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George Mason UniversityGeorge Mason University, also referred to by locals and students as simply "Mason," is an institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with campuses in Arlington, Virginia, Fairfax, Virginia, and Prince William County, Virginia, all in the suburbs of Washington, DC. A fourth campus is scheduled to open in fall 2006 in Ras-Al-Khaimah, located in the United Arab Emirates. The university is named after American Revolutionary patriot and founding father George Mason. The university traces its roots back to the 1950s when it was part of the University of Virginia system. It became an independent university (but still publicly funded) in 1972. Its faculty boasts Nobel Prize-winning economists James M. Buchanan (1986) and Vernon Smith (2002). Another economics professor, Walter Williams, is well-known as a syndicated columnist and occasional guest host of the Rush Limbaugh radio show. The law school is ranked among the top 50 in the United States. While GMU is newly independent, it has been growing rapidly, with a 2003 enrollment of 28,246 students it is now the largest university in the Commonwealth. GMU serves mainly the Northern Virginia community and as such is a popular destination for returning students and part-time students. As a result, many students are older than 18-22. In 2003, about 76% of full-time GMU students were commutershttp://www.gmu.edu/vcenter/masonfacts/. The school's sports teams are called the Patriots. The university's men's and women's sports teams participate in the NCAA's Division I, and are in the Colonial Athletic Association. The school's colors are Green and Gold. Academic Schools GMU consists of ten schools and New Century College: - College of Arts and Sciences
- School of Computational Sciences
- Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution
- College of Education and Human Development
- School of Information Technology and Engineering
- School of Law http://law.gmu.edu
- School of Management
- College of Nursing and Health Science
- School of Public Policy http://policy.gmu.edu
- College of Visual and Performing Arts
- New Century College-(NCC)
Campus Culture George Mason University is largely a "commuter college," with the on-campus population including only roughly 13% of the total student enrollment. Only 4,000 students live on campus, with that number being raised by 1,000 in just the last 2 years with the construction of the Liberty Square and Potomac Heights dormitories. When one refers to living on the Mason campus they are referring to the Fairfax campus only, as that is where the only dormitories are located. This creates a unique experience for those living on campus at GMU, as opposed to larger and more isolated schools. The university is located in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and the majority of those who live on campus are within very reasonable driving distance from the house they lived in throughout high school. This contributes to the complete emptying of campus on the weekends and especially minor holidays, as students go "home" to obtain free food, do laundry, hang out with high school friends, etc. Those students remaining on campus are greeted by closed food establishments, empty dormitory halls, and empty parking lots. Although to be fair, this situation has been slightly alleviated by the recent increase in population and the opening of Ike's Diner, a late night eating establishment on campus open until the early morning hours. In addition, there is no Greek Row on campus, forcing the greek community to look off campus for their housing. This causes the parties and other group activities to move off campus, once again contributing to the weekend emptiness. The lack of real competitive sports teams, and thus a poor ability to gain university and team spirit, contributes to the lack of a "real campus" experience at GMU. With the Men's Basketball team being the most successful it is also the most popular, however it is difficult to get new fans to attend games even with free tickets given to students. A common saying shared by many on-campus and off-campus students alike is: "Sounds like something Mason would do." This represents a complete lack of shock or surprise at something the university did, including policies, actions, or inactions. Although pinpointing it on the university itself is not fair, because the decisions are made by separate divisions such as Parking Services or Housing and Residence Life. Despite this fact, they all somehow seem to contribute to one giant poorly managed "Mason" entity. Things that have caused the saying include, but are not limited to: - Eliminating a large parking lot during a parking crisis, on a commuter campus, to build a new parking garage that turned out to be for visitors.
- Moving the Housing office to a location that was convenient to only a select few students, with no visitor parking nearby to make the experience that much more fun for those who graduated or do not attend Mason but have business at the office.
- Contracting work to the lowest bidder on several projects, which on two separate occasions caused situations where students were forced to move into unfinished housing.
- Accepting more on-campus students than there were rooms, having to board people in a nearby hotel.
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