order to encourage audiences to focus on their movements instead of individual dancers.

The group capped an impressive dunking performance with an alley-oop to the five feet-ten inch Cornelius, who finished with authority. His slam capped an exciting night for Mason basketball teams and sealed the third consecutive victory for the team of juniors.

“This an evening for the students. And the students

Photo By Jake McLernon

Crime Beat Reporter

came out to cheer on other students. It’s all about developing a school spirit and the spirit here at George Mason continues to grow and get better every single year,” LarPhoto By Jake McLernon ranaga said.

After an abrupt, yet promising end to last season, the Mason men have the ability to compete with any team in the conference.

They will tip-off the official beginning to their season on November 13 against Harvard University in what Larranaga called a battle between “the oldest school in the United States and the best team in the United States.”

With another year of familiarity under the Patriots’ belt, Long will be afforded the opportunity to relax and let his more experienced teammates help him to reach the team’s ultimate goal this season: a Colonial Athletic Association conference championship and a berth to this year’s NCAA Tournament.

“My main thing this year is to not be so Photo By Jake McLernon hard on myself. I think you’re going to see a person this season that’s got a lot more smiles, Students packed the Patriot Center to welcome their a lot more motivation and somebody who basketball teams back to the court during Friday night’s shows a lot more emotion as well,” Long said.

Mason Madness.

Money to fund construction of new housing, renovations Photo By Stephen Kline

President Merten addressed the Mason community at the Mason Inn.

Merten addresses university at Fall Convocation Administrators discuss construction, possible tuition increase Connect2Mason George Mason University President Alan Merten, Senior Vice President Maurice Scherrens and Associate Provost for Graduate Education Michelle Marks each addressed the Mason community with presentations on the infrastructural, academic and fiscal initiatives the university is undertaking. The event took place Wednesday in The Mason Inn ballroom. It was open to all members of the university, including students, faculty and staff.

Tours of The Mason Inn facility were offered from 2 - 3 p.m. and 3:30 - 5 p.m. A shuttle service to the convocation was also offered, transporting passengers every 15 minutes from various points along Patriot Circle.

President Merten opened by highlighting how The Mason Inn typifies the structural growth of the university.

“This facility is changing [Mason],” Merten said.

“Business executives from Oracle and Exxon Mobile

Sex offenses, alcohol violations drop from 2008; may not paint accurate picture Antonieta Rico

BOV OKs bond sales to fund construction

Adam Sylvain

Annual Police Security Report Released

have leased small ballrooms. Last I checked, more than 30 wedding receptions have been scheduled, and we even hosted an event to honor the university’s own Nobel Laureate, James Buchanan.”

The Washington Wizards training camp, hosted at the Patriot Center, and the construction of the Hylton Performing Arts Center on Mason’s Prince William campus were also recognized as examples of the university’s considerable growth. Current and planned construction projects, such as Founders Hall, a 250,000 square foot, multifunctional building, scheduled to open on the Arlington campus in January, were also presented.

Pending infrastructural projects taking place on the Fairfax campus include the construction of University Hall, renovations and an addition to Science and Technology Buildings I and II and a large extension to the Fenwick Library.

See CONVOCATION, Page 3

Gregory Connolly News Editor With the growth George Mason University has experienced in recent years, the demand for residential space on campus has exceeded what is available. To help fix this, the Board of Visitors decided in their September meeting to sell up to $47,367,000 in 9c General Obligation Bonds to fund the construction of new housing facilities.

“The demand for more beds is there,” said George Mason Press Secretary Daniel Walsch.

He said there’s a plan to add over 1,200 new beds in the next three to five years.

The Board of Visitors also approved the sale of $23,656,855 in bonds to fund the renovation of several university buildings as well as the construction of a dining facility in Front Royal, an addition to the Krasnow Institute and a building at the Arlington campus, according to a document from the Board of Visitors website.

Bond sales are a common way to raise revenue for construction of new university facilities in Virginia. The Board of Visitors must approve the bond

sales, which are then sold by the state of Virginia. The debt created by these bonds is repaid over time with revenue raised from numerous outlets, including rental of the constructed facilities, rental of retail space and other operating revenues, according to the document.

The beds will be mostly contained in one facility called Student Housing VIII. The project calls for 1,200 beds, though the expected completion date for the other 600 beds remains unknown, according to the document.

“A total of 600 beds will be constructed by the Fall 2012, and will be located in the northwest sector of campus,” according to the document.

The bond sales will also finance the construction of student housing in Front Royal. The housing will support the Smithsonian Mason Conversation Studies Program and will consist of 124 student rooms, one staff apartment and common space, according to the document.

There will also be a dining facility capable of serving 100 people that will be completed by July 2012.

See BONDS, Page 4

Recent statistics released by campus police show that the number of sexual offenses and alcoholrelated referrals dropped significantly on the Fairfax campus between 2008 and 2009. Sexual offenses reported in the Annual Security Report dropped from 11 in 2008 to five in 2009 and alcohol-related referrals dropped from 256 in 2008 to 151 in 2009.

Alcohol-related arrests dropped slightly, from 185 in 2008 to 162 in 2009, and drug arrests increased from 52 in 2008 to 71 in 2009.

There were five on-campus sexual offenses reported in 2009, and they all occurred in student residences. The number, however, is not indicative of the amount of sexual assaults that occurred against Mason students.

The ASR must adhere to federal guidelines in reporting crimes, said Lt. Kevin Barrett, who put together the report for the George Mason University Police Department. Those reporting requirements mean that some sexual assaults that do not fall within the guidelines are not included in the report.

“It’s really hard to get a picture of the numbers,” said Connie Kirkland, director of Sexual Assault Services at Mason. Kirkland said that last year SAS handled “88 or 90” cases, a few of those being dating violence or stalking, and that a majority of those cases occurred off-campus. Off-campus sexual assaults are not reported in the ASR. According to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, sexual assaults are notoriously underreported. The report states that between 1992 and 2000 74 percent of sexual assaults were not reported to police.

Kirkland, who has worked with SAS since it was founded at Mason, said she believes maybe only a tenth or a hundredth of what actually happens is reported.

“I think it’s because a lot of people just blame themselves for what happened,” Kirkland said.

The latest information found shows that across the nation 55 percent of rapes/ sexual assaults were reported to police, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ 2009 National Crime Victimization Survey released on Oct. 13.

“We count the ones that are reported to us,” Barrett said. “I feel pretty sure that there are a few other incidents that are not reported to us. But we do encourage everybody that believes to be a victim of an assault to come in and report it to us.”

Barrett said that he works close with SAS to ensure that the ASR reflects all the assaults that occur on campus.

ASR statistics also show that alcohol referrals were about 40 percent lower in 2009 than in 2008. However that does not necessarily mean that it is a downward trend, Barrett said.

“I look at it as a difference in reporting,” said Barrett. He said that doesn’t mean reporting

See CRIME, Page 3

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News Event Calendar

Broadside

5

The Quality Enhancement Plan is a five-year project.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Snapshot Annual Clothesline project features victims’ stories

Monday, Oct. 18 Flu shots SUB I, Rooms A & B 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Life Safety Fair Presidents Park 4:30 - 9 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 19 Counseling and Psychological Services: MASON CARES Johnson Center, Room E Noon - 2 p.m.

ESPN and Dr. Cue Corner Pocket Noon - 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 20 Open Scholarship Opens Minds Conference Room in Mason Hall 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Friends, Food, and Film PEP Office, South Chesapeake, Room 18 3 - 5 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Sexual Assault Services

Sexual Assault Services hung clotheslines laden with shirts bearing stories of victims of sexual abuse as part of Turn Off the Violence Week. The shirts were hung in the quad by Fenwick Library throughout the week of Oct. 11 to draw attention to abuse.

Thursday, Oct. 21 Overview of Study Strategies Workshop SUB I, Room 3129 1 - 3 p.m.

Cultural Fusion Fairfax: Film and Art Johnson Center Cinema 4 - 8 p.m.

Out with MEMO, in with MasonLive Gregory Connolly News Editor

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

POLICE FILES Vandalism Presidents Park A GMU Student reported damage to their bicycle after unauthorized use by their friends. (45/Arnold)

Oct. 11

Possession of Marijuana Parking Lot L Bobby Lee Benson, 24 (non-GMU), of Mount Olive, NC was arrested for the above offense and released on a summons. (40/Ross) Possession of Marijuana Parking Lot L Kevin Marshall Granderson, 20 (non-GMU), of Hopewell, VA was arrested for the above offense and released on a summons. (40/Ross) Possession of Marijuana Parking Lot L Anthony Benjamin Obriot, 26 (non-GMU), of Rockville, MD was arrested for the above offense and released on a summons. (56/Lighthiser) Possession of Marijuana Parking Lot A Hugh Anthony Jackson, 28 (non-GMU), of Charlotte, NC was arrested for the above offense and released on a summons. (27/Feliciano)

Oct. 12

Medical Assist Northern Neck A student having trouble breathing refused medical transport however was taken to a doctor by a family member. (29/Aman) Grand Larceny Southside Two GMU students were seen removing and damaging a cereal dispenser from a dining hall. Additional investigation pending. Loss estimated at $400.

(58/Duangrat) Motor Vehicle Accident University Drive A vehicle struck another vehicle in the rear causing it to strike a stopped vehicle. No injuries were sustained in the accident. One driver was charged with Following Too Close. Damage estimated at $8,500.

(29/Aman)

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

Broadside does not make any changes to public records.

While over 16,000 George Mason University students have made the switch to MasonLive, many others have not. Beginning yesterday, those not on the new network were switched over.

MasonLive’s website features tutorials on

how to merge e-mail accounts from the old mail provider. There is also a tutorial for transferring from a smart phone and one that explains how to forward to Gmail, according to a memo released by the Information Technology Unit.

“Mason’s ITU began exploring other email options after being asked by the administration,” said Tracy Holt, the manager of enterprise messaging for ITU. Holt said after looking into the options for an e-mail system, the choice was narrowed to Google or Microsoft. Both offered e-mail addresses that can be maintained after graduation, something Mason’s alumni wanted. ITU ended up picking Microsoft’s e-mail system.

“There have been some growing pains,” Holt said. She said there have been some technical issues, such as messages from Mason accounts appearing in the junk mail folder.

“The switch to MasonLive coinciding with the confusion of the beginning of the school year made the switch harder, but there have not been any major problems,” Holt said.

“For the most part, we are hearing students are happier with the larger inbox.”

“One of the big things students said they wanted was shared web space,” Holt said. MasonLive comes with SkyDrive, a 25 GB space that students can use as they would a thumb drive.

If a student encounters problems with the transfer, they can call 703-993-8870. ITU asks that comments be sent to mlfeedback@masonlive.gmu.edu.

Taking the next step Five-year plan to bolster student scholarship, create research opportunities Gregory Connolly News Editor With the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools set to visit George Mason University in March as part of the reaccreditation process, work continues on the Quality Enhancement Plan that is part of SACS’ requirements.

In order to receive reaccreditation, SACS requires schools to come up with a five-year plan to improve an issue related to student learning at the institution.

After a lengthy selection process that involved students, faculty and staff, it was decided that Mason would institute a plan that will begin fall 2011.

It is designed to improve undergraduate scholarship and research opportunities, said Kim Eby, associate provost for faculty development and the director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Mason.

“We had to show that the topic for our plan is based on institutional data,” Eby said.

“If you look at the kinds of information we collected, there is a strong indication that this is addressing concerns on campus.”

The QEP has three primary tenets: increasing opportunities for students to get involved in scholarship and practice scholarly inquiry, creating more opportunities for students to engage with faculty outside of the classroom and establishing an infrastructure that helps to enable student scholarship, Eby said.

“We are going to encourage more classes to be inquiry based,” said Bethany Usher, associate director of the Center for Teaching Excellence. “We want students to be involved in the process of scholarly inquiry within their curriculum.”

Usher said the plan involves an expansion of the undergraduate apprenticeship program, which enables students to conduct mentored research with faculty and graduate students.

The QEP will focus on creating more opportunities for student-faculty interaction outside the classroom.

“One of the things we know from assessment data is that, compared with our peer institutions, Mason students report not having as much one-on-one interaction with faculty outside the classroom,” Eby said.

Eby said research shows a strong correlation between student success and engagement with faculty outside the classroom.

The QEP will create an infrastructure through the addition of an Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities and Research.

“OSCAR is going to be an office where we are going to coordinate activities for students so the undergraduate apprenticeship program will move into that office,” Usher said.

Usher said the office will feature a list of classes that include inquiry-based learning.

The office will coordinate what will be known as the OSCAR Fellows, a group that will make appearances in Mason classes to discuss their experiences with scholarly inquiry and inform students on how to get involved.

Another part of the new infrastructure will be a database, structured in the same way as HireMason, which will allow faculty to post requests for student help in research projects.

Funding for these additions comes from funds that are, for the most part, allocated out of the provost’s budget.

“The majority of the money goes to student learning through the inquiry based courses and undergraduate apprenticeship,” Usher said. “The majority of it isn’t going toward furniture or anything like that, but toward implementing things that positively impact student learning.”

“One of the things we have seen is that when we have met with students, they had a hard time finding opportunities that fit into their busy schedules,” Usher said. “This way they can find things they will be interested in.”

Another part of the QEP calls for onecredit classes that give students a chance to conduct scholarly research and inquiry, Eby said.

“Let’s say I’m a professor in journalism and I’m teaching a course that focuses on social media. I’d be able to offer a smaller group of my

students the opportunity to take a one-credit add-on that would research trends within social media,” Eby said.

The QEP also includes provisions for a fund that would help finance student travel, Eby said.

“One of the things we’ve heard in our focus groups and from our faculty members is that they wish there was more support for students engaged in this kind of work,” Eby said.

“We’ll offer modest financial support so that students can travel and present their research work at conferences.”

Eby said some students may engage in projects outside their major.

“We’ll involve interdisciplinary research,” Eby said. “We would like to see more scholarly engagement within interdisciplinary areas.”

The QEP Topic Selection Committee was formed in April 2008 by University President Alan Merten and Provost Peter Stearns.

Eby said the topic of student scholarship was one of 12 finalists that were made public.

The selection committee identified potential topics and then students and faculty were invited to contribute their suggestions.

“We received eight suggestions from the university community,” Usher said. “Most of the students who submitted proposals joined with a faculty team. Almost all of the ideas had student input.”

Eby said one criterion in the selection process was that all levels of the university – including alumni – supported the plan.

The committee narrowed the 12 suggestions down to three ideas: students as scholars, developing global perspectives and social entrepreneurship.

Usher said a survey asking which topic was the best was put out via SurveyMonkey and over 2,000 students, faculty, alumni and staff responded. The decision to focus on undergraduate scholarship and inquiry was made in May 2009.

For more information on the QEP, please visit the QEP Café at www.masonqep.onmason.com.

Broadside

News

Security report Scherrens: 10 percent increase in tuition expected over next two years shows drop in crime CRIME, from front

CONVOCATION, from front According to Merten, the university’s focus has now shifted from creating infrastructure to creating and utilizing the infrastructure the university has created. He presented the question, “How do we leverage what we’ve built?”

Next to speak was Michelle Marks, associate provost for graduate education, who briefly discussed some of the academic initiatives taking place on Mason’s campuses. Marks revealed that the university has been officially accepted into Phi Kappa Phi, one of the nation’s oldest and distinguished honor societies. “This will open new networks for students,” Marks said.

Marks also mentioned how student retention rates have improved in recent years, with the freshman retention rate currently at 87 percent and sophomore to junior year rates at 90 percent. The resident student population has also reached a new high of 5,400 students.

Notable partnerships with Georgetown University in the biomedical sci-

ences program on the Prince William campus and the Smithsonian Institution’s collaboration with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, a 3,200 acre research facility in Front Royal, were also mentioned as touchstones of academic excellence at Mason.

The final presenter was Senior Vice President Maurice Scherrens, who discussed the fiscal state of the university.

“George Mason University is positioned about as well as we can be during these difficult economic times,” Scherrens said.

Some budget concerns were acknowledged including the expected loss of $20 million in government funds during the 2012 fiscal year.

“Limited enrollment growth of 2 percent per year, over the next four years and a 10 percent increase in tuition and fees over the next two years, are expected.” Scherrens said. “Obviously, we will be working hard to lessen the burden on parents and families.”

has gotten any better or worse, but that it reflects evolving reporting standards as well as acquisition of better reporting tools which ensure more accurate information.

ASR also includes statistics for other Mason campuses, a fire safety report, safety tips, university policies and regulations, and information about police services on campus.

One of those services is the police Escort Service. GMUPD will provide an escort, either a police cadet or a police officer, for Mason “students, faculty or staff,” on campus at night.

The number for the Es-

cort Service is 703-9934357 or people can use a designated button on the emergency call boxes on campus, according to the ASR. “When you look at our crime stats I think they are very boring,” Barrett said. “We are probably relatively safe compared to most (other campuses).”

George Mason University Police Department released the Annual Security Report to the public on Oct. 1.

The ASR is available at the police station or online at http://www.gmu.edu/d epts/police/annualsecurity.htm.

Monday, October 18, 2010 |

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News

Pilot House flying high

A few minutes with D’Leon Barnett Student government president discusses life, politics

.Photo courtesy of Facebook.com Gordon Day Broadside Correspondent Photo By Peter Flint

Pilot House has become a hot spot for a late night snack, providing an alternate option to Ike’s.

Mason’s new dining facility a hit with students Gregory Connolly News Editor Recession or not, business is booming at The Pilot House.

“Anywhere from 300 to maybe 400 students come through here on a busy night,” said Dee Dee Daye, the unit manager at Pilot House. “Thursday, Friday and Saturday are our busiest nights.”

Pilot House opened at the beginning of the semester, offering an alternative option to Ike’s, the other late night dining option on campus. Located next to Hampton Roads and Northern Neck, late night hunger pangs no longer mean a 10-minute walk for many of the residential students who live outside of Presidents Park.

“Pilot House had been in the works for years,” said Denise Ammaccapane, the resident district manager for Mason Dining. “They [the university] were concerned about all the new dorms and needing a late night place to eat on this side of campus.”

Ammaccapane said that as the idea evolved and Southside became busier, it was decided that Pilot House should also serve dinner. Pilot House has helped to ease the strain on Southside, Ammaccapane said.

Ammaccapane said Mason has a naming committee which names all of the restaurants on campus. Since the front of the building resembles the bridge of a ship, and many of the dorms near Pilot House are named after areas that are close to bodies of water, the naming committee decided on Pilot House.

“Students love Pilot House,” Daye said.

“They love the food choice. They like the quality that they get and the amount of food that’s served for the dollar.”

Daye said Pilot House offers seafood choices that cannot be found anywhere else on campus.

“I come to Pilot House fairly often,” said Michael Kolakowski, a sophomore theatre major. “I think it’s a very good addition to the campus.”

In addition, it is the only place on campus that serves traditional pizza.

“When we looked at what was going to be our main feature, we decided it should be pizza,” Ammaccapane said. “We didn’t have traditional pizza ovens anywhere on campus.

Being a New Jersey person, you can’t find good pizza in Virginia, so let’s make pizza a mainstay.”

“One of our best pizza makers is a student,” Ammaccapane said. “She had never made pizza before, and now she can throw pizza dough in the air and catch it to stretch it out.”

Many of the employees at Pilot House are Mason students.

Freshman Nate Lorence has worked at Pilot House since its opening.

“I think the students love it,” Lorence said.

“It’s very busy, and people come here a lot.”

Lorence said the restaurant was forced to shut down on its first night since it ran out of food.

Starting in January, students who live on campus will be able to order pizza via strategi-

cally placed e-kiosks and have it delivered to their residences, Ammaccapane said. She said there are already students lined up to deliver pizza. The service would also cater to Masonvale.

Daye said the restaurant will soon begin to serve daily and weekly specials, such as a popcorn fish sandwich.

While the restaurant could serve food similar to what is offered at other campus locations, Ammaccapane said it was important to have a unique menu so that Pilot House would become a destination for students.

New lighted menu boards will be installed behind the counter in the coming months. The current menu is printed in ink and hung on a window near the front door.

Ammaccapane said many lessons were learned from Ike’s. Ike’s is set up so that when the food is ready, students approach a counter and pick it up. Ammaccapane said that this arrangement leads to confusion at the counter, with students congregating at the pick-up area.

Pilot House gives students numbered tags, which are then displayed at the table so that wait staff know where to deliver the food.

Pilot House also features live music, with a first concert that drew a huge crowd.

“We had people ordering four or five pizzas at a time,” Ammaccapane said.

There are more outdoor concerts planned in the coming weeks.

Ammaccapane invites any student with questions or bands interested in performing to contact her at dammacca@gmu.edu so that performance dates can be set up.

D’Leon Barnett, George Mason University’s student government president, has his fair share of obligations.

Barnett has been in student government for three years, beginning as a senator his freshman year.

“I was used to being a voting member of the senate family,” Barnett said. “Now I have to support the family.”

During those first three years, he was also a member of various student organizations such as the Black Student Alliance, Mason Life, the Gospel Choir and the Rotaract Club, which he helped cofound. “[This year] student government is my life,” Barnett said.

Barnett explained that the transition from senator to president was a difficult one.

“As president, it is easier to get people to work together and promote unity,” Barnett said. “I can’t be biased. That was another difficult part; biting my lip when stuff comes up. My job is to support the roles of my secretaries, undersecretaries and senators; provide outreach to students and athletes, and convey concerns to the administrators.”

Barnett hopes to focus on a variety of issues concerning the student body, including boosting school spirit by creating a patriotic atmosphere at Mason. Events

such as Gold Rush and Mason’s annual spirit event, which takes place on Nov. 13, will bolster the spirit of “Bleed Green and Gold.”

While spirit is a big issue for Barnett, he also wants to address the concerns of Mason students through campus events. For instance, with What Do You Want Wednesdays, members of the student government hand out cookies from the Spunk Buggy in exchange for comments on relevant issues.

With the Night Walk, members of the Mason community gather to walk around campus to discuss problems and safety issues.

Another issue for Barnett is creating a visitor parking lot on campus. Such lots are common on other college campuses, but absent at Mason.

Barnett believes that his work in Student Government has shown him the best way to deal with issues: by getting them accomplished as soon as they occur.

“This experience has allowed me to put service above myself,” Barnett said.

While his presidency proves to be quite work-intensive, Barnett is also a senior studying integrative studies with a focus on education for social science. His future plans include joining Teach for America, an organization for educational equality, or attending Yale University as part of a teacher preparatory program.

Fake petition to devalue dollar receives many signatures Overwhelming majority of students approached by Mason Liberty sign petition Gregory Connolly News Editor After watching a video of a man asking strangers on the street if they would like to see the dollar inflate, Terra Strong, president of Mason Liberty, decided she would do the same at George Mason University.

“We [Mason Liberty] thought that was a cool video so we thought we’d try that on the Mason student body and see how they reacted,” Strong said.

Strong said students were told that hyperinflating the dollar would eliminate student debt. The

majority of students who were approached signed and thought it was a good idea.

Mason Liberty is a student group that tries to promote a free society and is not affiliated with any political organizations.

Representatives from Mason Liberty handed out booklets about inflation and other economic principles to students who took part in the petition.

Forty students signed the petition while four refused, Strong said. “[The results of the petition] definitely shed light on a bigger problem,” said Carly Reddig, a Mason Liberty member. “A lot of people don’t understand how things work. … They don’t under-

stand the core ideas behind [economics].”

As the list of signatures grew longer, Strong said students were less apprehensive about signing the document.

Strong said the students who signed the petition thought it was a good idea, but they did not understand how getting rid of school loans through inflation would make money worthless.

“We wanted to see if people would support an idea because the end result would be beneficial even if it was not a good idea,” Strong said.

Strong said Mason Liberty is considering more petitions to see if the student body reacts differently than it did to the inflation petition.

Bonds to fund renovations to several buildings BONDS, from front Construction of the Front Royal housing is projected to be completed by July 2012 with students able to move in August 2012, according to the document.

The bond sales will also fund renovations to several Mason housing facilities and other buildings around campus.

“As time passes, everything needs to be upgraded and fine-tuned, so it’s an ongoing project,” Walsch said.

The University Commons, constructed in 1986, will receive a fire suppression system, upgrades to the fire alarms, upgraded electrical and mechanical systems and restroom renovations, according to the document.

The renovations to the University Commons are projected to be completed by January 2013, according to the document.

The bonds will help fund the continued renovation of Presidents Park, completing work on the six facilities that have not yet been renovated.

These renovations, which are projected to be completed by next fall, consist of the installation of sprinklers, a new fire alarm system, electrical upgrades and mechanical improvements, according to the document.

The bond sales, along with general fund-

Student Union Building I. Previous bond sales funded the addition to the building, which was completed in this summer.

The renovations are projected to be completed by this spring, according to the document.

Some of the bonds approved to be -Dan Walsch, University press secretary sold will provide the final money necessary to finish the renovations to Student Union Building II, according to the document. The SUB II renovations include deing and funding from Arlington County, will finance the second phase of the Arlington cam- molishing the kitchen and serving area.

The bond sales will finance heating, venpus, which calls for three floors of underground parking for approximately 400 tilation and air conditioning improvements to vehicles. The School of Law and the School of the Fairfax Aquatic Center, as the facility has Public Policy will be the major departments in experienced HVAC problems in prior years.

The repairs will replace the Dectron pool the new facility. There will also be a library, a 300-seat auditorium and a TV studio, accord- units in both the competition and recreational ing to the document. Construction is projected pools with new units and correct the supply air diffusers in the spectator area of the competito be completed this fall.

The bond sales will finance the second tion room amongst other improvements, acaddition to the Krasnow Institute. There will cording to the document. Work is expected to be a three-story addition to the institute that be completed by next summer.

Field House will receive life/safety/code is similar to the first addition which was comimprovements financed by the bond sales. pleted in 2007.

The first floor will contain a Vivarium, Work is expected to be completed by 2013 and while the second and third floors will consist will include improving access to the facility for of biological sciences wet research labs and the disabled, HVAC work and work on the fire and electrical system, according to the docusupport space, according to the document.

Bond sales will finance the renovation of ment.

“As time passes, everything needs to be upgraded and finetuned, so it’s an ongoing project.”

“I think it shows a lot of them want to help as much as they can,” Strong said. “We said we had loans and they said, oh OK, and it would put them out of existence. It just shows students need to pay more attention.”

Reddig said she thought the event was successful.

“I feel like we’ve been able to get the word out that hyperinflation is not a good thing,” Reddig said.

Mason Liberty posted a YouTube video of the event called “Hyperinflate Our School Loans Out of Existence!”

Style

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The number of movies Woody Allen has directed, counting “You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger.”

Monday, October 18, 2010

Live from the Patriot Center, it’s Seth Meyers!

Late night show’s head writer talks with “Broadside” about his his favorite parts of the job Ramy Zabarah Asst. Style Editor George Mason University has seen a great many stars come to campus this semester, and last Saturday was no exception.

Sports fans might know him as the host of this year’s ESPY’s, ESPN’s annual awards ceremony, while others might recognize him from his news parody segment on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” (“SNL”) where Meyers also serves as the show’s head writer.

Dressed in a flannel shirt and skinny jeans, Meyers delivered an excellent performance last Saturday at the Patriot Center.

With a great reaction from the crowd, Meyers performed a hilarious comedy routine including jokes about texting, studying abroad, vampires and an Owen

Wilson impression that garnered a great crowd reaction.

Meyers’ routine lasted about an hour before he opened up the room for Q&A with the audience. Microphones were sent around the crowd for 15 minutes as students and spectators asked him questions about “SNL,” his view on Mason and a number of other subjects.

Meyers said he thoroughly enjoyed doing stand-up comedy since his first performance as an opening act, which was at Mason eight years ago.

Before the show, Meyers sat down with “Broadside” to answer a few questions.

Have you always wanted to write?

Yeah, I think the potential in my beginnings in comedy were as a writer more than anything else. I started to show promises as a writer first.

What are some things you enjoy

more about doing stand-up comedy than when you’re working on SNL. Well, obviously on SNL, as you’re doing it, it’s going out to more than six million homes all at once, so it’s sort of nice to be in a big room with people and if something goes unexpectedly, it won’t ruin your night. Also, when you’re performing in front of an audience, you’re responsible for your own jokes.

Do you miss being a regular cast member on “SNL?” I don’t. I really enjoy writing, and I love doing Weekend Update. For me, this is the perfect job right now.

Where do you draw your inspiration for Weekend Update?

Well for Weekend Update, we sort of just go through all the big headlines. We start with very big things like current events, and then we move on to smaller silly stuff like animals and such.

Photo By Peter Flint

Seth Meyers performs at the Patriot Center last Saturday.

photo by Peter Flint

Gorillaz and former Blur frontman Damon Albarn rocks out at the Patriot Center on Oct. 4.

Gorillaz and N.E.R.D. deliver high-energy performances at the Patriot Center Ramy Zabarah Asst. Style Editor While few people think of full string and brass ensembles or Lebanese orchestras when thinking of the alternative hip-hop group Gorillaz, it’s exactly what the group did. The British musical project astonished viewers on stage at the Patriot Center on Monday with energetic performances.

The bad was created in 1998 by cartoonist Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn, former frontman of the British alternative band Blur. To accompany the band’s music Hewlett and Albarn create a cartoon “band” to use in all promotional

photo by Peter Flint

Lead singer of The Gorillaz, Damon Albarn performs to a boisterous crowd Monday night at the Patriot Center.

material and music videos.

Although the cartoon has received significantly less commercial success, Albarn’s musical contributions have garnered mainstream attention since their debut single “Clint Eastwood” nearly a decade ago.

The Patriot Center began filling with concertgoers as N.E.R.D. lit up the stage with a high-energy performance, featuring two drummers, dancers and a full band. Although rapper, singer and producer Pharell Williams’ mic levels were a little high, his energy rocked the room and inspired people to dance with excitement.

As the openers left the stage and the Gorillaz’s

photo by Peter Flint

Damon Albarn plays several roles in the Gorillaz, not just as the lead singer, but as a guitarist and keyboardist as well.

road crew bagan setting up, it became apparent that the show was not going to be a small scale production. As the show started, a full string ensemble sat down and a nine-piece horn section positioned itself at the front of the stage.

Over a roar of applause, a projection screen began showing a CGI cartoon of a plastic island, symbolizing the theme of their latest album “Plastic Beach.”

After a virtual appearance from rapper Snoop Dogg, Gorillaz started their show with the album’s first track, “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach.”

The band focused on songs from “Plastic

photo by Peter Flint

Pharrell delivered a high-energy performance as the frontman and drummer of N.E.R.D.

Beach” rather than previous albums, although certain songs from their self-titled album and 2005 release, “Demon Days,” made the setlist. These included a four-song encore featuring one of the band’s most succesful songs, “Feel Good, Inc.” Artists including Mos Def, De La Soul, Bobby Womack and a Syrian orchestra, many of whom were featured throughout the band’s discography, performed onstage as the evening progressed.

Gorillaz’s genre-bending music and energetic performance attracted listeners of all ages. And the energy from the crowd seemed to indicate the show was a success.

photo by Peter Flint

Gorillaz not only brought a crowd, but an antire orchestra along with them, giving their live show an extra boost.

Broadside

6| Monday, October 18, 2010

Style

Tea Hadzic Staff Writer

Who:

Gabe Hamilton, sophomore business management major Describe Your Style: “Creative and random but smooth.”

Gabe’s Gear

Fashion Icons:

Pharrell and Kanye West – “They are always ready to try new things with their fashion, and they don’t mind stepping out of the box,” said Hamilton.

Favorite Fashion Item: Colorful shoes – “You can be dressed conservatively and discrete, but if you add some sneakers with clashing colors ... that can really make the outfit stand out. It makes the appearance flashier as a whole.”

Favorite Place to Shop: H&M,

Blue jean button down shirt – H&M, $30

The Commonwealth, Urban Outfitters

Must-Have Fashion Accessory: Gold earrings – “To me, it’s just the icing on the cake. After people witness a man in a dope-ass outfit, they will focus their attention on the man himself … so the gold earrings symbolize a grown-up style, a clean finish to the set, and it’s still slightly ostentatious.”

Charcoal skinny jeans – H&M, $25

Colorful Nike SB kicks – Soul Brother Shoe & Skate, $100

A cynical hit Ensemble cast shines in director Woody Allen’s latest film Kayla Beardsley Staff Writer

photo courtesy of Pinkberry

You can have whatever you like California-based frozen yogurt chain to open in Fairfax Corner Anastasia Uzilevskaya Clubs and Organizations Beat Writer Pinkberry, or “Crackberry,” as it is affectionately known by those who love it, is extending its reach from Los Angeles, Ca. to George Mason University’s backyard. The company is planning to open a new location in Fairfax.

The store is scheduled to open on Friday in Fairfax Corner, a location only four miles from George Mason University. According to CEO Ron Graves, Pinkberry is a frozen yogurt franchise famous for its combination of tart and sweet flavors.

For Graves, Fairfax was the perfect place to start expanding to the mid-Atlantic region.

“The Fairfax location is a great fit for the Pinkberry brand given the customer profile and proximity to shopping and restaurants,” said Graves.

Two members of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, sophomore music major Sarah Shapiro and senior communication major Emily Montgomery, are the main promoters for Pinkberry’s grand opening.

In preperation for the opening, Shapiro and Montgomery will be handing out ping pong balls

across campus the day before the opening. These balls will contain codes used to win prizes ranging from an iPad to spa packages.

“I hope that Pinkberry will be a hot spot for Mason students. It’s not too far from our campus and it is a delicious, healthy refreshing snack option.”

Pinkberry has become a popular restaurant in Los Angeles, but Graves wanted to ensure his store would be of the highest quality before expanding to the Washington area.

“We are opening in D.C. now because we have found a great partner with relevant experience to bring the brand to the market in a way that matches [the] core values and quality standards,” says Graves.

For Graves, the next step is expansion.

“We have already signed a lease for our second location at 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW, where construction is set to begin in January,” said Graves. “But no additional locations have been announced yet.”

For more information on Pinkberry, including operating hours, locations and more, visit www.pinkberry.com

For over five decades, writer/actor/director Woody Allen has been uniting ensemble casts with witty screenwriting to create some of the most memorable films in American cinema.

Best known for “Annie Hall,” “Match Point” and “Scoop,” his latest movie, “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger” is likely to be remembered as another high point in Allen’s already sterling career.

The film, which is narrated by a faceless narrator, revolves around an ensemble cast including Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins and Lucy Punch as two couples deal with receiving fortunes involving meeting a “tall dark stranger.”

Throughout the film each character goes through the spec-

trum of the human experience.

We see lust, love and happiness come and go.

Whether it’s the charming gallery owner (played by Antonio Banderas) or an old woman whose husband (played by Anthony Hopkinis) has left her, the characters experience life in the sometimes pessimistic and often hilarious way that has become Allen’s trademark.

Allen decided midway through the filming to move the location from New York to London, “Tall Dark Stranger” becomes the fourth movie Allen has filmed in England. The film premiered out of competition during the Cannes Film Festival in May. Although the plot gets confusing, mostly a product of the large cast, “Stranger” is nonetheless thought-provoking and entertaining in a way that only Woody Allen can achieve.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Josh Brolin watches as Rosario Dawson plays guitar in Sony Pictures Classicʼs “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.”

Antonio Banderas and Lucy Punch talk with Woody Allen during the filming of “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.”

Broadside

Style

Monday, October 18, 2010 | 7

Passion and poetry come together at the Bistro Hispanic Student Association hosts “Shades of Brown” open mic night Aisha Jamil Clubs and Organizations Beat Writer

Toy Story 3 on Ice Comes to the Patriot Center Sonya Hudson Managing Editor Disney Pixar’s “Toy Story 3” will be at the Patriot Center Wednesday through Sunday.

A cast of world-class skaters will bring to life the adventure that Andy’s favorite toys have when they are mistakenly delivered to Sunnyside Daycare.

The production will also include memorable moments from the first two Toy Story adventures.

According to the Disney on Ice press release, “It's the biggest Toy Story experience on ice, jam-

As the lights dimmed and romantic music played softly in the background, the Johnson Center Bistro was reminiscent of a coffeehouse scene.

Spicy vegetables rolls, ovenbaked cookies and hot artichoke and spinach dip lined the buffet, as students began to fill the room, preparing themselves for the performance.

As the first poet stepped on the stage, the crowd became quiet.

“I love. I care. I feel you in. I feel you all around me,” recites Christopher John Hoppe, a poet and published author who has been writing poetry all his life.

Sponsored by the Mariposas Mentoring Program and the MU Chapter of Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc., the annual Shades of Brown: Open Mic and Poetry event inspires different ethnic communities to come and be a part of literature and culture.

Hoppe, author of poetry books “Tears, Spirit and Heart”

and “Christina’s Rose of a Tear,” read his most prized works and silenced the crowd with his poetry about his love interest Christina.

Engaged in art since the age of seven, Hoppe’s passionate words resonated with many Mason students and gave chills to

ceived the Emily Dickinson Award and the Editor’s Choice Award by the International Poet’s Society.

He speaks to various schools and universities around the world, often for art, poetry or Hispanic Heritage Month events.

The event also included po-

some.

“His lines are so simple, yet to the point. He seems so passionate.

He just gives me the goosebumps,” said Andrea Rosales, a junior integrative studies major.

Hoppe is an international poetry award winner, and has re-

etry from other students, faculty members and other adults in various languages. Though it was a Hispanic Heritage Month, there were a blend of cultures and races from all around the world who participated in the event.

Along with other Hispanic

packed with fast-paced adventure such as Buzz's galactic battle with Emperor Zurg and a hoedown on the set of ‘Woody's Roundup.’”

Showtimes are 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets range from $15-70 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the Patriot Center Box Office. For more information on Disney on Ice, visit www.disneyonice.com.

organizations, the Hispanic Student Association (HAS) has been putting on events for Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) for students to embrace their heritage and learn about their culture.

Shades of Brown was one of the last events before HSA’s “Que Bonita Bandera” dance party to close out the month.

“This is my first event for Hispanic Heritage Month,” said senior government major Derek Perez. “I am not connected to my Guatemalan roots so much, but by coming here, it’s a start and it definitely has opened my eyes.”

Other students who have been a part of the Latin community for a long time were excited to be spending time learning more about their culture.

“I think the whole point of this event is to bring awareness to Latin writers and culture and show it in a different perspective through poetry,” Rosales says.

When Hoppe was asked what inspires him to write poetry, he gave a simple, one word answer: life.

Donald O’Mahony | Broadside Correspondent

Bring me the Horizon - “There Is A Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is A Heaven Let’s Keep It A Secret.” photo courtesy of Amazon.com

The foul-mouthed quintet from across the pond is back.

Bring Me The Horizon’s newest album, “There Is A Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is A Heaven Let’s Keep It A Secret.” is noteworthy for reasons other than the annoyingly long title.

Although songs like “It Never Ends” and “Alligator Blood” will excite die-hard BMTH fans with their powerful, driving riffs and

ferocious percussion, the band definitely experimented with a new sound.

In songs like “Don’t Go” and “Crucify Me,” they cut down on guitar distortion and went with a cleaner, softer sound at times.

This album is still very heavy, but it’s versatility is exciting going forward. You can expect that their sound will get both heavier and more experimental in the future.

Chiodos - “Illuminaudio”

photo courtesy of Amazon.com

In possibly the most high profile change of the year, Chiodos parted ways with vocalist Craig Owens and went with Brandon Bolmer, formerly of Yesterdays Rising.

Bolmer mostly rises to the task of replacing one of the most beloved vocalists in underground music. There are times, though, that he comes across as almost bored or disinterested.

This album may be a bit of an acquired taste for fans of the

older albums, but songs like “Stratovolcano Mouth” and “His Story Repeats Itself” have that familiar Chiodos mix of simplicity and chaos.

The beautiful keyboard and relaxing vocals mesh seamlessly with the fierce guitars, forceful percussion and violent screams, just like the old days. Not to say the band cannot be successful without Owens, they just need more time to develop a new, exciting sound.

8

Opinion Broadside

|

Monday, October 18, 2010

Broadside

George Mason University’s Student Newspaper

The right government for America What the people need and why

Emily Sharrer, Editor-in-Chief Sonya Hudson, Managing Editor Monika Joshi, Copy Chief Gregory Connolly, News Editor Justin Lalputan, Opinion Editor Elizabeth Perry, Asst. Opinion Editor Patrick Wall, Style Editor Ramy Zabarah, Asst. Style Editor John Powell, Sports Editor Cody Norman, Asst. Sports Editor Peter Flint, Photography Editor Christina Salek-Raham, Copy Editor Benjamin Shaffer, Copy Editor Marine Jaouen, Copy Editor Mayank Mehrishi, Copy Editor

Jared Barrale, Copy Editor Heather Hamilton, Copy Editor Liz Milligan, Designer Michelle Buser, Designer Randy Urick, Photographer Stephanie Knapp, Photographer Dylan Hares, Staff Reporter Scott Miller, Advertising Director Catherine Kutz, Advertising Representative Spencer Haag, Advertising Representative Jacques Mouyal, Business Manager Kathryn Mangus, Faculty Adviser David Carroll, Tech Adviser

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

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

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

Corrections: In the Oct. 4 issue of “Broadside,” the ad, Education, not Exploitation, was supposed to include the following 10 faculty members: Ingrid Sandole-Staroste, Joseph Scimecca, Randolph Scully, Linda Seligmann, Martin J. Sherwin, Debra Lattanzi Shutika, Paul Smith, Ellen Todd, Susan Trencher and Steven Weinberger. The ad also left out the word “support” in the sentence: “We, the undersigned faculty, encourage everyone in the Mason community to support the workers and oppose Sodexo’s unfair labor practices.” The correct ad can be found on page 3 of this issue.

In the Sept. 27 issue of “Broadside,” the photo for the article “Week of the Greek” was not attributed to photographer Jake McLernon.

In the Oct. 4 issue of “Broadside” the front page sub-headline “University did not hire prisoners beacuse of Sodexo workers’ strike as indicated in ‘Fairfax Times’ story” should have specified “Mason Dining” instead of “University.”

In the Oct. 4 issue of “Broadside” the front page headline “Number of people trapped in elevators five times higher than normal” was incorrect, the number of calls to the George Mason University Police Department reporting people trapped in elevators was five times higher than normal for the period specified in the article.

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down Thumbs up to a much needed and surprisingly beautiful threeday weekend. Too bad midterms are just around the corner.

Thumbs up to Skyline for quickly fixing the water fountains. I barely had time to be thirsty.

Thumbs down to the couple who decided to have sex on a table in Lecture Hall. Kudos for using a condom. Too bad you left it there.

Thumbs down to the construction workers who caused the gas leak. Way to improve our campus and endanger our lives at the same time.

Man on the Street

Curtis kalin S o p h o m o r e

Opinion

Columnist

Alan Moore penned a column two weeks ago about the political left and college education. I, too, have heard about the college horror stories: liberal professors quoting everything from Mao to Marx and demonizing conservatives.

While it is not a sin to be liberal, I do resent the imposition of beliefs on a captive audience of students.

Unfortunately, I have seen some subtle and some outward attempts to do just that in my short time at George Mason University.

In the past year, I have pinned down a couple of the most pervasive assumptions among liberal academia.

For the record, I’ve heard some here at Mason and others were taken from other universi-

ties.

First, on most issues it seems the liberal view is that individuals are not capable of fully living their lives, spending their money or making important life choices. This takes many forms.

Many would claim that we are simply too small in the scheme of things.

We are so little compared to the big corporations and thus need someone to always help us fight them.

While that view tends to be the most pervasive, I discovered it was only the first layer of the onion.

When you peel another layer, it reveals another reason individuals are incapable.

Coupled with their lack of political power is their lack of civic knowledge.

The line would go that the American people don’t pay attention to politics.

That’s why politicians, who presumably follow day-to-day politics, must take a more assertive role.

If you peel one last layer back you see the real reason individuals are deemed incapable:

If only there was sex ed for parents Why the older generation needs it geted toward the show’s audi-

Brandon minster ence.

G R A D S T u d e n t

Opinion

Columnist

Parents like getting worked up because it’s easier than parenting.

The latest topic bothering clueless parents is the erectile dysfunction ads.

In an MSNBC article titled “Erectile dysfunction ads too hot for primetime?” every adult interviewed was convinced that children’s road to sexual deviancy is paved with erectile dsfunction ads.

“Aubin Parrish cringes and then grabs the remote every time an ad of that ilk pops onto the screen as she watches primetime TV with her kids,” says the article.

“The commercials give the impression that the only thing adults do is think about their sexual function,” Parrish says.

Ads don’t indicate what adults think about; they are tar-

If Parrish does not want her kids to see such ads, she should’nt let her kids watch shows intended for 50-year-old men.

Parents aren’t the only ones in hysterics over the issue.

Dr. Vic Strasburger, a professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico, says, “The underlying message in these ads is confusing to children and teenagers.”

How so? “It seems like everybody is having sex and there’s no risk to it. … But then what do you do? There’s no talk about birth control,” says Strasburger The ads depict committed partners who do not fear STIs and might not actually mind pregnancy.

What’s confusing to children and teenagers is they have never been told unprotected sex is not always a bad thing.

The article’s author claims erectile dysfunction ads have a “skewed view of adult sexuality.”

But the ads show sex for what it actually is.

It is educators and parents who present a skewed view of

Do you believe it has become generally easier or harder to get a job since last year?

What YOU said...

“Iʼve had a job since last year, but I know my friends have had some trouble getting jobs, so I would say itʼs gotten harder.”

Photo By Peter Flint

Jordan Bedow Psychology Sophomore

protection or involvement at all.

Another point I learned was that in many ways it seemed like American greatness was under attack.

Our being a large, wealthy and powerful country is to blame for almost every ill in the world, and we must humble or weaken ourselves to be liked again.

On the contrary, American success is not something to begrudge.

It is something to maintain and expand.

Like our individuality, our nation has not been perfect over the years but the scars we bear, we bear openly for all to see and learn from.

The problem comes when people harp on our small number of faults and ignore the wealth of good this nation has done for the world.

The growth or decay of our nation mirrors the rise or fall of the values we hold dear.

If we are weak, then those principles will weaken.

Whether we like it or not, we are the world’s arbiter of freedom and it is up to us to keep freedom alive and prosperous.

they are stupid.

In the end, the first two layers stem from the individual’s inherent lack of basic knowledge.

They are susceptible to fads, have unreasonable expectations and inherent bigotries, etc.

They buy trucks even after the elite says they’ll kill us all.

They buy guns even though they’re dangerous.

They believe in a God that elite science cannot definitively prove.

All of this is the underlying reason why we need a small intellectual elite to make decisions for the large, predominantly dumb populace.

On this point, all I can say is that everywhere that individual freedom has flourished, so has society as a whole.

Everywhere it is oppressed and eliminated, the society has failed. Americans are an amazing people.

Sure, we all make mistakes, but as a people we are capable of great things.

Point to the largest innovations of the last two centuries and most were accomplished without the government’s help,

a. Much easier b. Somewhat easier c. It has not changed d. Somewhat harder e. Much harder

“I would say it hasnʼt really changed much, but I would say companies are still out there looking.”

“I would say itʼs gotten a little easier since last year. Last year was horrible.”

Vandie Barnard Math Junior

Perry Buckley Civil Engineering Freshman Photo By Peter Flint

wrong information to correct.

Everything Cialis has to tell her is true, even if it is slightly beyond her maturity.

I can always correct that by not allowing my 8-year-old to watch primetime TV. Dr. Douglas Gentile, an associate professor of psychology at Iowa State University, says, “National sex surveys show that whether we’re married or single, we’re not having sex all the time.”

Yes, Dr. Gentile had to cite a national survey as evidence that you are not currently having intercourse.

“The whole point of most ads is to make us feel inadequate,” he notes. “Without that as a motivation why would we buy something?”

That’s the point of advertising. The point of parenting is to teach children to disregard this tactic.

You don’t have to obey every ad you see and that doesn’t make you inadequate.The worst part of kids seeing these ads isn’t that kids might learn the real reason to have sex; it’s that we’re seeing just how bad their parents are.

And unfortunately, there are no pills kids can take for that.

sexuality: you always want your germ-ridden partner on the other side of some plastic and you never want to have a baby.

This is not true.

These ads aren’t targeting kids because no 14-year-old needs an erectile dysfunction pill.

(If there were an anti-Viagra, then 14-year-olds would pay attention. “You mean I don't have to have a dozen boners a day? I will see your ad in ‘Better Homes and Gardens’!”)

What do “concerned” parents think is the point of advertising?

Drug companies select the TV shows that reach their potential customers.

Then parents let their kids watch inappropriate TV shows and obviously the problem is evil drug companies with their “skewed” view of human sexuality.

The programs these children watch present a more skewed view of sexuality than drug ads.

I would rather my 8-yearold learn about sex from a Cialis ad than from “American Idol” or “Modern Family.”

At least I would have less

Photo By Peter Flint

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Editorial Board: Emily Sharrer, Editor-in-Chief Monika Joshi, Copy Chief Sonya Hudson, Managing Editor Justin Lalputan, Opinion Editor Elizabeth Perry, Asst.Opinion Editor

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Broadside

Opinion

Monday, October 18, 2010 |

9

Republican Keith Fimian aims for election Why Virginia’s 11th district needs to elect him this time around Alan Moore Senior Columnist Unless you’ve been living in a bubble (or a dorm room), you know that the political foundations of our country are being shaken by a conservative resurgence.

In 2008, the Democratic agenda dominated the landscape as the people, tired of the George W. Bush presidency, overwhelmingly voted for the promises of Barack Obama and his cohorts.

Fast forward to the present day and we see a very different setting. The Obama brand is toxic for candidates (see Arlen Specter, Creigh Deeds, Jon Corzine and Martha Coakley, for starters) and the (D) is becoming more of a scarlet letter for aspirants to higher office.

To further illustrate how America has

changed in the past two years, we need not look any further than the race for George Mason University’s congressman next legislative session.

In 2008, Republican businessman Keith Fimian squared off against then Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman and Democrat Gerry Connolly.

In a colossally bad year for Republicans, Connolly received almost 55 percent of the vote, a clear margin of victory.

In Connolly’s first term, he voted alongside Nancy Pelosi on businesskilling, freedom-suppressing and deficitincreasing legislation 97 percent of the time.

He voted for “Obamacare,” so when you’re required to purchase health insurance whether you can afford it or not, thank him. He voted to nationalize student loans, giving control of your tuition

funds to a biased bureaucracy with a tendency for gridlock. When your future loan is denied for political purposes or because federal funds were raided to pay for other programs, thank Connolly.

He also voted for the stimulus plan and cap-and-trade so when our kids are trying to pay for these failed programs their whole lives, thank Connolly.

After almost two years of Connolly sticking it to Mason students and everyone else in Virginia’s 11th district, Fimian is back for yet another attempt at taking this seat.

While we cannot turn back the clock, this is the closest thing we have to a doover. Here are the same two candidates in the same district with the same voters.

The only difference is we’re now in the midst of a radical liberal agenda being pursued in the District of Columbia.

Cheating in relationships Is it in the eye of the beholder?

Elizabeth Perry Asst. Opinion Editor When does cheating actually become cheating?

When does seeing another person become a relationship?

Is it still cheating if there was no official acknowledgement of a commitment to begin with?

What if it’s not Facebook official?

Is it still considered cheating if there is no physical contact and only flirtation and verbal expressions of attraction?

During one of his countless relationship reparation shows, Dr. Phil acknowledged the existence of emotional cheating which requires no physical touch.

But then, Dr. Phil is also the man who called marijuana the gateway drug…but that’s another story.

The traditional rule of thumb for infidelity is that any exchange of words or actions that someone would not do with their significant other present is considered cheating.

However, in our generation where it is considered traditional for a groom to receive a lap dance from a naked stripper before he walks down the aisle, this guideline is entirely unrealistic.

So in the year 2010, among college students who are in the prime of their lives’ sexual appetite, when does it become cheating?

Some young people would agree that such intimate interactions as kissing on the lips or the touching of one another’s joy zones is the crossover from being a pusher of the limits to a flat- out cheater.

Other open-minded individuals believe that it cannot be considered cheating until penetration occurs.

Relationship faithfuls hold that any pursuit of a feeling of attraction toward someone other than your partner constitutes cheating.

But these simple explanations of what may be considered cheating do not even begin to cover the range of possible scenarios in which an individual’s faithfulness to their partner becomes debatable.

Is innocent flirting really innocent, or does it cross the line?

And if so, when?

Not surprisingly, the majority of college-age students agree that playful text messages are harmless to a relationship.

At the same time, however, it is inevitable that if someone in a relationship were to discover this sort of text on their partner’s phone, they would resort to accusations of unfaithfulness.

In this case, it seems logical to trust Adam Sandler’s words in “The Waterboy” when he stated, “What Mama don’t know won’t hurt her.”

If caught, then make a sincere apology, and if not then no harm done.

Unfortunately there are some who find their consciences too torturous to keep even the most trivial incidents from their significant other.

This makes them either exceptionally honest or drama hungry in the sense that there is no real need to disclose such information to their partner, but they crave the excitement of arguments generated by jealousy and heartache.

Don’t we all, though, from time to time?

While hosting his Hot 99.5 Kane Show in the morning, Kane stated that he firmly believes that the confessing of one’s cheating is purely a selfish act made in the attempt to relieve oneself of a guilty conscience.

Why tell your boyfriend or girlfriend that you were unfaithful if all it will do is cause them pain and take some guilt off your shoulders?

Aside from the nitpicky details of cheating scenarios, cheating does appear to be in the eye of the beholder, leaving it up to cheater and cheatee to decide if infidelity has taken place.

Only the people affected by the incident are in a place to say how it should be dealt with and for those who are lost as to how to handle it, look into the eyefor-an-eye rule.

Or maybe they can just write to Michatalie and see if they can offer some words of advice.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Police officer in Potomac Heights brings ‘prisonification’ George Mason University’s implementation of a police officer in Potomac Heights betrays a trust in students. Students for Sensible Drug Policy cannot endorse a police officer stationed in any on-campus housing area at Mason.

The argument given by the university for having a police officer stationed in on-campus housing is to provide security to students. The current security measures in Potomac Heights are as follows: Students who live in Potomac Heights have to swipe their cards through three doors, deal with security cameras in every hall, patrolling Resident Advisors and independently contracted security guards.

We believe this sufficiently covers security measures for students. A police presence in Potomac

will only increase mistrust in campus police and unfairly target Potomac residents. The prisonification of on-campus housing is unacceptable and SSDP calls for the immediate expulsion of any and all police stationed in any on-campus housing. SSDP encourages housing and university administration to reach out to Potomac Heights residents on their views on this issue.

This is a decision that should be made by residents and university officials together. We encourage other concerned students to contact housing or university administration, and demand this change.

Student for Sensible Drug Policy

The outcome of this race will be a fascinating test case for the future of conservatism versus liberalism.

Conventional wisdom would say that Fimian has a pretty good shot at winning just based on the mood of the country.

He seems to have a distinct advantage on the issues by championing free enterprise, low taxes, limited government and reduction of the federal deficit.

As a successful business owner, he has actually created jobs and fits the mold of what voters are looking for in candidates this election cycle.

In 2008, Fimian warned us about Connolly and his destructive ideas and hopefully this time the electorate will listen. So even if you have lived in a bubble, you do not need to go very far to see what the debate is about in this country.

It is very much about the people get-

ting a taste of what far left policies are like under the failed leadership of Obama, Harry Reid and Pelosi – and unabashedly rejecting it in less than two years.

The people are screaming for a conservative approach to government and, God willing, the winners in November will deliver.

To be clear, Bush did not fully embrace the values I’m writing about.

What I’m saying is the country is looking for something new, something that hasn’t been realized in a very long time. Fimian is just an example of the conservative resurgence that is going on in the U.S. Whether he wins or loses is not as important as the underlying political movement fueled by the Tea Party.

Change is coming in November and, unlike 2008, this time it will actually be for the better.

Where is the-hip hop?

Mason needs more of it on campus Justin Lalputan Opinion Editor Last week I was walking around campus and saw a lot of things. However, what I didn’t see was hip-hop.

Let me clarify. Breaking (breakdancing), scratching (DJing), MCing (rapping) and graffiti are the core elements of hip-hop. But as hard as I try, I can’t seem to find many events that are related to hip-hop at George Mason University.

Why is this the case? With the amount of diversity that we have on campus, we should definitely have more hip-hop related events.

Maybe all the hip-hop heads are in hiding, but if that’s the case, then they need to advertise their events more.

I have never seen a single rap cypher (freestyling done in a group setting) take place on campus.

At a bare minimum this should be taking place on campus, and I think that the empty alley next to the library would be an ideal location.

There has got to be some hip-hop related talent on cam-

pus. Ever since I arrived on campus last year, I have been craving for a forum where I could see people showcase their rap or scratching skill.

Are you telling me that I can sit in my room in Hampton Roads and listen to some guy strum on his guitar down at the Pilot House but I can’t find a decent hip-hop related event? I thought this campus was supposed to be diverse.

I remember last year Urbanknowlogy 101 hosted a hiphop gathering in Student Union Building I, but other than that I don’t know of many hip-hop related events on campus.

The most memorable act was when this guy got up on stage and spit an acapella written verse. It was astounding.

For the few minutes that he rapped, the room was silent, and everyone was paying attention to what he was saying.

When you’re as good as he is, people listen.

I think that it’s riduculous that we have so many rock and acoustic events on campus, but we have almost nothing dealing with hip-hop.

In other words, we lack outlets for those skilled in hip-hop

to express themselves, even though we provide students who can play guitar or sing rock songs with countless opportunites.

That is flat-out bullshit.

Mason is supposed to be a school of many cultures and traditions. Well, hip-hop is one of the most vibrant cultures that I can think of.

Hip-hop is about self-expression and free thought and also about showcasing your skill.

It’s not about being violent, doing drugs or anything of that nature.

Those are just stereotypes that have been attached to the culture.

Those of us here at Mason need to show that this is the case, and that educated students can still be involved in hip-hop culture.

You don’t have to be a signed artist to be called an MC. You don’t have to be a professional dancer in order to break and you don’t need to be a trained producer in order to scratch and make beats.

Hip-hop is for everyone. It’s universal, and I want to see more of it on campus.

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The number of cautions handed out in Saturday night’s men’s soccer game against James Madison University.

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Monday, October 18, 2010

Patriots get back on track with two wins After three losses, Mason men respond with a pair of conference wins John Powell Sports Editor George Mason University men’s soccer turned around their three-game losing streak with a win at Towson on Wednesday, and continued their success Saturday night with a win against James Madison University on Tuesday.

The Patriots took to the road Wednesday afternoon coming off three consecutive losses against VCU, Drexel and William & Mary over an eight-day span.

“We need to get a win,” said Head Coach Greg Andrulis after the William & Mary loss. “We need to score some goals. We need to keep fighting. We just have to get better.”

His team did keep fighting.

Down by a goal against the Tigers going into halftime, Mason scored three in a row in a span of just eighteen minutes.

Redshirt senior forward Ernesto Marquez started the rally with the first goal, and was followed by redshirt junior defender Mike Foss and freshman forward Hugh Roberts each scoring.

Foss’s and Roberts’s goals were their first of the season.

Against the Dukes on Saturday, Mason came out of the gates strong, as junior midfielder Ryan Gracia scored his first goal of the season less than 20 minutes into the game.

Marquez stepped up again in the game, involved in each of the three scoring plays, enjoying the action with a goal himself in the forty-first minute.

“On the offensive side Ernesto for sure,” said Andrulis when asked if any player was a catalyst for the Mason’s recent wins. “I thought defensively, [sophomore defender] Chase Miller did a great job.”

Senior forward Victor Freeman, who has been battling a quadricep injury all season, scored the last goal of the night as freshman goalkeeper Sean Cote kept a clean sheet.

Mason’s next game will be on Wednesday evening against Drexel University.

“They’re a much-improved team. They’re a good team, they score a lot of goals, and we want to keep the momentum going, especially in front of the home crowd.”

Stock Photo

Sophomore Alhagi Toure shoots on the goal.

Sports in a Minute

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Break down of the biggest games of the week

Patriots aim to extend streak Pat Carroll Broadside Correspondent In the final stretch of the 2010 men’s soccer season, the Patriots hope to continue their recent winning ways. After a five game winless streak, the Patriots (6-5-1, 2-3-1) have righted the ship with back to back wins coming against the Towson Tigers.

This is the Patriots first win at Towson since 1996, and their first home win against the James Madison Dukes. With the leadership of redshirt senior forward Ernesto Marquez, the Patriots look to finish out the year strong and make some noise in both the CAA Tournament as well as the NCAA Tournament. Marquez scored two goals and had three assists last week as the men’s soccer team knocked off two teams ranked in the top 40 in the RPI. This week, the Patriots face CAA opponents in the Delaware Blue Hens and the Northeastern Huskies.

Delaware (3-7-2, 2-3-1) has had an up and down season but have relied on the play of junior midfielder Evans Frimpong, senior midfielder Jon

Scheer, and senior midfielder Ben Rodkey. Last year, the Patriots beat the Blue Hens when they visited Fairfax and hope to continue their win streak against Delaware. The game will be played on Wednesday, October 20th at 7 p.m. at Mason Stadium. I think we can expect a tough contest but in the end a 3-1 victory for the Patriots.

Northeastern (4-5-3, 1-1-3) has also had their fair share of letdowns this year. With three ties in conference play, most recently coming against UNC-Wilmington this past Saturday, the Huskies are looking to finish out games and get a win against the Patriots on Saturday. Led by junior forward Mike Kennedy, who leads the team with five goals, freshman forward Ricardo McDonald, and senior forward Nick Lueders, the Huskies have offensive threats all over the field. Last season, the Patriots lost 1-0 to the Huskies at home. They aim to get revenge in Boston, MA this Saturday. With the many skilled scorers on both sides, look for a fairly high scoring contest with the Patriots winning a close 43 game.

Mason sets Panthers, Hawks John Kleeb Staff Writer After spending much of the early part of the season on the road, the George Mason Patriots women’s volleyball team returned home for alumni weekend. The Patriots have been gaining momentum since their September 25th victory over conference rival James Madison. The Patriots played the Georgia State Panthers and UNC Wilmington Seahawks on the Columbus Day weekend and swept both teams.

The win against the Panthers was a sweep for the Patriots. Junior Noelle Fanella had a huge match for the Patriots leading with 17.5 points. Fanella and Freshman Lana Zonjic paced the Patriots with fourteen kills each for the game. Fanella had an impressive .462 shooting percentage as well to lead the team. Junior Kelly McCarter had sixteen digs. Senior Holly Goode and Sophomore Danielle Cook each had two blocks for the Patriots And Senior Fernanda Bartels had a game high thirty seven assists.

The following day the Patriots swept the UNC Wilmington Seahawks in a team effort. Four players had over ten points for the match and Fanella again led the way this time with 13,5 points. She also led with eleven kills. Danielle Cook had an impressive .700 shooting percentage as well. Fernanda Bartels and Kelly

McCarter each had nine digs to lead the team. Danielle Cook added four blocks for the Patriots. Bartels added thirty two assists to aid the red hot Patriots.

The Patriots continued their hot streak on October 15th against the William & Mary Tribe. Holly Goode had 14.5 points. She also had thirteen kills to lead the team. Noelle Fanella continued to impressive with a .526 shooting percentage. Goode also had sixteen digs. Junior Kelsey Bohman led the team with six blocks for the match. Fernanda Bartels led the team with thirty assists.

The Patriots home stand concluded with a tough loss to CAA rival to the VCU Rams in five sets. The Patriots led two sets to zero at one point but the Rams battled back to win in the fifth set. Noelle Fanella and Danielle Cook each led the Patriots with 12.0 points for the match.

Fanella led the Patriots with ten kills overall. Fernanda Bartels led with a .273 shooting percentage for the Patriots. Lana Zonjic added twenty one digs for the Patriots. Bartels had a game high thirty three assists.

Danielle Cook led the Patriots with four blocks for the match. It was a tough loss for the Patriots who lost their first match to a CAA rival this year. The loss ended a seven match winning streak and the Patriots fell to 11-8 on the season and VCU improved to 7-16.

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Mason swings their way to sixth Matt Basheda Staff Writer George Mason golf finished sixth at the Richmond Intercollegiate. The tournament was held last week, Oct. 11-12.

Josh Apple scored a two-under-par

70 in his final round, bringing his tournament total to 217. That left him tied for 14th place at the tournament’s end.

Joe Buttgereit, who had stood in 18th after the first day of the tournament, scored a three-over 75 on the last

day. He finished tied for 23rd.

Host Richmond won the tournament and finished with two players in the top five.

Mason will end their fall season at the ODU Invitational, Oct. 24-26.

Want to sit front row at Mason basketball games and gain valuable journalism experience at the same time?

E-mail sports@broadsideonline.com to learn how you can become a sports writer!

Monday, October 18, 2010 |

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11

MASON MADNESS Photo By Jake McLernon

Men and women’s basketball teams huddle during Mason Madness.

Photo By Jake McLernon

Urbanknowlogy 101 present their skills on the court at Mason Madness.

Photo By Jake McLernon Photo By Jake McLernon

Basketball players get laughs as they goof off on the court.

Calendar

The men’s basketball team showcases their dunking skills.

Photo By Jake McLernon

Urbanknowlogy 101 perform at Mason Madness.

Wednesday, Oct. 20: Men’s soccer vs. Delaware 7 p.m.

Senior PORTRAITS!!!!

Do it for your family and friends. Sign up to have your Senior Portrait taken for gradua on and get a yearbook photo at the same me.

Senior portraits will be taken between November 1-5, 2010.

Sign up at www.ouryear.com or 1-800-ouryear The GMU School Code is: 700 Purchase your yearbook when having your portrait taken.

Friday-Saturday, Oct. 22-24: Men’s and women’s tennis vs.

ITA Regionals All day

Sunday, Oct. 23: Women’s volleyball @ James Madison 7 p.m.

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