"Critics ... have said that the billionaires, known for wielding influence in politics through dark money, have too much say in the school’s decision-making, and infringed on professors’ right to academic freedom."

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'UnKoch My Campus' Protests Spread Across Nation
By Chloe Sorvino, November 4, 2014

“UnKoch my campus,” demanded students at nearly 30 colleges on Monday.

Protests broke out across the nation as part of a campaign calling for more transparency in what industrialists Charles and David Koch give to college campuses, and how much influence the billionaires wield in academic decisions.

Brothers Charles and David, who are each worth  $42.7 billion and are tied at No. 4 on the Forbes 400 list of America’s Richest, have poured nearly $50 million into 254 universities nationwide since 2005, according to an interactive database recently published by Greenpeace. A decade ago, the same database reports, the Kochs gave to only seven schools.

Most of those gifts go towards hiring professors, building economic research centers that promote capitalism or supporting research about libertarian politics.

Critics, a number of whom were protesting this week, have said that the billionaires, known for wielding influence in politics through dark money, have too much say in the school’s decision-making, and infringed on professors’ right to academic freedom.

Students at George Mason University, who also staged protests, are demanding to know what departments and programs received portions of the $24 million donated by Koch organizations since 2005. That sum makes George Mason the largest recipient of Koch donations of any university by far, accounting for nearly half of the total funding.

Though the George Mason president has said the university doesn’t allow donors to sway critical decisions, Inside HigherEd reports that the students there say they deserve proof.

Donations from Koch-backed foundations have been increasingly scrutinized since 2011, when officials at Florida State University revealed that a 2008 donation supporting the economics department also created a donor-approved advisory board that could veto a hiring decision.

Other colleges reporting “UnKoch My Campus” student protests include Florida State and Michigan State universities.

College officials can always reject a donation if they feel the gift wouldn’t fit with academic programs on campus, or if they come with uncomfortable strings attached. But so far no school has publicly turned down a Koch gift.
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