Cornell president pledges review of fraternity rape allegations

Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff says the school “must do better” after a former student alleged that men at a fraternity house drugged and raped her, and after questions mounted over how the university and local authorities handled her case.

In an eight-minute video message released Saturday, Kotlikoff called the allegations “deeply disturbing” and pledged to examine Cornell’s response. He said the case raises troubling questions about sexual assault, alcohol and drug use, and campus party culture.

“My heart aches when I think of what she experienced,” he said, according to Al Jazeera.

The woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, alleges that seven men from Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity assaulted her for hours on October 19, 2024, when she was a 20-year-old student. The BBC reported that she described an incident involving alcohol and ketamine. In a civil lawsuit filed last month, she said she was intoxicated and unable to consent, and alleged that Cornell failed to protect her or adequately punish the men involved. Al Jazeera reported that the suit names the university and seven former students.

Doe told the BBC she reported the alleged assault to Cornell University police two weeks later. Police investigated, but no charges were filed.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed state Attorney General Letitia James to take over the criminal investigation. Hochul said she was “deeply disturbed” by how the case had been handled, the BBC reported. According to Al Jazeera, she said newly released information had undermined her confidence in the local prosecutor, who initially declined to bring charges, and vowed not to let anyone “sweep this case under the rug”. James has described the matter as “an active criminal investigation”.

Al Jazeera reported that Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten cited a provision of New York law concerning voluntary intoxication in defending his decision not to pursue charges. The provision can make sexual assault cases difficult to prosecute when a person voluntarily consumed alcohol or drugs but later became too intoxicated to consent, the outlet reported. Hochul has pledged to seek changes to the law.

Kotlikoff said he supported James’s appointment and welcomed an independent review of Cornell’s handling of the case. Cornell’s Board of Trustees will announce details of that review next week, according to Al Jazeera.

“We must foster a culture in which sexual assault is inexcusable and ensure our community is empowered and understands informed consent,” Kotlikoff said. He said victims must feel safe coming forward and be treated with compassion and dignity. He also called for a “serious look at the role of fraternities and sororities in campus life”.

At a student assembly hearing Thursday, several speakers called for Kotlikoff’s resignation, Al Jazeera reported. Students at a public hearing told the BBC they were ashamed of what had happened and believed Cornell had failed Doe. One said the administration needed to change “drastically” and “fast”.

Calling the case a “defining moment” for Cornell, Kotlikoff said: “We owe it to Jane Doe and to survivors of assault to get this right.”