On February 12, 2010, two Metro cars on a six-car train jumped the rail. While there were no serious injuries, over 300 passengers were left stranded, and once again the thousands of people using the D.C. Metro system every day were left wondering: What the hell is going on here? There are many reasons to be alarmed.

In the history of the Academy Awards, there have been several times that a talented newcomer has come along and won the hearts (and votes) of the Academy. Hilary Swank surprised the world with her 1999 Boys Don’t Cry Best Actress win. In 2007, American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson won the best Supporting Actress award for her role in Dreamgirls.

When I first came to George Mason University at the tail end of the glorious, eye-awakening summer of 2006, I braced myself for what, at the time, seemed like the only part of college I should prepare for: the classes.

I was told by a plethora of former students and high school teachers prior to my college career that, “In college, I will be just a number in a sea of faces; a student with no identity, whose only method of communicating with his professors is via e-mail, as they don’t take questions during class.”