Author: Eleftheria Giannopoulos

Dear Mason Patriots:

The Board of Visitors will host a listening session on the university’s budget for 2020-2021 at 10 a.m. on May 6. We invite our entire campus community to participate, particularly our students.

This listening session is an opportunity for you to share your views with university leadership and ask questions specific to the 2020-2021 Financial Plan and tuition. Interim President Anne Holton and Visitor Simmi Bhuller will join me for the listening session, which will be conducted virtually.

We know the coronavirus has affected everyone differently, and has created financial anxiety and uncertainty for many of our students. The Board of Visitors needs to hear from you as we consider the budget for the upcoming school year.

We ask that you register your comments in advance using this link so that we can hear from as many people as possible during the listening session. All comments submitted through the survey link will be read and reviewed by the board in advance of our May 20 meeting to vote on the budget.  You may also request to deliver your comments live during the session. A link to the May 6 meeting will be available on the university’s home page.

We hope to move back to more normal operations as soon as we can, but we recognize the need especially in the current circumstances to be careful stewards of our resources so that we can maintain our mission of providing access to excellence for our students.

I hope you will take this opportunity to share your thoughts and feedback with us.

Sincerely,

Tom Davis
Rector, George Mason University

Dear Mason Class of 2020:

I hope this email finds you well and that your classes are going smoothly as we move into the last few weeks of the spring semester. I know this is not the ending to your studies that you had envisioned. Despite this, I want you to know that I couldn’t be prouder of your resilience and your adaptability. You’re not only completing your coursework but many of you are taking time to help others through this difficult crisis.

As I mentioned last week in our virtual town hall and follow-up message, because of the public health risks and the governor’s orders, and not surprisingly, we are unable to hold a traditional Spring Commencement ceremony this May. And yet many of you responded to our survey about a future commemorative event and your message was overwhelmingly clear: You want to walk across the stage at EagleBank Arena in front of friends and family, and we want to celebrate with you. You will all be invited to participate in an in-person ceremony at a future date when it is safe to do so.

In the meanwhile, we want to celebrate your accomplishments this spring.  We have listened to your feedback on how best to do that, and I want to share with you the details about the Celebration of the Class of 2020.

We invite you to join us for a celebration of your efforts at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 22 on GMU-TV. This will include congratulatory messages from me and the deans, a short message from a member of the Class of 2020, a performance by the Green Machine, and special guests wishing you well. We hope you will take the time to celebrate your accomplishments and invite friends and family to do so as well.

In addition, each School and College will have its own dedicated graduation slide show with a message from your Dean and personalized slides for each graduate showing your name, degree, major and college. We invite you to share a photo along with an optional message for your personalized slide.

You will receive an email from [email protected] with more information and additional specific details about what we can all look forward to during the celebration event.

We are all so proud of you and we can’t wait to honor you on May 22 and celebrate with you in person in the future.

Sincerely,

Anne Holton
Interim President

Dear Patriots,

I hope you are doing well.  I want to check in with you to learn about your Mason experience particularly since we made the decision to move to a distance learning format in response to the current pandemic.  Please fill out Mason Pulse Survey – it will take less than 5 minutes – so we can gauge your experience, continue to address areas that need improvement, provide you with any needed support, and plan for the future.

When you submit your completed survey, you will be entered into a random drawing. We will give away five pairs of Beats by Dr Dre Studio Noise Cancelling Headphones.  We will notify winners and mail Beats directly to you.

We really want to hear from you.  Knowing how you are doing is incredibly important to us, particularly at this moment in time.  Please complete by Wednesday, April 29.

Thanks,

Rose

​Rose B. Pascarell
Vice President for University Life

Mason Patriots,

While campus is secured and virtual learning and telework are ongoing, we want to remind everyone of the steps we are taking to keep the Mason Nation safe. The university is developing plans to resume on-campus activities later this year. In order for us to understand when it is safe for us to return to campus, we need your help.

Report COVID Illnesses: If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or have had close contact with someone who has, please notify Mason using the university’s confidential reporting procedures to ensure we are aiding students, faculty, and staff as needed and to track the status of our community.We can slow community transmission by notifying contacts to quarantine.

• Faculty and staff must contact Human Resources and Payroll via this online reporting form if you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, have been instructed by a medical professional to self-isolate or self-quarantine due to risks associated with close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. With the employee’s permission, supervisors are able to report this information on behalf of the employee.
• Students who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or are issued self-isolation or quarantine instructions must contact Student Health Services. If you are a student living on campus or have had contact with a student living on campus, please call 703-993-2831. All other students please use the secure online portal at: https://gmu.medicatconnect.com
• Contractors who test positive or are issued self-isolation or quarantine instructions should notify the Environmental Health and Safety Office, [email protected], to determine appropriate protective measures. With the contracted employee’s permission, supervisors or Mason contract administrators can report this information on behalf of the contractor.

The reporting forms ask for information about locations visited on campus and others with whom contact was made so that those individuals can be notified if quarantine is recommended. An outline of the university’s process for notification, investigation, and recommended precautions is available online here. Supervisors should consult the university’s guidelines on when employees or students may return to work or campus.

Building Access:  We understand that some faculty and staff may need to return to campus to conduct critical research, work, or instruction. Because all university buildings have been secured, you must make arrangements ahead of time with the appropriate contact on this list if you do not currently have and need access to your workspace. Mason Police are getting numerous requests to provide on-demand building access, which takes them away from their primary responsibilities. Repeated on-demand requests may result in a charge to your department for emergency access. 

• Electronic Access: Card swipe access can be requested  online at https://masonid.gmu.edu/access/ or through the Card Access Security Office at 703-993-3127, [email protected].
• Key Access: Key Control is available at [email protected] or 703-993-2823 to process requests for hard keys.

As part of securing the campus, spaces have been decontaminated by Facilities Management. This process leaves behind a non-toxic film or residue that will be removed during subsequent cleanings and before operations on campus resume. The film can be removed with a damp cloth or wipe. If you have additional concerns please contact Facilities Management at 703-993-2525 to arrange for additional cleaning.

University Events: As President Holton announced at last week’s town hall, that all university events will be cancelled or postponed until Aug. 8. If you have an event or activity that cannot be held virtually and you’d like to request an exception to this policy, please contact [email protected]. The Events Exception committee will conduct risk assessments on a case-by-case basis as requested to ensure consideration of specific event details are evaluated.

Thank you for all you are doing to keep our community safe. 

Respectfully,

Lester L. Arnold
CHRO | Vice President for Human Resources and Payroll

Lisa Park, MD, MPH
Executive Director, Student Health Services

David Farris, PhD
Executive Director, Safety & Emergency Management

George Mason University Student Refund Amounts