University Life

Taking Care of Your Mental Health: You Are Not Alone

Patriots:
We hope you are doing well and settling into your Spring semester.
This is a point in the semester when you may start feeling more academic pressure and have other stressors or worries weighing on you. Everyone feels sad or anxious at times, and sometimes these feelings can be hard to manage. We are writing today to make sure you know that you are not alone – that your community and George Mason University are here for you.

Your own community
It can be difficult to reach out for help when you feel down or lonely. However, social connection is vital to our health and well-being. There are many ways you can connect with other people:

  • Reach out to supportive friends and families. You don’t have to have a long conversation: you can start with a short text message.
  • Find your communities and engage with them. This may be a faith community or a group on campus. There are online communities and forums available where you can find connection and support (including Mason360, which is available to all students).
  • Say hello. We sometimes underestimate the power of short social interactions but studies have shown that even brief conversations can positively affect our mood.
  • Talk to a faculty or staff member. They can help you connect with any support you need.
  • Try counseling or therapy. This is a powerful option – both for relieving loneliness and getting support.

Your Mason resources
Again – you are not alone. You are in a community with people who want to connect with you and want to help you.
Some resources that you might find useful include:
Patriots Thriving Together  – Your guide to thriving at Mason
Mason Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) – 703-993-2380
Student Support and Advocacy Center – SSAC Support Request
Crisis Text Line – Text HOME to 741741 to reach a crisis counselor
TimelyCare – Confidential virtual health and well-being for Mason students


We wish you the best this semester and hope you remember that you are not alone. Take good care of yourselves and each other, and do not hesitate to reach out when you need help.

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington
President

Rose Pascarell
Vice President for University Life

We stand with Michigan State

Fellow Patriots:

Today at Michigan State University three more are dead, five more are injured, eyewitnesses are deeply traumatized, another university community is in shock, and our nation is plunged back into mourning. We stand with Michigan State, mourn their losses as we would our own, and lend our support and prayers for the injured and the traumatized who are left behind.

So far in 2023, there have been more mass shootings in America than there have been days in the year. In the name of the Spartans who have been taken from us, we must recommit ourselves to ending this uniquely American, entirely preventable epidemic of gun violence. As hard as it to push back despair in this moment, we simply have to.

In fact, many George Mason University faculty have been working as part of an 18-university coalition from across the DC region to find non-legislative strategies that will reduce gun violence in America. You may recall that Mason and the University of Maryland led the formation of the 120 Initiative following another horrific and entirely preventable tragedy, the massacre of innocent school children in Uvalde, Texas. The initiative was named in memorial tribute to the average number of Americans we lose to gun violence each and every day.

On March 1, the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area will bring together faculty from universities throughout the DC area who study gun violence and related issues and who are part of the 120 Initiative. They have been at work for months presenting and debating promising strategies, and they will present their recommendations publicly for the first time.

Here is what should make every Mason Patriot especially proud: Mason has contributed the most faculty expertise and proposals of all participating universities. I am so proud of our faculty, who run the gamut of research areas and ideologies, for stepping up to contribute so passionately to this effort.

One day, we will find ways to end this type of violence in America, once and for all. But today it is clear that we have much work to do. So I end where I began, with our hearts aching for everyone at Michigan State University, and our minds set upon ending this scourge once and for all.

 

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington
President

Statement on recent tragedies

Patriots,

For many in our community, the last month has been particularly troubling as our nation and world have weathered horrific tragedies, most recently with Friday’s release of the video showing the murder of Tyre Nichols. It followed massacres in Monterrey Park and Half Moon Bay, California, which themselves occurred amid a backdrop of thousands of American deaths in January by gun violence, and a constant stream of violence and death from wars and ethnic strife around the world.

Each drumbeat of such violence strikes all-too-familiar and deeply personal chords of pain in the communities of victims who are involved. Collectively, they take a toll on us all. 

As we continue to process, reflect, and respond to recent events, I want you to remember the many resources at Mason available to support your mental health and well-being. Resources are listed below along with accompanying links. They exist for you, so please use them if they can be of help.

 

For Students:

Counseling and Psychological Center (CAPS) – in-person or virtual counseling appointments

Within CAPS, specific resources include

The Steve Fund  – dedicated to supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of students of color.

TimelyCare at Mason  provides virtual mental health for students 24/7.

You may download the app for easier access.

Anti-Racism and self-help resources 

 

Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment 

Center for the Advancement of Well-Being

Student Support and Advocacy Center 

 

For Faculty and Staff:

Center for Psychological Services (CPS) Emotional Support Line

Employee Assistance Program 

For those who are available and able, many of us will come together in community today (Monday) at 5 p.m. for the annual MLK Evening of Reflection: Lighting the Pathway. The event, hosted by the Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment, includes panelists Aniyah Vines, Breya Johnson, Mark Hopson, and Samaria Rice. Register to attend here.

Take good care of yourselves and each other.

 

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington

President

Welcome Back to Mason for Spring 2023

Dear Colleagues, 

Welcome back! I hope you had a rejuvenating winter break and are as eager as I am for the spring semester. 

We’ve triumphed over nearly three years of tremendous challenges and have gradually resumed most of our usual activities. We’re seeing more students, faculty and staff in person – anyone who has tried to snag a parking garage charging station can attest to that. We’re Zooming less and meeting in-person more. We’re seeing more smiles and fewer masks (both are welcome sights!)  

I don’t exactly know what our new normal is, but I know one thing: It’s a lot like the old normal, because Mason students, faculty and staff are achieving at a high level.  

Let’s take a quick look back at a few highlights from the fall semester: 

  • The university teamed with TimelyMD to improve student health by providing a 24-hour virtual extension of campus counseling center resources to improve student well-being. 
  • The Board of Visitors approved our Strategic Direction document that shapes our priorities for the upcoming years. 
  • We held our first Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence national conference at Mason Square, where construction on Fuse is under way. 
  • Our faculty’s achievements continue to be celebrated. Ed Maibach, University Professor in the Department of Communication and the director of Mason’s Center for Climate Change Communication, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.  
  • We established the university’s first employee dependent tuition benefit, through the Mason Virginia Promise, to assist our neediest families. 
  • Attain Partners founder and CEO Greg Baroni and his wife, Camille, committed $10 million to the School of Business. 
  • We launched Stop the Bleed training with our Active Threat emergency training to provide hands-on first aid practice and help our community be better prepared. 
  • I was excited to make my first visit to Mason Korea, where the university signed agreements with NCSoft and Hanguk University of Foreign Studies for collaboration and research. 

This semester, you can look forward to: 

  • Another base salary increase that took effect on Jan. 10 – in addition to the 5% salary increase last summer. (see note below)
  • The Employee Health and Well-Being group within Safety, Emergency, & Enterprise Risk Management will offer faculty and staff an on-site clinic at the Fairfax Campus and offer expanded services such as in-office and virtual (telehealth) visits for minor, acute illness or injury, and wellness checks, while continuing to offer COVID testing and vaccinations. 
  • We will officially celebrate the state’s first College of Public Health during National Public Health Week from April 3-9. 
  • Alessandra Luchini, a professor in Mason’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, will receive a 2023 Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. 
  • Construction on our Life Sciences and Engineering Building on the Science and Technology Campus is under way. 
  • We will launch a $1 billion – yes, billion – campaign to help fund our priorities and ensure the university’s future fiscal standing. 
  • Our community has donated more than 4,000 pounds of food and hygiene items in the Patriot Pantry Challenge. Keep ‘em coming! Our students greatly appreciate your generosity. 
And there are two things you can always count on: My leadership team and me supporting you. And Mason prioritizing our students. 

Everything we’re putting in place results in an enhanced academic and social environment for our students. That is something for which we all can feel proud. 

Let’s have a wonderful spring semester. Go, Patriots! 

Gregory Washington
President

 

Updated 1/25/2023:

Dear fellow Patriots:

Yesterday, the Office of University Branding distributed a message to all faculty and staff from me welcoming everyone back for the semester. Unfortunately, it contained a miscommunication regarding January 10 market salary adjustments that certain employees received as we work diligently to address one of the university’s most urgent challenges, market inequities. This has led to understandable confusion among many employees, as the message erroneously indicated that all recipients would be receiving a salary increase.

I am writing to apologize for the confusion, as well as the disappointment, this may have caused. We have reviewed our vetting procedures and identified where we will improve our process moving forward.

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington

President 

Tragedies at UVA and University of Idaho

Fellow Patriots:

Today we are reeling from two tragedies at other universities – the overnight murders of three at the University of Virginia, and the apparent murders of four University of Idaho students.

We stand in solidarity and grief with our fellow students, faculty, and staff from UVA and Idaho. On behalf of a deeply saddened university community, I offer our collective condolences and support to both communities.

At UVA, we know that gun violence has once again invaded the sanctity of a university community, taking three lives and injuring two. The depths of these tragedies are always immeasurable, and they are compounded when they occur within a fellow university community so close to us.

I have reached out to my colleague and friend, UVA President James Ryan, to offer my condolences, support, and any assistance that his community might find helpful. Members of my team are reaching out to their counterparts with the same offer.

For the Mason community, I offer assurance that we are constantly working to prevent and, if necessary, respond quickly to such tragedies. We have the protection and support of campus, local, and regional law enforcement, emergency response protocols that we have practiced, and an array of support services readily available to those in need. If you have not already done so, please take a moment to register for Mason AlertActive Threat Training ,and review our Active Threat Preparedness Resources.

Today, UVA and Idaho face a tough road ahead to heal and regain the normalcy that has been taken from them. I ask everyone in Mason Nation to hold them in your hearts. Look for opportunities to support your friends or family who are connected to those communities.

Today, we are all Hoos in spirit.

 

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington

President

Caring for our Mason Community

Dear fellow Patriots: 

Our community, our nation, and our world have experienced a multitude of recent tragedies so far this fall semester, and I want to take a moment to share with the Mason community how we are responding to them. While we make an earnest effort to respond to a number of crises being experienced by all our students, when these crises involve significant loss of life or undue physical violence, we try to respond to the broader community. 

From the ongoing war in Ukraine, to violence and protests in Iran, to the devastating hurricane in Florida, and to last week’s stampede that took more than 150 lives at a Halloween event in Seoul, Korea, all of these events – along with less-public incidents that leave individuals feeling attacked or marginalized – can overwhelm us. 

Each tragic event brings trauma, anxiety, and disruption to various communities of interest within George Mason University. Collectively, they affect us all. 

In moments like this, Mason responds to members of our community who are in crisis as a result. While we cannot prevent or fix these tragedies, we offer support and solace as each circumstance warrants.  

Iran

Students, faculty, and staff members alike have reacted viscerally to the recent killing of an Iranian woman by state authorities for simply wearing her hijab in a way they deemed improper. The unrest throughout Iran has traumatized members of our own community, many of whom have family, friends, and other interests in Iran. They worry for their loved ones’ safety and for the future of their country. At a time like this, their country of origin can seem perilously far away, and their future can feel achingly in doubt. 

Various Mason offices already have reached out to Iranian and Iranian-American students, faculty, and staff, to listen and explore how we can assist them. I will be joining a number of those meetings personally over the next couple of weeks to hear their concerns first-hand. 

Korea

This weekend’s Halloween tragedy was especially tragic to Mason, as Mason Korea is located in a suburb of Seoul. Our first priority has been to confirm the safety of our own students, faculty, and staff, none of whom appear to have been involved in the event, thankfully.  We are reaching out to both the Mason Korea community and those Mason family members here at our Northern Virginia campuses to offer our support as best we can. Outreach and support are ongoing. 

Florida

When Hurricane Ian roared across central Florida, we knew a certain number of out-of-state students, faculty, and staff would surely be impacted, and we offered our assistance as needed. We understand that natural disasters like this can leave students without homes to return to, or their families without the necessary resources to continue supporting their studies. The disaster itself can create traumas that are best aided with mental health and wellbeing services, all of which are available to those affected by this or any disaster that affects them. We have been heartened by the warm reaction affected students have had to our support. 

Ukraine

We continue to monitor events in Ukraine, where just this week a fresh round of missile attacks on civilian cities was unleashed. Students and faculty from Ukraine and Russia have come to Mason to participate in the experience enshrined in our motto, Freedom and Learning. And we are here to support them as we can, with wellbeing and financial assistance for those cut off from supportive families. 

Mason is a Community

Mason is really like a small, cosmopolitan city, with a population larger than all but the 18 largest municipalities in Virginia. Our community is affected by nearly every major national or international event. 

When tragedy hits, Mason is committed to responding, sometimes in public ways, but always in personal ways that do not necessarily draw wide attention. Our responders may be from University Life, the Provost’s Office, Human Resources, or the office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. To those in need, services offered are tailored to the circumstance, often privately, and usually including employment or academic accommodations, information and referral for emergency financial aid, mental health and well-being assistance, or direct dialogue with university leaders. 

That’s what family does for its own, and as proud as we are at how different our diversity makes us, in the end we all belong to the same Mason family. Recent weeks have driven home just how much of a family the Mason community can and should be.

 

Fellow Patriots, stay well, stay safe, and take care of each other as you can. 

  

Sincerely, 

Gregory Washington 

President 

Upcoming Supreme Court decisions

Dear Patriots:

In the coming days, the United States Supreme Court is expected to hand down several landmark decisions of a magnitude that may provoke vocal, public reactions from people on all sides of the issues being adjudicated. We also know the impact of those decisions may weigh differently, and have different consequences, for different community members.

We are writing to reaffirm that George Mason University is a community of active and engaged scholars, students, and professionals who embody our motto of Freedom and Learning. As such we strongly encourage everyone who is moved to raise their voices by whatever the Supreme Court may release to do so lawfully and safely.

Mason is proud to be a university that is recognized for fostering an environment that welcomes free speech for all. Mason consistently earns a top national ranking for its campus climate from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). In 2021 Mason ranked No. 12 nationally for encouraging free speech when FIRE assessed tolerance for liberal and conservative speakers, students’ comfort in expressing ideas and having difficult conversations, administrative support for free speech, and student tolerance of disruptive conduct.

To that end, Mason maintains online resources to guide legal and safe First Amendment expressions, which can be found on our Mason Climate web page and our Free Speech at Mason web page.  We encourage everyone who may consider demonstrating either in support of or opposition to anticipated Supreme Court decisions to consult these resources in order to remain safe and within the laws governing our rights to peaceably assemble.

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington
President

Mark Ginsberg
Executive Vice President & Provost

Rose Pascarell
Vice President, University Life

Updated mask requirements for commencement

Dear Fellow Patriots:

 

Recent increases in COVID-19 cases have prompted concerns and questions in the university community that I want to address as we head into commencement week and the completion of the Spring 2022 semester.

 

We continue to watch conditions daily. The number of cases at George Mason University in recent weeks remains well below the high we experienced this winter. We are following current CDC and local public health guidance on how to respond to COVID conditions. As of this week, Fairfax County community rates are classified as medium, and the county is not calling for a return to mask mandates at this time.

 

We will continue our current campus policy except for upcoming commencement and indoor degree ceremonies. We recognize that these events will be attended by many family members who consider this to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness their loved ones complete a major educational milestone. Many attendees may have avoided public events due to COVID risks, so we owe it to our families to take added measures for these events and create as safe an environment as possible. In addition, many are coming from Northern Virginia, where the prevalence rate is classified as medium. Therefore, for commencement at EagleBank Arena and all indoor degree celebrations, we will require all students, faculty, staff, and guests in attendance to wear masks. We will have additional supplies on hand for those who arrive without a mask.

 

Looking ahead to the summer, we will require all summer students living on campus to be regularly tested and we will reevaluate if necessary. We will share more details about our summer plans shortly.

 

Congratulations on completing another semester in such a safe and responsible manner.

 

Sincerely,

 

Gregory Washington
President

Mason campuses are now mask-optional

Dear Fellow Patriots:

I have more encouraging news to share about our management of COVID-19. The presence of the virus is now at a low point both on Mason’s campuses and in surrounding communities. Our positivity rates have remained well below 1 percent and community transmission in Fairfax County is now categorized as “low.”

The current low level of COVID-19 means that we can take another step forward. Effective immediately, Mason campuses are mask-optional, except in certain event venues, healthcare settings, on public transit, or childcare settings. We are now also COVID test-optional, with the exception of unvaccinated, high-contact students. Visit the Safe Return to Campus page for when and where masks and tests are still required.  

Every Mason Patriot should feel free to practice the masking measures that make you feel safe. If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, we support you. If you choose not to wear a mask where they are optional, we support you as well.

There are steps that we will take to keep our community healthy and safe:

  • We encourage all students, faculty, and staff to continue to complete the Mason COVID Health Check each day prior to coming to a campus, through Spring Commencement on May 20.
  • We ask that all students, faculty and staff get tested when they feel symptomatic, either at Student Health Services or at the Peterson Hall testing site.
  • And FREE 2nd booster shots for anyone over 50, per CDC and VDH guidelines are available at the Fenwick Testing and Vaccination Center

Your dedication and compassion for your fellow Patriots has contributed to our success. Let’s keep going and finish this spring semester healthy and safe.

Onward,

Gregory Washington
President

Mason offers support for Ukrainian students

Dear fellow Patriots:

Earlier this week I began to receive personal messages from Ukrainian students at George Mason University, and their words have moved me to reach out to the entire community.

“I came to the GMU seven months ago from Ukraine,” wrote one PhD student. “All my family members and friends are in bomb shelters in Odesa, Kyiv, and Kharkiv right now. It’s been six days already since Russian Federation attacked my home.”

I cannot conceive of what Mason’s Ukrainian students must be enduring today as their country faces a brutal and unprovoked invasion.  First and foremost, we join the chorus of nations, companies and organizations in condemning the violence. I want our Ukrainian students to know that we hear their calls for support, and we are answering that call.

As we focus on Ukraine, it is also important to remember that a number of Russian students are enrolled at Mason. They are not responsible for or even connected to this war. They, no doubt, will also feel the impact of this war and, as Mason Patriots, if they need our help we will be here to assist them as well.

 

What these Patriots need most 

We understand Ukrainian students are likely experiencing crisis in four primary forms, and here is what we are doing to help:

  • Emotional trauma – The violence in Ukraine and the sense of isolation here in Virginia is taking an overwhelming toll. For this we offer our Counseling and Psychological Services.
  • Financial emergencies – These students are likely cut off from their families and finances in their home countries, potentially leaving them unable to pay living expenses. The Ukraine Crisis Student Support Fund has been established to help these students cover expenses.
  • Personal fears for safety – These students fear personal retribution for those who may have animosity toward their home country. Our Office of International Programs and Services is staying in contact with these students to monitor their safety and wellbeing.
  • An uncertain road home – These students join nearly 30,000 Ukrainians who are temporarily in the United States, on work or student visas. Should this crisis stretch beyond their visa expirations, they should not be forced to return to their home country if it is not safe. I support those who encourage the Biden Administration to extend Temporary Protective Status for these students and all Ukrainians who are here temporarily.

 

What we do best 

Our motto is “freedom and learning.” At our core, we are a place to teach, learn, and improve our understanding of the world. For most of us, this sudden turn of violence is confusing and frightening, and we need help to make sense of what is unfolding. That’s where our faculty are second to none. At the bottom of this message are links to articles, videos, and upcoming symposia, all hosted by our faculty in order to help the public understand this unfolding situation.

Beyond George Mason University, I encourage you to consider helping Ukrainians as you can. There are a number of worthy organizations to contact, and I offer several resource links below as a starting point to help.

 

A values moment: We thrive Razom 

As we rally the services of the university to bear for these students, let’s also offer our hearts. One core value of Mason is “We thrive together.” This core value is now being put to the test. The Ukrainian word for “together” is “razom,” and I challenge us to approach this moment with the spirit of razom – togetherness – for our fellow Patriots in need. Because today, razom is what it means to be a Patriot.

 

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington
President

Ways to help 

  • Razom – This organization that fosters connections between the United States and Ukraine is accepting emergency donations for medical supplies and emergency communications equipment inside Ukraine.
  • US Embassy & Consulate in Poland – For those seeking information on humanitarian assistance and visa information for Ukrainians who have evacuated to Poland. 
  • CNN Impact – Donation portal for 20 nonprofit organizations working to assist Ukrainians.

Faculty links explaining the war and its implications 

Schar School of Policy and Government 

  • VIDEO – The Ukraine Crisis: What It Really Means – The Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy.
  • UPCOMING SYMPOSIUM – The Ukraine-Russia Crisis – The Center for Security and Policy Studies will host the faculty symposium on Tuesday, March 8, 6-7:30 pm. Viewable on the Arlington Campus in Van Metre Hall 602, and on the Fairfax Campus in Horizon Hall 3010.
  • NEWS ARTICLE – Russian money flows through US real estate – Louise Shelley, Director of the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center, explains to NBC News how Russian oligarchs, real estate, and money laundering factor into the wider conflict.
  • COLUMN – Why America’s Middle Eastern allies haven’t condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine – Schar professor Mark Katz writes for The Hill.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution 

  • ESSAY – What the Montreux Convention is, and what it means for the Ukraine war – Dean Alpaslan Özerdem explains the role this convention plays in keeping the Ukrainian war from being even worse.

 

Antonin Scalia Law School

  • COLUMN – If Russia invades Ukraine, what’s next? – Joshua Huminski, visiting fellow at the National Security Institute, outlines what must be done in response to a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
  • ANALYSIS – Experts paint dark picture for region, global order if Russia invades – Jamil Jaffer, founder of the National Security Institute, comments on Russia’s economy.

 

College of Humanities and Social Sciences 

  • COLUMN – Tyler Cowen: Cancel Culture against Russians is the new McCarthyism – The economics professor and director of the Mercatus Center warns of the damage of condemning all things Russian.