The Mason Spirit

From aggressive drivers and playground bullies to Tiger Woods and his well-documented dalliances, Mason adjunct professor Leslie Morton says enough is enough when it comes to people behaving badly. “That sort of behavior has not only been tolerated but it has now become acceptable,” she says. “[Civility] has become a lost art.” In a first…

Continue Reading New Civility Class Reminds Students to Mind their Ps and Qs

Hey Mason alum, if you haven’t been on the Fairfax Campus, say, since Bush II was still in his first term in office, then you may want to bring along a map next time you pay your old stumping grounds a visit. The campus has nearly twice the buildings it had when I last took…

Continue Reading Mason, You Look All Grown Up

If one bride ain’t enough, Jack, then you better make it three. This Saturday, Mason law school graduate, Katie Kunkel, JD ’09, will share a wedding with two other brides she has something very much in common with: They all have the same parents. In a move spurred on mostly by economics (you can almost hear dad…

Continue Reading Here Come the Bride(s)! Alum, Two Sisters to Share Wedding Altar

Take away the beer-soaked jerseys, pork rinds (well, maybe), and all-night draft parties from fantasy football and what are you left with? How about fantasy Supreme Court. A year ago, Mason law school graduate Josh Blackman, JD ’09, launched an online game that lets players predict how the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices will rule on cases in…

Continue Reading Hey, Lovers of Litigation, Mason Grad Creates ‘Fantasy’ Supreme Court League

Hey, alumni, won’t you please come home and visit every now and then? Well, here’s your chance. Marking its second year, Mason’s Alumni Weekend kicks off Thursday, September 30, and lasts through Sunday, October 3. Though there will be a ton of activities to keep alums busy all weekend, some of the highlights include a…

Continue Reading Vegas-Themed Party, a Step Off, and Wizards Basketball Awaits Alumni this Weekend

Each Thursday evening this semester at Mason, expect to hear gasps and screams coming from Room 80 in Enterprise Hall. That’s because what’s being discussed inside is a topic that has most horror movie fans clutching their popcorn bags in fear: the walking undead. Jeffrey Mantz, an assistant professor at Mason, is teaching an anthropology…

Continue Reading Brains, Brains, a Zombie Class Wants to Fill Students’ Brains

It may have rained on the grand opening of the Hampton Roads and Eastern Shore residence halls on Thursday, but the students came to celebrate anyway. Doc Nix and the Green Machine were sheltered by tents as they made their music. Festivities were moved inside Pilot House, Mason’s newest student eatery, and the line was…

Continue Reading Let Them Eat (Charm City) Cake!

Mason grad Lee Lacy’s search for meaningful work took her not only out of the region, but halfway around the world. For the past three years, Lacy, MS Social and Organizational Learning ‘02, has been heading up the Peace Corps’ volunteer efforts in Armenia. As Peace Corps director in the western Asia country, she leads a program…

Continue Reading Career Takes Alum Far (And We Mean Far!) Away

In the upcoming fall issue of the Mason Spirit, we feature a number of Mason economists and their somewhat unusual research pursuits. One of the economists we chatted with for the feature was Russ Roberts, who is known for bringing economics to the creative arts. He is a novelist with three books to his credit—The Price of…

Continue Reading Rappin’ with Economist Russ Roberts

Every where we turn, George Mason University is getting the thumb’s up. Three new lists feature Mason in their rankings. George Mason University was named in the top 150 of the best national universities on U.S.News and World Report’s list of Best Colleges 2011, published on Aug. 17. In addition, Mason was ranked for the third consecutive year in…

Continue Reading It’s Official: We’re Awesome