“Vagina” — the word is taboo, yet when used in the right context, so intriguing. For most people, it’s an evil-sounding word. It’s unsettling, upsetting and inappropriate. Heck, one might even wince at the sound of it. Despite this social bias, the women in last weekend’s performance of The Vagina Monologues at George Mason University broke through that awkward shell and put on a spectacular show.

Rodick, above, was a fan of Dr Pepper growing up. After competing in a scholarship contest, the company is now contributing to her education. (Photo by Lindsey Denny)

Unbeknownst to Carley Rodick, her Facebook, cell phone and e-mail inboxes began filling up just moments after being handed a check for $123,000. While many offered enthusiastic congratulations, some messages were hate mail sent by complete strangers.

“I guess they felt as though I had just been lucky in winning or that the prize should have been divided between more people,” said Rodick.

As one of six children in her family, the burden of paying for college had fallen upon Rodick. With the university’s financial aid cut and her denial from a federal work-study program, the scholarship couldn’t have come at a better time.

Dr Pepper had always been a staple in the refrigerator of the sophomore nursing major’s home in Fredericksburg, Va. That is why when the company offered an instant-win game requiring entering codes online that were printed on the inside of lids, Rodick’s mother zealously saved bottle caps and encouraged her daughter to enter.

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In life we are constantly challenged — challenged to do the right thing, to keep moving forward, to continue to better ourselves. Yet through all of this, we remain steadfast, we remain adamant and we remain committed to our goals as well as to ourselves. We remain committed to the truth, our truth, whatever that may be.

George Mason University philosophy professors want to show students the different connections between politics, philosophy and economics. Dr. Peter Boettke, an economics professor at Mason, said the school’s weekly seminar touching on all three areas will integrate the topics. “Increased specialization in these subjects has isolated them from what they were in the past,” said Boettke, who hopes to bring the fields closer together.