March 28 issue

the ROADSIDE

April Fool’s Day is just around the corner. Tickle Mason’s Finest News Source your funny bone with Broadside’s second annual Roadside insert, featuring fake stories about President Merten, tuition increases, marijuana legalization and more! Section B

George Mason University’s Student Newspaper www.broadsideonline.com

March 28, 2011

Volume 87 Issue 18

President Merten announces retirement Merten to step down in June 2012 Laura Bolt Administration Beat Reporter

Photo by John Powell

Senior Cam Long (20) gets double teamed by Ohio State University players during the Patriots third round NCAA game last Sunday. The Patriots 9866 loss brought their successful season to a close.

The Board of Visitors accepted President Alan Merten’s retirement request on Wednesday. Merten’s term, which had been scheduled to go until June 2013, will now end on June 30, 2012. In a letter to the George Mason University community, President Merten stated that serving his term “has been the greatest privilege of my career.” The announcement of Merten’s retirement came as somewhat of a surprise. In February 2010, his contract had been renewed for two years, extending his term until June 2013. Merten has been president of Mason since July 1996, having previously served as the dean of the Johnson Graduate School of Management of Cornell University and the dean of the College of Business Administration at the University at Florida, amongst other academic and business roles. In his time as president, Mason has grown in local and in-

ternational reputation. During his tenure, student enrollment increased from 24,000 in 1996 to over 32,000 today. There has also been a substantial increase in facilities and academic programs. In a statement that came with the announcement, Rector Lloyd Volgenau said that “One of Dr. Merten's greatest accomplishments has been to create an environment where highly regarded scholars have come and flourished. Because of his leadership, George Mason University is the place where research in the fields of economics, life sciences, computer technology and bioscience is changing the world.” Presidential Chief of Staff Tom Hennessey also praised Merten’s leadership, noting that Mason has had two “visionary” leaders for more than 30 years (Merten was preceded by George W. Johnson, who served from 1978–96). Hennessey also said that Merten’s 15-year term was longer than the average at other universities, giving the faculty and staff members a strong sense of continuity.

A sudden ending Patriots end season in Cleveland, look promising for 2012 Pat Carroll Asst. Sports Editor The men’s basketball season came to a close last Sunday night in Cleveland, Ohio after a 98-66 loss to Ohio State University in the third round of the NCAA tournament. The loss brought an end to an unexpectedly successful season for the Patriots. Coming off a brutal loss to Fairfield in the first

round of the CollegeInsider.net postseason tournament last March, the Patriots looked far from winning a CAA regular season champion and NCAA tournament bid this season. Beating a Harvard team that many analysts, including Dick Vitale and Doug Gottlieb, felt deserved to be in the NCAA Tournament, the Patriots opened their 2010-2011 season with a win. That game at the Pa-

triot Center would be just the first of 14 home wins for the Patriots, as they went undefeated playing in front of their home crowd. Senior Cam Long had a strong campaign, leading the team in scoring (15.1 points per game), steals (47) and minutes (33 minutes per game). His experience proved beneficial throughout the season as he lead the Patriots to a CAA regular season

Mason helps Japan relief efforts

title and the most efficient offensive and defensive team in the CAA in regular season play. Long, who has played at George Mason University for all four years, has had a cool, calm and collected demeanor throughout his college career and was a fine leader for a relatively young Patriots squad. Photo from The Mason Gazette

See NCAA, Page 10

Multiple groups collecting money for reconstruction Laura Bolt Administration Beat Reporter

Photo from yisrisʼ flickr account

Students from George Mason University are collec ng money to help relief efforts in Japan following the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that hit the country on March 11.

George Mason University has begun to coordinate its relief efforts in response to the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which occurred March 11, has left thousands of victims dead, injured or homeless. In a March 14 e-mail, Vice President of University Life Sandra Scherrens, encouraged students and other members of the Mason community affected by

President Alan Merten will re re June 30, 2012.

the tragedy to seek help at the Office of University Life or Office of International Programs and Services. Students can find more information about services and appointments at ulife.gmu.edu. Judith Green, the director of the Office of International Programs and Services, acknowledged that, in addition to providing referrals and support, “OIPS is participating in the collection of money for the victims of the double catastrophe.” Scherrens relayed in that email that “We hope that losses of life and property, and injuries, will be limited, and that the affected areas will make a swift recovery.” Director of Disability Services Linn Jorgenson and Program Administrator of the masters

telecommunication program Toshiko Uchiyama from the telecommunications department, along with groups from Student Involvement, have formed a group they are calling “Smile for Japan.” Jorgenson, who has been involved in some fundraising efforts before in the areas of breast cancer and MS, says that they are a group of enthusiastic students, faculty and staff. The group is still organizing and focusing their goals, but they would like to support education efforts, ideally adopting a Japanese university. Their intention is to support education in the best way they can.

See JAPAN, Page 3

Mason officials to present campus, Quality Enhancement Plan

Student cleared of abduction charges

Visit from Southern Association of Colleges and Schools this week

University currently reviewing March 16 incident involving alleged abduction

Gregory Connolly News Editor The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools begins its three-day visit to George Mason University on Monday. SACS will review Mason's accreditation, and part of the process includes a fiveyear plan to improve the program known as the Students as Scholars Quality Enhancement Plan. The SACS representatives will submit a verbal report on their visit to Mason on Thursday with the final written report arriving in a month. In December, the regional commission will hand down its verdict regarding Mason's accreditation. Kim Eby, the associate

provost for faculty development and the director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Mason, said the QEP involves three primary tenants: increasing opportunities for students to get involved in scholarship, establishing an infrastructure that helps to enable student scholarship and creating more opportunities for students to engage with faculty outside of the classroom. In addition to increasing the role of students as researchers, the QEP calls for a new office that will list classes involved in inquiry-based learning. Representatives from the office — some of whom will have worked on Students as Scholars projects in the past — will

See QEP, Page 4

Alex Guichet Connect2Mason Standing Editor George Mason University announced on March 16 that they have dropped their charges against Abdirashid Dahir for alleged abduction. The school plans to continue reviewing the case through their own Judicial Affairs process. Dahir told Connect2Mason that he is "really happy with how things have turned out in the end," and that "everyone at Mason really is great, this is just a small case of a few people messing up that exploded to something bigger than

tial review of the actions taken by it should be." This story began on March 8 University Officers. “…the university will engage when Dahir, a senior, found himself in a conflict with an uniden- in an external investigation to tified woman who allegedly conduct a thorough and impartial analysis of the occupied his actions taken by study room in university police Fenwick Library. For more officers related to After a verbackground the incident that bal altercation information, past led to Dahir’s arwith the woman, stories or to read all rest on a felony Mason police press releases and charge. At the apasked Dahir to comments propriate time the leave the library, regarding the findings of this inand later arincident visit vestigation will be rested him in his Connect2Mason.com made public. common room Thousands voiced for alleged abtheir concern for duction. the students at The University also announced that they will the center of this event during undergo an external and impar- the past week. While this has

been a difficult experience, the university is proud of its diverse and engaged students and alumni, who chose to speak out and get involved,” said the press release. “This is a serious matter and we intend to thoroughly review the actions of all the parties involved in this incident. George Mason University embraces diversity and inclusiveness, and will not tolerate actions inconsistent with this core value,” said University Vice President Maurice Scherrens. Mason Police declined a Freedom of Information Act request for records regarding the incident. Mason Police also continually declined to comment on the case.