Category: Mason Family Flash

The end of the semester can be a hectic blend of finishing final exams, arranging travel plans, and preparing to move out of residence halls during winter break. In order to make the planning process easier, we have gathered the important information you and your student need for winter break.

Housing
When does my student need to leave the residence hall?
Students should plan to be moved out of their residence halls within 24 hours of their last final exam or by noon on December 18, depending which comes first. On-campus housing will reopen on January 16 at 10 a.m.

Can my student leave things in his/her room?
Students are welcome to leave belongings in the residence hall and keep his or her room key over break. Your student should plan to take any valuable items home over break. Encourage your student to checkout this helpful checklist from housing!

For additional information on winter break move-out, click here.

Transportation
Does Mason offer transportation options over the holidays?
Mason transportation will be offering affordable shuttles to Dulles airport and other cities across Virginia.

Does my student need a reservation?
Students can make a reservation ahead of time and are encouraged to do so as time slots can fill up quickly. Encourage your student to visit shuttle.gmu.edu for more information regarding the shuttle schedules and reservation guidelines.

Mason Transportation can also be reached at 703.993.2828.

Other Resources
The University’s hours of operation will change during winter break. If your student is staying in the area during any portion of the break and wants to continue using university resources, encourage him or her to check out the specific department’s adjusted hours online.

Please click the services below for more information on hours of operation during winter break:

Dining Services
Health Services
Recreation and Fitness Centers
Student Centers

Bookstore
Library

Please note that all University offices are closed December 22, 2014 and will reopen January 5, 2015.

Kristen Wright
Graduate Assistant, Family Programs and Services
Orientation and Family Programs and Services

December 4	Family Webinar: Career Planning Tips for Freshmen - noon EST (https://masonfamily.gmu.edu/webinars/)
December 6	Last Day of Classes
December 10	Final Exam Period
December 18	Winter Convocation
December 24 - January 2	Administrative Offices Closed

It may be hard to believe that the end of the fall semester is just around the corner. With only a few grading opportunities left in the term, it is more important than ever for students to maintain the progress that they have made in their classes. Your student will have term papers, final exams, presentations, and portfolios due in the span of just a few weeks. As family members you can help your student stay relaxed and productive during this potentially stressful time. Read below for five tips to help your students stay balanced, study effectively, and cultivate positive habits through the rest of the semester and beyond.

1. Stay Organized
Has your student peered inside that planner or updated his/her digital calendar lately? Deadlines and due dates sometimes change over the course of the semester: students should update time management systems to ensure that they know when final papers and projects are due. Visually realizing that a project is due in just a few weeks can engage facilitating anxiety (the good kind!) and motivate students to plan steps to avoid procrastination. Structuring study time and identifying the right locations in which to study can help students avoid time-wasting traps and foster accountability.

2. Identify a Support System and Utilize Campus Resources
The end of the semester is a good time to organize structured study groups with friends and classmates. Assigning group members different roles for the study sessions (one person makes a practice essay question for the group, another creates multiple choice problems, etc.) can help keep students on task. This is also a good time to ask your student how he/she is doing both academically and emotionally. If your student needs additional support through the end of the semester, Mason has a wealth of student support offices on campus – encourage your student to explore options through the Mason website: http://www.gmu.edu/resources/students/.

3. Plan Study Time to Integrate Stress Management
Encourage your student to study multiple subjects during any given day and schedule frequent, short breaks to bolster cognitive endurance and sustain motivation. One commonly employed strategy is using a timer: study for 20-30 minutes then program a 5-10 minute break followed by another 20-30 minute session. If your student is feeling particularly worried about completing a certain assignment, encourage him/her to keep a distraction log outlining any worries or intrusive thoughts while studying – it can help your student identify thought patterns or issues that can then be discussed and addressed.

4. Practice Mindfulness
At its core, mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment: mindfulness practice promotes well-being by helping your student regulate thoughts and focus on what he/she can control – the present. The present can be full of positive study plans, time for healthy release, adequate preparation for the assignments ahead, or simply the quiet and stillness that can be accessed by focusing on each passing breath. Counseling and Psychological Services offers a weekly mindfulness practice that can introduce students to this practice and it can be a nice complement to other academic skills workshops: http://caps.gmu.edu/students/academic-skills-workshops/.

5. Students Need to Communicate with Faculty if Problems Arise
Many times students will miss classes or need to request extensions on assignments for important and valid reasons – professors need to know what is going on in order to be in a position to both understand the student’s situation and reply with an alternative option if appropriate. It is helpful for students to see professors as educational allies: students are enrolled in the class to learn and demonstrate knowledge; professors are there to impart or facilitate that knowledge and guide students in the learning process.

We hope that these tips will make the final stretch of the semester more balanced and less stressful for you and your students. We wish your students success on their final exams!

Learning Services provides a full range of free workshops to help students navigate the demands of the semester: from time management, managing performance anxiety, mindfulness, and college reading strategies to sessions devoted entirely to preparing for final exams. If your student is interested in these sessions, encourage them to register online at: http://caps.gmu.edu/learning-services/.

Laura McCloskey
Assistant Director and Outreach Coordinator
Counseling and Psychological Services

The 2014 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is now available on the George Mason Police Department’s website. This report is intended to provide students and their families, as higher education consumers, with accurate, complete and timely information about safety on campus so they can make informed decisions. All college campuses participating in federal financial aid programs are required by law to disclose this information to all prospective students, current students, families, and university employees.

In the report you will find crime and fire statistics for all GMU campuses for the previous three years, school policies addressing sexual harassment and misconduct, potential sanctions for violating school policies, sexual harassment reporting options, and an up-to-date list of services and various training opportunities available to all students.

The total number of crime and fire statistics was gathered from official police reports, third party reports from other campus security authorities, and official reports from other police departments patrolling Mason properties throughout Virginia.

For more information, contact the Clery Act Compliance Coordinator, Eric Fowler, at (703)-993-5497.

Eric Fowler
Clery Act Compliance Coordinator
George Mason University