Director of MIT’s Media Lab Resigns over Money Ties

 

Some famous universities are dealing¹ with reports about their financial ties to businessman and convicted sex offender² Jeffrey Epstein.

The president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, has ordered an independent investigation³ into financing of MIT’s Media Lab. The order comes after the head of the laboratory resigned over its ties to Epstein.

Separately, other universities that accepted his money say they have no plans to return the donations.

The issue of questionable⁴ donations has sent shockwaves through the world of education. It shows the problems educators face as they decide whether to accept money from people accused of wrongdoing.

Jeffrey Epstein was a wealth manager who was seen with the rich, famous and powerful people. He owned a private island in the Caribbean, homes in Paris and New York City and a New Mexico farm.

Epstein was arrested in July on federal sex-trafficking charges. His arrest brought new attention to old claims that he had sexually abused women and girls. He killed himself in jail last month while awaiting his trial.

For three years, Joi Ito served as director of the MIT Media Lab. He resigned from both the lab and from his position as a professor, the school’s president announced on Saturday.

The resignation came a day after The New Yorker reported that the media lab had a bigger fundraising relationship with Epstein than it had admitted earlier. The magazine also said the media lab tried to cover up the nature of the relationship.

In Rhode Island, Brown University announced on Monday that it has placed Peter Cohen, a fundraising director, on leave. This followed a report that Cohen helped cover up Epstein’s connections when he was working at the MIT Lab.

A Brown spokesman also said the university did not receive donations from Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein University Donations

MIT was not the only school to receive money from the businessman over the years. He donated tens of millions of dollars to Harvard University and other causes. It made him popular with some professors and scientists. Yet he himself never finished college.

Harvard says it already spent $6.5 million that Epstein donated in 2003. That was before he admitted in court to soliciting⁶ a minor⁷ for prostitution. The University of Arizona and the University of British Columbia in Canada have said they are not returning the tens of thousands of dollars they received years ago. They said the money came from charitable groups Epstein operated, and they did not know the connection to him at the time.

Ohio State University has not said what will come of the money it received from Epstein, including the $2.5 million he donated in 2007.

MIT Media Lab connection

In a letter on Saturday, MIT President Rafael Reif called the claims in The New Yorker “deeply disturbing.” He said the university is asking lawyers to investigate.

Last month, Reif reported that MIT accepted about $800,000 from Epstein over 20 years.

The New Yorker reports that the businessman helped to arrange at least $7.5 million in donations. That includes $2 million from Microsoft founder⁸ Bill Gates and $5.5 million from investor⁹ Leon Black.

MIT listed Epstein as “disqualified’ in its donor¹⁰ database. However, the Media Lab continued taking gifts from him and marked his donations as anonymous¹¹, The New Yorker reported.

Last week, Ito said that Epstein gave him $525,000 for the Media Lab and another $1.2 million for his own investment funds.

Epstein’s arrest on July 6 fueled national attention in his case. Many people criticized the 2008 deal that enabled him to avoid more serious federal charges.

Critics question why university professors and other officials would take money from someone like Epstein.

“Like politicians, higher education leaders are addicted¹² to money from big donors,” wrote Larry Edelman in The Boston Globe. “New labs, dorms, and performing arts centers aren’t cheap.”

I’m Anne Ball.

Words in This Story

convict - v. to be found guilty of a crime in a court of law

fundraising – n. the organized activity of raising funds (as for an institution or political cause) —often used before another noun

solicit⁵ – v. to ask for (something, such as money or help) from people, companies

prostitution – n. the work of a prostitute : the act of having sex in exchange for money

disturb – v. to worry or upset (someone)

arrange – v. to organize the details of something before it happens : to plan (something)

disqualify – v. to stop or prevent (someone) from doing, having, or being a part of something

anonymous – adj. not named or identified

dorm – n. informal of dormitory (a building on a school campus that has rooms where students can live)

cheap – adj. not costing a lot of money

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 offender   

n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者

参考例句：

• They all sued out a pardon for an offender.他们请求法院赦免一名罪犯。
• The authorities often know that sex offenders will attack again when they are released.当局一般都知道性犯罪者在获释后往往会再次犯案。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

5 solicit   

vi.勾引；乞求；vt.请求，乞求；招揽(生意)

参考例句：

• Beggars are not allowed to solicit in public places.乞丐不得在公共场所乞讨。
• We should often solicit opinions from the masses.我们应该经常征求群众意见。

6 soliciting   

v.恳求( solicit的现在分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求

参考例句：

• A prostitute was soliciting on the street. 一名妓女正在街上拉客。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• China Daily is soliciting subscriptions. 《中国日报》正在征求订户。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

8 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

9 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

10 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

11 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

12 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。