GMU Senate Votes Against Koch-Influenced Hires: Report

MCLEAN, VA — The George Mason University senate has voted in support of changing the school's donor and faculty relations policies, according to reports. The change comes after it came to light that the conservative Charles Koch Foundation had been given influence in hiring and firing professors after donating millions to the university.

The Charles Koch Foundation was given the right to appoint members of a committee whose job it is to select professors for the Mercatus Center, the school's free-market think tank, WTOP reported. They also were given the right to influence advisory boards which recommended firing professors.

The school's senate also wanted to rescind a $5 million gift from the Koch's, but later agreed to accept it and have the new rules affect only future deals.

University President Angel Cabrera, after years of denying the deals caused issues, admitted the partnership with the Kochs proved problematic to academic independence.

Transparent GMU, a student activist organization, sued the school in 2017 for the documents related to the Kochs' donations. When GMU finally released the documents, members of Transparent GMU were relieved, yet unsettled by the school's actions.

“It feels like transparency Christmas,” said Kailey Adkins, a Transparent GMU member and sophomore, the New York Times reported. But she mostly feels "deceived and disappointed" and that the school "breached my trust and sense of security in my education.”

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