Author: Shyanne Hardy

Welcome to Fairfax County
Visit Fairfax is the official Destination Marketing Organization for Fairfax County, and they have been letting people know what an awesome place this is for years. While they mainly focus their messaging to tourists, there’s always good stuff that Mason students (and their families) should know, too. Like where you can find the best new restaurants. What are the best things to do in the area. And, of course, fun local events. But now that Virginia and the rest of the country is in the midst of practicing safe distancing and staying closer to home, the need to keep our local and Mason communities informed and entertained is greater than ever.  

If you find yourself unable to make it to Fairfax County to explore the area right now, the good news is that they have made it easy to enjoy much of what the county offers from your own home. From virtual attractions and wellness options to boredom busters, they are still bringing you the resources to experience the best of what makes Fairfax County great. Of course, attractions, parks, and arts and culture venues would prefer to see you face-to-face. And they are doing what they can to keep you safe when you do visit. But until they have the chance to welcome you again in person, you can stay up to date by staying connected to Fairfax County using the links below. 

Find things to do on the blog.
Whether you’re looking for coffee shop recommendations, the best hiking trails, places to see the best fall foliage, or just find suggestions on the latest things to see and do, our blog is the place to start your search. Show me what’s happening. 

Follow Visit Fairfax on Facebook.
Keep tabs on the latest happenings throughout the county and find inspiration for your next trip to the area by connecting on Facebook. Follow for some fun. 

Check out Visit Fairfax on Instagram.
Their account highlights the best of what people across Fairfax County are doing and seeing, and it delivers you inspirational images to plan your next Insta-worthy excursion. See the best photo spots in Fairfax County.

Patrick Lennon
Director of Marketing
Visit Fairfax

*To receive more articles like this straight to your inbox, sign up for the Mason Family Association at masonfamily.gmu.edu/mason-family-association.

In 2016, Katie Clare, Associate Director for the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, was looking for a way to contribute. “I just felt the call to do something and wanted it to be local. I also wanted it to be unique.”

This is when she came across Socktober, an effort created by Brad Montague and Robby Novak in 2011. Many of us can relate to the comfort of a warm pair of socks, but we can also relate to the discomfort of well-worn, holey socks. It turns out that new socks are one of the most requested but rarely donated items for shelters.

As Katie was looking for a way to contribute, the Mason advising community lost one of its longest serving members to cancer. Alice Watts had been an integral part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts for more than two decades. While being treated for cancer, members of the advising community treated Alice to fun, cheerful socks to help her stay warm and to lift her spirits. The decision was made to run Mason’s Socktober efforts in Alice’s honor.

In that first year, Katie delivered 458 pairs of socks to the Katherine Hanley Family Shelter, a transitional housing space that provides for up to 24 families, most often mothers with children. We have worked with this site every year because they are well-connected with the other county shelters, which guarantees the donation is put to meaningful use. In 2017, Katie teamed up with a colleague in Human Resources & Payroll and collected 1,300 pairs of socks. We were amazed by our university community’s support. We collected 1,126 pairs of socks in 2018 but only 462 pairs in 2019. In our fifth year, we hope to donate at least 500 pairs.

George Mason University has a long history of being involved in the local community. Our community gives back to us, and we give back to our community. This is one of many examples that speaks to this relationship. If you feel called to participate in this work, we are grateful and ask that you place your order by Saturday, October 31. Even though we won’t have campus drop-off locations this year because of health and safety concerns, you can ship directly via the Amazon wish list.

If you have any questions about this initiative, please contact Katie Clare at kclare@gmu.edu.

Katie Clare
Associate Director
Center for the Advancement of Well-Being

*To receive more articles like this straight to your inbox, sign up for the Mason Family Association at masonfamily.gmu.edu/mason-family-association.

We are excited to announce that our Family Weekend website is live, and we invite your Mason Family to connect with us, no matter where you are! Visit MasonFamilyEvents.gmu.edu to view our offerings, including our Schedule of Events and Digital Activity Guides, information for Visiting Campus, how to apply to be our 2020 Family of the Year, and our FAQs.

Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the homepage to Mark Our Map and tell us where your Mason Family is celebrating Family Weekend! The map will be updated regularly, so check back often to see where all our Mason Families are located.

Schedule of Events 

All of our Family Weekend events are FREE and listed below for your convenience! Online registration is required for most events, and the registration links are listed within the Schedule of Events. (For Let’s Do Brunch! participants, please note that you will need to purchase your own ingredients.)

#LivingWhileBlack: Social Justice in the Age of Social Media
Friday, Oct. 23; 7 p.m. ET
Listen as Dr. Shayna Maskell, Assistant Professor in the School of Integrative Studies, discusses the current racial injustices in America and social media’s role in advancing racial justice. Dr. Maskell earned her PhD in American Studies from the University of Maryland. Her areas of research include popular and youth culture, music, social movements, and subcultures. 

Let’s Do Brunch!
Sunday, Oct. 25; 12 p.m. ET
Join Chefs Richard and Joel from Mason Dining as they guide you through the creation of a delicious brunch all from the comfort of your own kitchen! They will use all fresh ingredients, including greens from the Presidents Park Greenhouse and honey produced by the Honey Bee Initiative. After you register, you will receive your digital recipe packet with the ingredients needed and instructions. You’ll be able to follow along in real time as the chefs cook and virtually ask questions during the live stream. 

Meet the Veep: Rose Pascarell, Vice President for University Life
Friday, Oct. 30; 5:30 p.m. ET
Meet with Vice President for University Life Rose Pascarell for a conversation about all things student life! A limited number of seats are available. 

Inside the Real Criminal Minds
Saturday, Oct. 31; 7 p.m. ET
Ever wonder what goes on inside the real criminal minds? Listen to Dr. Mary Ellen O’Toole, Director of the Forensic Science Program in the College of Science, share her experience as one of the FBI’s most senior and accomplished profilers. During her career, she worked on many high-profile cases, including the Elizabeth Smart abduction, the Unabomber case, the Green River Killer, and the Natalee Holloway investigation. 

Evening Under the Stars
Thursday, Nov. 5; 8 p.m. ET
Did you know that Mason has the largest on-campus telescope on the East Coast? On Nov. 5 at 8 p.m., the Mason Observatory will host Dr. Luisa Rebull from Caltech to present her research on young stars. After her presentation, participants will see live views of our night sky (weather permitting) by remotely controlling our main campus telescope, with a 32-inch diameter primary mirror.

True or False? Uncovering Fake News
Friday, Nov. 6; 2 p.m. ET
Join University Libraries for a fun, family-friendly workshop on identifying fake news. This interactive session addresses the many faces of news today from the slightly misleading to the biased to the truly outrageous. 

Pencil in the Provost: Lunch with Dr. Mark Ginsberg
Monday, Nov. 9; 1 p.m. ET
Learn more about Provost Mark Ginsberg and his role as the university’s chief academic officer, overseeing all colleges, schools, and academic support units. A limited number of seats are available. 

Exploring Emerging Infectious Disease and COVID-19
Thursday, Nov. 12; 5:30 p.m. ET
How do infectious diseases emerge and evolve? Join Dr. Amira Roess, professor of Global Health and Epidemiology in the College of Health and Human Services, as she discusses the history of emerging infectious diseases, how she studies them, and the challenges to this field of study. She will also discuss COVID-19 and her involvement in the response. 

Digital Activity Guides

In addition to our scheduled events that will be held in real time, we encourage you to explore our Digital Activity Guides. Whether you’re exploring NoVA or staying home, engage in your own activities to make this Family Weekend one you won’t soon forget! These guides include local activities that are good for social distancing, dining, and shopping that will keep your Mason family entertained throughout the fall season.

2020 Alan and Sally Merten Family of the Year Award 

Encourage your student to nominate your Mason Family for the 10th annual Alan and Sally Merten Family of the Year Award! The Award was established to recognize the critical role you play in your student’s experience at Mason and to remind us that you are an essential part of our students’ support network. Mason students can submit either a written essay or a creative work of art discussing why your family is worthy of being the Family of the Year. Apply now!

For the first time ever, we are introducing Theme Week – an opportunity for you to dress up and take fun and silly pictures as a Mason Family! Take pictures of your Mason Family in your outfits of the day using our online photo booth with frames and filters made specifically for Family Weekend 2020. Post them on your socials and hashtag #VFW20

Themes include:
October 26: Mason Spirit Monday (Mason-related items and colors)
October 27: Touchdown Tuesday (athletic apparel from your favorite sports team)
October 28: Time Warp Wednesday (clothing items synonymous with specific decades)
October 29: Vacay Thursday (vacation wear)
October 30: Fantasy Friday (favorite fictional television, film, comic, or book character)
October 31: Halloween (costume or fall apparel)

Although we can’t be together in person, we hope this Family Weekend is an engaging and festive experience for your Mason Family! For more information, visit MasonFamilyEvents.gmu.edu. If you have questions, contact us via email at Families@gmu.edu, phone at (703) 993-2475, or our live chat at MasonFamily.gmu.edu. 

Samaria Moss
Graduate Assistant of Family Programs
New Student and Family Programs

*To receive more articles like this straight to your inbox, sign up for the Mason Family Association at masonfamily.gmu.edu/mason-family-association.

In 2016, Mason introduced the Resilience Badge, a co-curricular student offering to help students better understand their resilience. Students learned strategies for enhancing resilience and were encouraged to leverage the skill in all areas of life. Successful completion of the free, in-person program resulted in the student earning a digital credential. Many students completed this boutique program over the years and offered uniformly positive feedback.

With the strong response and an ever-increasing need for resilience, the program was overhauled to make it even more relevant and more interactive. In hopes of bringing this to students who are busy managing academic work alongside countless other responsibilities, the new and improved Resilience Badge launched in September 2020 as a fully asynchronous experience in Blackboard. Students can now complete this at their own pace with no in-person requirements.

Each of the six modules takes approximately one hour to complete and provides opportunities for self-inquiry and skill-building. In addition, students are exposed to the variety of circumstances in which others must engage resilience and the variety of ways to engage. While attention is focused on deepening individual resilience, this is with the much larger goal of benefitting Mason Nation’s community resilience. As before, successful completion results in the student earning a digital credential.

Learn more about the program: wellbeing.gmu.edu/students/resilience-badge

An information session will be offered for students via Zoom on Monday, October 19 from 5-6 p.m. Let your students know about this opportunity!

Katie Clare
Associate Director
Center for the Advancement of Well-Being

*To receive more articles like this straight to your inbox, sign up for the Mason Family Association at masonfamily.gmu.edu/mason-family-association.