Survivors and protestors of Richard Strauss hold signs during Thursday’s University Board of Trustees meeting. Credit: Daniel Bush | Campus Photo Editor
The Ohio State Board of Trustees adjourned its Thursday afternoon meeting in the presence of survivors of Dr. Richard Strauss, who were protesting.
The meeting was scheduled to run from 1 to 2 p.m. but ended after 30 minutes. Instead of voting on each issue, the board unanimously voted once on 27 issues — including two degree revocations and approving medical staff bylaw amendments — and again on faculty personnel actions due to a conflict of interest.
Strauss was an athletic team doctor for men’s sports and a physician at the Student Health Center from 1978-98, per prior Lantern reporting. Throughout his time at the university, Strauss sexually abused at least 177 male student-patients, with university officials aware of the abuse as early as 1979. Strauss died by suicide in 2005.
Steve Snyder-Hill, a survivor of Strauss’ abuse, has an active lawsuit against Ohio State over how the university handled the abuse. Snyder-Hill also claimed that John W. Zeiger, chair of the board whose family firm represents Lex Wexner, is advising Wexner to evade service of a subpoena. Wexner was on the board during Strauss’ tenure at the university and is the current chairman of the Wexner Medical Center Board.
The plaintiff’s lawyers involved in the Strauss lawsuit sent a subpoena to Wexner’s attorney’s, which they denied over email. Matthew Zeiger, an attorney for Wexner, said in a letter that he “has no reason to believe the university has identified him as a witness and otherwise do not believe he has any personal information relevant to the claims or defenses,” according to the Columbus Dispatch.
The plaintiff’s attorneys replied to the letter, stating that Wexner may have interacted with Strauss or those he abused during Wexner’s time on the board and being a top donor, per the Dispatch.
“He’s just not letting them serve him the subpoena, and the person that is advising him is on the board of trustees. It just seems gross,” Snyder-Hill said.
Survivors and protestors attended the meeting wearing shirts that read “sexual assault survivors are no longer allowed to speak to the board.”
John Zeiger was not available for comment after the board meeting.
Before the meeting Snyder-Hill said Ben Johnson, a university spokesperson, told the protestors only those who have settled can speak to the board.
“What he didn’t say was, we were disinvited. He said only people who have settled are welcome to speak to the board,” Snyder-Hill said. “He said, ‘We want to welcome the people who have settled to speak to the board.’ What he didn’t say was, ‘In that settlement, you had to agree that you weren’t going to speak disparagingly about him from 2018 on.’”
When asked about if the survivors were uninvited, Johnson said in an email there needs to be prior permission to speak.
“Meetings don’t include an open comment period. Individuals interested in speaking ask beforehand,” Johnson said.
Johnson also said that survivors who are in active litigation are “welcome to share information with the university” if it follows the parameters of the current legal process.
“Since 2018, Ohio State has reached settlement agreements with more than half of the plaintiffs, 296 survivors, for more than $60 million. All male students who filed lawsuits have been offered the opportunity to settle,” Johnson said.
Ohio State has also continued to cover the cost of counseling services and other medical treatment for survivors, Johnson said.
The protestors and survivors stood in silence with signs asking where Wexner was, including photos of him with Jefferey Epstein, a former financial manager for Wexner and convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019.
“The reason that we are out here, the reason that we do this, [is] because we are you, we’re students. They will do the same thing to you,” Snyder-Hill said.
