Ohio State University President Ted Carter Jr. opened Thursday’s brief, 10-minute Board of Trustees meeting with a statement about the university’s association with Ohio billionaire and mega donor Les Wexner.
Wexner, who was deposed by members of Congress in February due to his financial and personal relationship with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, holds close ties with Ohio State. Carter said the university respects the rights of students, faculty and staff to express their opinions and recognizes the “strongly held views on this issue.”
“I also want to recognize the extraordinary years of service that Abigail and Les Wexner have given to Ohio State,” Carter said. “We appreciate the significant impact they've made on this university, our medical center and the broader community.”
Carter said the university has well-established protocols for naming spaces, including for the reevaluation of existing names. Wexner’s name is prominently associated with the Wexner Medical Center and Wexner Center for the Arts, among other Ohio State institutions.
“Any decision to remove a name requires thoughtful consideration, and ultimately, approval by this Board of Trustees,” Carter said. “We are aware of the many requests that have been submitted and they will be carefully reviewed in line with our process. I understand some may prefer a faster resolution. Our responsibility, however, is to handle an issue of this importance with care and consistency and to ensure that we make decisions informed by our processes and the facts, not the intensity of public debate. We will continue to approach this matter deliberately and we'll keep our community informed as appropriate.”
A public records request by WOSU yielded only honorific resolutions of the Ohio State University Board of Trustees that were passed years ago.
Carter went on to recognize many recent achievements within the Ohio State community, including program rankings, research expenditures and high production of Fulbright Scholars.
John Zeiger, board chair and close friend and attorney to Wexner, closed the meeting by making a motion for the board members to vote on the 27 resolutions on the consent agenda.
After the voting roll call, the motion was carried and the meeting adjourned. Protesters representing students, members of the Ohio Nurses Association and survivors of former Ohio State team doctor Richard Strauss — who sexually abused at least 150 Ohio State athletes decades ago — attempted to engage with board members.
The board members promptly left the room and did not speak with the protesters.
Michael DiSabato, the first whistleblower to step forward in the Strauss sexual abuse case, said it was telling that Zeiger did not recognize and welcome the Strauss survivors.
“You would think that a university that's caused the trauma that they've caused both during the Strauss era, but also the eight years following the whistleblowing event in March of 2018, you would think a group of higher educators would have the decency to recognize these survivors who showed up to lend their voice to a very serious matter,” DiSabato said.
In a press release, survivors of Strauss' abuse called for the removal of Zeiger as board chair and Elizabeth Kessler as co-chair, as she is the daughter of Wexner's longtime business partner Jack Kessler, who co-founded The New Albany Company, a real estate development agency.
“So at the heart of this, you have Wexner's lawyer and his friend and business partner's daughter making the final decision to remove his name,” the press release said “Also, these are the same people who are guiding their litigation against the survivors of sexual abuse (they are in their 8th year of fighting survivors, they have already admitted to harming).”
DiSabato said that it is his understanding that the board did not allow anyone to speak at the meeting Thursday, despite prior requests from multiple groups.
“It was a 10-minute meeting,” DiSabato said. “You would think that there would be time to have a couple folks speak to the board about the issues surrounding the governance of the board, John Zeiger specifically, who is the personal attorney of Mr. Wexner, who's been accused by the federal government of being a co-conspirator to Jeffrey Epstein, who is part of a trifecta of sexual abuse scandals, including Epstein and former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries and also Dr. Richard Strauss. You would think that the Board of Trustees would want to hear from survivors and folks that are concerned about the issue.”
University spokesperson Ben Johnson said in an email that meeting length varies based on agenda and inviting speakers is up to the trustees’ discretion, as a scheduled public comment period is not included.
“Survivors have spoken to the board of trustees on five occasions, annually from 2018-2022,” Johnson said in an email. “Since 2022, we’ve encouraged individuals who remain in active litigation to share information through their legal counsel, consistent with the parameters established by the court. Individuals who have resolved their legal claims are encouraged to share their experiences and perspectives through the Office of University Compliance and Integrity.”
Among the controversy surrounding Wexner, a significant resolution was approved by the trustees at Thursday’s meeting.
A sum of $15 million has been approved to renovate two dorm towers and tear down another. Plans call for extensive updates to Taylor and Drackett Towers, including replacing plumbing and heating and redoing entry levels to make them more accessible. Jones Tower will be demolished, with work set to wrap in 2028.