2.4.19- Fourth Estate

F O U RT H E S TAT E February 04, 2019

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Volume 6 Issue 13

NORTHAM’S RACIST PHOTO page 4

MISSING WATER TOWER News page 6

COFFEE WITH CABRERA Culture page 12

NATIONAL WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY Sports page 19

SILLY SHUTDOWNS Opinions page 22 @ivestate | gmufourthestate.com

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02.04.2019

FOURTH ESTATE

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

ALEXANDER SHEDD Editor-in-Chief

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

BASMA HUMADI Managing Editor IZZ LAMAGDELEINE Copy Chief LIZ ELKIND ZARA FAROUK SARAH LURIA BEN STOVNER Copy Editors

Dear Patriots, This has been an interesting semester so far, to say the least. Between the construction taking up most of campus and the robots periodically running into people around fence corners, it’s been a very different spring for a very different Mason.

As you start rolling through the semester, don’t forget to block out time for studying and online classes (do as I say, not as I do). It’s easy to fall behind after a slow start. Additionally, keep an eye out for any special guest speakers Mason may invite this season—as the field of Democratic presidential candidates and coffee tycoons grows, we’ll inevitably be hosting many of them. Keep in mind that some of these will not be announced until a couple days before they come.

This issue has some very important stories in it. Like most others in the Commonwealth, we were caught off guard by the sudden scandal from Governor Northam. You can find our coverage in the News section. You can also find some of my own bylines in this issue: check out my interview with President Cabrera in Culture and my story on student poverty in Opinions.

February is Black History Month, and it’s an important time to remember the meaning of white privilege and the ongoing struggle of African Americans as well as to read up on American history— you should be doing these things all year, but if you’re not, now’s your chance. As Dr. King said, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

DANA NICKEL News Editor ABIGAIL ADCOX Assistant News Editor MONICA ECHOLS Culture Editor HAILEY BULLIS Assistant Culture Editor CHRIS KERNAN-SCHMIDT Opinions Editor NATALIE HEAVREN Sports Editor DOMENIC ALLEGRA Assistant Sports Editor LAUREN SULLIVAN Investigative Editor KRISTEN TALMAN GMU Korea Coordinator ALLIE THOMPSON Photo Editor

Your Editor In Chief, Alexander Shedd

ALEXANDRIA MCALPINE Art Director BILLY FERGUSON Online Director LAURA SCUDDER Social Media Editor

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02.04.2019

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STUDENTS BRING THEIR AGENDA TO THE CAPITOL

Mason lobbies for higher education funding ABIGAIL ADCOX ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

MASON HONORS MLK MULTIGENERATIONAL ACTIVIST EVENT Three prominent female activists visit Mason to honor Martin Luther King Jr. DANA NICKEL NEWS EDITOR

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words and actions in his life have inspired activism and advocacy across the U.S. since the Civil Rights Movement began. On Jan. 30, Mason students, faculty and activists in the area came together in Dewberry Hall to honor his life, memory and legacy in the Martin Luther King Commemoration: Evening of Reflection.

Mason’s community was joined by civil rights leader Diane Nash as well as Trinice McNally, director and founder of the Center for Diversity, Inclusion & Multicultural Affairs at the University of District Columbia and 12 year old activist Naomi Walder, the youngest speaker at the 2018 March for Our Lives.

The event was sponsored by Mason’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Multicultural Education (ODIME).

These multigenerational activists came together in a panel to discuss their views on social justice and activism, as well as how much work has been done and still needs to be done. The theme of the event was inspired by the iconic words of civil rights activist Ella Baker, “We cannot rest.”

The panelists answered and discussed what these words meant to them, and recalled what first sparked their desire for advocacy of marginalized groups and social justice.

Nash, who took on a leadership role during the Civil Rights Movement, an era in U.S. history where it was unpopular to see a woman in a position of power, recalled her days as

a civil rights activist.

“Well, I think fear is a strong motivator,” Nash continued. “If our organization did not have effective leadership, people could get seriously injured or even killed.”

Walder also explained her interest in activism at such a young age. “A lot of people think that it’s just my mom talking … and it’s not,” she said. “It’s me talking, a young black girl who sees what goes on in the news and who, from a young age, has been asking herself and her mother why black people were not on the news or the front pages of newspapers.”

Walder credits her entrance into her social justice program with her curiosity surrounding the lack of national coverage for violence against people in the black community, specifically gun violence.

The panel also answered audience questions about how the Mason community can become more engaged in advocacy and social justice.

“It doesn’t always have to be on this big national scale,” Walder explained.

She recalled her first act of protest was a smaller walkout at her school, at George Mason Elementary in Alexandria.

The event concluded with awards to honor and recognize Mason students, faculty and staff who had displayed immense support and advocacy for marginalized communities at Mason, throughout the state of Virginia and nationwide.

On Wednesday Jan. 30, roughly 50 students rode to the Virginia State Capitol to lobby for Mason Lobbies, an annual event. This year students were advocating for increased financial aid, salary compensation increases for Mason faculty, additional research funding and more.

“In terms of per-student spending, Mason lags behind in how much money we get from the state,” said Tim O’Shea, the executive secretary for government and community relations for Student Government.

Mason students in action,” O’Shea explained.

He continued, “It really shows the force that Mason students are able to put into causes that they care about.”

Students who attended the lobbying day were required to complete online training on lobbying and were provided with a packet of helpful information before arriving in Richmond, including specific information for their legislators, a map of

This year, Mason was advocating for an additional $12 million in funding to bring the per-student general fund appropriation more in line with that of other institutions.

“The biggest reason for me, and this comes from conversations with the State Relations office, is that you consistently hear that state legislators and their [staffs] have a very strong opinion of Mason students as civically engaged and very adept students, and part of that is because of things like Mason Lobbies, where they get to see

Jaramillo explained Mason’s lack of funding compared to other public universities in Virginia.

“I discussed with them how our school is in need of increased financial support from the state, because we are the fastest growing and largest public school in Virginia, and it is difficult for us to keep up with this,” Jaramillo said. “Mason has grown so much that people often forget we are still so young, and therefore we are not bringing in the alumni donations that other schools in the state do, and that is why we need to rely on the state for assistance.”

Jaramillo continued, “We asked them to continue to support Mason and to keep us in mind when they are voting on the budget.”

According to Mason’s 2019 Budget and Legislative Priorities sheet, as “more than 30 percent of our students are eligible for need-based Pell Grants and 40 percent are the first in their family to attend college, additional financial aid funding is required to meet the unmet need goal of the Commonwealth.”

Any student was able to attend Mason Lobbies Day, but over two-thirds of those who went were members of Student Government.

In addition, this year over 80 percent of students attending were members of another student organization besides Student Government, according to O’Shea. This was in part an effort to target students who were active on campus outside of Student Government, and who might be able to personally relate how student funding affects them.

for Student Government.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TIM O’SHEA

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GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

the capital, emergency contact information, fact cards created by Office of State Relations and a document detailing their legislative priorities.

From 9:30 to 11 a.m., students divided themselves into teams to attend meetings with legislators. Some students were able to meet with legislators representing their home districts.

During this time, the students advocated for a variety of Masoncentric issues that they wished to see legislators support in the next budget.

“I had the chance to meet with Del. Mark Levine and Sen. Adam Ebbin,” recalled Yasmin Jaramillo, the undersecretary for state governmental affairs

Other issues that students advocated for include funding to improve telecommunications network infrastructure, funding to provide for Mason’s partnership with Northern Virginia Community College (ADVANCE) and research funding to promote innovation and job creation.

After the meetings with legislators, five students were selected to sit in the gallery of the State Senate and five others in the gallery of the House of Delegates. They were recognized by the state legislators for being in attendance.

“I learned that our legislators appreciate hearing from the people they represent, and that as students, we can make a difference in our own education by being advocates for our school,” concluded Jaramillo.

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02.04.2019

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NORTHAM UNDER FIRE TO RESIGN AFTER RACIST PHOTO EMERGES

George Mason Democrats react to the news

“This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service,” he continued. “But I want to be clear, I understand how this decision shakes Virginians’ faith in that commitment.”

The photo was first released by Big-League Politics, a far-right news site, and the Virginian-Pilot soon picked up the photograph to confirm its authenticity, which led to an onslaught of national news outlet to follow.

In another yearbook of his from the Virginia Military Institute, one of the nicknames listed under his photo is “Coonman,” which is considered to be a racial slur.

Multitudes of public officials from both sides have now called for Governor Northam to resign, including former Va. Governor McAuliffe, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez, the NAACP, the Republican Party of Virginia and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, among others.

George Mason Democrats (GMU Dems) joined in, calling for Northam’s resignation in a press release on Friday stating, “As the Commonwealth of Virginia continues to reconcile with its past as the capital of the Confederacy, its complicity in the oppression of Black Americans, and in the context of the events of August 11th and 12th, 2017 in Charlottesville, the George Mason Democrats condemn with the strongest possible language the abhorrent behavior of Governor

continued. “Well, that’s if he is the man in blackface.”

The statement continued, “Furthermore, we hereby call upon Governor Ralph Northam to immediately resign his position as governor and allow Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax to assume office so that healing may begin.”

Other GMU Dems members were calling for Northam to be held accountable for his actions, and said this should set a precedent for how we proceed with vetting future elected officials.

GMU Dems were strong proponents in campaigning for Northam during his 2017 election, holding phone banks, canvassing across the state and more. Mason also hosted Northam’s election night victory party in the HUB ballroom.

Initial reactions from GMU Dems members were disappointment, sadness and general sentiments of anger.

“That was my first election cycle where I was campaigning, so like it was a big deal, [with] me getting experience and being involved in the political field, and as you said I have met him a couple times,” said Ashley Stewart, a conflict analysis and resolution major who was also an intern at the time with GMU Dems.

“I am genuinely disappointed,” she said. “I know it’s unsure which one he is [in the photo], but they are both

“I find it incredibly disgusting and offensive that Ralph, who very well knew this was out there, did not disclose this to voters before deciding to run for office, generally let alone before running for [lieutenant governor] then governor,” expressed Andrew Millin, a conflict analysis and resolution major who was the chief of staff of GMU Dems at the time.

Millin continued, “As my dad said, ‘Lesson learned that policy and values are not the same thing. Always demand both.” I think this is incredibly true going forward that we need to continue holding all our elected officials to this high level of standard.’”

In addition, GMU Dems also discussed how they felt this might affect the Democratic Party of Virginia’s (DPVA) agenda as a whole, including the late-term abortion bill that Northam publicly supported.

“I think that the DPVA will not be

FOURTH ESTATE MORGAN MCCARTHY

“I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now,” said Northam in an initial statement on Friday.

Ralph Northam for which there is no excuse.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF VIRGINIA PILOT

ABIGAIL ADCOX ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is under tremendous pressure from both sides of the aisle to resign after a photo emerged from his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook on Friday, Feb. 1. The photo depicts two men: one in blackface and another dressed in a Klu Klux Klan uniform.

bill and others that Northam has supported, I do not think that the current situation will affect them too much. Many of these progressive ideas go beyond Northam and are valued by

“You want to feel honored and proud of the people that are serving you, and I don’t feel that right now.” terrible. I worked several several hours, made so many phone calls, knocked on doors for this man.”

“I think the first time that I actually saw him was in Hampton Roads or Norfolk, where a good majority of the districts population are African American people and now they’re your constituents and you wore them as a costume once?,” Stewart

affected too much by this,” explained Camden Layton, a public administration major and the current vice president of GMU Dems. “I say this because immediately, many of the different democratic caucuses and groups around the state have voiced their opposition to the Governor and have called for him to resign.”

He continued, “With Del. Tran’s

many in the party.”

Fourth Estate also reached out to College Republicans for a comment on the matter, but they did not respond.

Northam seemed to go back on his statement from Friday in a press conference on Saturday, Feb. 2 denying any recollection of the image and expressing intent to serve out the

rest of his three year term despite calls for his resignation.

“It has taken time to make sure that it’s not me, but I’m convinced I’m not on that photo,” he said Saturday morning.

Northam went on to say that though he thought the photo was not of him, he does remember a different time where he dressed up in blackface as part of a Michael Jackson costume at a dance contest in San Antonio.

Leaders of both sides continued to request his immediate resignation following the press conference.

If Northam were to step down, then his lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax would take his place, becoming only Virginia’s second African-American governor in history.

“You want to feel honored and proud of the people that are serving you, and I don’t feel that right now,” said Stewart about Northam.

Editor’s Note: This is a developing story.

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02.04.2019

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SUPREME COURT ALLOWS TRANSGENDER BAN IN MILITARY

Mason responds to Trump’s transgender military ban IZZ LAMAGDELEINE COPY CHIEF

several holds that lower courts have put on the policy, it is almost assured that this policy is about to go into effect. This has the potential to harm countless members of the military who identify as transgender, as well as gender-nonconforming and nonbinary troops.

“The ban really has nothing to do with evidence and facts, how the military themselves define [this issue],” said Josh Kinchen, the associate director for LGBTQ Resources at Mason.

Under the ban, transgender people serving in the military are prohibited from serving under their preferred gender, with exceptions made for those who are already serving while openly transgender or those that are willing to serve as the sex they were born as.

FOURTH ESTATE ALEXANDRIA MCALPINE

The ban also states that individuals

“There’s direct mental health impacts to being able to access appropriate healthcare if you’re trans, and detrimental effects if you can’t, so this will

impact folks immediately … because they aren’t able to have the same access to health care that is important for their mental health that everybody else can,” Kinchen said. A veteran of the Marines, he cited the various uniforms of the different branches of the military as one way that the ban could affect the presentation of those who are currently serving.

He said that if a branch were thinking about changing their uniform or regulations to make them more gender-neutral, then they could be discouraged by this ban, preventing those who are transgender from being able to serve authentically.

“In my perspective, in an organization, any sort of team-based activity whether it’s athletics, whether it’s being in the military you’re being asked to bring a lot,” Kinchen said.

“In the military, you’re being asked to bring all. You’re being asked to sort of commit your entire life to this lifestyle and being part of the military, and committing everything, up and including your own death, in there.

So that means you have to be able to be able to be authentically engaged with what you’re doing, and when you don’t, you’re wasting a lot of energy trying to make sure you’re not outwardly showing anything.”

member of any branch of the armed forces, to the fact that the military is having this conversation today.

“In my mind, and this is true for lots of marginalized groups, patience is never rewarded,” Kinchen said. “We just have to do what the right thing to do is now. Now is always the answer.

Doing it well and doing it strategically and doing it sustainably is important, but telling a group to wait because folks aren’t ready yet is not actually, it’s not actually based on anything besides folks wanting to uphold the status quo.”

A member of the military who is currently serving said that though they do not agree with the policy in any way, it is not transphobic, as the military will still be committed to providing dignity and respect to members of all of the armed forces serving our country, citing current policy that the military follows. (They asked not to be identified in this article, as they are still serving.)

Because the ban restricts who can enter the military, Kinchen also mentioned that this could harm the military itself,

since it keeps an entire group of people from joining an organization that is always looking for more members and is small to begin with, considering the requirements it takes to join.

“Why would you dissuade anyone from wanting to join if they really feel like that is [in] alignment with what they want to do? For any reason?”

Kinchen asked.

He concluded, “There’s only a certain amount of people who are willing that will be able to meet those criteria, and so that’s the thing. [If] someone wants to join and they’re willing to join and they are willing to make this commitment and this sacrifice and they’re able, just let them do it.”

However, Kinchen said that policy is important to influence the culture within the military, as it ensures that all members of the military can express who they truly are within an deliberately inclusive environment.

“There’s a lot of stories from unit to unit where individual commanders will allow folks to … particularly gender express and grooming (sic) in a way that is consistent with how they identify, rather than what is on the paperwork,” Kinchen said.

“I think it’s when the larger conversations … gets tricky, around official policy and officially how folks engage with each other,” he continued. “...

There was nothing from a policy perspective that was informing the culture about what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. And so I think that’s where the intersection for me is important. It’s like, ‘Yes, dignity and respect is all good,’ but there’s individual conditions if there is not a policy in place.”

The currently serving military member also said that the progress that the military has made in the recent past is remarkable, from formally ending in 2010 the policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which did not allow openly gay, lesbian or bisexual people to serve as a

FOURTH ESTATE ALEXANDRIA MCALPINE

Now, with the Supreme Court lifting

who suffer from gender dysphoria are not allowed to serve, either. Gender dysphoria is a condition in which one feels emotionally and psychologically connected to the sex opposite of what they were assigned to at birth.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PBS

A proposed transgender military ban has been kept from becoming active policy by court action since July 2017, when President Trump tweeted about how he wished to reverse progressive procedures that had been created in the Obama administration including the right for transgender people to serve openly within the armed forces.

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REMOVAL OF WATER TOWER FROM FAIRFAX CAMPUS

A Q&A with Mason and Fairfax Water representatives over water tower removal SABIHA BASIT STAFF WRITER

Michael Sandler, Mason’s director of strategic communications, and Susan Miller, Fairfax Water spokesperson, sat down with Fourth Estate to both discuss the project and what Mason students should expect from the water tower’s removal.

From Susan Miller, Fairfax Water spokesperson Q. Why is the water [tower] being removed?

A. To improve service to customers, Fairfax Water will be replacing its existing water storage tank located on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University (GMU). The existing tank controls water pressure on the campus, as well as surrounding areas in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. These areas experience delivery pressures that are lower than those typically experienced elsewhere in Fairfax Water’s system.

Q. Why was the water tank initially built on the Fairfax campus?

PHOTO COURTESY OF MASON POLICE

MASON WEEKLY CRIME LOG

A. The tank was built in the 1970s by the City of Fairfax. The City owned and operated the tank until 2014, when Fairfax Water acquired the City’s distribution system. The tank serves as water storage for the area and to help increase water pressure. With increased development in the area since the ’70s, a new tank is needed for additional storage, to improve water pressure and to improve fire protection on the campus.

Q. Will something replace the water tank?

A. A new tank will be constructed on the same site as the previous tank between University Drive and Sideburn Road. The replacement tank will be taller than the existing tank, which will increase delivery pressures to customers in the areas shown on the map shown here.Changes to the style of the tank will also ensure water quality will be maintained.

From Michael Sandler, Mason director of strategic communications

some construction trucks and traffic into and out of the area of the tank site during peak construction periods.

Q. What can Mason students expect from [the water tank’s] removal, such as traffic, parking issues, blocked entrances/pathways?

Q. How will the removal of this tank affect the Child Development Center (which is situated near the water tank)?

A. The tank was removed during winter break, minimizing the noise impact on students. There will be

Based on the results, the outdoor play areas remained closed and were not reopened until the clean-up was complete. The university hired an environmental contractor to conduct a thorough cleaning of all outdoor surfaces, structures and play areas.

In order to ensure the safety of the children, parents and staff, the CDC was closed for one week during the cleanup process. Following post-confirmation testing, the CDC was cleared by the Fairfax County Health Department for normal operations, which resumed on Jan. 29.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

As students have noticed, Mason has recently undergone major changes to its Fairfax campus, from demolishing Robinson Hall B to the introduction of food-delivery robots. However, one project that many students might be surprised to notice is the removal of the water tower.

A. The removal of the old water tower was conducted during winter break, when the Child Development

Thursday, Jan. 31- Fairfax Campus, Multiple Times Stalking: Two Complainants (GMU) reported receiving unwanted photos and messages from an unknown subject.

Case 2019-000869- Referred to Title IX

Center (CDC) was closed and unoccupied. After tower demolition was completed, George Mason University conducted testing in and around the CDC to screen for lead contamination. All interior sample results were below the EPA clearance level for lead in child-occupied facilities, but surface dust in outdoor play areas was found to contain elevated levels of lead.

Moving forward, the construction of the new water tower will involve heavy construction equipment, so construction may create loud noises that can be heard inside the CDC or other nearby buildings. Mason’s Environmental Health and Safety Office will be monitoring noise levels during the construction process and will be working with Fairfax Water to keep noise below acceptable levels. The water tower project also necessitated closure of the driveway loop at the CDC to separate the CDC parking lot from construction vehicle traffic. This has altered the previous drop-off and pick-up procedures for Child Development Center parents and children.

Monday, Jan. 28-Fairfax Campus, Fairfax Campus, 6:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property: Complainant (GMU) reported scratches on a vehicle.

Case 2019-000764- Closed

Wednesday, Jan. 30- Fairfax Campus, 11:16 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 27- Fairfax Campus, 1:55 a.m.

Theft from Building: Complainant (GMU) reported the theft of an unattended wallet from an unsecured location.

Drug/Narcotic Violations: Subject (GMU) was referred to Office of Student Conduct (OSC) for possessing illegal drugs. Two other Subjects (Non-GMU) were given verbal warnings for the same offense.

Case 2019-000870- Inactive

Case 2019-000722-Referred to OSC Tuesday, Jan. 29- Fairfax Campus, Multiple Times Stalking: Complainant (GMU) reported receiving unwanted contact from a former intimate partner (GMU) on multiple occasions.

Case 2019-000813- Referred to Title IX

Friday, Jan. 25- Fairfax Campus, 12:11 a.m.

Liquor Law Violations / Medical Assist: Subject (GMU) was given a verbal warning for being highly intoxicated in public and transported to Inova Hospital.

Case 2019-000642- Closed

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02.04.2019

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ROBOTS ROLL UP TO CAMPUS A breakdown of business, security and student opinion MATTHEW HAYES STAFF WRITER

the university was allowing the delivery service: “It will benefit both the students and the businesses paying rent here.”

The food delivery service, Starship Technologies, is currently delivering orders from Second Stop, Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and Blaze Pizza. The service is planning to expand to other restaurants, and the downloadable app used to place orders has listed Chickfil-A and Steak ’n Shake as coming soon. In addition to more delivery options for food, packages from Mason’s mailroom were also listed as a coming feature of the delivery system.

The company has also been credited for the security aspect of the delivery robots. No reports of theft involving these new robots have appeared in Mason’s Department of Police and Public Safety’s Daily Crime and Fire Log.

For the delivery service, students are charged an extra $1.99 with their order, with this additional cost going to Starship Technologies. Mason also receives a portion of the on-campus food sales delivered by the company.

According to a January article from The Washington Post, Mark Kraner, Mason’s executive director of campus retail operations, stated two reasons

Some students are not in support of this new addition to Mason’s Fairfax campus. Kendal Denny, a Mason student who has ordered food through the Starship app twice, described the issue of increasing wait times for popular fast food restaurants on campus.

“I believe it took over 40 minutes for me to receive my order from the time it was placed,” Denny said. “The app just kept updating the time over and over, saying it would be delivered in 10 minutes, then it would jump back to 25 [minutes].”

Despite the delays, Denny said that she would continue to use the delivery service.

“I believe I will continue using this service sparingly,” she explained. “I mainly will use it when I’m too busy studying to take a break or when it’s just too cold outside.”

While Starship Technologies was initially overwhelmed by the demand for food deliveries around campus, it remains to be seen whether the demand for delivery will remain high as the weather gets warmer.

FOURTH ESTATE NICOLAS MACOTTO

As well as the incoming freshman and transfer students, Mason has a new addition to its Fairfax campus� delivery robots.

THIS WEEK IN POLITICS Monday, Jan. 28 Prosecution rests in case of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán after calling 56 witnesses to the stand.

Tuesday, Jan. 29 The U.S. further supports Juan Guaidó’s claim to the Venezuelan presidency through crippling sanctions on President Nicolás Maduro’s main source of income, stateowned oil.

Wednesday, Jan. 30 The U.S. begins trade talks with China as the early March deadline signifying the resumption of tariffs and their trade war looms.

Thursday, Jan. 31 The cold weather in the Midwest continues to sink to dangerously low temperatures, causing the death toll to rise to more than 20 people.

Friday, Feb. 1 Democratic Sen. Cory Booker announces that he is running for president in the 2020 elections.

University yearbook photos of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam in a racist costume surface both online and in the media.

Apple claims that Google and Facebook violated Apple’s privacy policy by paying users to download apps that track their personal information.

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CORE CAMPUS PROJECT ENTERS NEW PHASE A sit-down with project manager Cathy Pinskey JACK HARVEY STAFF WRITER

Since arriving back for the spring semester, Mason students have no doubt noticed the vast increase of construction around the Fairfax campus.

replacement of utility infrastructure.

The demolition of Robinson B signals the shift of the Core Campus Project into its third phase, which has involved both the shuttering of the pathway leading from the Johnson Center (JC) to the Commons and Wilkins Plaza and the absence of the beloved clocktower.

The website also explained that Robinson B will not be torn down until construction of the new building is complete. The space it leaves behind will be eventually used to build a spiral meditation garden and amphitheater.

Fourth Estate sat down on Jan. 30 with Cathy Pinskey, the program manager in charge of the Core Campus Project, to understand both the purpose and impact of ongoing construction.

Pinskey described the Core Campus Project as a combination of two building projects, the demolition and replacement of Robinson and surrounding areas as well as a

The expansion of the plaza, described as phase 3B, will involve the demolition of the existing walkway and the installation of more modern piping.

Construction is to be concluded late fall 2019.

Pinskey explained that the more technical part of the project is a major replacement of chilled water piping around campus.

“We’re ... replacing existing underground chilled water pipes that are basically beyond the end of their useful life,” Pinskey said. “A lot of our underground piping is of a material they don’t make anymore. … [We] come in after and take the old piping out, or we flow-fill it, which means we just fill it solid and leave it underground.”

improve air conditioning throughout campus.

Though construction will be ongoing, students can expect some relief, as Pinksey stated that construction fencing south of the JC should be down before spring break.

The piping work is also an effort to

When asked about concerns that the demolition of Robinson B will leave Mason with fewer classrooms, Pinskey responded, “The rooms in Robinson, although there were many, were not the highest-utilized rooms. … [We] believe we are actually ending up in a net-positive situation with rooms that are going to be better-utilized. Stateof-the-art rooms.”

Pinskey also cited the construction of Peterson Hall and the Global Center as having offset any loss of classroom space caused by the demolition of Robinson.

FOURTH ESTATE ALLIE THOMPSON

Construction on the pathway leading from the JC to the Commons is to be completed in late November 2019.

The building set to replace Robinson A in its spot has been referred to as the new academic building, and is set to open in spring 2021.

The new academic building, according to its construction website, will have six floors and 27 classrooms holding between 27 and 120 students.

The new academic building’s construction is occurring simultaneously with the expansion of Wilkins Plaza down toward Southside Dining Hall.

MASON CHOOSES PERMANENT SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE Former Metro CFO takes job at Mason DANA NICKEL NEWS EDITOR

Cabrera also praised Kissal for her work at Emory University, saying, “She also successfully developed and implemented multiple financial strategies which underpinned growth through In an email sent to Mason’s faculty increased investments in the universiand staff, President Cabrera praised ty’s strategic plan initiatives.”

Kissal for her past work experience. In addition to Mason’s financial “Carol is an exceptionally accom- matters, Kissal will be in charge of the plished financial executive who has oversight of Mason’s police departheld high-profile jobs in both higher ment, as well as transportation and … education and the public sector,” it parking services. She will also be in said. charge of human resources and payroll for Mason faculty, staff and student According to an article from News employees, as well as space manageat Mason, Kissal has been Emory ment, facilities management and University’s vice president of finance since 2014. Similar to the position construction. she has taken here at Mason, she was in charge of managing Emory University’s fiscal services. She was also responsible for Emory University and Emory Healthcare’s accounting operations.

“developing, managing and imple- The emailed announcement and the menting an annual $2.6 billion release on Mason’s news website made no note of the federal report or the financial operating and capital plan.”

Kissal spent over five years as reason behind Kissal’s departure from WMATA’s CFO, but according to a the WMATA.

but the reason I left WMATA was to take a position as CFO for Emory University in Atlanta. There was no connection between the federal audit and my departure.”

report from The Washington Post, her “The timing of my departure from Kissal will officially take over from departure from the position in April WMATA is correct,” Kissal explained interim senior vice president Tom 2014 followed a “critical federal report to Fourth Estate on Friday, Feb. 1, “... Calhoun on March 1. that found numerous issues with the authority’s contracting and procurement practices—areas that she oversaw during her tenure.”

After the near-50-page federal draft report was released, the Federal Transit Administration restricted WMATA’s ability to draw from federal grant funds. The report was released shortly Before she worked in higher education, after executives at WMATA began a Kissal worked as the chief financial campaign to convince the public and officer (CFO) of Washington politicians alike to invest an additional Metropolitan Area Transit Authority $26 billion over the next 30 years to (WMATA). In his announcement, rebuild WMATA’s system.

Cabrera recognized Kissal’s role in

PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

Mason’s administration was proud to select Carol Kissal as the permanent replacement for J.J. Davis, as Mason’s senior vice president of finance and administration.

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CLIMATE CHANGE: THE PAST AND PRESENT

Journalist Leigh Phillips talks about dealing with the Anthropocene ABIGAIL ADCOX ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Humanity has just over a decade to get climate change under control before catastrophic climate change impacts become unavoidable, according to a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

home planet’s 4.5 billion-year history, a single species is dictating Earth’s future.”

Phillips broke his talk into three parts: “Goldilocks Planet,” “Five Responses

when over 75 percent of all species were wiped out most likely due to vascular plants upsetting the harmony of land and sea. Phillips made the point that Earth is resilient, but that

anti-modernism.”

Green said “neo-Malthusianism and anti-modernism” is a complicated way of stating that policy would “focus on scale and growth, letting the

Simon L. Lewis and Mark A. Maslin’s book “The Human Planet: How We Created the Anthropocene” was quoted within Phillips’ presentation, including “For the first time in our

The Green New Deal is one possible starting place for improvement that Phillips supports. The bill is a four-part program toward sustainability, inspired by the New Deal programs from the Great Depression. It was recently brought into the spotlight by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NASA

In response, there is a growing discussion revolving around the Anthropocene, described as “relating to or denoting the current age, viewed as the period in which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.”

As part of this discussion, Mason hosted a talk on Jan. 31 with British-Canadian journalist Leigh Phillips, titled “Planning the Good Anthropocene.” Phillips has previously covered science for “The Guardian” and “New Scientist,” among others, and has written two books on the topic.

of all new cars were electric vehicles in Norway.

to the Biocrisis” and “Democratic Planning of the Geo-Anthropic System,” discussing the scientific past of the planet, the current situation and possible approaches to it, and steps to take to counteract climate change.

Looking at the past, Phillips went over the Late Devonian extinction event,

both humans and our way of life are in danger

real villain, the market, off the hook,” according to Phillips.

The five responses to the biocrisis that Phillips proposed were economic planning, market mechanisms, ecomodernism, social democracy and market socialism and the “green left neo-Malthusianism and

“Climate policy remains focused on ineffective and unjust carbon pricing,” said Phillips. He cited one case in Norway which implemented electric vehicle charging stations across the country. In 2017, around 20 percent

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To conclude his talk, Phillips encouraged immediate action to change the current trajectory.

“We need to assume, until shown otherwise, that we are the only conscious [life] in the universe,” said Phillips. “So we have a real responsibility to preserve that consciousness, to make sure that the universe continues to be aware of itself. Otherwise, what is the point of it all?”

He continued, “Nothing matters outside of that. This is why we ultimately need to maintain and optimize the current system so consciousness can continue to be there, and also so that we have sufficient technological advancements so that we can get off this planet.”

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OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING ISSUES

What students moving off-campus should know IZZ LAMAGDELEINE COPY CHIEF

However, within the off-campus system, students can be easily exposed to landlords who are predatory or exploitative in nature.

Off-campus housing does not personally meet any of those that put their space for rent on their website, where all options they have shown available to rent are stored. Often, they are not in direct contact with the property owners that have listings shown on the site.

In order to gain access to the site, property owners will go onto the site and sign up depending on their housing classification. Individual/ private owners have to pay a fee of $50 in order to have access to post onto the website for one year, as well as a Basic Business License (BBL) if located in Washington, D.C.

themselves, utilizing a company called Off Campus Partners instead, they also do not screen any of the lessors that appear on the site itself. This places the burden of discovering predatory lessors onto others, namely Mason students.

As the company that is responsible for the website, Off Campus Partners is mainly responsible for the screening the website and ensuring that members of the community are not being exposed to predatory landlords, and having

Mentioned on Off Campus Partners’ personal website, there is also no comprehensive safety checklist o n Mason’s off-camp u s website at this time, w h i c h would be a resource often found through the Internet that would describe how to stay safe while searching for housing.

Although o t h e r resources include tips, there is ulti-

As off-campus housing does not personally handle their website

mately more information on parking than safety on the site.

“This is something that the university has decided to put up, so that is not something that we have personally put up there,” a representative from Off Campus Partners said about a comprehensive safety checklist, who thought that universities should definitely have one of these resources on their site. “Any resource is approved by the university.”

She also stated that they look at every single listing that comes onto the website, looking to see if it is appropriate.

However, Off Campus Partners also does not take any responsibility if something happens to a student, pointing to the terms of service provided at the bottom of the website, which includes, “The information provided on this website concerning rental properties is provided by landlords/ rental agencies, and neither George Mason University (Mason) nor Off Campus Partners, LLC (Off Campus Partners) makes a n y

Once allowed onto the site, it is highly autonomous, with the person behind the listing responsible for all aspects of advertising and selling the space except for the running of the website.

“If a student has found a property on our website that the landlord isn’t doing what they’re supposed to do, or for some reason they don’t like their situation and they’ll let us know, at that point we would go and look into that property lister and then take appropriate steps,” Casey Smith, coordinator of off-campus student services, said.

“We would see if they’re active on the site still, if there’s been any other complaints against them but we don’t handle landlord/tenant issues.”

scammers our system picks up on, and we flag all of those” the representative for Off Campus Partners said.

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

As finding space on-campus is a problem for many Mason students, living off-campus in their own apartment or room is an attractive alternative. With 652 students seen last semester in fall appointments with an off-campus advisor as well as 596 students that were found to be coming to the off-campus student lounge when the department started measuring on Oct. 1, off-campus housing seems like the place to be for many students at Mason.

systems in place that allow them to detect those that are trying to scam or harm students.

“With scammers and things like that, we have the technology to pinpoint a phone number that has been used multiple times, an email that has been used multiple times, specific emails that are often associated with

representations or warranties that any of the information listed on this website about the properties is accurate.”

“How are we supposed to know that?

That’s why we have the terms of service, and we let everyone know that [they should] ‘Ask your questions, meet with them in person,’” she said. “We essentially just provide the resource that connects students and landlords.”

Neither off-campus housing nor Off Campus Partners handles any issues that involves tenant and landlord disputes.

“We don’t take on any of that as Off-Campus Student Services, but we do refer students to external help if they do need it, but that doesn’t tend to be the majority of our conversations with students,” Smith said.

Fairfax County Consumer Affairs is one of these external helpers, allowing tenants to mediate or arbitrate with their landlords in order to come to an agreement that satisfies both sides.

“A lot of times it’s just a matter of trying to get everybody to step back in, take the emotion out of it and just think of it as a business transaction ‘cause at the end of the day that is the way it’s being viewed by the law, because you’re a tenant-landlord relationship, it is like a business transaction, so it’s really just trying to get people to maybe take it down a notch and try to understand the other side and see if there’s some middle ground where an agreement can be made,” a member of the branch said.

However, there are limits to what the Fairfax County Consumer Affairs branch can do, as they are not lawyers or law enforcement officials and the process is voluntary.

“We can pretty much mediate anything having to do with tenant [and] landlord issues, but there needs to be a resolution in sight,” they said. “Sometimes we negotiate termination of a lease, and sometimes the landlord’s not willing to do that, so it just depends.”

As college students may not be willing to attend court over these issues because of the money or time that it requires, they can end up not pursuing the matter any further than that, which could allow the landlord to harm future tenants again.

With so much uncertainty, students should be sure to do a complete screening of their housing options and be sure to meet their landlords face to face prior to any commitments.

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FEBRUARY KICKS OFF WITH A (SILENT) BANG Students celebrate Black/African Heritage Month with a silent party MONICA ECHOLS CULTURE EDITOR

Upon arriving to the party, attendants were given a set of headphones that they could use to switch back and forth between three music stations, each controlled by a different DJ. Depending on which station they were listening to, the headphones would light up blue, red or green.

The beauty of a silent party is that it allows each individual to customize their own unique listening experience.

The music that was played covered a range of black musical genres, allowing listeners to alternate from rocking to old school classics to rapping along to more modern hits, or to switch from dancing to go-go to Afro-Caribbean music as they pleased.

Brittany Green, a senior information systems and operations management major, had never been to a silent party

before, but she enjoyed the experience.

“It was my first one, but I really liked it,” she said. “I liked the different genres of music.”

Senior Communication major Courtina McNeil also enjoyed the variety of music. “It was fun. It was kind of cool how they had the different stations on the headphones,” she said.

“It was definitely a party for everyone.

It doesn’t matter your background or whatever. They had a music station for everyone.”

A group of girls could sing their hearts out to Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” in the corner while across the room, another group milly rocked. Black fraternity and sorority members strolled to songs like “Knuck If You Buck” and “Wipe Me Down,” while other students jammed to Drake. Attendees could recreate all of the choreography to Beyoncé’s “Get Me Bodied” while their friends did the electric slide to “Before I Let Go” by Frankie Beverly and Maze.

Everyone got to choose for themselves what they wanted to listen to while still

enjoying the company of those around them. At one point, nearly every headphone in the room turned blue as students gathered in a circle to do the swag surf. Soon after, green and red lights could be seen again as students dispersed and went back to listening to various stations.

McNeil had so much fun at the party that she didn’t want it to end.

The silent party was the first of many events planned to celebrate Black/ African Heritage Month. The theme for the month is “The Awakening: Alive. Aware. Awake.”

Other events planned for month include the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) step show, which took place on Feb. 1, a fashion show hosted by the Black Student Alliance (BSA) on Feb. 15 and the annual Black Excellence Gala on Feb. 22.

In addition to listening to music, partygoers could also tie-dye T-shirts and create their own goodie bags by filling them with a variety of candies, popcorn and pretzels, making the experience even more customizable beyond just the music.

At 11:59 p.m., the music stopped as students gathered to countdown to midnight on Feb. 1, which officially marked the beginning of Black/ African Heritage Month. As the clock struck 12, the crowd cheered and confetti filled the air in celebration.

FOURTH ESTATE MONICA ECHOLS

To kick off the beginning of Black/ African Heritage Month, the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Multicultural Education (ODIME) and LGBTQ Resources hosted the Stay Woke Silent Party in the Hub Ballroom on Thursday, Jan. 31.

Green is excited for Black/African Heritage Month and liked starting the month off with the silent party. “This was a good way for everyone to come together and celebrate it at the same time,” she said.

A BRIDGE BETWEEN JAPAN AND AMERICA JSA invites students to learn about Japanese culture On Thursday, Jan. 31, the Japanese Student Association (JSA), a Japanese culture interest group at Mason, hosted a Japanese Culture Night.

FOURTH ESTATE ALLIE THOMPSON

JSA, which has held origami nights in previous years, wanted to expand past

just doing origami.

“We decided we wanted to have something that kind of went a little bit more past origami, and so we tried to expand on some arts and crafts and little games from Japan,” said Angel

Umana, a physics major who serves as treasurer for the club. “So we just kind of bundled a few things together and called it a culture night. So the inspiration kind of just came from previous JSA origami nights and then just a few other people just pitching in.”

“Before JSA this year, they were really going after tradition,” said JSA president Kana Elder, a criminology, law and society major. “This time we wanted to expand more of the horizons showing Japan now and tradition (sic), so this is why we created this night.”

The event was small but lively, with laughter pouring down the hall leading up to the meeting room it was held in.

Origami papers and instructions were strewn across the first table, with students huddled close together to share their work. A screen in

HAILEY BULLIS ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

the front of the room showed less complicated origami designs than the ones provided at the table, explained Umana.

At another table, attendees could find Ayatori, a children’s game in Japan involving string to make shapes. At the same table was Fukuwarai, a game traditionally played on New Years, where someone is blindfolded and attempts to pin parts of a face, such as an eye or a nose, onto a blank paper face in a similar fashion as pin the tail on the donkey.

“It’s really interesting because usually with strings we would normally just use it for everyday purposes, but in Japan we also play it as a toy as a little kid and it’s really cheap and you can do it if you just have string,” said Elder.

“We wanted to teach you some tricks that might impress your friends.”

Besides hosting Japanese Culture

Night, JSA also hosts workshops in Japanese language and watches Japanese films, among other events.

The Japanese language workshops are open to any level of speaker, with emphasis placed onto beginners. For people who are more involved in learning Japanese, JSA hosts conversation tables.

This is part of the organization’s effort to get students interested in “any kind of aspect of Japan and just have some appreciation for [Japan] while having fun,” said Umana. “There’s a lot of different cultures intertwined, but Japan and similarly with other East Asian countries, Korea and China, there’s a lot of elements of their culture we just don’t really find here in the West … What we’re trying to do as an organization is try to kind of showcase these elements that are just very unique to the culture of Japan that you don’t really find elsewhere.”

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CULTURE

COFFEE WITH THE PRESIDENT President Cabrera talks business, education and the future

ALEXANDER SHEDD EDITOR IN CHIEF

The first thing you notice walking into the president’s corner office on the top floor of Merten Hall is the glass double doors. Looking through, one sees a modest, neat office like any other at Mason.

Desks at the entrance seat friendly secretaries leading to cubicles along the hallway for the various members of the president’s office. As I walk through, President Cabrera appears at the other end of the hallway, coat in hand and a backpack like any other student on campus, and invites me to the back for our interview.

His personal office is sizable but modest, save for the lunch patio connected to it that sits on top of the building. Slightly taller than the rest of the floor, his windows wrap around two sides of the room, overlooking most of campus to the south and west. Photos of him posing with various Mason athletic teams and class commencements sit around the room, along with the much beloved Doc Nix bobblehead.

Under a standing desk lies an unhung artwork frame across from the cluttered main desk and a photo of his wife. There is a closet on one side of the office into which he briefly disappears, before asking if I want coffee. We get to talking about the new Starship robots as the Keurig hums behind the doorway.

“Aren’t they fun?” he says. “What’s fascinating is how people react to robots. I have no doubt that ten years from now we’re gonna live with robots, and we’ll all remember this moment as our first daily encounter...

It’s interesting, psychologically, seeing how people interact with them. It’s fun to watch. It’s a great experiment.”

We sit down for the interview at a coffee table on the other side of the room. Ángel Cabrera has been in the business world for years—his resume includes board memberships in PetSmart, National Geographic and Inovio, not to mention the Richmond Federal Reserve, the Northern Virginia Technology Council and many others.

Naturally, my first question is how he

has time for all these responsibilities.

“In the kind of job I have, it’s really important to have an eye on what happens outside of the organization,” he says. “A big part of my job is to prepare the university for what’s coming … I think my board memberships give me that.

He continued, “Each of them gives me a little bit that’s important to my job. I sit on the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond board … that’s a board where we’re constantly discussing economic trends in the country and in Richmond, so in terms of knowing what’s coming ahead of us, it’s a great place to be.”

He adds, “I’m [also] on the board of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, and that board has the CEOs of all the leading companies in the region, so that’s the way to not only know what’s going on among the employers, the folks who are gonna hire you and what their needs are, but it allows me to get to know them personally. So when I need their help,

I can pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey, would you do this for us?’”

In addition to his business responsibilities, Cabrera has been in academia for most of his career. Prior to his current position, he served as dean of the IE Business School of Madrid and president of the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona.

He is the first native of Spain to serve as the president of an American university, an accomplishment he holds very dear. ‘I’m an educator at heart,’ he tells me.

“My mission in life is one of education,” he says of how his life led him to Mason. “One of my granddads was a teacher in a small town in Spain.

I saw the impact that just one teacher can have in a small town.”

“My other granddad was a business guy, a small business owner, and I also admired how he managed to create jobs for other people, and the complexity and creativity of creating a business,” he continued. “Neither of my parents went to college. I had

the opportunity to go to college, and because of the professors that mentored me and opened doors for me, I ended up coming to the U.S. for grad school. I’ve seen the transformative power of higher education on an individual.”

Cabrera’s degrees confirm a deep and varied interest in education— he earned his bachelor’s in telecom engineering, his master’s in electrical engineering and finally his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology.

“When I was a senior in college saying, ‘What do you think you’ll be doing in 20 years?’ I could have listed 10 possibilities. I assure you, being a college president, let alone a college president in a different country, would not have been one of the things I listed,” he laughs.

“I normally ask two things when I make a decision in my career,” he said. “One is, ‘Am I going to learn and grow?’ so I’ve always looked for stretch assignments. The second thing is, ‘Can I have an impact? Is

PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

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this something cool and impactful and meaningful that is going to have an impact on someone else’s life?’ Those two questions helped me well, and ended up opening doors that I never could have imagined.”

However, Cabrera’s career is not his top priority. He has a wife, and two children at Harvard and Georgia Tech. “That’s really, at the end of the day, the most important part of your life,” he says of them. “At the end of the day, what I’m most proud of is my

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CULTURE family… I’ve seen my kids grow and become adults, and it’s just a great sense of satisfaction. Without a doubt, that’s the most important thing.”

Cabrera has been president of Mason since he succeeded President Merten in 2012. In that time, he’s overseen numerous expansion projects and watched thousands of students come and go.

However, he has also seen some controversy within that time. For the last several years, Cabrera and his

administration have faced criticism and scrutiny for their handling of gift agreements from major donors, including Charles Koch and the Federalist Society.

‘We’re going to accept gifts from this donor, but we’re not going to accept from that donor because I don’t like this donor’s political ideas.’ And by the way, who would make that decision?”

Although most of the agreements, which led to questions of transparency and donor control, happened under the previous Mason administration, others that occurred under Cabrera included the agreement which renamed the George Mason University School of Law Antonin Scalia Law School, as well as another $5 million from the Charles Koch Foundation last spring to further expand the economics department.

“The controversy last spring was because we had found some old gift agreements that questioned that a little bit,” he added. “They were not fatally flawed, if you will, but they did raise fair concerns [about] some of those old gift agreements. They predate me and my team, but still.

FOURTH ESTATE ALEXANDER SHEDD

“My concern isn’t ‘Are we getting too much money from the private sector?,’” he says of his philosophy with donors. “My concern is ‘How do we get more of it?’ We’re a young university… in a sense, we still have not claimed our fair share of philanthropy dollars.

He continued, “In doing that, we have to be very careful to make sure that no dollar[s given] has any undue influence. What you cannot say is

And they were mostly expired except for one that had some money, but they did raise questions … and what we realized is that our existing policies were not very clear.”

He also notes that “we’ve now more than doubled our endowment, and potentially with a new gift that we haven’t announced yet, we’re probably going to triple that endowment from before I was here.”

He also wanted students to note that he spends a great deal of time discussing how to expand Mason’s day-today infrastructure to ensure students are getting the best experience.

“We’re building new facilities … we’re planning expansions [at SciTech and Arlington] ... we’re also relying on partners like, in this last month, the City of Fairfax, [which] voted to authorize the construction of new student apartments in the city,” he said. “So we’re working on all those fronts.”

Cabrera’s philosophy can be summed up as a fusion of entrepreneurship and education. He talks about his pride in Mason as being a hub for innovation, as well as allowing access to students who otherwise may not be able to get an education.

“Our students should be very proud to be a part of this university,” he tells me as we wrap up. “Make sure that, whether you’re out there as a student or an alum, you tell everybody where you went to school … whatever we do happens because of everybody.”

Before I leave, I ask about the decorative wooden plaque sitting on his coffee table. He laughs and tells me it’s a gift from his children. It reads Illegitimi non carborundum: “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”

THE STUDENT CONSENSUS ON STARSHIP ROBOTS Mason students’ candid experiences with the new food delivery system ANGELIQUE ARINTOK STAFF WRITER

It didn’t take long for the Fairfax campus to embrace this innovative technology. Within hours of the robots’ official launch, the delivery system became the top subject of text messages for sophomore Criminology, Law and Society major Jackson Harnois.

Harnois had to try out the system for himself, ordering an iced coffee and some breakfast wraps from Dunkin’ Donuts to get him started for the day.

“My first impression after using it was complete awe,” said Harnois.

After seeing the robots across campus and using the delivery system, Harnois says he’s fascinated by the technology behind it—especially curious by how they cross roads safely.

Judging by the system’s frequent appearance on social media feeds and news publications, Starship Technologies’ sophisticated concept

is something other college campuses could adopt.

“I definitely think other schools will begin to implement [Starship robots] or some other version of them,” Harnois said.

Aside from Dunkin’ Donuts, the Starship Technologies app offers delivery from Second Stop, Blaze Pizza, Starbucks, Steak ‘n Shake, Chick-fil-A and mailroom package delivery.

Junior bioengineering major Fellipe Sho Miqui also feels the same way, but he says the system will only work if it’s implemented in a big, suburban campus like Mason.

Miqui, who frequents the Johnson Center Steak ‘n Shake, settled for ordering Blaze Pizza through the app.

The robots making their way through campus especially adds a level of convenience and fun to Harnois’s day.

“For me, it is never going to get old or lose its appeal,” said Harnois.

“The [$1.99] delivery fee isn’t bad, considering you don’t have to pay [a] tip,” said Miqui. He enjoyed the convenience of a special delivery to his dorm room in The Globe.

Overall, he says the process was simple, relatively quick and his pepperoni pizza arrived warm.

He also noted that this robot food delivery service sets the Mason campus apart from others. “I also kind of hope other schools don’t [implement this] because I enjoy bragging about them to my friends at other colleges,” said Harnois.

Not to mention, the Sodexo and Starship Technologies collaboration is the first of its kind to implement a university meal plan as part of the app’s payment options.

Higher education graduate student

Alyssa Goff also says she’s a big fan of the robots.

“The app was super user-friendly, but the menu is limited,” said Goff.

Although, the limited selection is something she expected considering the brand new implementation.

app and tracking the robot’s location are aspects which made experience both smooth and fun.

Harnois, Miquid and Goff had similar experiences with the robots with all of them looking forward to the system’s planned menu expansion.

Goff says the accurate wait time of the

FOURTH ESTATE ANGELIQUE ARINTOK

The group of 25 semi-autonomous robots making their way through campus is captivating attention from some big fans—the Mason students.

CULTURE CULTURE FACES OF MASON delves into the lives of Mason students, faculty or alumni, and organizations every week. This week we take a close look at student Maximilian Simkins, faculty Bob Vay, alumna Farah Mohamed and organization The Mural Brigade INTERVIEWS BY AHMED FARID

S T U D E N T, M A X I M I L I A N S I M K I N S What is one interesting thing about you?

What is your favorite thing about Mason?

At the age of 19, I owned my first investment property. I quickly found out that to run investment properties, [it] takes a lot of work and it is not easy. I learned a lot about the maintenance that homes require, budgeting and how to keep track of money. I also got a lot of information about how certain aspects of a house work ... I had to learn because when getting contractors to do work, it’s good to understand the full scope of the work that needs to be done.

That way it’s easier to compare prices and find what a fair price is.

My favorite thing about Mason would have to be the diversity. With the campus being so diverse and with everyone being friendly, it’s easy to make friends from many different places. After making friends from all around the world, it sparked an interest in me for other cultures. It makes me want to travel the world at some point in my life and experience some of the things my friends talked about.

FOURTH ESTATE ALLIE THOMPSON

What made you start this business? Do you hope to go somewhere with it?

I got started in investment properties because of my parents.

Growing up, I always admired my parents not only because of their financial success, but also their work ethic. That’s why when I turned 18, I talked with them about ways I could be financially successful when I got older. One of the main things they stressed to be financially successful is that I had to start investing. Once we talked, I began my journey by getting involved in not only real estate, but also stocks. In the future, I hope to continue to buy multifamily properties and even begin flipping houses. I think I would prefer to be doing these things as something for extra money and not full time.

You are majoring in finance and accounting. Do you have a preference?

Currently, I enjoy finance more than accounting. Since a young age, I’ve had an interest in the stock market and investments, and I feel the best way to learn more about them would be as a finance major. I plan to take many classes involving investments and hopefully get a job dealing with them. Although I prefer finance over accounting, accounting is also a lot of fun for me too. I tend to naturally understand financial accounting and I find the classes interesting.

What do you want to achieve in the future?

In the future, I hope to get a job as an investment analyst after college. I want to someday become a portfolio manager or run a hedge fund. To achieve these goals, I know that I will have to work very hard and stay on top of my game.

As a junior in college, I feel as though I am already getting towards the end of my college career and I need to stay focused if I want to reach my goals.

FA C U LT Y, B O B VAY What do you do at Mason?

I am the technology and exhibitions archivist in the University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center (SCRC). I help make archival materials in our collections available to researchers electronically. I coordinate exhibitions of SCRC materials in our Exhibit Gallery and I oversee the University Libraries Oral History Program. In short, I try to get people excited about researching history.

FOURTH ESTATE ALLIE THOMPSON

What made you choose the Special Collections Research Center?

a student at Mason back in the 1980s. I do recall several times thinking to myself that I would love to have a library job, but I didn’t think at the time that I would spend over 25 years here.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

That I’ve always daydreamed about being a stand-up comedian. I love to talk into a microphone and have, over the years, put together “material” in my head but I never got up the courage to actually try it out. Someday.

I was employed by the National Archives and Records Administration when I heard about an opening at George Mason University. I thought it would be wonderful to work at the university I graduated from just over a year earlier.

Besides, one of the main subject areas SCRC collects is materials related to the history and growth of George Mason University, a topic in which I’ve always been interested.

What’s your greatest accomplishment?

You not only work at Mason, but graduated from here as well. Did you know back then that you wanted to work here?

Take advantage of your time here at Mason. Discover all of the free learning and personal growth opportunities, cultural events and other benefits that your university and the libraries offer to you every day.

I did spend a lot of time in Fenwick Library when I was

Accomplishments: To graduate with two degrees from George Mason University, work in a job that I enjoy with people that I enjoy being with, to marry the love of my life and be blessed with a beautiful and talented daughter.

What’s the one thing you would like to say to students at Mason?

CULTURE CULTURE A L U M N A , FA R A H M O H A M E D What did you study at Mason? What are you studying now? What do you plan to do when you get your degree?

fraternity. I was also president of the Egyptian Student Union.

I did my undergrad in economics. And now, I’m taking higher education administration classes at George Washington [University], which is where I also work fulltime. I want to pursue my master’s degree over there and then hopefully get a job in international student affairs. I love working with international students, so this is the area that I really hope to specialize in.

So many. No, just kidding. My proudest achievement was being able to integrate into college and have a fun experience there. My freshman year was my first year in the United States, so it was first very difficult for me at the time to create a social life and understand the different educational system. But thankfully, I was able to, and I had an amazing experience at Mason. It’s not really my biggest achievement, but it’s my proudest one. Without it, I wouldn’t have achieved so many things afterwards.

Did your time at Mason affect your desire to work in higher education?

PHOTO COURTESY OF FARAH MOHAMED

It most definitely did. During my last semester at Mason, I got to intern at the Mercatus Center, which is [Mason]’s economics research center. There, I realized that my real passion was not economics—it was higher education. I loved doing the higher education administration aspect of the internship, but I absolutely disliked the econ aspect.

What is your proudest achievement?

What advice do you have for Mason students?

I’d advise them to try every new thing they encounter. Every experience in college helped shape my career in some way, even if it had a small impact. And in the end, it was the internship that made me change my entire career and realize my true passion.

Were you involved with any clubs or organizations while on campus?

Yes. I was in Alpha Kappa Psi, which is a co-ed business

O R G A N I Z AT I O N , T H E M U R A L B R I G A D E Do you need to do be an expert at the mural arts or drawing to join the organization?

environmental issues, creating sustainable infrastructure or focus on certain areas of the world that are especially impacted or at risk for natural disasters as a result of climate change.

You definitely do not need to be an expert or have any experience with art to become a member. We pride ourselves on being an extremely diverse team.

We also paint smaller indoor murals on and off campus, so we host Paint Parties to complete these murals as a team. These Paint Parties are open to the Mason public and will be publicized in advance on our social media

FOURTH ESTATE ALLIE THOMPSON

What kind of events do you guys hold on campus and how can people get involved?

What does your organization do?

The Mural Brigade’s mission is to make Mason’s Fairfax campus more beautiful with different types of public art. Through the addition of public art on campus, we hope to foster a sense of community and expand awareness about various social issues and perspectives. We also hope to make Mason a destination for public art festivals throughout Northern Virginia for years to come.

Our other goal is to give students the opportunity to learn art and arts management skills in a fully grassroots, student-driven environment. We also provide funding for students interested in creating their own public art projects.

We hosted our inaugural Mural Day and Contemporary Mural Arts Festival at Mason in April and October of 2018. The theme of these events was WALLS. Mural Day was a smaller event that celebrated a finished mural by then-student, Reed Griffith, and professional artist MARICAMA. Reed’s mural can be found at the MIX, and MARICAMA’s mural is installed on the side stairwell of the Art and Design Building. The larger festival that we held in October celebrated the addition of a third mural by Imani Shanklin Roberts that was installed on the windows of Skyline.

This semester we will be hosting a Decades Dance Party. The Decades Dance Party will be our way to get our name out on campus and a celebration of the final mural in the WALLS project.

We will be hosting our second Contemporary Mural Arts Festival in 2020 with the theme of Water/Fire. This festival will showcase professional and student artists who create environmental public art. The art may be focused on expanding awareness about

For anyone interested in getting involved with the Mural Brigade, please attend one of our General Body Meetings on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. in Provisions Library room L001 of the Art and Design Building.

We also are active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @ muralsatmason. Check out our website at www.gmu.edu/org/ muralbrigade too!

What is the best thing about joining the Mural Brigade?

Being a member of the Mural Brigade is beneficial in many ways.

We give our members opportunities to expand their professional and social networks, as well as offer experience and skills that can be added to their resume. Members get experience in grant writing, event planning, marketing, painting and art installation, collaborating with a team and outside entities and fundraising.

How do you hope to see your organization grow this semester?

We hope to see the Mural Brigade grow into a larger team of brigadiers. We also hope to expand our reach beyond campus and grow our reputation with non-Mason organizations and entities. Not only do we want to make Mason’s Fairfax campus more beautiful with public art, but we also want to make the surrounding Fairfax community more beautiful and aware of the power of art to create social change and build consciousness.

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CULTURE

02.04.2019

GMUFOURTHESTATE.COM @IVESTATE

DEAR IVY, Dear Ivy, I am currently a freshman Bioengineering major, and I am honestly not loving my major. I thought it would be a good fit for me because I wanted to help people through stem cell research. But now that I’m a little over a semester in and taking PHYS 160, I’m more and more feeling like it isn’t the right major for me.

I have been planning on going into Bioengineering since I was in middle school, and to find that I’m not enjoying these classes is really freaking me out. I have no idea what I want to do now, and no idea what I should change my major to. I obviously want to change my major to something that is a better fit, but I don’t know how to go about finding the right major for me.

-Bio-Curious

Dear Bio-Curious, Fret not, many have been in your shoes before and come out better than fine. It can be understandingly stressful to have an entire college career planned out years in advance and then have it flipped on its head.

Thankfully, Mason has a plethora of majors available.

With 60 majors to choose from, you could base your search for a new major based off your dreams of helping people.

majors right now don’t is time.

Some people in their junior year find out how much they detest majoring in something like Russian Literature because they just realized how bad they are at it. It may surprise you to know that over half of students change their major at least once throughout their college career.

Opportunities on campus that can help you figure out what you want to major in include participating in clubs, going to events that the college hosts or talking to students about the experience they have had in their major.

Some on-campus events that may be helpful are the exhibitions held in Fenwick Library, public classes and the workshop sessions held all over Mason.

What you have that some others that want to change

Once you find the major you believe to be the best fit for you, you will have to submit a form through the department of the major you wish to become and then finalize it. Don’t feel boxed in because you just used your one and only chance to change your major. Some students have changed their major up to three times by the time they walk the stage to get their diploma.

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

You could also discover a new love like writing, drawing or acting that will take you in a completely different direction.

links to countless resources on information about majors, showing both the career opportunities that can come with different majors and the skills/ abilities needed to succeed in different fields.

You still have your entire time at Mason ahead of you, so make sure you use that to your full advantage. Our college offers career counselors to discuss your skills, personality and interests to help you explore what may be a better fit for you. Also, the tab on the Mason website labeled “Explore Majors and Careers” provides

You will never be cornered into a major you do not want to be in. You always have a way out, and the opportunities to find the major perfectly suited for you is always available. I know with the right amount of research that you will find the perfect fit for you.

-Ivy

Send in letters to mechols@gmu.edu

FOURTH ESTATE ALLIE THOMPSON

Ivy helps a student who wants to change their major

LOOKING BACK ON FIFTY YEARS OF CIVIL RIGHTS Fenwick’s “Before and Beyond 1968” exhibit explores three civil rights movements D’ANDREA BRADY STAFF WRITER

Fenwick Library is hosting the exhibit “Before and Beyond 1968: Three Civil Rights Movements in America.” The exhibit shows unique and outstanding photographs, artifacts, memorabilia and documents showcasing important events prior to, during and after 1968.

The exhibit is an intimate look at the movements that changed and made impacts on American history for Black people, women, and the LGBTQ+ community, who have all had their own experiences with discrimination in America.

The exhibit explores the trials and tribulations of the civil rights era through photographs.

One of the artifacts that stood out was the photo of Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., and members of the Southern Christian Leadership Council holding hands and marching for racial equality for The Poor People’s Campaign of 1968.

Another standout piece of the exhibit was a copy of a Negro Motorist Green Book. The book contains the location of areas in the U.S. that would not discriminate against Black travelers and would provide service to them including shelter, gas and food.

Other memorabilia included in the showcase are pictures and posters of the Black Panther Party, civil rights marches in Washington, D.C., the women’s suffrage and LGBTQ+ movements and more. The exhibit explores many events that showed how hard those of different backgrounds have worked for equality in America, as well as how much the nation has changed over the past 50 years.

Lynn Eaton, director of the Special Collections Research Center, explained the inspiration behind the exhibit.

“There was a library-wide discussion last year of what would be an interesting tie-in that we can all relate to, and since it was 2018—50 years since 1968—that was such a pivotal year,” she said. “So, maybe, 1968 should be a point that we can begin doing different projects. We had great material from special collections and looking at 1968, this was civil rights. It was a big year for them.”

Eaton said that they decided to focus on the Black civil rights movement and the women’s and LGBTQ+ movements because they happened around the same time.

Robert Vay, digital collection and exhibitions archivist, explained that the materials for the exhibit came from a variety of places.

“Some of the materials are part of the George Mason University archives itself,” Vay said. “We acquire materials directly from the people who produced the publications [and] the photography. We obtained those things.”

He continued, “Some of the things had to do with George Mason’s place in the civil rights movement. Other things, we sometimes purchased things that have to do with themes that we collect.” The exhibit also features items donated from faculty members and others outside the university.

Spencer Crew, a distinguished service professor at Mason with a background in AfricanAmerican studies and public history, was a major contributor with his consultation for the special collections’ artifacts.

The exhibit is being shown on the second floor of the Fenwick Library. It will be on display until Feb. 21.

CULTURE

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02.04.2019

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LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS AT MASON

Students give their experiences with long distance relationships BROOKE LEWITAS STAFF WRITER

According to the Journal of Communication in 2013, 75 percent of college students have been in or are currently in a long distance relationship. When we think of high school sweethearts deciding to stay together in college, we typically think of two kids engaging in a foolish flight of fancy, believing that their young love can conquer any distance. We imagine that a few months in, the nightly phone calls are replaced by frat parties, studying and frustration.

that’s what’s working for us right now.

And I have enough trust in her that if I need to say ‘You know what, I’m not comfortable with this anymore, I want to be exclusive.’ I have enough trust in her [that she will do that], and I know she respects me enough to do that.”

Emily Reynolds, who has been with

that it will be unmanageably difficult.

Joannidis says, “I thought it would be really hard all the time. It’s easy like 90 percent of the time, and hard 10 percent of the time. If I have a really busy day, I don’t even think about him.

If I’m sitting around, all I do is think about him.”

that much. We do text every day, but sometimes it’s just ‘Good morning’ [and] ‘Good night.’”

An area that presented particular difficulty was conflicting schedules. “We did have rough patches, and during the week it would be hard. I would be busy, he would be busy, and it was hard,”

Reynolds believes communication is key. She said, “I realized that if you really like someone a lot, and you have the maturity, being long distance could work for you. But then, I think it’s made us closer. The only thing we can rely on is communication, so that’s the only thing that’s changed. Personally, I believe that a relationship is all about attention and affection. And with long distance, you don’t really have affection, other than a sweet text. So without communication, we wouldn’t have that.”

“I never saw myself in a long distance relationship, and even after my feelings and her feelings started to become more obvious, I tried to ignore it and stay ‘just friends,’ said Alison. “But eventually, we couldn’t deny that we were in love with each other. We tried to avoid labels, but eventually calling it anything but a long-distance romantic relationship was just false.”

Alison said, “With the prospect of infidelity, my girlfriend and I are in an entirely different situation than most people. We recently opened up the relationship, but we have rules about how far we’re allowed to go with other people, and obviously we aren’t looking for emotional, romantic connections outside of each other. It can get a little murky, but ultimately

Joannidis continues, “If you love the person that you’re dating, don’t break up because of long distance. Just try it and see what happens.”

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

One of the students, environmental science major Charlotte Joannidis, says that jealousy isn’t an issue for her and her boyfriend. “[My boyfriend] ... knows he has nothing to worry about, and I don’t really worry either,” she said.

Joannidis also shared that after her boyfriend finishes his senior year, he will be joining the airforce academy.

Alison said, “The hardest part really is just missing each other. We’re on the phone or FaceTiming like five times a day at least, but still I really just miss her, having her next to me, being in the same room.”

In a lot of cases, this is true. But for Mason students, what is the reality of the situation? Three freshman women shared their experiences with long-distance relationships.

Each couple’s relationship is different.

One of the biggest problems for college students in long distance relationships is the jealousy that one person in the relationship might feel. Each of the three couples had a different approach to the subject.

Joannidis says that the hardest part is not being able to see each other.

“When we were in high school, I could see him every day, just like talk to him at his locker for a minute,” she said.

“So it’s different, not being able to see him every day.”

her boyfriend for nine months and has been long distance since she left for college in August, says that while jealousy had been a bit of an issue, she’s tried to “work through that with him. Talking about it and being understanding about it helped.”

The reason that most couples do not attempt long distance is the expectation

“I didn’t think it would work well even though we were a good couple, but it surpassed my expectations,” Reynolds said. “I didn’t expect us to be this accommodating of each other.

And of course, in the beginning it was harder, but once you get past that one phase it’s really not that bad. I’d say I expected the little rough patches, when a day goes by and we don’t talk

Reynolds said. “So what we decided was [that] Fridays would be our days when it would be a guaranteed call. So no matter how busy we were during the week, we had a guaranteed call on Fridays. Even if the phone call was just for an hour, we would text all night.

So I think just having that one day a week really helped.”

As French writer Roger de Bussy Rabutin once said, “Absence is to love as wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small and kindles the great.” People who are truly in love will remain in a relationship, regardless of distance.

For students in a long distance relationship, keeping things like jealousy, communication and conflict in perspective as these three interviewed students did can be the difference between a breakup and a successful relationship.

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SPORTS

02.04.2019

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EMBRACING THE UNBRIDLED ATTENTION

Mason’s Equestrian team talks competition and team bonding treasurer, fundraising chair and social chair. Landoll is also the person who coordinates with the regional president and organizes the competitions.

I like jumping; it’s always a thrill no matter what height they are.”

“So for competitions, how it works is we go to the different schools in [the] Maryland/D.C. area, and then whoever’s hosting that show, provides the horses, so when we host a show our trainer has about 15 to 20 horses that she provides,” Landoll said. “The objective of it is that you’re drawing a random horse that you’ve almost never met before, and then you’re riding that, because that shows your true riding ability in the competitions.”

Knocking any of the fences down during the jumps results in the rider being disqualified.

The team usually has one home show out of the shows they attend each semester.

Imagine waking up at 4 a.m. in the dead of winter to drive 45 minutes to work out in the cold. For the 25 members of the Mason Equestrian Club, setting up a home show requires just that.

are not trained as well as the horses at Mason. She said that it is nice not to have to worry about how the horses at Mason will react, but that at the same time she has more passion and pride when she is the one training the horse.

“It’s tough, but I think it’s a really good bonding experience,” freshman cyber security engineering major Melody Jackson said.

The club is always kept at or below 30 members so that the coach can still individualize each training session with the club’s members.

When the Mason Equestrian Club hosts a show, they must get to the barn bright and early to feed, groom and warm up all the horses for the show.

For freshman Anna Bertino, the Mason club is a great team environment and a cheaper alternative to taking lessons at home, where the closest barn is over 40 minutes away.

During the semester, the members practice on the club trainers’ horses.

Though some of the club members have horses at home, some lease horses, and some just take lessons for the love of the sport.

“They all have their own quirks,” freshman Brittany Groad said of the horses. She has been riding for around seven or eight years and says the horses they use are not all perfect, but none of them are rough to ride.

At home, Jackson, who has been riding for around 12 years, leases horses that

“I found out it wasn’t as crazy expensive as I thought it was going to be,” Bertino said. “And it wasn’t as much as a commitment as I thought it would be. I went to tryouts, and I met all the girls, and it was a really cool environment, and so I stuck with it.”

The competition is split into two events; Flat, where riders will ride around the ring and the judges will watch their form, and jumps when riders must jump over a series of fences in a certain order.

“You’ll either be in a flat class where you’re riding around and they judge based on your positions and how you handle the horse,” Delorey said. “Or it’s a jumping class where you’ll run through a of jumps, and they judge on your position and how well you do it, and you can’t knock any down.

It can sometimes be difficult to know what different judges are looking for during the shows. Jackson said one element to keep in mind is how the rider looks, like they are trying really hard or whether it looks more effortless.

looking for particular body position overall.”

“I mean, they’re looking at every aspect,” Landoll said. “They’re looking to make sure your eyes are looking up.

That you’re not looking at the ground.

That your hands are steady, that they’re not on the horse and they’re not in your lap. So they’re really just

Regardless of how competitions go, all the women ride horses for both the love of the sport and the fun of riding.

This style of riding in competition is called “equitation,” meaning the judge is not supposed to look at how fancy the horse is but rather only the rider’s performance.

“Oh yeah, definitely, I want to keep horses in my life as long as I can,” Delorey said.

The team has a lesson once a week and will have three or four shows a semester.

“We have lessons once a week with the trainer,” junior Rosie Landoll said. “Our barn’s like 40 minutes away, so we know it’s hard to get down there, … [We] tell people … you’re a student-athlete, so school comes first. … If you have a test that day, you can let our trainer know, and she’ll let you make up your lesson another time, so it’s a very supportive environment.”

Landoll is the president of the club.

She is in charge of the executive board, made up of a vice president, secretary,

PHOTO COURTESY OF MASON EQUESTRIAN TEAM

“I think our last home show was pretty funny because … by the end of the night we’re all so exhausted, and we usually just break out into really funny weird things,” freshman Hailey Delorey said. “And [the] last home show, people just started dancing in the aisle while the other half of us were like, asleep on the wall, and those memories are just fun.”

“Away shows are always fun, because you’re just like, sitting there trying not to die of cold and hunger and sleep deprivation, and the giggles just come out,” Bertino said.

“We have an ex-Grand Prix horse,” Landoll said. “So he did crazy high jumps, and so he’s really fun to jump. Then sometimes you get little ponies who will trip over the jump because they’re just so small, so that’s my favorite part, just seeing what their jumps [are] going to be like.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MASON EQUESTRIAN TEAM

PHOTO COURTESY OF MASON EQUESTRIAN TEAM

ALEXANDRIA MCALPINE ART DIRECTOR

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SPORTS

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02.04.2019

MASON ATHLETICS CELEBRATES NATIONAL WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY

Girls and women in sports at all levels to be honored at Feb. 6 Women’s Basketball game NATALIE HEAVREN SPORTS EDITOR

Athletics decided to celebrate National Women in Sports Day this year for two reasons, according to Dawn Hicks, the director of community relations.

“Number one, they wanted to honor Sue Collins, who passed away this past August,” she said. “She was our first senior women’s administrator, and she was here in Athletics for 34 years.” “[Collins] was a pioneer in the women’s sports movement, and she was at the forefront of NCAA equality issues especially in the ‘80s, ‘90s and the 2000s, and she was instrumental in developing their [Gender] Equity Survey that athletics departments use to determine their compliance with Title IX,” Hicks said. “So she was a real trailblazer in that and women’s sports in general, and we wanted to honor her.”

Collins started her athletic administration career at Mason in 1981 as an

assistant athletic director. She was the university’s first senior women’s administrator, and when she retired in 2015 she was the senior associate athletic director.

During Collins’ time at Mason, six sports programs were added, including Women’s Soccer. Just three years later, they won the school’s first NCAA National Championship.

Collins served on many committees while at Mason, including the NCAA Eligibility Committee and the NCAA Executive Committee.

Prior to coming to Mason, she was a physical education instructor and head coach of the Women’s Volleyball team at The Ohio State University.

In 1976, four years after Title IX was passed, when the Big Ten allowed women in the athletic department, Collins awarded the first athletic scholarship from Ohio State to a female student-athlete.

“I think it’s really cool that we’re also able to recognize Ms. Sue [Collins] on this day, because she was so instrumental, not just at Mason but as one of the pioneers in women’s athletics,” said head Women’s

Basketball coach Nyla Milleson.

“So to be able to combine her recognition with this day is such a neat honor.”

Milleson went on to say, “She was one of those that was instrumental in my hiring, and not only did she bleed green and gold, but she was just so instrumental across the country in supporting and promoting equality in women’s sports, so I think it’s really cool we can combine the two.”

The other reason was to increase student engagement, with the objective of community relations. Hicks has found that one of the best ways to increase student engagement is through special events like this.

The celebration of National Women in Sports Day goes far beyond just watching the Women’s Basketball game. Athletics has invited Residence Life, Panhellenic Council and all club and Division I sports, players, trainers and coaches to attend the game and be recognized on the video board and announced on the PA system.

Each sorority will get one table on the concourse.

The sorority with the highest attendance will be awarded Super Group status and will receive free pizza. The first 200 Panhellenic Council attendees will get a free T-shirt.

2015 WFA National Champions, will be signing autographs on the concourse.

“Their success demonstrates competitive excellence and serves as inspiration for all girls and women, irrespective of their sport,” said Hicks.

Natalie Randolph, who played for the Divas from 2003 to 2008, will also be there. Randolph was named the head varsity football coach at Calvin Coolidge Senior High School in March 2010. She is now the senior women’s administrator and Title IX coordinator at the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

“Natalie Randolph actually played for the Divas for six seasons, and she epitomizes excellence and equality in sports, both on and off the field.

Because of her performance at the highest level of competition it led to her being selected as the head coach of Coolidge High School’s Boys’ Football team,” Hicks said.

“And then off the field, she’s a very passionate advocator, she’s a science teacher, she’s an advocate for literacy and academic achievement …” Hicks said. “So she is just a phenomenal success, and we’re just very proud to recognize and celebrate her contributions to sports at a game.”

Randolph is just one example of a women whose accomplishments should be highlighted.

think that across the country, people agree nationally that we should acknowledge the contributions of female athletes and celebrate and honor their accomplishments and promote equality in sports,” said Hicks.

Milleson agreed, saying, “It’s an important day for us just in celebration of how far that women’s athletics has come and the opportunities that it has given women and girls over the years.”

“I can say personally I come from an era where it’s just hard to be recognized as (sic) opportunities as women,” Milleson continued. “So I have definitely seen the growth, so for me personally it’s very important, and it’s a very big day to continue to watch our student-athletes get the opportunities that they get.”

When asked what she hopes the young girls attending the event hope to get out of it, Milleson said, “Just to really appreciate what the people ahead have done for them to continue to allow our game to grow.”

Hicks echoed her message. “Definitely just encouragement to pursue their athletic dreams and their abilities and their aspirations by seeing and engaging with these other women who have achieved extraordinary accomplishments in sports,” she said.

When asked if Athletics would continue hosting this event in the event in the future, Hicks responded, “Yes, absolutely yes.”

The D.C. Divas, a football team in the Women’s Football Alliance and

“I FOURTH ESTATE ALEXANDRIA MCALPINE

National Women in Sports Day will be celebrated for the 33rd time, on Feb. 6, but for the first time it will be celebrated by Mason Athletics at a Women’s Basketball game. While Mason will take on George Washington University in the latest installment of the Revolutionary Rivalry, the celebration off the court is just as important.

SPORTS

02.04.2019

BRING ON THE DYNASTIES NATALIE HEAVREN SPORTS EDITOR

If you have tuned into any form of media lately, you may have noticed that the New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl again. You probably have also heard some complaints about the Patriots being in the Super Bowl again.

However, I happen to believe that dynasties are good for the game.

Before I go any further, I will admit I am a born and raised fan of University of Connecticut (UConn) basketball, the Patriots and the New York Yankees.

Dynasties bring attention to the game, and while many may say they hate that the Patriots are in the Super Bowl, they will still be watching. If UConn is playing, people will be watching both on TV and in the stands. And there are few things that bring baseball fans together more than hating the Yankees.

The Yankees are less of a modern dynasty, not having been to the World Series since they won it in 2009.

However, five of their 27—yes, 27— World Series pennants have come since 1996. That does not stop the rest of baseball from hating the Yankees, though. Being a powerhouse for most of the early years of baseball, while having more than twice as many pennants as the team currently in second place, would put a target on anyone’s back.

UConn’s Women’s Basketball team has won 11 National Championships since 1995, all under head coach Geno Auriemma.

Does Auriemma have more NCAA Championships than any other coach?

Yes. Have the Huskies been to the Final Four every year since 2008? Yes. Did UConn win four straight Championships? Yes. Do the Huskies hold three of the top four longest winning streaks in Men’s or Women’s Basketball? Yes. But are they bad for the game? Not at all.

Their game against Louisville on Jan. 31 was the most highly attended Women’s Basketball game this season.

UConn’s winning ways have brought more national attention to the game

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DYNASTIES ARE RUINING THEIR RESPECTIVE SPORTS DOMENIC ALLEGRA ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

and their success. Along with attracting more national media attention to the game as a whole, it has helped to grow the game.

Dynasties are trash. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

There is the argument that no one wants to watch UConn because you know they are going to win.

But why not watch for the quality of basketball?

While some would disagree with me, I think the concept of a dynasty hurts its respective game.

UConn plays a fundamentally sound type of basketball that is satisfying to watch.

They execute their game plan with a precision that may never be seen again.

This is a dynasty that will likely never be repeated in Men’s or Women’s basketball, and it should be enjoyed.

No, for real though, I do not like dynasties.

Most people will remember the dynasties in sports— the Chicago Bulls, the New England Patriots, the Houston Oilers, the Montreal Canadiens and the Golden State Warriors.

However, I believe the greater moments that most remember are that of non-dynasty teams.

If you are an NFL fan, you probably remember the D av i d Ty r e e helmet catch, the Santonio Holmes toe-tap in the endzone or the Philadelphia E a g l e s ’ Philly-Special.

Slight sidetrack: Though many would not consider the UConn Men’s Basketball team a dynasty, it should be noted that they have won more NCAA Championships (four) than any other Men’s Basketball team since 1995.

And we are back to the Patriots.

No, the Super Bowl is not boring because the Patriots are in it again. No one is saying the NBA Finals are boring because the last four matchups have been the Golden State Warrior and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Patriots are not winning every Super Bowl. However, the level of greatness that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are achieving may not be repeated ever in the salary cap era.

Greatness should be celebrated, and not hated. You are experiencing h i s t o r y.

Enjoy it.

FOURTH ESTATE ALEXANDRIA MCALPINE

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If you are an NBA fan, you are probably not so happy right now with the same two or three teams making the finals.

Every. Single. Year.

If you are an NHL fan, you remember the Las Vegas Golden Knights reaching their first Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season and Braden Holtby’s miraculous save in the final, or the Chicago Blackhawks scoring two goals in 17 seconds to win the Stanley Cup. The point?

Dynasties make the game boring.

T h e University

of Connecticut Women’s Basketball team just lost their second regular season game out of their last 135, and they have won 166 of their last 170 games. At some point, someone has to ask the question of whether or not it is fun to watch games if you know 99 percent of the time the end result will be a UConn win.

However, this also extends into the professional arena.

The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have battled in the NBA Finals for the last four years. Before that, it was the Miami Heat and “insert some team from the Southwest.”

The Patriots have been to the Super Bowl five times since 2012, nine in the last 20 years.

The NHL has been absent of dynasties since the salary cap was implemented in 2005-2006. A case could be made for the Blackhawks or Pittsburgh Penguins, but it is generally disregarded when compared to other professional sports.

If you are wondering why I am leaving the MLB out of this, it’s only because I know nothing about baseball.

However, I do know that the best stories in sports are the ones that are the unexpected stories.

When the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team defeated the USSR, also known as the “Miracle on Ice,” people remembered that win because of how it stood in history with the Cold War coinciding at the time. However, what most people do not remember is that the Russians had won the last four gold medals in ice hockey. They were a dynasty.

Most fans usually attribute their fandom to certain moments, rather than full seasons or multiple championship games/series.

If I knew some way to fix the disparity of teams contending for titles in professional sports, I would do it in an instant.

While dynasties are good for business, they are bad for fans.

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OPINIONS

02.04.2019

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SHUTDOWNS ARE SILLY AND CONGRESS SHOULD END THEM DOMINIC PINO STAFF WRITER

In the American presidential system of government, this is not the case. Our elections are held on a permanently fixed schedule. The failure to pass appropriations bills does not directly affect the job security of our politicians, it affects the job security of federal employees. It is much easier to risk other people’s job security than it is to risk your own. That explains why Americans have experienced ten government shutdowns with furloughs since 1976, but those from the U.K. have experienced zero.

Therefore, politicians in America can shut down the government to prove a political point with few consequences for their chances at reelection. It is not about money, it is about politics.

The logic of a government shutdown is quite straightforward: the government runs out of money because Congress cannot pass appropriations bills.

Therefore, the government must shut down.

However, like all issues in politics that seem simple, critical thinking reveals complexity. The United States government has been out of money since 1835, the only year the U.S. was debt free. Our government was out of money before, during and after the most recent shutdown.

Government shutdowns are not financial failures, they are political failures. They are the result of a political process that can be fixed.

Two Nobel Laureate economists can guide us to a better way.

The first is Mason’s own James Buchanan, who pioneered public choice economics: the application of economic reasoning to politics.

Buchanan believed that politicians

were neither angels nor demons, just self-interested people like everyone else.

A politician’s goal is to get reelected, and politicians make decisions based primarily on that criterion.

Incentives matter, and the incentives American politicians face create ample opportunity for shutdowns.

Countries that use the Westminster system of parliamentary government (i.e. the United Kingdom, Australia, India, etc.) almost never have government shutdowns because their appropriations process has different incentives for politicians than ours does.

In Westminster countries, appropriations bills are called “supply bills,” and the failure to pass a supply bill is called “loss of supply.” The result of loss of supply? The prime minister resigns, the parliament is dissolved, and a general election is held. As a result, loss of supply virtually never happens because politicians’ jobs are on the line.

However, the passage of the Pendleton Act in 1883 abolished the corrupt patronage system, and federal employees today are held much more accountable. The repeal of the Antideficiency Act would not immediately snap us back to 19th century graft and corruption.

The beauty of legislation is that it can be changed by more legislation.

Congress should pass a law to replace the Antideficiency Act and permanently end government shutdowns by changing the rules.

Currently, there are bills under consideration to do just that.

One is from Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) and Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA) which would automatically fund the government at the previous year’s funding levels if Congress can’t meet its appropriation deadline.

Another is from Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), and it would do the same thing as the Grothman-Loebsack

bill, except it wouldn’t pay legislative or executive branch officials until appropriations bills were passed.

A third bill comes from a group of senators led by Rob Portman (R-OH), which would automatically fund the government the same as the previous year and then cut spending by one percent at a time per regular intervals.

At first glance, these acts might sound unconstitutional. After all, the power of the purse is one of Congress’ most important powers. However, these bills satisfy Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution, which says, “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law,” because the automatic funding would be part of the law. As Bloomberg and National Review writer Ramesh Ponnuru points out, Social Security is funded permanently by an act of Congress without any constitutional concerns.

Government shutdowns are silly political tools, not accurate reflections of our country’s financial problems.

Congress should end them by passing a law to change the rules of the appropriations process so we don’t have to go through one of these ever again.

Fortunately, it does not have to be this way. The second Nobel Laureate to light the way on this issue is Ronald Coase, whose main insight was that rules govern behavior. If we want to see why people are acting the way they do, it is wise to look at the rules they are following.

Shutdowns exist because of the Antideficiency Act, passed during the Grant administration, which prohibits federal workers from spending money not

PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. CONGRESS

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

You may be thinking voters would punish their representatives at the next election anyway for failing to pass appropriations bills, but the reality is that most voters do not really care. The preponderance of federal employees live in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. When I was back in my home state of Wisconsin over winter break, no one was talking about the government shutdown. Difficult as it may be to believe if you live in Northern Virginia, most Americans’ lives go on as normal whether the federal government is funded or not.

appropriated by Congress. The act was passed to combat a real problem of federal workers spending money recklessly in the 1800s, which was much easier to do then because of weaker anti-corruption laws and a workplace culture based on political patronage.

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OPINIONS

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02.04.2019

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MASON’S PROCUREMENT NEEDS TO BE CONFLICT FREE

SUMMER BROWN STAFF WRITER

However, there are situations that we cannot ignore where our actions immediately affect those around the world. One particular issue that Mason students and administrators should focus on is the concept of the university becoming Conflict-Free.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIEN HAREIS

I want to first explain what being Conflict-Free means along with the issues surrounding it. The entire concept of being conflict-free derives from different mineral resources.

Tantalum, tungsten, tin, petroleum, diamonds and gold to name a few are being harvested for large manufacturers (like Intel or Apple) in a non-war zone, non-human rights abusive environment. They are supplied through a non-terrorist organization, and will eventually be created into everyday items that are

seen around the world.

Often times, these resources are mined from areas of the world that have some kind of relation to conflict zones. For example, in the Democratic Republic of Congo where “the sale of these minerals have killed over 5 million people since 1998” according to Intel, a company striving to be conflict-free.

However, it is not just war that will kill the people employed by the resource vendors. Often times, these vendors will send their miners off into highly dangerous and toxic areas to cultivate the precious minerals, often leading to early death brought on by cancer and other diseases directly related to their work in these dangerous locations.

In addition, some vendors end up funding terrorist organizations such as ISIS, which made millions per day to fund its militant and terrorist efforts across the globe.

When I talk to most students about this issue, the first reaction I receive is often about how either it will be impossible for that to happen, or how Mason

is already a Conflict-Free campus.

Unfortunately, these two statements are entirely false and come with some ramifications due to that widespread belief.

Mason has pledged that it will constantly remain in the forefront of sustainability towards the environment, and has even said it will help impact situations like these for the betterment of change.

Yet, at the same time, Mason has not made any official statement commiting to switching to Conflict-Free suppliers as much as they could have. The only moves Mason has made about the situation are partnering with a select few companies like Apple, Dell and Intel. Regrettably, these deals were not based on the grounds of the ConflictFree initiative in mind. They were merely a coincidence.

What students have done is measurably greater progress in contrast. Amini Bonane, a senior, has brought this issue to light hoping to have Mason become a Conflict-Free campus.

She has often approached the administration and even student Government about this issue. This has lead to the very first Virginia university whose Student Government supports the campus-wide initiative to become Conflict-Free, and has begun the establishment of a special committee that has the sole purpose of pushing for that same goal.

Even though some students, and even Student Government, have begun to start turning the wheel in converting Mason to a Conflict-Free campus, these few individuals and organizations are not enough to make this change happen. As of right now, it is inconclusive as to what it will take for the administration to accept the demands of those who have approached them.

If a large population of students and faculty express their support for this initiative, then the administration will surely say yes, and we will have a helping hand towards the bigger goal: ending the abuse of humans for the production of items that are used in

our everyday lives.

In my opinion, Mason needs to become Conflict-Free. If the administration is going to constantly make statements about striving for the best sustainability in the world and always advocating for better, then they need to jump on this, especially while construction is in its early stages.

It may not be easy to become 100 percent Conflict-Free, but that does not mean Mason cannot make a few steps to make this change happen.

As students of Mason, we should be proactive in making this happen.

This is our university. We simply cannot stand by idly and pass up an opportunity to make a difference in the world.

Although we are the first university in Virginia to have a Student Government make a statement about the issue, we can certainly be the first in the entire country to achieve a Conflict-Free campus by voicing our opinions and advocating for the millions of people dying every year for our luxuries.

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

Every action we make has consequences. Some have minor impacts and some have larger impacts.

At times, we most often think that our actions cannot possibly have too large of consequences, at least on a global scale.

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02.04.2019

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OPINIONS

STUDENT POVERTY IS REAL

ALEXANDER SHEDD EDITOR IN CHIEF

Having grown up in a middle-class family in Richmond, I’ve never had to deal with living paycheck to paycheck or being in debt. But living in Fairfax has given me a larger perspective on this pervasive issue. For the last several years, I have struggled to make ends meet living on my own, and I’m certainly not alone in that.

Though my parents help where they can, assisting partially with my off-campus rent and footing my tuition bill (which is primarily funded by my Pell Grant and loans), I’ve never had a savings account, and I often can’t afford groceries or gas until my next paycheck comes—and you can forget about a parking pass. If I can still struggle this much having come from a background of privilege, this system cannot be sustainable for those who haven’t.

It’s no secret that many students are forced off campus due to the constraints of dorm living at Mason.

And without generous help from your family, paying rent in Fairfax is an absolutely overwhelming task.

I currently live in Burke, where my rent is a blessed $465/month (plus utilities) because our landlord opted to live in the basement and cut us a discount. Before that, I lived in a house right behind Merten Hall—or rather, a room in a basement annex, where I shared a bathroom with three other students, had no kitchen, had little ventilation and dealt regularly with mold, spiders and insects of all sorts. The rent there was $560/ month, which was also a “discounted” rate, and it was an extra $20 for every day it was late. Living there did wonders for my mental health.

Although my current townhouse is a better deal than much of the county, my roommates and I had to fight for it.

In the last week of July, we were all set up for another townhouse down the street, when the landlord there decided he was too nervous to rent to students and demanded several months’ rent and a cosigner up front, which was simply impossible for us. Our realtor informed us that this is a form of discrimination and is not allowed in D.C. Virginia has no such protections.

We were lucky to find another listing on Zillow in the same day, but our townhouse would not be affordable without the deal we cut with our landlord. At the same time, I’ve known students here who have crammed up to seven people into smaller townhouses and still paid $700/month

FOURTH ESTATE ALEXANDRIA MCALPINE

Being a college student is not easy.

That is not an original idea. Across the country, millennial students are calling attention to the hardships of working full time to merely scrape by among the rising cost of tuition, fees, and textbooks, not to mention food, rent, bills, car payments and other financial necessities, all while balancing their educational pursuits.

each. The legal max occupancy for a non-family residence is four.

Loudoun and Fairfax County are the two richest counties in the U.S., as per worldatlas.com. Arlington is number five. The greater D.C. region ranks 4th for average rent of a one-bedroom apartment, above other major cities like Los Angeles, Miami, and Seattle— that number is a staggering $2,190.

In Blacksburg, home of Virginia Tech, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $957. Even in Richmond, the average is only $950. Naturally, two- or three-bedroom apartments are near the same price, making living in these other college towns much easier.

PHOTO COURTESY OF 4WALLZ

Throughout Mason, many students, including myself, live paycheck to paycheck, piling on student loans and credit debt, eating poorly, missing rent and losing utilities. Some students are even homeless at times, and rent is only going to go up with the new Amazon headquarters and whatever other exciting projects Mason has in the works that will increase the property value.

So what is to be done about systemic student poverty at Mason? For starters, student wages need to go up in a major way. The “Fight for 15” has been grossly abused as a political tool for both parties, whether it’s the Democrat compromisers trying to verbally appease the growing populist left, or the Republican reactionaries crying “Socialism!” at every New Deal-esque Bernie bill.

But it’s not politics—it’s survival.

Virginia is one of a handful of states still at the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25/hour and $2.13/ hour for tipped employees. Especially in an area as expensive as Fairfax, a $15 wage is absolutely necessary for students trying to get by. As a major employer of those students, Mason is responsible for delivering it.

According to President Cabrera’s own biography, Mason accounts for nearly half of Virginia’s public universities enrollment growth in the last decade, yet tuition continues to rise while on-campus housing becomes more rare.

If Mason subsidizes off-campus rent, I couldn’t find any information about it. Although they allow you to calculate off-campus living in your financial aid package, heavier loans are the last thing any of us need, and scholarships often aren’t enough, especially considering that they don’t take the form of a check handed to your landlord each month.

Student wages at Mason are mixed.

I’ve worked normal waged jobs on campus that range from $8.50 to $9.50, and work-study jobs that pay $11. However, work study is tricky, as there is an imposed limit on how much you can make in a semester, not to mention that many students are not eligible due to their family income.

In my current position as Editor in Chief of Fourth Estate, I get paid via scholarship per issue from the school, which goes from my student account to my bank account through direct deposit. It is the most money

I’ve made at Mason. However, with the 30+ hours I put into this job per week, I don’t quite make minimum wage. That isn’t the fault of Student Media, so much as the school’s idea that the other editors and I shouldn’t be paid a real wage because working here is an “educational experience.”

Aside from raising student wages across the board, Mason needs to help directly with student poverty. Maybe next time instead of taking a salary increase for the president or throwing more money at sports, we should create a direct rent subsidy program or increase wages.

Maybe next time instead of taking $5 million from Charles Koch to further expand the economics department, we should solicit donations to pay for new affordable student housing and loan forgiveness. Maybe when we tear down dorm complexes, we should have contingency plans for when half a class has to move off campus.

Maybe if you can’t afford to keep your students healthy and above the poverty line, you can’t afford to run a school.

This article doesn’t really even account for those students who actually pay their own tuition out of pocket. I’m not saying we all need mansions and Corvettes, just that we shouldn’t need to think about where our next meal is coming from or whether or not we’ll be homeless while we’re taking full time classes. So maybe, just maybe, public education should be free, so that students who can barely afford their rent can get the degree they need to lead healthy and happy lifestyles.

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02.04.2019

OPINIONS

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IN DEFENSE OF FLOWERS

Admiration: Amethyst

marriages, anniversaries, graduations, performances and occasions of consolation and sympathy. Their colorful petals are versatile enough to fit any circumstance, yet we give so little thought to the rich meanings each individual bloom once held, especially for two people summoning the courage to pursue love.

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, with all of the candy hearts and ribbonbound boxes of chocolate associated with the occasion. Social media marks the 14th of February with a barrage of jewelry ads, Instagram posts of perfectly posed kisses and public love letters punctuated with emojis.

For civility’s sake, I am reluctant to say that there is anything inherently wrong with that, but just for a moment, I would like to step away from the devotional time we pay to all of the screens in our lives, and advocate an old-fashioned, forgotten way to share feelings without uttering a word. I am

speaking of the language of flowers.

If you’re familiar with the phrase, it may very well bring to mind sentimental drawings of Victorian women swooning at the sight of a bouquet. Personally, I find that image no more ridiculous than gushing over a candlelit dinner in a lengthy Facebook post.

Even without knowing the subtleties of each flower’s meaning, flowers are beautiful, living gifts capable of conveying thoughtfulness and affection throughout many stages of life. Flowers are arranged at births,

This is a gorgeous, romantic form of expression that deserves to make a comeback. Our generation is blessed with the ability to communicate instantaneously with the world around us. But when it comes to saying something truly important, there is a place where words (and emojis) fail us. Relationships are complicated more than ever in a world dominated by hook-up culture and heartache, but flowers are simple.

In the hope of inspiring someone to craft a love message of their own this Valentine’s Day in flowers, I have here a short list of sentimental messages with their corresponding flowers from Kate Greenaway’s “Language of Flowers,” written in 1884.

Amiability: Jasmine Anxious and Trembling: Red Columbine Glorious Beauty: Morning Glory Color of My Life: Coral Honeysuckle Declaration of Love: Red Tulip Early Friendship: Blue Periwinkle Elegance and Grace: Yellow Jasmine Enchantment: Holly Herb First Emotions of Love: Purple Lilac Unchanging Friendship: Arbor Vitae Happy Love: Bridal Rose Hopeless Love: Yellow Tulip I Will Think of It…: Wild Daisy Let Me Go: Butterfly Weed Marriage: Ivy Pleasures of Memory: White Periwinkle Reconciliation: Hazel Return of Happiness: Lily of the Valley Secret Love: Yellow Acacia True Love: Forget Me Not You Will Be My Death: Hemlock

WHY I AND OTHER STUDENTS HATE CONSTRUCTION OWEN FERGUSON STAFF WRITER

It seems everywhere I go on campus, there is a fence surrounding piles of dirt and rubble. As I try to navigate campus, it feels like a maze. I have to plan out which way is the quickest to get to class, something that I should not have to do after attending this school for a year. I know I sound lazy, but that is because I am.

There is a lot of new construction on the Fairfax campus this semester, the largest being around Robinson A and the pathway from where the clock tower once stood towards Southside.

I am a sophomore that lives in the Rappahannock neighborhood. For me, this is probably the worst spot to be blocked off. Although the detour does not add that much time on my walk to class, it does create bottlenecks.

If you have ever walked around Fenwick, you know what I am talking about. The tight, narrow path from the Johnson Center to Fenwick is one of the most annoying places to walk on campus now just because of the high foot traffic due to the insane amount of fencing. When

it is busy, I am bumping shoulders, squeezing to get past people and getting upset when someone is walking slowly and I cannot get past them.

Another issue with the bottleneck is those d--- abortion protesters.With the tight path and mass amounts of people walking through it, the abortion protestors must be having a field day. Many of my friends have complained that the protestors are shoving fliers into their faces and so on. Also, students often stop to argue with them, which is fine, but they could be more mindful about the space that they are taking up.

From what I have seen, the time frame on the construction is a long one. I know things take time, but looking at fences and hearing the machines every day gets old quickly.

tearing down Robinson A is also very annoying. When walking past Fenwick, it is almost impossible to have a conversation with someone even when you are right next to them.

The

Another problem I have run into is

noise

from

the

machines

when friends from other universities or friends that are thinking about coming to Mason visit and hang out with me, all they see is the ugly side of things.

It is hard to show off my school when a decent amount of it is blocked off or behind a fence. I would imagine the same goes for prospective student tours. When trying to persuade students to spend a lot of money to attend a university, having a campus that looks good can go a long way.

I realize that I am just complaining, but I still do not understand why most of the construction could not have waited until the spring semester was over. I know that improving the campus and its facilities are important to providing students and faculty with a better environment, but at this point it is just getting in the way. There is not much that can really be done to change the construction or stop it now, but it would have been nice if the administration would have thought more in-depth as to when it should start rather than just do it all at once.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NICOLAS MACOTTO

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAX PIXEL

SUSAN KATHRINE CORKRAN STAFF WRITER

LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS

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S4M3: Ignorance

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Pizza Bot Rev

MS Funny

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

Shortest Possible Route

FOURTH ESTATE HUGO VASGESTIAN

FOURTH ESTATE WREN PUCKETT

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