Dear Patriots,
Welcome to the fall semester! And a special welcome to new students, faculty and staff joining our George Mason University community—including our new Provost James Antony. We’re so glad you’re all here.
We are pleased to welcome our largest-ever incoming undergraduate class—freshmen and transfers combined—further proof that each year more students want to be a part of #MasonNation and attend the largest, most diverse, and most innovative public university in Virginia.
It’s easy to see why. George Mason is a top 50 public university nationally. We offer a world-class education at less cost than state peers. We’re in one of the most dynamic job markets in the country here in the nation’s capital. And we’re the top public university in the state for the upward mobility of our graduates.
These are among the many attributes that make George Mason University All Together Different. Yet another reason is that we are a top 10 university nationally for promoting free expression.
With that in mind, I want to share with our newest Patriots, and remind returning students, faculty and staff, of our policies and practices for upholding First Amendment rights while maintaining a safe, welcoming and undisrupted living and learning environment. You are here during a presidential election, at a time of significant geopolitical strife, and in the shadow of the capital of the free world. It is an exciting backdrop for your college education, which will create lifelong memories and formative experiences.
But this moment also calls on each of us to exercise civility and observe rules of engagement that will ensure everyone’s voice can be heard and everyone feels safe and welcome here. George Mason’s policies are guided by our long experience as a public university at the center of the Washington, D.C.-based public discourse, and are informed by recent guidance from the Virginia Secretary of Education and the Virginia Attorney General.
As a public university we are bound by the First Amendment and are longtime champions and guarantors of the rights it affords. To review your rights and George Mason’s approach to supporting them, visit our Free Speech at George Mason website. On that page you will find the full array of university policies that guide First Amendment exercises. In particular, I encourage you to familiarize yourself with some key policies, some of which have recently been updated for clarity:
- Space utilization and scheduling
- Poster posting
- Use of amplified sound
- Concealment of one’s identity
- Non-Discrimination Policy
First Amendment exercises must be safe, must be lawful, and they may not disrupt university operations. Laws and our university policies exist for the community’s protection, and they will be enforced.
One point of concern from the spring semester involves acts of antisemitism, Islamophobia and any other forms of hate and discrimination. They have no place at George Mason University. If actions occur that move beyond the broad protections of the First Amendment, this university will not hesitate to respond appropriately. I encourage you to familiarize yourselves with George Mason’s Non-Discrimination Policy. Any student, faculty or staff member who feels targeted, threatened or made to feel physically unsafe on our campuses should report it. Please familiarize yourself with our Patriot Plan for Community Safety and Well-Being.
As a university, we will always encourage students to explore issues of the day even if they prove uncomfortable to discuss. This is how learning and growing occur. We will offer academic and co-curricular programming to help unpack and process major events or issues as part of our students’ educational experience.
Whatever comes our way this fall, we will work together, lean on our institutional values, advance our excellence, and serve our students like no other university in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Sincerely,
Gregory Washington
President
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