News

PHOTOS: Construction on Campus

Every morning, residential students wake up to the sound of jackhammers and bulldozers. It seems that everywhere you go on campus is within sight of another construction zone. C2M Reporter Yasmin Tadjdeh scoped out the scene and got photos from a variety of construction areas on campus, including spots near SUB I and the University Commons. Click to view them.

CHSS Undergraduate Research Symposium

By Connect2Mason Blogger GMU Research

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is pleased to announce the 2009 Undergraduate Research Symposium. The symposium will showcase some of the excellent research and creative activity of CHSS undergraduate majors. The symposium is scheduled for April 14, 2009 from 12:30 - 4:00 p.m. in the Dewberry Hall Lobby of the Johnson Center. Additional information and application materials can be found at http://chss.gmu.edu/symposium. If you are a Facebook member, the information is available on the CHSS Events Page at http://tinyurl.com/cp69r5.

Local Media React to Ms. Mason Pick

By Broadside Managing Editor Sherell Williams

Photo by Teddy Meyer

    The election of 22-year-old senior Ryan Allen’s drag persona Reann Ballsee as Ms. Mason at last week’s Homecoming game against Northeastern University has made local headlines.

    This past weekend, The Washington Post ran a feature story about Allen with the headline “Work That Tiara, Boy!” and suggested a “campus divide” over the selection of a male for Ms. Mason by the George Mason University student body. Local outlets such as WJLA ABC 7 and the Washington, D.C. bureau of MSNBC also ran stories about the election.

Starbucks to Open on Campus this Fall

By Broadside Correspondent Brittany Rouse

This fall, George Mason University students will have the opportunity to get Starbucks coffee without leaving campus. Despite the closing of approximately 200 stores nationwide, the long-awaited coffee shop is set to open in the Northern Neck residence hall in mid-August.

The project, delayed by construction details and costs, is scheduled for completion in time for the fall semester. Hours of operation will be from 7 a.m. to midnight, though the shop could be open 24 hours.

Body Image Awareness Week at Mason

By Broadside Staff Writer Kristen White

There is always someone checking the fat grams and calories on food before it is eaten, going to the gym several times a day or checking their weight every morning. The average college student typically has an interest in refining one’s body or struggles to keep up with the acceptable body image of peers.

“Both boys and girls are exposed to negative body images and body expectations from the media and these images can create unhealthy and unrealistic expectations for their own body ideals,” said Danielle Lapierre, the assistant director of the Office of Alcohol, Drug and Health Education.

Merten Announces Assistance Fund

By Broadside Interim News Editor Kevin Loker

In an e-mail sent to the George Mason University community late Thursday night, University President Alan Merten announced the establishment of a $150,000 Adverse Economy Assistance Fund for students whose family’s economic situation have been “dramatically weakened” by the economic crisis.

The fund is to be used by the Office of Financial Aid in conjunction with other available assistance. Merten says he is hopeful the fund will help students who are debating between continuing their studies and withdrawing enrollment at the university.

News in Brief

Mikhail Gorbachev to Give Keynote Address at Cold War Conference

Former Soviet President and Nobel Laureate Mikhail Gorbachev will deliver the keynote address of a conference on the Cold War on Tuesday, March 24, at 8 p.m. at the Center for the Arts Concert Hall.

The conference, “1989: Looking Back, Looking Forward,” will explore the historical implications of the end of the Cold War, as well as how its lessons should be applied to promote peace and international cooperation in years to come.

Creating a Healthier Campus Community

By Broadside Contributor Dan Waxman

Through University Services, many efforts have been taken to create a healthier university. Dining Services, the Child Development Center and Student Centers have taken steps to help create a healthier George Mason University community.

Dining Services

Red, White and Grey: A Letter to the Misguided Ear of A Complacent Generation

By Broadside Opinion Writer Robert Saland

Beginning with the emergence of our young nation into the global limelight, America’s youth has entered a coma of insolence from which only a beast can awaken.

Absent are any fathomable theories that give way to why or how our country’s “Generation X” ended up in this pit of regression. However, bold warning signs have been implied for years through the influential works of literary manifestos including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway and Hunter S. Thompson.

Palin and Gingrich Are Fiddling While America Burns

By Broadside Opinion Writer John Koblan