Author: Amanda Corrigan

The Project/Product/Program Manager (PM) Network connects individuals across George Mason University who work in areas of project, product, and/or program management. The network will be an opportunity to share resources, learn, and build connections across the university. Join the PM Network on Microsoft Teams. For questions, contact Nikki Smith Acierto, University Business Consulting.

Join George Mason Toastmasters for the Club Open House on October 9th from noon to 1 p.m. The theme is “I Love Music!” Enjoy special guest speakers Len Tran, winner of the 2020 International Speech Contest in District 29, and Edmond Joe, winner of the District 27 Humorous Speech Contest. Their inspiring stories of overcoming public speaking challenges will leave you motivated!

Attend in person at Merten Hall, Room 3300, or virtually via Zoom to work on your communication skills and enjoy engaging presentations!

 

Faculty and instructors are invited to join Canvas Day on Wednesday, October 16th, to gain hands-on experience and learn best practices to leverage Canvas, George Mason’s new learning management system. The event will be hosted from noon to 4 p.m. on the Fairfax Campus in The Hub ballroom. Participants are encouraged to attend in person to engage with colleagues, instructional designers, and other support teams. The session will also be live streamed via Zoom webinar. Get more details and register.

Celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month with ITS

Information Technology Services (ITS) is observing Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The theme for the month is Secure Our World.

• On Wednesday, October 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the IT Security Office staff will host a cybersecurity trivia contest in the Johnson Center at Kiosks B and C. Contestants can win prizes for correctly answering questions about IT Security.
• On Tuesday, October 22, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., the IT Security Office staff will host an Ask Me Anything Reddit thread.
• On Wednesday, October 30, at 3:00  p.m. in Merten 1204, ITS will host a speaker from Verizon. Dennis Marti, a George Mason University alum, will speak. He is an associate director in Verizon’s Network Security organization. He joined the company in 2008 to build network traffic analysis tools. He manages Network Intelligence, a team and platform that collects, monitors, and analyzes data from Verizon networks all over the world. He graduated from George Mason University with degrees in Psychology and Mathematics. Those unable to attend in person can tune in via Zoom.

You can also follow daily tweets about online safety and security on X and the newly established Instagram @GeorgeMasonITS.

MESA to Microsoft 365 Migration Completion

MESA to M365 Migration: Information Technology Services (ITS) has completed migrating all MESA M: Drive mydata and shared drives to Microsoft 365 (M365). The MESA system will be fully decommissioned on Wednesday, November 6. All original data on MESA is now read-only and will be removed during the decommissioning process. For resources and project details, visit the MESA to M365 Roadmap. Contact the ITS Support Center with questions at [email protected] or 703-993-8870.

Microsoft 365 External Email Banners

As of Sunday, September 29, M365 users will see banners at the top of email messages indicating if they originate from outside George Mason University’s email system. These banners are a reminder to examine the origin of messages from outside of the university email system. Messages originating from within our email system require the sender to authenticate and will not contain the notification. For more information, see ITS Email FAQs. Contact the ITS Support Center with questions at [email protected] or 703-993-8870. More details are available here.

IT Security Awareness Training

All employees, including contractors, affiliates, and student wage workers are reminded to complete their ITS Security Awareness Training. The training has been assigned to all Mason employees in their MasonLEAPS accounts and may include mandatory role-based training for those in specialized roles. Users are required to complete their training before their semi-annual password reset process. If the training is not complete by the password reset, users will have 14 days to complete their training. Failure to comply will result in the account being disabled. To get re-enabled, the user must contact the ITS Support Center. The user’s manager or supervisor will be asked to submit a written commitment to [email protected] ensuring the user will complete the training. Persistent non-compliance will be escalated to the IT Risk and Compliance office and the user’s senior leadership. If you have questions about the training, please contact the ITS Support Center at 703-993-8870 or [email protected].

George Mason University President Gregory Washington will host two 90-minute town hall sessions to discuss the state of the university and to engage with faculty and staff.

The first town hall, for faculty and staff working in academic units, will take place on November 18th at 2:30 p.m., in Dewberry Hall.

The second town hall, for George Mason employees working in non-academic units, will take place on Monday, December 9th at 2:30 p.m., in the HUB Ballroom.

For those unable to attend in person, both sessions will be livestreamed on Zoom*. Please contact your respective unit leadership for Zoom links and passwords. While questions will be taken at the conclusion of each town hall, please note the Zoom chat function will not be enabled. Should virtual attendees have any questions, please provide them to your designated unit contact so they can be shared in-person during your respective town hall session.

Captioning will be available on the livestream. If you are in need of sign language interpreters for this event, please reach out directly to the Office of Disability Services, ds.gmu.edu. If United Language Group (ULG) services are needed, please reach out directly to the Office of Human Resources.

*The full notice with Zoom information was provided to all primary units on Thursday, August 22; an amended message reflecting a new date for the non-academic units’ town hall was provided on Tuesday, September 3.  Both notifications included the request that the information be disseminated to all auxiliary units within their respective college, school, department, or office.

Campus Sustainability Month is celebrated every October at George Mason University in alignment with the month-long, international celebration of sustainability in higher education.

Join Facilities and Campus Operations’ University Sustainability team, along with many partners, for a month of fun, educational, and engaging activities and events!

Grow food sustainably on campus, opt for reuse rather than single use to support Zero Waste Mason, join a sustainability tour, donate items you don’t want at a Swap and Hop, and much more!

Make a sustainable impact, celebrate success, and learn how you can get more involved.

Join us: https://go.gmu.edu/SustainabilityMonth

Notice something that needs to be fixed/repaired? Need to request additional pick-up for large volumes of trash/recycling?

You may submit a work order online or contact the Facilities Customer Service Center at 703-993-2525 for repairs and pick-ups of large volumes of trash/recycling. Recycling collection will remain the same: once a week, unless additional collections are needed. If an additional pick-up is needed, you will not be charged a fee for large volume trash/recycling pick-ups.

 

Join Human Resources on Tuesday, October 15th, from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Fairfax Campus for Faculty-Staff Enrichment Day! Get ready to engage in impactful workshops that focus on professional development, well-being, and maximizing your strengths using the Gallup Q12 framework. It’s the perfect opportunity to connect with colleagues, grow your skillset, and recharge.

A session you won’t want to miss is “Boosting Your Productivity”. Whether you’re looking to streamline your workday or find ways to make tasks more manageable, this workshop will offer practical tips and tools to help you work smarter, not harder. Learn proven strategies to maximize your efficiency, manage time better, and reduce overwhelm so you can achieve your goals with less stress!

Sneak Peek of Other Exciting Workshops:

• From Cubicle Mates to Lunch Break Legends: Discover how building strong workplace friendships can improve engagement and productivity.
• Mindfulness in the Workplace: Unlock techniques to lower stress and enhance focus in your daily routine.
• Effective Communication Skills: Hone your communication to foster stronger collaboration with your team.

Don’t miss this enriching day of learning and networking!

 

Sip Sip Club

Students, faculty, and staff can join Sip Sip Club for a flat fee of $99.99 for the academic year. At that time, they get the exclusive Mason Dining mug and unlimited brewed coffee or tea from six campus locations until the end of the school year. The locations on campus include Starbucks, Dunkin’, Einstein Bros. Bagels, The Difference Baker, Mason Square Café, and Randall’s Café. And for all handcrafted beverages, members get a 10% discount.  

Holiday Parties

Starting to think about those Holiday Parties? Look no further than The Corner Pocket—the game room and arcade right here on campus! Available to rent for students, staff, and the community, it’s the perfect spot to make your next event unforgettable. With unlimited arcade games, event services, lighting, and more, you can create a party that stands out from the rest!

Charles “Cully” Stimson, rector, George Mason University, has been invited as our November Staff Senate meeting guest speaker.

Wednesday, November 6
10:00 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Guest Speaker
11 a.m. to noon – General Business Meeting

Constituents are invited to attend in person in Merten Hall, Room 1203 or join the meeting via Zoom*
Passcode: SS123
Call in: 301-715-8592 or 267-831-0333
Meeting ID: 931 0040 3860 / Passcode: 621190

The Staff Senate collected questions in advance for consideration. We will also be accepting live questions, time permitting.

 

The Staff Senate represents all classified and non-student wage employees at George Mason University. Working closely with university administration, we address concerns that have an impact on the quality of work-life for the George Mason community. The work of the senate is accomplished through open and continuous communication with its constituents.

*The Staff Senate is requiring that virtual attendees join our Staff Senate General Meetings with their Patriot Pass credentials. If you are already signed into Zoom using your George Mason-licensed Zoom account, you should not see a difference. If you are not already signed into your George Mason-licensed Zoom account, you will be told authentication is required to join, and prompted to sign in. For more information, please access our helpful FAQ document.