Ohio State University's interim dean Trevor Brown halted the review of hundreds of requests to rename buildings that bear billionaire and university megadonor Les Wexner's name.
Brown, the former dean of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs who was appointed interim dean when Ravi Bellamkonda was named Ohio State president, wrote a letter to the committee explaining his decision Friday. The university's Standing Advisory Committee for the Review of University Space and Entity Names wanted to conduct a full review of more than 500 requests to rename the buildings.
Brown's decision means the committee will not issue a full recommendation to Bellamkonda.
Brown was given this responsibility despite serving under Wexner on the Wexner Center for the Arts Foundation's Board of Trustees as an ex-officio, or non-voting member. Brown is on this board because he is Ohio State's acting provost.
Ohio State spokesperson Ben Johnson told WOSU university policy requires the provost to determine whether the renaming committee moves forward with a full review and to come up with a final recommendation. When asked, Johnson didn't say whether there is a policy or procedure to determine conflicts of interest in these cases that would require the removal of the provost from this kind of decision.
"That's the structure of the university, so that's been true of every provost for as long as this structure has been in place," Johnson said.
Johnson explained that the foundation's board that Wexner and Brown are part of is not a governance board, but the center's director does report to the provost.
These renaming requests began flooding into the university as Wexner faced increased scrutiny for his well-documented friendship and business relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Several buildings bear Wexner's name, including the entire Wexner Medical Center hospital system, the Leslie Wexner Sports Complex at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and the Wexner Center for the Arts, which Wexner named after his father.
Epstein's COUQ Foundation cut the check to put Wexner's name on the sports complex as a birthday gift on behalf of Wexner's wife, Abigail Wexner. Nationwide Children's Hospital also faced calls to remove Abigail Wexner's name from buildings on the hospital's campus.
Les Wexner has repeatedly claimed he wasn't aware of Epstein's wrongdoing and that he cut ties with Epstein. Documents showed Les Wexner continued to communicate with Epstein after he was charged.
The Epstein files showed federal law enforcement investigated Les Wexner as a co-conspirator to Epstein, but he was never charged with any crime.
Congressional Democrats subpoenaed Les Wexner to be questioned about Epstein and conducted the interview at his New Albany mansion.
Earlier this year, Les Wexner appeared in public and stepped down from his role on the Wexner Medical Center Board of Trustees. During that meeting, members praised Les Wexner and suggested Cannon Drive should be renamed in his honor.
While Ohio State is refraining from rebuking Wexner, a flood of politicians from across the political spectrum chose to donate campaign contributions given by Les Wexner to charities benefitting sex trafficking victims.
Earlier this year, the committee concluded a similar process for requests to rename Ohio State's Thompson Library. Groups requested the removal of former Ohio State President William Oxley Thompson's name, alleging he was instrumental to racial segregation in Columbus City Schools and segregation in Ohio State student housing.
Since the committee was able to make a recommendation in Thompson's case, the ultimate decision was left to Bellamkonda. Both Bellamkonda and the committee decided not to rename the space.
In Brown's letter, he wrote that he concluded the review shouldn't move forward, stating he doesn't have the same constraints as the committee and may consider the broader context and availability of additional evidence.
"Your report correctly highlights the guidance that 'names of spaces and entities are not and should not be changed lightly,' and that the case for removal must be compelling, based on substantial evidence of misconduct or other inappropriate behavior," Brown wrote. "Like others for whom many of our buildings have been named, the Wexners are prominent community members and generous supporters of the university and its mission. For this reason, the procedure has a high bar for removing a name."
Before a full review, the committee could only consider evidence and information provided in the hundreds of requests to decide whether a full review should move forward.
"Mr. Wexner has denied these allegations, including under oath, and if I were to ask the committee to conduct further review, you would be in the nearly impossible position of searching for substantial evidence of misconduct where law enforcement entities, Congressional committees and international media outlets have not discovered such evidence," Brown wrote.
After this, Brown claimed the body was never meant to be an investigatory body like a law enforcement or auditing agency.
Brown said the committee could reopen and continue its review if new evidence comes to light.
When telling Brown that the committee wished to conduct a full review, it stated that such a move shouldn't be considered a conclusion on the allegations merit or lack thereof.
The committee wrote that it wanted to consider three of nine allegations against Wexner. Those three allegations included Wexner’s relationship with Epstein; Wexner’s alleged personal sexual misconduct; and alleged abusive employment practices at Wexner’s businesses.
The committee did not want to review other allegations brought up in the renaming request, including:
- Alleged coordination with the Epstein Foundation regarding the naming of the Les Wexner Football Complex.
- Alleged improper marketing and manufacturing practices at Wexner’s businesses.
- Alleged improper behavior by Wexner during his time on the OSU Board.
- Alleged concerns related to Wexner’s transparency about Dr. Richard Strauss' sexual abuse of students athletes at OSU
- Alleged misconduct related to Mr. Wexner’s speech and political activity, including allegations related to lobbying efforts.
- And various additional alleged forms of misconduct, including alleged misconduct regarding the death of Mr. Wexner’s former attorney; alleged “cannibalism, extortion”; allegedly “being involved in the payments of a doctor (still on OSU payroll) who works primarily in women’s health care”; allegedly being a “lascivious presence around campus” in the 1970s; and allegedly owning “a plane company which was caught smuggling drugs into Ohio in the 90s.”
The committee said the renaming requests came with 6,000 pages of documentation.
Les Wexner still faces ongoing civil lawsuits from Epstein's victims.
