The Ohio State University Board of Trustees will vote Friday on a proposal to name its expanded medical center's emergency department after retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, a major donor, The Columbus Dispatch reports.
The medical center is undergoing a $1.1 billion expansion, to be completed in 2014. The first portion of the Wexner Medical Center Tower to open would be the Abercrombie & Fitch Emergency Department, if the naming deal goes through.
"This naming is in recognition of the company's long history of philanthropic support of patient care at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, which now totals over $10 million," Dr. Steven Gabbe, CEO of the medical center, said in a statement. "As a nonprofit health system, we value and recognize the benefits of philanthropic support to our endeavors to improve healthcare in our community. It's through such generous gifts that we’re able to provide the very best in patient care, research and education."
Due to a previous $10 million gift to Ohio State, the clothing chain already has the Abercrombie & Fitch Women’s Oncology Center Endowment Fund, the Abercrombie & Fitch Fund in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the faculty position of Abercrombie & Fitch Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
The emergency department deal would deepen university ties to a company that frequently stokes public anger:
- Abercrombie & Fitch has been accused of excluding overweight people by not offering women's extra-large sizes.
- CEO Mike Jeffries has said the clothing giant only hires "good-looking people," and markets itself to "attractive" kids.
- Jeffries stood by his policies against overweight people, after the company's public approval plunged in backlash over his comments.
- Abercrombie & Fitch has been controversial for sex appeal marketing that frequently relies on provocative advertisements.
An Ohio State spokesman declined to comment to The Huffington Post about Jeffries' past controversial remarks. Abercrombie & Fitch didn't immediately comment after business hours on Tuesday.
Esquire called the proposed emergency department naming the "Latest Sign Of The Apocalypse," andColumbus Alive labelled it "Not an 'Onion' headline."
(h/t Jezebel)