George Mason Universitys namesake cherished freedom of speech and his ideas remain vital today, Washington Post executive editor Martin Baron said May 20 at GMUs 50th annual spring commencement.
Those of us in the press have a special obligation to speak up, through reporting, through analysis and through commentary, said Baron, whose reporters at various newspapers have earned 12 Pulitzer Prizes. If, for example, the White House tells us to shut up as it has the answer must be No. That is the only ethical response, especially when it involves scrutiny of the most powerful person on Earth.
Baron, whose exploits at The Boston Globe were featured in the Oscar-winning movie Spotlight, repeatedly received bursts of applause from the crowd at EagleBank arena.
Despite helping craft the U.S. Constitution, George Mason never signed the document because it initially lacked a Bill of Rights and created a federal government that would be too powerful, Baron said.
If you are concerned about potential abuse from a government when it gains too much power or is dominated by special interests, you have a lot in common with George Mason, he said.
Mason also did not sign the Constitution because it did not end the slave trade, said Baron, who noted paradoxically that Mason owned slaves and did not free them upon his death.
Following Masons principles, Baron suggested Americans should repudiate the plague of personal vilification, afford all people respect and dignity, practice civility in their public discourse, help those who are less fortunate, cease treating opponents as enemies and seek common ground by agreeing on fundamental, verifiable facts.
We would not define truth as only that which is good for us, while labeling as fake that which does not serve our politics or our interests, he said. When statements are not true, we would not call them alternative facts.
More than 8,700 people graduated from GMU that day. The class included more than 5,400 recipients of bachelors degrees, about 2,800 who received masters degrees and more than 300 who earned doctorates. Class members hailed from 43 states and Washington, D.C., as well as 76 countries.
The top-five undergraduate majors this year were psychology; criminology, law and society; biology; information technology; and accounting. The top-five masters degree majors were curriculum and instruction, special education, education leadership, public administration and public policy.
Rounding out the list, the top-five majors for doctoral candidates were education; economics; psychology; earth systems and geo-information science; and conflict analysis and resolution.
GMU president ngel Cabrera said the universitys students and faculty are passionate about innovation and embrace their differences.
I trust that you will walk out of Mason with a stronger sense of ingenuity, a firmer belief that things dont need to remain the way they are forever, he told the graduates.
Student speaker Tamara Abdelsamad, who received a bachelors degree in global and community health, noted how she had been determined to finish college after a previous false start.
Never estimate the power that comes from difficult beginnings, she said.
GMUs youngest graduate this year was 17-year-old Stephanie Mui, who received a masters degree in mathematics. Mui, who began taking courses at Northern Virginia Community College just after finishing fifth grade, earned her bachelors degree in math from GMU in summer 2016.
Mui still attends Oakton High School and has received neither her high-school diploma nor drivers license yet, university officials said.
Rector Tom Davis of GMUs Board of Visitors presented James Hazel, chairman of the Faster Farther Campaign, with the Mason Medal. Also on hand for the presentation was Hazels father, Til Hazel, who was the medals first-ever recipient in 1987.
GMU officials also bestowed these awards:
Mari Henderson of Berrien Springs, Mich., who received a bachelors degree in global affairs, said she chose GMU for the high-quality people with whom she could rub shoulders.
I thought, if I can surround myself with this kind of people for four years, Ill be OK, she said.
John Daniels of Charlottesville, who earned a diploma in government and international affairs, attended the university after his mother received her masters degree there.
Daniels, who served as speaker of the Student Senate, enjoyed GMUs proximity to the nations capital and its all-pervasive political scene.
I had a great four years, he said. Its really been a blessing to be at Mason.
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Editor urges civility, press freedom at GMU commencement - Inside NoVA
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