Category: Opinion

Why Animation is an Asset

BY SAMUEL FELDHOUSEN, STAFF WRITER Animation is widely considered to be a medium oriented towards children, and it’s not hard to understand why that is. The bright colors and visually appealing sty le seen in many children’s media make them…

What the Heck’s a VSCO Girl?

BY ARIANNA GOODMAN, STAFF WRITER What the heck’s a VSCO girl? I have never felt as old as I did when I asked this question. My boyfriend’s two little sisters walked up to us going, “sksksksks” and “and I oop”…

Getting Fit With Mason Fitness

BY CLAUDE MCVICKER, STAFF WRITER Three years ago I entered the world of weightlifting, and the impact it’s had on my life is monumental. I felt bigger, stronger and more confident, and now, I always try to find time to…

Minimum Wage Hurts Workers

BY ALEX MADAJIAN, STAFF WRITER As I sit down after a long class, grasping my chicken sandwich, my first bite is interrupted by the yells of my fellow students outside of Southside demanding “higher wages, better benefits and more respectful…

America Needs to Fix its Broken Mental Healthcare System

BY SAVANNAH MARTINCIC In the wake of years of mass shootings, mental illness has become a frequent topic of discussion. However, mental health care in America remains a system that does not meet the needs of some 47.6 million people…

Letter from the Editor

Dear Patriots,  In life, you can’t please everyone. And in this job, we hardly please anyone sometimes.  In the two years I have worked as a reporter, I have seldom written something that made me feel all warm and fuzzy….

This Is Suburbia

BY MOSES HUNSAKER, CONTRIBUTOR Going to Mason is a time of transition for new students in many ways, and for some it isn’t just a new home — it’s a whole new area as well. Northern Virginia is dominated by…

Science Labs vs. Mental Health

BY ZOEHRIYA ANWAR, STAFF WRITER Being subjected to peer and familial pressure in high school resulted in me initially pursuing a degree in biology. I felt burdened by my career plans at that time, and did not see myself as…

Read the Federalist Papers

BY DOMINIC PINO, STAFF WRITER One of the foremost challenges college students face is inexperience. We’re nervous about the sparse experience section on our resumes when we apply for jobs. We’re nervous about our inexperience with relationships. We’re nervous about…

How Studying for Exams Prepared Me For the Real World

BY STEVEN ZHOU, CONTRIBUTOR As midterm season approaches, most students are starting — or are in the process of — the frantic craze of studying for yet another multiple-choice exam. Graduating students are especially excited to get closer to being…