University Life

Category: Uncategorized

Mason 101 Available Online

wide image of fairfax campus
Mason 101 is a one-time, two-hour workshop for Mason staff and faculty to learn more about the history, organization, resources, and future of George Mason University. This class is now online with upcoming sessions this Friday, Aug. 28; Friday, Sept. 11; and Wednesday, Sept. 16. Sign up on masonleaps.gmu.edu. For more information, contact Philip Stamper at [email protected] or 703-993-5308.

Mason welcomes largest, most diverse group of students

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services
This week Mason welcomed its largest and most diverse group of new students in university history. Enrollment totals 38,406 students, a 2% increase over last year, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is resulting in smaller incoming classes at some universities.
Learn more about this incoming class.

Welcoming students to ‘a start like no other’

Welcome2Mason 2020
As part of Welcome2Mason events, students participated in events like a virtual Q&A with Tiffany Haddish on Friday and Sunday’s drive-in movie (pictured above). Learn more about the happenings around campus. Watch the video of Mason President Gregory Washington talking with students during the New Student Convocation. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Mason students begin returning to campus with Move-In Weekend

Students returning for the Fall 2020 semester move into resident halls with a 25% reduction in students living on campus as part of a the safe return to campus plan. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services/George Mason University
Students returning for the Fall 2020 semester move into resident halls with a 25% reduction in students living on campus as part of a the safe return to campus plan. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services/George Mason University

The start of the Fall 2020 semester is just around the corner. Students began returning to the George Mason University campus on Saturday and moving into their residence halls.

Safety protocols to protect against COVID 19 global pandemic meant that things looked somewhat different from previous years, but there was the usual palpable excitement that comes with the start of a new year.

See photo gallery of Move-In Weekend

Disability Services ensures equal access for students

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a variety of changes to the Mason student experience. This “new normal” can be especially challenging for students with varying abilities.

Disability Services—an Office of University Life serving 2,000 students with a wide spectrum of disabilities and conditions—acted quickly to adapt its programs and services to ensure equitable academic access in this new environment. For example, students with autism or ADHD needed support to best adapt to new routines in quarantine. During finals, students who would have utilized the Disability Services Testing Center on campus for extra time or specific technologies needed to be accommodated in a different way.

Read more about Disability Services

Welcome2Mason Events Coming Soon

August 23 - September 27: Welcome2Mason, welcome2mason.gmu.edu

The fall semester can be a busy time for both new and returning students. To help in this transition, Mason offers a variety of programs and events throughout the first month of the fall semester to support the entire Mason community.

For new students, learning to navigate campus, making connections with peers, and understanding university resources can be overwhelming, but Mason strives to aid students during this pivotal time. The Preamble and Welcome2Mason are a few of the first experiences in the fall semester that will usher in the 2020-2021 year.

Read more about The Preamble and Welcome2Mason

Gradstravaganza: Graduate Student Welcome to be Held August 21

All new and continuing Mason graduate students are invited to Gradstravaganza, Mason’s annual graduate student welcome event. Join us for a virtual version of Gradstravaganza, featuring mini-workshops highlighting strategies for success in graduate school, special sessions for Graduate Assistants (GRAs, GTAs, and GPAs), opportunities to meet and connect with fellow Mason graduate students, and more! Brought to you by Graduate Student Life, the Office of the Provost, the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Graduate and Professional Student Association. More details, including a full schedule of session and how to participate, will be available on the Graduate Student Life page in early August.

Summer 2020 Student Emergency Assistance Fund Update

University Life’s Summer 2020 Student Emergency Assistance Fund (The Summer Fund), which opened May 26, has seen over 1,150 requests for help so far. The Fund continues to address the needs of students who face unexpected financial challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the Summer Fund has disbursed $820,790 and assisted 603 Mason-enrolled students with emergency needs such as rent payments, utilities, food, medical bills and health insurance, and laptops to continue their learning. Emergency funding for summer closes Friday, August 7. Applications for Fall 2020 emergency assistance funding are available beginning Monday, August 17.
University Life is grateful for the continued support of Mason’s Giving Day, Patriots Helping Patriots, and funding from the CARES Act, which provided much-needed assistance to Mason students. More information on Student Emergency Assistance Fund.

Mason Meet-Ups Coming Soon

a group of Mason families

This summer, Mason Families are partnering with Admissions to host virtual Mason Meet-Ups to cultivate Mason spirit and celebrate our new #MasonBound students and their families! The purpose of these events is to introduce you and your student to members of the Mason community in the area where you live.

Read more about Mason Meet-Ups 

Mason’s new student orientation goes virtual

Patriot Leaders will continue helping incoming Mason students transition, but orientation is now in a virtual format. Photo was taken in January by Ron Aira/Creative Services.
Patriot Leaders 2020. Photo by: Ron Aira/Creative Services/George Mason University

Orientation takes on new meanings as we adjust to changing concepts of safety and social interactions. At George Mason University, New Student Orientation helps students navigate the many paths open to them as incoming members of the Mason Nation, now in a virtual format.