Student Life & Digest

Student organizations raise genocide awareness with art activism project.

On Monday, March 5, Mason’s Cultural Integration Association, Table for Two GMU and Mason’s Working Group on Displaced Populations hosted an art activism event called “One Million Bones” to raise awareness about genocide.

Students participated by sculpting clay bones in Dewberry Hall to send to the One Million Bones project. The Cultural Integration Association succeeded in obtaining 432 bones, just 68 short of its goal of 500.

Letter from the Editor: Blogs

Over the past month Connect2Mason has launched five blogs. While our main goal is still on producing great content for our homepage, the blogs allow some of our writers to discuss topics that don’t always have space to fit on the homepage and to provide information on a wide range of topics to you, the reader. Check out C2M’s newest blogs and let us know what you think:

High energy comes with high risks

George Mason University dining is buzzing about the health risks from energy drinks.

Mason Dining’s Registered Dietitian Lois Durant hosted an event on Feb. 25 discouraging students from over-consuming energy drinks. The event acknowledged the health risks of energy drinks such as Red Bull, 5-hour Energy and Monster for the students who consume them.

Because energy drinks are most popular among young adults, Durant believes it is important to warn Mason students of these health risks.

Graduate student shoots for infinity and beyond

The first time Kamil Stelmach stepped out in public wearing his astronaut suit, he was stopped by a police officer.

“It turns out that it’s a class six felony to have your identity concealed in public in Virginia. So I got a little lecture on that, but since the officer figured I wasn’t going to rob a bank, he took a picture and shared it with the department and let me go,” said Kamil Stelmach, graduate chemistry student at Mason.

Student breathes green and gold and inspires Mason Nation

Sometimes the most recognizable person at a basketball game is not a player or a coach but rather a fan in the crowd. This person isn’t just any fan; he or she is at every game. They cheer on the team whether they’re winning or losing, and they always sit in the same seat.

The New York Knicks have Spike Lee. The Los Angeles Lakers have Jack Nicholson.

And the George Mason University Patriots have Trevor Scambos.

Mason’s first-ever Asian American fraternity initiated

Pi Delta Psi was recently initiated as Mason’s first Asian-American cultural fraternity chapter.

Considering that Mason has eight cultural interest sororities and fraternities, including one Asian-American interest sorority, the fraternity’s founders reasoned that Mason needed an Asian-American cultural fraternity.

Student government prepares for spring elections

Mason Student Government is preparing to hold its spring elections for student senate, president and vice president of the student body.

According to the student government website, “the Senate is responsible for passing all legislation brought before it, including resolutions that give statements on the opinions of the student body, and bills that provide funding for Student Government events and activities.”

Starting Monday, Feb. 18, packets to file for candidacy are available for students to pick up at the Office of Student Involvement.

Students create booming Mason cyber culture

Over the past year, George Mason University has gained national recognition  and developed a more engaged student body. Now, Mason’s cyber community is taking the internet by storm.

Mason Votes receives award for political engagement

Mason Votes is a student-run organization that promotes political awareness and involvement (photo courtesy of Mason Votes).

Mason Votes, the George Mason University’s student-run political awareness organization, will receive the Democracy Cup Award from the Campus Election Engagement Project. Mason was recognized as one of the top four campuses within Virginia higher education to "engage their campuses and communities in the 2012 election," according to a press release.

"The CEEP is a national organization that tries to educate college campuses and students about the importance of being involved in the democratic process," said Shane Smith, executive director of Mason Votes and senior at the university. "We relied on them for the grant money that we applied [for] and received in order to do the things that made us successful in the end."

Mason begins work on new dining contract

Headway is being made in the process to finalize a new George Mason University dining contract.

Mason’s Dining Services Request for Proposals committee has reached a confidential decision regarding to whom they will grant the 5-year contract. Dining companies Sodexo and Chartwells are competing for the contract.