Monday, March 20, 2006

I've been teaching at George Mason University for seven years now, the last three as coordinator of the Electronic Journalism program, and no one -- and I mean NO ONE -- has ever accused Mason of being a basketball school.

So, like most of the rest of the basketball world, I am surprised, if pleased, that the Patriots won their first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games against respected programs at Michigan State and defending national champion North Carolina.

Do Mason athletes take their academics seriously? Well, I had one player (and Communication major) drop my Sports Writing and Reporting class because the basketball schedule conflicted with the class schedule and he didn't want to miss the in-class instruction and guest speakers!

How excited is the Fairfax, Va., school -- as reflected by the university's Web site following its first tournament victories ever? Well, the Mason Gazette's top news story Sunday afternoon following the game was the game story. But it was hardly the biggest story on the home page. That honor, and the biggest headline, went to "Prescribed Fire at Wildlife Refuge Fuels Research for Computational Sciences Students." You gotta love a school that has its priorities straight, don't you?

However, if you're jumping on the Mason Bandwagon, the athletic site rather quickly put up a short story on obtaining tickets for the Patriots' Sweet 16 game on Friday against Wichita State Friday at, of all the convenient places, the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The players hardly have to miss any class time!

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