News
In The Area...
Compiled from The Associated Press and The Fairfax County Times.
Freddie Mac CFO Found Dead in Vienna Home
Freddie Mac’s acting chief financial officer David Kellerman, 41, of Vienna, Va., was found dead last Wednesday in the basement of his home in what police said was an apparent suicide.
Faculty Get Housing
By Staff Writer Jared Trice
With over 19 new construction projects underway, George Mason University hopes to not only create a more campus-centric environment for students, but also for the university faculty and staff. Mason is currently constructing a 157-unit faculty and staff housing development situated on 27 acres of the Fairfax campus, a project that the university hopes will help in the recruitment and retention of the “best and the brightest.”
Southside Weighs its Waste
Photo by Laura Foltz.
Students throw away excess food which is weighed at Southside.
Students throw away excess food which is weighed at Southside.
By Student Media Copy Editor Jacqueline Schafer
Denise Ammaccapane, Dining Services Resident District Manager, and others at Southside demonstrated just how much students throw out with the “Weigh the Waste” event for Earth Day last Wednesday.
At Southside, there is a significant problem with students taking more food than they can eat and then throwing away whole hamburgers, sandwiches or desserts. In fact, according to Sodexo, 96 billion pounds of food are thrown out by Americans each year.
As students made their way to the tray drop-off, they were asked to scrape any remaining food into a bin to be weighed. The food that went included entire salads, hamburgers and quesadillas. When asked about their leftover food, most students said they were full or they did not want that part of the meal. Students who had completely cleared their plates were given a wooden coin worth $1 of Mason Money at any campus dining facility.
Tweets Meet Mason
By Connect2Mason Director @grace_kendall
Imagine condensing all of the news of your life into 140 characters or less. This is the challenge of Twitter, a social media website where users share tidbits of news in what is essentially a massive collection of Facebook status updates. With minimal clutter, it is an easy-to-follow website where your focus is always on the information given to you by “followers”—friends and other interesting folks on the site—in real time.
Campus News in Brief
Compiled by Justin Petrisek, Interim Assistant News Editor, and Kevin Loker, News Editor
Bookstore Brings Back Buyback Contest for Textbooks
The Mason Bookstore announced the return of its Buyback Contest for the end of the spring semester. The contest is open to all student groups and organizations and runs from May 4 through May 13.
Did You Know? Mason Parking Stats
Compiled by Connect2Mason Content Director Amanda Svec
Below is a list of things to give you a little more information about parking, prices, tickets and more! For more information and a detailed list of parking policies, check out parking.gmu.edu.
Permit Prices
According to Josh Cantor, Director of Parking and Transportation, here are the basic permit prices for the 2009 - 2010 school year:
- General Lot Permit: $225 (was $200)
- Reserved Deck Permit: $450 (was $400)
- Lot I Reserved: $340 (was $300)
- West Campus (freshman residents still required to park in West Campus): Remains at $90
Best & Worst Routes to Campus
By Connect2Mason Reporter Lauren Jost
Coming to campus in the middle of the day usually ends up in a parking nightmare. The lack of convenient parking spaces for the overwhelming amount of Mason students amounts to a slew of problems including getting into campus, finding a spot that’s not miles away and finally scrambling to campus.
Connect2Mason showed you in the Amazing Race: GMU Style there are some options to parking near campus without the headache of Patriot Circle gridlock; but here’s a timetable with an awesome map to make it a little easier finding a parking spot without pulling your hair out.
View C2M Parking in a larger map
VIDEO: Parking Officer For a Day
Step into the shoes of one of Mason's most upbeat parking enforcement officers. There's always two sides to one's tale. See what this officer thinks about students violating parking on campus.
Farmer's Market Opens on Campus
By Broadside Staff Writer Matt Loffman
George Mason University held its very first farmers’ market on campus at North Plaza on Wednesday. The market’s grand opening coincided with other Earth Day activities, including a campus cleanup and an environmental expo.
Vendors sold homegrown and fresh products ranging from bread and baked goods to fresh milk and eggs.
OPINION: The Weight of the Word
By Kyle Ridley, Communication
I always find myself gripped by the constant debate over whether to ban the “n-word” or reclaim it. This hot button issue is obviously a delicate topic and part of me feels the need to step back and keep quiet, like it’s not my place to chime in.
However, while taking Professor Mark Hopson’s course on Black Communication and Identity, I have been able to gain a better understanding of the deep rooted emotions and history behind the “n-word” while also taking in both sides of the debate with a more appreciative mindset. My classmates and I have spent several sessions sharing our views on the calls to bury the word for good, to take it back with new honor attached, or to redefine it by pronouncing it with an “a” at the end instead of an “er.”