Agora

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Did you have a crazy day doing some Black Friday shopping?! If so, let us know how it went! 🛍😌

Agora wishes you a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Message us and let us know about the wonderful conversations you had over thanksgiving dinner!! 😉 #thanksgiving#thoughtfulconvos

Society is the Agora is back and revamped for the upcoming Spring semester! We hope you all like the new logo and mission statement as much as we do!! Stay tuned for upcoming news on what’s to come for the spring of 2019!!! Like and share this post if you like the new logo!! ☺️

Hello, friends! It's election time. We will be holding elections THIS MONDAY at 7:30pm in JC Room E! This is a great opportunity to gain leadership skills, lifelong friends and to build your resume. Here are the roles available:
Archon, Academics and Practice (President)
Shall serve as the head/president of Agora and an equal member of its governing Council
Shall act as the representative to George Mason University, the School for Conflict Analysis
and Resolution, and any other academic or practicing organization, and their staff therein;
fostering involvement and coordination with them
Shall serve as conciliator within the Council and between members when requested; advising
and assisting members and committees with disputes, mediating when necessary
• Archon, Treasury and Committees
Responsible for the distribution and accounting of funds
Shall oversee the planning and organization of fundraising events and solicit voluntary
contributions from individuals and organizations
Shall submit proposals to the Council for the use and budgeting of funds and student
scholarships
Shall serve as chair of all committees regarding accounting, finance, and its related
responsibilities; being accountable to the Council and providing regular reports in accordance
with the purpose of the individual committee
Shall oversee all non­accounting and non­finance committees, providing guidance to the chair
and committees and assisting them to achieve their intended purposes
• Archon, Administration
Responsible for scheduling meetings and events of any kind; distributing information to
members, coordinating schedules, and finding locations to meet
Responsible for maintaining and organizing the calendar
Responsible for taking and maintaining notes of any general member meetings or Council
meetings and making them available to the Council, members, and administration
Responsible for handling all official paperwork, both within and without the society
Responsible for disseminating all information within the society
• Archon, Communication and Outreach
Shall serve as the official public representative to students and beyond
Responsible for disseminating all information outside of the society
Responsible for campus and community outreach, advertising, and the recruitment of new
members
Responsible for coordinating all advertising and public relations; maintaining communication
with news media and broadcasting outlets
Responsible for the physical planning and execution of all events
• Archon, Vice President/Facilitator
Shall facilitate and organize all Agoras, whether open or closed; serving as the chair and
moderator or appointing members into said positions
Responsible for drafting and executing each Agora agenda
Shall provide an agenda and serve as parliamentarian for any member meetings, including the
Council

Qualifications include:
- leadership skills, an understanding of Agora's purpose and structure, an encouraging attitude, dedication towards the organization, and great communication skills.

If you are interested in running, please email us at [email protected]!

We will keep you updated! We did not have a meeting today due to planning for this event but we will be sending out a poster about next Monday's meeting very soon. :) We hope that you had an absolutely wonderful Spring Break

Sons Out, Guns Out!

Hey friends! We have been asked to share information about an event THIS Saturday, at the US Capitol. 'Sons out Guns out!' is an event for the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War to talk about our country's guns. This is an opportunity for people on both sides of gun control to come together and devise a plan for peace. For more information, check out their eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sons-out-guns-out-tickets-43826259522

Sons Out, Guns Out! “Sons Out, Guns Out” Keeping our sons and daughters out of war by taking guns out of the picture 3rd Annual Commemoration of Peace Celebration Come join us on Saturday, March 10th, as we host our annual commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW). The DPCW calls for the...

Supreme Court refuses to hear challenge to California gun law

As people last night talked about a mandated waiting period for purchasing guns, you may be interested in following this!

Thank you all for coming out last night. I think it was a great discussion and brought up a lot of great questions.

Supreme Court refuses to hear challenge to California gun law The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to hear a challenge to a California law that mandates a 10-day waiting period after someone purchases a gun before the seller can give

Thank you to everybody who stopped by at the Winter Fair! It was lovely to meet you. We look forward to seeing you at our meetings on Monday! :)

Congratulations on surviving the first week back! Or, almost, for those who have afternoon Friday classes. We have some announcements for y'all:

Our FIRST meeting of this semester will be THIS Monday! We will be talking about Agora's role on campus, potential topics for the semester, and our goals.

We'll be in Room E in the JC at 7:30pm! There will be cookies. :)

Also, the S-CAR welcome back event is this Tuesday! Unfortunately, our council will be in class, but it's a great opportunity to stop by and learn about the program as well as wonderful organizations that you may be intrigued by. The event will be 11am-3pm, in the Blackstone room (Upstairs Southside). Contact Leslie Durham ([email protected]) if you have any questions.

See you Monday!

Hello, friends! We hope that you had a wonderful winter break and are ready for the upcoming semester. :) As always, we welcome any ideas that y'all want to talk about during our meetings, so please comment below or message us before Friday, 1/26.

Also, we will be at the Winter Fair on January 31st, 11am-3pm! If you are interested in helping us recruit more people, please let us know about that as well. :) Otherwise, stop by and say hi! Sara will be posting some more updates in the next few days so stay tuned.

We hope that you have a fantastic week back!!

Science Confirms: Politics Wrecks Your Ability to Do Math

Thank you for the great discussion to end a wonderful semester! Here's the article mentioned about personal bias in math equations: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/09/new-study-politics-makes-you-innumerate/

Have a wonderful break and stay tuned for updates about future meetings! :) Good luck on finals!!

Science Confirms: Politics Wrecks Your Ability to Do Math Farewell, Enlightenment: New research suggests that people even solve math problems differently if their political ideology is at stake.

Make sure to stop by JC room F for pur meeting tonight! We have candy canes 🍭

Hey, friends! We understand that it is a busy time in the semester and that people may have already gone home for the break so we are having a study night in room F! We can also talk a little about next semester if you are interested. If you have time, come hang out!

Happening NOW!

Last night, Agora held a discussion about transphobia, how it presents itself in our day-to-day lives and how we can counter it. A potent conversation was held in response to public depictions of trans icons, and how important representation is.

Next week, we will be discussing "healing the self" - Come out to discuss! Our room location is TBD, so stay tuned.

Last night, Agora held a discussion about transphobia, how it presents itself in our day-to-day lives and how we can counter it. A potent conversation was held in response to public depictions of trans icons, and how important representation is.

Next week, we will be discussing "healing the self" - Come out to discuss! Our room location is TBD, so stay tuned.

U.S.-International student friendships

Hey friends! We've been asked to participate in a study to understand how U.S. and international undergraduate students form friendships with one another and the elements that fostered these friendships. Karen Wrightsman is looking to interview U.S. students who have friends at Mason that are international students in order to understand their experiences, perceptions, and meaning they attribute to these friendships.

If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, would you be willing to participate in this study? In order to be eligible, you must meet the following six criteria:
· Be 18 years or older
· Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
· Be an undergraduate student at George Mason
· Have been at George Mason for at least 2 semesters
· Have an international friend (or friends) at George Mason that you have known for at least 2 semesters
· Not be romantically involved with your international friend

Please fill out this quick questionnaire if you're interested: https://gmuchss.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6m2ix3koKHqKHHL

If you are an international student, do you have any U.S. friends at Mason that meet the six criteria mentioned above? If so, would you be willing to forward this message to them?

If you have any questions, please email Karen at [email protected]

Thank you :) See you at the meeting tonight!

U.S.-International student friendships Qualtrics sophisticated online survey software solutions make creating online surveys easy. Learn more about Research Suite and get a free account today.

TONIGHT'S MEETING IS CANCELLED!!!

Hi guys, sorry for the last minute update, but due to last minute circumstances, we have to reschedule our meeting for next Monday. Look out for future updates.

Thanks for understanding, sorry for any inconvenience, and have a wonderful week.

Hey Patriots! If you have an opinion for or against this resolution, fill out this super quick survey! It'll be open until the 10th. You can also attend the Diversity committee this Wednesday at 11:30am(they'll be discussing/amending/voting on the resolution), or attend Senate meeting this upcoming Thursday at 4:30 in Hub room 3 to voice your opinions.

Hope your weeks are going well. :)
-Sara

AGORA topic submission

Keep submitting your answers, Agorites! We are loving the topics that have been offered so far.

AGORA topic submission Hello lovely Agorites! This semester, we are hoping to incorporate suggestions from our members, followers and fellow community members on which topics they feel need to be discussed. AGORA exists to create an environment for the discussion of important current events and relevant topics that are po...

This week, Agora explored what it means to have a label, whether it be self ascribed or given to you by society. We began this conversation by participating in an exercise where we were each given a label, and we wrote one too. The labels assigned to us ranged from “good student” to “terrorist,” and when we revealed what they said to each other we had an interesting conversation about how this assigned label would make us feel if someone thought that this was true about us. There were several interesting comments made by Agorites, specifically regarding the harmful nature of labels being ascribed because of external characteristics, and how labels can be reclaimed to be empowering. In addition to this, we talked extensively about whether or not labels should be announced, especially when regarding the safety of the individual that identifies with the label.

Next week, we will be building on our conversations about having a voice and labelling, and talking about individualism versus collectivism. Check out the flyer for more information!

AGORA topic submission

Hello lovely Agorites! This semester, we are hoping to incorporate suggestions from our members, followers and fellow community members on which topics they feel need to be discussed.

AGORA exists to create an environment for the discussion of important current events and relevant topics that are polarizing and consequently under discussed.

Feel free to anonymously submit your topic suggestion to us via this link -> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTbdgLxyLvplsqFCoT3A025KEtrHMPV_h9gROehw9PFbbSaA/viewform?usp=sf_link

AGORA topic submission Hello lovely Agorites! This semester, we are hoping to incorporate suggestions from our members, followers and fellow community members on which topics they feel need to be discussed. AGORA exists to create an environment for the discussion of important current events and relevant topics that are po...

Hello all,

At this week’s meeting, we discussed the power and meaning of a voice. To start, we defined what a voice meant to us, then what it would mean if someone took our voice away. We discussed how advocating can turn into silencing, especially when the advocate is not reaching out to the oppressed group or amplifying what they want to say.

We talked about photographers and other media and their responsibility to represent an issue from an unbiased lens, and the ramifications when they do not. The reasons why to be an advocate were discussed, as well as the concept of the “white savior” in relation to advocacy. After that, we touched on the role of the “American dream” on the perception of both history and current events.

That segued into the impact of labels, those that we give ourselves and that others give to us, especially on recent events. We acknowledged that words have connotations, including the criminalization of certain groups and can perpetuate bias/stereotypes amongst the media and their viewers. Then, we posed the question “Do you have a voice?”, to which some answered that they only had a voice in certain spaces. Others proposed avenues of making voices heard and recent examples of voices affecting change. Finally, we addressed how to be an advocate and what some tools of silence are used.

~

Thanks to all for attending and providing such thoughtful dialogue! Join us next week in Hanover L012 for our meeting discussing Individuality vs. Collectivism!

Thank you all for coming last night! What a thoughtful discussion about voice. We will try and have a summary up soon. Next week we will talk about individualist vs collectivist communities/mindsets! Same time, same place :)

Meanwhile, Patriots for Peace is having their first general meeting TONIGHT! Research Hall Room 302 from 5 to 6pm every Tuesday for the rest of the semester! If you have any questions, email [email protected] :)

Have a great week

We're about to start in Hanover! Pizza is here, we're just waiting for you :)

:)

Come join us at the JC 3rd floor lounge! We'll be celebrating with S-CAR's welcome week. :) There will be pizza, poetry, and more! See you at 6!

Hello! I hope that your summers are going well and that you're staying cool! I know it's only June but MoveCrew is looking for volunteers to help with freshman move in for the fall semester! If you're interested, go to Getconnected> housing and residence life > forms and fill out the volunteer application. You also get to move in early, if you live on campus, with the early arrival fee waived.

We'll also be at the Honor's College Student Opportunities fair tomorrow from 11am-1pm if you want to say hi or help reach out to freshman with us. :)

Have a beautiful day!!

Good afternoon, talented Agorites! You're a senior who would like to get
your hands on your graduation cords, please find Madison McCoy and! contact me (Faith Hatter) about the most convenient way for you to reimburse me. They are $22.98 each.

Agora – Events

Come by if you have time

Agora – Events 190 followers

Hey Agorites! There's a discussion about peace on campus in Dubery Hall on the first floor of the Jc if you can make it out! There's free food!

Happy Tuesday Agorites! Hope you're staying dry 🌂If you are a graduating senior, and would like to purchase graduation cords, this is your last chance!! Message Madison McCoy by 7:30 pm this evening to place your order. The cords should cost around $20.

Hello all! We are postponing tonight's discussion~__~ apologies for the late notice!