Author Archives: Natalia Kolenko

About Natalia Kolenko

Natalia is the Campus News editor for Fourth Estate and a senior studying Communication (Journalism concentration) and Global Affairs (Environment concentration). She loves writing and hopes to one day become a journalist for a prominent magazine or news network/paper.

Let’s go phishing

An update from IT Services about Mason’s network issues Since the beginning of this year, Mason has seen a record number of phishing attacks with 84 fraudulent emails in the first six months alone. According to Marilyn T. Smith, vice president…

Mason plays host to governor’s Latino summit

Mason’s Arlington campus hosted a state summit lead by Governor McAuliffe this past August that aimed to increase support for Virginia’s Latino community. President Ángel Cabrera introduced McAuliffe’s Latino Summit, the first of its kind, with a speech after being asked by McAuliffe and…

International buddy program to premiere this fall

A new buddy program will be open to students this semester looking to bridge the gap between cultures and create international friendships. The Mason Compatriots Program works by matching domestic students with international students based on shared hobbies and interests….

Parking permit prices reach new heights

To the disappointment of many students, faculty and staff, the prices for parking permits for the 2015-2016 school year have increased. Joshua Cantor, the director of Parking and Transportation, said the increase occurred because the department needed more revenue to…

Student Government plans to solve Wi-Fi problems

This story was originally published in the April 20 print issue. This spring semester, IT Services and Student Government declared that they had a plan to improve Mason’s Wi-Fi, but so far enhancements are yet to be seen. On March…

New Vice Provost to bring Mason into digital age

The Mason Office of Distance Learning within the Office of the Provost searching for a Vice Provost for Digital Innovation and Learning, a new administrative title within the university. According to Mason Provost and Executive Vice-President David Wu, like any…

Real Food Challenge releases “real” results

This story was originally published in the April 13 print issue. The Real Food Challenge at Mason has recently finished their calculations of how much of Southside’s food is considered “real” and the number might shock you. The Real Food…

Mason professor brings awareness to human trafficking

This past Wednesday, New Century College professor Dr. Al Fuertes received the 2015 Spirit of King Award at the event Faces of Human Trafficking. “[The Faces of Human Trafficking] was my way of giving back for receiving the 2015 Spirit…

Smoking out the health risks of vaping

This story was originally published in the April 6 print issue. The rising popularity of electronic cigarettes and vaporizers have exposed an omission in Mason’s smoking policy that allows people to smoke inside, but students and faculty have started to question…