Demand President Cabrera Release All Donor Agreements to Faculty
President Cabrera
For years, President Cabrera reassured students and faculty that violations of academic independence did not exist. We now know that these assurances were untrue. These agreements represent a violation of the public trust, and suggest that George Mason University is “for sale” to the highest bidder.
Tell George Mason University: No More Secret Donor Agreements!
The university must now make ALL gift agreements open to the public, and adopt policies that prioritize transparency and faculty oversight of all future agreements.
The university cannot continue to keep the conditions attached to its private donations a secret. The public has a right to know the full extent of donor influence at Mason.
We demand better!
Sponsored by
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To:
President Cabrera
From:
[Your Name]
Dear President Cabrera,
You’ve admitted that George Mason University gave the Charles Koch Foundation and other partner donors influence over faculty hiring within its economics department. The now-public agreements also show that donors had a say over faculty removal if the professor did not promote their free-market agenda.
But you’ve released only a fraction of the records the public deserves to see.
Your Faculty Senate has requested that you start prioritizing transparency and that faculty play a greater role in evaluating future gifts before they’re accepted. It is now time for you to start listening to the wishes of your students and faculty, not your biggest donors.
The university’s admission of undue donor influence makes full transparency more necessary than ever. We demand that all gift agreements be made public and that you honor faculty motions to improve Mason’s gift acceptance process for the future. Even a judge agrees that the university CANNOT accept funds from private donors or the George Mason University Foundation without disclosing the restrictions that come with those donations!
For years, you reassured students and faculty that these violations of academic independence did not exist. You said, “Trust me.” We now know that these assurances were untrue.
Faculty, students, and the public have a right to know the full extent of donor influence at Mason. To rebuild trust, we call on you to release the agreements now!