Cornell names Sally Yates to review sexual misconduct response

Cornell University has named former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent review of how it handles sexual misconduct complaints, including its response to a former student’s allegation that she was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house in 2024.

The university announced the review Tuesday amid protests over its handling of the case. It is separate from a criminal investigation led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, whom Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed to lead that investigation, according to NPR.

The former student, identified publicly as Jane Doe, alleges in a civil lawsuit that seven men drugged and sexually assaulted her for several hours in October 2024 at Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house. She reported an alleged assault to campus police the following month and sued the university, seven former students, the fraternity and others in September. No criminal charges have been filed.

Lawyers for two of the former students denied that their clients participated in a sexual assault, The Guardian reported. The newspaper said records from Cornell’s investigation under the federal Title IX law show that some accused students contended the sexual activity was consensual. NPR reported that those named in the lawsuit have denied wrongdoing.

Cornell has said its campus police investigated the case thoroughly and that its Title IX process resulted in student suspensions and expulsions. The Chi Phi chapter at Cornell was shut down, according to The Guardian.

Yates’ review will examine how Cornell handled Doe’s complaint and assess the university’s broader policies, practices and resources for preventing and responding to sexual harassment, sexual assault and related misconduct. It will cover how reports are received and investigated, support for students, hearings and disciplinary decisions, and the role of campus police. The review will also consider coordination with outside law enforcement and prosecutors, along with oversight of fraternities, sororities and other campus groups.

“The questions raised by the Jane Doe matter warrant a rigorous examination of Cornell’s response to that case, but our responsibility is broader,” Anne Meinig Smalling, chair of Cornell’s Board of Trustees, said in the university’s announcement. She said Yates and her team had been asked to identify what Cornell does well, where it can improve and what changes could make the community safer.

“It is imperative that Cornell be willing to examine itself with the same rigor we expect of others,” Smalling said.

Yates will report her findings to a special committee of Cornell’s Board of Trustees. The committee expects to share the results and recommendations with the wider Cornell community, the university said.

Students, faculty and others gathered for a large campus protest Monday, demanding greater accountability and transparency and changes to Cornell’s disciplinary process, The Guardian reported.

Yates spent decades at the Justice Department and served as deputy attorney general under President Barack Obama. Now a partner at the law firm King & Spalding, she previously led an investigation into allegations of abuse and misconduct in the National Women’s Soccer League.