Latest Fourth Estate Articles

(Davon Marion / Fourth Estate)

BY PETER MAHLER, ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh, George Mason women’s basketball (21-8, 16-2 in A-10) closed out a historic season, winning their fifth straight game by defeating Duquesne (11-18, 4-14 in A-10) by a score of 65-48, and bringing home the program’s first-ever regular-season conference title.

Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis’ Patriots share the championship crown with Rhode Island (25-4, 16-2 in A-10) heading into the A-10 tournament, with an early-season loss giving the Rams the tiebreaker. Because of that, Rhode Island will be the No. 1 seed in the A-10 tournament, while Mason will be the No. 2 seed. Mason’s 16 wins mark the most in a season, having registered three consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time.

Duquesne junior guard Reina Green opened the scoring with 6 points, pushing the Dukes to an early 8-2 lead. The advantage didn’t hold for long, as a 32-7 Mason response gave the Patriots a 17-point lead by halftime.

Junior Zahirah Walton led Mason in scoring for the fourth straight game, recording a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double. The two-way forward ends the regular season averaging a career-best 18 ppg that is second in the A-10, while leading Mason in rebounding, assists and blocks.

Junior guard Kennedy Harris and senior guard Jada Brown combined for 29 points, with Brown shooting lights out, finishing 4-of-5 from three.

Mason held an opponent to under 50 points for the eighth time this season. The Patriot defense, which has allowed just over 59 ppg, stymied the Dukes, surrendering just 17 first-half points on 30% shooting from the field. 

Duquesne’s offense woke up in the second half, scoring 31 points on a slightly improved 35% from the field, but Mason’s commanding lead never fell below double digits.

Green (11 points and 11 rebounds) and junior guard Gabby Grantham-Medley (12 points and 10 rebounds) were effective for the Dukes with double-doubles, but few players around them could match Mason’s firepower. 

Harris and freshman guard Mary Amoateng each added 4 steals as the Patriots stole the ball 13 times, scoring 16 points off 20 Duquesne turnovers. 

Now locked into their tournament seed, the Patriots own a double-bye going into the A-10 quarterfinals. They play Friday, March 6 at 5 p.m. against either No. 7 Dayton or No. 10 George Washington, two teams they swept during the regular season.

(Emma G. Schaible / Fourth Estate)

BY ANDREW T. YARBROUGH, STAFF WRITER

“Scam artists have existed for thousands of years, and the internet just gives them another platform to do it,” said Matthew Dalton, Mason’s Chief Information Security Officer. 

Recently, George Mason students have experienced a significant surge in targeted phishing emails, urging users to click fake links claiming to have information on job opportunities, ICE sightings on campus and security alerts. 

These links are designed to steal NetID credentials. Information Technology Services is attempting to address the issues. 

Dalton explained the recent uptick is related to the time of year. 

“You will always see an increase in phishing in [the] late February to late March time frame, because it’s tax season,” he said.

Dalton described an ongoing battle between those phishing and those defending against it. Scammers learn about the security controls installed in a system to prevent malicious emails and look for ways around them. Once they find a way to get around those barriers, users notice another uptick in phishing attempts.

Phishing schemes can be identified by three characteristics: First, scammers make an attempt to establish trust; someone might send a message pretending to be in a position of authority, including claiming they are from IT Services or the GMU Police. 

Secondly, phishing emails are characterized by a lack of timeliness. They encourage urgency, but feature no clear timeline of when actions need to be taken by the receiver. 

Finally, scam emails utilize something of value to the receiver, with lines such as ‘We see something wrong with your account, click this link.’

To protect themselves from scams, students should be wary of spacing or grammatical errors inside the emails they receive. However, Dalton noted that may not always be the case anymore due to the onset of generative AI. 

“Take a look to see who [an email] actually is from. If it says they’re them, but it’s coming from a Gmail address … think twice; stop and think about what this is.” Dalton said. 

It is critical to pay attention to the links inside emails as well.

Links in emails claiming to be from the university, which solely relies on Microsoft as a vendor, should not take users to a Google Doc. 

Dalton said students should report suspicious emails to Information Technology Services. This allows ITS to confirm the scam and send out a proactive email to anyone who may have received it to minimize its impact on the Mason community.

ITS is helping Mason be more aware of phishing attempts by utilizing phishing inoculation, also commonly referred to as an attack simulation by Microsoft. 

This software simulates phishing attempts, but once a link is clicked on, it will prompt receivers with a message with information about phishing attempts. By regularly doing these training sessions, rather than one yearly training session, users stay informed and more aware of tactics that scammers may utilize. 

ITS has launched a multi-faceted effort to spread awareness, having posted information on social media and posters on campus in addition to the frequent simulations.

However, phishing only plays a small role in cybersecurity. To best protect themselves online, users should run the latest operating system, keep their applications up to date and make sure that they have installed anti-virus software.

Dalton recommended that users make sure that their accounts have an encrypted password or a set passkey. He also recommended that users utilize OneDrive, which is offered by GMU, or have an external hard-drive to back up files. 

Dalton warned against too many restrictions. 

“We want to make sure that we are finding that sweet spot of protecting everybody, but not to the point we’re restricting them … people aren’t here in order to not get phished, they’re here in order to learn.” 

Being cyber-aware is critical when dealing with phishing emails. ITS provides information and examples about phishing on its website, along with general security best practices and even a recommendation for anti-virus software.

(Jalynn Kirabo / Fourth Estate)

BY BASIL MUSTAFA, STAFF WRITER

Unified Fits, a Mason-affiliated humanitarian fashion organization, rolled out the runway on the night of Feb. 20 in the Hub Ballroom.

The event, titled “Runway on Shuffle,” presented a series of themed outfits to match different genres of music, ranging from country to rock.

Unified Fits, an organization in its first year on campus, intends to use fashion to foster community and give resources to people and communities in need. 

As their first event on campus, the event began with a monologue expressing the role that music and fashion play in self-expression before transitioning into music from Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” album. The first model walked out in knee high, bright red heels with flares to match her cowgirl getup and start off the country portion of the show.

Six more models walked out one by one in country themed attire. Flashy belts, cowboy hats and full denim outfits graced the runway. Immediately after the last model of the country portion returned backstage, the crowd was prompted to break out into a line dance.

(Jalynn Kirabo / Fourth Estate)

The energy shifted as the musical stylings of Paramore, Pierce the Veil and Rob Zombie controlled the rock section. The models ruled the aesthetic, donning black clothing and metal jewelry. 

The hip-hop/R&B section followed the rock theme. A model wearing light blue corduroy pants to match his denim jacket dribbled a basketball down the runway to Travis Scott’s “Hyaena.”

Breakfamous, a Mason-affiliated break dance crew, performed during the hip-hop section. LL Cool J and Missy Elliot were in rotation during a performance that involved acrobatics and a lively crowd.

Sports played a key role in the hip-hop section. One model wore a bedazzled Ray Lewis jersey to match a tie that was wrapped around her waist like a belt. Another sported a backward Micheal Jordan jersey along with a gold chain and jean shorts.

During the pop section, a crowd member was ushered onto the runway and performed a string of Michael Jackson dance moves while the King of Pop played in the back.

The Black Mambas, a Mason dance team, was brought in and performed fast-paced afrobeat choreography. Splits, flips, Azonto and Shaku Shaku were all incorporated to energize the crowd.

(Jalynn Kirabo / Fourth Estate)

To punctuate the show, United Fits delivered a multicultural display. Haitian, Indigenous American, South Asian and Puerto Rican cultures were represented through a mix of traditional and modern clothing and music.

Jonathan Fino Vargas, the president of Unified Fits, and Lia Torres, the vice president, spoke on the motivation behind the event.

“[The event] represents us as a whole, as a culture, how we feel and what fashion means to us,” Fino Vargas said. 

“Our community is our drive,” Torres added.

Fino Vargas said that one of the challenges involved in setting up the event was “finding a team, and people who are as passionate as we are.” 

When asked about the relationship between music and fashion, Torres pointed at how each helps in the discovery of the other.

“Fashion is an outer experience of who we are as people and our music … is an inner experience for people, like ourselves, to know who we are.”

(Davon Marion / Fourth Estate)

BY NATHAN FERRARO, MANAGING EDITOR AND PETER MAHLER, ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

In their final home game of the season, Mason women’s basketball (20-8, 15-2 in A-10) demolished Saint Joseph’s (19-9, 10-7) 85-59 behind a blistering 53% performance from beyond the arc, winning their fourth straight game against one of the hottest teams in the conference on Feb. 25.

This win marks the third straight 20-win season under Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis as the Patriots begin gearing up to defend their A-10 title.

After a tight first quarter, the game broke open in the second as the Patriots outscored the Hawks 22-11, shooting 58% while holding them to just 25% from the field. Freshman Mary Amoateng fueled the surge, scoring 14 first-half points on 5-5 shooting from the field. 

The performance punctuates a standout month for the young scorer, who has scored double digits in five of her last seven outings, averaging almost 12 ppg and showcasing improvement coming off the bench.

“Mary is just so confident when she goes out there,” Blair-Lewis said. “She’s relentless, and she’s just so confident.” 

Amoateng says her goal is to continue to be confident and take shots she’s capable of making as her Mason career continues. 

Throughout the season, Mason has largely relied on strong defensive outings. Most notably, they held Richmond, the A-10’s top scoring team, to just 37 points on Feb. 16. The offense led the way against Saint Joseph’s, dropping 85 points on what had been the third-best scoring defense in the A-10.

The Hawks battled early on, with junior guard Gabby Casey and senior forward Faith Stinson combining for 20 points on 6-11 shooting in the first half. Stinson’s team-leading 15 points provided headaches in the paint all game long, but a leg injury to Casey late in the first quarter neutered the St. Joseph’s attack heading into the second.

Junior forward Zahirah Walton led all scorers with 29 points, including a 11-12 performance from the free throw line. With this being her third straight game logging 20 or more points, the second-highest scorer in the A-10 has powered Mason through their win streak. She also led the game with 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.

(Davon Marion / Fourth Estate)

“It’s just special to see what Coach [Blair-Lewis] first told me, like, when I came to campus for my official visit; the vision she had, just to see it come to life, is really important to me,” Walton said.

Adding onto the Patriot total, junior guard Kennedy Harris scored 15 points, marking her eighth straight double-digit game as Mason’s second-leading scorer. She and Walton have teamed up all year long to put Mason in the driver’s seat for a double-bye in the A-10 Tournament as a top-four team in the conference.

With one game left in the regular season, Blair-Lewis reflected on the impact of the early season games on the team.

“We learned a lot of lessons in our non-conference,” she said. “Sometimes we took our foot off the gas a little early, thinking something was in the bag, and it’s really good to see them learn those lessons.”

She said the Patriots’ goal is to “continue to keep playing until it’s zeroes,” something the Patriots exemplified when leading throughout the second half.

The Patriots will close out the month with a 2 p.m. matchup at Duquesne today. Fans can stream the game live on ESPN+.

(Emma G. Schaible / Fourth Estate)

BY ISABELLA PEARLSTEIN, STAFF WRITER

George Mason’s Student Culinary Council met Feb. 23 to discuss improvements to campus dining halls. Vice President of Dining Operations Lou Christopher opened the meeting to discuss what “quality and value” means to students, which became the focus of the entire meeting.

Students discussed their opinions on the varieties of food at Southside and Ike’s, discrepancies between the menu boards and foods available, food and utensil quality and student awareness.

The most pressing concerns students had throughout the meeting was food availability during the day and night. The majority of those concerns stemmed from transition times between breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night service at Ike’s. Students mentioned times of not finding certain food items like protein.

One student suggested extending hours of operations for The Spot because they offer more vegan and vegetarian options. The student expressed the importance of extending hours for eateries like The Spot because of dietary restrictions during religious holidays, such as Ramadan.

Sky Robertson, a member of the Undergraduate Representative Body, mentioned lack of labelling or incorrect labelling of food as an issue, saying it has been difficult as someone with a dietary food restriction to identify specific food items such as pork.

Undergraduate Student Body President Jonathan Dubois raised concerns over cups and cutlery within Mason dining halls. 

Tyrone Robeson, director of residential dining, blamed the cloudy appearance of dining hall cups on “a serious hard water problem” at Ike’s.

Dubois described how valuable using dining dollars for retail dining and the Mason Market is for him. Another student said they valued using meal swipe exchanges at The Eaterie.

Near the end of the meeting, the council discussed ways to get the student body more engaged with giving feedback about Mason Dining and ways to reach out and engage with students as a whole.

According to Christopher, the meeting had the biggest turn out he has seen. 

“The biggest thing that I’m walking away with right now is a lot of the issues students have could be solved in the moment if folks would share that feedback in the moment,” Christopher said. “I think it was even difficult for students to come together with what’s the perfect menu.”

Andrew Colasanto, the URB’s dining liaison, said he “was really pleased with the turnout today.” 

“[The Culinary Council] seemed much more open to our personal feedback, especially when it came to a lot of the smaller things like cleanliness. I did appreciate how open they seemed about it compared to the past where they seemed more dismissive,” Colastano said.

(Sam Douglas / Fourth Estate)

BY SAM DOUGLAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Michael J. Meese was elected as rector of the George Mason Board of Visitors today in the governing body’s first meeting since their overhaul following the January inauguration of Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

The rector presides over the board and gavels full board meetings. Meese had previously served as vice rector since the start of the 2024 academic year. He replaces Rector Cully Stimson, whom he had served under and who resigned shortly after Spanberger’s inauguration.

Meese is one of only four visitors remaining who were nominated to the board by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin. While some other newly appointed visitors have been part of Mason’s BOV in the past, Meese is the longest active visitor, having served on the board since 2022.

(Sam Douglas / Fourth Estate)

Much of Meese’s tenure as vice rector coincided with a period of unrest and controversy surrounding the BOV. The governing body had lacked a quorum from Sept. 2025 to Jan., sparking protests when they continued to meet in executive community meetings. 

Along with President Gregory Washington, the board has been combating lawsuits from the federal government since the summer.

Previously, they had passed resolutions on antisemitism and DEI that were unpopular among some registered student organizations on campus.

During the end of the Academic Affairs committee meeting today, Tim Gibson spoke in disapproval of the decision to elect Meese as rector. Gibson is vice president of the GMU chapter of the American Association of University Professors, an organization that has organized multiple protests against the actions of the board.

“We are swearing in 12 new members today because the previous board abandoned their fiduciary duties and used their positions to advance a highly partisan and ideological agenda,” Gibson said, stating that he expresses the discontent of his colleagues regarding Meese’s election.

“We need new leadership, uncompromised leadership, leadership untainted by the past [and] leadership dedicated to their fiduciary duties and focused on the work of defending the bedrock values of the American higher education system,” Gibson concluded.

Along with being a board member, Meese also serves as the president of Armed Forces Mutual, a not-for-profit organization that provides life insurance to members of the armed forces and their families.

(Sam Douglas / Fourth Estate)

Sumeet Shrivastava was also elected as vice rector. Shrivastava, a Mason alum, was one of the 12 new visitors sworn in during the Feb. 26 meeting. 

Along with Meese, Secretary Armand Alacbay and visitors Jeffrey A. Rosen and Jon M. Peterson remain from the previous board.

(Jordan Giles / Fourth Estate)

BY NATHAN FERRARO, MANAGING EDITOR AND BRIAN A. HAYUM, SPORTS EDITOR

Mason men’s basketball has lost three straight games for the first time in nearly two years, falling to the Dayton Flyers 82-67 on Feb. 18. Javon Bennett and Amaël L’Etang led the Flyers with a combined 43 points, shooting 7-12 from three. 

The wire-to-wire loss leaves the Patriots tied with Saint Joseph’s and Dayton for third place in the conference. 

Graduate guard Jahari Long was the first Patriot to score nearly six minutes into the first half, setting the stage for a rough night of catch-up for Mason. Dayton’s 7-point halftime lead proved to be enough, as the Patriots failed to get within 5 points in the second half.

Dayton Head Coach Anthony Grant’s team picked up where they left off in the first half, growing the lead to 12 in just four minutes and enjoying as much as a 19-point lead with a little over five minutes left in the game.

Long led Mason’s scoring effort with 17 points, while senior guard Fatt Hill notched 15 of his own. The loss is the Patriots’ third straight by double digits after starting the season with a record-breaking 21-3 stretch. 

“I just thought, playing at home, we’d have enough fire, we’d have enough care, we’d show enough physicality and toughness, and we just didn’t show that,” Head Coach Tony Skinn said.

Junior center Riley Allenspach echoed Skinn’s message. “We gotta find some toughness that we haven’t had in the last few games. Once we find that, we’ll be fine.”

If the Patriots want to be considered fine going into postseason play, they will need junior guard Kory Mincy to overcome a thumb injury that has limited Mason’s leading scorer to 5.6 ppg on 11-41 FG.

Despite his star player’s struggles, Skinn commended Mincy’s efforts during the game.

“I’m proud of Kory, cause Kory’s fighting through it,” Skinn said. “He’s giving everything that he has, and, you know, he’s going to continue to do so.”

The slump may have Mason fans worried, but the third-year head coach is not ready to panic.

“I’m never gonna hit the panic button,” Skinn said. “We’ve got four games left. We’ve gotta find a way.”

The Patriots will have a chance to end the skid when they travel to Philadelphia tonight, Feb. 25, to play the Saint Joseph’s Hawks for the second time in five games. Fans can tune into the 7 p.m. tip-off on ESPN+.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The attribution of the accompanying photo was corrected. (Wednesday, Feb. 25, 1:18 P.M.)

(Jordan Giles / Fourth Estate)

BY YONATAN DANIEL, STAFF WRITER AND PETER MAHLER, ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Behind a resurgent Zahirah Walton, women’s basketball (19-8, 14-2 in A-10) defeated George Washington (14-15, 6-10 in A-10) 67-52 on Feb. 21. Their third win in a row puts the Patriots in the driver’s seat for a coveted double-bye. 

This day was as much of a celebration for the fans as it was for the players. Before tipoff, the team’s graduating class was seen at center court with their families to commemorate Senior Day, and the EagleBank Arena crowd was engulfed in a sea of pink to honor those affected by breast cancer. Rounding out the festivities, dozens of Girl Scouts flooded the court at halftime to cheer on Mason.  

Walton has bounced back after a rough 5-26 shooting stretch against Richmond and Rhode Island, scoring 20 or more points in back to back games. The second-leading scorer in the A-10 scored 22 against GW, shooting 8-18 from the field.

“You know, she just went through a tough spell,” Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis said. “I don’t think anybody got nervous, but I think for her, seeing the ball go through the hoop more consistently is really helping her stay consistent.”

Junior guard Kennedy Harris and freshman guard Mary Amoateng accompanied Walton with 26 combined points as Mason’s offense thrived in transition.

Mason’s fifth-ranked scoring defense showed out, converting 15 GW turnovers into 20 points. With three Patriots having multiple steals, GW had a hard time holding onto the ball. 

Harris added a game-high 3 steals to her 14 points, capping off a well-rounded performance. 

“I just take pride in my defense,” she said. “I want to be able to play both sides of the ball well.” 

Her versatility was on full display midway through the second quarter, when she stole the ball and immediately found Amoateng for a transition 3-pointer to extend the lead to 26-22. Mason was lethal on the fast break, outscoring GW 16-0 in transition.

In the first quarter, Mason only held a 21-17 lead. Despite shooting a blistering 50% from the field in the first quarter, fouls late in the period gave GW much-needed life after the Patriots came out hot.

In the second quarter, Mason would extend the lead behind a 16-9 quarter. The Patriots suffocated the Revs on defense, forcing the visiting team to shoot 25% in the quarter. 

The pressure did not let up in the second half. Mason forced three shot clock violations, including two late in the third quarter. 

With this win, Mason’s conference record improves to 14-2, placing them firmly at second in the standings. Their next test will come against a red-hot Saint Joseph’s team that has won four straight games. 

With only two games left in the season, Wednesday’s rematch against Saint Joseph’s won’t be an easy game. In their last matchup on Jan. 18, the Patriots came out victorious, winning 66-59 on the back of a 22-point performance from Harris.

Fans can watch the high-stakes rematch tonight on ESPN+ as the Patriots continue to prevail during this three-game streak.

(Sam Douglas / Fourth Estate)

BY SAM DOUGLAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Following a whirlwind fall semester, George Mason University’s Undergraduate Representative Body has found their rhythm after the inauguration of Undergraduate Student Body President Jonathan Dubois in late January.

Dubois’ executive team has begun to take shape, with Zoë Oliver in place as vice president for marketing and relations and Emily Mulumba sworn in as vice president for membership development and training at the Jan. 29 meeting. 

However, the positions of executive vice president and vice president for outreach remain vacant.

As Gov. Abigail Spangberger’s inauguration has caused a flood of bills in the Va. General Assembly, it has also caused an influx of resolutions in the URB.

The body has passed resolutions in support of House Bills 780, 1312 and 1279 and Senate Bill 494. They are currently on the floor of the Va. General Assembly. 

HB780 and SB494 cover the oversight boards of public universities; if passed, they could result in the undergraduate student body president getting a vote at Mason Board of Visitors meetings. 

Previously, the undergraduate student body president has just been a non-voting student representative at BOV meetings. Their representative power lies in the fact that they are the only undergraduate Mason student permitted to speak at the meetings.

HB1312 would result in a two-year freeze of undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees at public universities. HB1279 would allow the construction of housing on land owned by places of worship and other tax-exempt nonprofit organizations.

The passage of these resolutions are mostly ceremonial; however, the URB commits to advocating for the bills during Mason Lobbies, an event where student representatives travel to Richmond to lobby state legislators on behalf of causes significant to the student body.

Recent weekly URB meetings have featured lengthy debates — they spent almost an hour at the Feb. 12 meeting deciding whether to commit $1,000 of their budget to restock the Student Involvement office’s complimentary supply of Scantrons.

At the Feb. 19 meeting, discussion centered on what the URB was going to support when lobbying at the state capital. “R. 15: A Resolution to Endorse Legislation to Protect our International and Immigrant Student Communities” was co-endorsed by the Hispanic and Latine Leadership Alliance and passed unanimously.

“All the issues we’ve had from ICE has particularly hit my community,” said Gabriel Muñoz, president of HLLA, who spoke from the gallery in support of the bill.

(Sam Douglas / Fourth Estate)

Another proposed resolution sparked debate. “R. 17: A Resolution to Support Legislation for Public Sector Collective Bargaining” was criticized by some for being voted on without having gone through the committee process.

“This is fundamentally illogical,” Representative Andre Esteves said to the bill’s co-sponsor Griffin Crouch. The two debated animatedly during a recess of the URB meeting.

Crouch maintained that, due to Mason Lobbies drawing nearer, the resolution needed to be passed as soon as possible. Esteves said he had several issues with the bill and that it should go back to the URB’s Government and Community Relations committee for debate. 

(Sam Douglas / Fourth Estate)

“There are substantive things that need to be changed,” Esteves said. The motion to send the bill back to committee passed 16-3, with five representatives abstaining.

Due to many members being newly elected to the URB, decorum has been an issue repeatedly brought up by Dubois and Clerk Andrew Boese. 

The meeting on Feb.19 began with laminated cheat sheets of “Robert’s Rules of Order” being handed out. “Robert’s Rules of Order” is a 150 year old guide on professional procedure for meetings and governance. 

Near the end of the meeting, Dubois reminded the representatives to maintain professionalism and “refrain from emotional outbursts.”

“We are not siblings … In here, we are representatives,” Dubois said.

(Andrew T. Yarbrough / Fourth Estate)

BY ANDREW T. YARBROUGH, STAFF WRITER

Mason’s Computer Science Club and PatriotHacks hosted HackFax x PatriotHacks, a 72-hour hacking challenge, from Friday, Feb. 13 to Sunday, Feb. 15 on campus. The event brought students from over 30 colleges and a total of over 500 participants, according to the organizers. 

The community-building event was both a Capture The Flag (CTF), where participants completed short security challenges, and a hackathon where participants collaborated to build software or hardware projects in a short amount of time. The hackathon was also an official Major League Hacking member event. 

Major League Hacking is dedicated to building the hacker community across the world, giving insight and guidance on organizing major events. The organization sent a representative to Hackfax x PatriotHacks to ensure the event went smoothly.  

They also provided students access to developer tools like Gemini, GitHub Copilot, DigitalOcean, ElevenLabs, Solana and Snowflake. Students at the event could borrow devices from the DigiKey hardware lab like Raspberry Pi, Google Home and Arduinos to return at the end of the weekend.

Throughout the weekend, students participated in workshops on various topics including “User Interface/User Experience” design by Peraton, “How to Pitch Ideas” by Colorstack, “How to Maximize Total Compensation” by the National Society of Black Engineers and a women in STEM panel and early career panel provided by Microsoft employees. 

(Andrew T. Yarbrough / Fourth Estate)

Over 15 organizations provided a total of 27 workshops in the Johnson Center and Horizon Hall.

The weekend kicked off on Friday, Feb. 13, at an opening ceremony where the organizers introduced the sponsors of the event, including AWS, Cloudforce, Microsoft, Peraton and Cipher Tech Solutions. The sponsors also introduced the prizes students could win and the categories each hackathon team could participate in. 

Teams could participate in a range of categories for their hackathon project, including categories like sustainability, health/health care, education, blockchain, cyber and security presented by the organizers, or categories like PatriotAI, UI/UX, startups and digital forensics presented by sponsors.

The event was open to everyone regardless of skill level. For those that were new to hackathons and CTFs, there was a virtual “Intro to Hackathon” event and “CTF Info Session” before the weekend began. 

AI use was highly encouraged, with multiple seminars showcasing how to use the latest AI models like Google Gemini, GitHub Copilot and Mason’s own PatriotAI provided by Cloudforce, another one of the event sponsors.

While the hackathon project encompassed most of the weekend, the CTF portion went from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, giving students the opportunity to complete as many challenges as possible. The CTF staff provided support, guidance and answers for participants on Sunday. 

The event continued through Sunday with judging of the hackathon projects throughout most of the day in Horizon Hall. The event concluded with an ending ceremony at 7 p.m., with winners receiving prizes for both the CTF events and the hackathon. 

When they weren’t preparing their demonstrations or completing challenges, students participated in events such as a gaming tournament by Ernest and Young, one of the largest professional services companies in the world, break dancing by BreakFamous, a club at Mason and card games provided by the Engineering and Computing Student Council.

Even though the event was technical, challenging and hands-on, Computer Science Club President Emmanuel Ortega, a junior majoring in Computer Science, emphasized that the organizers want everyone to know the event was really about “building community.” 

(Basil Mustafa / Fourth Estate)

BY BASIL MUSTAFA, STAFF WRITER

Democratic state legislators Saddam Salim and Gretchen Bulova held a town hall meeting in Fairfax City Hall on the morning of Feb. 14. 

The town hall served as a forum for Salim and Bulova to introduce themselves and their legislative ambitions as elected officials, as well as answer questions from local residents.

Salim is a member of the Virginia State Senate from the 37th district, covering Alleghany, Botetourt and Craig counties. Bulova represents the 11th district, comprising most of Fairfax County and the entirety of the City of Fairfax.

Salim introduced what he believes to be the main issues in the 2026 legislative session, including housing affordability, education and school funding, environmental legislation and the prospect of the Tysons’ casino.

He discussed how the newly elected Democratic governor, speaker of the house and president of the Senate will be assets in passing legislation. He assured the audience that the Democratic party works “for the people and not the donors.”

Delegate Bulova said she feels that she can make an impact with her background in both K-12 and higher education. 

Bulova also sits on the finance committee. She said that Virginia has an “archaic” financial structure and that the committee is doing what they can to restructure it.

She furthered that she’s working with other Democrats in the House to get “funding back to Fairfax County” as well as other localities, but that they are “playing the long game” to achieve that goal.

When sharing her legislation, Bulova emphasized that the main focus of her campaign was winning the seat, not necessarily pushing for certain legislation.

A number of Salim’s bills were geared toward artificial intelligence. As the youngest Va. senator, he joked “that it is always up to [him] to explain what AI is” to his colleagues. 

Since last summer, Salim has been working on legislation dealing with immigration enforcement . Va. Senate Bill 352 would force immigration officials to remove face coverings and sunglasses without extenuating circumstances. Va. Senate Bill 783 lays out stricter regulations for the state’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

During the forum, Salim addressed the shootings in Minnesota from his perspective as an individual with Bengali roots. He said that before the shootings, people of color felt like they exclusively had a target on their backs. However, the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two white people, had a greater public effect because “the last two shootings — they looked like the rest of you.”

Salim, a George Mason Public Administration alum and Northern Virginia native, won the 2023 general election for Virginia State Senate in a race against Ken Reid.

Bulova won a 2026 firehouse primary after Gov. Abigail Spanberger chose her husband, David Bulova, as her new secretary of natural resources. A firehouse primary is when a party, not state, holds a special election to fill an empty position.

Although the crowd consisted primarily of older residents, eighth grader Evelyn Nazarino found a way to get involved with the state government. 

“It’s really fun to learn all the different parts [of the legislative process],” she said as a member of the Senate and House page program. “It’s also really fun to meet all the people and network.” 

Rose Lumpkin, Salim’s district director, described town halls as a “great way for people to advocate for things that are important to them and their community … [they are an] outlet for us to hear about what’s important to people who are at a grassroots level.”

In an interview with Fourth Estate, Salim highlighted how his identity as a Muslim and his experience immigrating from Bangladesh plays a part in his experience as a legislator. “You realize you’re one person out of the millions who are against you.”

(Louis Volker / Fourth Estate)

BY PHILIP WILKERSON, CONTRIBUTOR

Earlier this winter, George Mason University’s campus was blanketed in snow. As facilities crews worked to clear walkways and keep campus moving, snow was plowed onto Wilkins Plaza, directly covering the Enslaved People Memorial. 

While there was no malicious intent behind this decision, the impact was nonetheless troubling. 

When the names of enslaved people are physically obscured, even unintentionally, it sends a powerful and painful message about whose histories are prioritized and whose are still treated as expendable.

Let me be clear. This is not an indictment of facilities staff or the individuals tasked with keeping our campus safe and accessible. They were doing their jobs. However, intention does not erase impact. The impact of covering the memorial, particularly during Black History Month, is a visible reminder of how easily Black history can be overlooked, minimized or silenced.

That visibility matters deeply to me, in part because of experiences from my own childhood.

Growing up, my mother, who was active in the nonprofit Jack and Jill of America, made sure that I attended an annual enslaved people memorial at Mount Vernon Plantation. 

As a teenager, I admit I did not appreciate it. We would wake up early on Saturday, when I felt I had far better things to do, and head to Mount Vernon. I was impatient, disinterested and embarrassingly dismissive.

At the memorial, we were handed a list of the names of people enslaved by George Washington. We would stand and read them aloud. 

Penny, age 2. Charles. Walter. The names went on and on, dozens after dozens. 

I do not remember every name now, but I remember the weight of reading them aloud. I remember realizing that these were not abstractions or footnotes. These were people, children, families and lives.

What strikes me now is how ashamed I feel of my teenage indifference. That memorial was teaching me something I did not yet have the maturity to understand. Naming the enslaved is an act of dignity and resistance against erasure.

The irony is that this history was quite literally in my backyard. Mount Vernon Plantation was also the backdrop for my high school football team’s photos every year. I still have my senior photo with the main house behind us. Most of my teammates were Black young men, standing proudly in front of a site built on the labor of people who looked like us. 

That contrast between celebration and suffering — visibility and omission — has stayed with me ever since.

That is why seeing the Memorial to the Enslaved People of George Mason covered in snow matters. When names like Penny and James are hidden, even accidentally, it reflects a broader pattern in America. Black histories are often the first to be obscured and the last to be restored.

(Louis Volker / Fourth Estate)

This moment at Mason echoes events beyond our campus. In Philadelphia, the National Park Service removed an exhibit at the President’s House Site that told the stories of the nine people enslaved by George and Martha Washington while they lived there. Workers pried away panels that had been featured for more than 15 years detailing the city’s role in the transatlantic slave trade and the contradiction of slavery alonside the nation’s founding ideals. 

Outrage followed. The city sued, saying changes were made without consultation. The message many heard was clear: for some, the full story of America is still too uncomfortable to tell. 

There is a false narrative that acknowledging slavery, systemic injustice or the realities faced by Black Americans is an attack on the country itself, or an attempt to make white people feel guilty. That framing misses the point entirely.

Looking honestly at America’s full history does not mean you hate this country. It means you care enough to want it to do better.

James Baldwin captured this truth perfectly when he wrote, “I love America more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” 

Critique, when rooted in love, is not destruction. It is accountability.

Teaching children and students the full story of our nation is not about assigning guilt. It is about context. It is about understanding how past injustices shape present realities. It is about ensuring that the next generation grows up informed, empathetic and equipped to build a more just future.

When snow is piled on top of an enslaved people memorial, the lesson, intentional or not, is that remembrance is optional. But remembrance is not optional. Memory is a responsibility.

This moment invites us to slow down and think more carefully about how our decisions affect others. It asks us to consider impact alongside intention. It challenges institutions like George Mason University, which prides itself on its commitment to diversity and inclusion, to be especially mindful of how Black histories are treated in shared spaces.

We can do better. We must do better.

(Detra Bell / Fourth Estate)

BY LOUIS VOLKER, COPY EDITOR

Marty Mauser, the ping-pong obsessed protagonist of Josh Safdie’s newest Academy Award-nominated film “Marty Supreme,” is not a good person. He lies, he cheats, he kills, he manipulates and he steals. 

He will soon become a celebrated pop culture icon. 

“Marty Supreme” is by all means an excellent movie. With absurd comedy beats, dedicated performances and an engaging 80’s-inspired soundscape that clashes deliciously with its 50’s setting, its nine Oscar nominations are no surprise. While I don’t believe it will top “One Battle After Another” for the coveted Best Picture prize, star Timothée Chalamet has a real shot at becoming one of the youngest ever Best Actor winners. 

Mauser’s (Chalamet) unique appeal as a character stems from his radical self-belief. Unrelentingly charismatic, his insistence upon the inevitability of his future greatness is audacious and immediately charming. Our experience is similar to that of many of the movie’s side characters: despite our awareness of his many flaws, we can’t help but root for him. 

As a result, he seems to be quickly joining the likes of ‘Literally Me’ characters: movie characters that young men idolize online and seek to emulate in their attitudes and lives. These characters are solitary and socially alienated men that strive for power or control over their situations, often using violence and immoral means to achieve it. 

Think men like Rustin Cohle, Patrick Bateman, Officer K and even The Joker. 

The issue with Mauser and ‘Literally Me’ characters doesn’t lie in how their movies portray them, but in how audiences digest them. Young men in particular can misinterpret source material and end up reinforcing harmful societal beliefs about themselves and others. 

The rhetorical argument made by “Marty Supreme” is genuinely one of my favorite aspects of the movie. It’s an engaging and effective story that embraces radical self-belief while warning against disregarding others in one’s pursuit of greatness. The issue arises when the audience doesn’t glean this message. 

My worry is that young men who watch “Marty Supreme” will be inspired to see the world the way that Mauser does when they recognize his confidence, but don’t recognize his hubris. Men that feel underestimated and disregarded likely see Mauser as a role model, and fail to realize his deep character flaws that give the movie its iconic ‘Safdie-esque’ tension. 

Similar to how viewers ignore the satire of “American Psycho” and view Patrick Bateman as someone to emulate, I worry that Mauser’s lack of empathy will be remembered and reflected along with his audacious charisma.

I don’t believe the movies that have introduced these characters are at fault for how they’ve been absorbed into popular culture. I also don’t believe that there’s anything wrong with liking fictional characters that are bad people. Interpretations of movies are subjective, and there is no one true way to completely understand or misunderstand the messages told by fiction. 

The problematic effect of ‘Literally Me’ characters becomes apparent when it directly affects how people, especially young men, view the world and treat others. 

This is a proven issue that has created real harm in today’s society. “Groypers” and practices like “ooksmaxxing,” while memed, originate from an internet “manosphere” that perpetuates anti-feminist rhetoric and the idea that gender equality strips away men’s rights. Users operating within the manosphere use these ‘Literally Me’ characters not as the warnings they are written to be, but as sources of personal identity. They can take these flawed characters and find reassurance and security in their flaws, rather than inspiration to seek growth and avoid the disastrous fates that many of these characters face. 

Unsuspecting lonely young men that seek security and identity can easily become roped into these online circles and worldviews advertised as cures for their loneliness and insecurity. I love “Marty Supreme.” The world loves “Marty Supreme.” I just hope the world doesn’t fall in love with Marty Mauser.

(Katie Perschau / Fourth Estate)

BY RENATA PERNEGROVA, STAFF WRITER

Tangle Club has officially become a registered student organization on campus as of the start of the spring semester after holding a number of informal meetings last fall. 

The club vows to create a venue where students from across the political spectrum can discuss current political issues, offering an alternative to existing political discussion clubs on campus such as Democrats at Mason, GMU Republicans and Turning Point USA. 

“Tangle is a space for everyone to hear different perspectives and engage in a productive debate with people they may not necessarily agree with,” said graduate student Sam Fournier, who brought the initiative to Mason. “The goal is to establish a common ground based on the facts, and to come together to hear other people’s ideas.” 

Mason’s Tangle Club is a part of a network of Tangle Clubs on college campuses nationwide. It is an enterprise of Tangle News, an independent, non-partisan newsletter publisher focused on American politics. 

“I was a fan of the Tangle Newsletter and their focus on fostering non-partisan discussion, so I thought starting this club would be one way to do the same on our campus,” Fournier said. 

The first Tangle Club meeting at Mason was in the middle of the fall semester. It was followed by bi-weekly meetings held until the end of the semester. In that period, Fournier was working on making the club an official entity on campus. 

“The format of the meetings stays largely the same; we are still going to be discussing what’s in the news,” he said. “Our goal is to evolve and get students from different majors involved, and also to grow big enough so it is worthwhile for the Tangle News Founder Isaac Saul, who started it from scratch, to come to speak to us in person.” 

The fall meetings discussed the mayoral election win of New York City’s Zohran Mamdani and the longest government shutdown in the nation’s history. The inaugural meeting of the spring semester on Feb. 5 focused on Venezuela, Greenland and Minneapolis. Fournier said the themes of the upcoming sessions will depend solely on what’s currently in the news. 

While Tangle Club joins a handful of already well-established political entities on campus, Fournier says he does not believe the club’s reach to students is going to be overshadowed by other political groups at Mason. 

“I thought there was a need for an organization that would kind of bridge those gaps and whose purpose was to bring people together,” he said.

According to Fournier, a wide spectrum of opinions during Tangle meetings makes the discussions more exciting. “We are actually trying to lean into the controversies. It is so boring when everybody is just agreeing with each other,” he said.

“During the discussion, we respect each other in the room as equals, and we want to hear what people honestly believe, regardless of controversy,” Fournier said. “We want to critique the ideas, but we don’t want to attack people.” 

Tangle Club meets every second Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. in Horizon Hall, room 5200. The next meeting is planned for Feb. 19.

(Mitchell Richtmyre / Fourth Estate)

BY BRIAN A. HAYUM, SPORTS EDITOR

Mason men’s basketball (21-5, 9-4 Atlantic 10) lost its second straight game on Feb. 13, falling to the GW Revolutionaries 72-53 in Washington, D.C.

It was GW senior forward Luke Hunger’s night. The transfer from Northwestern stepped in for star player Rafael Castro, who was out due to a foot injury, and led the way with a career-high 31 points. The loss snaps a five-game winning streak against the Revs. It is also the Patriots’ second straight double-digit loss. 

“Tough night, tough two-game stretch for George Mason Basketball,” said Head Coach Tony Skinn after the loss. “[GW] came out with the intensity level that we just didn’t seem to have or match.”

Senior guard Masai Troutman and graduate guard Jahari Long were the only two Patriots to score in double figures, as the rest of the team shot 11-33 from the field. 

Mason’s leading scorer, junior guard Kory Mincy, continued to struggle on the offensive end, logging 5 points in 29 minutes. Since injuring the thumb on his shooting hand in the home loss to Duquesne, Mincy is averaging 4.6 ppg on 25% shooting from the field and is 2-13 from three. 

For GW, Hunger caught fire early on by hitting his first five shots, including 3 from beyond the 3-point line. 

“Him getting going from 3 early kinda shocked us,” Long said. 

The Patriots would respond, taking the lead with a layup from senior guard Fatt Hill with 33 seconds left, but a 3-point play by junior guard Jean Aranguren with 3.3 seconds left gave the home team a 32-30 lead going into the half time. Hill’s layup would be the last lead the Patriots enjoyed. 

The Revs picked up right where they left off in the second half, going on a 9-3 run and never looking back. 

Since a five-point win over the Revolutionaries in Fairfax on Jan. 19, the Patriots have lost four of their last seven games. The stretch comes after the Patriots enjoyed an 18-1 start to the season, the best in program history. 

“This is a team that has won a lot of games this season, and we need to just stick together down the stretch,” Skinn said.

The Patriots have five games left in conference play, including games against heavyweights VCU and Saint Louis to close out the regular season. Mincy and company will have a stern test tonight with an ascending Dayton team that’s looking to gain ground in the race for a double bye in the A-10 tournament. 

Students can register for tickets on Mason360, and the game will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m.

(Davon Marion / Fourth Estate)

BY PETER MAHLER, ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Nine days after Richmond snapped George Mason’s undefeated Atlantic 10 streak with a 14-point loss, the Patriots evened the season series after surviving a 46-37 defensive battle on Monday afternoon against the Spiders.

Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis knew exactly the type of game her team needed to play to defeat the high-flying Spiders. 

“Our only key tonight was to play hard for 40 minutes, I don’t care about offense,” she said.

“If we’re not scoring, they’re not scoring. That was the mindset. 40 minutes. Relentless.” 

Coming into Fairfax off an 11-game win streak, Richmond’s A-10-best scoring offense presented plenty of challenges for a Mason squad that missed 50 field goals in a Rhode Island loss on Saturday.

In their first meeting, three Spiders scored 15 or more points on the Patriot defense. However, Mason’s junior guard Kennedy Harris and senior guard Jada Brown scored 15 and 10 points respectively in the rematch, and zero Richmond players saw double figures.

With 7 combined blocks by both teams in the first quarter alone, the scoring was made especially difficult. Mason’s offense failed to get much going in the first ten minutes, shooting 4-of-19 from the field. Still, Richmond’s 4-of-13 performance wasn’t much better.

Mason held a 12-11 advantage heading into the second quarter, and neither team would shoot well for the remainder of the game. With both teams shooting under 30% from the field, the win would be determined by Mason’s slight edge in 3-point shooting.

When Mason did sink their shots in this game, it was with a splash. Nearly half of Mason’s buckets — eight of the 18 Patriot field goals — were scored from three, giving the Patriots a slim advantage in a low-scoring affair. 

Mason entered the second half up 21-20 and went on a 9-0 run, solidifying a lead they would not relinquish. They outscored the Spiders 17-8 in the third and never looked back, with Kennedy Harris’s 8 points leading the charge.

Harris provided Mason with some much-needed offensive firepower, as her game-leading 15 points and three 3-pointers aided the offense when it was most needed.

Harris landed awkwardly on her right ankle late in the fourth, but managed to close out the game with 4 points in the final minutes, including a dazzling, one-legged floater immediately after returning to the game.

“We pulled through,” she said after the gritty performance. “It’s been a hard-fought battle this last week, so we came together, and we got the win.” 

Standout junior forward Zahirah Walton had another unusually low-scoring game, mustering 4 points and making only 2 of her 13 shots from the field. Over the last two games, Walton has only made 5 of her last 26 field goals, averaging 5.5 ppg.

“We just keep telling her we believe in her … and so we focused on, ‘How can you still impact the game if your shots aren’t going in?’ I don’t want any heads dropping. I don’t want any of that,” Blair-Lewis said. 

Walton made a tremendous impact on defense, showcasing her ability to perform well even when her shots aren’t falling. She had two blocks while defending driving layups, and her 7 defensive rebounds sparked momentum for her teammates on the fast break.

Mason’s rebounding dictated the flow of the game. Graduate forward Hawa Komara’s nine offensive rebounds not only extended Mason’s possessions but also kept the ball out of the Spiders’ grasp for long stretches of time.

In one instance late in the fourth, Komara recorded an astounding five rebounds in the span of just over a minute. After missing a free throw attempt, she even rebounded her own miss, maintaining possession and stealing away precious clock from the trailing Spiders.

(Davon Marion / Fourth Estate)

Richmond coach Aaron Roussell couldn’t help but commend Blair-Lewis’s defensive gameplan during his presser, noting the challenge his players faced moving the ball while also highlighting the impact of playing Mason twice in nine days. 

“I think we got dribble happy tonight … George Mason was really great defensively,” said the seventh-year coach. “I thought they were on their assignments, they knew their game plan and they stuck to it really, really well.” 

Roussell went on to say how much of an impact the Mason crowd had on his team’s psyche, with the Green Machine band showering their bench with heckles and jeers for the entire game.

For a program that has dominated the A-10 all season long with 75 points per game, their performance was shocking. Mason held the Spiders to their first sub-40-point game since their match against UMass in 2019, and they did it through aggressive switches, disciplined defense and instinctive rebounding.

The Patriots remain neck and neck with the Spiders as they compete for second place in the standings behind Rhode Island. Fans can watch Mason on ESPN+ when they face Loyola Chicago on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Loyola Chicago was incorrectly referred to as being in last-place in the A-10. (Wednesday, Feb. 18, 3:34 p.m.)

(Mitchell Richtmyre / Fourth Estate)

BY ISABELLA PEARLSTEIN, STAFF WRITER AND LOUIS VOLKER, COPY EDITOR

Mason students packed the Johnson Center Friday as they eagerly awaited fellow Patriot Ilia Malinin’s gold medal-worthy performance. Several falls and failed jumps later, the packed student center fell quiet as Malinin would finish a shocking eighth place.

Malinin, a resident of Vienna, Virginia, and a student at George Mason, held a five-point lead after the short program of the men’s singles competition. Though he had not attempted the move, many viewers anticipated the 21-year-old to perform a quad axle, a move that is widely seen as the hardest in figure skating.

Considered impossible decades ago, a quad axle jump consists of a forward-facing jump, 4 ½ mid-air rotations and a backward-facing landing. Malinin is the only skater to have ever successfully executed the jump, dubbing him the nickname: Ilia “Quad God” Malinin. 

The 21-year old had not performed it during his time at the Olympics before his men’s free skate performance.

“I’ve been watching his season… He’s the best in the world,” said Shikar Chaturvedi, a senior Government and International Politics major. “So I’m excited to see an official quad axle from him.”

As Malinin took to the ice, the JC erupted in cheers, and students and staff waved their pom poms. An eager hush fell over the crowd as Malinin’s performance began.

The excitement was palpable. To many, it was not a matter of if, but by how many points Malinin would win his Olympic medal. 

“What will be the score? How many of his quads will land?” said freshman Caitlin Schuetz. Students and staff erupted after Malinin landed the first jump of the program, a quad flip. With the first jump out of the way, the young phenom seemed on his way towards the gold medal.

Next came the daunting quad axle. Malinin had teased the audience in previous programs by including the jump, but had yet to show it off. 

Another jump, a quad lutz, and more cheers and applause erupted from students and staff.

Malinin geared up for another jump, a quad loop, only landing a double. After another jump attempt, a quad lutz, students and staff gasped as Malinin fell to the ice.

The eager hush of potential gold turned to one of shock and disbelief.

As Malinin’s skate came to an end, he pulled off his signature back flip and dizzying spin.

Moments later, the crowd stared in silence as Malinin put his face in his hands. Malinin finished in eighth place, falling twice during his routine and failing to execute any of his record-breaking stunts.

Malinin had been projected to win gold weeks before the Milano Cortina Olympics even began. The New York Times had described this year’s Olympic Games as the “Ilia Malinin show.” Instead, Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov finished first, winning his country its second-ever gold medal. 

George Mason also anticipated the win, hanging banners and announcing an official watch party in the middle of the Johnson Center for the big event. The university advertised the event, in honor of the “Quad God,” and supplied onlookers with free food and drinks. 

Students filed out quickly after the loss, leaving the space nearly empty as Malinin gave his post-competition interview. 

Helen Vanhove, a senior English major with figure skating experience, said, “I just think he wasn’t there mentally. I know that [you] can feel good going into it and [when] he attempted the first axle it mentally broke him.”

Several students offered words of encouragement and support for Malinin after his performance.

“I thought everything he’s done — the rest of the Olympics, in the teams event, in his short program — he did amazing, and [this] program doesn’t take away from everything else he’s done,” Vanhove said.

“It’s shocking and sad,” said Schuetz. “I understand it’s probably a lot of pressure [from] everybody. I think [everybody] was counting their chickens before they hatched.” 

“I hope he knows that we are all behind and support him, win, lose or whatever,” said Maddie Davis, a University Life staff member.

Senior Computer Science major Isaac Thompson said, “I’m hoping that he doesn’t lose confidence in his career, that he continues to push himself and go for gold, of course, like, if he wants to. [I hope he] does what he wants in life, obviously.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Accompanying video was shot by Adam Roth.

(Nathan Ferraro / Fourth Estate)

BY SAM DOUGLAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

To the Mason community,

My name is Sam Douglas, and I am the Editor-in-Chief of Fourth Estate. I am a sophomore majoring in Communication, and journalism has been present throughout my entire college career.

In my first semester as a staff writer on campus, I covered protests, lawsuit threats and more. Since the next semester, when I got my first leadership role as Assistant News Editor and started having a small say in decision-making, I have been driven to make Fourth Estate the best newspaper it could possibly be.

After a short stint as Co-News Editor, I became Editor-in-Chief in early October. Since I got the role, I can honestly say that I am proud of every article Fourth Estate has published. I am equally proud of the talented leadership team that has been established here; they are all fantastic writers, editors and people.

Our team has done good work so far this academic year: we’ve covered turmoil in the Board of Visitors and Student Government. We’ve been at protests and political rallies. We had extensive coverage of Election Day, and published daily for over a month straight.

While I’m proud of our work last fall semester, I believe the best is yet to come. Concurrently, Fourth Estate’s work is needed now more than ever.

Some big news outlets have been unable to resist the political sway of rich owners. More and more local newspapers close their doors each month. It is crucially important at this time for student newspapers to fill that void.

As EIC, I promise that Fourth Estate will continue to provide unbiased, important journalism for the Mason community and everyone else that is interested. I want to hear from you all: whether you have an opinion on the news of the week or are interested in joining our team (no experience required), feel free to email me at any time.

I look forward to hearing from all of you throughout the semester.

Sam Douglas, Editor-in-Chief

sdougl4@gmu.edu