Faculty/Staff Announcements
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Campus Updates
April Staff Senate Meeting with President Washington
The April Staff Senate meeting will feature Mason President Gregory Washington and Deb Dickenson, executive vice president for finance and administration.
Wednesday, April 5
10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – General Meeting
11 a.m. to noon – Guest Speakers
Constituents are invited to attend in person in Merten Hall, Room 1201, or attend on Zoom.
The Staff Senate will collect questions in advance for consideration. Please use the form to submit your comment or question by Wednesday, March 29. The senate will also accept live questions, time permitting.
Annual Health and Fitness Expo
Visit the 26th Annual Health and Fitness Expo on Thursday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Fairfax Campus in the Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall. This popular event is free and open to the Mason community.
Participate in interactive health education activities, hands-on demonstrations, and fitness instruction and challenges. Register today to win door prizes and giveaways.
The expo will also include a Red Cross blood drive. Register via redcrossblood.org and enter: GMUBLOODDRIVE.
Take Your Junior Patriot to Work Day
Mark your calendars! Thursday, April 27, will be Take Your Junior Patriot to Work Day. This event allows faculty and staff to invite the children in their life to campus to learn more about what it's like to work at Mason.
A calendar of events is in the works. If you or your department are interested in leading an activity during the day, reach out to the Faculty and Staff Engagement team at engagehr@gmu.edu.
Training and Professional Development
Register for a Safe Zone+ Program Workshop
Mason’s Safe Zone+ Program, facilitated by the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, strives to create a safer, more welcoming, and inclusive campus environment. Safe Zone+ is an evolving education and ally development program. Currently, it consists of four workshops that help participants on their own allyship development journeys.
Mason community members are invited to sign up for a spring 2023 Safe Zone+ Program workshop. All are welcome to attend.
Learn more about the program. Contact lgbtq@gmu.edu with questions.
Workshop to Explain COACHE Data Uses
Last spring, Mason faculty participated in the Harvard COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey. Mason received a customized report during the fall semester that highlighted key findings and access to data files that offer a deeper understanding of faculty satisfaction.
As this data can be examined to learn more about trends across colleges, faculty demographics, and faculty ranks, the COACHE Leadership Team will host a three-hour workshop on Wednesday, March 29, from noon to 3 p.m. in Fenwick Library’s Main Reading Room. The presenters will introduce the data, provide hands-on experiences to analyze key topic areas, and guide individuals on how they might be able to use the data to support positive changes. RSVP.
Resources for You
Sustainable Cooking Event
University Sustainability is hosting a hands-on cooking event. Join the Greenhouse and Gardens program on March 31 from noon to 3 p.m. in Taylor Hall to learn about and experience sustainable cooking.
Cook with ingredients that are seasonal, local, foraged, inexpensive, easily accessible, and campus-grown. Register to attend or volunteer. Contact Doni Nolan with questions.
Pride Week 2023: Queer Book Club
The LGBTQ+ Resources Center, Graduate Student Life, and the Queer Studies Reading Group are coming together to celebrate Pride Week 2023 by reading and discussing Maia Kobabe's graphic novel, Gender Queer: A Memoir. The Center has books (while supplies last) for students and employees to borrow. Reach out to lgbtq@gmu.edu.
Participants may join a discussion in-person or virtually:
- Tuesday, March 28, 2–3 p.m. (virtual)
- Wednesday, March 29, 2:30–4 p.m., Fenwick Library, Room 1014A/B (in-person)
National Walking Day: April 5
The first Wednesday in April is National Walking Day. This year, it’s Wednesday, April 5. Walking can contribute to multiple facets of your well-being. See if walking can be part of your active transportation commute. Try it out on April 5! Contact Mason Transportation for more resources.
Reminder: Daily Complimentary Parking Passes
Employees who participate in carpooling, vanpooling, Commuter Choice, or Bike Commuter Choice may be eligible to receive complimentary daily parking passes as part of these programs.
Remember that when you use daily passes, they are meant for one day of parking, so you must include a date on the pass when you use it, or risk getting a parking ticket. Parking and Transportation doesn’t want this to happen to anyone, so please take a moment and put the date on the daily pass you are using.
Learn more about these transportation programs. If you have any questions, contact transpo@gmu.edu.
Kritikos Anti-Racist Reading Group
The College of Visual and Performing Arts welcomes the Mason community to the Kritikos Anti-Racist Reading Group, which meets on Fridays from 1–2:30 p.m.
The group holds a commitment to relationship-building, awareness, reimagining, transformation, and action around anti-racist practices, racial justice, the creation of conversations, as well as systems of compassion and healing. The group continues to focus on anti-Black racism and its effects on society.
Join the meeting on Friday, Mar. 24, for the following topic: “Racism and Aging." Spring semester meetings will occur through March 31. This event is free and open to the public.
Upcoming Performances at Mason
Visual Voices Lecture Series with Koyoltzintli Miranda-Rivadeneira
School of Art
Thursday, March 23, at 4:45 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom
Koyoltzintli Miranda-Rivadeneira is an Ecuadorian-American artist and curandera from Queens, New York, who investigates Indigenous ways of relating to the land through photography, video, ceramics, and sound. The artist captures a multifaceted exchange between herself and the land, achieving levels of intimacy as both a creator and a subject, an intimacy that is often withheld through the Westernized lens of photography and video’s history of colonial bias.
Mason Dance Company Gala Concert
School of Dance
Friday, March 24, and Saturday, March 25, at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts
Dance enthusiasts are invited to witness talented dancers perform spectacular works from world-renowned choreographers this spring during the 2023 Mason Dance Company Gala Concert performances. This highlight of the season showcases School of Dance students in four thrilling and technically demanding works choreographed by some of the biggest names in dance. Held prior to the March 25 Dance Gala Concert performance, the Mason Dance Fête is an intimate benefit event to showcase Mason dancers and the Gala Concert program. Guests of the Fête are invited into rehearsal studios to see sections of the soon-to-be-performed works, as well as insights about the choreographer and the work itself.
Mason Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Workshop: Big Band Showdown
Dewberry School of Music
Monday, March 27, at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts
Join the Mason Jazz Ensemble (director Jim Carroll) and the Jazz Workshop (director John Kocur) for an evening that celebrates the hot sounds and swinging beats of the Big Band era.
Mason School of Theater: The Hunchback of Seville
Multiple dates, March 30 through April 8
Harris Theatre
At the turn of the 16th century, Christopher Columbus has just returned from the New World with gold in his pockets and blood on his hands. Maxima Terriblé Segunda, the brilliant, adopted sister of dying Queen Isabella, is living out her life locked away in a tower…until it is decided that the future of the country is in her nerdy, reclusive hands. In a bitingly funny and madcap take on Spanish history and colonialism, Maxima weaves her way through mountains of prejudice, politics, religion, and the horrors of history.
Cirque FLIP Fabrique: Muse
Friday, March 31, at 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 1, at 2 p.m.
Center for the Arts
In this all-new, high-energy production, the seven acrobats of FLIP Fabrique don high heels, then football shoulder pads, to dazzle audiences of all ages. This performance combines breathtaking artistry and athleticism. Prepare for whimsy and wonder as mighty women, elegant men, and gravity-defying humans rejoice in who they are. Recommended for ages eight and up.
Daniel Hope and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra: America
Sunday, April 2, at 2 p.m.
Center for the Arts
Violin luminary Daniel Hope returns with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra to reveal the charisma of American music. This concert celebrates the country’s most recognizable tunes from across the 20th century. With new classical and jazz arrangements by Paul Bateman, Hope illuminates the American spirit. The acclaimed musicians of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra create the perfect partnership with Hope's violin mastery. This performance is appropriate for all ages.
Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra
Saturday, April 8, at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts
Calling all cool cats to head to the Center for the Arts for a swinging evening of jazz with Northern Virginia’s own Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, featuring keyboardist/organist Bobby Floyd on the Hammond organ and led by Founder, Artistic Director, and virtuoso saxophonist Jim Carroll. Don’t miss this signature event including some of the most remarkable jazz musicians in the metro region.