GMU Allots $140,000 for Fall Speaker and Concert

By Student Media Freelancer Aram Zucker-Scharff

George Mason University allotted $140,000 to be divided evenly among two large scale fall events: a speaker and a concert.

The announcement was made at a Mason's Weekends Committee meeting on April 9. Committee members discussed how to allot the $70,000 of speaker money. Though the organization and logistics of bringing a large-scale speaker to Mason was discussed briefly, the main focus was on proposing speaker options for the fall semester.

Alissa Karton, assistant to the vice president of University Life, specified that the goal was to fill the Patriot Center with students.

"We want someone who students are excited to see," said Karton.

The rest of the meeting was used to throw out possible names of speakers. Monetary cost was not considered. The list of proposed speakers included over 75 names, among them were, Jon Stewart, Michael Jordan, Maya Angelou, Mark Zuckerberg, Tina Fey, Angelina Jolie, Dr. Drew and Kofi Annan.

The committee plans to meet with administrators to review the speaker list and move forward on April 16. The meeting, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., is open to administrators, faculty and students.

The Weekends Committee wants to know:

• Who would you come out and see on a Saturday night in the Patriot Center?

If you're interested in adding a name to the list, leave a comment below.

The Weekends Committee is a group of students and administrators who seek to organize and publicize events from Thursday to Sunday every week at Mason.