Category: Official University Communications

Dear Patriots,

We are nearing the end of a remarkably successful fall semester, especially considering where we started and what we’ve been through. Just five months ago, our greatest challenge was figuring out how we could deliver a Mason education to a record number of students during a global pandemic. Now, in two weeks, we will graduate a class at winter commencement that includes more than 4,600 graduates and more than 5,000 when counting students earning certificates.

We have achieved so much this fall, even as the coronavirus has shut down operations at many other universities. As of Sunday, we had just 35 active cases in our community – 24 students (most of them off campus) and 11 employees and contractors. For the entire Fall semester, we had just 46 cases among our residential students, and to the best of our knowledge, we experienced no known cases of transmission in the classrooms.

Our ability to keep Mason safe and focused on our mission is a credit to our students, faculty and staff. Together, we have kept cases relatively low and Mason operating. Our efforts are working, and we must continue to work together to keep Mason safe.

For the final weeks of the Fall semester, we have switched over to virtual instruction, as planned. Yet we continue to stay vigilant. Next week, we will test the nearly 1,300 residential students who have elected to remain on campus through the end of the semester. This is an important component of our safety plan to see if there was any impact from the Thanksgiving break.

As we look ahead to the Spring semester, I’d like to share some important changes that will help us continue to keep our community safe.

Spring semester will begin on January 25, and we will work through Spring Break. In consultation with the Faculty Senate and our leadership, we have decided to push the start date for the Spring semester back one week and will work through Spring Break. This will allow more time to assess the number of cases in the region before bringing students back, and will also limit travel away from campus during the semester.   

Ramping up our surveillance testing operations to identify cases early. The number of coronavirus cases has risen sharply across the nation in recent weeks and health officials project cases will continue to rise through the winter months. We have managed to keep cases low at Mason, in large part because of our commitment to random, surveillance testing. Now, we plan to raise our weekly testing capacity, increasing from 1,000 tests per week this semester and setting a goal to test 10,000 people per week by March. We will be able to scale up our testing capacity each week by switching to a saliva test, which is faster, easier to administer and safer.  Increased testing allows us to pinpoint problem areas, limit spread and create a safer environment. We will do this by:   

• Working toward testing all residential students a minimum of once per week. 
• Testing more faculty, staff, non-residential students (10-20 percent) each week. 
• Increasing diagnostic testing to meet anticipated growth in cases. 

Mason faculty will now be leading our testing operations. I am pleased to announce that Drs. Ali Andalibi, Lance Liotta and Virginia Espina – three of our most esteemed faculty members – will be overseeing an in-house surveillance testing analysis at the Mason CAP/CLIA laboratory, which will dramatically shorten turnaround time for results. This is an important change in our operations, one that will allow us to rely on the expertise of our faculty and aligns with my goal to expand research in areas of critical importance.

The healthcare professionals at Student Health Services, led by Dr. Lisa Park, will continue to lead diagnostic testing and ensure appropriate clinical management of students with positive results, including proper isolation and quarantine.

We will be sending out more details in January on our testing operations.

A safer environment will allow us to bring more people back to campus. Our testing and safety efforts this fall, and a close relationship with Fairfax County Health Department, were instrumental in keeping case counts low. Therefore, as conditions allow, we will continue to observe our safety precautions and work to bring more students, faculty and staff back to campus this spring. This includes increasing in-person instruction, increasing the number of occupants in our residence halls and setting a goal to have faculty and staff work up to 50 percent of their time on campus, in accordance with our public health professionals and if conditions allow. We know that students are asking for more opportunities to engage on campus, and we will continue to work to provide them, as long as we can do so in a safe environment.

We are exploring an idea to add Patriot Learning Pods for school-age children. As I have previously mentioned, our goal is to allow for more faculty and staff to work on campus in the spring. I’m also well aware of many challenges that parents of school-aged children face with most schools still operating partially or fully virtually.

To address these challenges, we are exploring the idea of adding Patriot Learning Pods on campus. Patriot Learning Pods would provide a safe, supervised space where elementary school children of Mason students, faculty, and staff could complete online schoolwork while their parents are on campus. Our Human Resources team recently sent out a survey to gauge interest, and it appears this would be something of interest to many of our faculty and staff, so expect to see an update from HR soon.

We are prepared to pivot to all-virtual instruction this spring, if necessary. Our leadership team continues to monitor the number of cases in the region and is in close contact with public health officials. As always, we will follow their guidance and are prepared to pivot to virtual instruction at any moment, if we determine that is in the best interest of our community. Safety remains a top priority.

We have so much to be thankful for this holiday season. At the top of my list is this incredible community that I’m now a part of. Let’s continue to do our part: wear a mask in public; practice physical distancing, complete the Mason COVID Health Check™, and if you feel unwell, isolate and call your healthcare provider. If you have had exposure to COVID-19, abide by medical and public health recommendations, and quarantine.

Let’s continue to keep Mason safe together. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington
President

Dear Patriots,

We have seen a rapid spike in coronavirus cases across the country and these increases have triggered new restrictions in many states, including Virginia.

Here at George Mason University, we have also experienced an uptick in cases in our community. On Monday, active cases at Mason totaled 42 – including 33 students (mostly off-campus), seven employees and two contractors. Our leadership and safety experts continue to monitor the situation and are in contact with public health officials. At this time, we are confident that the situation remains manageable. Our ability to manage this crisis is in no small part a credit to the efforts of students, faculty and staff, who have done an extraordinary job of following new safety guidelines. We will continue to update the university community should things change.

We are now one week away from the Thanksgiving holiday. This is traditionally a time for a well-deserved break from our studies and work so that we can see family and friends and offer gratitude for our blessings. However, public health officials are warning that social gatherings and family events pose a great risk for spreading the virus, so please keep that in mind when making your plans.

As you know, Governor Ralph Northam announced new restrictions on public gatherings last week. I also want to make you aware of how these changes will impact activity here at Mason.

Academic instruction and most university operations will remain unchanged. The university will switch to virtual instruction after the Thanksgiving holiday, as planned, and buildings will remain open for those employees who need to be on campus. Our review of our public health data confirms that transmission has not occurred among students, faculty, or staff attending classes, working or campus, or participating in extracurricular university events.

New limits on non-instructional events. The university will be limiting non-instructional events and activities on campus to 25 people or less. Some events may be modified or postponed. Please check with organizers.  Attendance at Eagle Bank Arena and other public venues on campus will be restricted to either 30 percent of occupancy or 250 people, whichever is lower.  

Residential students should avoid traveling next week. For those that choose to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, please complete your studies virtually and do not return to campus until it reopens for the spring semester, on or after January 20. Those who are unable to change holiday plans are being asked to apply through Housing and Residence Life for an exemption. A notice from University Life went out to residential students yesterday, so please look for that if you haven’t seen it.

All members of our community should take additional precautions both on campus and when traveling. For students, faculty and staff who do travel for the holidays, please implement the health and safety precautions that have worked well on campus. Please continue to wear a mask in public, practice physical distancing, complete the Mason COVID Health Check™, and if you feel unwell, isolate and call your healthcare provider. If you have had exposure to COVID-19, abide by medical and public health recommendations, and quarantine.

We will continue to monitor the situation and are in touch with public health officials as we prepare for the spring semester. Our goal is to keep our community safe and provide the best education for students.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington
President

 

Mason Faculty and Staff,

Thank you for everything you have done to make Fall 2020 a success. We began this semester with a major challenge—reopening our campuses and bringing students, faculty and staff back safely. We not only met our goal, we have been a national model for success.

We have among the lowest number of positive COVID cases for colleges and universities in the state, with 27 active student cases, and cumulatively 121 students and 29 employees who have tested positive since the start of the semester. We are actively supporting members of our community who test positive to help their recovery. Our efforts are working, and the biggest reason why is that everyone has done their part.

We expect to make greater progress in the spring, which will allow us to bring more people back on campus and offer more to our students. To do that, we will need everyone to stay vigilant. Please continue to wear a face covering, practice physical distancing and proper hygiene, participate in random testing when selected, fill out the Mason COVID Health Check. These efforts have made a difference. Also, expect to hear more about our efforts to expand testing in the coming weeks.

As we approach the Thanksgiving break and the university’s transition to virtual learning on November 30, we want to share a few operational changes that will occur between Thanksgiving and our return to work after the winter break.

Holiday Travel 

Our individual activities and collective commitment to health and safety over the next two months are instrumental to positioning Mason to have a successful Spring 2021 semester. We recognize many people may travel locally, nationally, and perhaps internationally to be with family and friends over the holidays. We urge you to please continue to observe health and safety precautions as you travel: wear a face covering, practice good hygiene, avoid those who are ill, and isolate or quarantine if you become sick or are exposed. Please use good judgment and travel safely.

Post-Thanksgiving In-Person Instruction 

If your instruction/research requires students to participate in on-campus instruction or a unique space to complete academic projects, please submit a Request to Continue Instructional Activities in University Facilities or in Field or Clinical Settings form to continue on campus/field/clinical activities until December 19.

Building Access 

As in years past, all exterior, office and classroom doors will be locked during the Thanksgiving break, Nov. 25-29.

From Nov. 30-Dec. 19, exterior doors will remain open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday; buildings will be secured on Sundays. Offices will maintain their existing unlock schedule. Classrooms will be secured during this time.

Dec. 20-Jan. 3: All exterior, office, and classroom doors will be locked.

Jan. 4: Exterior doors will reopen 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday; buildings will be secured on Sundays. Offices will maintain their existing unlock schedule.

Jan. 10: Classrooms doors will be open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

If necessary, Building/Space Coordinators can coordinate alternate office and classroom access times directly with the Card Access and Security Office ([email protected]). Those who currently have electronic access to exterior and interior doors will maintain access even when buildings are secured. If you require access to a space secured by lock and key, keys may be requested from Key Control ([email protected]).

Additional information about Mason’s spring COVID precautions, testing strategies, and operations will be announced before winter break. Thank you for doing you part to keep the Mason Nation healthy.

Respectfully,

Julie A. Zobel, PhD
Assistant Vice President
Safety, Emergency, & Enterprise Risk Management

Dear Patriot:

The entire Mason community has needed to adjust and adapt to many personal and professional challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our university wants to ensure that all students have the opportunity for success this semester. In support of our students, a series of accommodations will be implemented to grading practices for the Fall 2020 semester. These accommodations are in response to a resolution unanimously adopted by Mason’s Student Government, and follow extensive dialog, careful deliberation and a recommendation by the university’s Faculty Senate and parallel consideration by the university’s Graduate Council.

The specific accommodations are:

1. Credit/Non-Credit Opt-In 

   Mirroring the model for alternative grades implemented for the spring 2020 semester, each undergraduate and graduate student registered in A-F graded Fall 2020 courses will be able to decide individually, on a course-by-course basis, whether they choose to receive a letter grade for the class or if they opt to receive an alternative grade that would indicate either receiving or not receiving credit for the class.With the exception of the Scalia Law School, this alternative grading practice will apply to all Fall 2020 courses, including courses that may already have been completed.

   Students will need to make their choice no later than the start of classes for the Spring 2021 semester.

   The default selection, if no action is taken by the student, will be A-F grading. For students who opt for alternative grading for a specific course, the submitted grade for that course will be converted by the University Registrar to an alternative grade. Faculty members will not have knowledge of the grading model selected by students.

   Students who were grade sanctioned because of a decision by the Honor Committee, irrespective of the date of such a decision, may not choose the alternative grade mode for the affected course. Neither academic departments academic units, nor their administrators, may use the alternative grading model to change a course grade that was assigned to a student as a result of a decision by the Honor Committee.

2. Incomplete Grades 

   Incomplete grades (I) may be given to students who are passing a course but who may be unable to complete scheduled coursework by the end of the semester due to extenuating circumstances. Instructors should be flexible in awarding Incompletes if the student requires additional time to finish coursework.For incomplete grades awarded for the Spring 2020 semester, the deadline for completing work for the spring semester was originally October 23, 2020, but has now been extended until the end of the Fall 2020 semester.

The Office of the University Registrar will communicate with eligible students, through their official Mason-issued e-mail address, instructions with information on how to select an alternative grade for a class. Information on the model for alternative grades, and the specific grading categories, will also be provided in the same communication that will be distributed by the University Registrar.

Students are encouraged to make careful and informed decisions regarding the grading categories that will be used to evaluate their coursework during this unique fall semester and to help reduce some of the stress associated with the COVID crisis.

It is important that students consider the potential impact of opting for the alternative grading system on financial aid, admission to graduate and/or professional programs, professional licensure and other possible implications of your choice. If you have questions about opting for an alternative grade in any of your courses, undergraduate students should consult with your Academic Advisor and graduate students should consult with your Program Coordinator and/or Mentor.

I hope that you are healthy, remain well and wish you success for the remainder of the fall semester.

All the best.

Mark R. Ginsberg, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice President