Many at George Mason University contributed to the safe return to campus. Some have flown under the radar.
Julie Zobel
Asst. Vice President, Safety, Emergency and Enterprise Risk Management
Julie Zobel leads the planning efforts and operation of those plans that have kept the wheels of the university turning during the COVID pandemic.
But with 18 working groups that made adjustments to curriculum, classrooms and residence halls while integrating public health needs, Zobel stressed that “100 percent of what I am doing is a team effort that includes more than 205 Mason Patriots being involved.”
In the name of safety against the pandemic, and as planned, Mason pivoted to all online learning after Thanksgiving for the balance of the fall semester. Still, the Safe Return to Campus and Do Your Part campaigns, which resulted in keeping virus cases relatively low among students, faculty and staff, were a great success.
“That is because our students, in particular, and faculty and staff embraced our public health and safety precautions,” Zobel said.
With plans to increase in-person learning by at least 10 percent in the spring semester while expanding residence hall populations and on-campus activities within public heath guidelines, Zobel knows the university cannot let down its guard.
Mason President Gregory Washington has announced that by March, the university hopes to be testing up to 10,000 people per week for the virus, up from 1,000 pr week during the fall.
“I am very proud of what we have accomplished at Mason,” Zobel said.