Dear Students, Please see the announcement below about the start of the spring term. The first day of class for Tuesday classes will be on Jan. 27th. -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Mason to Cancel Classes on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009 Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:16:00 -0500 From: Office of the Provost <[log in to unmask]> Reply-To: Office of the Provost <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] George Mason University President Alan G. Merten and Provost Peter Stearns today announced the decision to cancel all classes at the University?s three Northern Virginia campuses on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. This decision was made after much consultation and deliberation by administrators, deans, and officials across the University. Although Mason was originally scheduled to hold classes, growing concerns about the ability to get to campus in a safe, timely manner, in light of recently announced Inauguration-related traffic and transportation restrictions, ultimately led to the decision to cancel classes. Classes will be held on May 5th in order to complete the academic calendar; and on April 23rd for the School of Law. The campuses at Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun will be open; the Arlington campus will be closed because the campus is directly impacted by road and bridge closures. It is essential that sufficient employees be available to provide minimal coverage to conduct institutional business and student services as necessary at all four campuses. Managers will make these staffing decisions. For those who work at the campuses which will remain open, we strongly encourage all managers to make arrangements for people to work from home or utilize flexible work options. Designated employees at the Arlington campus can discuss timekeeping questions with HR (3-2600) and can discuss their designated status with their supervisor. All Inauguration-related events that have been planned for students on campus will be held as scheduled. Go to http://ulife.gmu.edu/pages/inauguration.html for more information.