Beginning July 15, 2020, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is partnering with Protocall Services to provide after-hours crisis services for Mason students. Protocall is a crisis hotline that is staffed by licensed clinicians to provide crisis intervention and referral services from 5pm to 8:30 am Monday to Friday and 24 hours on weekends.
This summer, Mason Families are partnering with Admissions to host virtual Mason Meet-Ups to cultivate Mason spirit and celebrate our new #MasonBound students and their families! The purpose of these events is to introduce you and your student to members of the Mason community in the area where you live.
Orientation takes on new meanings as we adjust to changing concepts of safety and social interactions. At George Mason University, New Student Orientation helps students navigate the many paths open to them as incoming members of the Mason Nation, now in a virtual format.
Dear Patriots,
Preparation is underway for what may be the greatest campus-wide challenge the George Mason University community has ever taken on – our safe return to campus.
We have no playbook – none exists to navigate any modern university through a global pandemic, much less the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression.
So, like every university, we are in the process of writing our new playbook, observing the best public health expertise that exists – often from the Mason community itself – to address the unknowns that await in months ahead.
The quality of education you can expect to receive will not change. We will not retreat from our mission to provide the very best, most inclusive education possible, to create a more free, just, and prosperous world. And we will support the health and safety of our community in pursuit of that goal.
To stay focused on our mission, we just have to think like Patriots. That means bridging often-competing interests to find our own way forward, like insisting on both excellence and inclusion as a core value of who we are.
For this challenge, it means both committing ourselves to the health, safety, and well-being of everyone in our community and maintaining the most complete university experience possible, as circumstances allow.
It means finding excellence through online instruction and through in-person coursework – and knowing when it’s best to use which technique.
And it means having the discipline to act in ways that protect our own health and look out for the health and safety of our fellow Patriots.
Instruction
We will offer the same robust academic plan for this fall that we always do, in a mix of in-person instruction and online classes. We will start and end the semester classes on time, beginning August 24 and ending December 19.
Drawing on our knowledge that in-person instruction makes a difference, particularly in smaller learning environments, we will preserve this environment where we are able to. Students learn best through dialogue and experience, when they can interact directly with other students and have more direct access to faculty. At the same time, larger classes can be just as effective online, and for some the convenience makes a difference. We’ll develop excellence in blending both forms of instruction.
When in-person classes are best, we will observe public health best practices including social distancing in classrooms, enhanced cleaning procedures, and the requirement that everyone wear masks.
Coming back to campus
We know that bringing people back to campus is a major effort, and we will be conducting this effort in stages. Students who are living on campus will begin to come back in phases. Student staff will move in on August 8. Upper class students will move in between August 15 and 18. Freshmen will move in between August 19 and 21. Students will receive time slots from University Housing and Residence Life, and will need to follow those instructions closely.
Reducing campus density
The university you return to won’t look like the university you left. Everyone must wear face coverings in public places. Physical distancing will be required. We are reducing density in classrooms, residence halls and administrative offices. Supervisors will create safety plans and telework will remain an important component of work plans. Our goal is to greatly reduce the density on campus while providing outstanding service to our students.
A lot can change in the next six weeks. We will be working closely with the local health department, Virginia Health Department and through Centers for Disease Control guidelines to put the safest environment in place. We will also continue to work with renowned experts in public health who work right here at Mason to guide the way.
Public health and safety
The university will not reopen until public health officials deem it safe for us to return. We also will remain agile. Should circumstances change, we are prepared to pivot back to full online instruction.
Shared commitment to each other
Each of us will need to do our part. We must complete online training to understand the new environment on campus. Anyone coming to campus is required to conduct a daily self-health check.
And, I cannot emphasize this enough: If you feel sick or are symptomatic, stay home.
It is not possible to make our university 100 percent risk-free. But we can greatly minimize risk, and our new playbook has been written so that we can make that happen, even without knowing exactly how this year will play out.
Each of us should review the university’s Safe Return to Campus website. For those who want to go even deeper, feel free to read our Safe Return to Campus Plan.
Above all, get ready for an academic year like none other. We will move through this year together, stronger and wiser for our efforts.
Alright, Patriots. Let’s get to work!
Sincerely,
Gregory Washington
President, George Mason University
Dear Patriots,
This week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that it would discontinue visa exceptions for international students on F-1 visas who take all of their courses for the semester online. This decision could force hundreds of thousands of international students to leave the United States and threatens to interrupt the academic work of more than 3,000 students here at George Mason University.
International students contribute greatly to the cultural and intellectual fabric of George Mason University, benefiting everyone in our community. Our best-in-state diversity ranking is in no small part dependent on the students from more than 130 countries who choose Mason for its academic and inclusive excellence. We are proud to say that you can meet the world on our campus. We have an obligation to stand with our international students and make our voice heard on this unfortunate decision.
Universities will be joining together to explore options for how we can protect this vulnerable population. Our Association of Public and Land Grant Universities shares these concerns, as you can see in this public statement. I, too, urge the administration to reconsider this executive action.
Here at Mason, and across Virginia, conversations are underway as we work to fully understand the new guidance and its impact on our operations and our students. We are committed to finding creative solutions so that our students are able to continue their study in the U.S.
Our Office of International Programs and Services (OIPS) is putting together more information, which will be forthcoming later this week. Faculty and administrators in the schools and colleges can expect to learn more from their deans; international students will receive information from OIPS, including guidance and announcements about FAQ’s and online discussions.
Despite unprecedented challenges we currently face, we will not waver in our support for our international community.
Sincerely,
Gregory Washington
President, George Mason University
University Career Services will offer its Career Influencer Training as a virtual workshop series in early August. The Career Influencers Network provides faculty and staff the opportunity to learn how to best support students in becoming career ready and achieving post graduate success in today’s quickly evolving world of work. In times of uncertainty, we can expect to discuss job and career plans with Mason students even more than before. Joining the Career Influencers Network will help you help students as they reflect on, refine and pursue their career goals.
The three modules that comprise the training will be offered from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., August 3 – 5. Participants must participate in ALL THREE scheduled workshops in the series to complete the training. The workshops are intended to be undertaken in the order offered, so plan to participate in the workshops on all three mornings. Course participants can expect to:
Upon completion of the training, participants will receive a certificate of completion and the Career Readiness Toolkit, a collection of activities, rubrics, and templates to facilitate connections between students’ academic experiences and their career goals. Members of the Career Influencers Network also receive invitations to Lunch & Learns for on-going professional development and updates on career related programs and services. Click here to register.
GMU Esports is now a Departmental Student Organization. Previously existing as one of over 450 Registered Student Organizations, within this new structure, GMU Esports will be housed in the Student Involvement office (located in the Hub, Room 2300). The new space will provide gaming computers and space for teams to practice and compete in online competitions, as well as for the leadership team to work on creating and planning events and activities to increase student participation in the esports community at Mason.
GMU Esports, under Student Involvement, will also gain broadened funding and support, including a new Graduate Assistant position that will serve as an advisor alongside the Executive Director of Student Involvement. Both will take the lead in building the infrastructure for the department’s expansion. “Student Involvement and University Life are excited to expand esports gaming at Mason. We started with the GAMEmason annual gaming-con event and are looking forward to the increase in student engagement as the GMU Esports group grows. So far, the students have been amazing to work with,” Lauren Long, Executive Director of Student Involvement, said.
GMU Esports aims to bolster its top collegiate teams and players competing in League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and offer a year-round home for the greater esports community at GMU. Teams in other esports will be fielded as well, providing competitive opportunities for a variety of other games and will expand in accordance with student interest.
According to Peter Parker, Student President of GMU Esports, “With GMU Esports now becoming a part of Student Involvement, we’ll be able to provide support in the future to our top teams and players to be the best they can be, as well as create ways for students who are passionate about esports but don’t necessarily want to be top competitors a way to actively participate in other roles. With this new structure, we can begin developing new community events, and make mainstays like our Smash weekly even better.”
GMU Esports is set to formally launch in the Fall 2020 semester. More information regarding the program will be announced over the coming months. To stay updated on what’s happening, follow:
