First-Year Students

Welcome to Mason! 

Here are a couple of tips for managing your first year!

@gmu.edu Email: Check it! This will be your primary method of communication with everyone through the university. Sometimes you’ll get updates from listservs that don’t require a reply. Sometimes you’ll get time-sensitive messages from the university that require a reply. Aim to monitor this daily!

Changing Your Name: If the name your accounts are under isn’t the name you go by (i.e., if your legal name isn’t the name you use), you can request to change it. Each platform has slightly different steps, but a quick guide can be found below:

• Patriot Web: Changing your name on Patriot Web will change the name that appears on class rosters, Blackboard, Canvas, and other systems. An instructional video can be found here.
  
  
• @gmu.edu Email: Changing your name on your email will change the name associated with your Microsoft Account (the preview that displays with each email and Teams notification). This can be done by submitting a request ticket. Include the name that is currently being displayed, what you would like it changed to, and your G#. 

Mason ID: All students are required to obtain a Mason Student ID. You can file for this electronically, or you can visit the Mason Card Office in person (located in the Student Union, Room 1203). This will sound vain, but if you care about how your picture will look, I would recommend registering electronically, as you’re able to take your own picture. (If you visit in person, they’ll quickly snap a pic, resulting in a sweaty ID photo.) With either card, you have the option to add it to your virtual wallet, allowing you to unlock doors and log in to the printers with your phone. 

Accessing the English Department: The English Department is located on the 4th floor of Horizon Hall. Available to students are: the kitchen space (including fridges, a microwave, and a kettle), the work space, a restroom, and a couple of printers. The English Department will close at a certain time (regularly 5pm, but check the posted time on the door). After this point, the external doors will lock. Your Mason ID card can open the door by tapping it against the mag strip on the doorframe, but you need to request access. This can be done by emailing Barbara J. Gomperts at bgompert@gmu.edu. 

Printing: Speaking of access, there are a bunch of printers scattered around campus. You’ll have to pay for use, unless you’re a GTA as it’s expected that you’ll have to print out more resources when teaching. On the printers themselves, be sure to click “for English Instruction” when something is for English Instruction, and you won’t be charged. 

The Library: The Fenwick Library is one of the best resources on campus, especially when it comes to getting the books required for classes. Most of the books that you’ll need for the MFA program are not textbooks, which makes it a bit easier for you to find them. That being said, if the specific book you’re looking for isn’t available at Mason, you can request it from the Interlibrary Loan System (ILLIAD). If any library that pays into the system has the book available, they’ll mail it to Fenwick, and you can pick it up. 

Personally, if a book looks really interesting (or if I loved it after reading), I’ll try to track down a used copy, either online or at McKay’s Used Books in Manassas. (McKay’s will also buy your old books, either for cash or store credit.)

Parking: In order to park on campus, you need to purchase a parking permit. GMU will quickly ticket you if you park in a paid lot and do not pay. Semester-long registration can only be completed online, and they’ll issue you an eTicket (basically, they’ll just check your license plate). It is possible to purchase parking by the day in person in the garage, and there are also several 30-minute parking spots around campus if you need to quickly drop something off. In terms of alternative transportation, many students who live nearby will walk or bike, and GMU also offers a free shuttle service in and around Fairfax (as well as to the other campuses). 

Food: There are several places to get food on campus. The Johnson Center has a variety of different offerings (including a small convenience store by the elevators that has good, cheap sushi). There are also options in the basement of the Student Union (SUB 1), the first floor of Fenwick Library, and the Southside Dining Hall. A pleasant walk past Mason Pond out along Roanoke River Road leads to University Mall (across Braddock Road) and all sorts of eateries and a Giant grocery store.