We are graduates of Brown University programs in Applied Mathematics, Biostatistics, Computer Science, and Mathematics, and members of related disciplines and industries, organizing to call on the University to provide details into their employment of former MIT Media Lab Peter Cohen AM'90 PhD'96. According to recent New Yorker reporting, Cohen worked for years to perpetuate and hide Jeffrey Epstein's extensive connections with the research institution. Our public letter is here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q2OhlpK4xTDDaZaFqu6lksyc8bakl9YceWCqtUqaX-EParticularly, we call for the following:
1. The University makes a public statement defining its current relationship with Peter Cohen, including his roles and responsibilities at Brown, and the donor relationships he has fostered in his time here.
2. The University terminates its working relationship with Peter Cohen, effective immediately, and makes this decision public.
3. The University commits to further transparency around its funding sources — for Data and Computer Science initiatives in particular, but also communication regarding what steps the University is taking to learn from the mistakes of the MIT Media Lab going forward.
