2.24.20 - Fourth Estate

February 24, 2020

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Volume 7 Issue 15

FOURTH ESTATE Mason raises money for the arts ~ p. 8 ~ @ivestate | gmufouråthestate.com

CORONA VIRUS PANEL (P. 3) || COLIN JOST AT MASON (P. 7) || BOLTON DEFIES THE ODDS (P. 11) || OPINION: MASON CORE (P. 15) Fourth Estate is a free publication, limit one copy per person. Additional copies are 25 cents payable to the Office of Student Media.

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02.24.2020

FOURTH ESTATE

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HAILEY BULLIS DANA NICKEL Co Editors-in-Chief

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

ALEXANDRIA MCALPINE Art Director DELANEY HARRISON Copy Editor

Hey Patriots, I hope everyone had an amazing Homecoming week. Whether you went to any events, or just the basketball game — I hope you were able to have some fun.

Our Culture section covered a few of the events this past week including the Off the Wall event at the Art and Design building on Saturday, where students, faculty and alumni came and viewed art made by students.

Culture writer Nikayla Kirchner also went to the Colin Jost comedy headliner show that took place last Thursday. Flip to page seven to read more about the show.

Or, go back to page four of our News section to read about how Mason’s College of Education and Human Development is working to create equal access and opportunity for those with visual impairments.

Our Sports section sat down with women’s basketball player Jacy Bolton and men’s basketball player AJ Wilson. Read more about these two players on page 11 and page 13 respectively.

And last, but not least, our Opinion section has dedicated their entire section to general education classes and whether they are good, bad or in need of a shakeup. Personally, I have never been a huge fan of general education credits, so reading what other students thought about the required credits was interesting.

I also learned a lot more about how the honors college treats general education classes through Opinion writers Savannah Martincic and Sidonia Cannon, and their thoughts on how to shake up general education are worth reading. Read both of their articles on page 16.

One change you might notice in our Index next week is that our Assistant Opinion Editor Jack Harvey is leaving us, and as such, this will be his final issue.

Jack has been such an integral part of this team this year and his presence on staff will be missed dearly.

As midterms season is upon us as well, make sure you aren’t procrastinating. Hone in on those projects and essays you have coming up, stay strong, and try not to drink too much caffeine.

And, as always, if you have any comments, questions, or concerns — or something to pitch us — feel free to shoot us an email at masonfourthestate@ gmail.com.

See you next week Patriots,

LAURA SCUDDER News Editor ALEXA TIRONI Assistant News Editor PETER NJOROGE Culture Editor NAYOMI SANTOS Assistant Culture Editor NATALIE HEAVREN Sports Editor DOMENIC ALLEGRA Assistant Sports Editor DOMINIC PINO Opinion Editor JACK HARVEY Assistant Opinion Editor BILLY FERGUSON Online Director LEXI REYES Social Media Editor DOMINIQUE BERNARDINO Multimedia Editor EMMETT SMITH Distribution Manager

Hailey Bullis

KATHRYN MANGUS Director

Co Editor-in-Chief

DAVID CARROLL Associate Director JASON HARTSEL Assistant Director

We are always recruiting volunteers for: - WRITERS - VIDEOGRAPHERS - ILLUSTRATORS - PHOTOGRAPHERS

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02.24.2020

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PANEL EXPLORES INTERNATIONAL RAMIFICATIONS OF CORONAVIRUS Center for Security Policy Studies opens a discussion of coronavirus issues On Feb. 21, the Center for Security Policy Studies (CSPS) hosted a speaker series on Mason’s Arlington campus with a panel of experts to discuss the implications of the coronavirus — named COVID-19 — crisis.

persist throughout this. The human dimension of this crisis gets lost and not much discussion. There are still millions of people in China who are living in the midst of fear and uncertainty.”

The panelists relayed different perspectives on how COVID-19 has affected people in various ways and how big the human impact actually is.

Morrison shared his experience at the Munich Security Conference with officials from the World Health Organization.

“The three panelists completely laid out the coronavirus issues in three different perspectives, and I think I have a much [clearer] understanding of what is the issue and how we’re moving forward,” said Kalegha Voke, a CSPS student fellow. “I’m also very interested to see the future China and U.S. relationship and how it will affect the public.”

He pointed out that the U.S. does not have great measurements or treatment as of yet, and there is a limited understanding of transmissibility of the illness and testing capacity.

Ellen Laipson, a CSPS director, started off the event introducing the first panelist, Stephen Morrison, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and director of Global Health Policy Center.

“This is an astonishing outbreak,” Morrison said. “Many unknowns

The second panelist, Ashley Grant, a biotechnologist and adjunct professor in Mason’s biodefense program, discussed the importance of knowing the risk factors of what makes people more susceptible to infection or death.

“The declaration of the public health emergency activates to spend more funds, do additional research and start the support system,” Grant said.

“Several different parts of the health and human services including the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and

PHOTO COURTESY OF CSPS STUDENT FELLOW

HEA SU LEE STAFF WRITER

more are working for the outbreak.”

The last panelist, Ketian Zhang, an assistant professor of international security in the Schar School of Policy and Government with a regional focus on East Asia, shared her personal story as someone who was in China during the outbreak and got on the last flight to the U.S. “Chinese provinces give one permit to each household — that means only one family member can leave the residential area for two hours every two days,” Zhang said. “Despite

these efforts, the number has been increased, and obviously, we don’t know how many times more are the actual number of cases.”

She also pointed out that the people who are angry at Chinese authorities have pushed for freedoms in expression, media and state transparency.

“The central government tightened media control [to show] that they are not ready to respond, and the public is angry about it,” Zhang said.

Senior global affairs major Ha Eun Choi weighed in on the panel.

“This issue includes different responses and treatments depending on countries, [ethnicities], culture and government type. It warns us that human security is a critical domain that should be regarded as a top priority,” Choi said.

The next CSPS speaker series will focus on another big issue of the rapid proliferation and pervasive influence of technology in human societies.

The event will be held on March 4 at noon at the Arlington Campus in Van Metre Hall 113.

LAST WEEK IN THE NEWS

Monday, Feb. 17

Tuesday, Feb. 18

Boy Scouts of America files for bankruptcy, allowing organization to operate as it handles sexual abuse allegations.

President Trump grants 11 people clemency, including financier Michael Milken and former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.

Apple says it won’t meet its quarterly revenue goals because of coronavirus’s impact on production and demand.

President Ashraf Ghani named winner of the Afghan election after a five-month delay.

Peace talks between U.S. and Afghanistan forge ahead amidst deaths of two U.S. soldiers.

Attorney General William Barr tells people close to Trump he is considering quitting over the president’s tweets.

Thursday, Feb. 20

Friday, Feb. 21

Democratic debate held in Las Vegas.

Roger Stone is sentenced to over three years in prison.

Catholic diocese in Pennsylvania becomes latest to file for bankruptcy while facing new sexual abuse lawsuits.

Intelligence officials tell lawmakers that Russia is aiding Trump in the 2020 election.

Michael Bloomberg offers to release three women from nondisclosure agreements related to comments he allegedly made.

Wednesday, Feb. 19

Nine killed in a shooting in Hanau, Germany.

Two Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike in northwestern Syria.

Wells Fargo to pay $3 billion to settle probes by the DOJ and SEC. Harvey Weinstein trial jurors tell judge they were deadlocked on two charges, but suggest they’re unanimous on three. Deliberations to resume Monday, Feb. 24.

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NEWS

02.24.2020

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MASON RECRUITS TEACHERS FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED AND BLIND College of Education and Human Development works to increase educators proficient in braille and visual impairment accommodation ALEXA TIRONI ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

because the print was just too small,” Avila said.

really rely on this as how we can reach people,” Avila said.

She continued, “I didn’t have access to braille and so I didn’t do very well in school, but when I went to college I met up with an organization that introduced me to all these technologies and devices, and literally that semester I had access to those my GPA went to almost a 4.0 and I just felt much more confident in learning.”

The program, however, is about more than just teaching braille literacy — it’s about creating equal access and opportunity. According to a 2009 report written by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), less than 10 percent of legally blind people in the U.S. can read braille.

“I would say they did the best job with what they had … I mean, anything I needed all my teachers would help,” Fitzgerald said. “We would have one on one talks about what I needed, what was working, what was not working — which really helped me figure out that I have a voice and can stand up for that.”

Avila currently works as the coordinator to the Virginia Consortium for Teacher Preparation in Vision Impairment, and described the lack of specialized teachers in the field as a “chronic problem.”

She had access to assistive technology like Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), which she used to enlarge texts to make reading easier and mathematical equations more comprehensive.

However, not all VI persons have the same early educational experiences.

Kimberly Avila, the Mason professor in charge of the preparatory program for working with visually impaired and blind students, experienced the frustrations from a lack of accessibility.

“I’m visually impaired and I didn’t get much help at all in school and so I grew up thinking that I had — my challenges with reading were because of something else, but really it was

MASON WEEKLY CRIME LOG

The consortium is the only academic program preparing teachers for students with visual impairments in the state, and is made up of five universities: George Mason University, James Madison University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University and Radford University.

There are several degrees available through the VI program. A student can pursue a bachelor’s or a master’s degree with a concentration in VI, an undergraduate minor or a graduate certificate.

“All the instruction is taught through George Mason, so it’s a really neat collaboration because our partner universities have contacts in their part of the state that I don’t, and so I

The inability to read braille is more than just a communication inhibitor — it can greatly impact a visually impaired or blind person’s likelihood of finding employment. In 2016 the NFB reported a 70-75 percent unemployment rate within the community and that 27.7 percent were living below the poverty line.

Pamela Baker, associate professor and division director of Mason’s Special Education and disAbility Research, spoke on the lack of proper opportunities and braille education, saying, “There are places that don’t have access to people who are trained and who can teach in that area. There is also that assumption that if you can hear it you can be able to read, and when you look at employment opportunities that’s where the breakdown occurs.”

“In the workplace, you have to be able to read and write in the vast majority of positions, and braille is just reading with your fingers,” Baker said. “But,

Avila reported research of her own in regards to VI people in the workplace. “It has to do a lot with accessibility,” she said. “So, if we have employers that have inaccessible platforms and digital systems that they use, then that’s going to create a barrier.”

She continued, “I also think there are barriers in employers seeing a person who is visually impaired as being a valuable asset to their work environment.”

Avila works as an advocate for equity in the workplace for visually impaired and blind persons. When companies and agencies acquire assistive technology such as screen readers and braille displays that generate refreshable sentences to correspond with the words on screen, they create a more inclusive workplace.

Fitzgerald is now pursuing her master’s in special education with

a concentration in VI. “Just having that experience of being someone who is visually impaired, I really felt like I could relate with my students,” Fitzgerald said.

She spoke of her passion for the field and the necessity of educators, saying, “I think it kind of boils down to the students; they need specific help, they need specialized help with braille and adapting worksheets, and different things so they can have the best education.”

“I want to help them the way that I was helped … I want someone to have that experience, and be able to come out on the other end and be like, wow, I did it,” Fitzgerald explained.

Tuesday, Feb. 18 — Washington Lot

Wednesday, Feb. 19 — Patriot Circle

Destruction / Vandalism: Complainant (GMU) reported vandalism to a vehicle (keyed).

(30/Tallon)

Drug Law Violations / Driving While Revoke: Subject (Non-GMU) was issued a releasable summons for driving with a revoked license and given a verbal warning for possessing a small amount of illegal drugs. (48/Grant)

Case 2020-002068 — Referred to Title IX

Case 2020-002133 — Cleared by Summons Tuesday, Feb. 18 — Robinson Hall-B (Men’s Restroom near rm 364) Destruction / Vandalism: Complainant (GMU) reported vandalism to property. (40/ Ries)

PHOTO COURTESY OF MASON POLICE

the idea being that if we don’t prepare people to do that, we limit their independence.”

FOURTH ESTATE ASHLEY KWON

Lilley Fitzgerald was born with Stargardt macular dystrophy, an inherited disorder of the retina that results in progressive vision loss during childhood and adolescence. As the only visually impaired (VI) student in her district, Fitzgerald could have been left to slip through the educational cracks, as many VI students do, had it not been for the dedicated teachers around her.

Case 2020-002070 — Inactive

Thursday, Feb. 20 — Police HQ Possession of Fictitious ID: Subject (GMU) was issued a releasable summons for possessing a fake identification card. (57/Strimel) Case 2020-002163 — Cleared by Summons

Tuesday, Feb. 18 — Fairfax Campus

Thursday, Feb. 20 — Campus Drive

Stalking: Complainant (GMU) reported receiving unwanted contact from a former intimate partner (GMU) on multiple occasions. (41/Raeford)

Credit Card / Automatic Teller Machine Fraud / Arrest Warrant Service: Subject (GMU) was arrested and transported to Fairfax County Adult Detention Center for possessing stolen property. (48/Grant)

Case 2020-002078 — Referred to Title IX

Case 2020-002172 — Cleared by Arrest

NEWS

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02.24.2020

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MASON PROFESSORS REACT TO NEW EDUCATION BILL Virginia House of Delegates passes bill regarding methods taught in higher education LAURA SCUDDER NEWS EDITOR

The Virginia House of Delegates passed HB 894, a new bill regarding methods taught in higher education, on Feb. 10. The bill has crossed over and is in the State Senate’s Public Education Subcommittee.

Human disAbilities, the bill comes at a time where positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) are more important than ever — and as physical restraint and exclusion practices become more controversial.

The bill passed with a vote of 97 yes and two no. It was originally introduced by Mark Levine (D) and Ibraheem Samirah (D).

“If you think of the bottom of a triangle being PBIS — positive behavior intervention and supports — you want that to take up most of the triangle,” King-Sears said. “And then you want to just be able to recognize when a kid is about to get into crisis.

So there’s your crisis prevention, and then you know what to do to deescalate.”

The bill requires that students enrolled in education programs receive “instruction on positive behavior interventions and supports; crisis prevention and de-escalation; the use of physical restraint, consistent with regulations of the Board of Education; and appropriate alternative methods to reduce and prevent the need for the use of physical restraint and seclusion.”

Several professors at Mason had thoughts on the bill.

According to Margaret King-Sears and Jodi Duke, two professors within the Helen A. Kellar Institute for

She continued, “So to the very tip, just a tiny bit of the tip of the triangle is — are the kids who may need physical restraint. But it’s very, very important that we know that … that’s something that should not be regularly used. People need specialized training in it, and it is controversial. And so we want to make sure that we’re — we’ve got everybody, not just knowing about these things, but using PBIS

techniques with fidelity. So that [we] are doing all they can to make it a good, healthy learning environment for all the kids.”

Fidelity means that practices are used the way they are meant to be used.

King-Sears and Duke explained that these sorts of PBIS techniques are already being taught at Mason in both undergraduate and graduate-level courses.

“What we teach is a process called functional behavior assessment, where we teach our students who are future teachers how to collect a large amount of information about the individual’s behavior, and from multiple perspectives,” Duke said. She explained that collecting information from multiple perspectives ranges from observing the student to conducting interviews with parents.

“They put all of this information together and the goal is they figure out what is it that this child is trying to communicate through their behavior,

because we teach our students that behavior is a form of communication,” Duke said.

data on this information with the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection.

Christan Coogle, an assistant professor within the early childhood education program, reiterated similar sentiments about PBIS. Coogle explained that PBIS techniques apply to all students and that, though techniques are taught, real-world experience is where people will find the most proactive learning.

“So one thing I really want to touch on from an early childhood special education perspective is that I think it’s important to remember that when we look at data, [it] continues to show that children with disabilities and children who are African American and Black — at least in early childhood — are disproportionately exposed to punitive practices, such as suspension, expulsion, physical restraint … And so for me, the use of positive behavior supports and the reduction of the suspensions and expulsions is rooted in my belief that all children deserve an equitable education experience,” Bunch said.

“We know that there has to be opportunities to apply new knowledge in authentic settings, where the educator would have the opportunity to gain feedback and support before they are expected to use an evidence-based practice independently with fidelity,” she said.

According to second-year doctoral student Clarissa Bunch, punitive behavior is more heavily enforced on children with disabilities and Black children.

She explained that you can find

According to The Washington Post, as of October 2019, parents and disability rights groups were suing Fairfax County Public Schools over alleged use of improper restraint and seclusion toward students with disabilities.

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02.24.2020

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MASON TO HOST A TRUTH, RACIAL HEALNG AND TRANSFORMATION CAMPUS CENTER

Association of American Colleges & Universities selects Mason to host this center BRAD BYRNE STAFF WRITER

Mason joins 23 other colleges and universities around the U.S. to be hosting a TRHT center and is the first in Virginia to do so.

This new campus center would be dedicated to creating awareness about the effects of racism, as well as preparing future generations of college students to become leaders in order to educate and make others aware of promoting racial and social justice, according to an article from The George.

The center will allow Mason students to involve the community in allowing participants to immerse themselves in the commonalities of a shared human journey, while acknowledging the consequences of exposure to racism and honoring diverse cultures and experiences.

Freshman Arianna Acosta, a member of the Hispanic Student Association, reacted to the news.

“I believe that this is a great opportunity for students, staff and the overall community to come together to understand the negative impact that racism had and continues to have on our society,” Acosta said.

Acosta stressed that education is critical to changing the country.

“Racism will continue to divide our country unless we educate ourselves and start leading the change that our country so desperately needs,” she explained.

According to The George article, Mason was selected based on its vision for the center, its demonstrated commitment of campus leaders and the community to the goals of a TRHT center, and its ability to prove that the community needed this center — meaning that people of color need a place to gather on campus.

Freshman Cindy Sanchez Canales, a member of the UNICEF organization on campus, said that having a space for students of color to collectively gather is a positive thing.

“I think it is a positive plan,” Sanchez Canales said. “UNICEF’s goal is to always help those in need or those that don’t have basic needs, but also to give them the opportunity to live, and not just survive.”

Mason, according to The Washington Post. It will focus on a 10-year old girl named Penny and a man named James, Mason’s manservant. The memorial is scheduled to be finished in 2021.

Sanchez Canales also explained what it meant to her as a member of UNICEF to have a center like this opening up on campus.

“In terms of me being at UNICEF, I think this is a perfect display of allowing people to have a comfortable or inclusive space that can provide an outlet or comfort and that’s living — not just surviving,” she said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WUSA9.COM

The Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) announced on Jan. 16 that Mason will host a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center. There is no set date for the center to open.

Mason is planning to erect a brand new memorial honoring more than 100 people enslaved by George

KATHERINE ROWAN TO RETIRE FROM THE COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT Rowan discusses her journey at Mason and the impact she has left for her students SUDIKSHA KOCHI STAFF WRITER

Katherine Rowan’s journey to Mason started in the 1970s when she was only 18 years old. Rowan joined the forensics team during her time at Mason, which launched her passion for communication.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree, she pursued her master’s and doctorate. She officially became a professor at Mason in 2000.

Now, after serving as a faculty member for 20 years, Rowan is set to retire by the end of the spring 2020 semester.

She will be retiring in order to have more time to spend with her three grandchildren.

“One particular professor I was inspired by was Professor Margaret

Once she became a professor, Rowan became involved in several projects — including the growth of the public relations program.

“When I first came to Mason, there were only about three classes in the catalog for public relations,” Rowan said. “Now, there are 10 classes. Many of the classes teach public relations students skills that allow them to get meaningful and interesting jobs.”

One of the classes, called Public Relations Campaigns, helps public relations students become more involved in their community.

“One of the campaigns that my students put together was specifically for a client from the Virginia Department of Transportation,” Rowan explained. “The brilliance of this campaign was that it taught inexperienced and young drivers to slow

down around orange construction cones, which was important because a lot of drivers are unsure of what to do around these cones.”

Another project Rowan was involved in was the creation of the Student Environmental Action Showcase, which happens every April. Hundreds of Virginia youth, ranging from grades K-12, come to Mason to show their environmental action projects.

“A project showcased last year by elementary schoolers had to do with water quality,” Rowan said. “These kids put radish shoes around their elementary school so that when it rained, the water that is drained through the soil is cleaner when entering our waterways. This is safer than when rainwater goes through the drains of a road because then all the pollutants from oil and gas enters our waterways.”

Recent Mason alumna Cristina Izurieta worked very closely with Rowan and a client as the account supervisor for a project.

“Dr. Rowan is a highly accomplished professor and pillar of the Mason community who goes above and

beyond to ensure her students succeed in and outside of the classroom. I congratulate Dr. Rowan on her recent retirement, it is well deserved, and I wish her all the best — I know she will continue to do great things!”

Rowan said that she will miss getting the chance to help students and faculty the most once she leaves Mason.

“It is fun to help other people with their dissertations, research projects, news stories, speeches and much more,” Rowan explained. “I enjoy working at Mason. It is a privilege to be a Mason professor because if you do it right, you are mostly helping people learn and do research projects.”

Sophomore communication major Abigail Pearl also expressed her thoughts on Rowan leaving the communication department.

“Professor Rowan is a highly liked and a renowned professor and will be missed by Mason faculty, communication department, her students, and the

community,” Pearl said in a message to Fourth Estate. “This was not a light decision taken but it is apparent that she will not be returning to Mason following this semester Spring 2020.

We [students] would like to thank her family and her for allowing us to experience her wonderful teachings and form lasting relationships.”

Though she will be retiring, Rowan hopes to remain a part of the Mason community.

“I still do want to stay involved, though,” Rowan said. “I am hoping to come back to work on research projects with students and faculty and also teach part-time by 2021.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROWAN

PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHERINE ROWAN

Duffner,” Rowan said. “She taught four classes at Mason and was the coach of the forensics team. As a coach, she was expected to listen to our speeches and give feedback, which allowed me to become comfortable standing up in front of a room and speaking to people.”

CULTURE

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02.24.2020

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THE ART OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE Author and illustrator Juana Medina traces path from Colombia to Washington, D.C.

PETER NJOROGE CULTURE EDITOR

The Global Arts Coffeehouse invites an interesting and diverse set of international artists to come and engage audiences at Mason with an artistic conversation that goes beyond the technical, according to English professor Heather Green.

“Dr. Kristin Johnsen-Neshati is the assistant dean of the CVPA and she’s started two new series,” Green said.

“One is called Kritikos and one is called Global Arts Coffeehouse, and they’re meant to start conversations about art that aren’t just, like, a painter giving a talk.”

“I’ve known Juana for a few years because her wife Sally teaches in creative writing where I used to teach,”

Green continued. “And when I went over to [the] School of Art for my Writing for Artists class, I just thought ‘Oh, wouldn’t it be amazing for them to get a chance to hear from Juana,’ who’s really living in both worlds.”

Medina was born in Bogota and the path to children’s literature was quite circuitous. At multiple points in the talk, Medina noted that the intent was never to become a children’s author and prior to publishing, Medina had a career in physical therapy in Colombia.

the human body, and I wanted to keep this language with my grandfather and for other reasons, I decided to study physical therapy,” Medina said.

But as violence continued to escalate, Medina decided to leave Colombia with no more than $220, eventually landing in the Washington, D.C. area.

“Despite leaving home, my family, my career and not knowing what would happen in my future, I came to this country with a visa on a plane,” Medina said.

“I had a very vast imagination, even as a very young child,” Medina said.

“I was fascinated with oral tradition in Colombia, which is very rich, and stories — they just captivated me.”

While Medina made it clear that there was a landing spot with family in the Washington area, there were also major challenges in making this transition.

Medina spent some time discussing childhood influences, constructing identity in Colombia and a little bit of the contextual backdrop of instability in 1980s Colombia.

“I wasn’t funny anymore,” Medina said. “Even though I spoke the language, [and] I knew the culture, I could not connect. It took me a very long time to gain some understanding of the culture that I was getting to be part of.”

“Throughout this process, my grandfather kept on being my protector. He was a brain surgeon and this gave me a very special understanding and love for

In order to maintain visa status, Medina decided to return to school,

this time choosing to pursue a career in art at the Rhode Island School of Design. It was in one of Medina’s classes there that inspired the “Juana & Lucas” stories that Medina is best known for.

“I was once asked during a short, short fiction writing class to — for an assignment — to write a short, short story,” Medina said. “Being in Rhode Island, which was at the time wintery and cold, I could only help but think of my fabulously warm, perfectly 65, 68 degree hometown.”

they are a way to compile a two-hour feature film onto 32 pages.”

Medina continued, “I’m a strong believer that it is stories that make the world go around. When we share our own ugly, imperfect selves and we share our vulnerability is when we finally realize that our stories, which are very personal, are universal.”

Since then, Medina has been recognized by the Colombian Presidency, the National Cartoonists Society, the National Headliner Award, International Latino Book Awards and is a recipient of the Pura Belpre Award, an award that honors excellence in children’s literature from a Latinx author and illustrator, for the “Juana & Lucas” series.

FOURTH ESTATE PETER NJOROGE

For author, illustrator and designer Juana Medina, a children’s book can mean a lot. Medina is a Colombianborn, Washington-based artist and writer who spent an afternoon discussing children’s literature and much more in Fenwick Library as a part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) Global Arts Coffeehouse series.

“The way I see it, children’s books are more than anything an opportunity to start a conversation,” Medina said.

“If you think about children’s books,

FROM 30 ROCKEFELLER PLAZA TO FAIRFAX, VA. Weekend Update host Colin Jost takes on Mason NIKAYLA KIRCHNER STAFF WRITER

The comedian opened up his set with warm, light-hearted pokes at Mason.

He joked about our strange tradition of rubbing George Mason’s toe for good luck, mentioned a few odd quirks and facts about Mason history and even poked fun at the food delivery robots.

comedians. He joked about mundane life such as the annoyances of technology and the struggles of traveling, but there was also depth to his humor. He masked serious commentary on the political atmosphere underneath witty anecdotes about everyday life.

For instance, Jost light-heartedly joked about the insanity of Domino’s advertising for “pizza insurance,” right before diving into contentious commentary on the political atmosphere within American society.

“I want to go back to when politics was boring,” said Jost. “Like hey, white guys, you don’t always have to speak.”

“Last week I was at the Oscars, and this week I’m in suburban Virginia; all my childhood dreams have come true,” he said.

Through a thick layer of humor and entertainment, Jost prompted insightful and thought-provoking questions about controversial topics like toxic masculinity, Republicanism and discrimination within the liberal community.

Jost’s show mirrored that of typical

The overarching theme of the show

was not only politics, but also a humorous and relatable depiction of college life and culture.

Through his clever anecdotes and political commentary, Jost portrayed the essence of college life in the most entertaining and relatable fashion, including his personal experience in switching majors and having quirky roommates. He also discussed heavier topics such as what it’s like to be wary of drugs in a culture that pressures its usage, as well as the “tribulations” of online dating.

“I thought the show was hilarious,” said freshman biology major Darien Reyes. “I didn’t think he would appeal as much to the college life and lifestyle as much as he did. It was very surprising, at least for me.”

Jost focused on the normality and relatability of what life is like as a college student. He included the ups, downs and embarrassing in-betweens that

make up the chaotic milestone that is the college experience.

“You really learn a lot from the people in college,” Jost joked. “You get to see

people from different worlds, people that aren’t from Fairfax, but also Alexandria or Arlington — people from vast places. And I think that’s the true beauty of college.”

FOURTH ESTATE PETER NJOROGE

On Thursday, Feb. 20, “SNL” writer, actor and comedian Colin Jost took the stage at Mason’s Center for the Arts to discuss politics, college life, Starship robots and more. Most recognized for his role as the news anchor in the popular “SNL” skit Weekend Update, Jost displayed the more humble aspects of his comedic career as he performed a 30-minute stand-up performance for the Mason population.

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CULTURE

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OFF THE WALL DISPLAYS MASON TALENT IN INCREDIBLE SHOWCASE The Art and Design building hosts Off the Wall TRAVIS MCMILLAN STAFF WRITER

On Saturday, Feb. 22, as part of Mason Homecoming, the School of Art pulled a tremendous crowd into the Art and Design building for their annual Off the Wall event. From 2 p.m. until 5 p.m., the building was filled to the brim with students as well as alumni and parents coming to view all the amazing student creations.

and played an animation or film project that a student created specifically for the event. Some of the animations confronted viewers with very deep messages and others focused on lighter subjects. There were also projects that incorporated both film and animation, resulting in very interesting final products.

From the top floor to the bottom, rooms were filled with the art that students from multiple disciplines put hours of work into. The artistic creations appeared in great variety, from portraits and paintings to interactive art, with virtual reality apparatuses and even a halfpipe set up behind the building.

White was very enthusiastic about all of the artwork created by students at Mason. When asked what she thought was most important, White responded, “Friend-making, you know? Like really trying to connect with the larger community.”

FOURTH ESTATE MATT ROSS

One of the rooms that seemed to draw a fair amount of passersby was the new media section, overseen by Gail Scott White, a professor in the School of Art focusing on new media art and animation.

The room was visually stunning. Every computer in the room was turned on

“We have a terrific program and we’re growing like crazy,” White said. “For me, it’s really being able to connect with other people and show them what they’re doing.”

Victor Shenouda, a biology major who was showcasing abstract sculptures during the event, talked about how seeing people appreciate his art was important to him as a student

participant.

“The value of the time I put in and seeing people appreciate it,” he said.

“It’s so easy for someone to look at it and be like ‘I don’t get it.”

The event is a great opportunity for artists to interact with an audience that can understand and appreciate their work.

In addition to the multiple showcases, there was also an interactive art area that allowed attendees to paint anywhere in the room or even throw balls full of paint at a student standing against the wall. There was also a portrait section where student artists drew attendees in many different styles.

On the opposite side, students drew what was most urgent to them, such as violence in the LGBTQ+ community.

Off the Wall incorporated so many different styles and mediums of art, one wouldn’t know where to start. The event showcased the tremendous talent that exists at Mason.

VOLITION PROMOTES SPACE FOR EXPRESSION A night of poetry and performance with Mason’s literary publication MAGGIE ROTH STAFF WRITER

Senior english major and Executive Editor of Volition Zaria Talley emceed the event. Students were called up one by one to share their creations in front of a supportive crowd of peers.

“We hold two open mic nights a semester; they’re for students to come out, show their work and experience for the community,” Talley said.

Some students had performed at events like this before and seemed to know everyone in the crowd, while

others explained that it was their first time at an open mic, or their first time sharing their work at all.

Deen, who also serves as a member of the Poetry and Prose staff team at Volition, was among those performing.

“It’s a mix. Some students aren’t the type to want to perform their stuff in person, so they submit [their work] to the magazine, but we see some familiar names from performances that decide to submit,” Talley said.

“Hearing other people recite poetry or sing inspires me,” Deene explained. “I think the more writing and other forms of art I consume, the better my writing gets.”

There were numerous subjects addressed in the art on stage. Some students used the platform as an opportunity to express feelings of love, loneliness and grief through their poetry and song, while others focused their works on matters of identity or politics.

“I like that it’s an opportunity to share the poems that I write, and also to hear other really awesome poetry, music and stand-up, and everything else people do,” said Sally Deen, a freshman English major.

For students who want to see their art published, the open mic night also served as a way to familiarize students with Volition, and to introduce them to the idea of having their work published.

“It’s a good way for them to show their creative sides, but also a good way to show the magazine to people who may not know what Volition is,” Talley said.

“It’s an opportunity for us to brand ourselves, and it’s a way for students to interact with another way than just submitting to the magazine.”

Submissions to have student work

published in the magazine are open from now until March 29. Any creative materials, including poetry, prose and visual art can be submitted for review.

“We’re looking for really anything,” Talley said, “Prose, poetry, photography, you can take pictures of sculptures

… Anything you want to submit to us, we’ll take.”

Volition will be collaborating with the Office of Women and Gender Studies for the next open mic night scheduled for March 23 in Merten Hall.

FOURTH ESTATE ALEXANDRIA MCALPINE

The artists, poets and musicians of Mason got the opportunity to share their work in front of a crowd when Volition, Mason’s student literary magazine, held their open mic night on Thursday, Feb. 20, in the Johnson Center Bistro. Students were encouraged to get up on stage and share their creative works — anything and everything, from spoken word to musical numbers.

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“PARASITE” AND THE ONE INCH JUMP

Why this foreign film continues to breaks barriers SHYLOH-SYMONE BAILEY STAFF WRITER

the beginning of foreign films gaining recognition in Hollywood.

“Parasite” won the Academy Award for Best Picture and became the first foreign film to win this prestigious award in the academy’s 92-year history.

Alongside its winning streak at several prominent film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival, the movie has attracted over 150 million people to theaters around the world since its release in November of 2019.

The movie is set in South Korea, mainly Seoul and Jeonju, where the Kim family survives by doing odd jobs and creatively scheming to put food on the table. They strategically target the affluent Park family by arranging for their former housekeeper and driver to be fired, while also convincing them that they need a tutor for their children. The Kims fill every one of these positions, unbeknownst to the Parks.

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

“Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films,” said Bong Joon-ho at the 2020 Golden Globes. As director of the award-winning film “Parasite,” he stated that this is only

It would be easy for audiences to look down on the Kim family and others for leeching off of the Parks, but one may excuse their means of survival after viewing their lifestyle in a crowded district in Seoul.

After the Kim family secures their new jobs, they discover that there is more than meets the eye in the modern and spacious home in the wealthier district of Seoul. There is an air of familiarity and comfort that almost eases the viewer until it is disrupted by a well-kept secret that has been living beneath them.

Bong Joon-ho captures this dark narrative while making visual commentary about how resourceful and quick-witted poorer families have to be to survive. There is no antagonist in this film. It is simply about a series of events due to circumstance and choice — or even a lack thereof. The film follows well-meaning characters going after their goals to help their family, while overlooking the dangers and consequences of their actions.

The movie excels at showing the lengths each character was willing to go to for the greater good of their families.

Joon-ho illustrates beautiful scenes that showcase fear, anger — and above all self-sacrificing love.

This movie did a wonderful job incorporating humor while maintaining tension during the more serious, blood-rushing scenes laced throughout the movie. There are multiple elements in this film that acknowledge Korean culture, but the film also speaks to the universality of humanity. It illustrates the determination to stay alive and thrive in the world, even if one has been dealt a poor deck of cards.

The mood and pace of the story shift effortlessly and keeps the audience engaged whether through action or comedic relief. “Parasite” can be enjoyed for both its story and cinematography. It defies the “one-inch tall” barrier and draws in film enthusiasts from every part of the world.

HIDDEN HANGOUTS: SOTTO

Pay homage to the golden age of jazz in Washington, D.C. PETER NJOROGE CULTURE EDITOR

I love jazz. I’m unashamed to say it.

I like it more than hip-hop, R&B, neo-soul, pop music, complex

orchestral scores written by famous composers, food, The NYT Book Review Podcast, movies and people too.

You name it, I like jazz more.

FOURTH ESTATE PETER NJOROGE

But I don’t like Kenny G, I don’t like elevator music and I don’t like “La La Land.”

Those things aren’t really a part of the lineage of what is at the heart of one of America’s only indigenous art forms.

For me, jazz is about improvisation, spontaneity and social engagement, meaning that there is no substitution for going to see real working musicians apply

their craft. Yes, just listening to Miles Davis or John Coltrane while you do your homework isn’t enough. You have to hear it live.

In our area, finding a hip place to hear great jazz musicians can be tough. But at Sotto, a jazz club and restaurant on 14th Street in Washington, D.C., one can spend an evening listening to some of the tri-state’s best musicians play progressive music without breaking the bank in a really cool place.

One of the best things about Sotto is that the club is almost hidden in the middle of all the restaurants, bars and retail stores that make the 14th street strip a popular area for locals and tourists. Once you locate the brilliantly illuminated sign above the narrow entrance, you descend down a flight of stairs into what feels like a different era.

The space is cozy and intimate and the dim lighting helps to maintain the cool atmosphere. All the way in the back of the club is the lit bandstand where

the performers set up for their set. The music at Sotto is always high quality and on any given night, you can hear a wide range of music from mostly local and traveling musicians.

In addition to the great tunes, there is a wide range of food for patrons to enjoy while they listen to music and spend time with their friends. You can share a pizza with a group of people, eat a fancy Italian dinner with your significant other or grab a few snacks from the antipasti menu to munch on during the set.

There is a performance nearly every night at Sotto, and sometimes musicians will perform two separate sets on the same evening. The prices are always more than fair and Fridays and Saturdays are always free and performers tend to play much later into the night on those days. Also, for this month, Sotto has $10 tickets every Thursday for their house band: The Joe Brotherton Quartet. Joe Brotherton is an incredible trumpet player and

seeing his band is worth much more than the price of admission.

Just about everything in the club points back towards the giants of jazz history and the clubs they played at.

The beverages, the ambiance, the bandstand and the service. With that in mind, don’t be surprised when you see a giant picture of legendary New Orleans saxophonist Sydney Bechet in the bathroom.

Another great thing about Sotto is that you are free to engage with the music as much or as little as you would like.

While it’s very easy to tune into the music, the club isn’t a concert hall and people are free to eat and chat with each other however they’d like.

Listening to music at Sotto is just about the closest thing that we have to the best clubs in New York or San Francisco and remind us that Washington, D.C. used to be one of the great American cities of jazz.

Faces of Mason Faces of Mason delves into the lives of faculty, students, alumni and student organizations. This week we look at faculty member Maoria Kirker and student Chloe Clarke INTERVIEWS BY BROOKE LEWITAS

Fa c u l t y : M a o r i a K i r k e r

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAORIA KIRKER

conduct research. We work a lot with English composition programs, the Communications department, and the bachelor of integrative studies. And then we do a lot of orientations and making sure new students know what they can do. And I’m also an adjunct professor for the Honors College. I teach Honors 110 in the fall and Honors 260 in the spring.

Can you describe your job?

I am a Teaching and Learning Team Lead. Basically, what that means is that I manage a group of 13 full-time staff and it’s a combination of staff and librarians.

Our unit teaches undergraduates at Mason — primarily first-year students and transfer students — how to use the library and

What is the day to day of your job like?

My job is never the same from day-to-day!

Now, it’s a lot of meetings. I go to a lot of meetings to facilitate the work of those on my team, and they do the more interesting work: teaching two to three classes [on] how to use the library, doing research in library science, attending meetings, student

consultations, lesson planning, a healthy combination of those things.

What makes a ‘good day’ in your job?

It’s interaction with students. The more I interact with students, the better the day is. Mostly because that means I’m not in meetings, but yeah. Sometimes it’s the smallest comment … I don’t think people realize how much that means [to me]. It makes it completely worth it.

What is something that every student should know about the job of a librarian?

It’s not just sitting around reading books all day! I wish it was. That would be great!

Our job is to make researching easier for students. It’s to shave time off of your researching, so that you can be doing the reading and thinking and writing. [A lot of students] spend less time on that because they’re stressing out about finding things or citing their sources when it’s like, we have tools that can help you do this much faster.

Come talk to us, and we’ll show you those tools!

Student: Chloe Clarke

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHLOE CLARKE

Where is your favorite place on campus?

Besides Starbucks, I don’t really spend a whole lot of time on campus. I honestly like the outside aspects of campus. I like the area where the benches are, that’s nice in the spring. I like the quad area near the [Johnson Center] during the spring.

What, besides school, takes up most of your time?

How would you describe the Comm department to someone who’s considering Mason?

I look at the [Communication] department as a family. Not just because everyone’s nice, but because they will [help] you along. It’s almost like they hold your hand. I like that because there are some majors where their advisors don’t do anything for them and they’re not involved in their academics. In the Comm department, there are professors that actually care about their students. They care about the life outside of Mason and I think that that’s really important.

What originally brought you to Mason?

I was looking for a university that had diversity, and I was not going to be a number. I think that’s a huge thing. I live right near UVA, and everybody in my town wanted to go to UVA; it was the school to go to. I didn’t want to be a number, I wanted to have a name to my face, and I think that that’s a big thing at Mason, especially in the Comm department. They really care about their students and they want to be involved in their students’ lives beyond the academics. That was a big thing. Also, being in the D.C. area, and having a place to work right after you graduate is really important.

I’m currently the CEO of a dog walking and pet sitting business called The Contented Canine. My aunt owned the business and when she moved to Australia, she had to sell it. I bought it from her because we wanted to keep it in the family. My family are [all] huge dog people and I thought I would try it. I started it back up in May of 2018 and within that year, it just took off. It’s run from Old Town Alexandria. Sometimes it’s chaos and sometimes I wish I could get more hours in. Day-to-day, I’m constantly emailing with clients, connecting with them on LinkedIn, texting them, so I work between my classes.

It’s demanding with time but very fulfilling and something that I love to do.

Fairfax Ice Arena is now hiring for the following part-time positions: Cashiers

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02.24.2020

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A DREAM COME TRUE

Women’s basketball’s Jacy Bolton defied the odds and excelled as a D-I athlete DOMENIC ALLEGRA ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

“I don’t even know if she knows the role that she played in my life,” Bolton said. “Just having come, especially as a female athlete, from a small town exactly like me and seeing her photo pinned up on my bulletin board every morning, it was just kind of a thought that like I could do that. That’s why I wanted to come to a D-I school, so that I could inspire other girls the way that Morgan inspired me.”

The women’s basketball’s senior Bolton grew up in Drexel, Miss., a town with a population of fewer than 1,000 people and less than three square miles. In comparison, Morgan Eye grew up in Montrose, Miss., a town with a population less than 400 people and a little larger than half a square mile. Both went on to play D-I basketball.

“So I’m a little familiar with the Bolton family, but had no idea that Jacy looked up to me that way so that’s very, very cool,” Eye said. “But coming from a small town, just like Jacy, it was my dream to play Division I basketball. Never in a million years did I think that I would get to do that and represent my home state.”

When looking at potential schools, Bolton was offered only one D-I

scholarship. “Mason was only the Division I school that offered me. And when I first put it into my Google Maps and Missouri was 18 hours away by driving, I was like, ‘Um, no.’ But I really just kind of look[ed] at it as like, five hours, because it’s like an hour to the airport and then a two hour flight, but that’s the way I look at it. But I wasn’t really looking anywhere. I was just trying to see who was looking at me and where I fit.”

Head coach Nyla Milleson relived one of her first memories with Bolton fondly. “I’m not sure if her mom and dad even knew she was going to commit to us, but we were in my office.

She came on her visit and she sat on the couch and started to cry and said she was coming here.”

However, coming from such a small town to playing in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. did not come without its worries. “I was definitely nervous about my teammates. Before Mason, I had always known at least one person on the team that I was going to. But, I was also nervous about trying to balance school and traveling and missing days and being the typical stereotype of a basketball player in the classroom. I didn’t want to be that,” Bolton said.

Milleson also remembered one of Bolton’s first practices. “When she was a freshman, we were down in Linn Gym and she was just really really homesick. So I took her into

the laundry room down there and she was crying and crying, but I hugged her and told her everything was going to be OK. But you know this one really sticks out to me because it would have been easy for a little kid from a small town in Missouri to go back home, but she knew this is where she wanted to be.”

Bolton found her home in Fairfax and has made her mark on the program. Over her four years at Mason, the Missouri native currently sits 17th in points (1095), T-9th in three-pointers (132), 8th in rebounds (715), 16th in assists (236), T-12th in steals (159) and 7th in blocks (70).

She is the only player ever in Mason women’s basketball history to be in the top 20 in points and top 10 in three-pointers and blocks.

Bolton not only has made an impact on the Mason record book, but her team as well.

“Jacy has been a captain for three years,” Milleson said. “The impact she’s made on the floor coming in and working every day — I’m not sure you can really put it into words, but I know her impact is going to be felt for a long time.”

FOURTH ESTATE DOMENIC ALLEGRA

When Bolton scored her 1000th point on Dec. 31, 2019, she was awestruck.

“My expectations coming into Mason were just to work hard,” Bolton said. “I never set any goals for myself because I wanted a blank slate, nobody knew me here and I wanted to make my own name. Scoring that 1000th point helped me to reflect on the whole journey that I’ve been on, like, ‘Wow, I really did that.’ Being able to do that

FOURTH ESTATE DOMENIC ALLEGRA

Every morning in high school, Jacy Bolton would wake up and see a photo tacked to her bulletin board of the person she aspired to be. A person that did the extraordinary: University of Missouri women’s basketball alumna Morgan Eye.

in front of my family and my two best friends — that feeling made all the workouts, all those early mornings, everything worth it.”

Milleson also felt incredibly proud of the senior. “You know she’s just such a wonderful person, and she was when we recruited her, and that was one of the things that really attracted us to her. But watching her grow on and off the floor — I wasn’t sure what she could get done on the floor [when we recruited her], but scoring 1,000 points, who would have known? And the all preseason, all conference and all those other things. She’s just so special.”

Bolton has come a long way since her time in Missouri, but she has learned to cherish everything.

“I take more time to just sit there and reflect on the experience that I’ve had,” she said. “My dad always used to tell me before a game just to sit there and look around and be thankful.

In my senior year, I tried to do that more, you know like, [before games when I] stretch on the floor and look at the stands and see who’s coming in, and just know that people are going to be watching me, and I want to do the

best that I can for them.”

She continued, “I also keep a game journal. Every game since my freshman year of high school I’ve written a little snippet about what happened in the game, and so I feel like I wish I would have wrote more, you know, maybe what I was feeling and what I could have improved on, but I just want to keep taking those memories in. And like taking more pictures or videos on the bus or writing down more things.

I just want to remember it all so I can tell my kids one day.”

Bolton’s has some favorite moments from her career, but her favorite was a feeling she had when she came to Mason for the first time.

“The pride that I saw in my brother’s face,” she said. “He’s been my role model too, ever since I was younger, all the little plays we used to create in the driveway. I think of him coming to one of my first games and like even dropping me off on the campus for the first time and seeing all the gear that we got — just seeing how proud he was of me made it worth it.”

She continued, “The hometown visit was definitely up there too. Getting to have Thanksgiving with all the people

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that I love, showing off my little town made my heart really happy. And [going to] Italy was really just like icing on top. Not just playing there, but also the experience of it all. And I would say, basketball has been fun, but the memories created outside of it have really been what I loved the most.”

One of Bolton’s best friends, junior Nicole Cardaño-Hillary, said that she could not pick just one memory with the senior guard.

“I wouldn’t know where to begin,” Cardaño-Hillary said. “We have so many different moments that I cherish and will cherish forever. But having fun out on the court and getting excited for one another are some of my favorite times with her.”

Women’s basketball currently stands at 8-18 on the season, but that does not hamper Bolton’s feeling on her senior season.

“Even though this year has been difficult, it’s been the best collectively that we’ve been, whether it’s coming together tighter than ever, and continuing to work hard because we know that’s what we have to do,” Bolton said. “Everything is more bittersweet than normal because I’m going to these gyms for the final time and those final bus rides or final plane rides and final pregame locker room dances — everything that makes this experience what it is and I’m just trying to just do more and take more in so I have these memories forever. It’s definitely bittersweet because I’m enjoying it so much,

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I’m enjoying being with my teammates so much that I just don’t want that part to end.”

As Bolton’s final season comes to a close, her story still resonates loudly.

History does not always repeat, but it often rhymes.

A young girl went from watching a woman on TV make it from a small town in Missouri to a D-I school and leaving an incredible impact on her program to doing it herself. Who knows? Maybe a little girl has a picture of Bolton pinned to their bulletin board, thinking about how she can defy the odds and be just like her.

FOURTH ESTATE DOMENIC ALLEGRA

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CHEATING WITH THE STARS! WILLIAM ARMSTRONG STAFF WRITER

Jose Altuve held his jersey and told teammates not to rip it. Altuve said his wife did not like him ripping off his jersey, from what happened during a celebration from earlier in the year, and another player said Altuve had an unfinished tattoo and did not want to show it.

Though both a team executive and a manager were suspended by MLB, not a single player faced any form of sanction. How is that even logical, given the fact that the players willingly executed the scandal?

First, get your story straight.

Second, have a plausible story.

Why does your wife care about your jersey? If you are going to lie about cheating, please don’t bring your wife into it. It’s not fair to her, but it’s a great way to continue digging the hole you’ve put yourself in even deeper.

The Astros have done themselves no favors by looking smug and trying to play coy. The owner has been quoted as saying that, “[stealing signs] didn’t impact the game.” Talk about a collapsing argument! They cheated in such a way that their batters knew the pitches before they were thrown.

If that doesn’t influence a game’s outcome, then I don’t know what does.

The Astros had a hidden television on the way to the clubhouse where players would whistle or bang on a trashcan when they saw the opposing team’s catcher signaling certain pitches. In addition to making noises, it has been alleged that players wore buzzers underneath their jerseys. Allegations are just that until proven, but there is visual evidence that appears to provide a case for the team having buzzers under their jerseys.

During his walk-off celebration,

of how they cheated the Astros players, without hesitation, cite the Commissioner’s findings. The company line here is not effective. If they did not do it, then they would say

The Astros are unabashedly defending themselves by saying everyone does it. I’ve tried that before when I was 9 years old or trying to get out of a speeding ticket.

JUST OWN IT! I would rather the Astros just admit it, take measures to show that they are going to dispense with the shenanigans, and then move on. Do not toe the line, jump over it or act like it’s not there. Say you cheated, there is nothing you can do about it now, and that you’ll strive to do better. Pick a side please, Astros! This story is not going anywhere.

When asked about different elements

have grilled everyone involved. The exception would be the Astros fans who simply point to the championship banner, which is the weakest argument in sports.

definitively that they did not and then give a credible defense. By going back to the Commissioner’s report, they are not directly addressing the issue.

Professional sports leagues are notorious for not being thorough investigators, and often seem to take the stance that, if the Commissioner didn’t say they did, then it didn’t happen.

Baseball fans, perhaps appropriately,

the New England Patriots here — they did not need to cheat.

The Astros are angry and embarrassed to have been caught red-handed, which is evident in their lack of contrition and defensive posture.

If they don’t want to be ridiculed anymore, then wear whatever is being said as a badge of honor.

Once they do, people won’t say it anymore. They are playing the victim for all the scrutiny they are getting and seem to not even accept that they are wrong.

The Astros have been a good team and had, arguably, gotten to a point where they could anticipate what teams were throwing, which is an idea that I think might be lost in this whole brouhaha. It is an ironclad fact that the Astros organization has effectively built a contender through drafting well, signing quality free agents and prioritizing analytics.

Their squad is composed of highly talented players that could win on their own but they chose to attempt to gain an unfair advantage. Even if they hadn’t cheated, they still would have most likely won close to 90 games and their division outright, but that wasn’t enough.

As expected, there have been some demonstrative takes on the issue.

Hall-of-Famer Hank Aaron thinks all players involved should be banished from professional baseball for the rest of their lives, while others think the Astros should be stripped of their 2017 title.

Where is the integrity in baseball?

First steroids and now cheating with technology. Just be better than your opponent. Strategize and gain a tactical advantage! Yes, it’s not easy, but that’s the point. The smarter teams tend to find ways to win. Of course, talent helps, but I digress.

Similar to those who have been caught using performance-enhancing drugs, one must still possess the raw skill to be good at the sport. Without cheating, the Astros probably would still have won 90+ games. Just like their NFL counterparts who were caught deflating balls and illegally filming opponent’s practices — talking about

The idea that every team is cheating has been thrown around, but most of that has come from the Astros. As a whole, MLB has some issues, and the Houston Astros are, at least at present, exhibit A.

As an aside, thanks to the Washington Nationals for beating the Astros despite their unscrupulous tactics.

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

It has been over a month since the Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred levied what amounts to unprecedented punishment on the Houston Astros organization for cheating during their championship season in 2017 and subsequent seasons.

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RISING TO NEW HEIGHTS

Men’s basketball’s AJ Wilson discusses breaking the single-season blocks record ROSS SHINBERG STAFF WRITER

During Mason’s triumphant victory over VCU on Feb. 12, men’s basketball forward AJ Wilson seized his place in the team’s history by breaking a record that stood for 20 years.

With just over 10 minutes remaining in the second half, Mason had a fourpoint advantage in the Siegel Center.

After a made three-point attempt

by Wilson, the Rams inbounded the ball and quickly passed it over the half-court line. It created a three-ontwo fast break for VCU, leaving only Wilson and junior Greg Calixte to defend the basket.

VCU got the ball into the hands of their freshman guard KeShawn Curry, who bolted down the left side of the court and leaped toward the basket.

Wilson met Curry at the rim and swatted it out of his hands and off of the backboard, neutralizing the possession almost as quickly as it started.

That block gave Wilson his third of the game and his 78th of the season. By surpassing George Evans’ mark of 77 blocks, which Evans attained during the 1998-99 season, Wilson stands alone in first place on Mason’s all-time single-season blocks leaderboard.

Not only did Wilson celebrate a win that night, but he also received notice

of his accomplishment.

“I checked my phone, and I saw that Mason [@MasonMBB] tweeted that I had broken the record,” Wilson said. “When I found that out, I was just shocked. That record hasn’t been broken for over 20 years. Everybody that knows George Evans knows that he was a really phenomenal player. So for me to be in the record books, that’s very humbling.”

Ever since Evans set the mark for blocks in a season, there has not been much competition. The most recent challenge of his record came from Mike Morrison, who now sits in third place from when he collected 64 blocks during the 2011-12 season.

Wilson, now with over 80 blocks on the year, knew growing up that he wanted to be a shot blocker on the basketball court. And who better to draw inspiration from than the man whose signature play is called “The Block?

“When I was little, I used to watch LeBron [James] play a lot,” Wilson said. “Watching him chase down blocks, I wanted to put that in my game. And I feel like as I grew, and I grew into my body and became more athletic, that’s naturally become a part of my game.”

“He had a knack fo r bl o c k i n g shots,” Simpkins said of Wilson.

“That was evident really early on.

That stood out to me when I recruited him, and even in practice when he was sitting out his first year with redshirting. He would make some plays defensively [and make you think] ‘Wow, that’s pretty impressive.’”

I definitely want to crack the top five and possibly be in the top three.”

In his career, Wilson has had over 150 blocks and is climbing Mason’s career blocks leaderboard. Wilson currently sits in fourth place, in front of Erik Copes (122) but behind Andre Gaddy and Morrison, who each had 174 rejections.

Even aside from the blocks, Wilson is having his best season so far as a Patriot. As a regular starter for the team, he is playing about 28 minutes per game and averaging approximately 12 points and eight rebounds per game. He is also showing increases in his free throw percentage as well as an increase in made three-point shots.

Despite all of the accolades he has collected and the ones he is approaching, Wilson isn’t letting it affect his game or his goals when he steps out on the court.

“It’s kind of like scoring. Just treat

every point the same, treat every block the same. I just like being able to help my team other than scoring. Blocking shots, guarding whoever I need to guard to help the team win, [those are things] I like to do,” he said.

With one more year of eligibility, Wilson is within striking distance of Evans’ career record of 211 blocks in a Mason uniform. What does he need to do to break that record?

Coach Simpkins said that Wilson needs to control the things he can control, such as meeting with Rebekah Schmidt, the athletic trainer, and continue to work in the weight room to strengthen different parts of his body.

Regarding the blocked shots part of the equation, Coach Simpkins said, “That’s just a God-given gift that he has. His timing, his ability to jump in the air, chasing a ball down, not many people have that ability. And he’s got it.”

Throughout his time at Mason, Wilson has gotten progressively better at blocking. Wilson recorded 34 blocks in his freshman season, 38 blocks in his sophomore year, and is over 80 and counting this season.

In terms of blocks per game, Wilson has increased his mark from 1.1 in his freshman season to over 3.0 as a junior.

But to put Wilson’s blocking prowess into a solid context, there might not be a better metric than block percentage. Basketball-Reference.com defines block percentage as “an estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while he was on the floor.”

Wilson’s block percentage this year is just under 13 percent, which slots him inside the top 10 out of all of the players in division one basketball for the 2019-20 season.

Of this achievement, Wilson said, “It’s definitely great knowing that, but I’m definitely not stopping at 10.

FOURTH ESTATE IBRAHIM AHMAD/GIANTKILLER.CO

FOURTH ESTATE IBRAHIM AHMAD/GIANTKILLER.CO

Wilson, who is from Laurel, Md., attended D u Va l High School and spent time at Elev8 Prep Academy in Florida to enhance his basketball skills.

He eventually caught the eye of Mason assistant coach Duane Simpkins, who successfully recruited him to Fairfax.

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GIVING EVERYTHING ON THE COURT Women’s basketball senior Alexsis Grate shares her journey from Hampton to the green and gold

NATALIE HEAVREN SPORTS EDITOR

Alexsis Grate has always played basketball, but she got her start in an unconventional way in the early 2000s: She played on an all-boys team from the time she was 6 until she was in seventh grade.

In middle school, Grate joined her school’s girl’s team, but chose to play with boys before that because the girl’s teams were just starting out.

She believes playing with boys helped her develop her skills and thatshe was able to become a tougher playertougher playing against boys that were stronger and faster. However, Grate has always been quick.

While basketball was Grate’s first love, she strayed and played baseball for a year when she was 10 before quitting to begin playing travel basketball when she was 11.

Growing up, Grate loved watching Candace Parker while she was at the University of Tennessee. She was particularly drawn to the fact Parker was able to dunk, as that was incredibly uncommon at the time. She also loved how aggressive Parker was when she played, something Grate would emulate later on.

Both of her parents influenced her because they both played basketball and exposed her to it early.

When she was in high school, Grate’s dad would help her get better outside

of her high school practices.

“We would always go to the gym on Sundays and get shots up before the week would start. Just like, especially in-season so I was always in rhythm, like, I never fell off in my shot,” she said.

Grate, a Hampton native, wanted to be close to home, but not too close, and found Mason to be a perfect fit. As a criminology, law and society major, Washington D.C. also offers her a lot of future career options.

She’s currently in the application process for the Fairfax County Police Department and is looking to attend the Academy in July, something her head coach Nyla Milleson is very proud of.

“I’m really proud of her on and off of the floor. School was not necessarily always easy for her, and school certainly wasn’t one of her favorite things, but, you know, she had an end goal. She’s going to reach that and, you know, maybe even quicker than she thought she was going to,” Milleson said.

Milleson added that when Grate realized all that she could accomplish, “She just put her nose to the grindstone and, you know, things haven’t always been easy for Lex but she’s just stayed in. And I think I’ve used on several of them, you know, the word ‘persevere’ and [she] just stayed at it.”

“T his season for me has been rough. I’ve been in and out with my knees. I’ve had procedures, I’ve had to sit out games, I’ve had to sit out a week of practice at times, so it’s been a lot for me individually, like, to stay focused and stuff, because I’ve been out,” she said.

As of Feb. 18 Grate has averaged 4.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 18.3 minutes per game. However, this does not show every part of her game.

Grate hopes to be remembered by how she does things that may fly under the radar. “My hustle plays, playing good defense and [being] relentless,” she said. “I just hope people remember me for the little things that I did. I didn’t really have a big role as much on the offensive side, but I think that my defense was pretty good over the last couple of years.”

In addition to her growth off the court, Milleson believes that Grate has been able to grow on the court as well.

“On the floor, she’s just not ever had a healthy offseason, to really probably grow like she would have liked to have.

But I think from her calmness and her composure and her ability to be able to find places where she can score — I think she’s really grown since [she’s been] a freshman,” Milleson said.

Her favorite memory from her time at Mason was when the team beat Dayton, one of the top teams in the conference, last season.

“I think that’s everyone’s favorite memory,” Grate said.

She continued, “I was on the floor and I was having a really good game.

I think I had like 12 or 13 points in the game. And I was like, we’re about to do this, we got this, and then Nikki [Nicole Cardaño-Hillary] hit that shot and it was like, ‘Oh man!’ It was so surreal to me.”

According to Grate, her teammates believe in her more than she believes in herself. “I may take about five shots a game, but they really believe in me and it gives me more confidence because like I know, I’m a pass-first guard, but I know that on any given night if I had to, if the roles are switched, I could do it. And I have,” she said.

She hopes that she has passed that mentality onto her teammates. “I think I’m a pretty selfless person, so I hope that they have learned that it’s not all about themselves and to get everyone involved, because like that’s what I do,” she said.

Grate continued, “I don’t think about myself. I’m always thinking about what can I do to get someone else the next shot, what can I do so that she gets a shot. So I hope that’s rubbed off on the younger players, especially Livy [Livija Kaktaite], Jordan [Wakefield] and Tamia [Lawhorne].”

Milleson spoke highly of Grate. “I think Lex is one of our toughest competitors,” she said. “You know she hates to lose ... She’s given us everything she has ... She just, she competes every day that she’s able to. She tries to make her teammates better around her. And I think that is has been really good for us.”

While basketball has taught Grate one lesson in particular, it can be applied off the court as well: “Never underestimate anyone, because even the smallest player can do so much damage to any one on any team. Never underestimating anyone and respecting all of my opponents.”

FOURTH ESTATE DOMENIC ALLEGRA

FOURTH ESTATE DOMENIC ALLEGRA

During her time at Mason, Grate has contributed in every way she has been asked to despite battling injuries along the way.

U n f o r t u n a t e l y, that is something that has continued into her senior year.

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SPECIAL SECTION: MASON CORE DOMINIC PINO OPINION EDITOR

Since every student is affected by the Mason Core, it is only fitting that students have a lot to say about it. By the time students enroll in college, they have been attending school for around 15 years. In any other context, people would call that experience, but for some reason, students are never afforded that status.

In all our years of school, we’ve picked up a thing or two about what we’d like to see from education. And before you dismiss us as a bunch of whiny kids, not one of the nine essays that follow in this section demands that classes be more fun or give less homework.

current system is general in name only. It’s better described as random.

The difference between general and random is the difference between a lamp and a disco ball — both shine light to all parts of the room, but only the lamp helps you see clearly.

The Mason Core is a disco ball. Pick a class from this list and another from this list and two from this other list. It lacks coherence and produces students who are randomly educated, not generally educated.

General education, broadly speaking, should be three things. It should be general, interesting and memorable.

As it currently stands, Mason’s general education curriculum is random, inapplicable and tolerable. We have a lot of room for improvement.

Worse yet from the student perspective, Mason Core classes aren’t interesting, which isn’t surprising since they weren’t designed to be interesting to all students. Most Mason Core classes are introductory courses designed to lay the foundation for majoring in a subject, yet most students in those classes will never take the next-level course.

Saying general education should be general seems unnecessary, but the

As an economics major, I loved Econ 103 — it prepared me very well for

my major — but I can totally see why non-economics majors would despise it. The details of the price-discriminating monopoly model are inapplicable to them, but it would probably be good to teach them the prisoners’ dilemma and the basics of supply and demand.

General education should be aimed at what’s interesting to a well-rounded person, not to an aspiring specialist.

It’s not a far jump from inapplicable to forgotten. Students don’t come through the Mason Core with a serene expression, knowing they just absorbed knowledge they will cherish the rest of their lives. We tolerate those classes for just as long as we have to — and not a second longer.

Instead of creating a community-oriented learning experience that students will remember for the rest of their lives, the Mason Core is a forgettable string of prerequisites. There’s not a single Mason alumnus in the world today who meets another Mason alum on

the street and says, “Remember Mason Core?”

This week, all my staff writers are covering Mason Core from their unique perspectives. We have students from all classes and from the Honors College represented. I’m really proud of the diversity of thought we’ve assembled, and it will make for some great reading.

Alex gives a history of the liberal arts tradition and explains how it could provide a model for the future.

Savannah and Sidonia both discuss different experiences with the Honors College and ask why all students aren’t afforded similar opportunities to learn and grow.

Steven and Daniel give more big-picture perspectives: Steven as a grad student who took Gen Eds elsewhere and Daniel as a young entrepreneur.

In two online-only stories, Eli reminds administration of the direction the

money flows — from students to the university, thousands of dollars at a time — and Sydney considers the money she had to spend on introductory classes for other peoples’ majors.

Dawson gives the perspective of a NOVA transfer student wondering what value the Mason Core adds that community college does not.

Finally, Jace provides a burn-it-down take that questions the very premises of general education.

Though you may not agree with everything they say, there are important takeaways in each essay, and Billy’s graphics are tremendous.

Students have worthwhile opinions on education, and I’m thrilled to be able to highlight them in this section. So without further ado, I present to the Mason community a symposium of essays by students, advocating greater focus on students, to create a better experience for students in the new Mason Core.

BUILDING ON THE PAST: HISTORY OF LIBERAL ARTS ALEX MADAJIAN STAFF WRITER

The “liberal” in liberal arts comes from the Latin word liber, meaning free. The ancients believed a person could become free through education.

A person educated in the liberal arts was considered a master of the Trivium (grammar, rhetoric and logic) and the Quadrivium (geometry, arithmetic, music and astronomy). If you had this sort of an education during the Renaissance, you were expected to be able to quote ancient Greek philosophical texts, and debate those texts in Latin.

Since the Industrial Revolution, people have wanted education to be more accessible to non-elites. Public education existed, but it was primarily concerned with the three “R”s: reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic.

Teaching kids born in a farming community how to act in a Shakespeare play or teaching children

from factory-working families to be well-versed in French philosophy just seemed silly and unnecessary.

However, with today’s economy becoming increasingly diversified, we have started to shift our focus away from strict utilitarian goals to a more sophisticated, liberally educated populace.

There certainly is no doubt that a broad education has advantages. But if students enter Mason solely desiring a degree in computer engineering, why would we bombard them with mandatory art history classes?

There are very few things I don’t love to learn, but I would hate every subject if I was forced to learn it. Requiring students to take classes means students will be taking them to move on, not to learn. Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of a general education?

Even before I came to Mason, I was taking online Ivy-league classes, learning Greek and Latin on the Duolingo app, learning advanced mathematics on Khan Academy, listening to classical books on the LibriVox app and reading them on

Project Gutenberg. All of which was totally free. The only reason why I wanted to participate in those endeavors is because I was instilled by my mentors, parents and teachers with a life-long love of learning.

In a book that every student ought to read, “A Student’s Guide to Liberal Learning” by Rev. James Schall, the author lays out exactly what students really need in their education.

He writes that students should begin with two steps: self-discipline and a personal library. “Both of these together will yield that freedom which is necessary to escape academic dreariness,” he writes. But that’s not all: “Even at its best, of course, learning means we need a lot of help, even grace, but we are here talking about what we can do ourselves.”

The Mason Core Committee must do more than change the class requirements. They must foster a generation which seeks to live out a life of ideas.

The best way to both honor the liberal arts tradition and adapt it to the times is to instill a culture that loves to learn on its own.

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

The ideas behind the Mason Core curriculum do not stand alone. They stand on the shoulders of thousands of years of the liberal arts tradition.

But what is this tradition? Why does it matter now?

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A MEMORABLE START: HONORS 110

SIDONIA CANNON STAFF WRITER

This was my first college course, and I was terrified.

I smelled lemon-scented Clorox wipes and freshly sharpened pencils. An Expo marker squealed excitedly as it created rich dark lines on the whiteboard. It knows within a month its luster will diminish to a mere whisper of a line — if it even survives that far and doesn’t disappear into the depths of backpack doom.

The marker’s handler turned to face the class, and as we read “Welcome to Honors 110,” I felt anything but welcome. I’ll never forget the drop in my stomach as my professor informed us we would be spending the semester developing a 12-page research paper.

Welcome to college, baby.

Honors 110 is the first required course in the Honors College curriculum, which is an alternative to the Mason Core. If I knew I’d have to write an extensive research paper my first semester, I might have happily skipped down the Mason Core path. However,

despite the pain, I now appreciate the gain.

Honors College and the Mason Core are different approaches to general education, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The Mason Core can take a page out of the Honors College book and create a more memorable general education.

And trust me, Honors 110 was memorable.

At first, it was memorable for the wrong reasons. A 12-page research paper. I remember scrambling to even develop a topic!

But I wasn’t alone in my panic. In fact I made lots of great friends during midnight brainstorming sessions in the echoey and strangely lit dorm bathrooms. (Nerds, I know). But, now I can say, “Remember when we met in Honors 110?”

Despite our complaining and constant whining, the paper was useful — but not in the way we expected. Of course, we all deserve a pat on the back for researching and writing an extended essay. My friend and I gasped when our professor, Dr. Woolsey, announced that the paper didn’t really matter.

I skipped episodes of “The Good Place” to work on this paper and now

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

I was walking into the classroom, and the fluorescent lights stung my eyes as they replaced the warm sunlight. I was slightly panting, although it was from nerves, not from climbing the stairs two at a time.

you’re telling me it didn’t matter?

The paper wasn’t the class’ main goal, he explained, but rather the goal was twofold: One, help us freshmen ease into university life together, and two, teach us how to research and write on this scale.

And that’s only between Honors College students — imagine how much stronger the Mason community would

be if every freshman had a project or class to bond over like this.

between the students and the university and between students themselves.

Of course, the class was frustrating, and learning that the paper was not that big of a deal was disappointing, but my frown has since turned upside down. I got so much out of the class, and I’ll never forget it.

So, when someone hears you go to George Mason University, the grandest research university in the land, they should be able to ask, “Hey, what was your Mason Core freshman project?”

And all Mason student and alumni should be able to answer. That’s memorable. That’s general education.

Everyone, not just the Honors College, should have a class to act as the glue

AN HONORS COLLEGE APPROACH TO GEN ED SAVANNAH MARTINCIC STAFF WRITER

As a member of the Honors College Recruitment Team at Mason, I have been taught to tell prospective students that one of the biggest appeals of the Honors College is its curriculum, in that they get to “skip” taking their Mason Core or general education credits.

In reflection, this is great for us honors students, but suggests that gen ed classes are inherently unappealing.

But why are students being forced to take — and pay for — classes that are so unmemorable and uninteresting that getting to not take them is a huge selling point?

This is a question that inevitably stems from the currently uninspiring Mason Core system.

The Mason Core website states that

a Mason graduate is “an engaged citizen and well-rounded scholar who is prepared to act.” The website further explains that the Mason Core is “Mason’s general education program that builds the foundation for The Mason Graduate.”

However, as the courses currently stand, this mission statement appears to be failing. The Mason Core claims to provide a “breadth of liberal education courses, complementing the depth of knowledge and skills they build in their majors and minors.”

Instead, it provides a random scatter of courses lumped into broad and meaningless categories.

The Mason Core is divided into three sections: foundation, exploration and integration. These categories include classes that feel all too familiar for

students who thought they left high school behind.

On the other hand, in the Honors College, you will find requirements like Reading the Arts, Contemporary Social Issues and Reading the Past, with class sections that vary every semester. All of these classes are multidisciplinary and can complement any major. They are standalone classes and are not merely stepping stones to other major classes.

“With our program, you’ll be able to choose seminars and classes that align with your interests and specializations,” states the Honors College website.

Through the Honors College, I have been able to take classes like Theater and Major Social Shifts, Gender in American Culture, Culture and Social Inequality, and Science of Cities. These

classes, while not specific to my major, are classes I was interested in taking.

They also allowed me to become a more informed and well-rounded student and citizen.

While honors students do get to pick what classes they take and when they take them, one core requirement of the Honors College curriculum is Honors 110. While this course is a requirement for all Honors College freshmen, it does not feel like a requirement thanks to its multidisciplinary approach to research and its opportunity for diverse exploration. Plus, it does not hurt to have hundreds of your peers going through the same exact experience.

In Honors 110, I was able to research the factors behind the perpetuation of white supremacy in modern-day America. My classmates explored

topics from information security to generational trauma.

Many honors students, including some of my friends, take their 110 projects to the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR) and continue research throughout their time here at Mason.

At a R1 research university, you would think that a class like this should be a requirement for all students, not just to teach them how to research but to perhaps inspire a continuing research project.

Modeling the new Mason Core curriculum after that of the Honors College would not only help create worthwhile, engaging and memorable classes for the general student body, but would help create truly engaged and well-rounded graduates.

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I WISH MASON TAUGHT ENTREPRENEURSHIP DANIEL SCOTT MITCHELL STAFF WRITER

Think back to your childhood summers; the blazing sun was beating down on the world, a heat mirage was dancing on the asphalt, and just about everyone was seeking a reprieve from the stifling heat. The conditions were perfect for what has become a rite of passage for most youth: a lemonade stand.

The childhood lemonade stand is touted as the perfect introductory lesson to becoming an entrepreneur.

But, for many, lemonade stands are the only lessons in entrepreneurship they ever get — and that’s a shame because, in today’s world, entrepreneurial skills are more important than ever.

I’ve had the opportunity to found multiple businesses and also work at successful startups like Tesla and Formlabs. Through my experiences,

I found an immense discrepancy between the entrepreneurial skills I needed to succeed and the entrepreneurship training that I received in my education at Mason.

While I’ve been fortunate enough to learn entrepreneurial skills on my own, I feel I would have been significantly better equipped for success if Mason had given me the opportunity to learn those skills at school. Mason should do a better job of educating their students in entrepreneurship by including it in the general education curriculum.

There’s an unfortunate misconception that entrepreneurship courses are relevant only for entrepreneurs, but that’s simply not true. While entrepreneurial skills are certainly necessary for the students who will go on to start their own businesses, they

are also important for anyone who wants to be successful in the workforce.

Entrepreneurial attributes would make Mason students more employable, and above all, equip them well to make a positive impact — no matter where they work.

For example, every student’s problem-solving and decision-making skills could be drastically improved with entrepreneurship coursework. Running my own business taught me to clearly evaluate challenges, develop a sound plan and execute effectively. I also learned the importance of measuring the outcome of any action and optimizing for the future based on my findings. This is an important business application of the scientific process that I never learned in my curriculum at Mason.

Also, entrepreneurship education could yield a number of benefits for students in terms of their personal growth. Entrepreneurship taught me how to evaluate and tolerate risk when making decisions — a skill I wish I had learned in school. Being an entrepreneur is also empowering; it helped build my self-confidence to the level where if I realize a change I want to see in the world, I believe I can make that change myself. It is confidence like this that could inspire all Mason students to take initiative and solve the problems they see in their day-to-day lives.

Finally, Mason should be interested in offering entrepreneurship courses as part of the general education curriculum because it wouldn’t just benefit the students — Mason would have a vested interest in it as well.

A Mason that better equipped its students with entrepreneurial skills would garner a more powerful reputation among employers. Also, Mason would benefit financially because more businesses would spin out of the university — and more successful businesses for alumni means more donations in the future.

Many of us may have begun to learn the principles of entrepreneurship in our first lemonade stand, but it is crucial that Mason students continue that education through the core curriculum at the university level.

Entrepreneurship skills are critical for any student to be successful, whether an entrepreneur or not. Mason should do a better job of equipping its students to make a bigger impact on both the Mason community and the world as a whole.

FROM 3,000 MILES AWAY: A VIEW FROM A GRADUATE STEVEN ZHOU STAFF WRITER

Before I came here to Mason for my Ph.D., I went to Pepperdine, an undergraduate college 3,000 miles away in California that was the opposite of Mason in many ways.

Mason is public. Pepperdine is private.

Most Mason students live off campus.

Most Pepperdine students lived on campus.

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

Mason has over 26,000 undergraduates. Pepperdine had fewer than 4,000.

Mason partners with local colleges and has many transfer students.

Pepperdine’s transfer population is only about five percent.

Despite all this, I could feel a sense of commonality between Mason and Pepperdine because of the core general education curriculum requirements. Graduates of both schools have a shared foundation of knowledge, and that’s vital to a proper university

education no matter where you go to school.

I know how frustrating these general classes can be. There are colleagues on our own writing staff who are arguing that the classes aren’t interesting or don’t cover the right topics.

At Pepperdine, about 50 percent of our degree was made up of Gen Ed classes (63-64 units out of 128 total for a Bachelor’s). More than once

during my college career, there were large petitions to reduce the number of required classes — all to no avail.

But now that I’ve graduated, worked in industry for a couple years, and am now here at Mason, I’ve grown to appreciate the seemingly endless stream of Gen Ed classes.

The vast majority of U.S. colleges — public and private, STEM and liberal arts, large and small — have some sort of Gen Ed curriculum. Almost all of them cover topics similar to what Mason and Pepperdine cover: oral communication, literature, history, globalization, lab science, social science, fine arts, etc.

This common foundation of education was critical when I started interacting with others in the workforce from all sorts of different backgrounds.

It created an underlying common stream of knowledge that helps break down cultural and political barriers.

Knowing the basics of the scientific method of inquiry allows for teams to approach problem solving in similar ways. Having an appreciation for the diversity and power of artistic expression allows us to learn from past mistakes.

Perhaps that’s the academic in me talking. But I firmly believe that general education requirements create unity despite the vast diversity of types

of colleges here in the U.S. Beyond that, it lays a foundation for future success. The National Association of Colleges and Employers reported in 2019 that the top attribute employers look for in college graduates is communication skills. Some of the CEOs at the largest companies in the world today — Starbucks, Disney and Hewlett-Packard, to name a few — studied liberal arts in college.

Of course, there are ongoing issues to be addressed. Pepperdine’s Gen Ed requirements were admittedly a little too long, at almost half of the degree.

I’ve heard that Mason Core classes need to be taught by professors with more interest in the subject rather than as a chore to “get out of the way.”

Updates to the curriculum should be made — adding personal finance, for example, as I’ve spoken to far too many college graduates who still have no idea how to do taxes, invest in stocks or purchase a home.

The Mason Core isn’t perfect, and neither was Pepperdine’s Gen Ed curriculum. But despite the major differences between these two schools, I truly believe there’s something important about the shared foundation of knowledge that graduates from both schools will have as they go out into the real world.

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IS THE MASON CORE DIFFERENT FROM NOVA? DAWSON WEINHOLD STAFF WRITER

Like many people at Mason, I first went to Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). It provided a way for me to take introductory courses like the ones Mason offers, but at a lower price.

Having a cheaper substitute for university isn’t a bad thing, but I believe that the Mason Core should offer more than a community college curriculum.

I had a professor who emphasized the concept of value added. Everything I wrote had to add some value to the topic we were discussing. In this vein, I ask: What value does the Mason Core add?

Right now, it doesn’t add anything

that you couldn’t get at a community college.

At NOVA, I had professors that taught at both institutions. Students who are paying more to take core courses at Mason should get something more than a redressed community college course.

Taking classes at NOVA was quite banal. Students would joke that it was just high school plus. You’d get up, commute to school, take your introductory classes and leave feeling none the wiser.

The assumption was that these classes would build a foundation for when you transferred to university. After all,

that’s the pitch for community college.

A pared-back experience for a lower price.

Comparing that to the Mason Core, there isn’t much difference. Sure, Mason has more to offer in terms of registered student organizations and “campus life,” but with classes, they’re hard to distinguish from each other.

The Mason Core can distinguish itself from its competition by offering something NOVA can’t: memorability.

Around a year ago, I argued that one of the benefits of university was the experiences that come with it. Currently, the Mason Core doesn’t offer any of those experiences. How many of you can

actually recall something memorable about the Mason Core? It can’t be a good professor or new friends that you met because you could get those in any class. Can you name something about the classes themselves? Most of you probably can’t.

The problem with Mason Core classes is that many of them are intro-level courses, designed to be built upon in later courses. This is supposed to allow students to explore different fields of study, but they turn out to be a laundry list of prerequisites that you have to get through before you learn about what you really want to study. Those courses that were designed to be built upon end up being stranded. Foundations don’t

do a whole lot of good if you never build houses on them.

The Mason Core should be designed so that students want to take it. It should be designed as its own unique curriculum rather than being a carbon copy of its community college competition. That way, prospective students are offered more of a choice than just Mason and its cheaper substitute.

The Mason Core should be a way to introduce freshmen to the college experience instead of being a hurdle to clear. If the Mason Core were redesigned in such a way, I believe it would go a long way to attract and retain new students.

DESIGN COURSES FOR REAL STUDENTS JACE WHITE STAFF WRITER

This entire conversation about the core curriculum relies on the tenuous assumption that students actually learn things in their classes. We make the opposite mistake that the scientists in “Jurassic Park” did: We’re so preoccupied with whether or not we should, we haven’t stopped to think if we could.

The idea that students learn something because they enrolled in and completed a class doesn’t square too well with the way students tend to talk about school.

that they will be engaged with the material, yet we talk about the core curriculum as though that were true.

It’s one thing to say that breadth in education is important, but it’s another thing entirely to say that a broad curriculum means that students will learn about a variety of subjects.

educators did have such power, it would be better to live in a world where economists could identify various minerals than in one where they could not. But that’s just not the choice we’re faced with.

that people shouldn’t be encouraged to study a variety of subjects. But even if we ask people very nicely to learn what we want them to, they will never retain anything from a course they don’t care about.

We can’t force people to learn, we can only force them to take classes.

In a world where college administrators were gods with unlimited power, they could program knowledge about rocks into every economist’s brain.

You can make the argument that if

Discussing what kind of knowledge we would like people to have is not that important when talking about educational requirements. That isn’t to say

We shouldn’t forget that we are talking about college students here. We don’t pay attention when we’re bored. If the administration wants to use the core curriculum to keep up the illusion that everyone who graduates from Mason is a scholar of the liberal arts with

a refined appreciation for geology, astronomy and the visual arts, then the current approach is fine.

But if our goal is to use public education as a tool to promote learning and increase students’ knowledge, our approach should focus the most on what students actually like, not what they ought to like. This might mean more freedom to choose interesting electives, but whatever form it takes, we should design our core curriculum with real students in mind.

I’ve never heard students who are in an astronomy or geology class to fulfill a laboratory science requirement for their majors express frustration that the class was too easy or that the tests and quizzes were a breeze — no, they’re quite happy if that’s the case.

If they do complain, it’s when those science classes, which they thought would be easy, actually require them to understand the subject matter in order to pass.

I don’t say this to be critical. I have this same mindset in some of my classes, and I sleep soundly at night knowing that my fellow economics majors might not care as much about geology as some of their transcripts would indicate.

I don’t think anyone really believes that putting students in a class guarantees

FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON

The primary motivation for students who enroll in classes outside of their area of interest is to receive credit for the course, not to learn the material.

ETC.

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02.24.2020

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