Why Won’t Ohio State Pay for Richard Strauss’s Sexual Assault Scandal?

Ohio State University (OSU), one of the nation’s largest public universities, remains mired in controversy over its handling of sexual abuse committed by Dr. Richard Strauss, the former team doctor accused of assaulting hundreds of student-athletes from the late 1970s through the 1990s. Despite overwhelming evidence and mounting public pressure, OSU has refused to settle lawsuits filed by survivors, prolonging their struggle for justice.

The HBO Max documentary Disgraced: The Trial of Richard Strauss has reignited national attention, exposing not only Strauss’s horrific abuse but also the systemic institutional failures that allowed it to continue for nearly two decades. Survivors detail the trauma endured and the university’s decades-long pattern of minimizing complaints and protecting its reputation at the expense of student safety.

Jim Jordan’s Controversial Role

The scandal extends beyond OSU’s administrative leadership into political territory. Congressman Jim Jordan, a former Ohio State wrestling coach during much of the period when Strauss’s abuse occurred, has faced intense scrutiny and criticism. Multiple survivors allege that Jordan was aware of the abuse and failed to act, though he has consistently denied any knowledge or involvement.

Jordan’s political prominence has complicated public discourse around the case. As a powerful figure in Washington, D.C., and a vocal advocate for conservative causes, his perceived silence has been deeply troubling to survivors and advocates demanding accountability. His defenders argue there is no concrete evidence implicating him, but the HBO Max documentary highlights survivor testimonies suggesting a culture of silence in which even coaching staff ignored or dismissed warning signs.

A Legacy of Silence and Denial at OSU

For decades, reports of abuse by Strauss were reportedly ignored or covered up by OSU’s leadership, including athletic department officials who prioritized winning and prestige. The university’s initial responses to allegations frequently minimized their severity or shifted blame to victims. Internal investigations confirmed a pattern of institutional failure.

The HBO Max documentary illuminates the depth of the trauma endured by survivors and the barriers they faced coming forward. Yet OSU has largely resisted accountability, focusing instead on legal defenses to avoid costly settlements.

Why Won’t Ohio State Pay?

Ohio State’s refusal to settle represents more than a legal strategy; it reveals the university’s ongoing struggle to accept responsibility. The potential financial liability could reach hundreds of millions of dollars given the scale of abuse. OSU appears to prioritize protecting its finances and reputation over providing restitution to survivors.

Observers suggest OSU’s delay tactics aim to exhaust plaintiffs, hoping some will drop their claims due to frustration or financial hardship. Meanwhile, funds are directed toward legal defenses rather than survivor support or institutional reform.

Broader Implications for College Athletics and Accountability

The Strauss case is a microcosm of a larger crisis in college sports, where institutions often enable abuse by valuing athletic success over student safety. The HBO Max documentary is a stark call for systemic reforms, transparency, and survivor-centered justice.

While OSU has taken some steps toward reform, survivors and advocates insist that without financial restitution and full acknowledgment of institutional failures, healing remains out of reach.

The Continuing Fight for Justice 

Survivors continue their fight for justice amid increasing public scrutiny. Ohio State’s refusal to settle is a challenge to its integrity and public trust. The involvement of figures like Jim Jordan adds complexity and underscores the intertwined nature of institutional and political accountability.

As awareness grows, pressure mounts on OSU and universities nationwide to reform policies, support survivors, and confront past abuses honestly. Disgraced: The Trial of Richard Strauss is a sobering reminder that silence and denial only deepen wounds—and that justice, though delayed, must ultimately be delivered.

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Sources:

• Disgraced: The Trial of Richard Strauss, HBO Max, 2025

• Investigative reporting from The Columbus Dispatch

• Legal filings in the Strauss lawsuits

• Public statements and congressional records concerning Jim Jordan

• Official Ohio State University communications

Universities Eliminate DEI Programs Amid Political and Financial Pressures

In a sweeping trend across the United States, numerous public universities are dismantling their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices and programs in response to mounting political and financial pressures. Republican-led state legislatures have spearheaded efforts to defund or outlaw DEI initiatives, leading to widespread changes in higher education institutions that once championed diversity-related policies.

Texas: University of Texas at Austin

One of the most high-profile cases is the University of Texas at Austin, which eliminated its DEI initiatives to comply with Texas Senate Bill 17. The law, which went into effect in 2024, prohibits public colleges from requiring DEI training and workshops, resulting in the dismissal of approximately 60 DEI staff members.

Alabama: University of Alabama System

Similarly, in July 2024, the University of Alabama System—comprising its flagship Tuscaloosa campus, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville—closed its DEI offices. The move was made in response to new legislation banning public institutions from maintaining DEI-related offices and programs.

North Carolina: University of North Carolina System

The University of North Carolina system's Board of Governors took a similar approach, eliminating DEI officers across all campuses. This action aligns with a broader Republican effort in the state to curb diversity-focused programs at taxpayer-funded institutions.

Virginia: University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia’s universities have also fallen in line with state directives to eliminate race-based initiatives. Both the University of Virginia (UVA) and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) dissolved their DEI offices following pressure from the state’s Secretary of Education, who emphasized that taxpayer funds should not be used to support such programs.

Ohio: Ohio State University

Ohio State University announced it would dissolve all DEI offices and programs after facing political pressure from both federal and state lawmakers. The move marks a significant shift for one of the nation's largest public universities, which had previously invested heavily in diversity initiatives.

Michigan: University of Michigan

The University of Michigan has announced major changes to its DEI initiatives. Based on input from stakeholders and recent federal actions, the university has decided to:

• Close the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) and the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion (OHEI). Student-facing services in ODEI will shift to other offices focused on student access and opportunity.

• Discontinue the DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan, along with related programming, progress reporting, training, and funding. DEI leads within schools and colleges will return to their core responsibilities.

• Require all units to update their web presence to reflect current programmatic directions and comply with federal executive orders and guidance.

• End the use of diversity statements in faculty hiring across the university and prohibit DEI-related statements in admissions, hiring, promotion, awards, and performance evaluations.

• Conduct an expedited review by the Office of the General Counsel to ensure all policies and programs comply with federal law and guidance.

Utah: University of Utah and Weber State University

In Utah, the University of Utah and Weber State University not only eliminated DEI offices but also shut down cultural resource centers that catered to Black students, LGBTQ students, and women. These closures further underscore the broad pushback against DEI efforts in public institutions.

Wyoming: University of Wyoming

The University of Wyoming eliminated its DEI office as part of a state-mandated funding cut for diversity programs, marking another instance of legislative intervention in public higher education.

The National Landscape

These eliminations are part of a broader national movement driven by Republican-controlled legislatures seeking to dismantle what they see as ideologically driven DEI programs. Opponents argue that DEI initiatives promote exclusion rather than inclusion, while supporters claim that the rollback threatens progress toward a more equitable educational environment.

Adding to this nationwide shift, last Thursday, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision allowing the enforcement of two related executive orders: Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity and Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.

That same day, another executive order, Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities, directed the Secretary of Education to take steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and demanded further scrutiny of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Last month, the Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague Letter that interprets the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision striking down race-based affirmative action in college admissions to apply to other university policies and programs beyond admissions decisions.

As universities grapple with these changes, the long-term impact on campus culture, faculty hiring, and student support services remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that the battle over DEI in higher education is far from over.

At Ohio universities, trustees are in charge, and students are customers (Ohio Senate Republicans)

 

Mental Health: What Happens When Big 10 Grads Think "College is Bullsh*t"?

Pictures speak louder than words. And emotions move people more than rationality.  And the harsh words that Mike Newman (aka Ekim Namwen) speaks in his video "college is bullsh*t" express the anger and depression of a 30-something year old Ohio State graduate who gets it.  While Newman's work is thoughtful and original, the emotions are common in many once-aspiring graduates from state flagship universities who never quite get ahead.

If you can deal with the critical tone and the emotions expressed in this video, it's well worth looking at it from start to finish. If not, start looking at it from 28:30. Newmans's intent has been to finish a serious decade-long documentary on higher education, but two recent suicides at OSU led him to speak out against the madness of higher education: its outrageous costs, its greedy anti-labor administration, and its uncaring bureaucracy.

The College Meltdown has been going on for more than a decade, and things are getting worse. Books critical of higher education could fill a book case or two. That's admirable. And of course, there are some great exceptions amid the meltdown, such as free community college, and potential free market innovations such as TuitionFit, but the general direction of US higher education is downward.

The current reality is that millions of Americans are traumatized and silently suffering. Many Americans regret borrowing so much money to get the college degree they obtained, if they got a degree at all. The average family holds about $47,000 in student loan debt. And aside from a few student debt groups (like the Debt Collective and I Am Ai) and a few adjunct groups, there is very little resistance. Calls for change are met by other calls (by the rich and powerful) to abandon the dreams of higher education.

We can't blame the problems of higher ed just on higher education. US inequality has been increasing for a half century, and it displays itself across society, from "savage inequalities" in the college pipeline to how end of life is medicalized and made so expensive, at the expense of state and federal budgets.

But there has to be some recognition of the damage that has been done by business minded college administrators and college boards, by the madness of crushing student loan debt and underemployment, and the system that turns almost everything good into sh*t.

Related link: "Crapademia"​ and the Mis-overeducation of America
Related link: Education is a Racket (2016)