MIT Disciplines Prof Over Jeffrey Epstein Donations but Will Let Him Keep Teaching
“has been on paid leave since January, after a series of revelations about Epstein’s financial ties to MIT and the longtime professor rocked the campus”
There are probably a lot of questionable donors to academia who we have never even heard about.
The Boston Globe reports:
MIT disciplines professor over Jeffrey Epstein donations, but will allow him to continue teaching
Calling a mechanical engineering professor’s decision to accept donations from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein “poor judgment,” MIT on Friday announced that it will limit his pay and his involvement in undergraduate advising for five years.
Seth Lloyd has been on paid leave since January, after a series of revelations about Epstein’s financial ties to MIT and the longtime professor rocked the campus and led to protests and resignations.
Lloyd will have to take professional conduct training classes before resuming campus activities, including teaching, MIT Provost Martin A. Schmidt said in an e-mail to the community on Friday.
But the discipline is unlikely to satisfy some at MIT who had called for Lloyd’s resignation and is likely to reopen one of the more embarrassing chapters in the university’s recent history.
“These steps cannot undo the harm done. Professor Lloyd’s failure to share what he knew about Epstein’s conviction when he accepted his 2012 donations was unacceptable,” Schmidt said in the e-mail. “I recognize that many in our community remain deeply disturbed by the interactions with Jeffrey Epstein and that some will be disappointed by this decision.”
According to a report commissioned by MIT earlier this year, Lloyd received $285,000 from Epstein, including a personal gift of $60,000 nearly 15 years ago that was not reported to MIT at the time.
In a statement, Lloyd said he, like many colleagues, thought that Epstein had reformed after serving jail time for an earlier conviction when he accepted a 2012 donation.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
In the Scum-Of-The-Earth Sweepstakes, college administrators come a close second to “journalists” and beat out academics by a hair. I have cut off my college and law school for committing far smaller atrocities than those committed by Northwestern.
What about Rafael Reif’s acceptance of money from Epstein after his conviction — and then not mentioning it after Epstein was arrested this time round? Is Rafael Reif going to be disciplined?
Indeed. Reif’s signature is on the document accepting a donation clearly marked as being from Epstein, well after Estein was on the prohibited donor’s list. But Reif hired a team of lawyers to investigate himself and they miraculously found no wrongdoing and collected their paycheck, so justice was served once more (with a side of smugbeans).