Categories
University Updates

We Want to Hear From You Re: Fall 2020

Recently, Mason released the Tiger Team report. This report details potential learning options for Fall 2020.

Student Government and the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GAPSA) worked with university leaders to create a survey for all Mason students regarding Fall 2020 options. We want to hear from you!

Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey here.

Your answers are critical in informing university decisions moving forward.

Potential learning options for Fall 2020 (page 19, Tiger Team Report).
Categories
Academics & Research

How do I participate in undergraduate research?

Participating in undergraduate research is an amazing experience regardless of your major or areas of interest. Mason has made it possible for any undergraduate student to have the opportunity to pursue individualized research regardless of their interests. There are three primary avenues to pursue undergraduate research (not including the Honors college).

Option One: OSCAR

The Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR) is the primary home to undergraduate research opportunities. They are a go-to source for students looking to pursue undergraduate research.

Students can request to be a research assistant in which they help faculty work on their research projects. Students are introduced to the concept of scholarship, learn the research or scholarly methods in their field, and provide faculty free project support. You can learn more here.

Students can also apply for the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. This program provides students with funding to conduct original research under the guise of experienced faculty mentors. You can find more information here.

OSCAR provides a ton of resources to students, so we highly recommend you visit their website to learn more.

Option Two: Ask you academic advisor.

Your academic advisor may be able to connect you with a faculty member in your field of interest who could use your help. Feel free to reach out personally to your advisor to find out if there is an opportunity for you.

Option Three: Ask a faculty member.

Many professors may currently have their own research projects. If you are interested in their field, consider asking if they could use help or if you could learn more about their endeavors. Sometimes professors will agree to sponsor you for an independent research course.

If you have any feedback or questions, please reach out to sg@gmu.edu.

Categories
Academics & Research

How do I figure out my class schedule?

Finding or creating your class schedule online is easy. Before you begin, ensure that you have met with your academic advisor to review your course progression.

Option One: Log into to PatriotWeb, click ‘Student Services’, ‘Registration’, ‘Registration and Planning’, ‘Register for Classes’, and then select the semester. Here you can search for classes. Once you have registered, you will see a panel on the main page with your schedule. Note that this schedule will not show distance learning (online) courses.

Option One Schedule Example

Option Two: Log into to PatriotWeb, click ‘Student Services’, ‘Registration’, Patriot Scheduler – Sign On’, and then select the term. Begin by selecting the campuses you want Patriot Scheduler to show you courses from. Add courses to your list by selecting ‘Add Course’. Once you have added your desired courses, return to the main page, scroll to the bottom, and click ‘Generate Schedules’. Patriot Scheduler will automatically create schedules based on the courses you picked. You can view each individual schedule.

Option Two Schedule Example

Once you have picked the schedule or set of classes you want, you can either click ‘Send to Plan Ahead’ on the schedule page, which will send your desired courses to the registration system, or you may simply remember the course CRNs and register manually through the registration system.

If you are running into trouble at any stage, contact your academic advisor.

If you have any feedback or questions, please reach out to sg@gmu.edu.

Categories
Academics & Research

How do I improve my GPA?

Improving a poor grade point average (GPA) is not “Mission Impossible”. Before moving forward, please know that your GPA is not reflective of your self worth. Everyone has different skills, strengths, and talents that they rely on, and a poor GPA does not diminish your self worth.

Here are several steps you can take to help improve your GPA:

Step One: Understand your academic weaknesses and strengths.

It is important you first understand the root cause of the problem before you address it.

If you are having trouble pointing to a specific problem, sit down with a trusted advisor, professor, mentor, or family member to discuss the topic. Ask them for their candid opinions on areas for improvement. Sometimes you will learn about a weakness you had not noticed before.

Perhaps more importantly is understanding your strengths. When your professor assigns a programming challenge are you thrilled? Do research essays brighten your day? Is a tough math problem a joy to solve? Take note of your strengths.

Step Two: Capitalize on your strengths.

Identify courses that will help you improve your strengths. If you are a technical person, consider enrolling in GAME 101 (Introduction to Game Design) vs. DANC 145 (Ballet I) to fulfill your Mason Core Arts requirement.

By enrolling in courses that naturally capitalize on your strengths, you are more likely to excel in coursework.

Step Three: Nurture your weaknesses.

Part of college is improvement. As a non-math person, you will not be able to escape algebra all your life, even if you major in a non-STEM field. Do not be afraid to ask for help!

Luckily, Mason has tons of free services to help students. The College of Education and Human Development has put together a comprehensive list of student success services. You can find it here.

Step Four: It is a process; have patience.

Raising your GPA is a process that requires time. It is best that you practice good habits early on in your academic career, as it is more difficult to raise your GPA the more credits you accumulate.

There is no magic tip that will set you on the path towards an improved GPA. It comes down to reaching out for help where you need it and putting in consistent effort.

Student Government is dedicated to helping you. If you ever need help find resources or just want to chat, please reach out to sg@gmu.edu.

Categories
University Updates

CARES Act Distribution Information

On Tuesday, May 12 the university sent an email providing students with information related to CARES Act distribution. The COVID-19 CARES Act is part of federal government COVID-19 emergency grants provided to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus.

The email stated that per federal guidelines, students are only eligible to receive CARES Act funding through option one or option two as outlined below.

  1. COVID-19 CARES Act awards will be allocated proactively to students with the highest urgency as determined by Financial Aid.
  2. Supplemental funding will be allocated to students who apply through the COVID-19 Student Emergency Assistance Funding process.

The eligibility guidelines for the COVID-19 CARES Act awards proactively allocated by Financial Aid are as follows:

  • Students must be Title IV eligible;
  • Students must not have been enrolled in a fully online program prior to the pandemic;
  • Students must be currently enrolled as a graduate or undergraduate in good Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP);
  • Graduate students must have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $5,576 or less;
  • Undergraduate students must have an EFC of $9,999 or less, with unmet financial need of $1,000 or more;
  • Students must have filed a valid/complete FAFSA;
  • Students must have accepted all the financial aid offered to them.

Additionally, according to the email, IF YOU DO NOT QUALIFY FOR A COVID-19 CARES ACT AWARD OR DID NOT RECEIVE AN AWARD FROM THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE but you still require financial support due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you can apply for emergency funding by visiting the COVID-19 Student Emergency Assistance Funding information page and application.  CARES Act funding is just one of the funding sources used to make emergency awards.

There will be additional opportunities to apply for emergency funding for summer and fall semesters.  Information is forthcoming. The university will distribute emergency funding as quickly as possible.  Further clarification is available by reading CARES funding FAQs.

If you have questions about an award that has been posted on your financial aid account, please contact finaid@gmu.edu.

If you have questions about the COVID-19 emergency assistance funding process, please contact University Life at ulife@gmu.edu.

As always, if you have feedback related to this update, please email sg@gmu.edu.

Categories
Uncategorized

See You Soon, Mason!

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!

Categories
University Updates

Deadline to Opt-In to Alternate Grading via Patriot Web Now May 11

Update (May 11, 15:45): The university Registrar has sent an email to students alerting them of the change. Please check your student email for more information. Additionally, the Change of Grade Mode Request form can be found here.


The deadline to opt-in to alternative grading (XS, XP, XN) on a course by course basis through Patriot Web has been changed to Monday, May 11. According to the Registrar’s Office, students may still opt-in past May 11 (until May 20) but will be required to fill out the Change of Grade Mode Request form for each course. Please see additional details on the Registrar’s official site.

Update (May 9, 14:30): The Chairman of the Senate Academics Committee, Moses Hunsaker, received word from Dr. Bethany Usher, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, who had the following to say regarding the change:

We haven’t actually changed the date you can ask for the alternative grade, but we have had to change the process. May 11 is the first day that faculty can submit grades. Once a professor submits a final grade, the Patriot Web system won’t allow a change in the grade type. At that point, you can still ask for the change to the COVID-19 alternative grading system by using the form that the Registrar has posted, and it will be processed by them.The final date that you can choose to use the alternative grading system is May 20, but there will be a grace period of a few days after to allow students to get the form turned in.

Again, you still have until May 20th to choose the alternative grade, but because of the way that the Patriot Web system works, we had to use the form to give students maximum flexibility. Please feel free to let students know this through your email lists and social media. 

Email exchange between Moses and Dr. Usher on May 9.

Update (May 9, 21:30): We have spoken with the University Registrar, Doug McKenna, and we have advocated that a student-wide email be sent out to address the mass confusion.

Student Government will continue to explore the situation and provide relevant updates as needed. If you have any feedback or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Categories
Events

Destress with Student Government

Finals are quickly approaching like many of you, we too are stressing out a bit. Each semester around finals week Student Government and various other groups on campus host destress events meant to help distract from (if not alleviate) the stressors of finals week.

In the past we have given away free scantrons and blue books. Donuts and dogs were at one time popular too. But in the age of online schooling some of these are simply impossible.

Our Academics Team, led by Moses Hunsaker on the Senate side and Mackenzie Nelson on the Executive side, put together an amazing week-long destress fest. Starting on Wednesday May 13 until Wednesday May 20, we will be posting on our social media Monday/Wednesday/Friday important tips, tricks, and more to help you destress.

Be sure you are following us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook at @masonstudentgov to stay up-to-date on the latest destress events.

From all of us at Student Government: Good luck on your finals. We hope to see many of you in the fall. To our amazing soon-to-be graduates, we wish you the best too!

Categories
Uncategorized

New Administration, New Vision

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.

Categories
Academics & Research

How Do I Professionally Contact a Professor?

So, you need to contact your professor. It is okay to be a little nervous. No matter what the reason for contacting them, this guide will provide a few tips for success.

Before we begin, ensure you have read the class syllabus! Many questions can be answered by reading the syllabus closely.

For additional tips, check out this page by the Office of Graduate Student Life.

Tip One: In person > Email

It is much easier to discuss problems, ask questions, or simply hold a conversation in person than it is in email. It is likely that the discussion will be more productive if it done in person. Luckily, professors should hold regular office hours or be willing to meet with students outside of class.

Office hours can usually be found in your class syllabus. If you do not see them listed check Blackboard or email the professor asking to meet.

Have a plan of action before your meeting. What do you hope to gain from talking with them? Be respectful and cognizant of their time (and other students’). If the conversation is drawing on too long, and there are other students waiting, consider requesting a follow up meeting.

Tip Two: Whether online or off, be clear with your request

If you are requesting a grade change or an extension on an assignment, be clear in your request. This is especially important in email chains, as unclear wording or requests will prolong the conversation.

Good: May I please have until May 4 to finish the final project?

Bad: Can I have some more time to finish the project? (Which project? How long?)

Tip Three: Email Etiquette

Email etiquette is an important skill to learn. A well written email will get you much further than a poorly worded email. If you are not comfortable with your written skills, ask a friend or a trusted individual to read over your email before you hit ‘send’.

Below is an example of an appropriate email requesting a deadline extension.

Professor Lastname, 

I hope all is well. My name is Firstname Lastname and I am a student in your GOVT-101 004 course. I am writing to request an extension on Assignment Four. If possible, may I please turn it in a day late on Sunday, March 4? 

[If you feel it is appropriate, write the reasoning here.] 

I understand this is not ideal. I appreciate any leeway you are able to provide me this one time. Thank you and I look forward to class on Monday. 

Thank you, 

Firstname Lastname
  • Use your @gmu.edu or @masonlive.gmu.edu email address.
  • Provide a clear subject line such as “[GOVT 101 004] Request for an Extension”.
  • Address the professor by their preferred title and last name.
  • State who you are and which course you are in (include course number).
  • Be clear in your request.
  • A reasoning may not always be appropriate, but be prepared to provide one if requested.
  • Recognize that the situation is not ideal and that it will not be a repeated occurrence.
  • Include a signature.

Tip Four: What if it doesn’t go the way I hoped?

Sometimes things will not go your way. Whether the professor was dismissive, rude, denied your request, or the conversation simply didn’t pan out as you hoped – it’s okay.

Hold your head high and continue to be respectful. If you feel there is an egregious issue that must be resolved, consider contacting the department chair. However, for most situations, you’ll simply have to take the loss with grace.