Ever since the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s financial relationship with convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein have surfaced, university president L. Rafael Reif has tried to defend the university’s relationship. In an open letter published on Sept. 12, Reif said that if the university was aware of the extent of Epstein’s actions, they would not have taken his money.
“I am aware that we could and should have asked more questions about Jeffrey Epstein and about his interactions with Joi [Ito],” Reif wrote. “We did not see through the limited facts we had, and we did not take time to understand the gravity of Epstein’s offenses or the harm to his young victims. I take responsibility for those errors.”
Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung said she has found Reif’s claim dubious. According to Leung, in 2012, Epstein’s sexual misconduct was already documented and not difficult to discover.
“We knew a lot back in 2012,” Leung said during an interview with Boston Public Radio on Wednesday. “We knew he had pleaded guilty to two counts of prostitution, including one of a minor. We knew that when he got out of jail, there were more than a dozen civil lawsuits from women who claimed Epstein molested them when they were underage.”
Leung believes the university acted unethically when it took Epstein’s money, and called on them to hold themselves to a higher standard.
“This is not a podunk university. They have really smart, sophisticated people there. They should know enough not to take his money,” Leung said.
