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A2 us news
Tuesday 10 sepTember 2019
MIT scandal highlights thorny ethics of university donations

By COLLIN BINKLEY been crafting policies to
AP Education Writer guide them when concerns
BOSTON (AP) — While MIT about donors arise, said
grapples with new allega- Henry Stoever, president
tions about its financial ties and CEO of the Associa-
to Jeffrey Epstein, other uni- tion of Governing Boards of
versities that accepted do- Universities and Colleges.
nations from the disgraced Different colleges have dif-
financier say they have no ferent appetites for risk, he
plans to return the money. said, but ultimately the top
The turmoil at MIT has sent priority is the school’s repu-
shockwaves through the tation. At MIT, it appears
world of education and there was a breakdown
highlights the challenges in the system for evaluat-
universities face as they ing donors. According to
screen potential donors The New Yorker, the Media
and decide whether to Lab continued to accept
keep money that’s tainted money from Epstein even
by its benefactor’s mis- after the university labeled
deeds. In this April 3, 2017 file photo, students walk past the “Great Dome” atop Building 10 on the him as a “disqualified” do-
Epstein was arrested in July Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus in Cambridge, Mass. nor. MIT says Media Lab di-
on federal sex-trafficking Associated Press rector Joi Ito resigned Sat-
charges, drawing new stein charity in 2011. Institute of Technology had deal that required him to urday. Ito, who was also a
attention to old allega- Ohio State University has a more extensive fundrais- serve 13 months in jail and visiting professor at Harvard
tions that he had sexually not said what will come ing relationship with Epstein register as a sex offender. Law School, also resigned
abused women and girls. of its funding from Epstein, than it previously acknowl- “The crimes Mr. Epstein was from that position.
He killed himself in jail in Au- including $2.5 million do- edged and tried to con- convicted of, and the later Reif’s message on Satur-
gust while awaiting trial. nated in 2007. The school ceal the extent of the rela- accusations, are abhorrent day said the acceptance
Harvard University says it announced a review of the tionship. and the university would of Epstein’s gifts “involved
already spent $6.5 million gifts in July but declined to The allegations, first re- not have accepted the a mistake of judgment.”
that Epstein donated in provide an update Mon- ported Friday by The New donation in 2011 if it had He added that the school
2003. The University of Ari- day. Yorker, spurred MIT’s presi- been aware of a link be- is assessing how to improve
zona says it isn’t returning Epstein’s ties to academia dent to bring in an outside tween him and Enhanced policies and prevent similar
$50,000 it received in 2017. are coming under renewed law firm to investigate. In a Education,” Kurt Heinrich, a mistakes in the future.
The University of British Co- scrutiny amid allegations letter to campus Saturday, university spokesman, said Among other allegations,
lumbia is not giving back that a prestigious research President Rafael Reif called in a statement. The New Yorker reported
$25,000 it got from an Ep- lab at the Massachusetts the accusations “deeply Harvard has refused to dis- that Epstein arranged at
disturbing” and “extremely close exactly how much it least $7.5 million from oth-
serious.” received from Epstein but er wealthy donors to the
Reif previously announced says the largest gift was MIT Media Lab, including
that MIT had received $6.5 million, given to the $2 million that he claimed
about $800,000 from Ep- school’s Program for Evo- to solicit from Bill Gates. A
stein over two decades lutionary Dynamics in 2003. Gates representative on
and would donate the A Harvard spokesman said Monday said the money
same amount to a charity the school did not receive given directly to the uni-
that benefits victims of sex- any gifts from Epstein after versity in 2014 wasn’t dedi-
ual abuse. 2007. cated to the program that
Other schools have said Disputes over tainted mon- Epstein was fundraising for,
they didn’t even know ey are common at univer- and Gates’ office wasn’t
donations they received sities and other nonprofits aware of any discussions
came from Epstein. His that rely on philanthropy, between the lab and Ep-
$50,000 to the University experts say. Many schools stein about the tech billion-
of Arizona to pay for a sci- appoint ethics boards to aire’s grant.
ence conference came screen donors, but there At Brown University, a fund-
through a charity he oper- are no hard rules when it raising director was placed
ated, Gratitude America, comes to deciding wheth- on administrative leave
Ltd. School officials said er to accept a gift. following a report that ac-
they were unaware of his “Universities have to deter- cused him of helping cover
ties to the charity at the mine for themselves what is up Epstein’s connections to
time. or is not acceptable,” said the MIT Media Lab. Brown
Epstein’s $25,000 to the Uni- Leslie Lenkowsky, a profes- spokesman Brian Clark told
versity of British Columbia sor emeritus at Indiana Uni- The Providence Journal
came through another of versity who specializes in Sunday that Peter Cohen,
his foundations, Enhanced philanthropy. “There are no director of development
Education. The school says clear standards.” for computer and data sci-
none of the gift’s docu- Some nonprofit leaders err ence, is on leave pending
mentation, “nor the univer- on the side of caution, Len- a review. Clark said Brown
sity’s due diligence,” indi- kowsky said, while some hasn’t received donations
cated a link to Epstein, who believe that even “tainted” from Epstein. Cohen did
pleaded guilty in 2008 to figures deserve a chance not respond to a phone
soliciting a minor for pros- at redemption. call seeking comment
titution in Florida under a More universities have Monday.q