While most students would be delighted their university is receiving upwards of a quarter of a billion dollars to develop and innovate a school dedicated toward computing in the 21st century, a small group of students at one of the leading research universities is speaking out against a massive philanthropic donation at their school, largely because the donor has ties to prominent Republicans.
Last week, a small group of students and faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published an open letter of protest in the school newspaper decrying the school’s decision to accept a $350 million donation from Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of private equity firm The Blackstone Group, to establish the Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing at MIT.
In their letter, the students complain that MIT is flouting its own dedication to ethics by allowing Schwarzman to become part of the school, and they cite his friendship and donations to President Trump as being among the many factors that should disqualify him from promoting scholarship with MIT.
“However, the MIT administration’s conduct has been anything but ‘ethical.’ First, there is MIT’s willingness to accept Schwarzman’s money, for which it has already been criticized,” the students write. “Concerns about Schwarzman are far ranging, from being an advisor to Donald Trump to heading the Blackstone Group that spent millions opposing an affordable housing ballot measure in California.”
In addition to Schwarzman’s ties to Trump, the students also alleged that MIT is promoting war crimes by inviting former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to speak at the opening of the college later this month. According to their letter, Kissinger’s involvement in both the Vietnam War as well as later bombing campaigns in Asia qualifies him as a war criminal who can never be honored for his public service.
“But how can we celebrate a college claiming to lead ethical, thoughtful research when war criminals such as Kissinger are invited to speak?” the letter reads. “When the college is funded by the CEO of a company that accepts billions of dollars made by waging devastating wars on civilians?”
Regardless of whatever protests the school may endure by accepting Schwarzman’s $350 million donation, it is safe to say that the school will not be returning his money any time soon.
John Patrick (@john_pat_rick) is a graduate of Canisius College and Georgia Southern University. He interned for Red Alert Politics during the summer of 2012 and has continued to contribute regularly.
