Ten Colleges Cut Ties With Bill Cosby And Revoke His Honorary Degrees

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Brown University is the latest institution to cut ties with Bill Cosby by revoking his honorary degree which he received in 1985. Following his tumultuous scandal in which nearly 50 women have come forth with accusations of sexual abuse, the 78 year-old has divided friends, family and fans on whether the allegations were true. A 2005 deposition has since been released where Cosby admitted to purchasing Quaaludes with the intent of drugging his sex partners.

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“The conduct that Mr. Cosby has acknowledged is wholly inconsistent with the behavior we expect of any individual associated with Brown. It is particularly troubling as our university community continues to confront the very real challenges of sexual violence on our campus and in society at large,” Christina Paxson, Brown’s president said in an open letter.

Brown is the third school behind Fordham and Marquette University to rescind Cosby’s degree.

Last month, NYU removed Cosby’s name from the “Future Filmmakers Workshop”. Spelman College suspended an endowed professorship with Cosby in July. We previously reported that High Point University in North Carolina removed Cosby from its board of advisers, while Berklee College of Music in Boston and the University of Massachusetts Amherst have severed their associations. Cosby has also resigned from his position as a board of trustee of his alma mater Temple University. Our count is now 10 schools that are no longer affiliated with Cosby.

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Despite Cosby admitting to his wrongdoings, his lawyer, John P. Schmit has released an unnecessary statement in attempts to justify his clients actions. In a letter to Fordham University he said, “…The statement issued by the University was so irresponsible as to shock the conscience. The statement grossly mischaracterizes both Mr. Cosby’s actions and his deposition testimony, in language more befitting a tabloid journal rather than a respected institution of higher learning.”

According to Jezebel, an L.A. judge has ordered Cosby to give a sworn deposition on Friday, October 9th as part of an ongoing lawsuit. It will be the first time Cosby has “testified under oath about a complaint of sexual misconduct since the 2005 deposition.”