From: All currently enrolled students (including| faculty, staff, and con on behalf of Friday, November 3, 2023 3:23 PM ‘GMU-USA-MK-L@LISTSERV.GMU.EDU Re: Patriot Plan for Community Safety and Well-Being BBM spitting facts right now Get Outlook for 10s From: All currently enrolled students (includin faculty, staff, and con on behalf off Sent: Thursday, November 2, 2023 5:42:50 PM. To: GMU-USA-MK-L@LISTSERV.GMU.EDU Subject: Re: Patriot Plan for Community Safety and Well-Being Good afternoon Mr. President, First and foremost, | would like to emphasize that | believe in everyone's right to safety, health, well-being, and peace - Muslim, Jewish, Christian, etc. I'm writing this as a student at this institution who believes in expressing one’s freedom of speech, So, with all due respect, your emails addressing this "conflict" have lacked the care and consideration toward your very large population of Muslim/Arab/Palestinian/Middle Eastern students. tis not a conflict in our eyes, | might add, It is a genocide of an ethnic group of people, that all Middle Eastern students on this campus mourn for. The dangerous rhetoric on the internet that paints all Muslims as terrorists threatens our own very existence in this country as well, not just in Palestine. Not just that, but zionists in the media, specifically the Israeli minister of defense for example, has called Arabs animals that need to be eradicated from this planet. How about the zionists who have physically assaulted people in peaceful pro-Palestine protests and marches? How do you think that affects the mental health and safety of students? There have been multiple tragic incidents of violence, including murder, towards Muslims in this country. | find myself asking why we must pay for the acts of a small amount of people who don't represent Muslims or Middle Eastern people. Yet, you have failed to address that. You have failed to address the safety and well- being of Muslims and Middle Eastern people on this campus, knowing that our lives are too threatened and on a much greater scale. We watch graphic videos of Arab babies being blown to bits all over social media, daily. | think | can speak for my fellow Middle Eastern peers when | say that this university has disappointed us in prioritizing our mental health as well especially considering that Mason prides itself as having mental health facilities of the utmost class. Your attempts to make us feel seen and heard are petty. Your emails have dismissed our voices, safety, and mental health. A few leaflets that called out the state of Israel as a genocidal apartheid - which is what the UN confirms it to be - how can that be compared to the intimidation, violent threats, and murder of Muslims in this country - where we live far away from the war and have no control of its outcome other than expressing opinion and calling for ceasefire through social media and peaceful protest? Correct me if'm wrong but was it the leaflets that were passed out on campus a few days ago, regarding a discussion about the apartheid, that prompted you to ensure the utmost safety of Jewish people on this campus, but not Muslims, While the safety and mental health of Jewish people does matter, you dismiss our lives when more serious threats against us are occurring every day in the Middle East and here in the USA as well. | have used my right to freedom of speech through the expression of art, and in no way was my art meant to be perceived as a hate crime against Jewish people. Yet, when a police officer saw me drawing it on campus, | was approached through intimidation with no warrant. Quite frankly this incident could have been considered harassment in which | would be able to take serious action against if | had known the name of the officer and if | had been approached with more witnesses. So, even on your campus we are threatened. As someone who has experienced trouble with anxiety and depression before, | left campus that day filled with fear, anxiety, and feeling unable to come into campus without being threatened again. Now you say that law enforcement will be more present on campus to protect Jewish people, and by 1all means their safety matters, but what about my safety? What about my friends’ safety? Maybe I'm misunderstanding this, but a bunch of leaflets with political statements - of popular opinion and could be backed up by alot of evidence considering the last 80 years of UN confirmed apartheid - prompted the necessary law enforcement for the safety of Jewish people, but the murder of the Muslim 6 year old boy in Chicago and the Muslim pediatrician in Texas, didn't prompt you to AT LEAST reach out to our community? So, | ask you Mr. President, will your next email keep dismissing ‘our pain, fear, and anxiety? will it dismiss our safety on this campus, as well as our rights and freedom of expression? | ask you, with the new law enforcement, will lor any other Middle Eastern person experience traumatic intimidation by an officer for simply sitting alone and doing an assignment again? | am interested in knowing what actions you will take to protect us too, Since it seems that everyone, but Middle Eastern and Muslim lives, matter these days and especially at George Mason University ‘Thank you for your consideration and understanding, From: All currently enrolled students (including Mason Korea), faculty, staff, and con on behalf of Office of the President Sent: Thursday, November 2, 2023 1:38:02 PM To: GMU-USA-MK-L@LISTSERV.GMU.EDU Subject: Patriot Plan for Community Safety and Well-Being Dear fellow Patriots: There is no avoiding this sobering truth: This is a fraught moment for the world, our country, and our university, with increased acts of violence and hostility toward members of the Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, and Palestinian communities. In particular, hateful expressions against the Jewish community are on the rise right on our own campus, including a very recent attempt to leaflet the Fairfax campus with deeply offensive antisemitic rhetoric. This disgusting behavior is not normal for Mason, and it is fundamentally at odds with who we are as a university community. We repudiate antisemitism just as we repudiated the terrorist attacks on Israel last month. While we must acknowledge others’ right to express themselves as they have, we as a community also claim our right to call out such expressions as ignorant, hateful, and contrary to our values. For many, the safety and well-being that we value at George Mason University feel threatened, and | am writing to share what we are doing to preserve those cherished hallmarks of our community. In my last message about the unfolding conflict in Israel and Gaza, | shared that security efforts are in place to address safety concerns, and services are in place to assist people in crisis. Since that time, and in responses to heightened tensions nationally and on campus, we have increased security to stay ahead of threats that may emerge without ‘warning. In addition, we have organized pre-existing campus services into a coordinated approach, which we are calling the Patriot Plan for Community Safety and Well-Being. All of the information in this message is now contained on the plan’s web page, which designed as a one-stop online resource page where you can access information and updates on this topic. Each of us came here to improve ourselves and our community in our own personal ways. We should be assured that we can do so without fear for our safety and well-being. We are all in this together, and I hope you find this resource helpful Sincerely, Gregory Washington PresidentPatriot Plan for Community Safety and Well-Being The safety and well-being of all students, faculty, and staff is of paramount concern to George Mason University, especially in light of recent events. We are further enhancing our already increased standards of protection and care to address safety and well-being concerns that are increasing across our university, while maintaining the rights, privacy, and dignity of alin our community. Our safety and well-being protocols meet or exceed the additional standards announced by the Biden Administration on October 30, as well as guidance from Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on October 31. To that end, we offer the following comprehensive approach to violence awareness and prevention: 1 Enhanced law enforcement presence Mason Police are increasing protection efforts for the entire University community, while also upholding federal and state laws regarding protests and constitutionally protected speech on public property. Police have increased their presence at gatherings, are providing additional security to high profile events focusing on the current crisis in the Middle East, and are engaging federal and state authorities as directed in recent days by President Biden and Governor Glenn Youngkin, including stepped-up coordination with the US department of Homeland Security and the US Department of Justice, the Virginia Department of Public Safety & Homeland Security, the Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney, and local police agencies. In addition, you may see increased patrols and presence in high-traffic areas frequented by students, 2. Enforcement of Codes of Conduct Standards of conduct guide all student, faculty, and staff behavior. That includes the Mason Student Code of Conduct, the Instructional and Research Faculty Handbook, the Administrative and Professional Faculty Handbook, and the Classified Staff code set forth in the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management HR Policies. None of these permit threatening behavior, harassment, property destruction (which includes the unauthorized removal or destruction of posters, memorials, banners, etc.), or disorderly conduct. 3. Complaint Reporting and Response Resource Mason’s Violence Awareness and Prevention initiative provides comprehensive resources for preventing and responding to acts of violence in the workplace, including an online clearinghouse on reporting acts of violence and discrimination, including information and referral on: ‘+ The university's permanent Threat Assessment Team, * Ways to report violence or threats of violence to police, anonymously, if preferred * Report possible violations of the Student Code of Conduct to the Office of Student Conduct. + Mandatory reporting requirements of certain crimes pursuant to the Clery Act. * File a report to the Equal Opportunity/Non-Discrimination unit about acts of possible prohibited discrimination, including that which is based on race, religion, national origin, disability, etc. 4, Compassionate Listening Sessions University Life is now offering individual Compassionate Listening Sessions, These are in-person conversations with Mason staff members who can provide you with compassionate support through careful listening. This is not a therapeutic service and is not meant to replace therapy, This avenue provides participants with a private opportunity to be heard. if you are interested, please call University Life (703-993-2884) to schedule a support meeting. 5. Advocacy and Resources Numerous support resources exist to help those in need as a result of experiencing violence, harassment, or other inappropriate behavior, including: Student supports © Counseling and Psychological Services+ Student Support and Advocacy Center + TimelyCare for behavioral health support + Titleix * Equal Opportunity/Non-Discrimination © Center for Community Mental Health Faculty and staff © Employee assistance programs © Title ix © Center for Community Mental Health 6. Free speech guidance and limitations The university's commitment to First Amendment rights of all community members is maintained on Mason's Free ‘Speech on Campus resource center, which includes a means to report disruptions of constitutionally protected speech. ‘While the First Amendment allows for and protects even hate speech, it does not mean that we encourage it. We are at ‘our best when we choose speech that makes our point without hateful rhetoric and language, and we ask everyone in ‘our community to engage vigorously but in a manner that is respectful to others. 7. Freedom and learning Ahallmark of any worthy university isto teach about the world, and Mason is actively encouraging faculty and students to find ways to teach, learn, and listen about the events unfolding with the Israel-Hamas conflict, Events are currently very raw and discussions about the most productive means to offer such opportunities are being explored cautiously and discreetly by various members of the Mason community, and as public invitations to such encounters emerge, the Mason community will be invited to participate. 8. Training Mason offers a variety of training programs and materials to combat violence on campus on such topics as civility and violence prevention, bystander intervention, and active threat awareness and prevention.