On February 4, 2026, dozens of AU students gathered outside the School of International Service (SIS) to protest the continued employment of Professor Earl Wayne. The University has not made an official statement to the whole student body about Professor Wayne, whose name was mentioned in multiple emails released by the Department of Justice’s Epstein Library. The email accused him of allegedly raping and impregnating an 11-year-old girl while serving as the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, as originally reported by The Rival.

The protest, organized in just three days after the accusations surfaced, was led by a group of students wishing to remain anonymous and the group No More AU, a student organization focused on fighting against Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and associated crimes. Further reporting by The Rival, just a day before the protest, revealed numerous correspondents by Ken Turner and the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force regarding the issue. The protest shifted its message from calling for Wayne’s firing to focusing on a response from the administration at American University and a full investigation.

The protest started at 2:45 PM, just 15 minutes after Wayne’s first class was supposed to start. At first, the crowd was small, with five to six people in attendance. The group was assisted by a large group of people in yellow vests, typically seen keeping counterprotestors out, a student handing out masks, and a medic carrying a first-aid kit. As the first speaker climbed onto the ledge of SIS’s circular garden, megaphone in hand, a large number of students passing by gradually stopped and listened. 

The protesting students shouted chants that called on the SIS Dean to “stop hiding” and make a statement. Tanishka Hanna, the main speaker at the protest, as well as Policy and Advocacy lead at No More AU, urged for the university to have “clear and consistent communication.” Hanna called on the administration of AU to have “a proper and appropriate response” to the incident, striving for Professor Wayne to be suspended without pay until theinvestigations are completed, pushing for authorities to complete a criminal investigation into this case. Hanna accused the school of informing staff that they are “not allowed to speak on the situation outside of approved language that belittles the accusations into internet comments.” 

Organizers led the crowd on a short walk through the northern path of the Quad and around Nebraska Avenue, returning to the SIS building five minutes later to continue speaking. Student organizers were later told to put their megaphones away as a small AUPD presence of two officers arrived to halfheartedly supervise the protest from afar.

Scotty Barton, AU Senator At-Large and protest attendee, said he was:  

“fed up with the way the school administration doesn’t handle problems until they become a big thing…in the case of Earl Anthony Wayne… the school has left the problem to take care of itself.” 

Additionally, Barton called for AU President Alger, stating:

“Listen to your students before it turns into a big protest situation like this.” 

Many students felt that this was only one part of a larger pattern of sexual violence occurring on campus. A student who wished to remain anonymous, due to fear of retaliation by the university, expressed frustration with the university for covering up issues relating to sexual assault. They said,  

“year after year there’s been problems with voyeurism… It feels like the institution of the university itself is perpetuating stuff like this…”

They were referencing last year’s arrest of Kris Estrada, who was sentenced to two years of jail time this September for the indecent photography of numerous men in campus bathrooms.

Hanna and Adha Nordan, the head organizers of the protest and leaders at No More AU, said that student support of the cause has been “overwhelming.” 

They said “most students are incredibly confused, concerned, and want answers from someone and haven’t gotten any yet”. 

Hanna continued,

“We don’t think there should be any chance SIS students should be taught by an alleged rapist pedophile.”

Nordan said,

“I wasn’t surprised by the campus not responding  with how they’ve responded to past incidents… [AU has] been investigated for Title IX violations many times in the past,” referencing the many students who have reported difficulties in reporting violations to the Office of Equity & Title IX. 

By the end of the protest at about 3:30, the audience had grown dramatically in size, highlighting clear support for the initiative on campus.

While the university is still yet to put out a full statement on the issue, the School of International Service released a statement exclusively to SIS students, faculty, and staff on February 6, 2026.

The email claimed:

“To date, no information has been found to corroborate the unverified report, and it has been determined that there is no immediate threat to health and safety requiring action under university policies.”

The school also referred to an investigation published February 5, 2026 by The American Academy of Diplomacy, a group of former senior ambassadors and leaders in foreign policy, who wrote that the allegations were baseless, though the university’s investigation is still ongoing. 

Additionally, a few people who have inquired to the AU Office of the President have received something close to the following email: