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(Photo provided by the Sheikholeslami-Bell campaign)

BY SAM DOUGLAS, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

[Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]

Q: Can you introduce yourself? What year are you in, and what’s your major?

Ilia Sheikholeslami (IS): I am a third-year at Mason, studying government and international politics with a minor in comparative politics.

Charlotte Bell (CB): I am a senior at Mason, studying government and international politics with a concentration in public policy and public administration.

Why are you qualified to be student body president?

IS: I’ve been in Student Government for almost three years now, serving in multiple positions. First, a senator, the chair of our government community relations committee, and right now, I am the Speaker Pro Tempore… A lot of my work has focused on connecting students with administrators and also giving students the opportunity to be in the decision-making rooms that matter the most.

When I was chair of the government community relations committee last year, I planned our annual Mason Lobbies event. It was our largest one, we brought over 70 students to meet with 30 plus legislators in Richmond. We ended up securing about $8 million in appropriations. Throughout my time in Student Government, I have learned a lot about how this university works, what it takes to get administration to actually listen to students, and also what it takes to get legislators to listen too. 

CB: I have been in this organization two years now. I have been Chair of University Services for the past year and a half. I have really enjoyed the opportunity and think I could do even more for the university, I think I could take a higher leadership position. I also have a history of taking leadership positions as well as taking on training and onboarding. I have taken leadership positions in high school, being a theatre stage manager for two years where I was training about 50 people. Each semester I do a bunch of jobs, so I think I could handle more responsibility and I would be glad to support Ilia. I fully believe that he’d be an amazing president for Mason.

What sets you apart from the other three tickets?

IS: Our experience. We have a lot of experience working and advocating for students to administrators. We know a lot about how this university works.

CB: Not only have both of us been senators in Student Government, we have also both been chairs. Of the other people running… we are the only ones who have been chairs, so we’ve taken the most leadership positions in the Senate. So I think we both have the most experience working with senators and taking the leadership position on the side of student government.

If elected student body president and vice president, what is the first thing you are going to do in office?

IS: First thing we are going to do is get in contact with as many administrators as we can, as many members of the Board of Visitors as we can… Then also getting into contact with as many student groups and organize how we are going to be transparent to students, how we are going to be accessible to students, essentially the first few weeks of our administration for this semester and next semester is going to be focused on research, getting into contact, listening, reaching out, being present and hearing out concerns from students. Our administration is going to be as transparent and accessible as we can. Student government has not done a great job with that in the past, and what we focused on when developing our platform was actually coming up with a plan for every single thing we want to do. So we have plans in place to be able to hit the ground running if we are elected.

CB: A lot of the policies we have for each of our major pillars came from doing outreach with registered student organization leaders and asking them what they wanted from Student Government and what support they are lacking. We really want to be reaching out to all of them and working in collaboration with them, both for events, PR, having the people there and funding-wise to be able to help make the Student Government more of an organization that works on campus with others. We do not need to be putting our name on everything just for us to mean something to the community. It is really about, what can we do to be supporting more and doing better than we have been?

If you are elected, how do you see the school being different at this time next year?

IS: There is already a lot of crazy stuff happening on the federal level that is already impacting our institution. Just on the news, [15] student visas at Mason [were] revoked. There were multiple grants that were cut for students and we are facing more risks to our federal funding because of things like the “Dear Colleague” letter, and the Department of Education being at risk of shutting down. 

CB: We also want to improve accountability with the BOV because in almost all students we talk to, they do not know who the Board of Visitors are, they do not know what they do. They do not even know we have a Board of Visitors. So we really want to make sure that a lot of that information on how these decisions are getting made is something that students can better understand and also so that groups that are protesting against the university for various reasons know who they are actually facing in opposition against.

Anything else students should know about you, your campaign, or your plans?

IS: We have a lot of experience, we know how this university works. And go to BMS (Bring More Setups) every week, Fridays from four to midnight. I want the voters to know that as well.

CB: We truly want to make Mason a better university, and we have both very strongly agreed we are not trying to be politicians promising you anything impractical or unrealistic. We only want to be promising you things we truly believe we can do, and we will work very hard to make sure we do.

What is one fun fact about you that students should know before they cast your vote?

IS: I help run weekly Smash Bros. tournaments in Student Involvement every week. I have been doing that for a year. I spend all of my Friday afternoons there, from like 4 PM to midnight, it is great.

CB: I have a pretty good fun fact. It is not that exciting, and if it was the 1600s, I would be tried as a witch, but I can write backwards… if you look it up, it is something called ‘mirror writing.’ Something like Leonardo DaVinci did. I just have a natural affinity for it. I can read stuff backwards too, which is really fun.

(Photo provided by the Grays-Dubois campaign)

BY SAM DOUGLAS, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

[Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]

Q: Can you introduce yourself? What year are you in, and what’s your major?

Isaiah Grays: I am a freshman and majoring in government and international politics.

Why are you qualified to be student body president?

IG: I’ll take you back to my junior year [of highschool]. I was a student representative to my local school board. In that position, although I was in a non-voting position, I was able to yield influence in order to get the board members to see where the students’ priorities are. At the end of that year, I was invited to join an environmental justice council headed by LaTricea Adams, who [was] a President Biden appointee for his White House environmental justice advisory council. 

Also in that year, I was invited to join the Flint Public Health Youth Academy, where we started work on a presentation for the American Public Health Association’s Atlanta conference. In my senior year, I continued my work on those two organizations, but I was also elected president of my high school…[where] student government had a budget of about $10,000 and in that time I believe we spent about $2,000 and then we garnered $4,000 back. I was the first president in a while to not only balance the budget, but expand it from what it was before.

My freshman year of college, I am now working on Capitol Hill because of my experience. I was also a US youth advisor to the United Nations Ocean Decade where I helped work on an education tool kit that was presented in Barcelona, Spain regarding [ocean protection]. I have been working very hard for the past two years to ensure that I know how to speak on behalf of people, know how to listen to people, and know how to get stuff done.

Why should Mason students vote for you?

IG: I was born in Flint, Michigan, that I am sure many people know about. I lived there until I was about three and a half [years old]. They were hit with a severe water crisis where [residents] could not drink the water. I have seen a community damaged by leadership who ignored their voices, so over the past decade, I have been working very hard on how to mold myself into a person who can speak and bring validity to communities. So I would say to Mason students I have seen what it is like for government and administration to ignore its people. I know how to be that mediator, and step in and help.

What sets you apart from the other three tickets?

IG: Number one, I am the youngest. Many people see that as a weakness; I see that as a strength. I see that if the student body elects a freshman in their first year to be their leader, it shows that we are taking this very seriously and that we are wanting change. What also sets me apart from the other candidates is that they are very grounded in the idea that the system works and using the system to push a narrative. My idea is that the system can work, but there are things on the outside that can be brought in to mold it and make it better.

If elected as student body president, what is the first thing you are going to do in office?

IG: Day one for me, I personally want to get to know every person who is in the government. I want to meet and sit down with every senator. I want them to create a list of the top five things they want to get done. And what we are going to do is we are going to create a way to tangibly measure those five initiatives. The biggest thing is communication. We are going to create one of the strongest communication teams that this school has ever had.

If you are elected, how do you see the school being different at this time next year?

IG: I see students talking about the school in a different way. I see people raving about the events that we had that year. I see administration noticeably changing its narrative around Student Government. I see the Board of Visitors having more respect for our student government. So, I believe by this time next year, this campus’s energy, culture and environment is going to feel really different. And they are going to be able to say, the Student Government really got its act together.

There is a lot of pressure on Mason right now, both from the Board of Visitors as well as the federal government. How do you plan to address that as president?

IG: I have the distinct fortune of being a federal employee, and in my time working on the Hill, I have gotten an opportunity to be enriched by various staffers for members of Congress. I believe those connections will be very valuable when it comes to any federal pressure on the university. Being able to get those one-on-one meetings, there is a saying, “it doesn’t matter what you know, it matters who you know.” My boss goes a step further and says, “it matters who knows you.” 

Regarding the Board of Visitors, I want them to see the student body from a different perspective. I do not want them to see us as just numbers or just the rate of acceptance we have on campus. I want them to really see us as customers. I am going to work hard to change that perspective so they can see us as customers who are paying our money to be here.

Anything else students should know about you, your campaign, or your plans?

IG: I want them to know I plan to be available to anyone. If you want my number, I will give you my number. If you need my email, I am going to respond to your email. If you want to have a meeting with me, you can have a meeting with me. I am gonna be available to the student body. I am not going to hide once I get in.

What is one fun fact about you that students should know before they cast your vote?

IG: I am a singer and an actor. I know the suits sometimes may throw people off, but I love to sing and I love to act.

Juliana Marcello/Fourth Estate

BY JULIANA MARCELLO, STAFF WRITER

On April 10, Donald Graham, former publisher of The Washington Post and chairman of Graham Holdings Company, joined President Gregory at the Freedom Learning Forum held by the GMU Center for Leadership and Intercultural Engagement. 

The pair discussed Graham’s numerous achievements made during his time at The Washington Post, as well as the impact of “TheDream.US.” As an enthusiastic storyteller, he shared with the group about the role his mother, Katherine Graham, played at The Post.

Graham began with the story of how the Post exposed the Watergate Scandal in 1972. At the time, his mother, Katherine Graham, was the publisher of The Washington Post. Graham told the group that while he and his siblings supported their mother, she often received pushback due to being one of the few women to own a company of the Post’s size during that time period.

“[Nixon] was trying to take away about ⅓ of the company’s revenue…” said Graham, “and she did not flinch. She wanted to tell the truth.” 

After Katherine Graham gave the order to publish the Pentagon Papers and several leaked U.S. documents, she became one of the most prominent women and leaders in media. She continued to stay strong even as former President Nixon attempted to take apart the Post after he stepped down as President. Graham commented on how proud he was of his mother at the time. 

President Washington then led Graham into a discussion regarding his time working in communications. Graham explained what journalism means to him, he said, “our job is to find the truth but [to] present all sides of the story…tell what you know and not a bit more.” 

He discussed how polarization within the political sphere has impacted integrity in the media today. He said, “They want to persuade you to put on a red shirt or a blue shirt and tell you the facts that they think will lead you to [them.] That is not what I think news casting is about.” He continued, further defining journalism as a carrier of truth.

Graham said, “I have always wanted to be a journalist and I think it’s part of my job to be open minded. I don’t know the truth about everything and I want to find it out.” 

The discussion shifted to Graham’s work as co-founder of TheDream.US. “I’ve always been interested in why young people go to college,” said Graham, “but they don’t have the same opportunity of progress.”

The organization is a college and career success program targeted towards aiding the children of undocumented immigrants. The first-generation immigrant population are not eligible to receive federal funding for education and have limited access to career oriented programs.

 TheDream.US has helped over 3 million ‘Dreamers’ gain access to careers and higher-education opportunities. 

During Q&A with the audience, one student asked, “With issues like immigration, and with the challenges facing us today, how do we work through polarization and partisanship to make decisions and to make change?” 

“I think we will get through this polarization, [but], I dont think I’ll be alive to see it,” responded Graham, ending the discussion with, “It [wasn’t] always this way, it will change, and I wish I could say it would be for the better.”

Saahiti Kiran Chamala/Fourth Estate

BY SAAHITI KIRAN CHAMALA, CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

[Editor’s Note: All members of GMU Hunt have chosen to remain anonymous. Each organizer has requested to be referred to under a specific alias.] 

On the evening of March 22, the GMU Hunt, organized by a Mason grad student and his non-Mason-affiliated friends, was a first-time campus-wide puzzle. The puzzle was designed “to bring some joy and curiosity to campus,” said one of the organizers, Alcuin, choosing to remain anonymous.  

“We really are pretty harmless,” laughed Alcuin. “There’s no secret agenda—just puzzles, fun, and a dash of mystery.”

The inspiration behind the GMU Hunt arrived from a longstanding tradition of student-organized hunts at Virginia Tech. 

Days leading up, the flyer posted about campus, listed a meeting time and GPS coordinates “38° 49 ‘45.3”N 77° 18’ 36.4”W.” Students were intrigued yet wary when navigation apps pinned the coordinates near a campus statue in the middle of Mason Pond. 

“We saw the flyer, noticed it was at midnight in this shady spot on campus, and thought, ‘What are we really getting into here?’” recalled one participant who arrived at 11:45 p.m.

With roughly 60 participants at the Confucius Statue of Mason Pond, teams were formed and later handed their first clue. The puzzles referenced campus landmarks, cryptic riddles, and logic challenges. “We were shocked by the turnout,” said Orpheus, self-described as the puzzle platform’s “web-guy.” 

“We expected maybe five people would do this. Suddenly, we’re watching a crowd of 50 tearing around campus at 1 a.m. It was wild,” Orpheus said.

To add more mystique, the organizers mingled discreetly among the participants. They wore hoodies, slipped in and out of puzzle locations, and offered the participants motivational hints  without revealing themselves.

“At one point, everyone was stumped at the Mason House puzzle. We were there, listening in, but trying to keep a low profile,” Alcuin said. “ Some folks suspected we were among them, but they never directly called us out.”

Saahiti Kiran Chamala/Fourth Estate

Many participants reported seeing bystanders who seemed oddly enthusiastic and well-informed. Before long, rumors spread that the “strangers” were the GMU Hunt’s masterminds.

Prior to the hunt, the GMU Hunt website was briefly blocked on the official campus Wi-Fi, resulting in an error message, leaving participants to rely on mobile data. 

“We had no clue that was possible,” said Alcuin. “We weren’t prepared for it at all. It had never happened at Virginia Tech, and we didn’t realize Mason’s firewall or guidelines would block us..”

One surprise that shook the organizers were the teams’ speed at solving puzzles normally intended to take days or even weeks. “We didn’t expect folks to finish so many clues by dawn,” said Alcuin. “One participant we’ve been calling ‘Green Hoodie Guy’… just tore through the riddles like a pro. We stood back amazed, wondering if he was hacking the site or something!”

According to the organizers, one group finished the hunt by around 3 or 4 a.m. with photo-proof, highlighting their puzzle-solving prowess and social connections building skills. 

“We’d love to get officially recognized by Mason or work out [a] partnership,” said Virgil, who manages social media and puzzle difficulty calibration. “At Virginia Tech, we worked closely with faculty and staff to ensure the campus was on board. Our hope is that the GMU administration might embrace it in the same way.”

Planning to conduct a “victors’ meeting” to celebrate the winning teams, the organizers will gather feedback and share statistics about the puzzle answers. 

“We’re here to encourage creative problem-solving and build camaraderie. We want to show people that puzzle hunts are a healthy, intellectually stimulating activity that can become a tradition,” said Alcuin. “From the Wi-Fi ban to the puzzle pacing, it was all brand-new territory. But seeing everyone come out and have fun was the best reward.”

Participants found themselves forging new friendships in the early hours of the morning, tackling cryptic riddles together and creating a shared memory that few will soon forget.

Sam Douglas/Fourth Estate

BY SAM DOUGLAS, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

On April 17, the Academic Programs, Diversity, and University Community Committee is set to vote on the “RESOLUTION OF GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY REGARDING THE PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDER ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION.”

The resolution aims to push for university compliance with the “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” executive order, as well as the Department of Education’s “Dear Colleague Letter” and “Frequently Asked Questions” documents.

If the resolution passes, it would direct the recently renamed Office of Access, Compliance, and Community to eliminate all programs not required by federal or state law and eliminate the university’s Bias Incident Response Team and Access to Research and Inclusive Excellence Program.

The GMU chapter of American Association of University Professor’s (AAUP) released a statement Thursday morning in opposition to the resolution. 

“The faculty group argues that the proposed resolution would jeopardize the university’s academic excellence, damage its national reputation, and send a chilling message to faculty and students of color and all who commit to equity work,” the statement read.

“They are steamrolling over us and they are implementing a vision for the institution that I do not think the majority of members of our community are asking for, wanting for, or hoping for,” said Dr. Bethany Letiecq, president of Mason’s chapter of AAUP.

In a statement, Student Body President Maria Romero Cuesta also opposed the resolution.

“The threat of a resolution like this cannot be minimized, but we must remember that George Mason students are one of resilience,” Cuesta said in the statement.

Weeks ago, on April 4, Mason Student Government participated in a “Hands Off Our Schools” rally at the Department of Education. On March 20, Student Body President Cuesta joined with student body presidents from Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia State University, Norfolk State University, and Longwood University, releasing a statement urging state legislators to “challenge any federal enforcement of the ‘Dear Colleague’ letter that may arise.”

The resolution is the university’s latest response to pressure from the federal government. On March 3, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was renamed to the Office of Access, Compliance, and Community. Later in the month, Mason was named by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights as one of 60 schools under investigation for complaints of anti-semitic harassment and discrimination.

The Board of Visitors Academic Programs, Diversity, and University Community Committee will vote on the resolution during their April 17 meeting. If passed, it will be voted on by the full board at their May 1 meeting.

Fourth Estate has reached out to Mason administration for comment.