LETTER: How Campus Life Improved This Semester

By Student Government President Zack Golden

As the semester draws to a close, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look back at what Student Government has accomplished for students this semester. Although we still have many projects that I would still characterize as a work in progress, we have several accomplishments that I am confident have had a positive impact on the Mason community.

This semester, Student Government has held two events that have helped George Mason University students improve our standing in the community. Witch Watch brought almost two hundred students out into the Fairfax community on Halloween night to patrol the local neighborhoods and keep them safe for trick-or-treaters. We also co-sponsored the Mason Vote Vans, which took over two hundred students, registered here on campus, to the polls on Election Day.

One goal that Student Government has every semester is to improve services for students at Mason. This semester we held an event called Nightwalk, which allowed us to walk around our campus in groups, with Mason facility and safety experts, to identify safety issues that needed to be addressed at Mason. After Nightwalk, we created a list of safety priorities and submitted it to the appropriate administrators so that they can be addressed.

This semester we were also able work with Mason Dining to change the payment policy at Damon’s in SUB I. Students are now able to use their Freedom funds there after 3:00 p.m. any day of the week.

One of Student Government’s most noticeable accomplishments for students this semester was our Gold Rush Kickoff. Gold Rush is a program that Student Government started in 2006 to promote Mason spirit by giving students free gold spirit shirts before athletic events. This semester we handed out over 2500 shirts around campus before our first home basketball game, and in doing so helped renew the excitement and passion for Mason that we see every season.

While all of these accomplishments have had a positive impact on our community, the one thing that I am most proud about Student Government this semester is our renewed dedication to responding to student concerns. This semester we addressed student concerns on issues from the MUST II software update to the treatment of handicapped passengers on Mason’s shuttles. We have made a concerted effort to respond to every concern that has been brought to us, and execute an action plan to address each concern. I believe that this is the primary function of our organization-to act as a liaison between students and the Mason administration, and I hope you agree that we have been successful in rededicating ourselves to this mission.

As always, if there were any issues where you don’t think that your Student Government was adequately representing you, please let us know. Our work is not done; we have many ongoing projects that should bring about positive changes for students next semester. I hope that we can continue to build on our successes this semester and represent you well for the rest of the year.

Good luck on finals and have a safe and happy holidays!