Sept. 27 issue by Student Media George Mason University

Mastodon, Deftones and Alice in Chains gave ‘90s fans a reason to be at the Patriot Center yesterday night. See why our reviewer thinks the bands were every bit as good as they were in their heyday.

PG. 4

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

September 27, 2010

Volume 87 Issue 5

Fearless

Photo By Peter Flint

Reserve Oﬃcers’ Training Corps cadets look on as a man rappels down the side of Fenwick library last Friday. Rappelling is a core training exercise for ROTC cadets, however interested students were also allowed to try rappelling down the library.

GMU students, ROTC cadets rappel down side of Fenwick Library Mohammad Chowhan Broadside Correspondent Two by two, Patriots scaled Fenwick library. The 90-foot western wall provided an intense training exercise and exhibition for Patriot’s Day at George Mason University. Rappelling is a core training event for Reserve Oﬃcers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. “This training teaches students [cadets] how to challenge themselves and trust their training and leaders,” said Major Paul Kremer, the professor of Military Science at the Patriot ROTC

Battalion. This training was not limited to cadets of the Patriot battalion. Anyone willing to sign a liability waiver could rappel. “This is a chance for students to experience something diﬀerent and to see if they are interested in the army,” Kremer said. “There are a lot of smiling faces, and that is what we’re looking for.” Rappelling is an inherently dangerous activity. Safety was a paramount concern. Before anyone was allowed to get near the ropes they were instructed on safety procedures, how to tie their “swiss seat” harness and inspected by the staﬀ at several stations, Kremer said.

Photo By Mohammad Chowhan

The event drew a large crowed of onlookers, and those who wished to sample the ROTC experience. “It was a chance to do something fun,” said freshman Nick Nicholson. “It was kind of a rush.” Once at the top, many students timidly rappelled down the brick wall face, while the more experienced ROTC cadets quickly made their way down the wall. “I would like to see more stuﬀ like this,” said freshman physics major Eduardo Roca. Roca lost his shoe as he descended Fenwick. “It was intense,” Roca said. “Once

you’re at the edge, the nervousness and tension builds and climaxes.” For every one person who passed on this experience, there were three who eagerly jumped at the chance to rappel the wall. “How often can you rappel oﬀ a building?” said Kelsey Riley a junior majoring in tourism and events. She recruited her friend Lian Todd a junior majoring in psychology to join her descent. The fact that this training coincided with Patriot’s day was coincidental, but extending the exercise for another day — in order to invite more

Photo By Mohammad Chowhan

people to rappel — was intended to capitalize on exposure. “It helps get our name out there, and helps with school relationships,” said Erin Dailey, a senior majoring in government and international politics who serves as the cadet Battalion Commander. “It lets all the students see what we do.” About 51 students expressed interest in joining ROTC next semester, Dailey said. The organization touts scholarships and job security for future second lieutenants in the United States Army.

Photo By Peter Flint

Students and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets look on as students and ROTC cadets rappel down a building last Friday. Students were invited to rappel down Fenwick Library last Friday as part of an ROTC training exercise. “This is a chance for students to experience something different different,” said Major Paul Kremer, the professor of Military Science at the Patriot ROTC Ba alion.

Zipcar returns

Car-sharing service to offer rentals at Fairfax, Arlington campuses Gregory Connolly News Editor

Photo By Nicole Francisco

Zipcar, a car rental service, is now available to George Mason University students.

Zipcar, the popular short-term rental car service, is now available for members of the George Mason University community. “The Zipcar program as a whole is really aimed at providing people who don’t have a vehicle but occasionally need a way to get around,” said Josh Cantor, director of parking and transportation at Mason. The service costs $8 per hour and $66 per day to rent one of the four vehicles – two Toyota Priuses and two Scion XBs – assigned to Mason. Two vehicles are available at the Fairfax campus and two at the Arlington campus, Cantor said. “At Mason, we are always looking for new ways to innovate,” Cantor said in a press release. “By bringing Zipcar to campus, we are continuing with this tradition and oﬀering students, faculty, staﬀ and the community a new and greener way to think about transportation on campus, in

a hassle-free and economically friendly way.” In order to become a “zipster,” Mason community members can visit http://www.zipcar.com/gmu. There is a $35 annual fee for the service, though free annual memberships are available to departments for business use. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is open to all students, staﬀ and faculty ages 18 and older. “Zipcars are well used in very urban environments,” Cantor said. He said that the on-campus population is a smaller version of the urban environments in which Zip-car thrives. Gas is included in the rental fee along with a reserved parking spot and roadside assistance, according to the press release. “Having a car on campus isn’t cheap,” Matthew Malloy, the vice president of global university operations for Zipcar said in a press release. “Parents and students have to think about the additional expense of parking, gas and maintenance.” Cantor said the Arlington campus

had a contract with Zipcar in the past but it was not renewed when it expired since Zipcar was going through an internal reorganization. “We were looking at bringing back a car-sharing vendor,” Cantor said. He said a Request for Proposal was considered, but it became unnecessary when University of Virginia signed a contract with Zipcar that Mason was able to become involved with. The contract lasts for three years and includes the four vehicles, though the contract allows for more vehicles on the two campuses if needed as well as a possible expansion to the Prince William campus if the demand is present. Cantor said the next few months will give an idea of the demand for Zipcar at Mason. Zipcar is present at more than 200 campuses, including Old Dominion University, College of William & Mary, UVA and Virginia Commonwealth University. Zipcar oﬀers an iPhone application that allows users to reserve a car, honk the horn and unlock the doors remotely.

News Event Calendar Monday, Sept. 27, 2010

Broadside

This is the third year for the Cultural Fusion Fairfax festival at Mason.

Monday, September 27, 2010

SCHOLARSHIPS

Washington Wizards Midnight Tipoff Patriot Center Doors open at 11 p.m. Colloquium of the Computational Materials Science Center: Erhai Zhao Resarch 1, Room 301 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010 Azucar Salsa Dance Lessons JC, Dance Studio 6 - 8 p.m. Visiting Lecturer - Palestinian Ambassador Maen Areikat Research 1, Room 163 6 - 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010 Latinas in the Media JC, Room 239A 5 - 7 p.m. FIFA Playstation Tournament JC, Room C 7 - 10 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010 Faculty Forum: Provost Peter Stearns Research 1, Room 163 11 a.m. – noon New Century College Mason Inn Conference Center & Hotel 6 – 8:30 p.m.

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

An alternative to student loans for college tuition By Aisha Jamil | Clubs and Organizations Beat Writer Finding yourself increasingly strapped for cash? Sick of counting your loose change? No job? Try a scholarship. Although some people are beginning to rise out of their economic slump, students still struggle to find jobs. And less pocket money certainly means less money put towards education. One of the oldest and most popular ways around this dilemma is scholarships. They are, essentially, free money. Unlike loans, there is nothing to pay back, and some are even awarded directly to your bank account instead of the school. However, many students forget that scholarships are even an option. Instead, they go straight to student loans. Why? Perhaps it is the effort involved in searching for them. “I feel like they want to take advantage of scholarships, but they don’t want to take the time,” said senior psychology major Daniel Soranzo. “They don’t feel like they have the chance.” For many, the problem began in high school. Students had to search through folders filled with sheaves of paper to find a good scholarship, only to realize they didn’t qualify for it. Now, most scholarship resources are electronic, making the search less of a hassle. George Mason University is working to improve the scholarship resources available to students. “We’re working on the website. It’s [going to be] a little more user-friendly,” said Elizabeth Carter, associate director of the Office of Student Financial Aid. “For the 2011-2012 school year, we’ll have an electronic application.” Soon there will also be an addition to the Office of Student Financial Aid homepage with options for internal and external scholarships, essay tips and more.

Sept. 20

POLICE FILES Fusing Cultures Narcotic Violation Presidents Park A GMU police officer received a tip from an anonymous person regarding an individual in possession of marijuana. This case is under investigation. (40/Ross)

Upcoming October Festival to feature food, dance and fashion Kathy Morgenegg

Sept. 24

Sept. 23

Sept. 22

Sept. 21

Broadside Correspondent Theft From Vehicle Parking Lot J Theft From Vehicle. Complainant stated that person(s) unknown stole a parking decal from their vehicle. (48/Surber)

Drunk in Public/Underage Possession of Alcohol. Presidents Park / Metered Parking Lot Brian Drouin. 21 (GMU student), of Madison, CT was arrested for Drunk in Public and transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. Grant Fields, 20 (GMU student), of Midlothian, VA, Carly Groover, 20 (GMU student), of Forest, VA, William Tarrant, 20 (GMU student), of Medford, NJ and Javier Martinez, 20 (GMU student), of Norfolk, VA were all issued Virginia Uniform Summons for Underage Possession of Alcohol. (22/Barton) Underage Possession of Alcohol Center for the Arts A GMU student was transported to the hospital after consuming an excessive amount of alcohol. (44/Rindell) Public Intoxication. Center for the Arts Matthew Bellinger, 19 (GMU student), of Midlothian, VA was arrested for the above offense and transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center where he was held until sober. (29/Aman)

Underage Possession of Alcohol/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Carroll Hall Officers were dispatched to a dorm room for the smell of marijuana. Three GMU students will be referred to the Dean of Students for further adjudication. (58/Duangrat)

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

Cultural Fusion Fairfax is returning to George Mason University for a third year from Oct. 6-27, opening with tables in the Quad, free food, information and activities. “A huge part of Mason is the diversity,” said Mrinalini Ramanan, who is in charge of event operations, “[but] the campus is really segregated [into groups].” CFF was founded two years ago when students decided that Mason needed better communication between its various groups and departments. The festival was designed as a way to break down cultural and political barriers within the Mason and Fairfax community. This year will feature many cultures including Chinese, Indian, Hispanic and Caribbean. “The first year [of the festival] was more focused on sports,” said Table Fair Manager Naliyah Kaya. “We had a lot of food and games. Then the second year we added performances.” This year the event has expanded to a whole month involving film, dance, fashion and promoting cultural awareness. Kaya said the first year had two days of “field day” activities that gave way to cultural events. These include a fashion runway, an art and film festival and dancing. Ramanan said the event gives students the chance to become leaders since they are involved with running the event. “We wanted to have something in the fall when people are

coming into campus and new groups,” Kaya said. Over the past two years, CFF has found that many commuter students and graduate students who have a more removed campus life have been able to participate and get to know others through CFF activities. One of the initial reasons for the festival was to bring people together and give them an opportunity to experience the diversity at Mason. Staff and students working at the Office of Diversity Programs and Services were very involved last year – an example of the communication CFF hopes to inspire. The group also hopes that CFF will provide students the chance to become leaders by having opportunities to run the events, as well as give students in many different studies a chance to network with a large and diverse group of fellow students, faculty and professionals. For groups interested in joining or reserving a table they should contact the organizers at gmuculturalfusion@gmail.com. During the festival WGMU will also be broadcasting world music. To submit songs online, e-mail ahussai@gmu.edu or drop a hard copy off at the Department ofCommunication office on the second floor of the Science and Technology II building. The group planning the event meets Mondays from 3-5 p.m. on the third floor of the Johnson Center and welcomes anyone interested in stopping by to learn more about the CFF.

Increased motivation among students for scholarships is key; so when writing a paper for a $1,500 scholarship, do not think of it as a grueling five-page essay. Instead, think of it as an incentive, with each page earning $300. For a typical 250-word page, that is $1.20 per word. Students are advised to begin applying for scholarships at least a month before the deadline to make sure they can collect all the resources they need. “We need to educate students to be more cognitive on timelines,” said Carter. Scholarships are not just for undergraduates, either. Some are geared towards graduate students and working professionals, many being research fellowships. A great device for locating external scholarships is exploring websites that offer sophisticated search engines which allocate outside resources in addition to student information. “I think Fastweb is a nice tool,” said Carter. Fastweb is a free service that matches students with scholarships based on student information. After you create a username, you can begin your search for scholarships and even internships, with the click of a button. The increase in resources available at schools and in communities does not show any signs of slowing down. Carter seems optimistic about the continued search for scholarships among current and future students. “I think knowledge is power. Over the years, I’ve seen an increase in students coming in to search for scholarships. They all want to explore the website. It’s all about the effort they put into it.”

Mason 5-0 Police officer assigned to work out of dorms Antonieta Rico Crime Beat Writer Students now have a police officer working out of a dorm to alleviate concerns of George Mason University residents. Officer Emily Ross of the Mason Police Department started the assignment on Sept. 13 as the first Mason housing liaison officer. Her office is located in room F204 in the Potomac Heights dorm. “The mission of this program is to improve the security and safety of the resident students,” Ross said. Ross said she will follow up on tips about drugs and alcohol to improve enforcement in the dorms but will also provide alcohol education and serve as a resource for students who need advice. Ross said she can address any issues from roommate troubles to problems with boyfriends or girlfriends to fears that a friend might be contemplating suicide. “Come to me if you have a concern ... and talk about it, just to get some advice,” Ross said. “I’m there to assist you with any issues that you have and if it is not my issue to handle I will refer you to whomever you need to be referred to. I’m a source of information, if nothing else.” Another issue Ross hopes to address is sexual assault. She said she knows it is a crime that is underreported and wants to reach out to victims who are not sure what to do.

“I understand that it is a very difficult thing to report,” Ross said. “They might be afraid to go to a police officer, but I want to let them know that I will make it [the] most comfortable environment that I can, to come make such a report when they are ready to come forward.” “If they don’t want to make an official record they can still come and talk to me,” she said. She added that she would give them information about their options. However, she is required to take action on any criminal offense. If a third party wants to report an assault on a friend, Ross said she would advise them. Besides keeping in touch with the issues that concern residents, Ross said her additional duties as housing liaison will allow her to have an overview of all incidents occurring in the dorms. Having that information will enable her to provide continuity in the Mason Police Department by administering weekly patrol briefings to other officers concerning all incidents in the student housing areas. Ross said she will work days on Mondays and Tuesdays and evenings on Thursdays and Fridays. However, she plans on spending more time interacting with students in dorms than in her office. “I hope it will give students a better sense of security,” Ross said.

Broadside

News

Monday, September 27, 2010 |

Photo Snapshot

Photo by Stephen Kline

The na onal execu ve director of the Na onal Society of Black Engineers, Dr. Carl Mack, presented a workshop en tled, “How to Keep Engineering from Killing You - a Survival Guide,” to the Science, Technology, Engineering, Economics and Mathema cs (STEM) majors in the Johnson Center last Friday.

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GMU professor seeks afternoon help in Arlington for two children, ages 8 and 12. Help with homework, make sure the house doesn’t burn down. Twothree days/week from 3-6pm. 703-993-8481 or jbgould@gmu.edu. BABYSITTERS! $12-20/hr. Apply at: www.asapsitters.com

Miscellaneous

TPK 7th Annual Running for the Kids 5k & 1 Mile Fun Run Community Wide Event Sat., Oct. 16 In Fairfax City www.tururopreschool.org (703) 691-1006

Pianist for small church. 2 Sundays a month. $50 per service. 703-830-1134

Submit y our phot os for a feature d chance t in Broad o be side’s nex E-mail p t is s ue. hoto@br oadsideo nline.com .

Free Tickets for Mason Students! CH

Visual Voices Series Yee-Haw Industries: 32 Flavors of Gravy Julie Belcher and Kevin Bradley, speakers Thurs., Sept. 30 at 7:30 p.m. Free /Non-ticketed HT

MOMIX: Botanica Sat., Oct. 2 at 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 3 at 4 p.m. ppd $46, $38, $23 CH Free Student Tickets Available Now!

Gregory Koblentz, speaker Mon., Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. Free/Ticketed CH

=Pre-performance Discussion

Virginia Opera: Rigoletto

Oct. 7-9 at 8 p.m.; Oct. 9-10 at 2 p.m. $12 adult, $8 Student/Senior BB Limited Free Student Tickets Available Sept. 28

American Festival Pops Orchestra Anthony Maiello, conductor Sat., Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. ppd $46, $38, $23 CH f f Free Student Tickets Available Sept. 28

Visual Voices Series Illegal Alien’s Guide to Reverse Anthropology

Fri., Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. Free/Non-ticketed HT =Family Friendly

BB=Black Box

CH=Concert Hall

ppd

Brooklyn Rider

Visual Voices Series: Timelines

School of Music Faculty Artist Showcase

Fri., Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. $86, $72, $44 Sun., Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. $98, $80, $48 CH Limited Free Student Tickets Available Oct. 5 Sat., Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. ppd $40, $32, $20 CH Free Student Tickets Available Oct. 5

Enrique Chagoya, speaker; Navigation Press Fri., Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Free/Non-ticketed HT

The Vision Series Biosecurity in the 21st Century

ppd

The Mason Players Studio Series Kimberly Akimbo

John Carson, speaker Thurs., Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Free/Non-ticketed HT

The Mason Players Mainstage Series: Pericles October 21-23, 28-30 at 8 p.m. October 23, 30-31 at 2 p.m. $15 adult, $10 Student/Senior TS Limited Free Student Tickets Available Oct. 12

HT=Harris Theater

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

OR TH E RF AR

Center for the Arts

TS=TheaterSpace

Wed., Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. $15 Adults, $10 Seniors, Free Students

CENT

GMU Symphony Orchestra

20 YEARS 19

9 0 – 2 0 10

Style

Broadside

This year marked the ﬁfth anniversary of Arts by George!, Mason’s annual scholarship fundraiser.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Same Same old old trip trip itit was was back back then then Despite absence of the late Layne Staley, Alice in Chains and Deftones in vintage form Photo by Stephen Kline

Dylan Hares Media Beat Writer

Photo by Stephen Kline Deftonesʼ lead singer Chino Moreno performs at the Patriot Center last Sunday.

The modern hard rock scene has been saturated with carbon-copy bands that monopolize on few unique qualities and skills. The bands on Alice in Chains’ BlackDiamondSkye tour showed those bands how to keep fans both old and newrocking as hard as ever. The tour, named for the newest albums from Alice in Chains, Deftones and Mastodon, respectively, featured a heavyhitting hard and alternative rock trio that has rocked the scene for the better part of two decades. Mastodon opened up the set with an explosive opening number and an incredi-

k of the Gr

ble light show. The band had a lot of ﬂavor in the visual department, but their music lacked energy. Despite the impressive drum work by Brann Dailor, the band’s set felt more like one 40-minute song. Deftones was next, continuing the mood with an ethereal light show and came on strong with their new single “Rocket Skates.” Their hour-long set was high energy, delivered through the incredible vocal styling of lead singer Chino Moreno as he sung fan favorites from their entire library. Alice in Chains rocked eagerly waiting fans with powerful lighting and a face-melting rendition of their classic, “Them Bones.” They kept the tempo going with a great stage presence and impressive light show. Hit after hit came early in the set, and they

suffered a Mastodon-like snag as the first five songs started to blend together. Alice in Chains mixed old and new hits, while the voice of recently-added lead vocalist William DuVall soared high above the skillful guitar work of Jerry Cantrell. They broke pattern with a more intimate acoustic song dedicated to the late Layne Staley. The rest of the set consisted mainly of high-energy favorites, leaving leaving fans satisfied to the last song. The BlackDiamondSkye tour brings together three of today’s most popular postgrunge, alternative rock groups in what is a great mix of three distinct flavors of the genre. The entire night was high energy and kept the crowd hungry for more.

Q&A with

Greg Mortenson Photo by Laura Foltz

Aisha Jamil Clubs and Organizations Beat Writer

George Mason University President Alan Merten poses with members of the Gamma Phi Beta and Delta Chi Greek organizations.

Anastasia Uzilevskaya Clubs and Organizations Beat Writer At the beginning of the semester, students at George Mason University will likely ﬁnd an eager sorority sister or fraternity brother walking around campus. Proudly displaying Greek letters and a friendly smile, these students are often accompanied by a pamphlet encouraging others to rush their chosen organization. “I thought it was very cool that so many sororities set up booths and got themselves out there, they really made me aware that I was welcome to rush,” said Elizabeth Lowe, freshman health, ﬁtness and recreational resources major. Sororities and fraternities started promoting themselves long before the freshmen class even stepped foot on campus. “Pi Kappa Phi and Sigma Alpha Epsilon friended me on Facebook over the summer and got in touch with me and gave a lot of great information out,” said

Brian Mottl, freshman government and international politics major. “And now that I’m here I’m rushing and going to events like broomball where the brothers are still super friendly and just all around great guys.” Last weekend, Mason set an alltime-high with over 300 potential pledges rushing sororities. The pledges picked their top four sororities, narrowed it down to two and then learned if they were invited back. While sororities aren’t looking for anything in particular, they do look for certain qualities in potential sisters. “[A] girl should be out there and want to get involved in a philanthropy and get out there, and have that potential sister quality,” said sophomore global aﬀairs major and Zeta Tau Alpha sister Anna Zhang. “The girls were super excited and did cheers every time we walked into a room like it was a party,” said freshman biology major and Chi Omega pledge Lauren Satyshur. “The rooms were ﬁlled with crafts of their philanthropy and the energy was just great.”

Several rushes claim to have recieved up to 50 new friend requests on Facebook from their soon-to-be sisters and even more wall posts welcoming them. However, not shares these sentiments. “The sorority girls are nice during rush week but I’m sure they’re not like on a daily basis; this rarely happens,” junior communication major Kristi Crutchman said, “I feel like they’re fake and it’s not going to be like that once you’re in.” Others don’t join because they feel they will lose their individuality. “I feel like it’s mostly about group identity and that’s never really been my thing, I feel like I’m too opinionated to be in a sorority,” said freshman conﬂict analysis and resolution major Marieke van Rijn. Despite opposing viewpoints, the Greek community has made itself visible to the Mason community. More information is available on the Sorority and Fraternity Life website, located at http://si.gmu.edu/fsl.

“The ﬁrst time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family.” Those are the words of Haji Ali, Greg Mortenson’s mentor in Pakistan, who also was his role model and inspiration for the title of Mortenson’s best-selling book, Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time. Mortenson, who has built more than 160 schools in the rural villages of Afghanistan and Pakistan, spoke last Friday, Sept. 24, at Mason’s The Center of the Arts regarding the challenges global education is facing today. Before his event, Mortenson sat down with Broadside for an interview. What would you say to the Muslim clerics that have declared two fatwas

(orders to kill) against you? The first word in the revelation of the Koran was “Iqra”, which means “to read.” What Allah said is that we should seek truth and get an education. I have talked to imams and nothing in the Koran says that girls can’t go to school. And finally, I would say that in the Hadith (teachings of the Prophet), it says that the ink of the scholar is greater than the blood of a shaheed (martyr.) What do you think about the mosque building near Ground Zero? I think it’s a Constitutional right that we have freedom of worship and faith. We seem to fight about Constitutional issues but the real issue is about tolerance, education and healthcare. And the 9-11 Koran burnings? Burning the Koran shows the greatness of the Constitution. The U.S. military burned Bibles in Afghanistan that were writ-

ten in Pashto and Dari because soldiers there weren’t allowed to give out Bibles. That shows our tolerance to be sensitive. But, there shouldn’t be a law saying that you can’t burn religious books. A school you built in the town of Olander, Afghanistan was attacked by the Taliban in 2007. Are all of your schools heavily guarded since then? No. No school has been shut down. Two schools have been attacked but in both cases, local militia came and killed some of the Taliban members and kicked others out. The militia leaders have their own orders to kill anyone who comes to attack these little girls or their schools. You married your wife six days after meeting her. Have you considered writing a story about love? [laughs] I could write a story about love but my wife has asked me not to write about our personal lives. So, I respect that.

Broadside

Style

Monday, September 27, 2010 | 5

Now Playing

Staying fly

for fall

Marcelle Robertson Broadside Correspondent As summer eases into fall, a challenge that many of us face is how to dress for the sometimes unpredictable weather. Not to worry, there are many summer pieces in your closet that can be worn throughout the fall. Not only will this help you look great in both seasons, but it will also help you save

JC Cinema â&#x20AC;&#x153;reelsâ&#x20AC;? in viewers The Johnson Center Cinema provides the George Mason University community with quality thematic entertainment every weekend. Free for Mason students and only a dollar for everyone else, the JC Cinema specializes in showing recently out-of-theaters hit ďŹ lms like Killers and Grown Ups Thursday through Sunday nights. Unfortunately, the cinema has never really been known to ďŹ ll all its seats during the weekend. Program Board Film Committee Chair Emily Mulherin is looking to change that. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going for a much broader appeal for the JC Cinema this time around,â&#x20AC;? said Mulherin. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Killers was a great success we hope to repeat.â&#x20AC;? This year, the ďŹ lm committee is bringing students bigger and more commercial ďŹ lms in the vein of Avatar and Inception. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many movies donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cross cultural boundaries anymore and I would like to bring more movies that all people can relate to,â&#x20AC;? Mulherin said.

In addition to movies with a broader appeal, the JC Cinema is making a lot of changes to how it will be advertising itself to the university. Schedules will be posted all over campus featuring upcoming movies. Posters will also be placed around campus so students can know at a glance what is coming up. Schedules for show times are also readily available all over, including handy pocket cards for quick reference. While it certainly is one thing to remind students that there are movies on the weekends. It is a completely diďŹ&#x20AC;erent game actually getting them to the cinema. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to do something to get people into seats and that involves reaching out and having events that appeal to students.â&#x20AC;? The ďŹ lm committee is planning moviecentric events such as a Tyler Perry movie weekend or a Harry Potter movie weekend leading up to the November release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I. Additionally, there will be giveaways on many weekends that include movie posters,

screenings of upcoming movies and T-shirts. Recently, the ďŹ lm committee even raďŹ&#x201E;ed oďŹ&#x20AC; Kid Cudi and Seth Meyers tickets. Along with the weekly giveaways, patrons will be given a JC Cinema loyalty card which merits a free soda for every ďŹ ve visits in addition to the already-free popcorn that comes with every admission. Masonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s student organizations can reserve the cinema on Sunday afternoons for private screenings of movies. Students will also be treated with occasional 3-D movies for no extra charge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;3-D movies are so expensive now and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re really excited to be able to show them to students for free,â&#x20AC;? Mulherin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying really hard to get Avatar in 3-D but in the meantime, there are still a lot of great movies we have available.â&#x20AC;? For more information, check out the redesigned http://pb.gmu.edu/cmďŹ lm for upcoming movies and trailers and contact pbďŹ lm@gmu.edu to get involved.

Ladies:

Scarves are a must have for the fall season. You can pair them with a cardigan and a top that is already in your wardrobe from the summer. You do not have to pack away your dresses from the summertime. Many of your dresses (depending on the style) can be paired with a cardigan, a pair of tights and boots. Invest in some knit sweaters. Look for sweaters that have embellished sleeves to make things more interesting. They are warm, comfortable and most importantly, in style. An oversized sweater paired with a belt and a pair of leggings and boots is the perfect look for fall. Not sure what kind of boots to buy? Over-the-knee boots, motorcycle boots and riding boots are all great styles for everyday wear. They look stylish with just about anything. (Leggings, skinny jeans, dresses, etc.) Jackets are another important piece of clothing for the fall. Trench coats, leather jackets and blazers are all great additions to your wardrobe. Try to stick with colors like brown, black, grey and other dark or neutral tones. A fur vest is also a great addition to your fall wardrobe. It is not an everyday accessory, but it can look great with the right pair of leggings and boots. It can even be paired with a simple dress. Top oďŹ&#x20AC; your fall look with an oversized watch, some leather bracelets, a sleep necklace and some dark or neutral colors for your nails.

Men: Take your summertime T-shirts or tanks and pair them with a cardigan or a blazer for a comfortable yet sophisticated look. Button-up shirts are not only for work. They are very easy to dress down. Leave a few buttons open, put a cardigan over it and wear with a pair of skinny jeans. Dark khakis in colors such as olive green, brown and black are a great alternative for skinny jeans. They can be paired with pretty much anything. Vests are a great look for fall. You can wear one under a blazer or with a shirt and tie and a pair of jeans. Scarves are not only in style for the ladies. A knit scarf is a great accessory for guys as well.

Invest in a trench coat. It looks great with a pair of skinny jeans and a pair of Sperryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or some mid-top lace up military inspired boots. Leather jacket and varsity jackets will deďŹ nitely keep you ďŹ&#x201A;y for the fall. Both looks are in style and go great with a pair of dark high-top sneakers. Guys, an oversized military-style watch and leather belt will be a nice touch for your fall look. Check out these stores for some aďŹ&#x20AC;ordable looks listed above: Zara, H&M, Forever 21, Urban OutďŹ tters and thrift stores in the area.

Michatalie

Photo Snapshot

Dear Michatalie, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been hearing mostly negative things about you girls. But as crazy as you are, I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be interesting to get your advice on my situation. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the thing, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a sophomore living in one of the Chesapeake dorms and I live across the hall from one of the hottest guys Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever seen. To be honest, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what to say or do whenever heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s around and I really wanna gain the courage to tell him how much I like him. I know thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forward and a little creepy, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never had the guts to tell someone how I feel about them. What do you think is the best way to get his attention?

explains it all

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Photo by Alicia Thayer, Connect2Mason

Students watch a band perform during last Fridayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Patriotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day.

Dylan Hares Media Beat Writer

money, and as college students this will deďŹ nitely come in handy. So put your wallet away and forget the trip to the mall to buy a whole new fall wardrobe. Here are some tips on how to transition your wardrobe into the new season, without having to pack away all of your summer clothes just yet:

Sincerely,

Shy Girl in Chesapeake

Saturday,y, October Saturday Octtober 16th, 20100 In the heart heart of of Fairfax Fairfax City City... y... .

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s his name? Seriously, Michatalie needs to get in on this. No, really though, this is the cutest thing! Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s funny that you came to us because Michatalie experienced the exact same thing last year when we lived in Northern Neck. No worries, we have a couple options for you. The best way to grab his attention is to leave your door wide open and prance around in just a sports bra and booty shorts. Ladies, if you have bad cellulite, you might want to stick with leggings. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re feeling a bit more subtle, you could al-

ways go for the anonymous note under the door. Michatalie was infamous for leaving our secret admirer a love note and then ding-dong ditching. Please make sure itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the right room though, you wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want a grenade or landmine thinking someone would actually want them. How embarrassing. If you really want to seal the deal, we recommend that you ask him to â&#x20AC;&#x153;help move furniture.â&#x20AC;? Lure him into your lair, and jump on him like a spider monkey. Michatalie guarantees you that one or even all of these will give you the results that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for. If the mission fails, please cuntact us and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to discuss more extreme measures. May the force be with you and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even think about fucking this up.

TPKK 5

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Run R uun ffor or tthe he K Kids! idss! * All All pr proceeds oceeds d b benefit fi the h TPK C Caring aring i and d Scholarship Scholarship h l hi Fund Fund d

JOIN US FOR THIS COMMUNITY COMMUUNITY WIDE-FAMILY WIDE-FFAMIL A LY FUN EVENT!

Any issues and concerns about life, college, sex, money problems, or food? Let Michatalie know on their fan page at www.facebook.com/MICHATALIE.

Overall Ov erall Male and FFemale emale Cash Aw Awards ards * Awards Awards in Several Several Categories Categories * Silent AAuction u uction Livee Music * a Kid Friendly Liv Friendly Moon bouncee * Winnie Winnie the Pooh Pooh and other characters characters * FFood ood Long-sleeve t-shirts Long-slee ve t-shi ir ts ffor or rregistered egistered runners runners

Dear Shy Girl in Chesapeake,

7th

Ann ual

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Opinion Broadside

Monday, September 27, 2010

Broadside

George Mason University’s Student Newspaper 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 Ala Yaktieen, Designer Michelle Buser, Designer Randy Urick, Photographer Stephanie Knapp, Photographer Dylan Hares, Staﬀ Reporter Scott Miller, Advertising Director Catherine Kutz, 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: The Sept. 17 article “X-Men Find Zombies Less Loving” was written by Gregory Pelkofski.

Obama’s failed recovery An unstable economy Curtis kalin S o p h o m o r e

Opinion

Columnist

Many economic laymen like myself have been befuddled by the rise and subsequent stagnation of the unemployment rate in the U.S., even though just last week a group of economists said that the recession has been over since 2009. I don’t think it requires a long drawn out, wonky answer to determine why our economic troubles haven’t ceased. It is remarkably simple. Just look back at the bailouts, stimuli and cash handouts over the past two years. In fall 2008, the federal government bailed out Wall Street and around the start of 2009 the feds bailed out big auto companies GM and Chrysler. In February 2009, money was handed out to irresponsible state governments and thrown to socalled “shovel-ready” government infrastructure jobs and to top it off, there was another car stimulus over the summer with “Cash for Clunkers.” However, what the president giveth with one hand, he taketh away with the rest of his agenda. After hurrying through an almost trillion dollar stimulus bill, he quickly pivoted to the main objective of his first term – health care reform. I have already outlined in a previous column the potentially job killing aspects of health care reform. The main issue is the provision that tax companies don’t comply with new federal mandates for health insurance. Next was his populist crusade against the financial industry. Beyond the fact that the reform ignored Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, it put new and tighter regulations on an industry which businesses rely on for loans. Without them, businesses cannot expand and hire new workers. Obama has also proposed a massive overhaul of the energy sector of the economy. The centerpiece of which is a pseudo energy tax that will hit every American family and business, regardless of income level or profit margin. Here at George Mason Uni-

versity, we’ve seen union power attempt to entrench itself with the service employees of Service Employees International Union. The president favors the “Card-Check” provision that will allow the bullies and thugs in unions like SEIU to lean on potential employees to join and eliminate the secret ballot. What economic picture does this paint? I’ll tell you, a very unstable one. Major institutions are being changed, which will inevitably require more tax revenue. Bankruptcy laws have been ignored and there has been little to no long-term help for small business in America. These small businesses are the true backbone of the economy and engine of economic growth; they create three out of every four jobs. So why does it surprise anyone that in an environment where everyone except for the small business is being bailed out, the same small businesses are not expanding or blossoming? The one thing that is not being projected in Washington is a calm and stable future. The simple way to get jobs created is to keep the rules the same. Stable economies produce jobs. I understand President Obama’s lust to enact a decade-old Democrat party agenda, especially with their hold on Congress, but his major reforms are scaring the very people he needs in order to create jobs. The federal government has already spent ridiculous amounts of money on countless sectors of the economy; these ventures have produced small and short beneﬁts. What conventional wisdom and the American people are looking for is a steady, substantial and upward turn in economic growth and a downward unemployment rate. The opposite has happened, especially on the jobs front. If you factor in under employment and folks who have stopped looking for work, the rate climbs from the oﬃcial level of 9.6 percent to around 15 percent. If we need to give a stimulus, just allow America’s small businesses to have more of their money in order to improve, expand, and most importantly hire new workers. The same goes for American families and individuals who also need tax relief. When productivity is encouraged, prosperity can bloom. Only then can a true recovery happen, with the jobs to take us further into the 21st century.

Point and Counterpoint

Should Mason sell cigarettes? Elizabeth Perry Asst. Opinion Editor Much to the alarm of one George Mason University smoker, there is no place on campus where one can purchase cigarettes. The selling of alcohol, however, is permitted in a bar where students are free to drink on campus grounds. Why would a university agree to have a substance as mind altering as alcohol available on school property, but prohibit the sale of cigarettes? The eﬀects of cigarettes are far less detrimental to brain activity and response time than alcohol. While it is true that tobacco is more dangerous to an individual’s physical health than alcohol, the threat of cigarettes to a smoker’s immediate safety and that of those around him or her is slight to nonexistent in comparison to alcohol. There is no record of someone being injured or killed in a car accident caused by a driver’s overdosing on cigarettes. There is, however, the proven statistic that 17,000 people are killed in alcoholrelated accidents every year in the U.S. Similarly, it would be preposterous for a woman to claim she was raped on account of being too buzzed from cigarettes to defend herself. If anyone has ever woken up beside a stranger with no recollection of what took place the night before and thought to him or herself, “God, I must’ve smoked too many cigarettes last night” please write a letter to the editor because I would love to hear your story. Excluding those who are

Justin Lalputan Opinion Editor There is no reason for George Mason University to change its policy on cigarette sales. We don’t sell them on campus and we shouldn’t start. Of course there are economic beneﬁts to selling cigarettes to students, but that does not mean we should start. There are a number of downsides to selling cigarettes on campus. First, it encourages smoking on campus. Take a walk at night and you’ll see students smoking cigarettes, hookah and maybe something a little more potent, but they don’t purchase any of these on campus. Imagine what would happen if they could. I’m not saying it would double the smoking population, and chances are it wouldn’t impact the large smoking population we have at Mason. If someone doesn’t smoke, chances are sales on campus wouldn’t magically make them start smoking. However, what it would do is increase the amount of smoking that takes place. Smokers will be more likely to smoke more if they know there is a place closeby where they can purchase cigarettes. Right now, the closest place to buy cigarettes is the Sunoco down the street. Selling cigarettes on campus will only make our campus less appealing to both students and visitors. As a non-smoker, I can’t tell you how annoying it is to be walking at night, and then hit a wall of smoke whenever I try to go into Starbucks.

Or when I’m walking to class and the person right in front of me is smoking and I keep walking directly into his or her cigarette smoke, despite my best eﬀorts to go around it. Occurrences like these will only increase if Mason decides to start selling cigarettes. Some of the arguments for selling cigarettes on campus include that since Mason sells alcohol on campus, it shouldn’t matter if they start selling cigarettes. This is dead wrong. While it is true that Mason does sell alcohol at the Rathskeller, that doesn’t make it OK to start selling cigarettes as well. The Rathskeller is a sports bar; what kind of bar doesn’t sell alcohol? Since Virginia law now bans smoking in places like bars – unless the smokers have a diﬀerent ventilation system than non-smokers – they won’t sell cigarettes there. Secondly, since when did two wrongs make a right? I won’t argue the fact that alcohol can potentially be just as bad as cigarettes, but that doesn’t mean that Mason should give students even more toxins to poison their bodies. Cigarettes are horrible for a smoker’s health and they are annoying to people around the smoker. I applaud Mason for not selling them to students. I’ve heard people say that they should sell cigarettes on campus. I think it’s ridiculous, and I have one question for them: What exactly are you people smoking?

Ladies, trust us, it’s a guy thing The federal government teaches men to wash their penises B.T. Minster Opinion Columnist Maybe the guys at the National Institutes of Health were remembering their early teen years, when washing their genitals was stimulating. For whatever reason, they spent over $800,000 in stimulus money on a research project intended to teach uncircumcised African men to wash their genitals. Perhaps no issue today better showcases our political process’s extent of disrepair than this. It’s all there: a naked boondoggle, a nearly indefensible waste of tax dollars and the approval of both houses of Congress along with the signature of the president. I can’t remember the part in high school history where we learned about the intense debate among the Constitutional Convention delegates regarding penis washing. I’m pretty conﬁdent something like that would have caught my attention. There was a time when ques-

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diagnosed with lung cancer or emphysema due to their choice to not quit smoking, very few, if any, individuals have made substantially lifechanging mistakes while under the influence of cigarettes. People of all ages are arrested for drunk driving, being drunk in public and a range of other offenses committed while under the influence of alcohol. Yet, somehow, Mason’s administration finds it appropriate to provide students with alcohol, but not cigarettes. James Madison University has cigarettes available to its students on campus. Alcohol, however, is only accessible on school grounds in the stadium suites which students apparently rarely use. Virginia Tech and West Virginia University, on the other hand, are on Mason’s side with the yes-to-alcoholno-to-cigarettes policy. By some logic, these universities have decided that a substance as commonly abused among college students as alcohol is appropriate to provide on school grounds, but supplying tobacco is not. This article in no way intends to criticize alcohol consumption and certainly is not attempting to promote the smoking of cigarettes. Having a bar on campus is certainly a benefit to Mason, as it provides students with an opportunity to drink socially and to do it safely on school property. This is just an acknowledgement of our university’s willingness to make alcohol more conveniently accessible for drinkers yet refusal to have the same courtesy for cigarette smokers.

tions of constitutionality were serious concerns. Not in our lifetimes, granted, but once upon a time. These days, most constitutionality questions quickly turn into bouts of anxious hand-wringing with the moaned mantra, “Oh, if only we had a way of knowing what the intent of the Founders would have been had they foreseen this issue!” On this particular question, there’s no anxiety required. No, James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” did not explicitly address the cleanliness of African penises, but he did say in 1794, “I cannot undertake to lay my ﬁnger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.” However, Madison was a freaking caveman. He had no way of knowing there was going to come a time in the world’s history when some genitals would need washing. They didn’t have needs like that

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

back in the horse-and-buggy days. Time was, you washed it once for your wedding night and called it good enough. What he did foresee was that there would be stuﬀ he didn't foresee (like dirty penises, perhaps, but more genteel) and the Constitution has provisions for its own amending. If we need to spend money on benevolence, change the Constitution to allow for it. It wouldn’t have to be thousands of pages long like all the sophisticated modern-day laws our rocket-powered age requires. It could be just eight words: “Congress shall spend money on whatever it wants.” But this idea of having rules that mean something isn’t even taken seriously these days. When Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was asked where in the Constitution Congress received its supposed authority to enact its health care bill, all she could bother to say in response was, “Are you serious?” In her magnanimity, however, she said it twice.

All unsigned staff editorials are written to represent the view of the Broadside staff, a diverse set of opinions determined by the members of the editorial board. Letters to the editor, columns, artwork and other commentaries strictly represent the opinions of the authors and do not represent the ofﬁcial opinion of the newspaper.

Madison thought it was a serious question, but Pelosi thinks it is the setup to announcing she’s being punked. As a reminder, this woman is third in line to the presidency. Just out of curiosity, I wonder if you can guess how much government money it took to teach me to wash my penis? In these days of oﬃcial largess, you might need me to deﬁne a range, so here’s a hint: less than half a million dollars. How patronizing is it to assume Africans can’t learn to clean their penises without an American professor teaching them? The entire concept rests on an updated version of the White Man’s Burden which is based on the same tacit racism. If I asked these questions to Speaker Pelosi, I suspect she would want to know if I was serious. I wonder if she asked that question when she read the peniswashing provision in the 1,588page stimulus bill. Now who’s not being serious?

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Broadside

Opinion

Monday, September 27, 2010 |

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The student secular alliance fires back at Moore On Sept. 13, Alan Moore penned an editorial stating, among other things, that the U.S. Constitution does not mandate a separation of church and state and that the Secular Student Alliance is a threat to American culture. In response to church-state separation, we could go through a litany of court decisions, treaties and comments by the Founding Fathers that prove Mr. Moore wrong, and there are many. What is more important though, is whether we all still understand and agree on its beneﬁts. A secular government is not an atheistic government. It just refuses to take sides on issues of religion. Many theists recognize this protects them and does not hinder them. If schools lead children in prayer, will it be a prayer you agree

with? If the creation story is taught in school, will it be your creation story? We’ve spoken with students from a number of theist groups and found almost universally that we share respect and support for church-state separation. But Mr. Moore betrays that his true agenda is political when he attempts to equate non-theism with liberalism. There have been many prominent non-theists who would bristle at such a claim. Actor John Voight and objectivist Ayn Rand are two examples. His attempt to draw this equivalence borders on the absurd. He argues that a communist named Saul Alinsky recommended using humor to make a point. We non-theists sometimes use humor. Therefore we are commu-

nists. Using this logic, both George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan are communists as well. Mr. Moore, if you want to understand why we started our organization, you need only look in the mirror. One of our main goals is to defend our rights against those who would use us as pawns for their political ends. Once you have “defeated” all of us non-theists, who will you deem diﬀerent and scary enough to turn on next? Muslims? Hindus? Mormons? Catholics? You, sir, are the true threat to American values. As long as we still have a voice, we will ﬁght your attempts to divide us.

The Student Secular Alliance

Liberals and education ‘Perhaps professors are to blame’ Alan Moore S E N I O R

Opinion

Columnist

Most people who have been exposed to higher education can reasonably assume the majority of college students identify themselves as liberals. Driving around the George Mason University parking lots you can see an influx of “Obama for President” and cheeky liberal slogans on bumper stickers. Even though most Americans identify themselves as conservative and the latest Gallup poll finds conservatives outnumbering liberals 42-20 percent, this trend is reversed on college campuses. But why? Perhaps professors are to blame. According to a study done by Mason’s Center for Media and Public Affairs, 72 percent of American university and college professors claim to be liberals while only 15 percent are conservative. Additionally, 50 percent affiliate themselves with the Democratic Party with only 11 percent claiming to be Republicans. Students attend college to prepare for the real world; it is reasonable to assume that the purveyors of such knowledge directly influence their politics. Why liberalism dominates the faculty of colleges and universities is a different debate entirely. It may have something to do with many professors spending their lives in academia, outside of business and competition.

Liberalism is based in fanciful idealism. It would be great if everyone was guaranteed money and benefits with little or no work, or if there was world peace and a military was unneeded. It would also be great if health care was free and top-notch, resulting in the prevailing societal sentiment of “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need!” Attempting to create such a society doesn’t have such a great track record (see Russia, China and North Korea). However, to a college student in a classroom or at a College Democrats meeting, this idealism can be mistaken for reality. Without any experience in the real world, idealistic ideology runs amok. A lot of college students don’t work, support a family, file tax returns or vote. Being absent from the rigors of competition and the burden of keeping up in life, idealism manifested by liberalism can creep into one’s ideology in one’s youthful years. This idealism can make you believe that the world is run on emotion as opposed to reason. As Winston Churchill once said, “If you’re not a liberal when you’re 20, you have no heart. If you’re not a conservative when you’re 40, you have no head.” Maybe the root of liberalism in college students is found in the material they study in philosophy and political science. Karl Marx, Jeremy Bentham, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn and Friedrich Nietzsche, liberal minded theorists, are commonplace in syllabi across Mason. Each author has his own unspectacular, albeit very different, point of view on the world and has contributed to the modern liberal philosophy.

Perhaps if professors more frequently insisted on students reading conservative ideals from authors like Russell Kirk, Edmund Burke, Milton Friedman, John Stuart Mill and John Locke, this campus would have an entirely different philosophical makeup. Whatever is behind this prevalence of liberalism in college students, there needs to be a concerted effort to stop this growing trend. As students get older and head out into the real world, they find that their idealist beliefs don’t exactly work when put into practice. It might seem like a great idea to have universal health care but would you feel that way if it meant the majority of your paycheck goes to pay for it? Cap-and-trade may seem like a great policy but would you feel that way if that meant the company you work for couldn’t compete and would go under, resulting in your unemployment? Affirmative action might seem fair but would you feel that way if you lost out on a job you were qualified for based on your skin color? Does it make sense for the federal government to spend tax dollars at unprecedented amounts when you know your children will have to foot the bill, dramatically reducing their chances of being successful? Liberal college students often live in a bubble, shielded from the difficult rigors of maintaining a home, job and family. To those at Mason who would rather use their hearts than their heads concerning political beliefs, maybe you would benefit from putting things in perspective with your head, not your heart.

Authors and the earth EAG Opinion Columnist George Mason University’s annual Fall for the Book Festival kicked off this Monday and featured two climate change related events. On Monday, Bill McKibben, author of the first mainstream book on climate change, The End of Nature, and co-founder of 350.org, an organization dedicated to ending the climate crisis, spoke about his latest book Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. McKibben began by explaining the unusual spelling of “Earth” in his book’s title. According to McKibben, Earth is “different in irreversible ways” due to anthropogenic climate change and needs a new name, hence the extra “a” in Eaarth. The new spelling is “odd enough to constantly remind us how profoundly we’ve altered the only place we’ve ever known,” said McKibben. The author believes that while technological solutions for climate change are great, we need to focus on “getting political change quick enough to avoid the worst parts of climate change.” McKibben focused the majority of his lecture on political change.

While McKibben claimed not to be more of an activist than anyone else, he has spent most of the last two decades organizing others. Recently, he helped lead 350.org in a global effort to force action on climate change. McKibben spoke about the global day of action he organized last October when 350.org coordinated 5200 simultaneous demonstrations in 181 countries. CNN called it the “most widespread day of political action in history.” Last year, over 75 Mason students participated in the day of action by forming the number 350 in the Patriots Lounge of Student Union Building I for an aerial picture. He is organizing another “global work party” on Oct. 10 to bring attention to the issue and, while admitting there is no guarantee this will lessen the impacts of climate change, he holds firmly to the belief that “the only moral thing to do is do what we can to lower our impacts.” On Tuesday, Michael P. Nelson, editor of Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril, lead a town hall meeting to discuss our moral responsibilities for fighting climate change. Nelson agreed with McKibben that there is no question of

climate change’s occurrence but suggested the focus should be on what individuals can do to lessen their impact. According to Nelson, “we [Americans] are great with facts, but we suck with morals.” Nelson and New Century College professor Andrew Wingfield, also a panelist, read passages from various authors who contributed to Moral Ground about our moral responsibility to act. Mason student environmentalist Jason VonKundra was also a panelist. Mason has come a long way in trying to understand and combat climate change as duly noticed by McKibben since his last visit to Mason in 2006. Since 2006, President Alan Merten signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, committing Mason to becoming climate neutral, and there is now an Office of Sustainability, a B.A. in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and a B.S. in Environmental Science available to students. To find out more about Mason’s climate commitment, visit the Office of Sustainability’s website at http://green.gmu.edu. To learn more about the global work party on Oct. 10, visit http://www.350.org.

When it comes to workers, Sodexo says ‘Let them vote’ If the Service Employees International Union believes it has our employees’ support, Let Them Vote! Sodexo’s employees have proudly served the George Mason University community since 1984. Recently, Sodexo has been attacked by the SEIU, which wants to force us to recognize it as the employees’ representative, without our employees being able to vote on the issue themselves. SEIU is attempting to fuel its growth and dominate rival unions that traditionally represent food service workers. The issues raised on campus reﬂect SEIU’s campaign against Sodexo. The campaign does not take issue with Mason – and it is not about protecting Sodexo employees. Sodexo believes our employees should decide if they want union representation through a federally supervised secret ballot election. This basic right protects the privacy of every employee’s decision and prevents management or union organizers from exerting undue pressure on employees. Because of this stance, the SEIU has

targeted Sodexo and has orchestrated disruptive student and employee activity on campus based on false allegations about how we run our business and treat employees. The Mason community deserves an accurate picture of Sodexo. Sodexo is committed to creating opportunity for our employees. We provide competitive wages and lead our industry in expanding the beneﬁts available to front-line employees. We oﬀer training to help them learn new skills and get on a path to promotions and higher pay. We have signed records of the training completed by employees to ensure they have received and understand our safety procedures and Sodexo provides all required personal protective equipment. Our safety measures have been validated by an independent third party and state inspections. Sodexo respects the rights of our employees to join a union or not, as they choose. Our workforce is more than 15 percent unionized – more than twice the national average.

Nearly 90 percent of Sodexo’s Mason Dining employees have not participated in SEIU’s disruptive activities and many have complained about the SEIU’s intimidating organizing tactics. While these tactics may raise the union’s visibility, most of our employees say they’re not welcome. After a year of this misinformation campaign, the SEIU still has not sought recognition or ﬁled a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a federally supervised, secret ballot election at Mason or any other place where Sodexo operates. What’s the SEIU afraid of? If the SEIU has the employee support it claims, Let Them Vote! Our employees and the Mason community deserve a resolution to this purposeless campaign through a democratic, federally supervised secret ballot election.

Denise Ammaccapane Regional District Manger Sodexo

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Shots on goal taken by the men’s soccer team in their scoreless tie at Old Dominion, compared to only one at Maryland

Monday, September 27, 2010

WAR ON ICE Photo Courtesy of Ice Hockey Team

The Mason ice hockey team hopes to improve upon last years fourth place ﬁnish.

Mason ice hockey looks to make playoff push John Powell Sports Editor Last year, George Mason University’s men’s ice hockey team finished fourth in their division and thought they were going to the playoffs – until they found out that only the top three advanced. Shortly thereafter, the team seemed to lose its seriousness. The turnover rate climbed. At the end of the season, the head coach left the team. Nothing seemed to be going right but recently, things have changed. The roster increased by three players for a new total of 18 skaters. They promoted Steve Hyjek to the head-coaching position, who brought in Tim Sullivan, Bill Elder and Mike Tatavosian as his assistants. They even picked up Jon Roberts, who came from an NCAA D-III school in Connecticut. “We added new talent without getting rid of much of the core. [Our coach] is a level four out of five, then we have two assistant coaches that are five out of fives,” said Jordan Shahin, returning for his fourth year.

Now the team is playing in the Atlantic division of the Blue Ridge Hockey Conference and two of the top teams from their division are moving to the Colonial division. “We would consider anything but a first-place finish [as] a failure for the first time in our history,” said Shahin. Their rivals are College of William & Mary and, surprisingly, Northern Virginia Community College. Although Mason beat NOVA twice last year, NOVA is improving and may become a threat this year. The Patriots will be in a fight for first with the Tribe, who are considered one of the best teams in the conference. The team is given nearly $12,000 annually to help find sites for team practice and matches. They practice at Reston SkateQuest, which costs $300-$500 every occasion, and play their games at the Ashburn Ice House, which costs $1,000 every game. “The rink we used to play at last year, in Prince William [County], collapsed in the snow,” said Shahin, or the events would be held there. Each coach works with a different position. Sullivan is coach-

ing the three goalies – two more than the lone man they had last year. Elder works with the defenders, Hyjek works with the forwards, and Tatavosian, a graduate student, works with the players on strength and conditioning, “That’s the biggest thing: the commitment level we have from everyone, the players and the coaches, three or four solid freshman players, and the goalies,” said Shahin of why he thinks the season will turn out well. The team has 10 home games, nine of which are in the fall, starting on Oct. 9 against NOVA. The coaching staﬀ is working with the Washington Capitals to provide some special incentives for the fans who come out to the home games. Not only is every home game free for students with a Mason ID, but each entry is entered in a raﬄe to win Capitals memorabilia, including autographed pucks and jerseys signed by Capitals players and coaches. “This is about all we’ve got left. You’re going to see a war on ice – an absolute bloodbath,” said Shahin.

Roadtrip ends without a win Photo By Daniel McEnrue

The Patriots return to play at Mason on Oct. 2 against the VCU Rams.

Patriots held scoreless in loss, tie John Powell Sports Editor Coming off a 2-0 loss at the University of Maryland, George Mason University’s men’s soccer team opened their conference schedule with a scoreless tie at Old Dominion University. The No. 5 Terrapins came into the game with a 3-1-1 record to Mason’s 3-2. Though in record they appeared competitive, the Terps, only two years removed from their national championship season, looked as if they were returning to form Tuesday night. In the second year of a homeand-home series, one in which Mason won the game in Fairfax 20, the Patriots could not get their offense going. Sophomore midfielder Derek Markheim had the only shot on goal of the entire night, one of his two shots in the 77 minutes he played. Redshirt senior forward Ernesto Marquez had the only other shot. The game was scoreless in the first half, but early in the second,

Terp junior midfielder Matt Kassel took a free kick that was put in off the back of Terp sophomore defender/midfielder London Woodberry. Nine minutes later, Kassel took another free kick that went in off a Mason defender. Those watching the CBSSports.com GameTracker online may have been elated for a moment as the site read “own goal” to make the score 1-1. That was the most excitement that Patriots fans would find all night, until the site quickly fixed the error. Freshman goalkeeper Sean Cote did not have his best game, allowing two goals and only keeping six out. Mason was out-shot 17-3 in match number 1,000 in Maryland’s program’s history. The Patriots then traveled to Norfolk, Va. to open their conference schedule against Old Dominion. The Monarchs opened their conference portion with a 1-0 win at home against William & Mary. The game went to double overtime, ending in a scoreless tie. The Patriots fared slightly

better, as six players had nine shots on goal between them, led by Markheim, who had three. The Monarchs had 11 shots on goal split between four players, with three players having three each. Both men in the goal had a good game. Cote had a good comeback game, as he held up his end of a clean sheet by saving all 11 shots. The Monarchs’ redshirt senior goalkeeper Evan Newton stopped two in overtime for a total of eight in the game. The Patriots and the Monarchs had opportunities to score the entire game, but due to the good playing of the goalkeepers and a few shots that were just oﬀ the mark, most notably a Mason shot that hit the crossbar, shots were frequent but goals were scarce. The Monarchs went to 1-0-1, and the Patriots went to 0-0-1, putting the Monarchs in the division lead and leaving the Patriots tied for sixth. The Patriots have six days oﬀ before they play the VCU Rams at home on Oct. 2 at 5 p.m.

Photo Courtesy of Ice Hockey Team

Although there has been much turnover on the team, they feel as though they are still contenders.

Patriots down Dukes in three-game sweep John Kleeb Broadside Correspondent George Mason University’s women’s volleyball team returned home from a long three week road trip to a large home crowd of 484 people as they defeated their rival the James Madison Dukes. The Patriots did not disappoint the home crowd as they swept the Dukes 3 sets to 0. The Patriots improved their margin of victory in each of the three sets. The Patriots trailed the Dukes for much of the ﬁrst set but eventually edged the Dukes

27-25. Junior outside hitter Noelle Fanella said that ﬁrst set was crucial to the win and it gave the Patriots crucial momentum going into the second set, which she said the team dominated due to excellent blocking and observed that the back-row didn’t even have to do much. It was another excellent match for freshman outside hitter Lana Zonjic who led the team again with 13.5 points. Zonjic and Fanella each had 10 kills in the match. Zonjic also led with an impressive .500 shooting percentage. Senior setter Fernanda Bartels had a match high 29 blocks. Sophomore middle

blocker Danielle Cook had nine blocks to lead both teams. Senior middle blocker/opposite hitter Holly Goode had 13 digs to led both teams. The Patriots played like a team that was glad to be home and Cook said that being home felt good and she felt the team hadn’t played the way they wanted to on the road but she also felt the team learned valuable lessons on the road. The Patriots improved to 6-7 on the season and will again be on the road as they travel to Boston, Massachusetts to take another CAA foe in the Northeastern Huskies.

STUDENT RUSH IS BACK FOR THE 2010-11 PRE-SEASON ONLY! Bring your Student ID to the Verizon Center Box Ofﬁce after 10 a.m. on pre-season game days for a $20 upper or $40 lower level ticket!

TUESDAY, SEPT. 28, 7 P.M. VS. BOSTON FRIDAY, OCT. 1, 7 P.M. VS. COLUMBUS SUNDAY, OCT. 3, 12:30 P.M. VS. NASHVILLE

202.266.CAPS W WASHINGTONCAPS.COM

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F The Drive, The Fumble, The Snow Days Cody Norman Asst. Sports Editor Over the last five or six weeks, I have made it very clear that I am a huge fan of Cleveland sports while expressing my hatred for Washington teams. Part of the reason I enjoy bashing the District of Columbia teams is that being a Washington fan may be the only thing worse than being a Cleveland fan. We’ve had our hearts ripped out by Ernest Byner’s fumble, John Elway’s drive and LeBron James’s decision. But at least we’ve had good teams – although not good enough. Washington fans have just grown accustomed to their teams being awful. And that’s worse than anything the Browns, Indians or Cavaliers could ever do to us. But, with that being said, Cleveland sports teams have a knack for making decisions and comments that just leave me scratching my head and thinking, “What in the world are they thinking?” For instance, Larry Dolan, owner of the Cleveland Indians, has come up with the brilliant idea to turn Progressive Field into a “winter wonderland” during the offseason. (And I’m using the term ‘brilliant’ very loosely here, folks). The “Snow Days”, as they are being called, will include holidaythemed trails and places for tubing on the left field bleachers and a rink for ice skating. Rumors are that 150 tons of snow will be brought in to build this winter-themed amusement park. And I’m not against the “winter wonderland” idea. I love skiing and snow-tubing as much as the next guy, but the stadium was built to house a

competitive baseball team. I’d like to see Mr. Dolan focus more of his attention on building a winning ball-club which, by the way, hasn’t happened since he renamed Jacob’s Field in 2008. Instead, he’s happy making Cleveland the laughing stock of the MLB. There’ll be more people in that stadium for this wintery waste of time than there were during any baseball game this season. In other big news from the Cleveland sports wire, former all-star point guard Mo Williams was in the news throughout the week for an interview he did with Yahoo following LeBron James’s mockery of the Cavaliers’ franchise. Williams is an emotional guy. I know that because I’ve watched several post-game interviews. There have been times after a rough performance that I thought he was going to break down and cry right there in front of the media. But his Yahoo story took it all to a new level for me. He claims that after getting word that James would not be wearing a Cavaliers uniform next season, he is seriously considering retiring because his feelings were hurt. Now there is no bigger supporter of Williams than me. But come on, man. That kind of attitude reﬂects poorly on an organization that is already under ﬁre after the departure of our former king. How can any Cleveland sports fan honestly trust that Williams can ever perform when it really counts? When the going gets tough, does Williams just give up?

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