Ohio State Keeps Wexner Name on 3 Buildings Despite 512 Removal Requests
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Nov 6
Ohio State Keeps Wexner Name on 3 Buildings Despite 512 Removal Requests
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 6
Summary
Trevor Brown, Ohio State’s interim provost, rejected a full review that could have led to stripping Les Wexner’s name from the medical center, football complex and arts center.
Brown said Wexner has not been charged or convicted, the naming committee is not meant to act as an investigative body, and the university could revisit the issue if new evidence emerges.
The committee had received 512 requests and about 6,000 pages of supporting material tied to allegations involving Wexner and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, but only the board of trustees can remove building names.
Wexner, 89, has donated more than $200 million to Ohio State, denies knowing of Epstein’s crimes and says Epstein stole millions from him; a nurse active in protests said he was disappointed but unsurprised.
Other universities, including Harvard and Haverford, have also faced pressure to remove names linked to Epstein associates, but most have not done so.