Author: Brianna Alford

Today (September 15) marks the last day a student may drop a class from their fall 2020 full semester schedule. If you drop a class today, you will receive a 50% refund on the tuition for that course and the course will not appear on your transcript. But what if you realize a class isn’t going to work for you after today? 

That’s where Mason’s course withdrawal policy can help. Withdrawing from a course can help save your GPA or make a challenging semester more manageable, but there are also some repercussions to choosing this option. Read on to learn more about withdrawal options and their pros and cons.

Unrestricted Withdrawal

The Upside:  Withdrawing from a class results in a W on your transcript.  This can be much better than an F.  The W has no impact on your overall GPA.

The Downside:  No tuition is refunded when you withdraw from a course.  A withdrawal also counts toward the number of credits attempted on your academic record.  This is probably not a big deal if you only withdraw from one or two courses over the span of your entire degree, but students must successfully complete at least 67% of the credits they have attempted across all institutions attended to maintain the Satisfactory Academic Progress needed to qualify for financial aid and to maintain good academic standing.  Also, all students must complete their programs of study by attempting no more than 150% of the hours normally required for completion.  That’s usually 180 credit hours for undergraduates.

The Deadline:  All students may withdraw from a class via Patriot Web from September 16 – 28, 2020

Selective Withdrawal

The Upside:  The benefits are the same as Unrestricted Withdrawal but with the added bonus of more time to try to ace the midterm and boost your grade.  Undergraduates may use a maximum of three selective withdrawals for any reason over the entire course of their degree.

The Downside:  Sorry graduate students, Selective Withdrawals are ONLY FOR UNDERGRADUATES.  Like Unrestricted Withdrawals, Selective Withdrawals don’t come with tuition refunds and the course still counts toward your attempted credit hours.

The Deadline: Undergraduates can execute a Selective Withdrawal from September 29 – October 28, 2020.

Students can execute the withdrawals mentioned above online via Patriot Web.  However – and we cannot say this too much – if you’re making significant changes to your schedule, make an appointment to see your advisor!  This semester, CEHD academic advisors are available for appointments via video conference and may also be able to find time to give a little guidance via email.  A conversation with an advisor can help ensure that your course changes won’t have a negative impact on your degree path, financial aid, or housing status.  The Office of the University Registrar suggests you always see your advisor before withdrawing from a course.

Other Types of Withdrawals

The two methods of course withdrawal listed above allow eligible students to withdraw for any reason, and without needing to share that reason with Mason. There are some cases where, after these withdrawal periods have expired, a student may still need to request a withdrawal. Course withdrawals are sometimes granted for exceptional circumstances, such as a serious personal illness. These types of withdrawals cannot be made via Patriot Web, and are handled on a case-by-case basis. They also require extensive documentation of your reasons for making the request and require approval and processing by the college. Reach out to the CEHD Office of Student and Academic Affairs to initiate this type of withdrawal.

Do you still have questions about course withdrawal policy?  The College of Education and Human Development Office of Student and Academic Affairs is here to help.  Contact us at [email protected] or call 703-993-2080.

Everything disappointing in life has the power to teach us something if we’re paying attention.

Growing up, I had an aunt who was inspirational to me. She was a banking executive in a time when not many women reached that level in the corporate world. She had no children of her own, so she would often share bits of wisdom with her nieces and nephews, and I can report that most of it was good and has stuck with me over the years.

She was fond of saying “Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.” I’m sure the expression was not her own, but it was true to her no-nonsense, “no-whiners” ethos. The point behind the saying: everything disappointing in life has the power to teach us something if we’re paying attention.

I don’t know about you, but I definitely did not want the COVID pandemic. Over the past five and a half months, I would have much rather kept to my work routine, socialized IN-PERSON with friends and loved ones, planned trips and celebrations, and used much less hand sanitizer. I think we can safely say that most of us are not really getting exactly what we want right now. This begs the question: Are we getting experience? Are we learning anything from living through coronavirus? When this is over will we have anything to show for it beyond wasted time?

The lives lost every day to COVID-19 should be sending us a message: life is short; don’t waste it. In the beginning of the quarantine, many of us chose to just put things off until this was all over. Many months in, it is becoming obvious that “over” could still be some time in arriving. So, do we continue to focus on not getting what we want, or do we turn that disappointment into an experience we can grow from?

We can’t travel, but we can learn a new language so we’re ready for the day that we can. We’re having a hard time finding employment, but we could be honing new career skills while we’re waiting for this economy to improve. We can’t gather in large groups, but we can still connect through a video conference or just a daily text check-in. We can’t all go to class in-person, but we are learning handy new technologies to get the job done. In a time when there is so much pain in our country, we could make the time to join a cause or be an ear to listen to a friend on the front lines. We can say “no” to living in constant anxiety and say “yes” to yoga, meditation, painting, or just dancing in our kitchens with our kids, partners, or parents.

Hopefully, steady progress toward your degree will be one of those growth experiences that comes out of this time. Chances are, you did not hope for COVID-style instruction or campus life but, if you’re smart, you won’t let it stand in your way. After all, when you dreamed of coming to Mason, was it just because you just wanted to spend a lot of time within 6 feet of your peers? No. You wanted to learn, meet new people, explore ideas, have your assumptions challenged, and build for your future. All of that is still possible and, if those things are really worth it to you, no mask, no webcam, and no amount of required social distance can stop you.

For those of us fortunate enough to have escaped the disease thus far, and who are able to continue to safely isolate, the pandemic is a call to define ourselves and our own happiness and to choose how we wish to grow, or even if we wish to grow at all. Nearly six months into COVID-19, one thing seems clear to me: It is time to stop thinking about what we do not have and start making sure we have something to show for this moment in our lives. If experience is truly what we get when we don’t get what we want, what experiences will we choose to create for ourselves?

Today on the blog, we’re sharing a message from registered student organization Educators Rising Collegiate. Educators Rising Collegiate (ERC) is a student organization for undergraduate students dedicated to the issues that educators are facing today. Educators Rising Collegiate aims to connect students to individuals throughout Mason, local school educators, and members associated with PDK International.

Eligibility Requirements: Members must be an undergraduate student, maintaining a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. You can learn more and join ERC on Mason 360.

Hello everyone,

Wow, I cannot believe we’re already in the month of July! Time sure is flying by! I’m hoping you all are doing well and making the best of these very challenging times. I’m simply writing to share a few updates and a cool opportunity.

The E-Board for our chapter is in the works of meeting and planning for a very productive year. I won’t share all that we have in store right now, but just know that an exciting year is ahead of us. This is year two of our RSO’s existence and we most definitely have some BIG things in the works! What’s to come is going to involve everyone and will allow everyone to benefit a lot as future educators. 

Opportunity #1: One’s education goes beyond the typical school hours. I encourage everyone to engage in an initiative that I’m aiming for us to continue this fall—supporting our after-school programs. I have attached a link that allows you to send a letter to Congress urging for more funds and measures to be in place to help support our youth and after-school organizations. There’s a pre-filled message (you can customize it) that you can send to your state senator. This takes less than 5 minutes! It’s super quick and easy! Click here to do it! More information can be found on the Afterschool Alliance’s website. Also, if you do happen to send an email, send a reply to inform us that you submitted a letter OR comment on our Instagram page (this is optional). 

In a time where racial inequalities are unquestionably evident, we cannot ignore that change is needed. Our E-Board is brainstorming ways to have an effective role, in whatever fashion that may be. We’ve got a new vision, an expanded team, and the same commitment to making an impact. We are planning and preparing for a successful year. If you have input or questions, contact us via this email or our Instagram page. 

I cannot wait for this year! Get ready, get excited!

Cedric Price

Chapter President, ERC

 

Each year, faculty in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) come together to select an outstanding student in their program to receive the honor of being named as their program award winner. Students selected for this award embody the very best of their program: they excel in their studies; they demonstrate leadership in classes and internships; and they have a genuine and tenacious passion for their discipline.

This year, faculty in the Sport and Recreation Studies program have selected Cheng Han Yang as the Outstanding Graduate Student in Sport and Recreation Studies. Congratulations, Cheng!

Q & A with Outstanding Graduate Student in Sport and Recreation Studies, Cheng Han Yang:

What academic accomplishment are most proud of? 

The first one is the 13-case study that I have done in Dr. Chalip’s Sports Operation, Venues, and Event Management course. 
The second one is my internship project with the Mason Recreation fitness department since my internship style was so special and I achieved more career goals than I originally planned. I was awarded the best Employee of the month in the first month I worked, then the best Employee of the semester in Fall 2019, and the best Employee of the year in 2020. 

What organizations/affiliations have you been involved with while at Mason? 

The Mason Recreation Fitness Department from 08/26/2019 to 05/13/2020.  

What are your plans after graduation? 

I have applied for the Optional Practical Training (OPT) for after-graduation and expect to work in the fitness industry especially in being a trainer position. I would like to gain more training techniques and related-fields knowledge in the U.S. 

What is your favorite memory in CEHD or your favorite part of being a CEHD student? 

As an international student, my favorite part is that CEHD provides tuition discounts for its students. I am very grateful for this. Also, the professors are very kind and always looking forward to helping students especially in my program. 

What advice do you have for fellow CEHD students (especially those that are not graduating yet)? 

Spend some time on thinking about career goals, researching information in your interested fields as well as reading information not in your interested fields, combining different information into ideas that may be useful or innovate in your interested fields, and then put those ideas into the course works/assignments to make connections between what is learned from the academic side and the real world. 
Remember to build-up networking in daily life. It really takes time to practice it no matter the skills of connecting to others or maintenance of the network with others. 

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself? 

I am an international student from Taiwan which is a really beautiful country. Contact me if you come to Taiwan, I will show you around since I am an outgoing person and like to make all kind of friends. The variety of foods in Taiwan will make you impressed. I also like scuba diving, free diving, climbing, and many exercise activities, so contact me either here in the U.S. or when you are in Taiwan.  
Find me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidyang1992/), Facebook (David Yang). 

 

 

Each year, faculty in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) come together to select an outstanding student in their program to receive the honor of being named as their program award winner. Students selected for this award embody the very best of their program: they excel in their studies; they demonstrate leadership in classes and internships; and they have a genuine and tenacious passion for their discipline.

This year, faculty in the Transformative Teaching (TT) program have selected their entire graduating Class of 2020 as Outstanding Students in Transformative Teaching. Congratulations, Transformative Teaching Class of 2020!

This Program Award is given in honor of the Transformative Teaching (TT) graduating Class of 2020, a learning community made up of twenty-two practicing K-12 teachers whose extensive knowledge, diverse experiences, multiple perspectives, and enduring commitments to teaching and learning provided fertile ground for the personal and professional growth of all members of the community. The TT Class of 2020 has weathered unprecedented storms and managed to successfully complete the master’s degree program, in many cases with exceptional effort.

The Transformative Teaching Class of 2020 graduates are:

Kimberly McCue 

Emily Keffer  

Daniel Stein 

Molly Henry 

Carolyn Fay 

Eliza Brown 

Tess Bertonneau 

Lourdes Crespo 

Cayden Betzig  

Valerie Cowan  

Kelly Deegan  

Rachel Bouallegui  

Alyson Willey 

Martosha Coaxum  

Alexandra Jewell-Sharma  

Kristen Jones  

Julie Colella  

Cheryl Dewenter  

Carrie Robertson  

Vickie Tyquiengco  

Sahar Amin  

Jennifer Kreit-Wright