Thursday February 26th, 2026
THE LANTERN
Issue 19, Year 145.
The independent student voice of Ohio State University since 1881.
Will Les Wexner’s name be removed from Ohio State campus? Here is what university policy says Reegan Davis Lantern Reporter
O
hio State has reLantern reporting. This ceived nearly 300 request remains in the requests to review and portal to this day. remove Les Wexner’s Originally issued in name off of campus 1992, Ohio State most buildings as of Feb. 18. recently revised its reIntroduced in 2022, naming policy in 2020, Ohio State has a porbesides a few minor tal to formally submit edits after. requests to review the “If at any time the names of university university determines buildings through a that the continued namQualtrics form, Chris ing of a space or entity Booker, a university may compromise the spokesperson, said in an university’s integrity or email. reputation, the universiWexner, founder of L ty may amend or remove Brands and chairman the name, upon approval of the Wexner Medical by the president and Center, has been under Board of Trustees and public and judicial scrunotification of the donor, tiny for his longstanding if possible,” said article ties with sex offender four of the policy. Jeffrey Epstein. Here is the current So far, Ohio State has process. DANIEL BUSH | CAMPUS PHOTO EDITOR consistently rejected any After a request is attempts to remove Wex- A banner criticizing Les Wexner’s association with Ohio State was hung from the roof of the Knowlton submitted, the univerHall patio on February 18th. ner’s name off campus. sity follows a five-step In a January interview process to determine if anticipate anything there.” The Lantern. with The Lantern, Ohio a name will be modified Ohio State also denied Steve SnyThe last time people called on the State President Walter “Ted” Carter or removed, according to a university der-Hill’s request to remove Wexner’s university to remove names from said he does not have plans to remove website. name from the football complex in the campus buildings was in 2020 during Wexner’s name from campus buildWoody Hayes Athletic Center. He is the rise in the Black Lives Matter ings. an Ohio State alumnus and a plaintiff movement. “I don’t want to speculate because in a class-action lawsuit against Ohio Ohio State received a request to we don’t know what’s coming or LES WEXNER continues on State for its handling of sex abuser Dr. remove William Oxley Thompson’s what’s going to happen, right?” Carter page 2. Richard Strauss. name from the Thompson Library for said. “There is a process for any kind Snyder-Hill has since resubmitted the leading role he played in segreof name changes. So we’ll follow all gating Columbus schools, per prior the processes that we have, but I don’t his request in documents obtained by