Category: Mason Family Flash

Encourage your student to nominate your family for the Alan and Sally Merten Family of the Year award, which will be presented at the Family Weekend welcome dinner on Friday night.  The Alan and Sally Merten Family of the Year Award was started to recognize the importance of families and the support they provide students during their experience at Mason.

Student’s can either submit a written essay of 1,000 words or less, or a video essay no longer than three minutes to families@gmu.edu. The selection committee will review submitted applications based on the following criteria:

1. Evidence of family’s support for student’s college success
2. Evidence of family’s enthusiasm for Mason
3. Ability to articulate why their family is deserving of this honor

The winners of the Family of the Year award will receive a commemorative plaque, all fees associated with Family Weekend registration will be waived or refunded if already paid in full (up to $500 will be covered), and a University Bookstore prize pack valued at $250!  Nominations are due by October 1 at 5:00 pm. For additional further details regarding the Family of the Year Award criteria and to submit an application visit https://masonfamily.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Family-of-the-Year-Nomination-Packet-2014.pdf.

Kristen Wright
Graduate Assistant
Office of Orientation and Family Programs and Services

Sept. 2	Last Day to Add/Drop Classes (No tuition penalty)
Sept. 3	Family Webinar: Career Planning Tips for Seniors- noon EDT https://masonfamily.gmu.edu/webinars/
Sept. 11	9/11 Day of Service
Sept. 22	Midterm progress reporting period begins
Sept. 26	Last Day to Drop (67% tuition penalty)
Sept. 29	Selective Withdrawal Period
Sept. 30	Fall 2014 Graduation Application Deadline

George Mason University students are taking the lead to organize the second annual Mason Nation 9/11 Day of Service as the university once again joins the largest annual day of charitable engagement in the United States. In 2013, 47 million Americans observed the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. Last year, with substantial support from the Division of University Life and Mason’s Honors College, students helped organize efforts for the inaugural event and hundreds of Mason students, faculty and staff members served.

As a result of the new Mason Service Council’s strong student leadership, this year’s event has grown and not only local service to the community, but also includes a service project with two international beneficiaries. Registration opened on August 25 for eight service projects to be held on September 11. Two of the projects are accepting donated items: the Women Giving Back clothing drive and the James Mott Community Assistance Program food drive.

Other projects and fundraisers during the week include:

• The Filipino Cultural Association, Working Group for Displaced Populations, Amazon, and Mason’s Department of Women and Gender Studies will host a fundraiser at Skyline and Hanover for two projects in the Philippines: a children’s shelter and an endangered village. All funds collected will go to the Tambayan Children’s Center.
• Alpha Phi and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8469 will host a Buddy Poppy drive on the Fairfax Campus at the Johnson Center North and South Plazas as well as in the Corner Pocket patio to raise money for veterans’ services.
• The Office of Social Action and Integrative Learning and Alpha Phi Omega will encourage students, faculty and staff to landscape the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post and reorganize its library at 5703 Vogue Rd, Fairfax Station, VA, 22039.
• The Hispanic Student Association will guide youngsters at Mason’s Child Development Center in emergency preparedness activities.
• Honors College and Phi Kappa Sigma will collect, inspect and sort clothes to be delivered to the Women Giving Back store, a HomeAid program that provides free clothing to women and children in Northern Virginia homeless shelters.
• Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Greek Life members will collect food donations for the James Mott Community Assistance Program which serves 175 families weekly including those who reside in senior community centers and in a center for HIV/AIDS patients who are ill and disabled.
• The Mason Organic Gardening Association and Students Helping Honduras will team up in the northeast corner of Innovation Hall for the Food Forest project. The gardening association also will weed, plant seeds, harvest vegetables, design, paint, water, compost in the Potomac Heights Vegetable Garden near the Aquatic and Fitness Center.

The event has also seen great support from local government officials and City of Fairfax Mayor, R. Scott Silverthorne, who will join the day’s opening festivities.

Encourage your students to get involved in the community and participate in activities scheduled through the 9/11 Day of Service by registering at http://911day.onmason.com/service-projects/.

Sudha Kamath
Communications Officer
Office of Strategic Communications

The fall semester can be a busy time for both new and returning students. To help in this transition, Mason offers programs and events to support both new and returning students. For new students, learning to navigate campus, making connections with peers, and understanding university resources and services can be overwhelming, but Mason strives to aid students during this pivotal time. The Preamble and Welcome Week are a few of the first experiences in the fall semester to usher in the 2014-2015 year.

The Preamble is Mason’s extended orientation program geared toward welcoming and acclimating new students to the Mason community. The Preamble brings together freshman and transfer students before the start of the fall semester to officially initiate their experience at Mason. Programming begins for freshmen students on the evening of August 21 following residence hall move-in. Social events are held to engage students and facilitate fun interactions with their peers during this transition. The Preamble begins August 22 with Convocation in the Patriot Center, where faculty and staff formally address the Class of 2018 as new Patriots. Other experiences during The Preamble include student academic success, relationship and team building activities, and Patriot Premiere, Mason’s largest pep rally! For more information, visit welcomeweek.gmu.edu/the-preamble.

Welcome Week is a series of programs and events held primarily during the first week of classes to bring together students, faculty, and staff to kick off the new academic year. This is a great opportunity for new students to learn about Mason traditions and create connections to their peers and campus resources. It is so exciting to see the campus alive with spirit and pride as we celebrate another academic year. This year, a giant fair will be held on campus showcasing service opportunities, academic resources, student organizations, and recreational activities. Additionally, throughout the first week of classes, “Ask Me” tents will be posted across campus to answer questions, give directions, and provide important information to new and returning students.

Last year, over 115 events were sponsored across the university during Welcome Week and engaged approximately 14,000 Patriots. These events included academic receptions, social events, involvement fairs, spirit rallies, educational development programs, and featured free food and prizes. Encourage your student to attend any of this year’s events to meet new friends, join an organization, or simply feel more confident as they embark on their college journey. Welcome Week will be held August 23 – September 1, and a list of events and information can be found at welcomeweek.gmu.edu. Highlighted Welcome Week events include:

• Mason Mayhem
• IV Night
• On-campus job & student organization fairs
• Annual Dodgeball event
• Mason Transfer Nation
• Relax in Fairfax

We are excited to welcome students back to campus and look forward to Welcome Week 2014.

Rick Gray
Associate Director
Orientation and Family Programs and Services