Category: April 2019

Celebrate the end of the school year with Student Involvement at Mason Day on Friday, April 26! Gates open at 3 p.m.

Mason Day is a family-friendly event that welcomes warmer weather, a time of relaxation before Finals Week, and an afternoon full of memories. We’ll have food to melt your taste buds, amusement rides to give you a thrill, live performances to dance along, and novelty items that you can take home.

The event is free to all Mason students, staff, and faculty with a valid Mason ID, free to children under the age of 12, and only $20 for the general public. Admission for the general public is purchased at the front entrance of the event, cash only.

Visit the website for more details!

If you missed the April Staff Senate meeting, watch it here.

Cathy Pinskey shared information and updates about the Core Campus Project, and Kevin Brim shared information about Mason’s recycling program.

Congratulations to the winners of our 2019 Winter Warm-Up Staff Appreciation Raffle! 

Thank you to the local businesses and Mason departments who generously donated these wonderful prizes to appreciate our staff!   

Arlington Campus:  

• Judy Jin: Au Bon Pain gift certificate
• Sam Graves: Carvel gift certificate
• Priscilla Tran: Carvel gift certificate
• Ashley Matthews: Mario’s gift certificate
• Kristina Graham: Detour brunch gift certificate
• Dianna Davis: Detour brunch gift certificate
• Heidi Osorio Lazaro: $25 Barnes and Noble gift card, courtesy of the Mason Bookstore  
• Shams Bahabib: Free summer semester of parking, courtesy of Mason Parking and Transportation 

Science and Technology Campus:  

• Colby Grant: Freedom Center one-month membership, courtesy of the Freedom Center  
• Frank Spengler: Two tickets to the Hylton Performing Arts Center, courtesy of the Hylton Performing Arts Center
• Cate Rodman: $25 Barnes and Noble gift card, courtesy of the Mason Bookstore
• Donna Tressler: Free summer semester of parking, courtesy of Mason Parking and Transportation    

Fairfax Campus:  

• Erika Marquina: $25 Barnes and Noble gift card, courtesy of the Mason Bookstore
• Liz Boyen: Taco Bamba gift card, courtesy of the University Mall Taco Bamba
• Jasmyne Rogers: Four tickets to any performance during the 2018–19 Family Series at the Center for the Arts, courtesy of the Center for the Arts
• Nikki Dinh: Two tickets to any performance during the 2018–19 Great Performances at Mason, courtesy of the Center for the Arts
• Alison Bartnek: Free summer semester of parking, courtesy of Mason Parking and Transportation 

I first came to Mason as an undergraduate student. Going into college, I was interested in politics and international relations, and therefore was looking into the D.C. area. When I toured Mason, it just felt like home. I had several on-campus jobs as a student, including venue assistant, event technician, and photographer.

Before returning to Mason as a full-time staff member in 2014, I worked political campaigns around Virginia as a field organizer. My work locations included Appalachia, the Eastern Shore, and Northern Virginia.

I’m about to graduate from Mason again this spring—this time with a Master’s in Public Administration.

I joined Staff Senate because I wanted to make an impact on the campus community and felt I could share insights as an alumni. The best part about being on Staff Senate is getting the inside scoop on what’s happening around Mason and having a forum to communicate staff concerns.

Fun fact about me: I was my school’s jump rope champion in the fifth grade. Was I very good? No. The goal was to do as many jumps as you could, without stopping, in five minutes. Everybody went about it like the Hare, jumping very fast—and failed quickly. I was the Tortoise, slow and steady, and got 110 jumps.

My outside interests include sustainability, comedy, and travel.

Joshua Griset works as the Arlington information desk supervisor with University Information.  

Welcome the warmer weather with SpringFest 2019 on Tuesday, April 16!

Join shopMason on the Merten Lawn from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy free food provided by Mason Dining and Manhattan Pizza, along with giveaways from We Are Mason, Coca-Cola, and other partners. Take in live entertainment from the viral-sensation violinist, Daniel D!

For questions, contact Anthony McLean, Auxiliary Enterprises, at 703-993-4503 or amclean@gmu.edu.

The Staff Senate has recently started using Webex Meetings to allow participants to join our General Meetings from any location. Staff members can listen to and participate in meetings from their own office, while teleworking, or wherever life takes them!

Our goal is to make the work of Staff Senate more accessible to all staff members, no matter where they are located.

Webex is a powerful tool that can connect your team, save travel time between campuses, and allow greater flexibility in the workplace.

Below are some helpful tips for Webex Meetings. Use them to join Staff Senate meetings or to facilitate successful videoconferencing meetings of your own.

Don’t want to be locked into a game schedule? Get the 2019-20 MVP (Mason Voucher Pack).

Ten tickets to use as you choose. Any game. Flexible. Convenient. Select your seats in advance or when you arrive. The MVP offers flexibility to customize your Mason Basketball experience.

Get more details and order now!

The May Staff Senate meeting will feature guest speaker Mark Smith, executive director, State Government Relations. Mark will discuss the dynamics of the most recent legislative session in Richmond, the upcoming November elections for all 140 members of the General Assembly, and how the Staff Senate can build on its advocacy outreach.

The meeting will also feature guest speaker Adrienne Bryant Godwin, programming manager with the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Adrienne will introduce the upcoming season at Center for the Arts and Hylton Performing Arts Center.

Wednesday, May 1, 2019
10:30 a.m. to noon
Fairfax: Research Hall, Room 163
Arlington: Founders Hall, Room B119 (videoconferenced)
SciTech: Colgan Hall, Room 221 (videoconferenced)
Front Royal: Academic, Room 219 (703-249-8067)
WebEx:  gmu.webex.com / Meeting Number (access code): 648 314 965  / Meeting password: 2ktMam99 or join by phone: 1-240-454-0879

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 Mason community. The work of the Senate is accomplished through open and continuous communication with its constituents.

All are welcome to attend the Staff Senate general meeting.

Submit your questions for the Staff Senate:

To promote dialog at the Staff Senate general meetings, the Senate is collecting questions/comments from constituents. Submit your question using the online submission form or email your question to staffsenate@gmu.edu. You may include your name, or you may ask to remain anonymous.

All who attend the Staff Senate general meeting are welcome to ask questions in-person during the session.

For questions, contact staffsenate@gmu.edu.