The Center for the Advancement of Well-Being is creating a science-based model of well-being that applies across the university, and the Mason community is invited to give feedback. See the presentation. Answer the survey.
Category: Wellbeing
Dear Patriots,
We are at an important moment in our fight against COVID, and I want to applaud everyone for their help in making George Mason University the safest campus it can be. We have done an incredible job this year of creating a safe environment. To date we have minimized the spread of COVID on our campuses through testing and by following safety guidelines. The university has also provided vaccinations to more than 40,000 people at clinics on our campuses, and we are ready to begin expanding vaccinations to our community.
This is an exciting time for our university, and I know that many of us are feeling more hopeful about the months ahead. I am, too. But I also know that some people are starting to let down their guard. Let me remind you that everyone must continue to follow safety guidelines, even after being vaccinated. Now is not the time to relax our standards, but to keep our focus on safety and remember why we have been so successful.
Let’s start with some good news: Mason has received the go-ahead to begin vaccinating faculty and staff this weekend, and students later this month:
- Faculty and staff who are currently employed by the university and receive a W-2 are eligible to sign up. This week, the Office of Safety, Emergency, and Enterprise Risk Management (SEERM) will send a subsequent email inviting faculty and staff (which includes student wage workers) to sign up for an appointment on Saturday, April 10, or Wednesday, April 14. The number of slots is limited and appointments are first come, first served, so please be patient. If everyone cannot be vaccinated during those two dates, we will add additional dates this month. Our goal is for every eligible employee to receive the first dose by the end of April.
- Students will be invited to receive a vaccine later this month, with dates to be announced shortly. Given the number of students in our community, we expect the timeline to complete vaccinations to be a little longer than for faculty and staff. Our goal again is to offer a vaccine to all students who want one.
The vaccine is a critical step to protect our community, and I encourage everyone to get vaccinated. But receiving one doesn’t mean you should stop following safety guidelines. COVID-19 is still highly contagious and new variants pose greater threats of infection. Vaccines are safe and effective, but it is still possible to spread COVID-19; please continue to follow Mason’s public health and safety guidelines even if you have been vaccinated.
So please remember the following:
- Everyone should continue to participate in COVID surveillance testing when they are invited to do so. Many people can carry and spread the virus without being aware. Testing helps minimize the spread, and it takes only a few minutes.
- Masks are still required of everyone in public spaces – even those who have been vaccinated. The latest public health guidelines do allow for groups of vaccinated people to gather without masks, but this is only in private settings. Please continue to wear masks in public.
- Continue to practice physical distancing and participate in the Mason COVID Health Check, even after you have received your vaccine.
- The Governor’s orders continue to ask employers to allow employees to telework when possible. Mason will continue to offer flexibility to our employees.
I’m grateful for everyone’s contribution in making Mason a model for success. Together, we can defeat COVID, so let’s keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Gregory Washington
President
Spring into Well-Being, Mason’s annual well-being celebration, is underway now through Friday, April 23. A variety of events will be held during that period to help students, faculty and staff to learn more about well-being.
While National Random Acts of Kindness Day on Wednesday, Feb. 17, celebrates being kind spontaneously, the Mason Chooses Kindness (MCK) initiative is emphasizing intentional acts of kindness every day. Mason Chooses Kindness aims to help Patriots thrive together through kindness with resources, events and ways to get involved in creating a kindness revolution at Mason.
Join Mason Chooses Kindness on Wednesday, Feb. 3 from noon to 1 p.m. for a virtual panel discussion about embedding kindness into your daily life. Kindness and compassion have never been as important as they are now. Go here for more information and to register.
Today on World Kindness Day, and continuing through the academic year, the Mason Chooses Kindness initiative is encouraging Patriots to focus on kind words and compassionate actions. The mission of the initiative is to “create and sustain an infectious kindness revolution at Mason.”
Mason Chooses Kindness defines kindness as intentionally engaging in positive action that is friendly, caring, and compassionate towards self and others. The effort features a variety of activities and resources for students, faculty, staff, and alumni that support meaningful, interactive, and engaging connections with one another.
via the Provost’s Newsletter
Students across the country and at Mason are reporting mental health concerns in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing changes to campus life. Faculty and staff are hearing from students who feel isolated and anxious, and from some who are experiencing significant challenges maintaining their emotional well-being. University Life has a number of different services available to support the health and well-being of students, including:
- Student Health Services offers both in-person and telehealth appointments to students.
- Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers virtual individual and group therapy. CAPS also provides virtual mental health workshops, a drop-in supportive space for students in quarantine or isolation, virtual academic success workshops, and individual academic coaching.
- The Mason Care Network provides full-time, professional Success Coaches for incoming students.
- Disability Services continues to support students with accommodations and offers virtual exam proctoring for students in quarantine or isolation.
University Life has also developed a number of creative options for student engagement, including:
- The Center for the Advancement of Well-Being offers students the opportunity to complete a Resilience Badge and to participate in BurnAlong, a virtual platform with on-demand health and well-being classes and videos.
- Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment + LGBTQ Resources continues to offer programs and services focused on advocacy and direct student support to strengthen equity and inclusion.
- Mason Recreation continues to offer access to recreation spaces, fitness classes – both in-person and online, sports organizations, and more.
- Student Involvement has launched its SI2Go truck events which have been highly successful in reaching students, sponsored drive-in movies, and trivia nights.
- Housing and Residence Life developed Virtual Learning Communities to create opportunities for students to connect, engage, and learn with a group of other students who share common interests, majors, and identities.
More information can be found about these opportunities and others by visiting University Life and in articles from the George published earlier this year:
Finally, we express gratitude to our colleagues in the Psychology Department who have prepared this excellent resource: “Mentally Coping During Covid”, a Mason Impact talk by Profs. Robyn Mehlenberg and Keith Renshaw. Be sure to download all the available health and well-being resources for students.
All members of the Mason community are strongly encouraged to get their flu shots this season to protect themselves, their loved ones, and our community.
Getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The flu vaccine will protect you and our community against influenza (flu) and also save health care resources for patients with COVID-19.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote that universities should serve as laboratories for COVID-19 best practices, and Mason is a good place to start. Read the editorial. Photo by Evan Cantwell
Rose Pascarell, Mason’s vice president for University Life, says that without the willingness of the Mason community to follow all safety protocols, we wouldn’t be operating with the low COVID positivity rate we have today. Wearing a mask is important to keep everyone healthy. Learn more. Watch the video.