US Universities Face Protests to Remove Epstein Associates’ Names From Campus Buildings
The article reports growing protests and formal campaigns at several U.S. universities to strip the names of wealthy donors who had close ties to Jeffrey Epstein from campus buildings. At Ohio State University, union nurses, former athletes and student leaders have mounted months of demonstrations and petitions to remove billionaire Les Wexner’s name from the Wexner Medical Center, the Les Wexner Football Complex and the Wexner Center for the Arts, arguing his philanthropy is tainted by Epstein’s deep involvement in his family’s finances. At Harvard, students and faculty at the Kennedy School are seeking to rename the Leslie H. Wexner Building and Wexner‑Sunshine Lobby, while some students and alumni want the Farkas name removed from Farkas Hall because donor Andrew Farkas maintained business and personal ties to Epstein and solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars in Epstein donations for Hasty Pudding. Haverford College students recently voted to urge President Wendy Raymond to move ahead with renaming the Allison & Howard Lutnick Library; Lutnick, now U.S. commerce secretary, has faced calls to resign over his Epstein relationship, and Raymond had previously signaled reluctance to act. Supporters of renaming say universities cannot credibly champion survivor rights and institutional accountability while honoring people in Epstein’s circle, while some donors insist they did nothing improper and regret any association — a clash that is feeding a broader national debate over how far schools should go in purging the names of controversial benefactors.
📌 Key Facts
- At Ohio State University, protests by union nurses, former athletes and students have targeted multiple facilities named for Les Wexner, citing his long association with Jeffrey Epstein and Epstein’s role in Wexner family spending decisions.
- At Harvard’s Kennedy School, a March renaming request seeks to remove the Leslie H. Wexner Building and Wexner‑Sunshine Lobby names, arguing Epstein profited off Wexner and used that wealth to traffic and abuse women and children.
- Harvard’s Farkas Hall is under scrutiny because donor Andrew Farkas had a longstanding personal and business relationship with Epstein and helped secure more than $300,000 in Epstein donations to Hasty Pudding between about 2013 and 2019.
- Haverford College’s student body voted last weekend to urge President Wendy Raymond to proceed with renaming the Allison & Howard Lutnick Library; Raymond had previously said she was not yet ready to move forward.
📊 Relevant Data
Les Wexner has personally donated more than $200 million to Ohio State University, making him the largest individual donor in the university's history.
Public records show Les Wexner has personally donated more than $200 million to Ohio State — WSYX ABC 6
In the Ohio State University abuse scandal involving Dr. Richard Strauss, he abused at least 177 male students, with over 1,500 reported instances of sexual misconduct between 1979 and 1997.
Ohio State University abuse scandal — Wikipedia
26.4% of female undergraduate students and 6.8% of male undergraduate students in the US experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation.
By 2020, naming controversies related to controversial figures were documented at 165 US higher education institutions, often leading to renamings, particularly for buildings named after racists and segregationists.
The renaming of universities and campus buildings reflects changing attitudes and values — The Conversation
Jews, who comprise about 2.4% of the US population, made up nearly half (12 out of 25) of America's biggest philanthropic donors in 2022, based on Forbes calculations of who gave the most money away that year.
Half of US's 25 most generous philanthropists are Jews. Few give to Jewish groups — The Times of Israel
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