University Life

Author: Samantha Hill

Meet the Mason Nation: Khaseem Davis

Khasee Davis, Early identification program director
Khaseem Davis, Early Identification Program director. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services/George Mason University

Since 1987, Mason’s Early Identification Program (EIP) has been a valuable resource for college-bound, first-generation students throughout Northern Virginia, providing academic enrichment, personal development, SAT test preparation, seminars, and coaching sessions. As the director of the program, Khaseem Davis works to ensure students have the tools they need to be successful—even in a pandemic.

Read more about Khaseem.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Nominate a Kindness Ambassador

Mason chooses kindness for World Kindness Day
Mason chooses kindness for World Kindness Day

Mason Chooses Kindness (MCK) needs your help to identify at least 100 new Kindness Ambassadors. Nominations may include Mason students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and are accepted through Oct. 12.

The mission of MCK is to create and sustain a kindness revolution at Mason. Kindness Ambassadors will be recognized on Nov. 14 in celebration of World Kindness Day.

Nominate someone today.

ADVANCE Program is highlighted on PBS NewsHour

Multi-ethnic group of college students with face masks communicating against the wall.
Small group of university students wearing protective face masks while talking by the wall in a hallway.

Mason’s ADVANCE Program and the university’s partnership with Northern Virginia Community College to promote access to a four-year education for more Virginians is the subject of PBS NewsHour story and part of its series “Rethinking College.”

Watch the video.

Mason to host the ARIE Conference on Oct. 24

a group of Mason families

The inaugural Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) Conference will be held on Monday, Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Mason Square in Arlington. The event will provide a forum for higher education, industry, government, non-profit and other changemakers to discuss pathways to better access, justice, equity and inclusion for all.

Register and learn more

shopMason Presents AMPLIFY

Shopmason presents amplify

Join a festive new celebration this fall: AMPLIFY. This exciting outdoor event will be hosted on the Merten Lawn on Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

AMPLIFY will feature food trucks, games, giveaways, and music. Engage with shopMason units, Patriot Perks members, Mason Merchants, community partners, and more.

RSVP for a chance to win a bonus prize.

What to know about the new COVID booster

Mason’s Amira Roess, an epidemiologist

Mason’s Amira Roess, an epidemiologist who specializes in infectious diseases, answers frequently asked questions about the new COVID-19 booster shot.

Learn what she had to say

Photo by Creative Services

An outlet for students at risk for substance abuse

Doctor writing patient notes on a medical examination or prescription focus on stethoscope

Services offered by Mason’s Student Health Services and the Student Support and Advocacy Center can offer invaluable support to students in need of help.

Read more.

Coins4Change

Patriot pantry
The next time you order coffee or pizza on campus, consider donating to Coins4Change.

 

Mason Dining has partnered with the Student Support and Advocacy Center to create a donation program that is easy to participate in and has far-reaching impact.

 

Donating just a few coins at the register supports the Patriot Pantry, and money collected is converted into meal swipes for Mason students experiencing food insecurity. Coins4Change is available at most retail locations across campus and accepted with Mason Money, credit/debit cards, and cash.

The 10th Annual Mason Nation 9/11 Day of Service

Johnson Center sunset
Johnson Center sunset. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services/George Mason University

The Mason community participated in a variety of service projects, including several relating to food insecurity, to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11.

Read more.

Health updates for fall semester

Governor Ralph Northam is greeted by president Greg Washington during a visit to the Fairfax campus of George Mason University. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Office of Communications and Marketing Photo Taken:Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Governor Ralph Northam is greeted by president Greg Washington during a visit to the Fairfax campus of George Mason University. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Office of Communications and Marketing Photo Taken:Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Dear Patriots,

With another record enrollment and fully reopened campuses for the first time since fall 2019, we are off to a fantastic start for the school year! Our campuses are once again buzzing with teaching, research, scholarship, and the full range of university activities.

We continue to monitor COVID as it remains a part of our lives. The community COVID risk levels for Fairfax, Prince William, and Arlington counties remains low, although both the region and Mason have seen an increase in cases in recent weeks. Our positivity rate among students is below 3%.

We have established a number of strategies to help keep you safe and healthy, and I encourage all Patriots to utilize all of them.

Mason offers COVID testing, the latest vaccines, and bivalent boosters on campus, and we strongly encourage masking indoors and staying home when you are unwell. Also, as we manage our defenses against COVID, Mason is providing resources for two other illnesses that we want to keep at bay, the seasonal flu and monkeypox.

Here are specific resources available to Mason students, faculty, and staff. Please take advantage of them as you need to.

COVID testing

Walk-in COVID testing remains available for asymptomatic individuals for screening purposes at our various surveillance testing sites at SciTech, Mason Square (formerly known as Arlington Campus), and Fairfax campus. Diagnostic testing for symptomatic individuals can be scheduled through Student Health Services or Employee Health and Well Being.

COVID vaccinations and boosters

The Employee Health & Well-Being Vaccination and Testing Center in Fenwick A on the Fairfax Campus is offering both Pfizer and Moderna two-dose vaccines and one-dose bivalent boosters, and the Novavax two-dose vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued COVID guidance for what it means to be up to date. To schedule an appointment for a COVID vaccine or booster, and to learn about vaccine eligibility click here.

Monkeypox vaccinations

Mason is also the only university in the commonwealth offering monkeypox vaccine. More information on eligibility and scheduling can also be found here.

Flu shots

Winter Wellness Flu Shot Clinics will be held at Mason Square (formerly Arlington Campus) on Oct. 11, SciTech on Oct. 18, and Fairfax on Oct. 20. Learn more and register.

Thank you, Patriots, for doing your part to protect yourselves and each other.

 

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington

President