University Life

Category: Civic Learning and Community Enagagement

They want Student Government to work—for everyone

George Mason University student body president Camden Layton and vice president Adia McLaughlin. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Office of Communications and Marketing Photo Taken:Thursday, October 3, 2019

Seniors Camden Layton and Adia McLaughlin know exactly how their time at George Mason University has helped them grow.

“Quiet” is how Layton remembered himself as a freshman from Horseheads, New York. McLaughlin, from Pinehurst, North Carolina, said it used to be that she was “always hesitant to go up and request something.”

Now?

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Mason Reads brings award-winning author Adichie to campus

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, credit Wani Olatunde

In her first Freedom and Learning Forum, George Mason University president Anne Holton sits down with award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on Friday, Oct. 11, at 12:30 p.m. in the Center for the Arts on the Fairfax Campus.

The two will be discussing Adichie’s book “We Should All Be Feminists,” which was chosen for this year’s Mason Reads program. The book is taken from Adichie’s 2012 TED talk of the same name and has a started a worldwide conversation about feminism in the context of inclusion and awareness. She makes a case for feminism as an issue that affects everyone.

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Mason Nation volunteers for 9/11 Day of Service

9/11 Day of Service at Fairfax Campus. Photo by: Ron Aira/Creative Services/George Mason University

Students, faculty, staff and alumni were invited to participate in service projects such as weeding campus vegetable gardens, assembling hygiene kits, and making fleece blankets for children at the Ronald McDonald House. See a list of services projects. Photos by Ron Aira and Evan Cantwell/Creative Services.

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Providing a more integrated and responsive student experience

video cover image for Mason Student Services Center

Beginning this fall, students at George Mason University will have access to enhanced services designed to meet the needs and expectations of the 21st-century student. These new practices and policies will help ensure that every student at Virginia’s largest and most diverse public institution has access to excellence in a transparent and responsive environment.

“We have this already complex student body. We have students coming to us who have very different needs,” said David Burge, Mason’s vice president for enrollment management. “We have to think about a holistic reorganization of the way we think about the student experience.”

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‘Enslaved Children of George Mason’ project explores school’s namesake

Alexis Bracey (left), Ayman Fatima (center) and Elizabeth Perez-Garcia (right) were three of the students who started with the project in summer 2017, bringing with them their backgrounds in criminology, public health, global affairs and other fields. Photo by Evan Cantwell.
Alexis Bracey (left), Ayman Fatima (center) and Elizabeth Perez-Garcia (right) were three of the students who started with the project in summer 2017, bringing with them their backgrounds in criminology, public health, global affairs and other fields. Photo by Evan Cantwell.

When searching through the George Mason University website for a summer job, Ayman Fatima came across a position that sparked her interest.

The Enslaved Children of George Mason project was looking for a research assistant. The project’s goal was to tell the previously untold stories of those who were enslaved by the university’s namesake, George Mason IV.

Read more about the Enslaved Children of George Mason

Sign up for LeaderShape Institute

students at Leadershape

Mason’s 14th annual LeaderShape Institute—May 24-29 in Buckeystown, Maryland—gives students an opportunity to work collaboratively as they grow and learn as leaders. The deadline to sign up is April 26. Click here for more information or call Mason’s office of Leadership, Education and Development at 703-993-4186.

Earth Day event showcases Mason’s multidisciplinary approach to fighting climate change

Greenhouse Coordinator Doni Ward provides tours at the President's Park Hydroponic Greenhouse. The Office of Sustainability and Sodexo have partnered to provide produce grown here to Mason Dining facilities. Photo by Alexis Glenn/Creative Services/George Mason University

George Mason University’s multidisciplinary approach to tackling climate change will be on full display on April 22 when a panel of researchers gathers on the Fairfax Campus at the Johnson Center Cinema to discuss the many facets of the problem and how to best address them.

“Climate 3.0: The Science, the Politics and the Policy Agenda” includes a thorough examination of the issue of climate change in the form of discussing the science itself, policy and communication. University Professor Jagadish Shukla, who is also the managing director of the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA), will oversee the special Earth Day event, which will run from 3 to 6 p.m., and include renowned panelists such as Thomas Lovejoy, Andrew Light, Tyler Cowen, Jim Kinter and Ed Maibach. Robinson Professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Steve Pearlstein will serve as the panel’s moderator.

Read more about Earth Day at Mason

23rd Annual Victims’ Rights Run/Walk

people running through an archway next to the patriot mascot

Every April, University Life departments, Mason Athletics, Mason Police, and community sponsors have honored the life and legacy of former student athlete Aimee Willard with the annual Victims’ Rights Run/Walk 5k.

Join the Mason community on Thursday, April 11, at noon in front of Merten Hall to participate in this year’s event.

The Victims’ Rights Run/Walk is an interactive way to learn about all types of violence and raise money for a great cause.

Visit vrrw.gmu.edu for more information about Aimee, to sign up, or to make a donation.

Contact the Student Support and Advocacy Center at [email protected] or 703-993-3686 with questions.

See pictures from the event!

From https://www2.gmu.edu/news/576061.

Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) opportunities for your student

Mason’s Office of the President and the Leadership Education and Development office invite undergraduate and graduate students to join Young Global Leaders alumni in the latest session of President Ángel Cabrera’s Freedom and Learning Forum. Photo by Evan Cantwell/George Mason University
Mason’s Office of the President and the Leadership Education and Development office invite undergraduate and graduate students to join Young Global Leaders alumni in the latest session of President Ángel Cabrera’s Freedom and Learning Forum. Photo by Evan Cantwell/George Mason University

At the Leadership Education and Development Office (LEAD), we believe that everyone has the potential to be a leader. We’d like to take a moment to tell you about the smorgasbord of opportunities we have available for your Patriot.

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Freedom and Learning Forum: Racism in Virginia and Opportunities for Change

Freedom and Learning Forum, Dr. Gail Christopher

RSVP today for the next Freedom and Learning Forum featuring Dr. Gail Christopher, visionary and architect of the Kellogg Foundation-led Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation effort for America:

Racism in Virginia and Opportunities for Change: Moving Toward Truth and Transformation
Monday, March 25
4 to 5:30 p.m.
The Hub, Ballroom
RSVP

Join us for a conversation between President Ángel Cabrera and Dr. Gail Christopher, who is widely recognized for designing holistic strategies for social change.

Dr. Christopher is the visionary behind the Kellogg Foundation-led Truth Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) effort for America. TRHT is an adaptation of the globally-recognized Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) model. Dr. Christopher is the former senior advisor and vice president of the Kellogg Foundation and past executive director of the Institute for Government Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

For more information and to RSVP, visit: lead.gmu.edu/freedom.