George Mason University is committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment where all members of our community can learn and work.
President Washington has recently initiated a number of actions (some of which were previously announced in August) to strengthen the systems already in place to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct.
- Mason has revised and strengthened Policy 1204 to expand and more clearly define what relationships are prohibited as well as explicitly prohibiting attempts at initiating prohibited Violations of this policy will result in discipline up to and including termination. All faculty and staff will be required to complete training on this revised policy and certify compliance. The updated policy can be found here.
- Mason has enhanced prevention and education programs and increased the number of trainings offered on all campuses. We have expanded our reporting to allow an anonymous self-reporting option for Title IX reports. Mason will also establish a formal channel to seek feedback from individuals who engage with the Title IX office at the conclusion of their matter, and we will use that feedback to continuously improve the services and responses we provide.
- Mason will be adding more signage on campus with information about Policy 1204 and its sexual misconduct policy, how to report violations, and resources available to students and It will also continue to communicate this information to students through email and other means.
- Mason will enhance the training and support (including allocating appropriate time during work hours) for its employees who volunteer to serve as advisors for individuals involved in the Title IX process. These employees provide crucial support and advice to those involved in a Title IX matter.
- Mason will continue to use neutral external hearing officers to conduct Title IX hearings and will ensure that neutrality is a paramount selection criteria when choosing future hearing officers.
Mason wants to thank Elyse Dorsey and Angela Landry, two alumni of Mason’s Scalia Law School, for working with Mason to inform and implement several new policies and practices to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct. With their consent, Mason can share that these brave women courageously came forward to bring allegations of sexual misconduct to the university’s attention. Mason is proud to count Ms. Dorsey and Ms. Landry as alumni. They have recently issued a press release which can be found here.
Mason encourages anyone who is aware of misconduct by any member of its community to report it to the appropriate office at Mason, and Mason condemns any attempt to silence or intimidate individuals from making good faith complaints of misconduct through the University’s processes.