Columbia University says dental student admitted through ‘irregular’ process tied to Epstein fundraising contacts

By Seyit Kurt

ISTANBUL (AA) - Columbia University said a past dental school admission was handled through an irregular process that overlapped with fundraising outreach to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a statement released Wednesday.

The university said newly disclosed communications included in a recent document release by the US Department of Justice showed interactions that “do not meet Columbia’s standards for integrity and independence in admissions.”

The records are part of a broader tranche of emails and materials related to Epstein that were made public by federal authorities. The university said the admission in question coincided with fundraising discussions conducted by former dental school leaders and alumni with Epstein.

Columbia did not identify the student in its statement but said the individual later graduated and has not been found responsible for any wrongdoing.

A report published Wednesday by Bloomberg detailed years of communication between people associated with Epstein and senior faculty members at Columbia’s dental school. According to that report, Epstein’s then-girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, was admitted as a transfer student in 2012 despite not having completed her degree at a dental institution in Belarus.

Columbia said the fundraising conversations were carried out by the dental school’s leadership at the time or by individuals acting on their behalf, and not under the direction of the university’s medical center or central administration.

The university added that individuals still affiliated with Columbia who were connected to the matter have been removed from administrative and volunteer leadership positions. Among them is Thomas Magnani, a Manhattan dentist and prominent fundraiser for the dental school who had communicated regularly with Epstein. Columbia said Magnani has been removed from the admissions review committee and had previously stepped down from the school’s board of advisers.