We’ve all seen the hit television series American Idol. Now NOVA has its own iteration of the show, NOVA Idol.
Dozens of students auditioned, performed, and were sent home, until only the finalists remained. At 7 p.m. on March 26 the finals will be held at Schlesinger Hall at the Alexandria campus. Eight students with great talent will compete to hold the title of NOVA Idol, as well as cash prizes for third place, second place and the Idol.

Streetcars may one day whisk passengers to NOVA’s Alexandria campus, if current plans hold up.

Planners are working on a streetcar line that would run from the Pentagon City Metro station, down Columbia Pike, and end at NOVA.

The Alexandria campus would be a central part of this new system. A control center, rail yard, and repair shop at NOVA could be part of the new line, according to Dr. Jimmie McClellan, the dean of Arts and Humanities at the Alexandria campus and a board member for the Northern Virginia Streetcar Coalition. Classes in streetcar repair and operation could be offered as well.

Students are frequently in a situation between classes where they are hungry but do not have enough time to go to a restaurant off campus. Although the chips and chocolate in the vending machines look tempting, there has to be a better solution.

On the Annandale campus, food options are limited. The main location to buy food is in the school cafeteria. But is choosing to eat there really the best choice?

I have never been crazy about first dates. Though there is the excitement that goes along with them, mostly it involves a lot of anxiety. I hate that initial discomfort before a date and the feeling of a bomb about to explode in the pit of my stomach. Why put myself through that?

Now, one might ask how bad my dates could have possibly been to make me feel this way. It seems like I have had especially bad experiences compared to my friends. Some of my first dates could have been right out of a comedy. Though, the more appropriate genre would be horror.

Tax season is rapidly approaching, and with it the stress of complicated tax laws. However, with free tax preparation workshops at NOVA and special tax credits for students, there are many ways to make the season easier.

There are several tax provisions that are designed to help students. One is the Hope Credit which can provide $2,500 for education expenses; the other is the Lifetime Learning Credit that affords a broad range of tax refunds for educational expenses.

On a dull rainy day the sounds of Scot Joplin lit up the Alexandria’s campus library. In honor of Black History Month, Professor Harvey Jacobson played the sounds of that famous African-American composer and pianist.
Around 100 students gathered in the lobby of the library to hear the music on Feb. 23. “This was the first time a concert had been held in the library” according to Dr. Jimmie McClellan. While not the first time NOVA’s Alexandria campus has had a concert, the library seemed a fitting place for the late 19th century musical genius.

An African American History II class on the Alexandria campus recently had a special guest speaker, the co-founder and CEO Dr. Ayize Sabater of Mentors of Minorities in Education’s Total Learning Cis-Tem. Dr. Joseph Windham introduced Sabater, a former student of his at Morehouse College. Sabater spoke about how his non-profit organization is using progressive history to nurture at risk children of color and help them achieve positive educational outcomes in the District of Columbia.

If one needed encouragement to counter balance the negative daily news regarding the employment and the economic downturn, the Ernst Cultural Center Theater on the Annandale campus was the place to be on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Author, entrepreneur and public speaker Jonathan Sprinkles was the special guest speaker on that afternoon.

As the US inches closer to being in default many are wondering if the multibillion dollar stimulus worked. That answer seems to depend on which side of the political spectrum one is on. Ask Obama and he’ll say yes, ask the congressional Republican leadership and surely you’ll get a no. However, there are clear facts that sort out the political claims.

First, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, colloquially known as the stimulus, must be evaluated for what it was created for. It was designed to save and create jobs. It was also written to create economic growth and increase accountability and transparency in government spending. Lastly, the stimulus was designed to be a multiyear spending package, designed to reduce the likelihood of a double dip recession.

In their first ever game, NOVA’s men’s lacrosse team fell to Mercyhurst North East College on Thursday at Old Redskins Park in Herndon, 12-6.

After a quick opening goal by Mercyhurst, NOVA’s attackman Mitch Brown responded, scoring the team’s first goal to knot the game at one apiece. Both defenses held strong as neither team managed a goal for the remainder of the opening quarter. In the second quarter, the Saints tallied six unanswered goals to enter halftime leading 7-1.