ENews March 15, 2024

March 15, 2024

• Alerts & Notices
• Jump Into Spring Term with a Fresh Start!
• Covid Vaccine Update
• OLLI On Camera!
• Reston Loudoun Program Planning
• Mason Study on Mobility and Falls  Seeks Your Participation
• Literature, Theater, and Writing/Languages: Teach or Plan Programs at OLLI
• Spring 2024 Mason Jazz Concerts
• Wednesday Team Bloch Conversation
• Photo of the Month
• Poet's Corner
• Arts & Music at George Mason
• Meetings & Clubs
• About OLLI E-News

Alerts & Notices

• Meeting of the OLLI Personal Computer Club, Saturday, March 16 (tomorrow). Lunch is at 1:00 (register); the Zoom session opens at 1:45, with presentation at 2:00. Note: The meeting link/information has changed. Please click this link to join the meeting and use passcode 511867 (Note: enter passcode with NO spaces) or enter meeting ID 862 9370 4636 in the Zoom app and use the above passcode (preferred method).
• The spring term begins March 25; registration continues throughout the term.
• The next issue of OLLI E-News will be published Friday, March 29; the regular deadline for submission of items is Tuesday, March 26, at 6:00.

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Covid Vaccine Update

 

By Michele Romano, Healthcare Advisory Workgroup Chair

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now advises that everyone over age 65 should get another Covid-19 vaccine if it has been four months since the last one. This is the same monovalent (single strain) vaccine given in fall 2023 targeting the XBB.1.5 variant.

Covid has mutated hundreds of times since the original strain in December 2019. As with most viruses, with each mutation the virus has become more contagious (more easily spread) but less virulent (deadly). Fairfax County, along with most of the country, is seeing very low levels of hospitalization and death from Covid. However, victims over the age of 65 or people with a weakened immune system are much more likely to get seriously ill and die from the disease.

Takeaway points: (1) Just like the flu vaccine, immunity from the Covid vaccine decreases after four months. (2) The vaccine will not prevent Covid; it is designed to protect recipients from getting seriously ill and dying.

You may have read that the XBB variants have burned themselves out. True. Over 96% of cases in the U.S. today are JN.1. That being said, “CDC data showed that the vaccine still offered significant protection against the JN.1 variant.” See COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness – What's New | CDC for more information. At this time, it is still too early to predict what the CDC will recommend for the fall virus vaccines.

On March 1, 2024, the CDC also updated its Covid recommendations to align with those for other common respiratory viruses (e.g., flu, RSV, colds). “The recommendations suggest returning to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, symptoms are improving overall, and if a fever was present, it has been gone without use of a fever-reducing medication.”

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OLLI On Camera!

 

By Elle Spada, OLLI Promotional Video Project Team 

 Have you wanted to tell a friend about all the benefits of being an OLLI member but didn't know where to start? We have you covered! We are bringing in a professional videographer to the Tallwood campus on April 2, 3, and 4 to capture the essence of what it’s like to be a member of OLLI. We want to show the benefits, such as classes on wide-ranging topics, numerous clubs and social activities, OLLI arranged trips and tours, and opportunities for volunteering. Final versions of the video vignettes will be showcased on the OLLI website so you can easily share the video links with any of your friends and relatives who want to learn more about OLLI!  

• We have already arranged our filming schedule to avoid disruptions to OLLI operations, so there is no need to adjust your plans to attend classes and club activities on those days.  

• We are planning some outside filming of the beautiful Tallwood campus, and with advance notice and permissions, we will capture still images and video in classrooms where classes are being held.

• We will have signs posted indicating filming areas, and those who prefer not to be on camera can opt out and continue with their normal activities on campus.

• Please review the OLLI picture policy that is printed on page 32 of your Spring 2024 Catalog.

Please contact Dennis VanLangen, the video project coordinator, at dvanlangen@verizon.net if you have any questions.

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Reston Loudoun Program Planning

 
By Shannon Kim Morrow, Program Associate


Thank you to all who attended the Reston/Loudoun meeting on Friday, February 23 at the United Christian Parish church in Reston. It was a robust crowd of members interested in keeping the Loudoun and Reston programs successful. At the meeting, we solicited suggestions for future classes at those venues and gathered quite a number of ideas.

Because most of the suggestions were submitted anonymously, I could not reach out to each individual who had offered his/her thoughts. I wanted to let you know that your ideas have been forwarded to the appropriate planning group co-chairs. They know what topics interest you and will consider instructors who may be able to present those classes you seek.

We strongly urge you to attend in-person classes in Reston and Loudoun so that we can grow a strong program at these sites. We also urge you to volunteer to be a Reston/Loudoun-based program planner. If you would like to get involved, please contact me at smorrow4@gmu.edu or Nancy Klein at her nklein4@gmu.edu address.

Mason Study on Mobility and Falls 
Seeks Your Participation

 By Dr. Tiphanie Raffegeau, Assistant Professor at Mason School of Kinesiology

Effective mobility is a major part of the quality of life for older adults. Many falls occur because older people have difficulty adjusting their steps to avoid obstacles and uneven ground. To prevent falls from happening, scientists at George Mason University are searching for clinical signs of mobility challenges that could be early indicators of fall risk. By participating in an ongoing study, you could help contribute to preventing falls.

Dr. Tiphanie Raffegeau is an Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology and a Principal Investigator in the Sports Medicine Assessment and Rehabilitation Testing (SMART) laboratory on Mason’s Science and Technology Campus in Manassas, VA (9438 Innovation Drive). Dr. Raffegeau is looking for older adults over 65 to come to the SMART lab for about 2-3 hours and complete surveys of mood and cognition, as well as several walking and physical function tests. She uses motion-capture technology (similar to the technology used to create special effects in cinema) to measure walking performance. She will ask participants to wear tight-fitting athletic clothing for their testing session. The researchers require that you continue on with your normal diet, medication, and activities before coming to the testing session. We provide copies of clinical tests for you to consult with your primary care physician. The study team will follow up via email six months later with the same surveys for you to fill out again. Once they are completed, you can earn a $25 Amazon gift card. If you are interested in participating, email Dr. Raffegeau at traffege@gmu.edu.

Literature, Theater, and Writing/Languages:
Teach or Plan Programs at OLLI

By Pat Bangs, Literature, Theater, and Writing/Languages Program Planning Group Co-Chair

As part of a volunteer organization, many OLLI members have joined the ranks of our instructors or contributed to our program planning. This planning group, shortened to Literature, Language, and Theater (LLT), is seeking both. Perhaps you are a former teacher missing the classroom experience or have a passion—no need for formal expertise—you would like to share. You may also know individuals in your community who would be good OLLI instructors. Or, if you have a topic you would like to have taught and may know of possible instructors, share it with us and we can contact them. For example, we would like to expand our language offerings, including German and Italian, as well as our ongoing Spanish offering. 

The LLT Program Planning Group is also inviting members to contribute to our LLT planning process. In coordination with staff, we meet several times a year to review and plan course offerings for each term. Planning begins at least six months in advance and sometimes earlier. Members are invited to our semi-annual large meetings in June and December. They are advertised in the E-News or you can contact me and I’ll add you to our email list.

If you would like more information about teaching OLLI Literature, Theater, and Writing/Languages programs, please feel free to contact me or any of the other committee co-chairs below:

Spring 2024 Mason Jazz Concerts

 

By Darden Purcell, D.M.A., Mason Director of Jazz Studies, Jazz Voice


Mason’s Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music is hosting several jazz concerts this spring, and we hope OLLI members will attend and enjoy them. Some of these are ticketed events, some are free! Listed below are three upcoming events. Later ones will be announced in subsequent issues of E-News.

Big Band Showdown: Monday Mar 25, 8:00
Center for the Arts
Tickets: $12 General Public, $8 Seniors, $5 Students 
Click this link. 

Join the Mason Jazz Ensemble (Director Jim Carroll), the Jazz Workshop (Director John Kocur) and Georgetown University Jazz Ensemble (Director Paul Bratcher) for an evening that celebrates the hot sounds and swinging beats of the Big Band era! 

Jazz Combos: Wednesday Mar 27, 8:00 
Harris Theatre
Free and open to the public; no tickets or registration required
Click this link. 

Under the direction of Wade Beach, the Mason Jazz Combos perform their spring 2024 concert.

The Jazz Workshop: Wednesday April 3, 8:00
Harris Theatre 
Free and open to the public; no tickets or registration required 
Click this link. 

Sing a Song of Song – The Jazz Workshop, directed by John Kocur, will present Harlem, cool, fusion, and contemporary jazz styles in nonet and tentet arrangements by jazz masters Duke Ellington, Gerry Mulligan, John Scofield, and Kenny Garrett.

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