The Boston Globe - 19.09.2019

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 The Boston Globe Nation/Region A

Reif also spoke about what
he has heard from women on
campus, saying the Epstein con-
troversy was a “last-straw mo-
ment,’’ and to many it was the
“latest example of how many in
our community, and the tech
world in general, devalue the
lives, experiences, and contribu-
tions of women and girls.’’
“I am humbled that it took
this cascade of misjudgments
for me to truly see this persis-
tent dynamic and appreciate its
full impact. It’s now clear to me
that the culture that made pos-
sible the mistakes around Jef-
frey Epstein has prevailed for
much too long at MIT.’’
The meeting was Reif’s first
face-to-face encounter with fac-
ulty over the Epstein controver-
sy. The crowd spilled into an ex-
tra room.
Reif said MIT is doing a
broad review of how it evalu-
ates donors and whether the
university’s policies need to
change. He also acknowledged
that MIT is facing deep ques-
tions over fund-raising and
whom it should take money
from, at a time when federal
funding for research is shrink-
ing and the fortunes of private
funders are expanding.
Still, many women said
MIT’s involvement with Ep-
stein points to broader prob-
lems at the nation’s leading uni-
versity for scientific research.
The decision by MIT leaders
to court Epstein and take his
money, despite his criminal his-
tory, and then conceal the rela-
tionship is “profoundly disturb-
ing,” according to a letter read
aloud at the Wednesday meet-
ing by Heather Paxson, an an-
thropology professor, and Lisa
Parks, a comparative media
studies professor. The letter
was drafted with input from
more than 30 tenured female
faculty members and signed by
more than 60 professors by
Wednesday afternoon.
Epstein donated to MIT over
a period of 20 years, and many
of those contributions came af-
ter he was registered as a sex of-
fender following his 2008 con-
viction for soliciting a minor for
prostitution. Epstein was sen-

uMIT
Continued from Page A

tenced to a 13-month jail term

for that crime.

Epstein was found dead in

August in his jail cell at a feder-

al detention facility in Manhat-

tan, where he was being held

on new charges of sex traffick-

ing of minors.

“How can MIT’s leadership

be trusted when it appears that

child prostitution and sex traf-

ficking can be ignored in ex-

change for a financial contribu-

tion?” the letter from the female

academics reads.

The women said that too of-

ten MIT’s fund-raising efforts

sideline women and that the

Epstein controversy highlight-

ed gender equity problems. For

example, this academic year on-

ly 266 of 1,066 faculty members

are women, and only 21 are

women of color, according to

the letter. “Members of our

community have been left feel-

ing undervalued, deceived, and

unsafe,” the letter said.

But some professors on

Wednesday also defended Reif

and MIT’s leadership, arguing

that faculty and research must

befunded,anddetermining

which donors are appropriate is

a difficult task, according to a

recording of the meeting ob-

tained by The Boston Globe.

One professor argued that

while mistakes were made, MIT

did nothing illegal.

MIT has been rocked in re-

cent weeks by revelations that

Epstein donated and helped re-

cruit other big-name funders to

the university.

Much of Epstein’s entangle-

ments were centered around

MIT’s Media Lab, where its for-

mer director, Joi Ito, acknowl-

edged taking $525,000 from

the financier for university re-

search and $1.2 million for his

own venture funds.

Earlier this month, Ito re-

signed after an explosive New

Yorker article revealed that Ep-

stein was far more involved in

the Media Lab than Ito first re-

vealed and that Ito worked to

conceal Epstein’s ties.

Ito and other MIT employ-

ees wrote in e-mails that Ep-

stein had acted as an intermedi-

ary to help the Media Lab se-

cure major donations,

including $5.5 million from in-

vestor Leon Black, founder of

one of the world’s largest pri-

vate equity firms, and $2 mil-

lion from Microsoft’s Bill Gates.

Epstein also visited the Me-

dia Lab and brought young

women with him, according to

the New Yorker article.

Reif last week also acknowl-

edged that he signed a 2012 let-

ter to Epstein, thanking him for

a donation to a professor at the

school, and that senior mem-

bers of his administration ap-

proved Epstein’s gifts to the Me-

dia Lab, even though the finan-

cier was considered a

disqualified donor. Reif said

MIT officials decided to record

Epstein’s gifts as anonymous to

prevent him from using his

connections to the university to

whitewash his reputation.

He told faculty that he signs

dozens of letters and did not

recognize Epstein’s name when

he signed the letter to him.

But the fallout at MIT from

Epstein has extended beyond

the donations. Earlier this

week, Richard M. Stallman, an

MIT computer scientist and a

pioneer in the free software

movement, resigned after he

posted controversial comments

about one of Epstein’s victims,

who had testified in court docu-

ments that she was coerced into

having sex with a now-deceased

MIT professor.

Several professors at

Wednesday’s meeting called for

greater transparency about

who is donating money to MIT.

Edmund Bertschinger, an

MITphysicsprofessor,saidhe

was dismayed “that MIT took

the drastic step of accepting

money from a disqualified do-

nor.” Bertschinger said MIT

needs to explain how often this

happened with other donors.

Reif said that since he

played a role in the problem, he

feels responsible for making re-

pairs. “We need to stop looking

away from bad behavior and

start taking the time to see

what it costs us as a communi-

ty,” Reif said. “This moment of

crisis must be the moment of

reckoning — and a turn to-

wards real accountability.”

Fernandes can be reached at

[email protected].

By Simon Romero
and Dana Goldstein
NEW YORK TIMES
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In
one of the boldest state-led ef-
forts to expand access to higher
education, New Mexico has a
plan to make tuition at its pub-
lic colleges and universities free
for all state residents, regard-
less of family income.
The move comes as many
American families grapple with
the rising cost of higher educa-
tion and as discussions about
free public college gain momen-
tum in state legislatures and on
the presidential debate stage.
Nearly half of the states, includ-
ing New York, Oregon, and Ten-
nessee, have guaranteed free

two- or four-year public college

to some students. The New

Mexico proposal goes further,

promising four years of tuition

to students whose families can

afford to pay the sticker price.

The program, formally an-

nounced by Governor Michelle

Lujan Grisham Wednesday, still

requires legislative approval.

Long one of the poorest states

in the country, New Mexico

plans to use climbing revenues

from oil production to pay for

much of the costs.

Some education experts,

presidential candidates, and

policy makers consider univer-

sal free college to be a squan-

dering of scarce public dollars,

which might be better spent of-

fering more support to the

neediest students. But others

say college costs have become

toooverwhelmingandhailthe

drives toward free tuition.

“I think we’re at a watershed

moment,” said Caitlin Zaloom,

a cultural anthropologist at

New York University who has

researched the impact of col-

lege costs on families. “It used

to be that a high school degree

could allow a young adult to en-

ter into the middle class. We are

no longer in that situation. We

don’t ask people to pay for fifth

grade and we also should not

ask people to pay for sopho-

more year.”

By some measures, the tu-

ition initiative will be the most

ambitious in a growing nation-

al movement. College costs and

student debt have emerged as

major issues in the Democratic

presidential primary, with two

of the leading contenders for

the nomination — Senators

Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth

Warren — promising to make

all public colleges and universi-

ties free. Former vice president

Joe Biden has a more limited

proposal to eliminate commu-

nity college tuition.

So far, states, not the federal

government, have led the way

— sometimes out of a hope that

a more educated workforce

would improve local econo-

mies. As of 2018, 17 states had

programs promising free col-

lege to at least some students,

according to the National Con-

ference of State Legislatures.

Most of those cover tuition only

at two-year institutions.

The New Mexico program

would be open to recent gradu-

ates of high schools or high

school equivalency programs in

the state, and students must

maintain a 2.5 grade point av-

erage. In contrast to other

states, like Georgia, that have

curbed access to public colleges

by unauthorized immigrants,

New Mexico would open the

program to all residents, re-

gardless of immigration status.

FemalefacultyconfrontMITleader

InNewMexico,freecollegeforall

Planwouldpay

tuitioncostsfor

immigrants,too

FALL PLANT SALE

Don’t miss out on deeper discounts,

begins Saturday, September 20

40% off for members

30% off for nonmembers

OPEN DAILY • 10 AM-5 PM

180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA

http://www.NativePlantTrust.org

Garden in

the Woods

SHELBURNE FARM

FRESH FRUIT AND HEALTHY FAMILY FUN!

Pick Your Own

Apples, Peaches

and Asian Pears

978-897-

Shelburnefarm.com

Live Music Weekends

Warm Cider Donuts • Caramel Apples

• Farm Store • Hayrides
  Weekends: Pedal Tractors • Hay Mountain


• Mini Haymaze • Farm Animals


• Moon Bounce • Ice Cream


• Applewood Fired Grill

Just 20 miles

from Boston

10 6 W. Acton Rd., Stow, MA

Adaptive

Sports

A L L

A - B O ARD

A COMMUNITY EVENT

Tickets: http://www.spauldingallaboard.org

Sunday

September 22

11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Spaulding

Rehabilitation

Hospital

All A-Board is in memory of Lee and Oscar Miller.

All proceeds support Spaulding’s Adaptive Sports Centers, dedicated

to helping individuals of all abilities lead active, healthy lives.

Family-

Friendly

Activities

Music &

Entertain-

ment

Food From

Top Local

Restaurants

Complimentary

Beer & Wine

Free

Parking

for all ages and abilities

Get the Best o

Competitive CD rates and a

*Annual Percentage Yield (APY) as of September 12, 2019. 100 Day C

of $50,000 to earn stated APY. 6 Month CD requires a minimum bala

APY. Rates subject to change. Fees and early withdrawal penalties co

Please open at NeedhamBank.com/C

6 Month CD 100 D

2. 
   

%

APY 2

Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender

83

B t rlds

f lly insu c

ires a minimum balance

c o 1,000 to earn stated

redce earnings.

D or visit your local branch

ay CD

. 5 APY

Member SIF

-422-