Protestors gather outside the new university hospital tower on Sunday, calling for the removal of Les Wexner’s name from the building. Credit: Audrey Coleman | Managing Editor of Design
In front of the Wexner Medical Center’s new hospital tower, over 100 people called for Ohio State to remove Les Wexner’s name off the building and all others on campus.
The protest, which took place on Sunday around noon, was held by the Ohio Nurses Association and survivors of Dr. Richard Strauss during the first day the university hospital began accepting patients.?
Protesters called for the removal of Wexner’s name from university and medical buildings, addressed concerns over individuals’ ties to Jeffrey Epstein, put an emphasis on survivors over donor legacy and urged the university to take accountability and action for recent events.
Wexner, founder of L Brands and chairman of the medical center, has been under scrutiny for his longstanding ties with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He sat for a deposition Wednesday before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight Reform, during which he said he was misled by Epstein and had no knowledge of any of Epstein’s wrongdoings.
From 1978-98, Strauss sexually abused at least 177 students, mostly male athletes, during his tenure as a physician at Ohio State. He died by suicide in 2005, and Ohio State is currently in a class-action lawsuit for how it handled Strauss’ abuse.
Strauss survivors have been vocal about Ohio State refusing to remove Wexner’s name from campus buildings, namely the medical centers. Ohio State denied survivor Steve Snyder-Hill’s formal request to remove Wexner’s name. Snyder-Hill is part of the class-action lawsuit.
At the protest, Snyder-Hill said Ohio State cannot guarantee that sexual assault won’t happen on campus, but the university can swear it will take the proper steps should it reoccur.
“The only thing that they can do to assure the parents of kids that come here, their donors and the public at large, is that they can assure us that, not if it happens again, but when it happens again, that they’re going to appropriately respond,” Snyder-Hill said.
Rick Lucas, president of ONA, condemned Ohio State’s response to the name removal request.
“We are here because trust matters, we are here because safety matters and we are here because survivors matter,” Lucas said.
Marti Leitch, a medical center spokesperson, said in an email that Ohio State respects people right to free speech.
“We respect our community’s right to speak publicly about issues that are important to them, and university policies assure the right to free expression while allowing medical center business to continue without substantial disruption,” Leitch said. “The university and medical center take the demonstrators’ concerns very seriously and investigations are proceeding.”
Leitch said that Ohio State has an established process for considering renaming requests.
“Our team members are focused on safely moving more than 425 patients into our new University Hospital. This demonstration does not impact our commitment to providing excellent care for our patients,” Leitch said.
Wexner has donated nearly $200 million to Ohio State, which Lucas said is a fraction of the $6.76 billion the medical center made during 2025’s fiscal year.
“This institution, these buildings, this care is not because of Wexner,” Lucas said. “It is because of the patients and the students who show up and trust us. It is because of patients who come here for care, who rely on this institution at their most vulnerable moments of their lives, and who trust OSU to put their safety, dignity and health first.”
Lucas said ONA demands immediate action on Dr. Mark Landon who received thousands of dollars in payments from Epstein. He is an Ohio State OB-GYN and the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
“Think about that, a doctor entrusted with care of pregnant patients receiving money from a convicted sexual predator,” Lucas said. “That is deeply unsettling.”
Landon said he did not provide care for Epstein or any of his victims, per prior Lantern reporting. He said he was a paid consultant on potential biotech investments and had no knowledge of any criminal activities.
The protest drew in students, as well as faculty from the medical center and faculty members from the Ohio State chapter of the American Association of University Professors, also known as AAUP-OSU.?
Erynn Beaton, treasurer of AAUP-OSU and associate professor at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, said that Ohio State employees received a free umbrella to commemorate the opening of the new tower, which has Wexner’s name printed on it.?
“It’s a gross misuse of funds,” Beaton said. “We brought our umbrellas here, we’re crossing out the Wexner name, and we’re going to donate the umbrellas after that.”
Naomi Nathan is pursuing her master’s in social work, and attended the protest.?
“As a social worker, it’s my duty to show up and hold an institution that I go to accountable,” Nathan said. “Just personal opinion, we need to stop shielding abusers and enabling people to get away with that.”?
Another student, Eva Carns, a first-year in philosophy, politics and economics, said she believes students need to take charge and be a resounding voice for the university.?
“If the administration isn’t going to start taking care of things, students are going to have to do it,” Carns said.?
Looking long-term, the goal of ONA, AAUP and students alike is to remove Wexner’s name from campus buildings and facilities.?
“Situation number one is really removing the name,” Nathan said. “The name of a building symbolizes something. It symbolizes community support, and clearly, the community does not support.”
The removal of Wexner’s name would be more than a simple scraping off of letters, especially to those involved in the Strauss case.
“If we could ever get Wexner’s name off anything, I think that it would be a huge statement to the rest of the world that there is something that you can do about it, and that you can make a change, even though it doesn’t feel like it,” Carns said.?
The article was updated on Feb. 22 at 3:51 p.m. to add Marti Leitch’s comments.
The article was updated on Feb. 23 at 8:38 a.m. to correct Erynn Beaton’s name, her title at AAUP and to clarify that the organization is AAUP-OSU.
The article was corrected on Feb. 23 at 9:48 a.m. to correct Rick Lucas’ name.
