Why I Wouldn’t Trade This Campus For Anything

By Broadside Opinion Writer Scott Mason

In an age where we are constantly examining our own image in the world on personal and organizational levels, it is sometimes difficult to come out with a clear and concise vision of identity. As a student at George Mason University, my own identity has been changing since the day I stepped foot on this campus. Great professors have come and gone, and so have great Mason traditions, areas on campus and even parking spaces. We exist in a series of ever-changing contradictions, and it is here on this campus that I, along with thousands of others, have found a temporary home. Mason is the only place where I care to stay at this juncture in my life. However, I am the last one to be content with the current circumstances that plague so many stdents.

Our current resident student population is over 4,200 people, but, to view the school grounds on a Saturday can be equivalent to a ghost town, especially before noon. Many other universities also have a plethora of nearby off-campus options. The company that runs our university’s housing actually manages numerous housing complexes at universities around the globe. This lends itself to one of the strangest environments on campus. We seem to have many students who leave for the weekend, and many of us who live on campus have little interaction outside of class with students who live off campus. This is changing, though.

Dining is improving on weekends, Burger King now serves breakfast and the anticipation for the opening of Southside dining hall is wracking everyone’s nerves. The liveliness that freshmen students bring to a college campus is now spread beyond the confines of Presidents Park. The Aquatic and Fitness Center is finally complete, with no more construction or closures scheduled. And with the ultimate on campus resident goal being around 7,000, which would put it on par with top schools in the country, this campus will continue to amaze people even more in the future. The campus feels more alive this year, especially when campus was once considered a place forsaken by Friday afternoon. Mason is truly stepping up to its place in a circle that includes some of the best universities in the country.

We also have some of the best scholars teaching here as well. Many of us were here to witness the genius of professors such as Vernon Smith and Rodger Wilkins, and it is sad to see our campus without them. They both were amazing teachers here at Mason; however, the professors who remain and are continually arriving on campus are truly incredible. Carma Hinton, for example, is a tremendous addition to our faculty. She is an amazing filmmaker and documentarian with a life story that can make anybody sit in an enthralling trance when listening. Shaul Bakhash enriches many students here with his immense knowledge of Persian and Islamic studies, while Hugh Heclo truly astonishes with his overwhelming knowledge of government and politics. It is a great honor to have such great professors at the undergraduate level, and this is one of Mason’s greatest assets. We are so lucky to be at a school that has so much going for it.

The pinnacle of my years at Mason has to be basketball. From a Final Four run three ago, to an NCAA playoff spot this past year, basketball here is such a great thing. Being in the student section during our game against Virginia Commonwealth University was an unforgettable experience. The emotions ran high as our team battles against our chief athletic competition, hoping and praying that we could cheer our team to victory. Basketball unites this campus like nothing else. During games, the unlikeliest of friends will join together in the stands to truly be fanatics within the hallowed space that is the Patriot Center.

While all of this is good news, one word is the bane of so many of our existence: parking. I cringe sometimes watching people circle the lots looking for a space that isn’t West Campus Lot. Other changes are also still in the process of being made. Ciao Hall is still open. Patriot Circle is, well, not much of a circle anymore, and the P.E. Building is still being done. The list can go on and on, but I will save you from the frustration of these realizations.

With room to improve, Mason was still named the number one Up-and-Coming School by US News and World Report. We have come a long way in 50 years, and as a student here for so much change, I am forever indebted to a school that has done so much to make this a great place of learning and also break the normal commuter school stereotypes. Mason is my home, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.