News

Mason Goes to China, Korea for Students

By Connect Mason Asst. News Director Rashad Mulla

Potential graduate students in China and Korea may be calling George Mason home next fall.

Mason’s School of Public Policy sent Tennille Haegele, their assistant director of graduate admissions, to Seoul and Busan, South Korea and Shanghai, China from March 23–April 9.

  • Click here to read Haegele’s chronicle of her trip in the School of Public Policy blog.
  • Listen to Haegele talk about the school of public policy.

Students Collect Signatures to Close Guantanamo

By Connect Mason Reporter Rachael Dickson

Amnesty International held a demonstration on the north plaza calling for the closing of Guantanamo Bay on April 24.

A demonstrator in an orange jumpsuit stood in a small square formed by wire mesh to represent the cells in Guantanamo Bay, a military prison based at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

“The actual cells in Guantanamo are about that size - they’re being kept in there for hours and hours at a time in this cramped little cage,” said Janet Ghazizadeh, a global affairs major. “That’s why we decided to set this up so people get an idea of what it’s like.”

New Roundabout to Improve Traffic Flow

By Dave Andrews, Mason Gazette

Traffic patterns in the southwest corner of Patriot Circle near Mason Pond on the Fairfax Campus will change significantly this summer and into the fall.

Project designs and schedules are in the final stages as Mason prepares for construction on a roundabout that will connect Patriot Circle and Mason Pond Drive to the future connector road to Route 123.

On-Campus Nature Walk Identifies Invasive Species

By Connect Mason Reporter Nick Walker

“When you identify plants, it helps to use all of your senses. If you can touch it, touch it. If you can smell it, smell it. If you can taste it, that's even better,” said Andrea Weeks, professor in the environmental science & policy department during a campus-wide plant walk on Tuesday, April 22.

OPINION: McCain Sells Soul For Votes

By Broadside Opinion Editor Arthur Gailes
Photo courtesy of Flickr's 'soggydan'

It’s election time again, and we all know what that means: it’s time to listen to republicans promising to cut taxes and increase spending.

In the midst of the heated democratic nomination, it’s very easy to overlook the simple mistakes of the Sen. John McCain campaign. So he gets away with the empty rhetorical promises of his economic plan while his opponents are too distracted with one another to criticize him for it.

Townhall: Provost Needs to Risk More

By Connect Mason Asst. News Director Rashad Mulla

The Provost Review Committee held their fourth town hall meeting on April 21. Over 20 George Mason faculty members attended the session to voice their support or disapproval of Provost Peter Stearns. Stearns is seeking a 5-year extension after 2009, according to committee chair Susan Tolchin.

Circus Protestors Protest Police Behavior

By Broadside Asst. News Editor Rebecca Fulton
Photo by Broadside Asst. Photography Editor Laura Foltz

Many protesters who demonstrated outside of the Patriot Center in opposition to the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus have sent out a plea for help after they felt that they were mistreated by police.

Some of the protesters, including junior Brianne Lanigan, Mason alumnus Nick Zinzer and junior Christine Kauffman, are claiming that the police failed to protect them and that they were followed and videotaped while leaving George Mason University to return to their vehicles. Some are claiming they were further followed by police in uniform in unmarked cars after leaving the premises.

Seesaws Raise Money to Stop Human Sex Trafficking

By Broadside News Editor Asma Chaudhary
Photo by Broadside Photography Editor Courtney Erland

A trio of wooden seesaws was spotted on the grass between the Johnson Center and clock tower for 24 hours last week.

Although the playground-like equipment drew excitement from students, the overall message for the event was serious and meaningful.

Ralph Nader Speaks at EarthFest

By Broadside Staff Reporter Ethan Vaughan
Photo by Broadside Photography Editor Courtney Erland

Ralph Nader visited George Mason University last Saturday and spoke of the need for the United States to immediately end its oil dependency.

The environmental and consumer rights’ activist came to Mason as a part of Mason’s EarthFest, an event co-sponsored by Broadside and the GMU Environmental Awareness Group to help generate attention for environmental issues.

E-mail Upgrade Planned for Fall

By Connect Mason Director Whitney Rhodes

When George Mason University students log in to check official university e-mail this fall, they may find five or more gigabytes of storage space at their disposal.

The Mason Information Technology Unit created a Student E-mail Outsource Project chapter on April 14 to evaluate the use of Google or Microsoft services for student e-mail.