Faculty/Staff Announcements
Have something to share? Review announcement guidelines and submit an announcement from your unit to efiles@gmu.edu.
Deadline is close of business Wednesday for inclusion in the following Tuesday's edition.
Campus Updates
Volunteers Needed for Patriot Procession and Mini Graduation Ceremonies
Graduation celebrations are around the corner! University Events is seeking assistance from faculty and staff volunteers for the Patriot Procession and Mini Ceremonies from May 10–15. Read more about this year's celebrations on the graduation website.
Faculty Marshals will guide groups to seating and/or the stage, help with dismissal, and serve as readers during the events. Faculty Marshals may sign up for the Mini Ceremonies and/or the Patriot Procession.
Staff and alumni volunteers will operate information/registration tables, guide graduates and guests, and help VIPs at the mini ceremonies. Staff/alumni volunteers may sign up for the Mini Ceremonies and/or the Patriot Procession.
Faculty Regalia: Faculty members are asked to wear regalia to add a festive note to the events. The cost of rental regalia, if needed, may be covered by the graduation budget.
Thank you for supporting Mason's 2020 and 2021 graduates. Contact University Events at gmuevent@gmu.edu with questions.
Summer Camps Registration Process
In accordance with Mason’s Safe Return to Campus (SRC) procedures, all on-campus programs, events, and camps (PEC) serving minors may operate under a modified approval process for the summer 2021 season.
Mason organizations seeking to host a PEC must register their program via the link found at camps.gmu.edu under the “For Camp Organizers” tab. Once a PEC registration is submitted, it will be reviewed for compliance with SRC guidelines, while select service providers will make sure that requested services are indeed available.
New this season is a requirement that PECs have a completed Camp Emergency Plan, as well as a COVID-19 Response Annex available for review when they submit their PEC Registration. Both of those documents, as well as others associated with PECs, can be found at risk.gmu.edu/advisories/camps-and-enrichment-program.
Note: Some services have been impacted by COVID-19 and may be less available than during previous PEC seasons. As such, those hosting PECs should submit a registration as soon as possible, as these services will be provided on a first come, first served basis.
Questions? Contact Buz Grover at hgroveri@gmu.edu or 703-993-5784.
Take Your Junior Patriot to Work Day
Thursday, April 22, is Take Your Junior Patriot to Work Day! In celebration of this event, Mason created fun videos and activities in MasonLEAPS for you and the Junior Patriots in your life.
You can also attend an event offered by the national foundation.
For more details, visit the Take Your Junior Patriot to Work Day page in MasonLEAPS, or visit the national foundation’s website.
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Town Hall on April 28
The Mason community is invited to join a virtual town hall to learn about Mason’s next Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP): “Transformative Education Through Anti-Racist Community Engagement.”
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Town Hall
Wednesday, April 28
Noon to 1 p.m.
Zoom meeting
During the town hall, members of the QEP Development Committee will outline the planning process. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and share feedback.
This QEP seeks to contribute to institutional change at Mason by leveraging the strengths of community engaged pedagogies. The Development Committee believes that by embedding critical service-learning and civic engagement into academic and co-curricular experiences, we will equip students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to understand themselves as agents of change, identify and disrupt racist practices, and work collaboratively towards positive social change.
Victims' Rights Run/Walk
The annual Victims' Rights Run/Walk is an opportunity to educate the public about all types of interpersonal violence, as well as raise money for an important cause.
This year, the event is virtual and will be held at participants’ convenience during the week of April 18. Participation is not limited to walking or running; learn more about exercise options and timing equivalency.
The event honors the legacy of a former student-athlete, Aimee Willard, a Mason soccer and lacrosse player who was murdered in 1996. “Aimee’s Law” gained U.S. Senate approval as an amendment to the Juvenile Justice bill. Aimee’s Law seeks to punish states that release convicted murderers, rapists, or child molesters if those felons commit another violent crime in the future.
The event is free, though donations are welcomed and encouraged. Register here. Donations to the Victims of Violence Fund provide direct assistance to student survivors of interpersonal violence.
Virtual Bike to Mason Week: Active Transportation Bingo
Join Parking and Transportation for Virtual Bike to Mason Week from April 19–23. Choose from nine virtual classes—everything from fixing a flat to learning about e-bikes. You can also learn the rules of the road in the Safe Cycling class, or what to wear when biking in any weather.
The celebration also includes an Active Transportation Bingo game! Download the bingo card, choose three activities that give you a "bingo," and send the completed card to transpo@gmu.edu by April 30 for a free Active Transportation Kit.
Training and Professional Development
Prospective Staff Senator Information Session
The May Staff Senate meeting will feature an information session for those interested in running for Staff Senate. The annual Staff Senate election will occur in July, with nominations accepted in June.
Prospective Staff Senator Information Session
Wednesday, May 5
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
General meeting will follow from 11 a.m. to noon
Zoom Meeting: https://gmu.zoom.us/j/97615034925?pwd=dHhrSy9OeUxxMW1Ic2liV0F0czlmdz09
Passcode: SS123
Call in: 301-715-8592 or 267-831-0333
Webinar ID: 976 1503 4925 / Passcode: 572793
All are welcome to attend Staff Senate meetings.
The Staff Senate represents all classified and non-student wage employees at George Mason University. Working closely with university administration, we address concerns that have an impact on the quality of work-life for the Mason community. The work of the senate is accomplished through open and continuous communication with its constituents. Find ways to virtually engage with the senate before, during, and after general meetings.
Fenwick Fellow Applications Now Accepted
University Libraries is now accepting applications for this year's Fenwick Fellow competition. The fellowship is awarded annually to eligible Mason faculty members to support a research project that uses and enhances the Libraries' resources while advancing knowledge in their field.
Up to two Fellowships of $5,000 each may be awarded. Program guidelines include funding for an additional fellowship for a project proposal that specifically aligns with the Libraries' initiatives in the area of digital scholarship.
Application deadline is Tuesday, June 1. The awardee(s) will be announced at the start of the fall academic term. University Libraries sponsors a public lecture by each Fenwick Fellow in the spring term following the completed fellowship.
Visit library.gmu.edu/about/fellow for details.
Contact Debra Hogan at dhogan1@gmu.edu with questions.
Resources for You
Motor Pool Fuel Cards, Required Training, and Reminders
Fuel cards are available for motor pool rentals to have fuel costs charged back to the university. Drop by the Transportation Office to check out a fuel card before your rental pick-up date. Entering Fuel Agreements or allowing Enterprise to refuel after returning vehicles empty is not permitted. The Transportation Office is located in Nottoway Annex on the Fairfax Campus (in Lot C).
Drivers of Enterprise vehicles through motor pool must complete a University Driver Safety Awareness Training and a refresher training every two years through the Office of Risk Management to be eligible to drive.
To be eligible to drive a maxi van, you must be at least 20 years of age and pass the Van Driver Familiarization Class. Outside of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Enterprise’s age requirement to drive a 12–15 passenger van is 25.
For links to upcoming training sessions and important reminders, visit transportation.gmu.edu/archive/fuel-cards-and-motor-pool. Contact transpo@gmu.edu with questions.
Bike Commuter Choice: New Introductory Tier
Do you live within a few miles of campus and think biking to work could be good for your well-being?
All faculty and staff are eligible to participate in the Bike Commuter Choice Program. The program now has four tiers of support. The more you ride, the greater the financial incentive.
The new introductory tier is just five rides per quarter. For details, visit bike.gmu.edu and scroll to the Faculty/Staff Bike Commuter Choice Program.
Questions? Email transpo@gmu.edu.
Upcoming Performances at Mason
The Artist Activist: Centering Black Voices with Maurice Cherry and Lex Brown
Mason Arts at Home
Tuesday, April 20, 7 p.m.
Virtual Event
The Artist Activist: Centering Black Voices speaker series returns for the last event of the semester with artists Maurice Cherry and Lex Brown. Two individuals from incredibly different spectrums of art, Cherry is a designer and podcaster, and Brown is an avant-garde visual and performance artist, but both work to push the boundaries of what “art” means. Moderated by School of Art faculty member Rachel Debuque, this conversation will center around how these divergent disciplines speak to one another, examining how these two prominent artists break the rules in their own unique ways.
Visiting Filmmakers Series: Black Lives Matter – Radha Blank and Elissa Blount Moorhead
Mason Arts at Home
Wednesday, April 21, 7:30 p.m.
Virtual Event
Join filmmaker Radha Blank and artist, curator, and producer Elissa Blount Moorhead for the final installment of the spring 2021 Visiting Filmmakers Series, presented in partnership with Mason Arts at Home. Blank and Moorhead will discuss their work as we eavesdrop on their lively discussion and ask questions of our own.
Touching Lives: The Story of the Asaph Dance Ensemble
Asaph Dance Ensemble
Hylton at Home
Thursday, April 22, 7:15 p.m.
Online Event
Get to know the Asaph Dance Ensemble from its inception with the Christian Performing Artist Fellowship where they produced concerts throughout the greater D.C. area to performing on the Bolshoi stage. A resident of Manassas, Virginia for over thirty years, Asaph’s exciting work has taken the company across the globe and back again.
Earth Day: Arcadia Mixtape
Mason Arts at Home
Monday, April 22, 7 p.m.
Virtual Event
The Earth Day: Arcadia Mixtape will showcase Arcadia as a basis for the creation of other artistic works by collaborating artists presented by Mason Arts at Home. Arcadia is an environmental public art installation by artist and musician Sam Nester. Arcadia translates the biorhythms of medicinal and edible plants into music and light. It is accessible 24/7 online via the Mason Arcadia Twitch Livestream and will be in the President’s Park Hydroponic Greenhouse until December 2021.
Mason Opera: Acts of Love and Marriage
Dewberry School of Music
Saturday, April 24, 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 25, 3 p.m.
Hylton Center (in-person and livestreamed)
The Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music’s talented Mason Opera students will present an evening of works featuring The Telephone by Gian Carlo Menotti, Dream Lovers by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Act II of Le nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Collision of Rhythm
Center for the Arts
Sunday, April 25, 3 p.m.
Mason Pond Lawn (in-person event)
Collision of Rhythm is the ultimate dynamic duo made up of a tap-dancing percussion virtuoso and a beatboxing, juggling multi-instrumentalist. The whole family will be thrilled by this high-octane production full of dueling rhythms and musical feats peppered with comic relief and inspirational stories. Recommended for all ages.
International Jazz Day Concert
Friday, April 30, 8 p.m.
Virtual Event
Share the vibrancy and vitality of jazz music with Mason Jazz students and faculty in a new digital performance. International Jazz Day brings together communities, schools, artists, historians, academics, and jazz enthusiasts on all continents to celebrate and learn about jazz and its roots, future, and impact.