Key facts
- An investigation into Interlochen Center for the Arts revealed 70 accounts of sexual misconduct by 47 faculty and staff members.
- Two alumni reported sexual conduct by major donor Jeffrey Epstein.
- The alleged misconduct occurred from the 1950s through the 2010s.
- Interlochen has provided names of accused individuals to Grand Traverse County authorities.
- The school's president and board chair issued an apology for past harm.
An investigation into the Interlochen Center for the Arts, a prestigious Michigan fine arts school, has uncovered "devastating" reports of sexual misconduct by faculty and staff, as well as allegations against major donor Jeffrey Epstein. The law firm Sanghavi Law Office collected 70 accounts from alumni detailing alleged "physical conduct of a sexual nature" by 47 affiliated individuals between the 1950s and 2010s, with most incidents occurring before 2000.
Two women who attended Interlochen reported sexual conduct by Epstein, who was a camper in 1967 and donated over $400,000 to the school between 1990 and 2003. One alumna stated Epstein "brushed against her body 'over her clothes, in a manner in which he indicated was accidental'" and paid for her to visit him in New York. Another reported that Epstein may have asked her to remove her top during a massage at his home.
Interlochen has provided the names of those accused of misconduct to Grand Traverse County authorities for potential action. The school's president, Trey Davey, and board chair, Barrett Rollins, issued a letter to the community apologizing for the harm experienced by alumni. They acknowledged that while most incidents occurred decades ago and reports have decreased significantly in recent years, the passage of time does not diminish the experiences of those affected. They emphasized that Interlochen today has comprehensive safety policies and a changed culture, fundamentally differing from the institution described in the report.