Blog Post: Protestors Confront Sen. Mark Warner Ahead of GMU Commencement

Students, faculty, residents and members of 350.org rally over Keystone XL pipeline

American Bistro to Donate 20% to Relay for Life Thursday

Come in between 1-8 p.m. and 20 percent will benefit George Mason University students walking in the Relay for Life.

GMU Honored as One of Country's 'Greenest' Colleges

Ten Virginia colleges in all were recognized by the 'Princeton Review.'

  Fairfax just happens to be the home of one of the country's "greenest" and most "environmentally responsible" colleges, according to the Princeton Review. Ten Virginia schools made The Princeton Review’s "Guide to 322 Green Colleges," released earlier this week - and George Mason University was one of them. The free guide profiles 320 higher education institutions in the United States and two in Canada that demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation. To produce the list, The Princeton Review partnered with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a national nonprofit organization best known for developing the LEED green building rating system. …

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Mayor Silverthorne on GMU and its Relationship With the City

Fairfax City's mayor talks affordable housing, GMU's evolving relationship with the city, and more.

  Did you know Fairfax City Mayor Scott Silverthorne was first elected to the City Council when he was just 24 years old? That's just one of the fun facts he reveals about himself in this interview with Connect2Mason, George Mason University's (GMU) student-run television station. On Saturday, April 6, Connect2Mason sat down with Mayor Silverthorne for an informal chat. Silverthorne spoke about the changing relationship between George Mason University and the city, affordable housing projects, his favorite places in Fairfax, and more. Get an inside look at the man behind the city, and check out more videos like this on Connect2Mason's YouTube channel. PATCH WANTS TO KNOW - What else would you like to learn about our mayor and the other …

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George Mason to Join Atlantic 10 Conference in July

GMU joins dozens of colleges in switching athletics conferences. Officials announced the move Monday morning.

George Mason University announced Monday that it is leaving the Colonial Athletic Association and moving to the Atlantic 10 as of July 1. “This is an exciting time for George Mason University,” said GMU President Ángel Cabrera in a statement. “After careful consideration, we have concluded that joining the A10 is the right move at the right time for Mason.” Tom O’Connor, GMU’s assistant vice president and athletics director, said the move was due to “changes in the collegiate landscape.” “Our vision for Mason athletics is to be the best overall athletics program in the conference, with an emphasis on men’s and women’s basketball, and this perfectly aligned with the Atlantic 10’s vision and accomplishments,” O’Connor said. One of the …

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Beethoven Orchestra Bonn Comes to Fairfax City on Saturday

If you love Beethoven, catch this 8 p.m. performance at George Mason University.

Watch: Parkour Around George Mason Campus

Washington Post picks up the Broadside's video of the the sport craze across the Fairfax City university.

If you've never seen Parkour, there's a good chance you'll see it soon around George Mason University's campus. Parkour — also called "free running" — is an extreme sport in which participants jump, leap, roll and bound between obstacles using only their body weight and momentum to carry them. And Freshman Omar Zaki has made a habit of playing with the sprot around campus. He was captured recently practicing the sport by the school's student paper, The Broadside. The Washington Post also recently shared the video, which has earned more than 45,000 views in just two weeks. “People see the videos and they think, ‘That’s impossible, I could never do that’”, Zaki said in the Broadside. “That is exactly what I thought, but now I’m an instructor…

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Mason Students Say Fairfax Needs to Embrace GMU

Students and council members discuss what it takes to draw GMU downtown, inform students of downtown opportunities.

George Mason University student officials said more business promotion, entertainment venues and overall acknowledgement of the university next door could help attract more students to downtown Fairfax.  Council members and student officials met Tuesday night at the Fairfax campus to discuss ways in which the city and university could partner to bring more of the university's on-campus population into the city limits. "A lot of people don't want to see Fairfax become what they envision a 'college town' is," Student Body President Alex Williams said. "Factually speaking, Fairfax City is a college town. What does [that term] mean to Fairfax City?" Williams cited the University of Virginia and Charlottesville as an example. He said that when …

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Virginia Inches Closer to Allowing In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students

Legislation, modeled after federal DREAM Act, moved forward Tuesday night.

A bill that would allow certain undocumented students to receive in-state college tuition in Virginia cleared a key legislative hurdle Tuesday night and could see further consideration Wednesday morning. "This has been a very good day for this issue," state Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, told Patch late Tuesday. "I'm overjoyed that it's gotten this far. But the fact is that we've got a lot of work to do still. And I'm going to continue working with Republicans and Democrats to hopefully bring this home." Lopez introduced legislation modeled after the federal DREAM Act. Lawmakers on Tuesday combined it with a similar bill put forth by Del. Tom Rust, a Herndon Republican and chairman of the House Higher Education Subcommittee, and …

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Small Biz Incubator MECFairfax Expands Counseling Programs, Office Space

MECFairfax offers help for new and small business owners looking to succeed.

A small business incubator in downtown Fairfax recently underwent a facelift to address growing needs and the changing face of business in the area. The Mason Enterprise Center's Fairfax location on University Drive reopened in November to the delight of over 250 event attendees, including Mayor Scott Silverthorne and George Mason University President Angel Cabrera.  GMU-based MEC exists to provide new and small business owners with the information and coaching needed to grow a local, successful business endeavour. The Fairfax center has helped over 300 businesses with its incubation program since its inception. Started in 1995, the small business development center grew from a couple of client offices to four floors in the 4031 University…

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