Cornell president faces faculty questions over sexual assault response

Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff faced pointed questions Wednesday as the Faculty Senate debated a no-confidence resolution over the administration’s handling of sexual assault allegations, including an alleged 2024 assault at a fraternity house.

A student identified as Jane Doe reported to campus police that she had been gang-raped at the house, CBS News reported. Doe later sued Cornell, her sorority, the Chi Phi fraternity and seven former fraternity members over the alleged assault, according to CBS. All seven men have denied the allegations, CBS reported. Attorneys for four of the men denied that their clients drugged or sexually assaulted Doe; NBC News said it could not reach the other three.

Cornell shut down its Chi Phi chapter in 2024 after Doe reported the incident, NBC reported. The university also expelled two students, while others were suspended or received lesser disciplinary action, according to NBC. Cornell has said its Title IX investigation found two students responsible for sexual assault and resulted in their expulsion, while two others were suspended for sexual misconduct, CBS reported. At Wednesday’s meeting, Kotlikoff disputed a faculty speaker’s description of the findings, saying the two students were not found responsible for the specific allegations the speaker described.

No criminal charges were brought at the time, NBC reported. The criminal investigation reopened after Doe filed suit.

Faculty members pressed Kotlikoff on why broader changes came only after public scrutiny intensified. Risa Lieberwitz, a professor of labor and employment law, called sexual assault “a systemic problem” that “deserves systemic attention.” She said the administration appeared to be reacting to pressure rather than leading efforts to address it.

Kotlikoff defended Cornell’s response and said replacing its leadership would not solve the problem. “We need to be able to work together to be able to change the culture, educate our students, and try and address this problem,” he said, according to NBC.

Senior lecturer emerita Darlene Evans cited a Cornell poll conducted last year in which more than 35% of female undergraduates surveyed reported nonconsensual sexual contact involving physical force, threats of force or incapacitation, up from 23% in 2023, NBC reported. She asked why Kotlikoff, who had held leadership roles at Cornell for more than a decade, was taking steps toward systemic change only now.

On Tuesday, Kotlikoff announced a ban on fraternity-house parties and events through the rest of the academic year. Cornell will also work with New York State Police on an arrangement to bring in independent experts to investigate sexual assault allegations, according to CBS. Asked whether Cornell should ban fraternities altogether, Kotlikoff said the decision should rest on “data and study and expertise, not on emotion.”

Cornell has named former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent review of its handling of sexual misconduct claims, including the 2024 case. Asked how far back the review would reach, Kotlikoff said he did not know, but that the university was “open to anything they ask.” New York Attorney General Letitia James is also investigating the allegation, NBC reported.

Faculty members will meet again Oct. 28 and then have about a week to vote on the no-confidence resolution, according to CBS. The senate cannot remove the president, so a vote in favor would be symbolic.