Around Mason: Week of May 31, 2022

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Faculty/Staff Announcements  

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Campus Updates


Staff Appreciation Events: June 6–8

The Staff Senate will host "Grab and Go" Staff Appreciation Events to kick off summer at three locations in June. Events are open to classified staff and non-student wage employees.

Complimentary refreshments will be provided by Rita’s Ice. Come out to meet your senators and receive a giveaway item.

Employees must register in advance. Very limited walk-in slots will be available. You may reserve a space at your home campus, or the campus closest to your telework location.

To register, visit the Staff Senate website and select a location and time window.

Event dates/times:

  • Fairfax: Monday, June 6, 1–3 p.m., Merten Lawn
  • Mason Square (formerly Arlington Campus): Tuesday, June 7, 1–2:30 p.m., Plaza
  • SciTech: Wednesday, June 8, 1–2:30 p.m., Katherine Johnson Hall Patio

Contact staffsenate@gmu.edu with questions.


June Staff Senate Meeting: State Government Relations

The June Staff Senate Meeting will feature guest speaker Mark Smith, executive director for state government relations, who will discuss legislative priorities and provide an update from Richmond. 

Wednesday, June 1 
10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – guest speaker 
11 a.m. to noon – general business meeting 
Hosted on Zoom 

The Staff Senate will collect questions for consideration in advance. Submit a comment or question through the online form. Provide your contact information if you would like to ask your question live. Questions will also be collected during the session, time permitting.


Traffic Advisory: High School Graduations at EagleBank Arena

Heavy traffic is expected on the Fairfax Campus for regional high school graduation ceremonies at EagleBank Arena through Friday, June 17. EagleBank will host up to three ceremonies on many days, so traffic will be entering and exiting campus from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. Please allow extra travel time to and from campus. View a complete list of upcoming ceremonies 

Mason faculty, staff, and students should use the general permit area of Rappahannock River Parking Deck or the Field House parking lots to avoid delays. Shenandoah Parking Deck levels 4 and 5 will be open for limited overflow student, employee, and event parking on weekdays when graduations occur.  

Follow Parking and Transportation on Facebook and Twitter for updates. Contact Parking Services at parking@gmu.edu or 703-993-2710 with questions.


Staff Senate Special Session with President Washington

Mason President Gregory Washington will join the Staff Senate for a special session:  

Wednesday, June 15 
11 a.m. to noon 
Hosted on Zoom 

The Staff Senate will collect questions for consideration in advance. Submit a comment or question through the online form. Provide your contact information if you would like to ask your question live. 


Training and Professional Development


Custom Diversity/Equal Opportunity Trainings

Education is essential in maintaining an environment free from discriminatory harassment and retaliation. Mason staff and employees interested in learning more about navigating an increasingly diverse universe are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for consultation, and to discuss the possibility of a customized DEI training session for their department, unit, or team.  

For questions or to schedule a consultation, contact Kyle Warfield.


Assistive Technology Initiative

In addition to providing assistive technology resources for individuals with disabilities (such as text-to-speech tools), the Assistive Technology Initiative (ATI) works to ensure equivalent access to all information and communications technology resources for individuals in the Mason community with different learning styles and abilities. For more information, visit the ATI website.


Want to Learn How to “Humanize” Your Online Course?

How do you “humanize” your online courses and create a learning community in which all students feel they belong? Subscribe to the Stearns Center Online Teaching Newsletter to find out. 

Humanizing is all about bringing the human element into our online classrooms to build connections, increase engagement, and support meaningful learning. This summer, the Stearns Center Online Teaching Newsletter will feature tips and best practices for how to humanize online courses and teaching, to create an inclusive online class environment. 

Contact Darlene Smucny with questions.


Certification of Applicant Pool Training

With the goal of supporting Mason’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Talent Acquisition Team in Human Resources and Payroll offers a course on how to certify the diversity of applicant pools for job searches. The course teaches those identified as Talent Equity Advisors (TEA) to securely analyze demographic (personally identifiable information) data voluntarily provided by applicants during the application process for positions at Mason, in order to certify the diversity of an applicant pool.   

The course also teaches the TEA how to share data responsibly and how to support hiring authorities when an applicant pool cannot be certified. In order to avoid a conflict of interest, the TEA must be someone that does not serve as part of a search committee as coordinator, chair, or committee member.  

The designated individual will operate under the title of Talent Equity Advisor for purposes of reviewing applicant data. If you wish to have an individual in your administrative or academic unit participate in this training, email Dwala Toombs.


Document Accessibility Specialist Faculty/Staff Training Cohort

Assistive Technology Initiative staff will host a Document Accessibility Specialist (DAS) faculty/staff training cohort this summer. Participants will learn how to identify and remediate accessibility issues in Word, PowerPoint, and PDF documents, how to add alternative text descriptions for images, using proper document structure, how assistive technology interacts with documents, etc. 

The DAS Initiative comprises self-paced training modules, hands-on exercises, assessments, and drop-in discussions. The expected start date is June 20, and the cohort will last approximately six weeks.  

Participants would be expected to successfully complete the self-paced trainings, hands-on exercises, and assessments within that time frame. Contact ati@gmu.edu for more details.


Resources for You


Music on the Plaza Summer 2022 Series: Friday, June 3

Grab your blanket or camp chair and join George Mason University at Mason Square (formerly the Arlington Campus) for Music on the Plaza. Get ready to dance at this outdoor concert with Arlington’s own local cover band, COLLECTIVE. All are invited to join in the fun. This event is free and open to the public. 

Music on the Plaza featuring COLLECTIVE
Friday, June 3, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Mason Square (formerly the Arlington Campus), Plaza
Register at attend


Summer Camps at Mason

Visit camps.gmu.edu for a listing of summer camps and youth programs offered at Mason. The website includes camps sponsored by Mason programs/departments, as well as external groups that host camps on a Mason campus.  

Summer camps at Mason cover a wide variety of topics and activities, including academics, the arts, recreation, and sports. Both in-person and virtual options are listed on the website. 

Questions about individual camps should be directed to the camp organizers.  

For questions about the summer camps website, contact gmutoday@gmu.edu.


Vanpool Formation: Loudoun County to Fairfax Campus

Are you a full-time Mason employee living in Loudoun County and working on the Fairfax Campus? Would you like to have your commuting costs reimbursed up to $280/month (tax-free), avoid doing all the driving, park for free at Mason, and reduce carbon emissions?  

If so, consider vanpooling. Parking and Transportation has developed a short vanpool match survey.   

More detailed information about vanpooling is available on the Parking and Transportation website. If you have questions about vanpooling—whether you live in Loudoun County or not—contact transpo@gmu.edu.


Movie Nights at the SciTech Campus 

The SciTech Campus will host a series of movie nights throughout the year to celebrate Mason’s 50th anniversary. All movies begin at 7:30 p.m.: 

  • Friday, June 10, ET: The Extra Terrestrial, Verizon Auditorium 
  • Wednesday, July 1, A League of Their Own, Hylton Performing Arts Center 
  • Friday, August 26, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Hylton Performing Arts Center 
  • Friday, October 7, The Hunger Games, Verizon Auditorium 

Register for all movies in Mason360.