Category: Post

Call for Submissions – 2019 Degree Celebration Student Speaker

“If you can speak, you can influence. If you can influence, you can change lives.” – Rob Brown

Are you willing to share your story, inspire those around you, and celebrate the success of yourself and your fellow graduates? If so, here’s your chance.

The College of Education and Human Development invites all students participating in a spring 2019 CEHD Degree Celebration to apply to be the student speaker for their respective ceremony.

This is an incredible opportunity to share your Mason Experience. That experience may include personal obstacles that you have overcome, goals that you have reached, specific people or faculty members that have supported you along the way and/or any advice that you want to pass along to your peers.

Speeches should be no more than five minutes and 1,000 words long (double-spaced, Arial or Times New Roman, 12-point font).

The Office of Student and Academic Affairs will review speeches and contact finalists to read their speech in front of a panel. Only one student speaker will be chosen for each Degree Celebration.

All speeches must be submitted to this link by Monday, April 8, 2019 to for full consideration.

Please contact Brianna Alford at [email protected] with any questions.

We look forward to reading your submission. Congratulations on your upcoming graduation!

Will you be one of CEHD’s May graduates?  If so, there is quite a bit that you’ll need to know as you get ready for your big day.  To help you on your journey, we’ve created a Guide for Grads to walk you through the process.  It is packed with information and links to resources.  Do us yourself a favor and DON’T WAIT until the night before graduation to read it or you’ll miss info you need right now!  Congratulations, CEHD grads!  We cannot wait to celebrate with you!

Click the image below to read online or download the guide.

As part of the College of Education and Human Development’s continuing efforts to support student research here at George Mason University, we are sharing this research study participation request:

Sexual Assault on College Campuses – Anonymous Research Survey

You are invited to participate in a research study by completing an anonymous online survey examining unwanted sexual experiences during college.  We are seeking female undergraduate students to participate.  Your voice is very important, and we want you to feel comfortable answering the survey questions. The survey will be anonymous; we will not ask your name or collect any IP addresses. Participation in this study involves 10-15 minutes of your time.
 
To access the anonymous survey, please click here: https://chhs.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_elWScr9hvxeMPyJ
 
Please feel free to share this link with any fellow students at GMU you think might be interested in participating in this study.

 

Thank you,

Amy Graham, Co-Investigator & Dr. R. Kevin Mallinson, Principal Investigator

Study Title: Exploring Unwanted Sexual Experiences during College

IRBnet # 1326775-3

My charge to you, and to myself, is to more frequently and intentionally initiate and reciprocate gratitude and kindness without delay.

Flowers. Thank you cards. Words of affirmation. Compliments. Uninterrupted time. Showing up for others. These are just some of the ways that we show gratitude and kindness to people who have either performed a service or good deed for us or to those who we simply value, appreciate, respect, admire, and love.

Sadly though, too often we find ourselves lacking the capacity, willingness, or awareness to initiate or reciprocate everyday, or special occasion, acts of kindness. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Frank A. Thomas, Director of the PhD Program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana, speak on the topic, “the tragedy of delayed kindness.” He reminded the audience that, “one flower in life is worth more floral wreaths in death” and that “please and thank you will take you further in life than money and degrees.” This message resonated with me, as there are times when I find myself too busy to initiate kindness to let someone know how much I appreciate them or to reciprocate kindness to show my gratitude for what someone has done for me. 

I can’t begin to count the number of times, this week alone, I’ve been on the receiving end of kindness and gratitude. I’ve received: compliments on my new Mason gear that I recently purchased at the University bookstore during the Flash Sale; a kind and very thoughtful email from my supervisor letting me know how much she appreciates me and values my leadership and perspectives; a thank you note and gift card from a colleague to express her gratitude for how I always support her and answer her questions no matter how trivial or complex; and a student walking up to me in the Johnson Center to tell me that he was officially enrolled for the semester and eligible to receive his VA benefits as a result of my colleagues and I taking the time to meet with him when he showed up to the office unannounced and in a panic and working expeditiously, on his behalf, to resolve his challenges. Indeed, I’m humbled and energized by the varied acts of kindness that have been directed towards me this week. My spirit is lifted, and my kindness cup “runneth over.” 

Truly, it’s great to be on the receiving end of kindness; but, of course, it works both ways. As such, my charge to you, and to myself, is to more frequently and intentionally initiate and reciprocate gratitude and kindness without delay.

Therefore, in this blog space, I want to publicly recognize the staff from across the College and the student volunteers who helped make our CEHD Welcome2Mason Block Party this week a huge success! Also, special gratitude to my staff, the CEHD Student Success Team, for successfully planning and flawlessly executing two signature events this week, the Block Party and the PhD and faculty mixer! Lastly, thank you to my new graduate assistant who has been going above and beyond to acclimate herself to our office and the CEHD culture and displaying ultimate team player spirit, as she has willingly dived in to help the office staff in whatever capacity needed. 

Now it’s your turn. Let someone know today how grateful you are for what they’ve done for you; how they’ve made you feel; or how you appreciate what they are doing in the lives of others. Give them their “flowers” now while they can still see, smell, and/or touch them. 

Here are a few suggestions to help get you started:

• Send a kind note to that professor who gave you an IN grade to allow you more time to complete assignments when they weren’t obligated.
• Offer an appropriate compliment to that classmate who always shows up for class looking fly! It takes time to consistently look fly!
• Bring a coworker a small token of appreciation for covering your shift or volunteering to help lighten your workload.
• Call (not text!) your parents or an old friend just to let them know that you’re thinking about them.
• Leave the server a 20% tip the next time you’re dining in at a restaurant to show appreciation for the quality of service that enhanced your experience. 

Don’t delay. (Re)Activate your spirit of kindness today, for as Dr. Thomas reminded me, and I share with you, “there’s a tragedy in delayed kindness.”

You’ve heard us say it over and over: an engaged student is a successful student.  It’s a fact that students who are connected to campus life both inside and outside the classroom are more likely to persist to graduation.  That alone is a big reason to get involved, but just in case improving your chances of reaching graduation day isn’t enough, let’s take a look at 5 more reasons that NOW is the time to join a Mason Registered Student Organization (RSO): 

1. Focus on Well-Being. We all need community!  Even the biggest introvert needs to get their head out of a textbook, take a break, and connect with others occasionally.  Student organizations are a great way to meet new people who share common interests.  With more than 350 RSOs at Mason, whether you’re into sports, chess, music, Greek life, and more, there is a community for you.  A little insider secret: Mason student organizations really want YOU!  More members = more fun, so don’t wait for an invitation to find your niche. Take a chance and join!

2. Enhance Your Professional Development. How’s the GMU Anime and Gaming Society going to help land me a job? It’s simple.  Being involved looks good on a resume.  It says you’re interesting and that you can connect with others.  All RSOs also offer leadership opportunities and a chance to network – both big resume bonuses.  Looking to enhance your career readiness even more?  Join a group related to your major or career goals.  Mason has dozens of clubs and honor societies related to academic interests. 

3. Expand Your Cultural and Social Horizons. Mason prides itself on nurturing diversity and inclusion, and perhaps nowhere is this better represented than in its range of student groups.  You may never again have the opportunity to experience the wealth of cultures, faiths, and political viewpoints in one place as you have at Mason.  Sharing a conversation, a dance, a meal, or even a protest march with a fellow Patriot from another walk of life can be a life-changing experience.

4. Connect to the World Outside of Mason. Many Mason student groups are branches of national and international organizations with a reach that can extend well beyond campus and your years as a student. Those bigger networks can be a life-long social support and a valuable career connection. In addition to having fun and sharing common interests, RSOs can be a great way to explore the northern Virginia region and a significant number are also engaged in giving back to the local community through tutoring, volunteering, food and clothing drives, and fundraising.

5. It’s Really Easy! If you were wondering where to begin finding the group(s) that are right for you, University Life has made it easy for you by sponsoring the Get Connected Fair on Wednesday, September 5, 2018 from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm on Wilkins Plaza (outside of the Johnson Center).  Hundreds of student groups including Greek life, intramural sports, cultural, civic, and graduate organizations will have information tables and representatives to answer your questions. It’s a one-stop shop for getting involved, so no excuses! 

Don’t forget to look for the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at the fair, too!  We will have a table there and you’ll also find tables for CEHD groups including Teachers of Tomorrow, Mason Kinesiology Club, Sport Management Society, and the new Human Development and Family Science Student Organization.  See you there!