F U RT H E S TAT E October 29, 2018
Volume 6 Issue 8
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Happy Halloween!
How creative is your costume? page17
KOCH-BUSTERS DELIVER PETITION
news page 3
A GOAL-DEN OPPORTUNITY sports page 11
SPOOKY ASTROLOGY: SCORPIO SEASON culture page 13
THE @ivestate | gmufourthestate.com
BUNNYMAN LEGEND
opinions page 23
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ALEXANDER SHEDD Editor-in-Chief
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
BASMA HUMADI Managing Editor IZZ LAMAGDELEINE LIZ ELKIND OWEN FERGUSON Copy Editors
Dear Patriots, Happy (early) Halloween! Hope you all find the time to celebrate, whether you are assembling a costume last minute for a party or staying in and watching Halloween-themed movies. If you’ve been following the news, you’ve probably heard about Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post opinion writer who was murdered in the Saudi consulate several weeks ago. Khashoggi was a longtime journalist and outspoken critic of the Saudi government. His last article, which was published posthumously by the Washington Post, is titled “What the Arab world needs most is free expression.” It unfortunately is a reminder of what Khashoggi stood and died for. In the article, Khashoggi called for a more modernized media that would inform citizens and be a platform for Arabic. “[Arabs] are unable to adequately address, much less publicly discuss, matters that affect the region and their day-to-day lives,” Khashoggi wrote. “A state-run narrative dominates the public psyche, and while many do not believe it, a large majority of the population falls victim to this false narrative.” Being an Arab-American aspiring to work in media, I share the same hope as Khashoggi. May his work not be forgotten, and may he rest in peace. As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, email us at masonfourthestate@gmu.edu.
TISHA HERRERA News Editor DANA NICKEL Assistant News Editor MONICA ECHOLS Culture Editor HAILEY BULLIS Assistant Culture Editor JAMIE BELIVEAU Opinions Editor NATALIE HEAVREN Sports Editor DOMENIC ALLEGRA Assistant Sports Editor LAUREN SULLIVAN OLIVIA VERMANE Longform Editors KRISTEN TALMAN GMU Korea Coordinator ALLIE THOMPSON Photo Editor ALLY MCALPINE Art Director
Sincerely,
BILLY FERGUSON Online Director
Basma Humadi
ANDREA LUGO LAURA SCUDDER Social Media Editors
Managing Editor
We are always recruiting volunteers for: For all inquiries, please email - WRITERS - VIDEOGRAPHERS - ILLUSTRATORS - COPY EDITORS - PHOTOGRAPHERS
a resume and cover letter or sample to:
DOMINIQUE BERNARDINO Multimedia Editor EMMETT SMITH Distribution Manager KATHRYN MANGUS Director DAVID CARROLL Associate Director
masonfourthestate@gmail.com
JASON HARTSEL Assistant Director
Corrections: The Siyabulela Mandela piece incorrectly listed 1944 instead of 1994 in a quote by Mandela The photo credits for the Jaire Grayer story should read Rafael Suanes George Mason University Mail stop 2C5 4400 University Drive Fairfax, Va. 22030 Phone 703-993-2950
Fourth Estate is printed each Monday for George Mason University and its surrounding Fairfax community. The editors of Fourth Estate have exclusive authority over the content that is published. There are no outside parties that play a role in the newspaper’s content, and should there be a question or complaint regarding this policy, the Editor-in-Chief should be notified at the email provided. Fourth Estate is a free publication, limit one copy per person. Additional copies are 25 cents payable to the Office of Student Media.
COVER PHOTO CREDITS Fourth Estate Ally McAlpine and Billy Ferguson
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“KOCH-BUSTERS” DELIVER PETITION TO PRESIDENT CABRERA’S OFFICE
Students from Transparent GMU petition over gift agreements JACK HARVEY STAFF WRITER
Protestors chanted “Protect public ed! Not private interests!” and modified lyrics to the Ghostbusters theme, “We ain’t afraid of no Kochs.” Some demonstrators wore Ghostbusters stickers with Charles Koch’s face edited onto them. The protest comes partially as a reaction to the recent release of a report concerning gift agreements at Mason. A letter accompanying Transparent GMU’s petition was read aloud by senior integrative studies major Gus Thompson. “Contrary to [Cabrera’s] repeated assertions, the report clearly outlines how private donors with hidden contracts exercise control over hiring professors and dictate research outcomes at our university,” the letter said. “… As students, we have the right to know if what we are being taught is legitimate and unbiased―or
PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGE MASON POLICE
MASON WEEKLY CRIME LOG
Asked about the demonstrators’ goals, Sarah Ahn, a junior studying conflict analysis and resolution, said, “[The protestors] were trying to rally student support on our way to deliver a petition that we’ve gathered for the president … We’ve had over 1,000 signatures.”
FOURTH ESTATE JACK HARVEY
Students met in Wilkins Plaza, walked through the Johnson Center and marched toward Merten Hall.
if it is corrupted by undue donor influence. [Mason students] also have the right to trust that our president is not misleading us.”
President Cabrera was not in his office when demonstrators arrived to deliver the petition. When asked about the demonstration’s success, Ahn responded, “We managed to get our petition to his receptionist and we’re sure that she’ll deliver it to him.” Ahn noted that multiple members of campus police were seen at Merten Hall and suggested it might have been in relation to the protest. When asked about the police presence, a member of Mason’s Police Department explained that a call had been made about the protest by a bystander outside of Merten Hall. They also stated that police were not aware of the nature of the disturbance, and upon further investigation, found nothing out of the ordinary
FOURTH ESTATE JACK HARVEY
On Thursday, Oct. 25, students in a demonstration organized by Transparent GMU delivered a petition in which they demanded from President Ángel Cabrera, that all Mason gift agreements be released to the public.
Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018 - Fairfax Campus, 12:29 a.m.
Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018 - Outside of EagleBank Arena, 11:11 p.m.
Stalking/ Simple Assault: Complainant (GMU) reported receiving unwanted contact from a known Subject (GMU) on multiple occasions. A second Complainant (GMU) reported being assaulted by the same Subject.
Domestic Violence/ Simple Assault: Subject (Non-GMU) was arrested and transported to Fairfax County Adult Detention Center for assaulting a former partner (Non-GMU).
Case 2018-010532 - Referred to Title IX
Case 2018-01454 - Cleared by Arrest
Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018 - Fairfax Campus, 4:17 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018 - The RAC, 10:04 p.m.
Stalking/ Simple Assault: Complainant (GMU) reported receiving unwanted contact from known Subject (GMU) on multiple occasions.
Simple Assault: Complainant (Non-GMU) reported a fight involving multiple Subjects (Non-GMU).
Case 2018-010515 - Referred to Title IX
Case 2018-010399 - Closed
Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018 - Fairfax Campus/ Student Housing Facility, 12:42 a.m.
Friday, Oct. 19, 2018 - Fairfax Campus, 7:30 p.m.
Stalking/ Simple Assault/ Unlawful Entry: Complainant (GMU) reported receiving unwanted contact from a former partner (GMU) on multiple occasions.
Extortion: Complainant (GMU) reported an internet scam involving an unknown Subject demanding money in exchange for not posting private information on social media.
Case 2018-010459 - Pending/ Referred to Title IX
Case 2018-010350 - Referred to Title IX
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TALKS ON MS-13 DISPEL FALSEHOODS Migration and national security among issues discussed IZZ LAMAGDELEINE COPY EDITOR
In light of these concerns, Mason’s forum on Migration, Homeland Security and Gangs was a timely event. The Schar School of Policy and Government teamed up with the Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis Center (CINA) to host the forum in The Mix on Wednesday, Oct. 24. Two panels were held: the first focused on gangs and migration, the second on gangs and national security. Regarding the event’s importance, co-host and professor at Mason Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera said, “For the first time, issues of immigration, issues that have to do with Mexico and Central America are at the center of the political agenda in the United States, probably for the first time in the history of this nation.” The forum included experts on these subjects, including people who have “done work to study and understand the issue of gangs all their lives,” said Correa-Cabrera. A point that was stressed in both panels is that MS-13 is not the threat that politicians are currently portraying it to be. Ron Nixon, homeland security correspondent for The New York Times, said, “[Is MS-13] dangerous? Yes. Do they present a threat in the areas where they are? Yes … Are they a transnational drug cartel? No. Do they represent a national security threat to the United States? No.” By the fall of 2014, law enforcement in Maryland knew about the increased arrivals to the area and that they would need the strategies and resources that they had used successfully a decade prior to combat this threat. “And then the narrative went back to making this a national narrative,” Héctor Silva Ávalos, writer for
InSight Crime, said. “To making this a narrative of hate, a narrative of blaming a particular community of the problems of the whole country, because now you look up and … it seems like everything here, what’s wrong with this country, is because of a gang.” Maria Sacchetti, immigration journalist for The Washington Post, discussed the secrecy of immigration proceed-
“In Central America, we need to continue to address the conditions that are causing people to flee,” said Adam Isaacson, director for Defense Oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA). “Nobody wants to leave their home.” The long-term solutions that Isaacson recommended were for Central American governments to cut all ties with organized crime, and for
“We need to find one new solution to solve this problem. When I say a new solution, it is something recent that we need to establish in order to find a way to solve this.” Panelists also discussed how to get correct information and statistics to the public, a highly difficult challenge given the emotions that debating this topic often brings. “The demographics of the population
“… it seems like everything here— what’s wrong with this country, is because of a gang.” ings in America. “Are MS-13 gang members coming across the border?” Sacchetti said. “Certainly, but [Immigration and Customs Enforcement has its] own statistics for 2014 [that] show that only 5 percent of the surge that year had criminal records. If you would see more of the records, more of what they are doing, you could understand that and examine it, and we could better understand what the government is doing.” Sacchetti also discussed secret arrests and how difficult immigration court can be to navigate. “American citizens have been arrested secretly by immigration,” Sacchetti said. “People have died in detention, often without a hearing or a lawyer.” Sacchetti referred to the case of Irene Bamenga, a French national who died in jail when the court withheld her vital heart medicine in June 2011. On each of the forum’s panels, several members had ideas for how to start solving these complex issues.
of people who are being apprehended and who are coming across the border [have] vastly changed in a way that almost makes … [Department of Homeland Security] enforcement … [not] ineffective, but it really presents challenges, because you’re dealing primarily with families now,” Nixon said. “I think that when you do have those moments, like the family-separation issue, [they] did bring people together and gave people the opportunity to talk.” Sacchetti added, “I honestly think you should just let the people see it for themselves … for [the] American public to really understand it, I think you have to see it.” A conference about what is happening on the local, grassroots level to prevent gang violence is currently in development for next year.
aid programs to remain intact and funded. “There is no way to understand this from the political level, from an office in Capitol Hill,” Ávalos said. “You’ve got to get to the community level … There is where you can witness all of this ... complexity, and that is the only way that you can understand what is going on, and that is the only way that you can respond, if you are a politician or policy-maker, to the problem.” Ávalos added, “It’s a political line. And as long as you pursue a solution going with a political line, there’s not going to be a solution.” Journalist and author Óscar Martínez discussed falsehoods about MS-13 that the U.S. perpetuates. Among them were the way that MS-13 is organized and the majority of illegal activity that the gang is involved in. Martínez also asserted that deportation hinders, instead of helps, to solve this problem. “You know that we journalists are very well[-known] for causing problems, and not so well with (sic) solving them,” Martínez said in Spanish through an English-speaking translator.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
With Attorney General Jeff Sessions stating that the gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) is the “most serious security threat” to the United States today, a question on many Americans’ minds is the danger that the notorious group might pose to them and their families.
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GUNS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: A LETHAL COMBINATION Discussing the relationship between guns and intimate partner violence ABIGAIL ADCOX STAFF WRITER
The panel featured Fairfax County Police Department detectives specializing in domestic violence. Professor Angela Hattery, the director of Women and Gender Studies at Mason, as well as representatives of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and two members of Students Demand Action were in attendance. “No one goes into a relationship thinking that they are going to be abused,” said Laura Morris, a survivor of intimate partner violence (IPV) and a representative of Moms Demand Action. “It’s sort of like gaining weight,” Morris explained. “One day you wake up and think, ‘Oh my gosh,
I’ve gained 15 pounds.’ But it didn’t happen overnight; it happened incrementally, until you hit that point that you realize there’s a severe problem that you need to deal with. But by then you are too terrified to do anything.” Elected officials from the Virginia General Assembly were also present at the discussion to show their support. “None of us want this to be a partisan issue,” said one of the representatives from the Virginia General Assembly. “But let me assure you, right now it is. And if we don’t [elect] gun sense candidates … and we don’t [elect] people that are committed to this issue, if we don’t [elect] Democrats in the Virginia House, Virginia Senate and at the congressional level, we’re not going to get s--- done.” The panel discussion was sponsored by the Safe Virginia Initiative and the
student-policy organization Roosevelt @ Mason. The Safe Virginia Initiative was established by the Virginia House Democratic Caucus to address gun safety and prevent gun violence. They have held a number of town halls, each on a different topic related to gun violence. The goal of these events is to create a package of bills to be passed into legislation. The panel also discussed how to prevent gun violence, the issues with passing legislation in Virginia and how gun violence disproportionately harms communities of color. Another discussion topic was protective orders. By Virginia law, individuals who are subject to domestic-violence orders, either restraining or protective, are prohibited from possessing firearms. Panelist Jacqui Smith, a
domestic-violence detective for the Fairfax County Police Department, explained how enforcing this law is problematic. “[The Fairfax County Police Department is] relying on these [respondents, or individuals who have been served protective orders], who obviously have problems, to turn over their firearms,” Smith said. “If I go to their door and ask if they have any weapons they want to turn over, and they say, ‘Nope, I don’t,’ then I can’t search. Or if they say … ‘My Uncle Bob is going to keep it for me,’ there’s nothing we can do. There’s [sic] huge gaps in the system as far as getting those weapons out of the hands of respondents.” About 4.5 million women in the U.S. reported that an intimate partner had threatened them with a gun,
according to a 2018 report by the National Partnership for Women & Families. Lisette Johnson, a representative of Moms Demand Action, experienced one of these cases firsthand. Johnson was shot by her husband multiple times in front of her kids before he killed himself. Johnson said she was shot nine years ago this October. “It was very difficult, because it was primarily verbal abuse, and there weren’t a ton of threats...I knew enough to request that he take the guns out of the house and spoke to his family members and asked them to assure [me] that they were all gone … And two days before the shooting, my best friends asked if I had checked everywhere, and I said, ‘I trust him, he told me he would,’” Johnson said.
FOURTH ESTATE TISHA HERRERA
On Wednesday, Oct. 24, Mason hosted a panel discussion on guns and domestic violence.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF PEXELS
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RESEARCH-BASED SOLUTIONS TO THE OPIOID CRISIS Emily Jones, branch chief for National Institute on Drug Abuse, speaks at Mason ABIGAIL ADCOX STAFF WRITER
According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 116 people died every day from opioid-related drug overdoses. Emily Jones, chief of the Science Policy Branch of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), works every day to fight this crisis on the federal level. Jones gave a presentation at Mason Wednesday, Oct. 24, on the opioid crisis and the NIDA’s role in addressing it. The presentation was part of health seminar series sponsored by the Heath Administration and Policy Department and the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics. Jones outlined three key activities that
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is using to fight the opioid crisis. First, the HHS is changing opioid prescription practices with the goal of reducing opioid use disorders and overdoses. The second tactic is to expand the use of naloxone, which is used to treat opioid overdoses. Finally, the HHS is working to expand the use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in order to reduce opioid use disorders and overdoses. Jones also mentioned in her presentation that the NIDA received an extra $500 million for their base appropriations for the 2018 fiscal year. The
funding will support scientific research on addiction and pain. “[A heroin vaccine] is something we are working on,” Jones said. “I don’t think it would be deployed widely, but it would be deployed for people that already have a problem. The science is not even close, but it’s a pretty picture and it’s something to think about― another way that science can help with this crisis.” Jones said that key factors driving the opioid epidemic include rapidly rising prescription costs and pharmaceutical companies promoting their products. She also noted that many therapeutic options to treat pain are not covered
by insurance. Jones then went on to advocate for more collaboration between the criminal justice system and community-based treatment providers in order to improve care. “I think that it’s the defining epidemic of our generation,” said Hope Sievers, a junior at Mason. “I think that as college students, though we are less likely to be addicts and [drug] abusers, it’s common [enough] that everyone knows someone affected by the opioid epidemic.” Sievers, a global and community health major, hopes to help end the opioid epidemic through her work.
“I want to change medical-school requirements and policies regarding how we treat chronic pain and look at providing alternative therapies,” Sievers said. Legislation was recently passed to address the opioid epidemic. On Oct. 24, President Trump signed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which he described as “the single largest bill to combat the drug crisis in the history of our country.” The bill will increase federal agencies’ funds for addiction treatment, as well as the training of law enforcement to intercept shipments of controlled substances such as the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
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INTERNAL REVIEW COMMITTEE REPORT RAISES CONCERNS AT MASON
Issues found with transparency, academic freedom and outside party influence JACK HARVEY STAFF WRITER
Mason’s gift agreements raise “some degree of concern,” according to a recent report. The Internal Review Committee was established to review the language of donor agreements supporting faculty positions at Mason. The committee released its findings to the public on Oct. 8. The report examined 314 gift agreements that the committee considered “in-scope.” Of those, 29 were described as having “some issues that require further action.” These issues were related to academic freedom, outside party influence and transparency. Dr. Bethany Letiecq, a member of the Faculty Senate and the ad hoc Institutional Conflict of Interest Committee, outlined her concerns and the specific problems she found in the report.
Gift agreement 41 stated, “The purpose of the FUND is to produce academic-quality research related to important issues identified by the DONOR and others, and to disseminate that research to relevant state, regional and national policymakers as well as media, teachers and the general public.” Gift agreement 226 counted among its goals to “create field contacts and presence within the conservative policy and grassroots communities, focused on clean energy solutions.” A condition of this agreement was that the donors receive a report featuring “a description of the progress that Awardee has made toward achieving the purposes for which this award was made,” as well as “a report on Awardee’s compliance with the terms of this Agreement.” Should the awardee underperform,
the foundation “reserves the right to renegotiate, extend or terminate this Agreement.” “Awardee” refers to the George Mason University Foundation, the private entity that handles gifts to Mason. “Donors want to get something for their investment, it seems, but the university should work to clarify what they can expect and what they cannot expect, particularly when it comes to research production,” Dr. Letiecq said. “If you think my research is bought and sold, then you wouldn’t trust me … If we don’t have academic integrity as an institution, we are not an institution of higher education. We’re just another think tank.” Despite these concerns, the report states that the committee “found no egregious practices.” Asked to comment on the distinction
between “issues” and “egregious practices,” Provost David Wu responded, “Most of these agreements that we have seen, the 29 that we have identified, raise some degree of concern based on the eight criteria that we have established … There are some questions that were raised, but certainly nothing that we would consider a serious infringement of some of these standards that we have established.”
funding, combined with decreasing state funding, could lead to serious concerns down the road.
Gus Thomson of Mason’s student activist group Transparent GMU said in an email, “Transparent GMU disagrees that the committee’s review revealed nothing egregious … These are severe violations of academic freedom and faculty governance.”
Asked about a possible database of all gift agreements, Wu responded, “The committee’s recommendation was basically to make all the provisions of future gifts public as soon as these gift agreements are made.”
Committee member Dr. Chris Kennedy cautioned that Mason’s increasing reliance on private donor
Provost Wu said that, following the report, “The next step is for us (GMU Foundation, Provost’s office, Faculty Senate) to work together in essentially going through these policy recommendations and looking for changes or amendments to university policy … A lot of the existing policy language is silent on these issues.”
Wu did not believe that a database containing verbatim gift agreements, even if redacted, would be possible, citing privacy concerns.
MASON SENATE ELECTS UNIVERSITY LIFE CHAIRWOMAN Student Body President and Vice President collaborate with NOVA Community College JALEN REID STAFF WRITER
Board of Visitors (BOV) and the new Advance Program with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA).
Senator Leah Hoffman was elected Chairwoman of University Life. “I am very excited to take on this opportunity,” Hoffman said. “I wasn’t expecting this at all … I am very excited to take on new initiatives not only focusing on events but making sure we are passing legislation that is supportive of university life and making sure it connects to all of the students.”
Pettine mentioned that the second annual GMU Women’s Leadership Conference occurred Friday, Oct. 19.
After the election, Student Body President Bekah Pettine spoke about topics such as recent events, the
With midterms in full swing, Pettine also emphasized the importance of mental health. Students need to get proper rest, she said, so that they can manage their stress and still succeed.
She went on to say that the BOV covered an abundance of information, still being compiled, about university funding and decision-making. Pettine also said that Sunday, Oct. 21, Yard Fest was held to interest prospective students in getting involved on-campus. Additionally, President Pettine and
Vice President Erik Truong have been meeting with NOVA’s president and vice president to collaborate on the Advance Program. The program enables students from NOVA to transfer their credits to Mason easily and smooths out their transition. In second reading, three resolutions and one bill were passed: R#10, A Resolution to Support George Mason University Becoming a Conflict-Free Campus; R#11, A Resolution to Condemn Anti-Semitism in Fairfax County; R#12, A Resolution to Support the Tradition of Gold Rush; and B#13, A Bill to Allocate Funds for Gold Rush 2018 T-Shirts. R#10 restricts the use of conflict minerals such as tin and cobalt, which are mined in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo
and contribute to human-rights violations. R#11 came in response to anti-Semitic vandalism in the community. B#11, A Bill to Allocate Funds for What Do You Want Wednesday, and
B#12, A Bill to Allocate Funds to Build Care Packages for Veterans, were referred to the Administrative and Financial Affairs Committee. B#13, A Bill to Support the George, was referred to the chair of university services.
FOURTH ESTATE JALEN REID
On Oct. 18, the 39th Student Senate met for the 10th time in Merten Hall. The senate passed legislation on four points. Two pieces of legislation were referred to the Administrative and Financial Affairs Committee, another was referred to the chair of university services.
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MASON ECONOMICS PROFESSOR WRITES CONTROVERSIAL COLUMN Multicultural organizations respond to Professor Walter Williams’ articles on diversity “corrupting” universities SABIHA BASIT AND CYD MEJIA STAFF WRITERS
In a racially charged political climate, is diversity negatively affecting colleges across the U.S.? That is the question posed by Walter Williams, a distinguished professor of economics at Mason.
nations that fund schools centrally and equally, the wealthiest 10 percent of U.S. school districts spend nearly 10 times more than the poorest 10 percent, and spending ratios of 3 to 1 are common within states.”
According to Mason’s faculty and staff website, “Williams is the author of over 150 publications which (sic) have appeared in scholarly journals such as Economic Inquiry, American Economic Review, Georgia Law Review, Journal of Labor Economics, Social Science Quarterly, and Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy.”
One Mason faculty member, who will go by the pseudonym Sarah, described it as a “domino effect.”
The posts describe how standards in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields are being lowered specifically to accommodate women. In Williams’ words, “males outperform females at the highest levels of math; however, males are overrepresented at the lowest levels of math competence.” This alleged lowering of standards is “threatening innovation and American competitiveness,” Williams said. Not every degree-seeking student across the country received the same education growing up. The quality of high-school education in the U.S. varies based on location, school funding and faculty support. Schools with a greater number of White students tend to get more funding than those with more students of color. According to the Brookings Institution, “In contrast to European and Asian
“Having somewhere where there are other minorities [seeking] fellowship, resources, empowerment, and education … is our main goal. I believe that Mason is very diverse, but not everyone connects together to form one big community. This is something our organization tries to do, to have inclusion with all diverse
individuals on campus.” Another student organization, the Arab Student Association (ASA), commented on the issue as well. “Imagine, it can only feel refreshing to belong to a [multicultural] organization that understands your culture and is inclusive of anyone who claims to be part of that culture regardless of other identities that a member may also possess, like race, religion, and sexual orientation,” Tamer Hosein, treasurer of ASA, said.
“Mason is a school of integrity, and what better way to show future students and their families that we put in the effort to take care of our neighbors? If there [is] strength in numbers, then multicultural organizations will serve as a vehicle for that phrase.” Neither Walter Williams nor the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Education responded for comment.
However, Williams believes that too much diversity can lead to people of different races reverting into their own groups, creating a racially segregated atmosphere. “[Mason’s] ‘Black Freshman Orientation,’ held Aug. 25 and advertised as an opportunity for students to learn more about the black community at [the university],” he wrote. “[Mason] is not alone in promoting separation in the name of diversity and inclusion. Harvard, Yale, UCLA and many other universities, including [Mason], have black graduation ceremonies. … “I’m sure that if white students demanded a whites-only dormitory or whites-only graduation ceremonies, the university community would be outraged,” he continued, rejecting the different contexts created by centuries of racist oppression. “Some weak-minded administrators might make the argument that having black-only activities and facilities is welcoming and might make black students feel more comfortable,” wrote Professor Williams. Some organizations at Mason argue that diversity brings together people from various backgrounds and is a strength. “Honors
College
Multicultural
FOURTH ESTATE ALLIE BELL
Recently, Williams has published a series of pieces asserting that U.S. colleges are excessively diverse and that this diversity is connected with lower academic standards. He described that decline in standards as being caused by the need to reach and maintain certain levels of diversity. If those levels are not met with existing academic standards, then the college lowers its requirements to allow more marginalized students in.
“High schools with different education levels result in lower college standards, but even if you don’t get the same education level as a wealthy Caucasian person, it does not mean that you also shouldn’t go to college,” Sarah said.
Alliance (HCMA) … seeks to bring diverse communities inside (and outside) the Honors College together,” Taija Miller, the organization’s president, said.
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MASON PROFESSOR DISCUSSES PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT REPORT A one-on-one with Edward Maibach about climate change JALEN REID STAFF WRITER
As industrialization starts to spread to other parts of the world due to globalization and urbanization, the release of greenhouse gases is continuing at an alarming rate and does not appear to be slowing down any time soon. Many academics and researchers are concerned about this, including Edward W. Maibach, a Mason professor and the director of Mason’s Center for Climate Change Communication. “The IPCC [the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report was a huge wake-up
call to the leaders of the world,” said Professor Maibach. “The report makes clear that the goal of the Paris [Climate] Agreement, which all leaders in the world have agreed to—except President Trump— … is not enough to protect your generation, much less future generations of people.” Maibach added that people only have about 10 years to dramatically accelerate the global transition to clean energy. “The faster we make the transition to a clean-energy economy,” he said, “the sooner we create safer, more
prosperous families, states and nations.”
communities,
He also said that fossil fuel emissions do not damage only the earth, but also the health of individuals— specifically our lungs, hearts, brain and metabolism. Climate change itself is also harmful, potentially causing “increasingly violent weather [and] increasing numbers of tick- and mosquito-borne illnesses, dangerous heat waves, et cetera,” Maibach said. The Paris Climate Agreement is one
international response to climate change. According to Helen Briggs from the BBC, it is an agreement between 200 countries that tries to constrain global warming to 1.5 (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit) to 2 degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times. If the earth’s temperature increases beyond that by even half a degree, it could cause extreme heat, droughts, floods and climate-related poverty. According to Business Insider, the agreement includes both wealthy, developed countries and poorer,
developing countries. Developing nations require financing from richer countries so they can pass on using cheap, fossil-fuel energy sources while renewable energy sources are being developed and implemented. This financing requirement is one of the reasons why President Trump wanted to exit the agreement. Scientists say that the Paris Agreement is just one step on the long road to a low-carbon world.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PEXELS
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A RUN ACROSS THE POND
The Irish cross country runner is already making strides in her first season
MANSUR SHAHEENT STAFF WRITER
Injuries delayed O’Flaherty’s move to the United States and by the time she was fully back in action Mihalich had joined the Patriots coaching staff. O’Flaherty officially made the move to the United States prior to the fall semester.
Despite being just a couple of races into her collegiate career, she has already been named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week twice this season. However, some might not know that her path to Mason cross country was not a typical one.
The long, grueling task of running kilometers across rough terrain can turn off some to the sport. Nothing about cross-country seems very glamorous, but O’Flaherty relishes in it.
O’Flaherty was raised in Carlow, Ireland, one of the smallest counties in the country. Her upbringing was fairly calm, with her describing her hometown as a “very small community” where “not much happens.”
“The pain is something you want,” she said of the exhausting runs she goes on. “Yeah it’s cold, it’s wet but the terrain… it changes [it] up a bit.” O’Flaherty said, “It adds variety.”
She chose to leave Gaelic football and took up running at the age of 13. Cross-country instantly clicked for her and she eventually would join the team at the University of Limerick.
The final stretches of a cross-country race can be extremely taxing. After running around five kilometers, the racers are expected to pull out their last bits of energy and sprint to finish with the best time possible. It’s a task that causes some racers to even blow out and having their body give up on them in the final stages. O’Flaherty finds a way to motivate herself in the hardest times, though.
O’Flaherty was recruited to Mason by assistant coach Tony Mihalich. They first came into contact in 2016 when Mihalich was on the coaching staff of the Iona Gaels.
“The last 500 [meters], like after running five and a half kilometers you know, you might as well finish the last 500 [meters],” she said, “I think there’s an adrenaline rush that will kick in. If
Growing up she played Gaelic football – a sport she described as Aussie-rules football with a round ball – as a child.
you blow up you blow, you just keep going. No one wants to DNF [Did Not Finish].” While O’Flaherty has always been willing to give it her all to finish a race with the best possible time, running with a team at Mason has given her extra motivation. “In Ireland running is very individual,” she said. “You’re tired you just want to throw in the towel if you give up it’s only yourself.” The sophomore mentioned that running at Mason is different because she has teammates depending on her. “You’re doing it for your teammates as well,” she said. While it may have been a long time coming the runner is enjoying her time in Fairfax. “I really like the girls here, I’ve made good friends with them. The facilities here are great as well and that’s a nice bonus,” she said.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MASON ATHLETICS
Siobhra O’Flaherty is a standout athlete. After women’s cross-country’s win at the Mason Invitational in September and their fourth-place finish at the Princeton Invitational in mid-October, O’Flaherty continues to excel in her sport as a sophomore.
O’Flaherty has only been in Fairfax for a few months, but it already feels like a second home for her. She is currently working towards a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology. The sophomore also represented Mason in the Atlantic 10 conference championship this past weekend.
SPORTS IN BRIEF Womens’s Basketball The 2018 Atlantic 10 (A-10) Rookie of the Year Nicole Cardaño-Hillary was named to the A-10 Preseason All-Conference First Team as well as the All-Defensive Team. She’s the first Patriot to be named to the team since Taylor Brown in 2015. After finishing fourth in the A-10 last year, Mason was picked to finish eighth in this season’s preseason poll.
Women’s Volleyball
Cross-Country
Women’s volleyball improved to 6-4 in conference play, and 8-12 overall, after defeating George Washington 3-1 on Thursday night.
Men’s cross country finished fifth Saturday at the A-10 Championships, their fifth top-five finish in six years. Women’s cross country finished sixth, their best finish since joining the conference.
Junior Bailey Williams, sophomore Emily Konchan and freshman ShaLi Niu all recorded double-doubles. For Williams and Konchan, it was their sixth double-double of the season. For the first time since 2012, Mason recorded at least 90 digs in a match, with 94 Thursday night.
Jonathan Schloth and Trent Lancaster finished ninth and 12th, the first time in four years that Mason has had multiple Atlantic 10 All-Conference (top 15) performers. Siobhra O’Flaherty finished 15th, also earning all-conference honors.
Men’s Soccer Men’s soccer clinched a spot in the A-10 Men’s Soccer Championship for the first time in four years with their 1-0 win over Davidson College Saturday Night. Junior Daniel Damiani scored the lone goal of the night while senior goalkeeper Clark Gronek made five saves while recording his fourth career shutout. The team improved to 6-7 and 4-3 in conference play and will find out their seeding and opponent after they play Oct. 31.
Women’s Soccer Women’s soccer defeated the University of Massachusetts-Amherst 2-1 in a double-overtime thriller Saturday night to move on to the semifinals of the A-10 Women’s Soccer Championship. Emily Bradshaw scored her first goal of the season in the 39th minute to go up 1-0 and Emma van der Vorst scored her 14th goal halfway through the second overtime to secure the win for the Patriots.
SPORTS
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A GOAL-DEN OPPORTUNITY Clark Gronek’s journey to the limelight
NATALIE HEAVREN SPORTS EDITOR
Gronek, an Ohio native from Shaker Heights, began playing recreational soccer at the age of six because “at that age, everybody plays soccer no matter where you are.” He also played baseball growing up. “I played catcher in baseball so it was kind of similar and I’ve just always had that kind of role position in catching.” Before seventh grade, Gronek gave up playing baseball for soccer. Feeling that soccer was more promising, Gronek joined a club team that he continued to play on until coming to Mason. Gronek continued to play at a high level through high school, including winning a state championship his senior year. He described his high school team as a powerhouse, but one that had been in a slump during his first three years there. “To go out like that, a State Championship in my last year, was really cool to get back to where we were (sic),” he said.
FOURTH ESTATE DOMENIC ALLEGRA
However, the state championship is not Gronek’s favorite soccer memory. That title is held by a Midwest Regional Semifinals game he played in while on his club team. The game was a rematch against a team they had
“I had shut them out for the whole game, shut them out in overtime, and we went to PKs [penalty kicks] and we went 12 rounds of PKs and I saved five and I made one, and we won,” Gronek said.
from the College of Charleston. He made the decision to stay because he thought that Mason would be worth it in the long run. Reflecting on it now he said, “Yeah, I’m glad I stayed.” Not playing did not seem to phase Gronek because he knew his chance would come. “I really enjoyed training every day,” he said.
“It was crazy, it was easily the best soccer moment I’ve had.”
“As a goalie, training to me is a lot more fun than games,” Gronek stated.
After all the players had gone through the rotation, Gronek was forced to shoot a penalty kick. He converted his penalty, giving his team the lead, and stopped the opposing goalie’s kick in the process afterwards.
“I was having a lot of fun training every day and doing drills, playing at a high pace, high level with all the guys. And I felt myself getting better.”
“That was huge, because, in that time club soccer, that was like my life,” he said. “I did it every day, year round pretty much. And so that was a big deal and that was the regional tournament and that was the furthest we’d ever gotten in the tournament, that was a really big deal for us.” The next step in his soccer journey was Mason. Towards the end of the recruiting process, Gronek came to a camp at Mason, played well and received an offer. He took it, grateful to be done with the recruiting process and ready to play in college. However, he didn’t play a minute in his first season at Mason. Or his second. Or his third. However, this not out of the ordinary when goalies come in behind other players, as it is not a position that is often substituted out. Gronek almost left after his first semester when he received an offer
Aside from the tangible soccer skills, Gronek said that the experience taught him patience and that when you put the work in it will pay off, something he believes applies to preparing for his career after college as well. “It’s hard to keep that attitude though, hard to tell yourself this will pay off eventually because in the moment you’re not too happy but if you just keep going you know that it’ll pay off,” he stated. It did pay off. After an injury to one goalie and another left the team, Gronek found himself starting his first collegiate game on Sept. 8 against Gardner-Webb University. However, instead of letting it affect him, he treated it like any other day. The game against Gardner-Webb was also Gronek’s favorite so far. The game, a 5-4 Mason win, was one that Gronek described as “probably one of the most intense games that I’ve played in because it was a very high scoring game, very high tension, very
FOURTH ESTATE DOMENIC ALLEGRA
“They put me in at goalie because I kept getting handballs, and I liked that a lot and I liked using my hands,” he said.
already played that season, one that was much better than theirs that came down to a lengthy set of penalty kicks.
aggressive, in the rain just a very intense game.” He continued saying “and I like those because I like high-intensity situations because that keeps me active, keeps me not bored, it keeps me in the game. [T] o come out with a win in a high-stress game is the best feeling.” In the ten starts Gronek has made as of Friday night, he has gone 5-5, allowing 1.87 goals per game. His first save came in the game against Gardner-Webb, and he recorded six saves on Oct. 20 in the team’s 2-0 loss to Virginia Commonwealth University. When asked about Gronek’s play this season, head coach Greg Andrulis replied, “He had the patience and he waited his turn and now he’s taking advantage of it.” “I think Clark’s legacy will be perseverance, resilience, showing up every day and getting the job done,” said Andrulis. “Not everybody can come in as a freshman, sometimes they need time to grow and develop and again I think
[assistant coach] Billy Chiles has done a great job with Clark, always keeping him ready and moving forward so when he got his chance he could do it and I think he’s done an excellent job at it.” After graduation, Gronek who is a finance major, wants to go into investment banking, something for which he has used his summers to prepare. He spent the summer of 2017 interning at Oaktree Capital Management, a distressed debt private equity fund in Los Angeles, and the summer of 2018 interning at Western Reserve Partners, an investment bank in Los Angeles. “The stuff that he’s done in the summers are to get him ready for his future off the field,” Andrulis said. “ I think he’s a very competent person on and off the field and I think the future for him is going to be very rosy.” Gronek and the rest of the men’s soccer team will be taking the field in their last home game this season on Oct. 31 at 7 p.m at George Mason Stadium for Senior Night.
FOURTH ESTATE DOMENIC ALLEGRA
One of the most universally known rules in soccer is that players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands. However, for senior goalkeeper Clark Gronek breaking that rule is how he became a goalie.
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YOU GOT A FRIEND IN ME
Senior Catie Espinoza speaks on her impact of women’s volleyball DOMENIC ALLEGRA ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
“I want everyone else to be excited,” said Espinoza. “The more excited I can be playing the whole time, my teammates look at that and mirror it. Especially when things aren’t going our way, I try to find something or make a quick joke to get someone to smile and make it seem like it’s fun. I like to bring some energy, and I think that helps us get on runs and win matches.” While she is a role model on her team, Espinoza also excels in the sports she loves. Coming from First Colonial High
School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Espinoza collected many accolades and even lead her team to the state championship. During her time in high school, Espinoza was recognized as the 6A State Player of the Year, the Virginia High School League Player of the Year and the First Colonial High School Female Athlete of the Year, all in her senior year. After her seasons at First Colonial High School, which was also home of the Patriots, Espinoza joined the Mason squad in the fall of 2015. During her freshman year, Espinoza had trouble connecting with the upperclassmen on her team, so she made it her goal to change that when it came her turn to lead the team. “Whatever freshman year that she had with the seniors, and with them being
scary, she was like ‘that’s not going to happen with us,’” head coach Aylene Ilkyson said. “I always wanted to be the person that the underclassmen could go to, and not have it be so scary [in] their first semester… my freshman year was a whole different experience… I wanted to be a friend,” said Espinoza. “I think that I’ve accomplished that.” Through her first two years starting as an outside hitter, Espinoza recorded 619 digs and played in 205 sets over a span of 55 matches. This includes a career-high 46 dig match against Davidson back in 2016. However, during her junior year, Espinoza was converted into a libero to aid the back row of the squad. Ilkyson stressed the importance of the libero position in volleyball stating, “When you have a libero, it needs to be somebody that you can count on day in and day out and if they’re playing [inconsistently], that just destabilizes the whole back row.” Coach Ilkson was hired as women’s volleyball’s seventh head coach in June 2017, prior to Espinoza’s junior season. “[I]t was interesting because I had watched film on the team before I got here, and everyone had said that Catie’s this outside hitter they changed into a libero,” Ilkyson said.
FOURTH ESTATE DOMENIC ALLEGRA
When Ilkyson arrived she expressed to Espinoza her role in the back row stating, “I think when I got here, it was… like, Catie if you’re going to anchor this thing, we better figure this out on how you work and how we need to work.” Ilkyson continued, saying, “It was nice that [she] is very easy going and a good fit for me to come in with, [in]
UPCOMING SPORTS WED 10/31 THURS 11/1 Men’s Soccer vs. University of Rhode Island George Mason Stadium: 7 p.m.
FOURTH ESTATE RAFAEL SUANES - MASON ATHLETICS
It doesn’t take much to make someone smile. The smallest joke, or even smiling first, makes an impact on your teammates in any moment, especially in the most difficult times. For senior women’s volleyball player Catie Espinoza, she finds herself in this role for women’s volleyball.
her junior year, so that we could build upon her leadership.” In her junior and senior seasons, Espinoza has recorded a total of 814 digs and counting. In 2017, Espinoza recorded her thousandth career dig, becoming the fastest Patriot to reach the milestone. This season, Espinoza recorded her 1,278th career dig to become the program leader for most digs, breaking a record that stood for almost 25 years. “It means a lot -- I never thought I would accomplish what I have coming here, but I don’t even really think about that when I enter a match, those individual accomplishments, but [rather] doing my job for my team and them doing theirs. When they do that it makes my job a whole lot easier, so with that comes individual recognition… but I’m not done yet,” Espinoza reflected.
FRI 11/2
Men’s Baskeball vs. Johns Hopkins University (Ex.)
Women’s Volleyball vs. Davidson College
EagleBank Arena: 7 p.m.
Recreation Athletic Complex (RAC): 7 p.m.
With a record current of 8-12 overall and 6-4 in conference play, the Patriots look to capitalize on their momentum as they finish their season to secure a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship. “We need to work together, and we’ve already accomplished so much. So the second half of the season we just have to push through, but I think we can do it,” said Espinoza. “It’s a really special team, we have a lot of young players and their mindset is the same as ours that they want to win and change our program… I’ve never been to the conference tournament here, so I definitely want to go before I leave, so this would be the year to do it. I think we can [make it to the tournament], and I think we can go far.” On Nov. 2 Women’s Volleyball will take on Davidson at 7 p.m for Senior Night.
SAT 11/3 Women’s Volleyball vs. Virginia Commonwealth University
Women’s Rowing
RAC: 7 p.m.
Sandy Run Regional Park
Head of the Occoquan Regatta
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ALL ABOUT THE BASS
At Music in the Lobby, students have no treble IZZ LAMAGDELEINE COPY EDITOR On Wednesday, Oct. 24, Mason held its second Music in the Lobby this semester in a partnership between the School of Music, Fenwick Library and Argo Tea. The events showcase the talent that
is contained within the school’s music program, having students perform five or six pieces for the pleasure of the audience’s listening ears. They have been occurring for a little over two and a half years.
“Formerly, the music collection was … over by Gateway Library,” said Steve Gerber, the coordinator of the event. The collection houses most of Mason’s music including scores, books and recordings. Eventually it was decided that a better home for the music would be in Fenwick, where it had been kept years below.
“I got the OK to do something in the outer lobby,” Gerber said. “So, for our grand opening we had like a trad jazz ensemble,” a type of style that is traditional, often including a clarinet, trombone and trumpet instead of a saxophone. Gerber considered that first event highly successful. “It was a great little
Ever since, all of the small concerts have taken place within the Fenwick lobby, where both music lovers seated front row and stressed-out scholars headed for a study session can best hear the pieces. They are performed right next to the entrance to the first floor of the library. The event could not happen without the partnership that has been formed to make the event a success. Argo Tea provides refreshments, allowing students to chew delicious cookies and sip the best tea around as they listen to the music performed around them. June Huang, the director of strings, coordinates the student performers who will be playing at Music in the Lobby.
Gerber said. “As director of strings, she knows what all the string ensembles are.” The events and the impact it has on the Mason community are considered to be positive, based on how many people always manage to watch the performances. “Because of the informality of it, we can see there’s a certain number of people coming and going,” Gerber said. “There’s always a crowd standing there.” However, in the future, Gerber hopes to get more and more ensembles involved, including brass and guitar. “There are guitar trios and quartets,” he said. “It would be nice to have a guitar trio or quartet in there.” The next Music in the Lobby will be held on Nov. 28, with concerts following in the spring semester.
“[Huang] puts together the program,”
HORROR-SCOPES
A fun, Halloween twist on your classic horoscope MONICA ECHOLS CULTURE EDITOR Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) - Scorpios are known for their passionate emotions, but they can also seem closed off to other people. This Halloween, don’t hide your feelings or true self behind a mask. Let people see who you really are. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) - Those under the Sagittarius sign are known for their great sense of humor. Get together with some friends for a fun night of clowning around. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) - Practical Capricorns like to feel in control of their destiny. You may not have a crystal ball to predict your future, but you can start making plans now to help set you up for success. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) - Quirky and creative Aquarians enjoy expressing themselves through their appearance, but you don’t need a costume to change your look. Switching up your wardrobe with some new fall fashion can help you look and feel like a new person. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) - Selfless Pisces sometimes spend too much time taking care of others. Skip the tricks, and treat yourself to something nice or some much needed me-time. Aries (March 21-April 19) - Fiery Aries have an infectious energy that people love being around.
Plan a fun night out on the town with your friends for a wickedly good time. Taurus (April 20-May 20) - Those under the Taurus sign tend to enjoy creative outlets like cooking. With so many holidays coming up in the next few months, now is the perfect time to try out some new recipes. “Bone” appetit! Gemini (May 21-June 20) - Playful Geminis are always up for a good time. You may not have a magic broomstick, but you can still gather up some of your friends and go on a bewitching adventure around town. Cancer (June 21-July 22) - Cancers tend to be very family-oriented, but between midterms, projects and other work, you can forget to keep in contact with your family. Make sure to regularly call your mummy—I mean mommy—and other loved ones to stay up-to-date on their lives. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) - Confident Leos love being in front of a crowd. The next time you take center stage to entertain an audience, you’ll be sure to knock them undead. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) - Virgos can sometimes be shy and keep to themselves. Make sure you don’t ghost your friends, and remember to go out and socialize every once in a while.
FOURTH ESTATE ALLY MCALPINE
FOURTH ESTATE GRANT SMITH
In March of 2016, Gerber decided to host a grand opening of the collections in their new home, including live performances. However, this was a challenge, as there could be none of this in a library where quiet was key.
concert,” Gerber said. “Other librarians and music people thought this was such a great idea we should keep doing it, have more concerts in there.”
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FACES OF MASON delves into the lives of Mason students, faculty or alumni, and organizations every week. This week we take a close look at student Cody Borden, faculty Robert Daniels, alumnus Colin Hart and organization Off-Campus Student Services. If you know of a Mason student, faculty member, alumnus or alumna or organization that would like to be featured on FACES OF MASON please submit your request via: https://goo.gl/HZ4SMd INTERVIEWS BY HAILEY BULLIS, LEIGH NORMAN AND SARA ANWAR
S T U D E N T, C O D Y B O R D E N What clubs are you apart of at Mason? I am really involved with Student Media. I have my own television show for Mason Cable Network, I help out behind the scenes with Mason Cable News, I’m a member for the Society of Professional Journalists, I’m employed by WGMU as a basketball game engineer and I’m a member of the professional cinematic arts fraternity Delta Kappa Alpha. For your show, the Mason Cable Night show, what goes into planning that?
FOURTH ESTATE HAILEY BULLIS
Well, I do a lot with it. I find the guests, I’m the host, I’m the director, I write the scripts, I’m the chief PR person for it, so everything besides like hitting record on the camera I do by myself. So it’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun and it’s probably [my] favorite thing that I do at Mason. I heard you are having a Halloween special? What are you doing for the special? Yes. [the special] is airing on Halloween at 7:30 p.m. on Mason Cable Network. So, my guest for the episode is the Jiu-Jitsu club, they’re a newer organization on campus so we’ll be promoting them. And then after the interview, I’m going to actually go to one of their practices and do jiu-jitsu. I have no jiu-jitsu experience, but I’m going to do that. That’s going to be a lot of fun. And then also I convinced
one of my professors to come to a haunted trail with me, and [we] got permission to wear GoPro’s and like just capture ... our reaction and experience at the haunted trail, so it’s going to be a lot of fun. What do you want to do when you graduate? In a perfect world? I would get a job at a late-night TV show—either The Tonight Show or maybe something SNL [Saturday Night Live] or something—but if that doesn’t happen, just like any job in the television industry, either behind or in front of the camera would be great, but we’ll see what happens. How did you get into broadcast? Well, when I came to college, I originally wanted to be a sports broadcaster, but I felt like I wouldn’t have been very happy doing that because I would have limited myself just to sports so I wanted to figure out a way where I could do a little bit of everything—little bit of TV, little bit behind the camera and little bit of sports. So that’s when I thought of my show because I’ve always loved Late Night, they have assortment of different guests so I thought that would be the best way to incorporate all of the different aspects of Mason life into one key thing.
FA C U LT Y, R O B E R T D A N I E L S What do you do at Mason? My job is Southside restaurant’s customer service specialist. My duty is to make sure customers have the best spread possible. If they have concerns or complaints, I listen to them. What’s the favorite part of the job? My favorite part of the job is absolutely interacting with the students. Because I was told by my mother a long time ago that gifts don’t come wrapped in boxes, they came wrapped in the human beings … And working at Mason with the students—they absolutely make me understand and believe. You all make me very happy, so when I’m in, it makes it all true. People are really gifts because you’re all the best gift I’ve had in a very long time.
FOURTH ESTATE LEIGH NORMAN
Are Mason students really the best gift you’ve had in a while? Yes ma’am, really! When I first came to Mason, I wasn’t doing so well. Had a lot of things going on in my personal life that I was very unhappy about … Meeting the children here, though, it kind of brought my heart back around and made me feel a lot better. I think of all y’all as cardiologists because when you can fix the broken heart of a stranger, it kinda makes you a heart surgeon. What’s your greatest accomplishment? My children. D’Angelo and Angel. He’s 22, she’s 13, they
are my greatest accomplishments. They give me a chance to be still here when I’m not here. Those are people that I’m going to train and mold the minds of to show them how to make their way through the world. So, their impact in the world is going to be what I taught them. What motivates you to get up in the morning? When I woke up, I was given the extremely beautiful gift I didn’t do anything for, the gift of life. I didn’t do anything to deserve it, but He gave it to me again that particular day. So, I’m motivated because I’m living by the law of love. I live by the idea that you’re supposed to give love to people because it’s the most important thing in the world. So, I’m motivated to go out and give the love away. I give it to my children, I try to give it to every person. The love you live by is a love called “agape love.” It’s a Greek word, it means you love all people just because they exist, not because you know them or they did something for you. What’s one thing you’d like to say to the students at Mason? If I could change anything for the students at Mason, it would probably be their level of socializing with each other. Sometimes I see people at the dining hall and they’re sitting at the table together, but everyone’s got their phone in their hands. Interaction with other human beings is what makes us better … We need to enjoy each other more because we’re a beautiful thing, we’re the Earth’s most beautiful thing.
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ALUMNUS, COLIN HART ALUMNA, ELIZABETH BAIRES What do you do now? I am an investment banker and I specialize in investing in emerging markets as well as commercial real estate. What was one of your fondest memories while you were at Mason? I think my fondest memory is dining with my colleagues at the graduate school and exchanging stories about what we’re doing at work and in our careers. What makes you unique? I think, if there’s anything unique about me, [it’s] the international aspect of my career and my background. I grew up overseas, came back to the United States to study and went back overseas to work, particularly in challenging areas such as the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Why were you overseas?
PHOTO COURTESY OF COLIN HART
I was an investment banker working for an investment fund in Eastern Europe based in Bucharest, Romania, and also prior to that I was working with the Carlisle group, developing projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. What’s is different about investment banking in the United States verses in Saudi Arabia or Europe? Well, it’s much more difficult to find investment opportunities in places such as Saudi Arabia or Eastern Europe than it is in the United States. The markets are underdeveloped or not nearly as developed as in the United States. The financing is more rudimentary, and the acquisition process is challenging because [the] rule of law is more difficult in emerging
markets than it is in the United States, so it’s basically both a bureaucratic challenge as well as a financing challenge to do deals internationally in the emerging markets. What advice to you have for current Mason students? Well I can only speak to the Mason students that would be going through the same channel I did which was the international policy and trade at the Schar School [of Policy and Government]. And my advice would be to take the opportunities that come your way whenever possible despite where they might lead you in terms of location or type of job. You have to be adventurous and step out of your comfort zone to find things that are really exciting and interesting to do in life. If your house was on fire, assuming everyone got out safe, what is the one thing you would save? Probably my photographs. All the things I’ve taken pictures of in the past. It would probably be a very precious thing for me to save … It’s a collection of memories. If you have evidence of having spent some time with a person or place, it’s always important to keep those. What would you say is your biggest strength? Organizational skills. I think organizing is really the key to success … you don’t necessarily need to be the smartest person in the group, but if you’re organized you can get a significant amount of things accomplished where others might give up.
O R G A N I Z AT I O N , O F F - C A M P U S S T U D E N T S E R V I C E S What does your office do?
PHOTO COURTESY OF CASEY SMITH
Off-Campus Student Services provides advising to off-campus Mason students. Our student advisors are undergraduate students who live off campus … We do run off-campus housing locator website, where students can login with their Mason credentials, and they can see property listings and connect with other Mason students looking for roommates (sic). Our advisors will sit down and go through that website with the students and help them find stuff based on their budget, location and if they do not have car, also help them to find access to shuttle (sic) ... Another thing we do is to reach out to first-year students who miss the preamble in the beginning of the year. We have them come in and give them information about campus activities, and also discuss with them all the resources available on campus.
throughout the year, where we bring in property owners, apartment complexes and services like furniture rentals and also Cox Cable. It really provides the opportunity to students to directly meet the property owners and get information. Do you think your open door policy is one of your core strengths? Students can … make appointments online where they can schedule to meet with one specific advisor. But we always have open door policy from 9 to 5, which is really awesome. Students are also welcome to hang out at our office between classes and any quick question by the students can be answered without setting up any formal appointment. At our office, we also provide students free coffee, hot chocolate, television and refrigerator which students can use throughout the day (sic).
What is your favorite part of being part of this offices?
What impact do you think your services are having on GMU student population?
My favorite part being involved in this office is definitely meeting with both the students who work in our office as off-campus student advisors, as well as meeting other off-campus students (sic).
Our services provide students with peace of mind when they come in with worry (sic). Whenever students approach us about their concerns and problems, our advisors meet with the students and make them feel so much better when they leave the office. Another problem students tend to face is no sense of belonging, they do not know how to get involved in various organizations on campus. Our off-campus student advisors guide them on how to engage in several activities on campus, so students feel that Mason is a place for them.
How are your services unique? Our services are unique because we provide attention to off-campus housing. We provide access to off-campus housing locator which is the website specifically for the Mason students and faculty (sic). We provide housing fairs
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sends out an SOS Well, I’m a sophomore and I still have yet to do so. I know that Mason has a lot of clubs, but I’m nervous to start going to their meetings this late in the school year. There’re also too many to choose from, I don’t
Dear Stressed-Out Sophomore, You’re exactly right, Mason has many, many clubs. From Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the anime club, there’s something for everyone. The first step in finding the right club is to narrow down your interests, as the amount of clubs can be overwhelming and stop you before you start. Instead, think about what you want to do and why you want to get involved. Do you want to make new friends? Develop a skill? Find a new passion? All of these can help narrow down what you want to do. After you know your interests, start your club search. One great place to start is GetConnected, where you can find Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) and quickly search based on the type of organization or keywords. You can also join email lists about events and special trips being held at Mason, as well as keep track of events you go to and the clubs you are in so you will always have that information on hand. You’ll find sports here, too, from volleyball to rugby, which are great choices for getting exercise and building a team. However, GetConnected only lists official organizations, while Mason has many more clubs that are not official. You would not find the GMU Crafting Circle, Fishing Club or Muay Thai Club on GetConnected, but these clubs still host fun hangouts and promise a
know how to even pick one! What organizations do you think I should look at? I just want to meet friendly people who I can have good conversations with. Are there any other ways (other than clubs) to get involved on campus? Thanks! - Stressed-out Sophomore
good time. Use the GMU Facebook Page to discover non-official clubs on campus. If you don’t use Facebook, create an account just to keep updated on new clubs. Often, someone suddenly posting about an interest will create a new club. Aside from clubs, there are many other ways to get involved on campus. Some ways to do this include becoming a Patriot Leader, joining a sorority or fraternity or starting a project with the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR). Mason’s Student Involvement website lists several ideas that can help you get started. FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON
Dear Ivy, All anyone says when you ask for advice about college is to ‘get involved.’
Ultimately, only become as actively “involved” as you want. Your first job as a college student is to pass your classes and study for the future you want. Remember to only get involved in the clubs that you are highly interested in, as extracurriculars require a lot of time and you do not want to accidentally
overwhelm yourself. If you are interested in a club, do your research, talk to members of the club and join their Facebook group if they have one. Go to the club’s events to get a taste of their organization. You’ll find your people eventually. There are so many ways to get involved—it’s your college experience, so make the most of it, however you want. Ivy
Send in letters to mechols@gmu.edu
PATHWAY TO STUDENTS’ FUTURES
Professionals share what it’s like to work in the communication field ANGELIQUE ARINTOK STAFF WRITER
On Tuesday, Oct. 23, the Department of Communication’s Insight Committee hosted the 8th Annual Communication Forum in Dewberry Hall. Kicking off with a power outage, the event brightened minds with its theme “Pathways to Your Future,” lighting the way for students navigating their career paths. Communication students and Mason’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) played a significant part in building the forum. Through this, students such as Bailey Williams, a junior communication major focused on public relations and social media, are learning how to “[use the skills of] public relations and social media to promote events” such as the 2018 Communication Forum. Sophomore communication major Leigh Norman and senior communication major John Morris did not attend the full event in years past, but both students were eager to share what they were most excited about this year. Morris said he was most excited to hear Lindsay Czarniak speak. Czarniak served as keynote
speaker for the forum, delivering words of advice and encouragement from her own experiences as a broadcaster. After graduating from James Madison University in 2000, Czarniak shared her experiences from different media outlets including CNN, NBC Washington and ESPN. “One of the toughest challenges for me along the way has been patience,” Czarniak said during her talk about the difficulties that she has faced in her career. However, she has stayed grounded and motivated all these years through her passion for digging deep and telling unconventional stories. Human connection, networking and striving so hard to the point of taking scary risks were the avenues Czarniak used to get where she is today. Many times throughout her keynote, Czarniak emphasized the importance of believing in oneself by telling students to “bet on yourself ” and that “your brand matters.” Aside from Czarniak’s keynote address, Norman was most excited about the industry mentors featured at the event. Leaders within the fields of
public relations, journalism, corporate communication, public affairs and more provided their personal insight to students in group-mentoring sessions. Laura Neal, a featured mentor, shared with Mason students her career path in media production. From working as a makeup artist for horror movies to assisting with production on shows like “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Undercover Boss,” and now managing post-production at the Smithsonian Channel, Neal is a big advocate for being confident, making sacrifices and interacting with other folks in the industry. Bill Lord, former news director at stations in D.C., Seattle and Los Angeles, took his session a step forward, by providing students a handout titled “How to Get a Job in the Media.” With many years of experience interviewing candidates, Lord gave tips that included “offer multiple skills” and “don’t tell employers what they can do for you. They don’t care.” With the help of this year’s fall forum, students looking to jump into careers post-graduation are one step closer to leading their own paths.
FOURTH ESTATE ANGELIQUE ARINTOK
DEAR IVY, A stressed-out sophomore
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INJUSTICE IN THE ‘JUSTICE’ SYSTEM
James Forman Jr. gives a lecture on the mass incarceration of the African American population NAYOMI SANTOS STAFF WRITER
James Forman Jr., a law professor at Yale and author of “Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America,” was the inaugural speaker for this first annual series. Before Forman gave his lecture, both Professor Matthew Scherer, the director of the Philosophy, Politics and Economics program, and President Ángel Cabrera spoke about Wilkins and his importance at Mason and in the world. Afterward, Wilkins’ daughter, Amy Wilkins, spoke about her relationship with Forman and attested to his dedication to the same issues that her father fought against all his life. For most of his talk, Forman outlined the many points he made in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book and his motivations for writing about this injustice that affects millions of African Americans every day.
Forman noticed the erasure of African American perspectives from history and media. He wanted to write a book “rooted in Black voices.” “You couldn’t write history and leave the African American voice out of the narrative,” he said. In addition, Forman’s experience in the criminal “legal” system as a public defender motivated his writing. He called it the “legal” system because, he said, “it doesn’t deserve to have the word ‘justice’ in it. Not yet.” One of the most impactful stories he gave was about his experience defending a young African American man, called Brandon*. Brandon was being tried for possession of marijuana. Forman, the son of former Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) members who marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr., was shocked to see the judge twist the civil rights movement into a “perverse rationale for locking up Brandon,” he said. All these experiences pushed Forman to research and write about the unfair and disproportionate incarceration of the AfricanAmerican population. Forman spoke about the constraints that reformers and activists face in reforming the current legal system. History is one of these constraints.
Forman said, “Slavery is most of American history … not a unit.” He spoke about “White-people rule, [which] has been 85 percent of American history,” as well as the heroin and crack epidemic of the 60’s and 70’s. The epidemic had a disproportionate and overwhelmingly negative effect on the AfricanAmerican population. Additionally, he spoke about the constraint of politics on reformation efforts. Forman talked about the “all-ofthe-above strategy” that many Black elected officials have, which includes fair housing, more jobs and better health care for the African American population. He said, “For 50 years, [Black elected officials] have been going to Congress with the ‘all-ofthe-above strategy’ and have been coming back with funding for one of the above—police and prosecution.” In other words, the over-policing and prosecution of Black individuals adds to the mass incarceration problem that America faces.
to avoid it. He urged all to participate in this right, because “if you avoid the jury, then the jury will be full of people who are alright with the criminal justice system.” More importantly, he spoke about the urgency of young people voting. Not only in national and state elections, but also in local ones. “You don’t trust older people to make decisions in your lives with small things. Please don’t trust them to make decisions in your lives for this country,” he said. After his lecture, the floor was opened for any questions or comments
from the audience. Professor Wendi Manuel-Scott was the moderator, and a few people came up and presented challenging yet insightful questions for Forman to answer. Afterward, a book sale and book signing commenced. A freshman student in the audience, Jessica Vasquez, said, “as a Mason student, I am proud that we don’t back down from talking about the issues that affect our nation.” James Forman Jr.’s book, “Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America,” is available to purchase on Amazon.
FOURTH ESTATE IBRAHIM AHMAD
Social justice is one of Mason’s greatest values. Many dedicated students and faculty are motivated and passionate about the societal problems that plague America and the world. Roger Wilkins, a civil rights leader and history professor at Mason, was no exception. Therefore, the Philosophy, Politics and Economics Department has dedicated a lecture series in honor of his achievements.
So how does one enact change? “Jury service,” Forman said, because the right to serve is “right next to voting … it is a different place to vote.” He knows that many dread jury duty and find several, sometimes creative, ways
DRESSING FOR HALLOWEEN
Figuring out what to wear on the most creative day of the year Wearing something that no one thought would make a good costume is always interesting and can be a great conversation starter. If you manage to come to class wearing an incredibly well-designed Hannibal Lecter costume or an accurate impersonation of one of the “Simpsons” characters and you get people to wonder why they didn’t do that themselves, pat yourself on the back because you have outdone yourself. Sometimes an aspect of your costume that can be most important is the makeup. Putting on a costume without making any effort to have your face and hair resemble those of the character you are dressing up
as makes your costume much less impressive than it could be.
For example, wearing a white T-shirt while holding a baby carrier in front of you is not a very remarkable costume. However, wear the same exact outfit with a thick beard, brown wig and a pair of sunglasses and you transform into a completely different person. This is what one Mason Patriot did when he impersonated Alan Deluxe from “The Hangover” carrying Carlos last year. A n o t h e r important trait in a costume is cleverness. Sometimes, if nobody else did i t ,
AHMED FARID STAFF WRITER
there is a reason for that. Some costumes could be considered rude or crass, so it is best to make sure that you pick one that will not upset anyone else. If you are picking out a costume, and feel that it might be offensive, then chances are it is and it is probably best to stay away from it. If you still aren’t sure, it never hurts to ask a friend. With Halloween around the corner, it’s time to put your artistic cap on and get creative. Next week is the only time when you get a chance to pretend you don’t have midterms coming up, assignments to turn in and textbooks to read, so enjoy your time as you choose someone else to be for a whole day.
FOURTH ESTATE ALLY MCALPINE
Halloween is one of the craziest times of the year, but finding a costume is no easy task. It is the only time when you get to pretend that you’re someone else, so you have to make a smart choice when deciding who you will be
that day. Another difficult decision is making sure the costume you choose is creative.
FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON
FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON
That time of year when it is socially acceptable for adults t o get creative and walk around dressed up as cartoon characters has come to Mason again.
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AS THE DAYS GET SHORTER What is seasonal depression and how can you cope?
While SAD can occur in summer, it more commonly occurs in the winter. Symptoms include overeating, low energy, feeling hopeless and social withdrawal. Sufferers of this disease experience symptoms with the onset of winter and a full recovery when spring comes. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) does not consider SAD its own disorder. Instead, it is a type of depression, based on the change in seasons. This lack of distinction can make SAD difficult for therapists to pinpoint. Psychology Today estimates that 10 million Americans suffer from the
disorder every winter. It also states that rates among women are higher than they are for men, with one-infour women affected by SAD. Worse yet, according to the NIMH, young adults have a higher risk of SAD than their older counterparts. This means that college students in particular are at risk. However, SAD is rarely talked about on college campuses. One senior only heard of it by searching for the symptoms online. “It’s not really talked about at George Mason,” they said. Should you see these symptoms in yourself or in a friend, there are options for treatment. The senior found comfort in several methods. They recommended the book “Pull Yourself Together: Bridging the Communication Gap Between the Depressed and Those Who Love Them.” It breaks down depression and how to handle it, both
for the person suffering from depression and their loved ones. The book is free for download from the Bearapy website. Since SAD often makes people withdraw, the student made a point of reaching out to friends and family. They stuck to those who were “patient and warm” in this cold weather. Therapy may be necessary for some. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps the patient replace their negative, repetitive thoughts with positive ones. This process is called behavioral activation. While at the doctor’s office, people suffering from SAD may also want to ask about vitamin D supplements. Levels of this vitamin may be low due to both lack of sunshine and poor nutrition. Studies have not reached a consensus on vitamin D’s effectiveness, though.
FOURTH ESTATE BILLY FERGUSON
LEIGH NORMAN STAFF WRITER
As winter comes, is your mood steadily getting worse? Do you spend more time sleeping? Do you overeat? Then you may be suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or seasonal depression.
There is another way to get sunshine. Light box therapy is suggested across many studies as one of the main treatments for SAD. They imitate outdoor lighting, which may be sparse during the darker winter months, and can be purchased online for under $40. This allows students to take their mental health into their own hands. The
Mayo Clinic offers an extensive list of criteria to consider before selecting one. Winter may be coming, but you’ll be ready. Take note of how you are feeling and take steps to take care of your mental health. Spring will be here before you know it.
TAKE A MOMENT FOR SELF-CARE
Mason hosted workshop highlighting the importance of self-care among students MONICA ECHOLS CULTURE EDITOR
FOURTH ESTATE ALLIE THOMPSON
College students usually have a lot on their plate—intense workloads, jobs, extracurricular activities, hanging with friends and making time for themselves. All of this can be difficult for
students to balance and maintain their well-being. On Monday, Oct. 22, Dr. Al Fuertes, associate professor from Mason’s School of Integrative Studies, hosted a workshop called “Self Care:
Why Is It Important for College Students?” Fuertes started the workshop by asking attendees to turn their phones on silent, relax, sit comfortably and have a moment of silence to be conscious of their presence. He explained the importance of taking moments like this for students. “Having personal time, even for a couple of minutes, can be helpful,” Fuertes said. Fuertes then described why self-care is important for college students. One reason is that students can neglect to take care of themselves if they prioritize their education over personal health. For example, students often decide to stay up late to do work and catch up on sleep later. He also said that self-care can prevent students from burning out. Fuertes said, “Burnout is one manifestation that we’ve given too much of ourselves to others and the world.” How to recognize when you are experiencing stress is another topic Forman visited. When he asked students to
raise their hands if they are experiencing stress at this point in the semester, almost everyone lifted a hand up. Some of the signs that someone might be stressed include mood swings, loss of concentration, lack of appetite or an increase in appetite, being more tired than usual, chest pains or palpitations, and a rise in anxiety. According to Fuertes, stress, anxiety and depression are some of the most common conditions that college students receive clinical care for. He explained that while some stress is normal, if stress continues for more than 30 days, it could be a medical issue or traumatization. After Fuertes finished his lecture, students were divided into small groups led by graduate student co-facilitators and received a series of worksheets. The first worksheet asked students to identify the parts of the body where they hold the most stress. For one group, some of the most common places were the head, shoulders, upper chest and back.
The next worksheet asked students to check which of the common responses to stress and/or trauma apply to them. The responses were broken up into six categories, including emotional, cognitive (thinking), behavioral (doing), physical, spiritual and societal effects. The back of that worksheet provided suggestions on self-care for each category. The final worksheet was a self-care assessment that asked students to rate how well they were doing in different areas of self-care, including physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, relationship and professional self-care. At the end of the event, Fuertes explained the importance of not using busyness as an excuse to not take care of yourself. Although college students tend to be very busy, it is important for students to reframe their mindset into “I’m very busy, so I must find time [for self-care].”
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HIDDEN HANGOUTS: NIC’S FLICKS: A STAR IS BORN COX FARMS NIC MACATTO STAFF WRITER
FOURTH ESTATE ALLY MCALPINE
ALLY MCALPINE ART DIRECTOR
performance. It defines her character as an underdog, a fresh talent who just needs a golden opportunity in life in order to make it big.
In the movie, famous musician Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) discovers and falls in love with Ally (Lady Gaga), a waitress with an amazing voice. Ally has an immediate connection with Maine, and she begins her career with the help of Maine, who coaxes her into the spotlight. As Ally’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship breaks down, as Jackson fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons that become a downward spiral.
However, in “A Star Is Born”, the picture feels like a rip-off of 2016’s “La La Land.” The parallel love story between a man and a woman struggling to make names for themselves and to stay relevant is undeniable. While “La La Land” is better in terms of innovation, craftsmanship and approach, Cooper’s direction adds more to the message that he wants to convey. In fact, it’s a message all aspiring artists should know, that fame isn’t everything people dream it to be.
This role feels like a new chapter in Lady Gaga’s career, singing and acting her heart out. Her acting as Ally is raw, and this quality translates into a powerful, stand-out
Fairfax’s very own Fields of Fear and Fall Festival are family-friendly, seasonal events that are open until Nov. 6. During the day, the farm is full of autumn festivities, but as soon as night falls, the ghosts and ghouls start to creep around. Cast members wander the main pathways dressed as skeletons and zombies to sneak up on unsuspecting guests. The Fall Festival is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., while the Fields of Fear hours are from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Some attractions in the Fields of Fear have assigned-entry times that guests will receive at the door to the park when they purchase their entry tickets. Fields of Fear incorporates the Cornightmare, Dark Side Hayride and The Forest: Back 40. Between the hanging spiders, clowns grabbing at passing shoulders and voices whispering in people’s ears, one fright is bound to give even the most stoic people a gasp. For people less inclined to get their pants scared off, the Fall Festival has a six-lane slide to race friends, baby cows to pet and a pumpkin patch. Towards the back of the farm guests can walk through large foam rocks sitting quietly in the exact formation
of the Stonehenge. The Forest is roughly a half-mile walk through a haunted forest full of jump scares, shanty houses and shacks and witches hanging from the trees. The path is lit by small candles and cobwebs to prevent anyone from wandering off into the woods and adds a touch to the spooky ambiance.
PETER NJOROGE STAFF WRITER
Tucked in one of the far corners of the Columbia Heights neighborhood in Washington, D.C., is one of the most interesting coffee shops in the entire DMV area. Inside of an unassuming
row home located on Georgia Avenue, Colony Club is one of the most peaceful, friendly, consistent and delicious stops that you can visit when venturing into the city. By going the extra mile, delicately preparing each drink and sourcing its coffee from some of the most wellknown coffee roasters around the globe, this coffee shop prides itself in serving some of the most consistent and delicious specialty beverages.
The Cornightmare is a single pathway through a field of corn. Pass through a camper van, past fences and a small barn, each decorated with a distinct theme and full of unique surprises to startle anyone who passes through. Watch out for the side fences, where zombies are hiding and waiting to chase down unsuspecting guests.
Come on down to Cox Farms in Centreville while the crisp winds of autumn are still blowing.
The story arc mirrors what may have occurred in each actor’s careers. Cooper may even be trying to say that even though he likes what he does and feels privileged, he would love it even more if he had it on his own terms.
When exploring coffee shops downtown, Colony Club is an absolute must
During the day, take a hayride through the park, watch the breeze flow through the corn field and hear families laughing cheerfully. As soon as night falls, the Dark Side Hayride drives guests away from the main park to brave a haunted circus grounds, a fiery explosion and a clown rave.
All that scaring will build up an appetite, so don’t forget to take a break with fragrant apple cider donuts. Or as the night gets chillier, take a sip of some hot chocolate or crunch on some fresh kettle corn.
[Star Rating: 3/4]
HIDDEN HANGOUTS: COLONY CLUB
FOURTH ESTATE PETER NJOROGE
Want to be chased down by a clown with a chainsaw? If so, Cox Farms is the place for you.
Cooper even got people involved in the project like Dave Chappelle, a known detractor of fame and ironically a well-known actor and comedian. Perhaps Cooper chose them because they all believe in the same idea: creative freedom.
FOURTH ESTATE MARY JANE DECARLO
Farm turned haunted forest is sure to scare the toughest of people
In his directing debut “A Star is Born,” Bradley Cooper has presented a gut-punching look at the price of fame.
Also, non-coffee drinkers will find something for themselves in a menu offering fantastic tea and sweet and savory pastries along with plenty of other seasonal food and drink
items. The options offered to regular customers are simultaneously unusual and really special. There are pool and ping-pong tables upstairs, as well as a sparkling water tap, huge bar, couches, magazines, board games, outdoor seating and much more. From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. come for a classic menu of delicious coffee beverages, friendly faces and yummy pastries. There are always great tunes, there is always free Wi-Fi, and there is always a comfy seat to hang out with friends, grind out an essay, study for a test, write in your journal or whatever else you wish to do. After 5 p.m., the shop takes on a new identity hosting a ton of unique events, including everything from drawing classes to recurring Thursday-night jazz sessions that are always a treat. Baristas swap for equally-friendly bartenders, serving drinks, charcuterie and a few coffee beverages late into the night. While D.C. can sometimes feel like living in another world, being at Colony Club is just like being at home, but with all the amenities of the best coffee shop around.
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WHO TOOK MY FOOD? BTS’S UN SPEECH ENCOURAGES It was there; now it’s gone.
YOUTH TO “SPEAK YOURSELF”
The food in the refrigerator, gone without a trace. For those who live in the dormitories might have heard about it or maybe even experienced it. But was it just bad luck, or was it just matter of time before it got stolen?
SANGWON LEE REPORTER
SUNGWON MUN REPORTER
Although food stealing varies from floor to floor, one GMUK floor reported 11 cases of stolen food just this semester. There may be more cases in which the owner of the food does not notice or decides not to report the incident to the residential advisors (“RA”). The IGC housing office has not been idle on this issue. They put warning signs, installed cameras, and have said they will go far as kicking those who stole the food from the dorm if they are caught. Despite these measures, food stealing continues to become an issue for some floors. In fact, most of the RAs agree these incidents, usually ends up being unresolved and continues to happen. “I do not understand why.” An anonymous student who has had his food stolen multiple times said, “We are university students, we are able to distinguish what is wrong and what is right.” What could be the potential cause? Many residents point to lack of surveillance cameras. Not all the floors have cameras monitoring the fridge, making it hard to get a clue if
there is no witness nearby. Jin Seong Choi (Global Affairs, ’21), a residential advisor for male double-rooms, cried out for the necessity of additional surveillance cameras. Jin Seong stated, “Food robbery is a serious issue every semester and students continue to steal since they are well-aware of the fact that some of the surveillance cameras are fake and so wrongly positioned.” He continued, “The idea of liberalism doesn’t work when members of a certain community are irresponsible for their actions and behaviors. The boundary between liberty and self-indulgence is getting blurred at the moment.” Yet, there are others who believe that fostering community spirit among floormates would be the solution to the violation of housing rules. Jung Ho Lee (Management, ’20), another GMUK residential advisor mentioned that, “Residents steal others food because they do not know each other. If all of the residents are fully aware of their colleagues they are sharing floors with, such crimes would not happen at all.” For now, the only thing that RAs can do if food-stealing is reported is to write a message stating not to do it again in the floor group chat. As these measures are limited in how effective they are, more security support and more connections between the residents could potentially solve the issue.
Kim Nam Joon, the leader of a South Korean boy band BTS and also known as “RM” delivered a speech at the United Nations headquarters, becoming the first-ever South Korean musician to speak at the UN on September 24.
deliver a speech to the world. At the UN, RM attempted to encourage young people around the world to follow their own dreams. He shared his childhood experience that influenced him to become a musician.
“Beyond the Scene” or “Bangtan Boys”, more familiar to fans under the name of BTS, is Big Hit E n t e r t a i n m e n t ’s seven-member boy band who made their first debut in 2013. The group has established a number of records as they became a global pop sensation. They have become the first Korean group to top the Billboard Social 50 chart and to win a Billboard Music award. Also, the group’s recent album, Love PHOTOS COURTESY OF SANGWON LEE Yourself: Tear (2018) topped the He said that when he was around nine Billboard 200 chart, making it the first or ten years old, he stopped dreaming K-pop album to reach #1 in the US. It and began to see himself through other has been reported that they have sold people’s eyes. However, he eventually over 9 million albums worldwide since followed his passion for music and their debut. The group’s sensational became a successful musician. “I want success has given them a chance to to hear your conviction: no matter who
you are or where you’re from, your skin color, your gender identity. Just speak yourself,” said RM during the speech. The purpose of the speech was to address the successful launch of “Generation Unlimited” campaign in order to promote yo u n g p e o p l e ’s education, training, and employment. BTS has already collaborated with UNICEF during the “LOVE MYSELF” campaign to exterminate youth violence and to enhance young people’s well-being in November 2017. At the end of the speech, RM’s closing statement also moved the hearts of the fans and the audience. He stated, “I’m Kim Nam Joon and also RM of BTS. I am an idol and I am an artist from a small town in Korea. Like most people I’ve made many mistakes in my life. I have many faults and I have many more fears, but I am going to embrace myself as hard as I can. And, I am starting to love myself gradually, little by little. What is your name? Speak yourself.”
GMUK’S NEW MAJOR TRAINS GAME DESIGNER HOPEFULS HAEUN CHOI REPORTER
science, visual arts, digital arts and computer music.
The objective of the Computer Game Design major is to enable students to focus on the artistic components of computer games and provide technical skills that are needed to work in the field. Ranked as one of the best Game Design Bachelor degrees in the United States, it is an interdisciplinary course that combines computer
PHOTO COURTESY OF HAEUN CHOI
Computer Game Design (“CGD”), one of the top 35 majors for Video and Computer Game Design among US universities, has officially opened at George Mason University Korea in the Fall 2018 semester. With much anticipation, the program offers a unique opportunity for game designer hopefuls to grow their skills and knowledge.
According to Mason Korea’s Office of Academic Affairs, there are currently five students who have declared Computer Game Design as their major. One of those students, Young Woo Kim (Computer Game Design, ’22) shared his experience with The Voice. He said, “I was always interested in CGD and arts. Since I love games as well, I thought that declaring CGD as my major may help me fulfill my interests and put my skills to use. Although it is my first semester and I haven’t learned anything much yet, I can say for sure that I have great hopes and excitement towards this major. I hope there will be more students
joining us in the future.” As mentioned before, CGD major has just taken its first step at Mason Korea. However, it is expected that Mason will enlarge the new major with diversified and profound CGD programs. Students who are interested in the CGD major can get more specific information by visiting the Mason Korea Office of Academic Affairs on the 5th floor of the GMUK building. Also, more detailed information on the course is updated regularly on GMU Computer Game Design (https://game.gmu.edu/), GMU College of Visual and Performing Arts (https://cvpa.gmu.edu/) and GMU Catalog (https://catalog.gmu.edu).
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TEAMWORK-PHOBIA: A new phobia circling Mason Korea YOUNGSEO PARK REPORTER
Recently, it has been recognized that students of George Mason University Korea are having a new phobia, teamwork-phobia. Some students have reported experiencing this phobia when they are required to do teamwork as part of the course activities. “Teamwork-phobia” is a
phobia or reluctance that students feel when assigned teamwork activities and assignments. It has been causing a problem in the Mason Korea environment and was brought up to the surface by students. Classes at George Mason University
Wilson, a professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, worries about the seriousness of teamwork-phobia. “The whole point of teamwork is for students to ‘share’ each other’s ideas and thoughts during the work that is given. However, nowadays students are too focused on just getting the things done. With that, there is no way students can become scholars and survive out there in the society.”
interviewee. Another student who wanted to remain anonymous also expressed distress, “To be honest, it is not teamwork anymore. We just divide the work and get it done. That is all.” Teamwork-phobia looks like it is undermining one of the goals and prestigious values of George Mason University Korea, which is to support its students to become a global leader with cooperative skills. Dr. Roland
PHOTO COURTESY OF YOUNGSEO PARK
PHOTO COURTESY OF YOUNGSEO PARK
Korea have both individual and group-oriented activities for students to conduct. Even though there are some differences between the professors, team activities or assignments are seriously considered as an imperative part of the courses offered at Mason Korea. The university believes that it should be required for students to do teamwork in order to learn basic social skills and working skills that are needed for their future careers. However, the original purpose seems to be disturbed by the problematic issue rendered by student’s fear in working in teams. “I am having a hard time doing any teamwork in and out of classes. I think the reason is that it is so difficult to gather the teammates in the first place and it is even a pain to do something ‘together’ with people of all different characteristics,” stated an anonymous
LIFE IN SOUTH KOREA: STORIES OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS YA-EN SIE REPORTER
As an American institution in South Korea, George Mason University Korea has been welcoming international students from different parts of the world. When mentioning their experiences in South Korea so far, student Angie Bhattarai (Information Systems and Operations Management, ’19) gladly shared that, “I am enjoying my stay here a lot. I have tried some street food in Myeongdong and Hongdae. The Incheon K-pop concert that our school brought us to see was also really fun!” Another student, Rachel Brockman (Management, ’19), has conquered hiking Gwanak mountain in Seoul. Traveling and hiking in a more rural area of South Korea is on her study abroad checklist. “I’ve heard that the views there are
beautiful, and so far, I have not been disappointed.” Despite of those interesting experiences students have had so far, there are still some downsides of studying abroad that students have been struggling with. Culture shock can be one of the major experiences that students face when coming to study in a different country. “I have experienced some culture shock, mainly
relating to the social norms surrounding gender here. It’s a bit tough to get used to, but I am appreciating how far South Korea has come in this regard,” Rachel Brockman said. Language barrier is also one of the difficulties students is facing while living in South Korea. Morgan McCarthy (Government and International Politics, ’21),
mentioned about her difficulties in meeting people and making friends in school because of the language barrier. This also extends to outside of school. “Taking public transportation requires me to know some specific phrases in Korean”, said a student from Thailand, Sasima Nuntavijan (Information Systems and Operations Management, ’19). “For example, I need to communicate with the driver
in Korean when taking a taxi. It is difficult to overcome.” Indeed, there are some hardships in culture shock that students have to face, but culture shock can also be interesting. Rachel found out that people are a lot more trusting in South Korea. “I can leave my paid groceries out while using the restroom without worry of anyone stealing it.” An Ethiopian student from SUNY Korea, Tiya Jarso, also shared that upon all countries she has visited so far, she found South Korea to be one of the safest places.
PHOTO COURTESY OF YA-EN SIE
Studying abroad in South Korea has motivated students to step out of their comfort zones. Without a doubt, adapting to a new language and getting used to a new culture is challenging. However, despite all these difficulties, there are also upsides to studying abroad. Here are the stories of international students studying abroad.
Living in a country with a different culture is not easy, but it can still serve to be a valuable experience for young students. “I would highly recommend study abroad to other students!” Angie Bhattarai exclaimed. “This is my first study abroad experience, and if I knew how it would have been, I would have studied abroad earlier. Studying abroad is the easiest way to be able to study and travel, meet other students, understand a new culture, learn a new language and make memories!”
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LEGEND OF THE BUNNYMAN
CONNOR CUEVO CONTRIBUTOR
In any case, what if I told you that this cautionary tale is rooted in local history? The Bunnyman hopped through Fairfax County and into infamy on an October night in 1970, when a man dressed in a rabbit suit smashed the front passenger window of an occupied car with a hatchet. Ten days later, a similarly dressed man was seen vandalizing a house on a construction site, then vanished. As reports circulated, sightings increased and the Bunnyman was born. However, leads did not pan out. No suspect ever
materialized and the case went cold. But with many other cold cases being brought into the light by new advances in forensic science, I figured it was time that we exorcise our own demons. Though we will never know his name, we can form a visceral photonegative of the person he might have been. I present a new and much more sinister take on these events that occurred almost a half-century ago: The Bunnyman was actually a Klansman. There are key differences in the accounts of the three witnesses that led me to this conclusion. The driver in the first incident said that the assailant was wearing a white costume “with long rabbit ears”. But the security guard from the second claimed it was multicolored. This discrepancy was likely because the driver saw the figure in his headlights, which may have intensified the white in the costume and muted the other colors, whereas the security guard had his eyes adjusted to the darkness and perhaps could see more clearly. Many KKK uniforms, though mostly
white, actually have three colored stripes around the sleeves and the base of the costume. Additionally, the hood has tails that drape back and are parted in the middle. If the figure was in motion these could be seen flapping as “rabbit ears”. Most damning of all, the passenger in the first incident described the subject distinctly as wearing a capriote, the pointy hood emblematic of klansmen. I put the most weight on her testimony as she saw him both up close and stationary, two conditions present in neither of the other accounts. Think about it: If a klansman is moving quickly, his hat is going to be folded back, removing his primary identifying characteristic, and making him look like a bunny. Motive? The Klan was active south of here, not five years prior. I believe the culprit was lashing out at the rapid urbanization/diversification of Fairfax. We don’t have info on the race of the car’s occupants but the car did have a Maryland plate; the Bunnyman could have singled him out for this reason. The construction site was probably vandalized
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
If you’re from the area, you may be familiar with an enigmatic figure called the Bunnyman. He’s a local urban legend, a cryptid of sorts. The story has numerous variations, all incredibly ghastly. He lives under a bridge (now known as the Bunnyman Bridge even on Google Maps. It was previously the Fairfax Station Bridge), and kills people with axes. He was an escaped mental patient, but was never caught. A single common thread runs through all of them: the ominous figure is wearing a bunny costume.
because the Bunnyman also saw them as people who didn’t belong. If my analysis is correct, then the improperly dressed murderer that local children lightheartedly tote around as our version of Pennywise was actually a vicious hate criminal. The Bunnyman, a distant and almost
comical boogeyman, is the mask that has shrouded the true culprit. The Bunnyman loses his own identity and takes on a horrifying anonymity. And the scariest part of it all is that he will never, ever be apprehended. Happy
Halloween,
Patriots.
THE PROGRESS REPORT ERIK TRUONG CONTRIBUTOR
President Trump and Congressional Republicans: whether you support their actions or have been left disappointed, the 2018 midterms will serve as a progress report for the past two years. However, our democratic system is built on citizen engagement – which can be shockingly low. Voter turnout drops precipitously between presidential and midterm elections. As reported by a Vox article in July, “only 28% of young adults ages 18 to 29 say they are ‘absolutely certain’ they’ll vote in the midterms.” MasonVotes found that “nearly 80% of eligible Mason voters turned out in the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections, while only about 30% did so in the 2014 midterms.” While Mason students vote above the national average, continuing progress is crucial to democracy. In 2017, one ballot determined which political party controlled the Virginia House of Delegates. This November, all eleven Virginia congressional seats and a U.S. Senate seat are up
for election. Multiple districts within the Commonwealth are contentious, including VA-02, VA-05, VA-07, and the tenth district – which include Fairfax and Loudoun counties. The
world—our world—for decades to come. College-aged voters have the opportunity to make a difference and decide their fate. From college affordability to gun violence preven-
MasonVotes
Democratic Party needs to gain 23 seats to flip the House of Representatives and two seats to flip the Senate. As such, shifting the balance of power runs through the heart of Virginia. The actions of today will affect the
narrow voter ID laws appear nationwide; not all American citizens have the ability to vote. As such, those that wield power must utilize all legal avenues to advance the democratic system. Polls will open Tuesday, November 6 from 6 A.M. to 7 P.M.. Students registered on campus can vote at Merten Hall between that time. Activities and election polling will be occurring all day Tuesday, supplied with music and refreshments. At 7:30 P.M., the Office of Student Media will hold live election coverage discussing post-election implications for Virginia and the George Mason community. The broadcast is available on campus TV channel 8.1 and masoncablenetwork.com. FOURTH ESTATE ALLY MCALPINE
Erik Truong serves as the Student Body Vice President for the 2018-19 school year.
tion, many issues directly affect the next generation. There is no better time to get engaged than the present. Seen in multiple states, voter disenfranchisement and suppression continue to be an issue. Gerrymandering and
Finally, remember that civic engagement does not stop in the voting booth — there are numerous opportunities for Mason students to be active within the political process. In late January, Student Government will be holding Mason Lobbies, where interested students bus to the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond and advocate for student interests. Virginia holds elections every year, and both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly (House of Delegates and Senate) will be up for a vote. Though often overlooked, state and local elections are as crucial as federal races. Voting is vital to a functioning democracy and holding incumbent powers accountable. Elections offer a seemingly rare opportunity to voice your opinion in your government. To quote civil rights activist and Congressman Lewis, “The vote is the most important nonviolent tool you have….Go out and vote like you never voted before.” The 2018 midterms will serve as a bellwether for the next two years. Be educated, be engaged, and vote.
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STUDENTS VOTING? NEVER Across America, citizens are having their most valuable right--voting-stripped from them or hindered by many bad policies. The act of voter suppression is influencing, or attempting to influence, an election by discouraging or completely disbarring an individual or group from voting in an election. It is a systematic power grab by the entity in control to further their own agenda. We have seen this with the purging of long-time registered voters in Georgia, where Secretary of State and Republican candidate for Governor Brian Kemp used his power to take thousands of registered voters’ statuses as null or pending in the wake of the upcoming midterm election. While cleaning of voters’ data is not strange, it becomes so when most of the voters affected are in ten densely populated, urban communities. This disgusting act in Georgia had a clear motive to disproportionately affect poor and black communities, who in turn would vote for Stacey Abrahams, the Democratic Gubernatorial candidate. Next to this, we’ve also seen the Supreme Court case Brakebill v.
Jaeger, where thousands of indigenous people are now ineligible to vote due to North Dakota’s new voter ID laws, which require that you must have a street address to vote. Both are horrid instances and they show just how easily our election system can be twisted to benefit a certain party or candidate. However, while I write of these incidents, I must acknowledge my own experience with voter suppression—something I am sure many students have faced. As an out-of-state student from Muskegon, Michigan, I played by the books this midterm election. I registered to vote, in person, when I was seventeen. I signed my application for my absentee ballot once I turned eighteen. And, yet, I am sitting here writing this with only a few days left until the midterm elections, leaving voicemails and talking to plenty of election officials. While they, and I, thought the ballot had been lost, it had taken over three weeks to get it here. Now I’ve voted, but I still even wonder if it will make it back to my hometown in time.
You see, I played by these strange in-person voter registration and absentee application laws in Michigan. I even got my ballot stamped for an extra precaution—mostly due to the lack of clarity with Michigan laws. Now, I do understand that one may look at this instance and think, okay, what does this have to do with voter suppression? Well, when most students attend college, they do not have the ability to vote in-person for their first election. They don’t have the capability to call, wait for the right people, or even fuss at them because they are too worried about their own schooling. And they should not have to do any of that. When connecting the tiny city of Muskegon to the relatively-large town of Fairfax, one can understand that the issue with absentee voting for students is not the act of doing it. Rather, it is the reality that not many students know, or have the means, to purchase a stamp or know the election laws. Both in Muskegon and in Fairfax, we are seeing young voters being taken advantage of and their rights being hindered by outdated, clearly
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
ELIJAH NICHOLS STAFF WRITER
suppressive policies. Whether it be the untimely manner, the phone-tag of election offices, or the in-person voting laws, there is a lack of structure and integrity in the voting system and it has
left many either stressed or vote-less. Our democracy, while at stake, can be retained. But we must start having a discussion about saving it first.
HALLOWEEN ALLERGIES PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
SUSAN KATHERINE CORKRAN STAFF WRITER
The only spooky things about Halloween should be gory horror movies and haunted houses, but that sadly isn’t the case for millions of people. Recent statistics show that food allergies are on the rise. As many as 1 in 13 school-aged children have serious food allergies, and unfortunately, this increase in the disease is met with a decrease of medicine. There has been a shortage of EpiPens following the angry response of the
food allergy community to the wildly inflated prices of the life-saving injectors. Anaphylactic shock, the most severe form of an allergic reaction, manifests the following symptoms: Tingling/itching of the lips, tongue, mouth, throat. Swelling (particularly of eyes and lips) and hives. Stomach ache, vomiting, sharp abdominal pains. Dizziness, faintness, shortness of breath, feeling of panic. Death.
Did that last one get your attention? Allergies aren’t a laughing matter, though those of us who suffer from them are often made the butt of jokes. Social and cultural events centered around food become difficult, excluding moments where the possibility of suffering a life-threatening reaction rises. Halloween is equal part trick and treat for the people who grew up holding their small sack of candy in one hand and their EpiPens in the other. In my case, my hands were gloved as an extra precaution. Pity Disney’s “Frozen” hadn’t yet been made. As college students, the sorts of celebrations marking the last day of October have changed even if the dangers haven’t abated. If anything, we have an additional hazard undercutting the night’s festivities: alcohol. Allergies under the influence … it’s not a good combination. For one thing, let’s think about the kind of effect drinks have on risk-taking behaviors.
Now factor that into a poorly lit room, small printed ingredients labels (or no ingredients listed at all) on beckoning candy, and a single bite reminiscent of Snow White’s poor choice in snack. What do you think the odds are that something could go wrong? Besides the increased risk of consuming your allergen, there’s the fact that common antihistamines used to treat allergic reactions will often interact poorly with alcohol. Benadryl has a strong sedative effect worsened by chemical depressants sloshing about in a red plastic cup. Administering an injection of epinephrine is also made infinitely harder by fuzzy vision, shaking hands and slowed reflexes. I have seen too many pictures of dead children this year. There are teenagers who died breathlessly after a normal evening of takeout food with friends went horribly wrong. There are elementary-schoolers who took one bite of a cookie or marshmallow bar
treat that a grown-up promised them were safe… and then parents wound up burying their baby. People die every year from allergies in so many horrible, preventable tragedies. Read ingredients. Every. Single. Time. I cannot emphasize this more. Crosscontamination is common, recipes change, and accidents happen. Taking a minute to read about what you’re putting in your body may well save your life. Try not to drink. I know, I’m not being any fun, but just don’t tempt fate on this one. Consider bringing your own snacks! Honestly, this is the safest way to satisfy your sweet tooth without inadvertently touring the emergency room. You could even make an event of it and try your hand at baking something new and fun. Halloween should be a happy, fun time. It isn’t fair that some of us have this extra burden weighing it down, but that’s simply the way it is. The best thing to do in response to it is to make sure that you are staying safe.
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STUDENTS NEED HEALTH EDUCATION CHRIS KERNAN-SCHMIDT STAFF WRITER
Mason has a myriad of Mason Core requirements from science labs to philosophy, and while Mason Core aims to strengthen our mind, it fails to help us strengthen our bodies. College is all about learning new
skills, jumping out of your comfort zone and improving yourself. Mason Core should implement a requirement for students to take a health centered class. I am not talking just about recreation or physical education
but rather nutrition, anatomy, and other health-centered classes. Mason Core does an adequate job at giving students a general education but fails to teach students basic health skills that stick with them for the rest of their lives. If students are not in-tune with how to best protect their bodies, then the mind cannot flourish as easily.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PHOTO.GMU.EDU
What we eat plays a vital role in how we think and feel. According to an article published by Harvard Medical School, “multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function—and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.” Mental health is a major concern for students, faculty and the university. If Mason Core required students to take a health-centered class, then students could learn more about nutrition and how to eat healthier to promote better brain function. Students’ busy
lives do not always allow time for healthy home cooked meals or good choices in the dining halls. Having a class to teach students how to make good eating choices, turn a yucky salad into a tasty treat, or just simply explaining the effect foods have on our bodies teaches students valuable skills that help keep themselves as healthy as possible, so they can succeed in and out of the classroom. Not only is nutrition important to mental health and brain function, so is physical activity. You would think that students get enough walking to and from class, but the American Heart Association recommends that adults get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. If students chose to take a physical education or recreation class, they could learn valuable techniques and skills needed to help keep healthy. Like nutrition, physical activity is helpful for mental health. It helps relieve stress and anxiety, and for
me personally, it clears my mind. By providing students the option to take a recreation or physical education class as part of their Mason Core, they are introduced to concepts and natural stress relievers that, just like nutrition, help them succeed in all parts of life. Every semester, without fail, I find myself stressing around midterms and finals–what student doesn’t, though? I always try to set aside some time to go to the gym, go on a run, or just take the long route to class. I also try to stop myself from binge eating Panda Express every meal or taking two servings of fries and stress eating in the dining hall. By doing all these things I feel as if I have more control over my life and it helps moderate stress. I want other students to be able to have the same skills and tricks to help themselves as well. If Mason Core were to implement a health requirement it would give students the skills they need to help their minds succeed.
NINE REASONS TO WATCH THE BEST GAME IN AMERICA DOMINIC PINO STAFF WRITER
Don’t believe me? In view of baseball’s nine innings and nine players--and my word count--I’ll limit myself to only nine reasons why baseball is great. First, baseball fuses the intensely personal drama of individual sports with the multifaceted strategizing of team sports. The action centers on the duel between pitcher and batter which gives neither side a recourse to teammates. The batter must face the pitch and the pitcher must throw it - alone. However, each side in that duel has eight compatriots meticulously arranged by the manager in positions and lineup slots that he believes will maximize the team’s chances of winning. Second, baseball is perfect for broadcasting. Unlike other sports that require disruptive TV timeouts for advertisers, a baseball game has a minimum of 17 breaks between each
half inning, plus likely at least a half dozen more for pitching changes. Much as we hate to admit it, we couldn’t watch sports without advertisers, and baseball accommodates them without disturbing the flow of the game. Third, unlike football or basketball, which are built on action, baseball is built on suspense, the anticipation of action. It holds you on the edge of your seat while the pitcher deliberates on which pitch to throw, the batter settles into the batter’s box, the runners dance as they lead off their bases, the fielders assume the ready position, the catcher sets his glove as a target for the pitcher, the umpire crouches behind the catcher, the batter assumes his stance at the plate, the pitcher lifts his front leg, pushes off the rubber, and throws the pitch - and all that suspense is resolved in a cathartic split-second punctuated by the crack of the bat or the call of the umpire. Fourth, baseball requires both teams to play the entire game. No keep-away. No taking a knee. No running out the clock. Each team gets 27 outs, and they must all be recorded to end the game. Fifth, baseball is sturdy enough to stand the test of time, but flexible enough to adapt to new generations. No top-down rule changes
fundamentally altering gameplay have occurred since the first World Series was played in 1903, unlike the rule changes to allow the forward pass in football or the three-point shot in basketball. Even so, baseball has seen many bottom-up innovations within the strictures of the rules from pitchers inventing new pitches in the 1910s to managers inventing new defensive shifts in the 2010s. Sixth, baseball’s treasure trove of lore and tales is unmatched. A personal favorite: the National League champion New York (now San Francisco) Giants boycotted the second ever World Series in 1904 because manager John McGraw did not believe the American League was worthy of his respect. He claimed his Giants were already the world champions for having won the only true major league, the National League. Seventh, you don’t have to fret while watching a baseball game. The regular season is a marathon, so each individual game doesn’t matter that much. That may seem like criticism, but it’s actually praise. Unlike viewers of the 16-game NFL season, viewers of the 162-game MLB season can be committed fans yet still relax and enjoy the game.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
With the World Series in progress, I am reminded of a quote from Washington Post columnist George Will: “Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.” Just as the Grand Canyon is inarguably the best hole in Arizona, baseball is inarguably the best game in America.
Eighth, the playoffs compensate for any deficit of thrills in the regular season. The MLB postseason is like no other: teams use strategy they would never even consider in the regular season, the opportunities for underdogs and unlikely heroes
are bountiful, and nothing beats a game seven between the two best pitchers with everything on the line. Ninth, baseball has home runs. No other sport does. If that’s not the clincher, check your pulse.
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7. Roy Orbison © 2018 King Features Synd., Inc. 8. Babe Ruth 9. Crossword puzzle 10. Color blindness
October 29, 2018
1. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was the only U.S. president born on the island of Manhattan? 2. GEOGRAPHY: What is the capital of Ethiopia? 3. U.S. STATES: Which state is home to Mount Rushmore? 4. PSYCHOLOGY: What fear is represented the conditionWho astraphobia? 1. U.S.by PRESIDENTS: was the 5. LITERATURE: Which ofisland Shakeonly U.S. president born on the of Manhattan? speare’s plays produced the line, “Neiis the capither2.a GEOGRAPHY: borrower nor aWhat lender be”? talFOOD of Ethiopia? 6. & DRINK: In which centu3. U.S. STATES: Which state is ryhome was tea introduced to Europe? to Mount Rushmore? 7.4.MOVIES: Who sang song PSYCHOLOGY: Whatthe feartitle is repto resented the movie “Pretty Woman”? by the condition astraphobia? 8.5.FAMOUS QUOTATIONS: What LITERATURE: Which of Shakespeare’s great plays produced the line, “Nei- let baseball once said, “Never a borrower nor aout lender be”? thether fear of striking keep you from 6. FOOD & DRINK: In which centuplaying the game”? ry was tea introduced to Europe? 9. kindthe oftitle word puz7.GAMES: MOVIES:What Who sang song zletowas introduced Dec. 21, 1913 in the movie “Pretty Woman”? the 8. New York World? FAMOUS QUOTATIONS: What 10. MEDICAL: What is a“Never more combaseball great once said, let the fear of striking keep you from mon name for theoutcondition called playing the game”? achromatopsia? 9. GAMES: What kind of word puzAnswers zle was introduced Dec. 21, 1913 in theTheodore New York Roosevelt World? 1. MEDICAL: WhatANSWERS is a more comTRIVIA QUIZ 2.10. Addis Ababa mon name for the condition called 3. South Dakota No peeking! achromatopsia? 4. Fear of thunder and lightning 5. “Hamlet” Answers Theodore Roosevelt 6.1.16th century 2. Addis Ababa 7.3.Roy Orbison South Dakota 8.4.Babe Fear Ruth of thunder and lightning 9.5.Crossword “Hamlet” puzzle 10.6. Color blindness 16th century
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