OLLI E-News Newsletter

August 14, 2020

Alerts & Notices

• Fall term is September 21 – November 13.
• You should have received your fall-term catalog; it is online here. Priority registration begins August 18 and ends August 26.
• Since catalog production, a few classes may have been changed, canceled, or added. Watch for a list of the changes at the OLLI website or in an OLLI E-Blast.
• Virtual coffee chat and fall-term class preview, Thursday, August 20, 9:30-11:00, via Zoom (meeting ID 869 0626 7824). All members welcome.
• The next issue of OLLI E-News will be published Friday, August 28; regular deadline for submission of items is Tuesday, August 25, at 6:00.

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By Toni Acton, Member Services Committee Chair

Many of our OLLI members are still registering for classes the old-fashioned way—by paper. Since the OLLI office is closed, in order to register by paper you have to mail your registration form at least a week before the deadline to make sure it gets there on time. Wouldn’t you like to register on your computer in the comfort of your own home, having the entire registration period to make your choice of classes? Now that we are all familiar with using our computers to take Zoom classes, it’s time to take the next step in signing up for classes through the member portal.

If you’re interested, contact Toni Acton at jacton1@cox.net to set up a time during the registration period when she can help you through the process.

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By Rosemary Lubinski, Outreach Committee Chair

It’s the right time for you to tell your friends about OLLI’s upcoming fall term of online courses and social activities.

Two-thirds of marketing executives believe that word of mouth advertising is the most effective marketing strategy. Your positive and personal experiences with OLLI are excellent testimony to share with friends.

When you talk, email, or chat with friends on other forms of social media, you can highlight the variety of interesting, high-quality online courses that are easily accessed at home via Zoom. You might also mention the online social activities and clubs. Finally, this is the time to tell your friends what a bargain joining OLLI is for new members. Right now, new members can join for $300 for their first full four-term year. What a deal!

Please share the following address with your friends and encourage them to peruse the fall-2020 OLLI catalog: https://olli.gmu.edu/2020fallcatalog. Remember that registration begins August 18, 2020.

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By Betty Ellerbee, Tallwood Book Club Coordinator

The Tallwood Book Club will be meeting via Zoom on second Fridays from 2:30 to 4:00.

The September selection is There There by Tommy Orange. The October selection is Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead. The authors have been scheduled for presentations at Fall for the Book and the National Book Festival respectively.

Please note the change of time from the printed catalog.

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By Toni Acton, Member Services Committee Chair

Join your OLLI friends at the coffee klatch on Thursday, August 20, from 9:30 to 11:00. Find out what everyone has been doing this summer, anything new happening at OLLI, and hear from some of the OLLI instructors who will be teaching classes this fall. Fall registration starts on August 18, so this is a perfect time to find out more about classes you might be thinking about taking this term.

Register for Event #1206 via the member portal or contact the registrar at ollireg@gmu.edu.

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Please note: Physical meetings for clubs and activities are canceled until further notice in accordance with Mason’s guidelines. OLLI is conducting its classes and activities online. Refer to the university’s coronavirus website for official university updates and check the OLLI Calendar for revised information.

The following list covering the next two weeks is extracted for your convenience from the master online calendar maintained by the office, with direct web links added when available. The list is accurate as of mid-week but for the most up-to-date information, please view the latest forecast of coming events on our website (News/OLLI Calendar). Note: All OLLI members are welcome at, and encouraged to attend (online), meetings of the Board of Directors, committees and resource groups, kick-off coffees, etc. (bolded below).

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OLLI E-News was created by Rod Zumbro, who served as its editor from 2005 to 2013.

Editorial Staff
Chief Editor: Paul Van Hemel
Associate Editor: David Gundry
Weekly Editor Team: David Gundry, John Nash, Sheri Siesseger, Leslie Vandivere,
Paul Van Hemel 
Proofreaders: Rebecca Jann, Susan Van Hemel, Linda Randall, Tom Appich, Roz Stark,
Jane Hassell
Backup Chief Editor: Alice Slayton Clark

Submissions: Members are encouraged to submit letters to the editor, letters to Ms. Ollie Ettakit (on etiquette matters), OLLI-related news items, articles, and photos. Submit material to: ollienewseditor@gmail.com.
Deadline: Tuesday, 6:00, for that week’s issue (Monday, 6:00, for letters to the editor); early submissions are greatly appreciated. Please limit articles to about 250 words.
Note: You can view past issues of OLLI E-News on the DocStore. To search the content of issues, use Search Our Site or put your search term in Google followed by “site:olli.gmu.edu/” without the quotes.

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