Category: Uncategorized

Last month Student Government and Facilities Management unveiled a brand-new outdoor study space affectionately called “The Grove”. The Grove is located in the wooded area between Enterprise Hall, the Arts and Design Building, and Research Hall. The space features several tables and seating areas in a well-cleared, mulched area below the canopy of some of Mason’s beautiful trees. Here is what Hunter Young, Clerk of the Student Senate and the project’s student leader, has to say about the development of The Grove:

It Starts With an Idea…

The Grove started as an idea from former University Life and current Student Body Vice President David O’Connell in late fall 2019. A discussion between us brought the issue of the lack of outdoor seating present on campus, particularly in the shade, to my attention. During nice weather in the spring and the fall, it can be difficult to find seating outside to eat lunch, socialize, or study between classes. I believed this issue to be especially important because of Mason’s large commuter population. Some of these commuters have long breaks between classes and it was difficult to find adequate outdoor seating. Vice President O’Connell had also highlighted a lack of hammock-friendly locations on campus. After Vice President O’Connell introduced this idea, it became my primary initiative my role as Undersecretary for Facilities and I quickly looped in Undersecretary for Sustainability Sara Babcock. I introduced the idea to Facilities Administration at our monthly post-Mason Stewards meeting and they supported the idea full heartedly. The main people who were involved in this project were Director of Facilities Management Tad Drerenberger, Associate Director of Operations for Facilities Management Steve Vollmer, and Erich Miller the Grounds Program Manager; in addition, Vice President of Facilities Frank Strike supported the project but was not involved directly in the project.

From Support to Action

One of the first steps was to choose a location for the project, which at the time was known simply as “the outdoor study space initiative”. I met with then-University Life Chair O’Connell and then-Undersecretary for Sustainability Sara Babcock. In addition, received input from the Chair of the Services Committee, Julian Bennett, and then-Services Secretary Taylor Moore on the best potential locations. As a team we decided that the area between the aforementioned wooded area was to be the ideal location. Then-Chair O’Connell and I met on site with Steve Volmer and Erich Miller to discuss the location. Erich Miller said that he would prepare to add the clearing of the underbrush and the mulching of the area to his list. The area was picked for a couple to reason: the large trees provided excellent shade and plenty of hammock spots, it is surrounded by commonly visited buildings, there is minimal road noise, and it is a short walk from the Johnson Center.

One of the pleasant surprises we encountered during the course of this initiative was the ease at which we secured funding for the project. Facilities dministration was supportive of the project from the beginning and was quickly able to secure $10,000 for the purchase of tables. Student Government was able to pick the tables and selected six picnic tables made from recycled materials.

The final step of the project was selecting the name of the new study space and deigning the signs which now label the area. Our team wanted to come up with a catchy name for the area to make it more appealing to students and for it to be identified easier rather than simply saying, “the tables in the shade between Engineering, Enterprise, Research, and the Art and Design Building.” I worked closely with Chair Bennet, then-Secretary Moore, then-Chair O’Connell, and then-Undersecretary Babcock on the name and worked on the design of the sign and with Steve Vollmer from Facilities.

Unfortunately progress was just starting on this project when COVID-19 began in March 2020. After students left campus the landscaping was completed for the area but shipping delays pushed back the arrival of the tables by a couple of months. Luckily, over the summer the tables arrived and installed along with the signs.

The Grove is a great example of Student Government’s success and advocacy for the student-body. Our team worked across branches and closely with administration to tackle a project that we believe will benefit the student body. Seating outside has never been more important on campus than it is right now due to COVID-19, and the area will be a beautiful place for students to relax, hammock, eat, study, and socialize this semester and for years to come.

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The Student Senate has 40 seats, and each year, 10 of those seats are reserved for students who weren’t at Mason the year before: freshmen and transfer students.  In the fall semester, those 10 seats are up for grabs.  The Elections and Disputes Commission (EDC), the third branch of Student Government, runs these elections and ensures they are fair.  Because of COVID-19, these elections are completely virtual, which means that no matter where you are living this semester, you can still run for Student Senate.  If you are a freshman or transfer student and you’re interested in running for Student Senate, here’s how:

1. Attend a candidacy meeting.  These meetings are required if you want to be on the ballot when voting starts.  They are virtual meetings, so you can attend from wherever you are.  In candidacy meetings, you will learn about the election timeline and the regulations for campaigning.  At the end you will be given a meeting code that you must enter on your candidacy application to prove your attendance.  To register for a candidacy meeting, visit https://sg.gmu.edu/elections. There are five meetings remaining:

• Friday, Sept. 4 at 9 AM ET

• Monday, Sept. 7 at 6 PM ET

• Friday, Sept. 11 at 10 AM ET

• Monday, Sept. 14 at 7 PM ET

• Friday, Sept. 18 at 11 AM ET

2. Submit a candidate application.  In addition to the code from your candidate meeting, the application will ask for basic information about you, a copy of your class schedule to make sure you can attend Senate meetings if elected, and affirmations that you have read and understand the rules for elections.  Applications are due on Friday, Sept. 18 at 11:59 PM ET.  You can find that application at https://sg.gmu.edu/elections.
3. Get notified about your candidacy status.  The EDC reviews your application and notifies everyone who submitted one with their candidacy status on Saturday, Sept. 19.  If you filled it out correctly and meet the requirements in the Election Code, you will be allowed to appear on the ballot.
4. Campaign. Campaigning begins on Monday, Sept. 21.  This year due to COVID-19, all campaigning will be virtual.  Do everything you can to get out the vote!
5. Vote.  The election period begins on Monday, Sept. 28 and ends on Wednesday, Sept. 30.  As always, voting is totally virtual, all on Mason360.  Students may vote for up to 10 candidates.
6. Await the results.  The 10 highest vote-getters will win election to Student Senate.  The EDC will announce the results of the election on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 12:00 PM ET.  Candidates will be emailed directly, and the results will be posted online.

The first Student Senate meeting with the newly elected members will be that same day, Thursday, Oct. 1 at 4:30 PM ET.  If you have any questions about elections, your first stop is https://sg.gmu.edu/elections.  There you will find the application, the Election Code, and all the relevant forms for campaigning that you learn about in the candidacy meeting.  If you have any specific questions, please email the EDC at sgedc@gmu.edu.

You’re invited to a constitutional amendment town hall on Tuesday, September 8 from 2 PM – 3 PM. Student Government is proposing big changes to the Student Body Constitution and we need your input.

Make sure to RSVP on Mason360!

To learn more about the proposed changes, please visit this link.

Welcome back, Patriots! It’s almost that time of the year again. New courses, new professors, and, wait – a brand new method of education? That’s right! If you’re like us, online courses are still fairly new to you. Last semester was hectic but there’s plenty of time to plan ahead this year. That is why the Senate Academics Committee put together 15 tips to prepare you for online classes.

1. Check the syllabus — Some professors post the syllabi to their class on their college’s website, by taking a look at the syllabus you get a good idea of what you’ll be covering first in class.
2. Prepare to be punctual — For on-campus instruction, being on time is crucial, now that we’re online it’s easier to slip up. Don’t let yourself be late to any appointments (physical or otherwise), be prepared to get to your virtual classes on time.
3. Find a spot — With classes conducted over Zoom it’s up to you to decide what space will be your classroom, be it the basement, the living room, or wherever. Find a distraction-free place to connect to your classes.
4. Adjust your settings — Take a while before classes start to get familiar with the medium you’ll connect to class with, find out what does what—how to share your screen, mute and unmute yourself, raise a question to the class. Will you be connected with video or audio only? All this is up to you to find, and you can do so before classes start.
5. Get to know your professors — Reading a little into your professors’ backgrounds can give you a better idea of who they are and what they’ll bring to the class. Most professors have professional bios online, see who they and how their class relates.
6. Form a study group(chat) — Not being on campus means not being able to congregate to study. But by keeping a group chat with some of your classmates you’ll be able to better prepare for (and keep up with) your course.
7. Get ready to take notes — Note-taking is essential to retaining the information your class discusses, but what sort of notes are best for you? Do you prefer typed in a word document in another window or written down in a notebook? Figure out what’ll allow you to keep up with your professor and succeed in your online classes.
8. Plan on planning ahead — Good organizational habits can take some time to fall into. If a planner or schedule helps you stay on track, then starting early is the best choice to keep up the habit and succeed when classes start.
9. Have your books ready — By looking at syllabi and finding required textbooks you can place orders for textbooks early, but be cautious, some professors will provide advice on which books you really need and which ones are just helpful for reference.
10. Get a good night’s sleep — Being well rested is crucial to success in any learning environment. Cultivating a reasonable sleep schedule (one that takes early classes into consideration) is one way to make sure that you arrive to class on time, and are fully prepared to participate and rise to the day’s challenges
11. Eat a good meal — Your body needs fuel in order to learn, eating a healthy breakfast or lunch before coming to class means you’ll be able to stay more alert and be ready to participate in your online courses.
12. Prepare to participate — Participation is essential in order to succeed in online courses; however, this new format may be disorienting to some. Come prepared to ask questions and be responsive in your online classes.
13. Make mastery a focus — Online classes can make it tempting to just “check the boxes” of your course and do the minimum required, but this type of attitude does you no favors on the path to success. Instead, try and set goals that’ll allow you to really focus on mastering the material.
14. Get your priorities straight —Which of your courses are most important to you? If you have a limited time, what assignments will you prioritize? These are questions that might come into play if you reach a point in the semester where you have to make tough choices with time management. By making a priorities list, you’ll be able to see which you should find yourself most occupied with, and where you’ll focus your effort.
15. Wash, rinse, repeat — The key to success in an online (or partially online) semester is mastering your routine. Once you can find a routine that works for you, one that you feel comfortable with each week and gets results, then the key is going to be sticking with that routine as the semester goes on.

Whether you’re joining Mason for the first time online or a seasoned senior, George Mason Student Government is so excited to welcome you all back to school. Before we begin the school year, Student Body President Shelby Adams, and Speaker Pro-Tempore Natalia Kanos want to highlight some of the most popular traditions at Mason. Watch the video below to learn about some of these traditions!

Please read our statement above & feel free to contact us on social media us or email us at sg@gmu.edu for any questions, comments, or concerns.

Last week Student Body President Shelby Adams, along with Former Interim President Anne Holton, Nancy Lucas, and Anjan Chimaladinne, interviewed Yogi Sadhguru on well-being perspectives for higher education. Watch the full interview above or read more here.

We stand in solidarity with other campus organizations to reaffirm that Black Lives Matter now and always. You may read the full statement below.

Finals week is upon us; however, it doesn’t feel like our normal finals week. No late nights in Fenwick, no free scantrons in Roger Wilkins Plaza, no rushing between closely-scheduled finals. And for many of us, we are already home, so packing up for the summer is nonexistent – a bittersweet result of COVID-19. Like many of you, through the positives and negatives, we are all trying to stay afloat, and perhaps one constant we can all agree on (for good or for bad) is that the semester is coming to a close.

Just this past week Student Government hosted its final meeting of the academic year. Normally a low-key event, this year’s final meeting was different. Many Student Government members felt a renewed sense of drive looking forward into the fall semester.

Peter Roberto, a new Senator, described the last two weeks of meetings as exciting, “I have never been apart of any student government before so this is really new to me.” Peter later lamented that he had to eat dinner in his bedroom this past week as a result of the long meetings but I mean, come on – it’s part of the fun, right? Peter told us he had big plans for the fall focusing on academic related initiatives. He went on to say, “[I want to] help students who are on academic probation and fight for free scantrons/blue books.”

On the Executive side, Jenny Dinh, the new Secretary for Public Relations has plans to re-imagine Student Government’s public image. She discussed the importance social media plays in today’s world, especially as we transition to a more online-focused social environment. When asked specifically about the impact of the transition to an online environment Jenny said, “I think [the transition to online interaction will] be a positive thing because this way people are forced to pay attention, because it’ll be right in their faces which is different from on campus. There people will just walk right past [adverts] and pay no attention.” So, Patriots, if you’re not following us on social media yet, do so now @masonstudentgov.

Our veteran members have big plans, too. Cassidy Whitehurst, Speaker of the Student Senate, said, “Next year I plan on having the Student Senate attend a great number of registered student organizations (RSOs) and other departmental organizations events and meetings. We cannot advocate for the student body if we are not making connections with them and listening to them. Natalia Kanos, [(Speaker Pro Tempore of the Student Senate)] and I have plans to expand upon what we call an “Outreach Hour.” This is one hour a month where Senators listen to the students about concerns and other issues at George Mason. We will make sure that Senators, and ourselves, are consistently in contact with different organizations and RSOs across campus.” Much like Jenny, Cassidy had a lot of great ideas for our social media presence too, “I think the best way for Student Government to connect with the student body in the future, especially if we are on a virtual platform, is to utilize our social media presence. […] Now is a better time than ever to have a strong social media presence.”

As we look towards summer, one Executive Cabinet member, Ethan Brown, Undersecretary of Parking and Transportation, said, “I look forward to laying in the sun on the beach and hiking a few trails in the mountains with my friends. I am also starting a small shade garden in the backyard.” I think Ethan has the right idea. Relax, relax, relax.

Patriots, from all of us in Student Government, we hope you have a relaxing summer. We’ll be ready to hit the ground running in the fall. Until then, see you soon!

Thursday, April 30 marked the first meeting of the 41st Student Senate. The meeting began with the swearing in of 27 new senators as well as Student Body President Shelby Adams and Vice President David O’Connell.

With the new leadership change comes new visions for the future of George Mason and student experience. Shelby and David, who ran on a platform of “Connect, Create, Commit”, had this to say about their immediate plans, “[we want] to make sure we sit down with each respective department to ensure we have a plan once the fall begins”. What is part of that plan for the fall? “[As a team we hope to] kickstart a free menstrual product pilot program in the Johnson Center,” said Shelby, “It has been an initiative that has been worked on all year, so we’re excited to see it come into fruition!”.

A new wave of change is coming in the Student Senate as well following the election of a brand new leadership team.

• Speaker of the Student Senate: Cassidy Whitehurst
• Speaker Pro Tempore: Natalia Kanos
• Clerk of the Student Senate: Hunter Young
• Chair of Admin & Finance: Solomon Fair
• Chair of University Services: Jillian Bennett
• Chair of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs: Catalina Correa
• Chair of University Life: CJ Davis
• Chair of Government & Community Relations: Dawson Weinhold
• Chair of Academics: Moses Hunsaker

Dawson Weinhold, the new Government and Community Relations (GCR) Chair, said he was, “looking forward to strengthening [Student Government’s] relationship with the city and county of Fairfax and increasing civic engagement on campus.” Last October, Student Government hosted a very successful, family oriented Witch Watch event in Fairfax City, and we hope this year it can be even better. The annual Mason Lobbies trip also seems to be at the top of many GCR committee members’ minds.

We are all looking forward to the change this Student Senate and administration can enact on behalf of the student body. They follow in the footsteps of a productive 40th Student Senate and the leadership of the Layton/McLaughlin administration, but we are confident they’ll soar high.

At the next meeting, the Student Senate will vote to confirm many of the remaining Executive Cabinet positions.