Author Archives: eriktruong

About eriktruong

Erik is a student majoring in Government and International Politics with a minor in Political Communication at Mason. He serves as the Student Body Vice President for the 2018-19 school year.

Mayor Pete for America

BY ERIK TRUONG, STAFF WRITER Could America elect its first gay president in 2020? Pete Buttigieg sure hopes so. But there’s more to Pete than who he loves. At 37, Pete Buttigieg (pronounced BOOT-a-jedge) is known for serving as the…

Take the Step: Join Student Government

BY ERIK TRUONG, STUDENT-BODY VICE PRESIDENT The 2018-19 school year has been transformative for Mason’s Student Government. Since last April, we’ve had to rebuild our organization and reputation from the ground up. We’ve had to do damage control, answer late night…

The Progress Report

BY ERIK TRUONG, CONTRIBUTOR President Trump and Congressional Republicans: whether you support their actions or have been left disappointed, the 2018 midterms will serve as a progress report for the past two years. However, our democratic system is built on citizen…

Products of prison labor on campus

HOW FURNITURE AND SUPPLIES MADE BY PRISONERS END UP IN MASON CLASSROOMS By Erik Truong, Staff Writer The furniture used at Mason every day, along with supplies in the academic buildings and residence halls, are all the products of prison…

Eliot Cohen and “the big stick”

THE FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT ADVISOR DISCUSSED HIS NEW BOOK FOR MASON’S CENTER OF SECURITY AND POLICY STUDIES By Erik Truong, Staff Writer “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” said Theodore Roosevelt, America’s 26th president, speaking in 1901 about the…

Patriot Day: From 2001 to 2017

PATRIOT DAY: FROM 2001 TO 2017 By Erik Truong Today marks the sixteenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Since the attacks, the White House has held similar schedules for the 9/11 anniversary plans with very limited variations. It…

The life and legacy of Yama Quraishi

Grad student dies in terrorist attack in Afghanistan BY ERIK TRUONG, STAFF WRITER Mason faced a somber day Jan. 10 when Mason graduate student Yama Quraishi was killed in a terrorist attack while in Afghanistan. Working for the Afghanistan Embassy…