Workers Push to Rename Wexner Center for the Arts Over Epstein Ties
Unionized staff at Ohio State University’s Wexner Center for the Arts have called for renaming the institution and other campus facilities named after billionaire benefactor Les Wexner, citing his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement, Wex Workers United said Wexner’s name “does a profound disservice” to artists and community members who should not feel complicit in supporting “human traffickers, rapists, and pedophiles,” and a union representative said patron complaints are affecting staff. The campaign follows protests including an April 10 action where students covered the center’s façade name with a black tarp, and a February deposition of Wexner that also prompted the Ohio Nurses Association to seek renaming of the Wexner Medical Center. OSU spokesperson Chris Booker said about 500 requests have been filed through the University Naming Review Procedure since Wexner was formally questioned, while OSU President Ted Carter emphasized that name changes require fact-finding and noted an earlier request to rename the Wexner Football Complex was rejected. Wexner, 88, has denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and has not been charged; he was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee in January after an unredacted 2019 FBI document listed him as a co-conspirator in Epstein’s child sex trafficking ring.
From This Briefing
This story was covered in Auction Fever, Museums in the Crossfire