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Initiative Report: The Patriot Protection Program

On October 8, the Student Senate voted to fund the first phase of the Patriot Protection Program. This program, which is a comprehensive project across several departments, aims to improve safety for George Mason Students. The first phase includes plans to improve lighting on campus.

Here is what Vice Chair Ransom Fox had to say about the initiative:

Hey everyone! As you all know, lack of lighting on campus has been an issue for quite a while now and unfortunately no action has taken place to remedy this concern. However, thankfully, George Mason’s administration, members of Student Government, and I have been working non-stop for the last four months to add more lighting on campus.

The goal of this project is to increase campus safety and alleviate worrisome safety concerns in an appropriate and efficient manner. Last Thursday, our project got a giant leap forward when the Student Senate passed – unanimously – a bill that will buy 160 lights! The lights have been ordered and will be arriving sometime next week. Once they arrive, my colleagues and I will be meeting with the Mason administration to plan a pilot installation of the lights and to create a fully fleshed out game plan for the entire project.

Speaking of installing the light – it’s very easy! All we have to do is stick them into the ground! We will be needing volunteers to help us build the lights and Protect Our Patriots, so if you and your friends are interested in doing some easy, fun community service to brighten up our campus and foster a safer community, stay on the lookout for updates regarding such opportunities. I am so proud of the work we have been doing as a Mason community as a whole. We are showing that by working together we can get the job done and improve our community in a way that could never have even been dreamed of before.

Stay tuned and if you want to keep up to date about what is happening with this project, follow our Instagram @patriotprotectionprogram

To learn more about the Patriot Protection Program or any other Senate initiative, visit our legislation log.

Categories
University Updates

University Announces Big Changes for Spring 2021

Earlier this week President Gregory Washington and Provost Mark Ginsberg announced several major changes to Spring 2021. Please check your student emails for full details. Here is a summary of those changes:

  • Spring break has been eliminated from the academic calendar.
  • The spring semester will begin one week later on January 25, 2021.
  • Increasing in-person classes by at least 10 percent for the spring, including a significant increase in introductory level classes. 
  • Expanding occupancy of residence halls and on-campus dining options, while maintaining safety requirements. 
  • Expanding on-campus activities in support of students, consistent with public health guidelines. 
  • Carefully bringing more employees back to campus and setting a goal to have employees on campus up to 50 percent of the time. 
  • Increasing capacity and frequency of testing for students, faculty and staff to identify asymptomatic cases sooner.
  •  Continuing to work with our partners in the school systems on solutions.
  •  Requiring flu shots for all residential students by close of business on Dec. 11, and strongly encouraging flu shots for faculty, staff and commuter students.

Provost Ginsberg also reminded student in his email that Tuesday, November 3 is a university holiday. In addition, beginning Monday, November 30, all courses will be conducted virtually.

Several days before the announcement, Student Government released a poll on social media and through our monthly newsletter in which we asked students for their preference on the elimination of spring break. Over 1,000 students submitted a response and the overwhelming preference was the total elimination and delayed start. Student Government is thankful to the administration for including student voices in the decision making process.

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Meet Your New Student Senators!

Congratulations to the brand new student senators elected this week. For full results, please visit our elections page.

In the coming weeks we’ll be talking with the new freshman/transfer senators to learn more about their big plans for the upcoming semester. Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with Dominic Pino, Chairman of the Election of Disputes Commission (EDC), to learn more about the commission and its role in Student Government.

  • So, Dominic, what is the role of the EDC?
    • The EDC is the third branch of Student Government, and we serve a similar function to the judicial branch in the United States government. We rule on cases that are brought to us and settle disputes between the other two branches. Unlike the judicial branch, however, we also hold the elections for the other two branches of Student Government. We write the Election Code and oversee all the relevant forms and procedures for running for office.
  • What is your role as the chief commissioner?
    • I was elected by the other members of the Commission to be the chair.  It’s mostly a “first among equals” situation as I don’t have any extra say in the decisions we make.  However, I run our meetings and officially announce any rulings we make.
  • What was the turnout for this year’s online interest meetings?
    • We’re only halfway through our schedule of candidacy meetings, but so far have had great turnout. There are a ton if interested candidates.
  • How did COVID-19 changed the election and campaigning process?
    • We’ve moved it all online.  Voting is always online anyway, so no changes there, and that’s the most important part.  All candidacy forms are online, but again, that’s normal.  Our candidacy meetings have all been online, which is a change from normal, but that probably helped accessibility more than it hurt it.  Campaigning is the biggest change, since we are having no in-person campaigning.  We made that decision out of fairness for the more students than normal who are living off campus, many of whom are living in different states and can’t even get to campus.  There’s still plenty of campaigning to be done online, so focusing on social media should still generate excitement for candidates to get out the vote.
  • What improvements does the EDC hope to make this year?
    • We hope to improve our coordination with the rest of Student Government to advertise elections and get the word out about candidacy meetings.  I’ve been happy with our progress so far in that respect, although we could always improve.
  • What is the expected voter turnout, and how is that affected by COVID-19?
    • It’s really hard to anticipate what the turnout will be since COVID-19 means that so many students are distant from campus. We’re in uncharted territory just like everyone else. (Since this interview, though, the top candidate had received almost 300 votes, which is not bad considering the circumstances.)
  • What is the importance of voting in Student Government elections?
    • This is how students get a say in how things are done at Mason.  Pay attention during campaign season and keep an eye out for candidates who support things you agree with.  The fall elections are especially important since the seats are reserved for freshmen and transfer students.  Freshman could serve for years in Student Senate if they get elected now, and more time in office means more time to change things.
  • Where and when can students find out about the election results?
    • Election results will be posted on the GMUSG website on Thursday, October 1st by 12:00 PM.  They will also be emailed directly to all candidates.  The first Student Senate meeting with the newly elected senators will be at 4:30 PM that same day.