The official release of the men's basketball schedule marks the moment when basketball fans pin down which games are the best competition, home games and any major conference foes. This season, more than any other in the past decade, will ride heavily on the non-conference opponents that Mason will play at the early onset.

In the fall of 2009, George Mason University was classified as a commuter campus. Now, four years later in the fall of 2012, much at Mason has changed. The university has seen a monumental change in its identity. New administrative buildings and residential halls have grown up from empty spaces. Former parking lots and buildings have been gutted and reinvented completely. Although it has been a somewhat cumbersome process, the campus has entered a new phase in its life--that of a residential campus beginning to forge its own unique identity.

Beginning this fall, construction will begin on an addition to Fenwick Library that doubles the size of the existing facility.

“We’re hoping to start late fall on the site-work itself,” said Brian Snyder, project manager for the addition.

Fenwick Library, originally built in 1967, is currently over 140,000 square feet. The addition will add another 150,000 square feet to what is already in place.

On September 7, the Student Senate created a task force to find new ways of representing the student body in forming university policies.

“The Student Senate of George Mason University supports the exploration of a shared governance model that brings students, faculty, staff, and administrators to the decision making table,” read the resolution passed by the Student Senate.

Even though student government represents the student body, it has no power to implement its policies.