Lawsuit seeks details of school's ties with Koch Foundation
Source: Associated Press
Matthew Barakat, Associated Press
Updated 4:09 pm, Tuesday, April 24, 2018
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) A judge is weighing whether to force a Virginia university's philanthropic arm to disclose details of its relationship with the conservative Koch Foundation.
Samantha Parsons, a former GMU student who for years has been active in raising concerns about the Koch Foundation's influence, said awareness among the student body has increased tenfold since 2016, when the school named its law school for conservative jurist Antonin Scalia in conjunction with a $10 million Koch Foundation donation.
"The name change is a consequence of a bigger issue donors buying control over the university," said Parsons, who has since graduated and now works for an activist group, UnKoch My Campus, which calls attention to donations made to universities by the Koch Foundation.
About 25 students, faculty and others rallied at the courthouse Tuesday before Tuesday's trial, asserting that Koch money represents a danger to the university's academic freedom. Many of those students filled the courtroom Tuesday. The judge, John Tran, applauded the students for their activism. After both sides made their closing arguments, Tran took the case under advisement and said he will issue a ruling at a later date.
Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/education/article/Lawsuit-seeks-details-of-school-s-ties-with-Koch-12860392.php
appalachiablue
(41,184 posts)Since 2005 the Kochs have spent $145 Million to fund more than 200 American colleges and universities, mainly business and law departments. Their influence in academia and with major cultural institutions and noted science museums especially over climate change denial has brought increased scrutiny.
Charles Koch University Funding Database:
http://polluterwatch.org/charles-koch-university-funding-database
David Koch American Museum of Natural History, Climate Change Fossil Fuel Money:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/21/david-koch-american-museum-of-natural-history-climate-change-fossil-fuel-money
stuffmatters
(2,574 posts)The Koch Bros are as omnipresent and relentless as cockroaches. Trump may be getting al the attention ,but the Kochroaches idelogically the biggest winners in this Repug Regime of deception, corruption and plunder.
appalachiablue
(41,184 posts)No signs of slowing down either.
Went to GMU's fmr. Patriot Ctr. to see Tim Kaine & Joe Biden the night before the fateful 2016 election. What expansion! Well done from what I saw. I hadn't been there in a while, just attended a 2006 law seminar on prison reform with Jim Webb at the Arl. Mercatus Ctr. Didn't know the Kochs then. GWU is an alum., old stomping grounds and grown a lot too.
Judi Lynn
(160,656 posts)appalachiablue
(41,184 posts)stuffmatters
(2,574 posts)nitpicker
(7,153 posts)(In the 1970's, one April Day's version of the student newspaper (Broadside) claimed a face-off between GMU and NOVA CC.)
From the above database:
Koch Foundation Funding to Universities (2005-2015): $144,714,489
George Mason University Foundation Fairfax VA $58,827,554
George Mason University - Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) Arlington VA $28,077,092
George Mason University - Mercatus Center Arlington VA $8,658,500
((Total: $95,563,146 or 66.04% of all Koch contributions to listed schools during the period))
((This does not include the $10 million paid later, at the same time an "anonymous" donor paid $20 million to get GMU to rename its law school afyer Scalia.)))
The next nearest school in the database:
Florida State University Tallahassee FL $2,391,687
appalachiablue
(41,184 posts)right after Scalia passed, until they realized the blunder and went for a better name.