New Students and Family Programs

Seven move-in tips for incoming and returning Patriots

Mariam Aburdeineh — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 02:44:06 +0000

Seven move-in tips for incoming and returning Patriots Mariam Aburdeineh Sun, 08/14/2022 - 22:44

Moving to college is an exciting time, full of mixed emotions. It will certainly be one of the most memorable days of your college career and perhaps your life. ��AV’s Housing and Residence Life staff have put together a few pointers to set your expectations and help you understand the move-in process.

1. Stick to Your Assigned Move-In Schedule

Avoid the temptation to come early and stick to your assigned move-in day/time. As you can imagine, lots of students will be checking in. All students are assigned a move-in date, time, and residence hall entry point. Check your Mason email (or the email listed on your Housing application) to ensure you have the right schedule for your move-in. Move-in times are also posted here.

2. Clearly Label EVERYTHING, and Keep Your Cleaning Supplies Accessible

Label the boxes with your name, hall, and room number. It makes it easier for our move-in volunteers—the Move Crew—to help you bring things up to your room. Please read the Mason Housing move-in packing list so that you are familiar with what to bring and what to leave behind. Clorox wipes, paper towels, hand soap, anything you need right off—make sure this is packed at the top of your list. Keep a box marked “Unpack First,” and have all your necessities there.

Move Crew at Freshman Move-In. Photo by Evan Cantwell / Office of University Branding.

3. Check Out the Move-In Guide

What does the check-in process look like? Where do I get my Mason ID card from? What about COVID regulations? Where do I park? How do I use the TV? Is there a laundry room? All these questions and more are answered in this step-by-step Move-In Guide. So take time to read it thoroughly.

4. Move Crew Is Here to Help You

The Move Crew is a team of student volunteers who welcome our new and returning students and their families, help unload, carry your items, and enjoy the energy that comes with move-in day. Please let them assist you—they are there to make you feel at home.

If you feel more comfortable moving your own items in, Green Bins are available and can be picked up near your assigned building to avoid multiple trips back and forth. Green Bins will be available at the Rappahannock Parking Deck, Ángel Cabrera Global Center, Liberty Square, and Potomac Heights.

5. Be Open to New Experiences!

Looking for a way to make friends this fall? Preamble is a series of campus events during move-in for incoming Patriots to enjoy and to learn more about the Mason campus! Also check out the Mason 360 App for ways to meet other students. Look at Mason Events.

Freshmen Move-In. Photo by Evan Cantwell / Office of University Branding.

6. You’re Not Alone

Mason Housing staff are there for you 24/7. When in need, contact one of our desk teams for any issues—they will connect you to the correct staff if you don’t know where to go.

7. Read Your Emails and Newsletters—and Follow Us on Social Media

To stay informed with the latest move-in information, processes and deadline dates, follow us on social media, check your emails regularly, and ask our staff any questions you may have. And take responsibility to share information with your roommates.

Follow Mason Housing on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

Best of luck in your move-in and #Welcome2Mason.

To learn more about move-in and Housing and Residence Life, check out the move-in guide.

For additional questions, call 703-993-2720 or email housing@gmu.edu.

Topics

New Students and Family Programs

Housing and Residence Life

Housing

Meet the Class of 2026

Family of the Year takes an eclectic, supportive approach to learning and living

Colleen Rich — Fri, 15 Oct 2021 16:14:13 +0000

Family of the Year takes an eclectic, supportive approach to learning and living Colleen Rich Fri, 10/15/2021 - 12:14

The Pistone family from Ohio received the 11th annual Alan and Sally Merten Family of the Year Award at Mason’s Family Weekend. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Leah and Peregrine Pistone, both freshmen attending ��AV, credit their loving family for encouraging them in their desire to learn and experience new things.

This year, their family received the 11^th annual Alan and Sally Merten Family of the Year Award at Mason’s Family Weekend. Ken, Leah and Peregrine’s father, wrote a three-page, newsletter-style essay, complete with photos, explaining why their family should be nominated.

“Having a family that supports you and surrounds you with love provides an important and unifying aspect to our lives and grounds us and gives us the best opportunity to succeed,” Ken wrote in the essay.

Leah and Peregrine are Honors College students. Peregrine is also a University Scholar, which covers for four years of tuition, and Leah is one of two College of Science Promise Scholars, in its inaugural year of covering all costs associated with obtaining a Mason degree for a select few scientifically minded students.

Leah and Peregrine are a little over a year apart in age, but began their learning experience being homeschooled by their mother, Kimberly, a teacher. They have three younger siblings who are also homeschooled. Their father is an engineer, and the family has lived in Michigan, Texas and, most recently, in rural Ohio on a 35-acre family farm with chickens, goats, cows, turkeys and peafowl.

The Pistone family was on campus for Family Weekend and to visit first-year students Leah and Peregrine. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

“It’s really quiet without Leah and Peregrine,” said Kimberly, who was interviewed over Zoom from the farm. “I thought I would miss them more than I do only because I am still in communication with them through texting and phone calls every day. I still feel very connected with them.”

Kimberly’s approach to homeschooling has been to let the children’s interests lead the way.

“We have followed an eclectic approach,” said Kimberly. “We’ve done a lot of following Google rabbit trails. If we have a question on a topic, we go to Google to get an answer, and then we sometimes wander quite far afield.”

For example, a search about Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla spiraled into a musical instrument called the theremin, which then culminated into YouTube videos featuring theremins playing to the theme to “Star Trek”.

“This led us to learn that the original ‘Star Trek’ TV show theme song was performed with a theremin,” said Kimberly. “Who knew where that innocent Google search eventually would boldly go.”

The family is close-knit and spends a lot of time together, Kimberly said. They play card and board games, such as Dominion and The Resistance, together every day. In 2020, they logged the number of games played, and it came to an average of four per day.

Ken says he’s happy to see Leah and Peregrine going into Mason prepared to be successful.

“It’s a good feeling when they’ve taken the shepherding that you’ve given them and use it intentionally and thoughtfully,” said Ken. “There’s an aspect of living vicariously through them as they go to college, except they get to have all the fun.”

A few months into her freshman year, Leah said that she’s enjoying her classes and the opportunities at Mason, but admits that she misses her family, along with the animals.

“Having been homeschooled my whole life, being away from my family is a huge change. I miss the all too well-known chaos of my house,” said Leah. “I know my family supports me in my college endeavors, and I greatly appreciate all of their support, even if it is long distance.”

Peregrine says that he misses the stars but is enjoying his college experience.

“I was aware that I was going to have a culture shock when I came here. Fairfax, Virginia, on a college campus no less, is almost the complete opposite of rural Ohio,” said Peregrine. “Adjusting to all the changes here has been quite a surprising and exciting experience. I am also surprised by how much I have grown in just these last eight weeks; my classes have taught me so much.”

Topics

Students

Family of the Year

New Students and Family Programs

Honors College

College of Science

Quill Camps help incoming freshmen set down roots at Mason

Colleen Rich — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 17:44:08 +0000

Quill Camps help incoming freshmen set down roots at Mason Colleen Rich Mon, 08/09/2021 - 13:44

Participants in the second annual Quill Camp take a tour of Washington, D.C., landmarks. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

��AV is a large and diverse school with more than 39,000 students. For incoming freshmen, that can be overwhelming.

Quill Camp is an extended Orientation program that helps them navigate their transition to their new home at Mason.

“Coming into Mason, I did Quill Camp, and that’s where I found my major,” said Angele Cipriotti, a Quill Camp student leader. “That’s where I found some of my best friends today.”

For new students, just being able to see a friendly face around campus can make a big difference, said Samantha Greenberg, associate director of New Student Programs at Mason.

Maliah Peters, an incoming government and international politics major, said that through Quill Camp, she has “probably made lifelong friends in the span of three days.”

Incoming first years in Quill Camp: Republic met virtually with Ellie Quinlan, manager of public visitor programs at the United States Institute of Peace. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications

It is an immersive experience, Greenberg said.

Students can tour the university in person. They can build connections with other students, Mason faculty and staff, and community members and gain confidence before coming to campus for the start of the academic year.

Trysten Jackson, an incoming forensic psychology major, said she and her roommate came to Quill Camp as a bonding experience.

For Jensen Huey, an incoming forensic science major, the camp was “something I wanted to look at not only as an educational experience, but also to get to know the kids that are interested in the same things as me.”

There are six different Quill Camp programs, each offering its own unique focus, that are open to all majors.

Quill Camp: Republic, centered around government and politics, hosted 14 students. Quill Camp: True Crime, focused on criminal justice, hosted 20 students.

The Quill Camp program is especially useful for students not familiar with the Fairfax and greater Washington, D.C., area. More than half the students at this year’s Quill Camp: Republic and Quill Camp: True Crime were from out of state.

Quill Camp attendees also participated in some icebreaker and team-building activities. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

Those in Quill Camp: Republic met virtually with Ellie Quinlan, manager of public visitor programs at the United States Institute of Peace. Quill Camp: True Crime attendees had an in-person panel with probation officers and other members of the Fairfax County Courts.

These educational presentations, the students said, offered valuable information about internships and how to get jump-started in their fields of interest.

Fun activities, such as Quill Camp: Republic’s monument tour around Washington, D.C., and Quill Camp: True Crime’s Escape Room experience, fostered camaraderie that prepared the students for more serious workshops around strengths, career readiness and identity.

The identity workshop, Greenberg said, is “an opportunity to learn a little more about themselves but also the community that they’re joining and the rich diversity that Mason has.”

“[Quill Camp] drops resources in their laps that they would otherwise have to seek out,” including University Career Services, said Rebecca Boyd, a Quill Camp student leader.

For Peters, attending the earlier leadership-focused Quill Camp: Vision allowed her to “see the different activities I could do to become a leader here at Mason,” she said.