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Panelists Dive Into Details During a ‘Presidential Election Debrief’ at Mason Square

Andrew J Schappert — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:24:03 +0000

Panelists Dive Into Details During a ‘Presidential Election Debrief’ at Mason Square Andrew J Schappert Tue, 11/12/2024 - 15:24

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University Life Arlington Director Melissa Thierry introduces the panel: From left, David Ramadan, Jennifer N. Victor, Terry McAuliffe, and Mark J. Rozell. Photos by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

Nearly 120 audience members—more than 30 of them students from the Schar School of Policy and Government’s undergraduate Democracy Lab Learning Community—filled the seats and dined on pizza at 911��’s Mason Square Monday evening to hear a panel of Schar School political pundits break down the results of the November 5 elections.

Distinguished Visiting Professor Terry McAuliffe: ‘Twelve of the last 14 [presidential] elections have been change elections.’

The Pizza & Perspectives: 2024 Presidential Election Debrief did not disappoint in providing the promised insights as to how and why national and regional elections transpired the way they did. The 90-minute event can be seen at the Schar School’s YouTube channel.

Schar School dean Mark J. Rozell, the moderator for the discussion, kicked off the event by asking Schar School associate professor Jennifer N. Victor what was different about this election cycle that set it apart from others and could it have lasting impact.

After explaining about political realignments and shifting of consensuses, “this was an anti-incumbent sentiment wave election and that explains how we got here,” Victor said.

Distinguished Visiting Professor and former governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe added that “Twelve of the last 14 [presidential] elections have been change elections. People want to change the person who is in power. Forty percent of the people who voted said their number one issue was the economy and Donald Trump won that by 21 points.

“Twenty percent of those who voted said immigration was the number one issue, and Trump won that by 71 percent…Going into this election was going to be a hard thing for Vice President Harris: 70 percent of Americans thought the country is headed in the wrong direction. Kamala Harris was the partner of Joe Biden. She had a very tough hand to deal with.”

David Ramadan, foreground, and the panelists listen to a question from the audience.

Before taking questions from the audience, Rozell reminded the panel that politics never takes a year off in Virginia and that in 2025 the state will elect a new governor.

“The Democrats will have the advantage next year to win the governor’s mansion in Virginia,” said professor of practice and former state delegate David Ramadan, pointing out that traditionally—with the exception of McAuliffe, who broke the convention—the new governor is aligned with the sitting president’s opposing party.

“But it’s not just that,” he added. “They have the advantage on the ground. They have already chosen their nominee in current Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger. The Republicans haven’t made up their mind…Of course, the crazier things that come out of Washington will make it more and more appealing for Democrats to win the gubernatorial election next year.”

Among the lines that received audience applause, McAuliffe announced that during the event he had just received a text message announcing his daughter-in-law—finally, after 10 hours of labor—had given birth to his first grandchild, a boy. (See the announcement at the 32-minute mark on YouTube.)

Also receiving applause was Virginia Delegate Vivian Watts (D-39), the longest-serving woman in the House (she took office in 1996) and current chairman of the finance committee. Watts said she attended to hear the questions from the audience, including those from students, as the questions would reveal additional insights to how the commonwealth’s electorate is responding to the election.

The event was sponsored by 911��’s University Life and hosted by University Life Mason Square. See this page for information about future Mason Square events in Arlington, Virginia.

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Live Discussion with David French: What Do Evangelical Christians Want, Liberty or Authority?

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 19:12:50 +0000

Live Discussion with David French: What Do Evangelical Christians Want, Liberty or Authority? Andrew J Schappert Mon, 10/14/2024 - 15:12

In the 1970s and ’80s, David French said, the idea of the separation between church and state began to fray due to “some of the constitutional overreach that occurred. Governments became way too vigorous in suppressing religious expression in public places, up to and including private religious expression.

“Now we’ve moved into a world where a number of Christians are saying, ‘liberty isn’t enough—we also want authority.’”

New York Times columnist David French. Photo provided.

That apparent evolution in contemporary religious thinking is the theme of French’s talk on Monday, October 21, at 7 p.m., when the New York Times columnist addresses “Liberty or Authority? Christian Political Engagement at the Crossroads” in Merten Hall, Room 1201, on 911��’s Fairfax Campus. The event is free, and no registration is required.

The appearance is cosponsored by the Schar School of Policy and Government and the Department of Religious Studies at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The talk will appeal to “members of the 911�� community who want to understand the vicissitudes of contemporary evangelical Christianity,” said Professor John Turner, who is the chair of the Department of Religious Studies and will introduce French. “David French understands the fervency and anguish that characterize contemporary Christian engagement with politics.”

A Times conservative columnist who has been critical of Donald Trump, French is a former Harvard Law School-trained constitutional lawyer and an Army Reserve veteran of the Iraq War. His military service and legal expertise often inform his perspectives on issues related to national security, military ethics, and foreign policy.

“French has been a fearless advocate for free speech, religious liberty, and a principled politics in which character and virtue matter more than partisan victories,” Turner said. “Almost all Americans admit that we need to make more of an effort to talk with people across partisan and ideological boundaries. Few journalists and activists do that better than David French.”

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Symposium: The Arctic and International Security

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 14:39:47 +0000

Symposium: The Arctic and International Security Andrew J Schappert Mon, 10/24/2022 - 10:39

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When one thinks about the Arctic, what comes to mind is a cold and faraway world. But in fact, the Arctic has gotten hotter—not just temperature-wise (blame climate change) but also politically, environmentally, economically, and in matters of national security.

The Center for Security Policy Studies (CSPS) at the Schar School of Policy and Government will examine each of these topics during the Fifth Annual Symposium on International Security, held at 911��’s Mason Square in Arlington, Virginia, on Thursday, October 27, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The event is open to all; lunch will be provided. Registration is required at this site.

CSPS director Ellen Laipson, who also leads the Schar School’s international security program, explains how the changes in the Arctic will affect the economy, the demographic, and security at large.

“The rules of the Arctic will have to be reset,” she said. “It will have economic ramifications and national security implications” as the region’s previously unnavigable polar seas become viable.

The symposium will present three panel discussions and a lunch-break conversation. Panelists include experts in the fields of climate change, national security, economics, and other relevant topics. Perhaps most important, they will bring into focus why the world should be concerned.

The three panel discussions are:

How the Arctic Is Changing: Environment, Geography, and Governance

Panelists:

Erin Sikorsky, Schar School faculty member and director of the Center for Climate and Security
Marisol Maddox, Polar Institute of the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars
Eugenie Punitcherska, Embassy of Canada

Moderator:

Schar School Associate Professor Todd Laporte

International Economic Dimensions of the Arctic

Panelists:

Lawson Brigham, University of Alaska Fairbanks and Polar Institute of the Wilson Center
Richard Kauzlarich, Schar School Distinguished Visiting Professor
Lucy Duncan, Safe Ports

Moderator:

Schar School Associate Professor Ken Reinert

The International Security Picture

Panelists:

Dave Auerswald, National War College
Doyle Hodges, Texas National Security Review
Rebecca Pincus, Polar Institute of the Wilson Center

Moderator:

Schar School Professor Ellen Laipson

Schar School Professor Mark N. Katz and Russia expert Andrey Toporov will discuss the Arctic and the U.S.-Russian relations during a lunchtime conversation.

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Panelists Answer the Question, ‘Is Taiwan Ready for War?’

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 17:27:19 +0000

Panelists Answer the Question, ‘Is Taiwan Ready for War?’ Andrew J Schappert Wed, 10/12/2022 - 13:27

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Michael Hunzeker

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Schar School Associate Professor Michael Hunzeker, right, introduces the ‘Is Taiwan Ready for War?’ panel. Photo by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

China’s recent aggressive actions toward Taiwan have raised questions as to the readiness of the island nation to defend itself with its existing military. A capacity audience attended a special afternoon panel discussion on Tuesday, October 11, addressing that existential threat hosted by the Schar School of Policy and Government’s Center for Security Policy Studies at Mason Square. The title was simply “Is Taiwan Ready for War?”

Schar School Associate Professor Michael Hunzeker moderated the discussion. Panelists included former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development Elbridge Colby; Taiwan-based journalist and research fellow at the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation Paul Huang; Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) James Huang, a Taiwan-based defense commentator and former officer in the Republic of China (Taiwan) Army; and Senior Fellow, Codirector of the East Asia Program, and Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center Yun Sun.

At the moment, Taiwan has “zero deployment, [zero] use of drones for any army artillery, [zero] armor, and [zero] mechanized infantry units. It has serious logistic shortcomings and poor readiness,” said Paul Huang. In the last five years, some 16,000 volunteers have left the military, he added.
Budget cuts also harm the defense capabilities. James Huang noted that the Taiwanese military was always small and hardly mighty, but has gone “from bad to worse. We have to rob Peter to pay Paul for almost everything.”
Why Taiwan needs to be ready to defend itself against Chinese control is important to the U.S., Colby noted. “If Taiwan is left to itself, it is gone,” he said, adding, “The best way to draw American aid is for Taiwan to be ready to fight hard and effectively.”

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Nutrition Department Hosts Eating Healthy on a Budget

John Brandon Cantrell — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 14:40:15 +0000

Nutrition Department Hosts Eating Healthy on a Budget John Brandon C… Tue, 03/08/2022 - 09:40

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Kerri LaCharite, PhD

In collaboration with the College’s Office of Student Affairs, the Department of Nutrition teaches students to make a homemade healthy and delicious meal.

Bacon. Ranch. Chicken. “Yum” for many college students, but do they know how to make a healthy meal from these ingredients? Students who attended the Eating Healthy on a Budget event now do. The event, hosted by the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies and the College’s Office of Student Affairs, was open to students enrolled in Nutrition Department as well as non-nutrition students and was held in the Nutrition Kitchen, located on the first floor of Peterson Hall.

Adjunct professor and Mason Master of Nutrition alumna Jaianna Johnson taught students in two cooking events to create a chicken, bacon, ranch bowl with brown rice. In addition, she demonstrated how to make a kale salad that even kale-skeptics would like. Assistant Professor of Nutrition Kerri LaCharite acted as Johnson’s sous chef for the event.

“It was very enlightening how things like vegetables can taste great if you know what to do with them—Kale can really taste delicious,” said Minoo Samuel, Nutrition Graduate Certificate student. Johnson showed students how massaging lemon juice into kale changes the texture and makes the cabbage more delicious and versatile.

Johnson shared tips on knife safety and how to incorporate vegetables into other meals, such as cauliflower rice, chickpeas, and kale chips. She recommends that cauliflower is an easy and adaptable vegetable to start with.

Nutrition is a fundamental part of public health and living a well-rounded, long life. The College is dedicated to learning and sharing more about the nutrition of college students through the Mason: Health Starts Here study. Recently, the study found that college students are exceeding U.S. dietary guidelines for added sugar, refined grains, sodium, and saturated fat, which are all nutrients that should be limited.

“These demos not only give me a chance to practice my teaching skills, but also teach people a few basic cooking skills that they will carry with them and use in their lives day-to-day. Food is important to me because of the positive connotations surrounding the word,” said Johnson, who has a degree from the Culinary Institute of New York and now teaches Mason’s Fundamentals of Cooking class. “Teaching people how to cook allows me to encourage more of those home-cooked meals, which is important in reducing resource consumption (i.e. fast food, take-out, etc.) as well as creating more positive experiences around food.”

The Nutrition and Food Studies Department has hosted a variety of events since the Nutrition Kitchen in Peterson Hall opened in the spring of 2018 to help raise awareness of the role healthy eating, nutrition, and food systems can play in the public’s health. In conjunction with Alumni Relations and the Office for Advancement, the Department held monthly online cooking classes, called Patriots in the Kitchen, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, that were open to the Mason community and the public.

The Nutrition and Food Studies Department focuses on teaching and training students to address public health issues involving nutrition and food access. It offers undergraduate and graduate courses in cooking, nutrition, food and culture, food systems, and food studies.

Mason wins VMI Cyber Fusion event

Rena Malai — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 15:23:45 +0000

Mason wins VMI Cyber Fusion event Rena Malai Wed, 03/02/2022 - 10:23

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The Mason team poses with the first place trophy after winning VMI's Cyber Fusion event.

Mason Patriots won Commonwealth Cyber Fusion, an event that combines a collegiate cyber competition with learning and career opportunities.

911�� students competed in the event last weekend and again claimed first place, a position Mason has maintained from the previous Cyber Fusion. Mason representatives at Cyber Fusion included Henry Coffman, member of the Virginia Cyber Range Executive Committee, and Jim Jones, Mason faculty advisor.

The students who competed in the event are a part of Mason’s Competitive Cyber club, sponsored by the Cybersecurity Engineering (CYSE) department and coached by Jones. A number of members in the club are also students in the CYSE program.

Peggy Brouse, CYSE professor, says she is very proud of the winners’ continuing efforts and their achievements as representatives of Mason.  

“Once again, our CEC students from both the Cyber Security Engineering and the Computer Science departments brought home the first place trophy from the Cyber Fusion conference,” says Brouse. “The students they competed against are from top-ranked cyber schools which makes the accomplishment even more noteworthy.”

The students self-formed the Mason Competitive Cyber club which plays a large part in their successes, she says.  

“Especially impressive is that the club welcomes all students to learn about and practice for competitions regardless of experience or academic year,” Brouse says. “I look forward to future competitions.”

Cyber Fusion is co-hosted by the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Sen. Mark R. Warner, the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, and the Virginia Cyber Range. According to VMI, Cybersecurity is one of the nation’s and Commonwealth’s top priorities. Cyber Fusion is the organized integration of data and tools from disparate sources of support for secure and resilient system lifecycles.

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Political Hindsight: Leaders of Youngkin, McAuliffe Campaigns Take the Stage at Mason

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 19:43:07 +0000

Political Hindsight: Leaders of Youngkin, McAuliffe Campaigns Take the Stage at Mason Andrew J Schappert Wed, 11/10/2021 - 14:43

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Mark J. Rozell

Julie Carey, left, moderates the ‘After Virginia Votes’ panel, featuring Will Ritter, center, and Michael Halle. Photos by Shelby Burgess/Creative Services

Will Ritter: Youngkin’s campaign did not ‘jump on a gaffe’ by McAuliffe.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin’s successful campaign was “a slow march up” while Democratic opponent Terry McAuliffe’s was “a slow march down,” compounded by a miscalculation on issues that resonated with Virginia’s voters, said Will Ritter, Youngkin’s media strategist, during a public post-election examination called “After Virginia Votes.”

Ritter shared the stage at 911��’s Merten Hall Tuesday night with Michael Halle, senior advisor to McAuliffe, during the event, a production of the Richmond-based, nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) and hosted by Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government.

More than 1,000 viewers tuned in via live streams on GMU-TV, Facebook, and YouTube while 50 invited guests listened to the discussion in person, in accordance with Mason’s pandemic protocols. Cox Communications, one of the event’s sponsors, will re-broadcast the 90-minute event in select markets this week.

Flawlessly moderated by NBC4 Northern Virginia Bureau Chief Julie Carey, the conversation between the upbeat Ritter and the understandably glum Halle provided insights to key moments in the bellwether, $100-million election that led to political newcomer Youngkin’s defeat of McAuliffe, who was running for a second term as governor, by 63,503 votes.

The conversation was followed by a second panel that included veteran Virginia political analysts Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center for Civic Leadership at Christopher Newport University, and Mark J. Rozell, dean of the Schar School.

Among other topics, Carey asked how national issues affected the state election, including the pandemic, the election of Joe Biden as president, the teaching of “critical race theory,” the January 6 insurrection, and the withdraw from Afghanistan. For his part, Youngkin, Ritter said, was adamant about keeping the issues local while McAuliffe’s camp continually attempted to attach Youngkin to Donald Trump and the extremist wing of the Republican Party.

Schar School Dean Mark J. Rozell makes a point during a discussion with Julie Carey, left, and Christopher Newport University’s Quentin Kidd.

In particular, the local issue of education became a lightning rod following a heated September 28 debate in Alexandria, partially sponsored by the Schar School, in which McAuliffe suggested, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” Until then, a Washington Post/Schar School poll showed McAuliffe with a slight lead, 50 percent to 47 percent.

Ritter said his campaign did not “jump on a gaffe” but the line crystalized the direction to domestic issues. “We had a choice to make and we chose to run on Virginia issues,” he said. “We predicted McAuliffe would ‘nationalize’ the race, we anticipated the celebrity endorsements, but we decided to stick with Virginia issues.”

In the end, Ritter said, “We had a secret weapon. We had Glenn.”

Kidd and Rozell, both of whom had been writing about and commenting on the election in the press for months, provided additional insight regarding what Youngkin’s election might mean to the Commonwealth.

“As a new governor, you want some early wins” in the state house, Kidd said, suggesting Youngkin is likely to focus on what Rozell called “kitchen table issues, bread and butter issues,” such as his promise to eliminate sales tax on groceries, lower the gas tax, and raise teacher salaries.

State appointments made by the new governor, Rozell said, might be designed to “appease Trump supporters.”

Youngkin will be sworn in as 74th governor on January 15, 2022.

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Panel: Women and Minorities in the Workforce and the Way Ahead

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 15:12:34 +0000

Panel: Women and Minorities in the Workforce and the Way Ahead Andrew J Schappert Wed, 09/22/2021 - 11:12

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The Schar School of Policy and Government’s Gender and Policy (GAP) Center and LMI, a Tysons, Va.-based consultancy, will host “Today’s Workforce and the Way Ahead,” a panel discussion exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and minorities in the workforce. The panel will cover policy and personal well-being perspectives, as well as examine the future of a hybrid workforce.

The discussion begin Tuesday, September 28 at noon. Registration is not required. Those interested should simply follow this link on the date and time aforementioned.

The panelists include:

Emily Martin, vice president for education and workplace justice at the National Women’s Law Center. Prior to joining NWLC, Martin served as deputy director of the Women's Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union.
Maryam Ovissi, a trauma-informed yoga and wellbeing specialist and collective care educator at Beloved Yoga’s Yoga Therapy program. Ovissi serves on the board of the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art and the Southgate Community Center and is on the advisory board of the Gender and Policy Center.
Ahkesha Murray, principal for change management, culture, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI&A) at LMI. Murray oversees all aspects of LMI’s DEI&A strategy and programs and acts as the organization’s recognized change management and culture authority.

The panel will be moderated by Schar School associate professor and associate dean of student and academic affairs Bonnie Stabile. She also serves as the director of the Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) program and is founder and director of the Gender and Policy (GAP) Center at the Schar School.

The panel is sponsored by LMI’s Minorities & Ethnicities (ME) Affinity Group, LMI Women’s Forum Affinity Group, and LMI Research Institute’s Academic Programs in collaboration with the Gender and Policy Center at the Schar School.

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‘Civility and Kindness’: Mason, Schar School Welcomes New Students

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 15:03:43 +0000

‘Civility and Kindness’: Mason, Schar School Welcomes New Students Andrew J Schappert Wed, 08/25/2021 - 11:03

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Jennifer N. Victor

Gregory Washington

Schar School Associate Professor Jennifer N. Victor: ‘Simple acts of every day kindness can bolster democracy…’ Photos by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

911�� President Gregory Washington and a host of Mason student, faculty, and staff representatives welcomed the largest incoming class in the university’s history—more than 4,000 of them—at two convocations held at EagleBank Arena on Friday, August 20, challenging the newest Patriots to push themselves academically, get involved on campus, and prepare to tackle the grand challenges of our time.

With the nation’s No. 1 pep band, the Green Machine, under the direction of Mason music professor Doc Nix adding a head-bobbing soundtrack to the ceremonies, tThe university welcomed new underclassman—including second-year students who were pandemically locked out of an in-person event last year—to the campus community with words of wisdom and encouragement.

In addition to remarks by Washington, Mason provost Mark Ginsberg, and others, the key-note speaker was Schar School of Policy and Government’s associate professor Jennifer N. Victor, whose message about civility in modern times was simple, succinct, and certainly impactful.

“The threats to U.S. democracy that we’ve seen in recent years are to some extent a symptom of a breakdown of the social contract that we implicitly agree to,” she told the audience. “That contract demands that we take care of one another, share public resources, create public resources for all to share, accept losses, and help pick one another up when we fall. But if it’s that contract that’s at risk, then there is one simple way to fortify it. Kindness!

“Simple acts of every day kindness can bolster democracy. The reason they can is because they strengthen the bonds of community between individuals, which improves each person’s personal sense of democracy,” Victor said.

She explained to the new students that her research in social networking has revealed that political rivals are more likely to cooperate when the connections between them are voluntary and sustained over time. Being kind helps to ensure that they are.

Victor said that even the smallest actions can help foster these connections. To demonstrate, she gave President Washington a Schar School hat as a gift, which he promptly donned.

Washington spoke to the students about the challenges the world is facing. It is an age of unprecedented change, he suggested, which also means unprecedented unknowns. It is an era where the climate lends its hand to natural disasters, and pandemics become global crises in a matter of months. It is an era where kindness can go a long way.

“The idea is that we got a little bit of time to prepare you to deal with [the world’s challenges],” he said. “And I contend to you that we are the right place to do this.”

Mason is the largest and most diverse public university in Virginia, and the freshman class bears that out, with more than 4,000 students, 56% of whom are non-white, both all-time highs. This is also the largest group of new students, counting undergraduate, graduate and law students, to ever enroll at Mason.

Mason President Washington sports his new Schar School chapeau.

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