COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University trustees have posthumously revoked the emeritus status of a team doctor found to have sexually abused young men during his two decades there.
The decision Friday regarding Richard Strauss is a symbolic rebuke, stripping only the honorary label — something the university says it has never previously done.
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A law firm investigating allegations recently concluded Strauss sexually abused at least 177 male students between 1979 and 1997, and that university officials heard concerns but did little to stop him.
President Michael Drake announced Friday that Ohio State is creating a task force to use the findings to help address sexual abuse and prevention on college campuses. Drake says the panel will include experts and abuse survivors.
Strauss retired in 1998 and killed himself in 2005. No one has publicly defended him.
