Picture Credits: Tyrone Turner / WAMU
Being so close to the Capital, Mason feels the impacts of growing political tensions
BY DECLAN WILLIAM REES, STAFF WRITER
I remember wondering if the President of Mason, Gregory Washington, would lose his position due to increased political pressure from the state and federal governments. When the Board of Visitors met on August 6, many — including myself — suspected they would vote to remove him, given its conservative majority, including members with affiliations to groups such as the Heritage Foundation. Instead, the board issued a raise of approximately $12,000, the state-mandated minimum, as part of his annual performance review. At the same time, they moved for a total gutting of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, passing a resolution prohibiting DEI efforts at the university. This decision has disproportionately affected minority communities at Mason, especially through the attacks on offices that provide vital financial aid and academic support.
To zoom out for a moment, I think what’s happening at Mason reflects a much broader pattern we’re seeing across the country: universities, public institutions, and communities are facing mounting pressure as DEI initiatives are targeted and rolled back. Political decisions from the highest levels of government have trickled down to shape campus culture and policy, and Mason is not immune to that. While some may view these changes as a simple course correction, others, myself included, see them as harmful to the inclusive progress we have worked hard to achieve. The political turmoil in this country has reached a breaking point where students can no longer sit idly by and accept the “nature” of things. Nature in quotes because nothing of the political developments at hand are natural.
I believe that the Mason Community is feeling the brunt force of the rising chauvinistic right-wing extremism in this country. Before the fall semester began, the Department of Education declared Mason “guilty” of violating civil rights due to its past DEI policies. Despite the lack of evidence to support the claim, the Trump administration has given a list of demands for the university to accept, including an apology from President Washington, which he has refused to issue.
George Mason University’s motto “All Together Different,” is a pinnacle virtue at the foundation of this community, but this pillar is not valued by President Trump. We are watching as our peers around the country are getting rounded up and disappearing into unmarked cars by agents who refuse to identify themselves. This dystopian terror is not far from us, and its grasping hand seems to claw at our hearts and minds in a way that completely desensitizes our generation.
The Board’s recent actions are unsurprising given the unstable political climate. President Washington’s near removal this summer only shows the limitations of his office against the will of the Board of Visitors — and it should not be understated. My criticisms here are not meant to echo the fervor with which is currently being launched at President Washington, but to underscore the incapability that this University has in protecting its students and the departments that supported them.
The recent political developments at Mason have been made despite the efforts of the previous Student Government Administration’s initiatives to uphold and protect the DEI programs. It feels that at every level of administration of this university — including the registered student organizations, the undergraduate representative body, as well as the President of the University, are beholden to the will of Glenn Youngkin and his cronies in high places. There can be no sensible compromise with them; I suggest we begin to properly organize the student body to resist the Board of Visitors by critically educating the student body of the role that the board plays at this university– for they are not a part of the Mason Community but visitors.
Read more about the Board of Visitor meetings here.
