Fourth Estate

[PREVIEW] George Mason vs. Iona -- Men's Basketball

The Mason men’s basketball team travels to New Rochelle, NY to take on Iona College at 2 p.m. today at Hynes Athletics Center. The Gaels and Patriots (4-0) meet for the third time in program history, with Mason having won both previous meetings in a home-and-home series in 2003 and 2004.

Iona at a glance

Iona (1-2) has played a tough non-conference schedule so far this season, with a win over Wofford at home and losses to Cleveland State and No. 2 ranked Kansas.

Hunger and Homelessness Week: Sleep Out in North Plaza

North Plaza became a camp out site Wednesday night for NOVA and GMU students. They spent the night on flattened cardboard boxes, huddled in their sleeping bags, under makeshift cardboard huts held together with duct tape.

 “The purpose was to raise awareness for the homeless and hunger victims,” said Mikael Manneklint, an international student from Sweden.

The sleepover was just one of many other events that were part of Hunger and Homelessness Action Week, sponsored by GMU Campus Ministry Association.

English Department challenges students to write a novel

            Writing a novel is difficult. Writing one in a month sounds impossible, but that is exactly what some Mason students intend to do this November when they participate in National Novel Writing Month, or better known as NaNoWriMo.

This annual nonprofit event challenges participants to write 50,000 words in a single month and attracts thousands of aspiring writers from around the globe.

[VIDEO] PREVIEW: 2013 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament -- George Mason vs. William and Mary

After defeating Virginia Commonwealth University in a dramatic 3-2 overtime win to advance to the final game of the Atlantic 10 Championship, and defeating St. Louis for the title, Mason men’s soccer team will now face another former conference rival – the College of William and Mary – in the opening round of the 2013 NCAA Soccer Championship.

AUDIO: Mason Players hosts first evening of one-acts

Mason Players will be hosting their first ever “Evening of One Acts” with two one-act plays: “Women and Wallace” by Jonathan Marc Sherman, student directed by senior Casey Bauer; and “Woyzeck” by Georg Büchner, student directed by junior Rebecca Wahls.

Email to Student Body Reveals Plans for Mason Inn

On Monday afternoon, students received an email from President Cabrera about the decision to transform the Mason Inn, currently a luxury hotel located on campus, to a residential, dining, and instructional facility.

Since it’s opening in fall 2010, the Mason Inn has lost roughly $11 million. Based on the losses, President Cabrera formed a Mason Inn Task Force at the beginning of the semester to propose new business models that would make the hotel more profitable. After the official proposal was written for President Cabrera’s review, the task force and the President agreed that converting the hotel into a facility that would serve the student body and faculty directly would yield the best results.

Board of Visitors motions to alleviate military student issues

As class registration season is in full swing, a motion recently passed by the university board of visitors has a new effect on registration for those in the military. The motion, which began with spring 2014 registration, gives priority class registration to all active duty military members, veterans, reservists and the Virginia National Guard. Mason’s Board of Visitors passed this motion in response to code 23-9.2:3-7 C, established by the Virginia General Assembly, which called for accommodations to be made for military service members due to the scheduling difficulties they face.

[PREVIEW] George Mason vs. Towson -- Women's Basketball

The Mason women’s basketball team will take on Towson at 4:30 p.m. at the Patriot Center.

Coming off of an 82-64 win over Utah Valley in the team’s home opener, the Patriots (2-1) will look to keep a two-game winning streak alive against the Tigers (1-2).

Senior Janaa Pickard set a new Patriot Center record against Utah Valley, recording 21 points and 21 rebounds in her first double-double of the season. Sophomore Taylor Brown is currently leading the Patriots with 17 points per game, while Pickard is averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds per game.

Irish-American student returns to Ireland to film his senior project

Senior Paul O’Halloran, a film and video studies major, is headed to Ireland this Christmas to shoot his senior film, “Ard Laoch na hÉireann,” which is dedicated to his great-grandfather. O’Halloran, who is Irish, said he hopes the film will show a different side of Ireland. O’Halloran answered some questions about his film for Fourth Estate.

What is the film about?

[PREVIEW] George Mason vs. St. Francis (PA) -- Men's Basketball

The Mason men’s basketball team takes on St. Francis (PA) at 7 p.m. at the Patriot Center.

After a 76-70 win over Northern Iowa, the Patriots (3-0) look to keep their winning streak alive as the Red Flash (1-3) visit Fairfax.  

Marko Gujanicic recorded his second double-double in as many games as a starter against UNI on Saturday and is projected to get the starting spot in tonight’s matchup. Sherrod Wright leads Mason in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game, while Gujanicic leads the team in rebounding, averaging 8.3 per game.