Faculty members at prominent universities are facing scrutiny over their ties to Jeffrey Epstein, following the US Justice Department's release of 3 million new documents related to the late sex trafficker. The emails have implicated several professors and university administrators, sparking outrage among students, alumni, and colleagues. At the School of Visual Arts in New York, for example, flyers appeared on campus bulletin boards declaring "ONE OF YOUR TEACHERS IS IN THE FILES" after emails between Epstein and David A. Ross, the school's MFA Art Practice program chair, were made public.
Ross had exchanged emails with Epstein in 2009, more than a year after Epstein pleaded guilty to solicitation of prostitution and procurement of minors. In one exchange, Epstein proposed an art exhibition featuring "girls and boys ages 14 - 25" and Ross replied, "You are incredible. This would be a very powerful and freaky book." Ross has since resigned his position, stating that he met Epstein in the 1990s as a "wealthy patron and collector" and believed his account of his Florida conviction was a "political frame-up." However, he acknowledged reaching out to Epstein in support during his later investigation was "a terrible mistake of judgment."
Similar controversies have emerged at other institutions, including UCLA, where associate adjunct professor Mark Tramo has faced calls for termination over his emails to Epstein. A petition has drawn over 10,000 signatures, and his classes are now being held remotely. Tramo's emails, which included a postscript about newborns' responses to their mothers' voices and a forwarded email from students that Epstein responded to with "are either of these cute," have been widely interpreted in the context of Epstein's pedophilia. Tramo has explained that the emails were part of ongoing conversations with philanthropists about funding proposals for research and clinical trials.
The turmoil over these interactions has raised questions about the financial ethics of US academia, with many criticizing the willingness of faculty members to cultivate relationships with wealthy donors like Epstein. As one SVA student noted, the Epstein-Ross correspondence is "emblematic of things wrong with the art world and higher education as a whole," which are "saturated with people with money and connections." The student believes that "the true extent of [Epstein's] influence is much larger than what we can read in the files," highlighting the need for greater transparency and accountability in academia.
