News
Palin Accepts Historic GOP Nomination
By Broadside Correspondent David Pierce
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin accepted the 2008 Republican vice presidential nomination last Wednesday night at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn. Palin, a relatively unknown governor from Alaska, became the second woman to be nominated on a major party’s ticket in United States history, the first as a Republican.
Biden Speaks at Prince William Campus
By Mason Votes Content Editor Christian Yingling
Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden (D.-Del.) spoke Thursday, Sept. 4 at the George Mason University Prince William Campus Verizon Auditorium. Biden spoke that morning in Virginia Beach about national security but chose to discuss the economy at Mason, bringing up issues such as crime, taxes, education and the price of gas and healthcare.
Tropical Storm Hanna to Hit Area This Weekend
By Connect2Mason Director Grace Kendall
Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to hit northern Virginia on Friday night, with the worst of the storm moving through the area on Saturday.
A Mason Alert sent early Friday evening said, "4-8 inches of rain with wind gusts up to 40-60 mph is possible."
Calling Consistency
By Broadside Opinion Columnist Michael Gryboski
The Southern Poverty Law Center takes pride in continually monitoring and tracking hate groups throughout the United States. Indeed, the organization deserves accolades for its legal battles against the Ku Klux Klan as well as spreading awareness of hate groups. SPLC literature on teaching tolerance can be found in many educational facilities, including our own Student Government office, but while staunchly opposing racism, the SPLC tends to oppose any entity that has the slightest support from racial supremacists, even if they are not actually racist.
Track Your Software With Wakoopa
By Mason Tech Beat Blogger Jimmy Rogers
If you're like me, you use a ton of software and you're always trying out new things. Until now, there hasn't been a particularly good way to keep track of all of the freeware you sample. Wakoopa is trying to change all that.
The Russian-Georgian Conflict
By Broadside Opinion Columnist Brandon Cosby
The recent Russian-Georgian crisis should surprise no one. It only reaffirms Vladimir Putin's imperialistic tendencies, Dmitry Medvedev's puppet status and Georgia's complete idiocy in dealing with its titan neighbors. The conflict over two provinces the size of ant hills that no one in the West has ever heard of before was a sad event, yes. And while it was provoked by the Georgians, it was definitely a Russian trap. It will have lasting effects in Russian relations for the absurdly over-the-top response.
MUST II Creates Privacy Concerns
By Broadside Staff Correspondent Andrew Pennebaker
I'm typing this on a public terminal. Normally, I'd be flipping a pen at my desk. Not today. This past Sunday for eight hours, the whole Mason network was down as it geared for a new login system: MUST II. If you thought MUST was irritating in the past, you won't be disappointed by MUST II.
The Juniper Unified Access Control (UAC) system is a gatekeeper for corporate networks. Unlike the old MUST, this time it knows about alternative browsers.
Our Health Care System is Killing Us
By Broadside Staff Correspondent Sabra HayesBy
Since viewing Sicko, the most recent documentary by Michael Moore, I have become aware that the United States’ failure to provide adequate health care is causing the suffering and even death of many individuals in our country.
Mason’s Language Program is Holding Us Back
By Broadside Opinion Editor Arthur Gailes
I’m not good at languages. There are some people who can hear a few words in another language a few times and intuitively process what they mean. In my experience, those people are in the minority. For everybody else, Mason’s foreign language program is failing us. The curriculum is poorly made, the teachers are too handicapped by the system and the classes aren’t flexible enough to accommodate different learning paces.
LETTER: What Does Student Government Do?
By Student Body President Zack Golden
Whenever people find out that I am involved with Student Government the first question that they ask is, “What exactly does Student Government do?” The answer to this question is important because the success of Student Government is tied directly to the level of participation among Mason students.
In explaining what Student Government does, it is useful to first explain what Student Government is not. First, Student Government is not an independent policy making institution. We cannot pass a bill or resolution to change a University policy on our own. We have to work with our University Administration to change policies. Second, Student Government is not an organization that puts on social programs on campus. Third, Student Government is not a political organization. We do not support candidates or parties, we serve students.