Cornell president says university “must do better” amid rape allegation scrutiny
In short
Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff said in a Saturday video statement that the university “must do better” in handling sexual assault allegations and the investigation that followed them. A former student identified as Jane Doe alleges in a lawsuit that seven former Chi Phi fraternity brothers drugged and sexually assaulted her at the fraternity house in October 2024, when she was 20; the men have denied wrongdoing, Fox News reported. Kotlikoff backed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to hand the criminal investigation to a new authority — described by The Washington Post as a special prosecutor and by Fox News as the state attorney general — and PBS NewsHour reported the Board of Trustees would announce details of an independent review next week.
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Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff said in a video statement Saturday that the university “must do better” as it faces criticism over its handling of sexual assault allegations involving seven former fraternity brothers. Fox News reported Kotlikoff said what happened to the student identified as Jane Doe in 2024 was “deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come.” The Washington Post reported he said the allegations raise “heartbreaking and troubling issues,” and Bloomberg reported he said he was “deeply disturbed” by the case, which it said has drawn national outrage. PBS NewsHour reported Kotlikoff pledged greater transparency in the eight-minute message, and NPR quoted him saying, “This is a defining moment in Cornell’s history.” [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]
Jane Doe, a Cornell undergraduate who was 20 at the time, alleges in a lawsuit filed last month against the university and seven men that she was drugged and raped in October 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca, New York, according to CBS News and Fox News. The men have denied wrongdoing, with some maintaining the sexual activity was consensual and others denying they participated, Fox News reported. [ 5 , 7 , 10 ]
The Tompkins County district attorney found in 2024 that there was insufficient evidence to support criminal charges, and no criminal charges have been filed, CBS News reported. District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said this week he was never given the full transcript of Jane Doe’s two-day interview with campus police in November 2024, but was presented a six-page sworn statement based on it. Cornell initially said its police department provided the results of its Title IX investigation to the district attorney; in an Oct. 1 update to a university FAQ, it said it shared the victim’s sworn statement and the Snapchat screenshot with the district attorney’s office, CBS News reported. [ 7 ]
Kotlikoff said he welcomed an independent review by an outside law firm and backed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to hand the criminal investigation to a new authority — a special prosecutor, The Washington Post reported, or Attorney General Letitia James, according to Fox News. PBS NewsHour reported he reaffirmed support for the review Hochul called for and said the Board of Trustees would announce details next week. He said Cornell would not wait for those reviews before changing prevention, student support, mental health and investigative processes. “We will act,” he said, according to Fox News; The Hill reported he promised reforms. [ 4 , 5 , 9 , 10 ]
PBS NewsHour reported that scrutiny has mounted in recent days and that at a student assembly hearing Thursday on improving Cornell’s response to sexual assault, several speakers called for Kotlikoff’s resignation. Hochul was asked at a news conference Friday whether she believed Kotlikoff should resign, and the document text does not state her answer. Kotlikoff said the case raises questions about campus party culture and alcohol and drug abuse, Fox News reported, and told the community, “We don’t have all the answers, but we are committed to investigating and finding the answers our community deserves,” according to PBS NewsHour. [ 5 , 10 ]
Why it matters
The case has drawn national attention to how Cornell and its police handled the allegation, and New York state has moved the criminal investigation to a new authority, described by the documents as either a special prosecutor or the attorney general. Cornell’s president said the university would change prevention, support and investigative processes before outside reviews conclude, and that its trustees would set out the independent review next week, so the case is likely to shape campus procedures. A pending lawsuit against the university and seven men, the district attorney’s account that he never received the full interview transcript, and calls by some students for the president’s resignation leave the dispute unresolved.
Key facts
- Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said in a Saturday video statement to the Cornell community that the university “must do better” in handling sexual assault allegations and its investigation. [ 5 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]
- A former student identified as Jane Doe alleges in a lawsuit against Cornell and seven men that she was drugged and raped in October 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house, when she was 20. [ 5 , 7 , 10 ]
- Fox News reported the men have denied wrongdoing, with some maintaining the sexual activity was consensual and others denying they participated. [ 5 ]
- The Tompkins County district attorney found in 2024 that there was insufficient evidence to support criminal charges, and no criminal charges have been filed, CBS News reported. [ 7 ]
- District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said this week he never received the full transcript of Jane Doe’s two-day campus police interview in November 2024, only a six-page sworn statement based on it, CBS News reported. [ 7 ]
- Cornell said in an Oct. 1 update to a university FAQ that it shared the victim’s sworn statement and the Snapchat screenshot with the district attorney’s office, which it called the established protocol. [ 7 ]
- Kotlikoff backed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision on the criminal investigation — described by The Washington Post as naming a special prosecutor and by Fox News as transferring it to Attorney General Letitia James. [ 4 , 5 ]
- Kotlikoff said the Cornell Board of Trustees would announce details of an independent review of the university’s handling of the case next week, PBS NewsHour reported. [ 10 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff publicly addressed the case on Saturday, saying the university must do better and that he was deeply disturbed by the allegation made by the student identified as Jane Doe. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]
- A former Cornell student identified as Jane Doe alleges in a lawsuit that she was drugged and sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024, when she was 20, and that she has sued the university and seven former students. [ 5 , 7 , 10 ]
- Kotlikoff said he supported Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to move the criminal investigation to a new authority, and that Cornell would not wait for outside reviews before acting on prevention and support measures. [ 4 , 5 , 10 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Hochul named a special prosecutor or transferred the criminal investigation to the attorney general. The Washington Post reported Hochul named a special prosecutor to lead a reopened criminal investigation, while Fox News reported she decided to turn the criminal investigation over to Attorney General Letitia James; the documents do not reconcile the two accounts.
- Whether Cornell gave the Tompkins County district attorney the full record of its investigation. The district attorney said he was never given the full transcript of Jane Doe’s two-day campus police interview and received only a six-page sworn statement, while Cornell’s Oct. 1 FAQ update said it shared her sworn statement and a Snapchat screenshot under its established protocol, according to CBS News.
- The scope and timing of the independent review into Cornell’s handling of the case. Reported only by Fox News, which said Kotlikoff welcomed an outside law firm’s review; PBS NewsHour reported the Board of Trustees would announce details next week but did not describe them.
- The accounts given by the seven men accused in the lawsuit. Fox News reported that some said the sexual activity was consensual and others denied participating; the documents do not name the men and no other outlet describes their accounts.
- How Gov. Kathy Hochul responded when asked whether Kotlikoff should resign. PBS NewsHour reported she was asked at a Friday news conference whether she believed he should resign, but the document text ends at that point, so her answer is not stated.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- A Cornell undergraduate identified as Jane Doe alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca, New York, when she was 20. [ 5 , 7 ]
- Jane Doe gives a two-day interview with Cornell campus police, about three weeks after the incident, according to the Tompkins County district attorney. [ 7 ]
- The Tompkins County district attorney finds insufficient evidence to support criminal charges; no charges are filed. [ 7 ]
- Jane Doe files a lawsuit against Cornell and seven men, which CBS News describes as filed “last month.” [ 7 ]
- Cornell updates a website FAQ to say it shared the victim’s sworn statement and the Snapchat screenshot with the district attorney’s office, the established protocol if the department believes a crime may have occurred. [ 7 ]
- At a student assembly hearing on improving Cornell’s response to sexual assault, several speakers call for Kotlikoff’s resignation, PBS NewsHour reports. [ 10 ]
- Gov. Kathy Hochul is asked at a news conference whether she believes Kotlikoff should resign over the university’s handling of the case, according to PBS NewsHour. [ 10 ]
- The Washington Post reports Kotlikoff said the allegations raise “heartbreaking and troubling issues” and that he backed Hochul’s decision to name a special prosecutor. [ 4 ]
- Fox News reports Kotlikoff’s video statement, his “must do better” message and his support for turning the criminal investigation over to Attorney General Letitia James. [ 5 ]
- Bloomberg reports Kotlikoff said he was “deeply disturbed” by the case, which it said has drawn national outrage. [ 6 ]
- CBS News reports Kotlikoff’s message and the dispute over the interview transcript, and says no criminal charges have been filed. [ 7 ]
- The Hill reports Kotlikoff promised reforms after the alleged gang rape. [ 9 ]
- PBS NewsHour reports the eight-minute video message, the trustees’ planned announcement of the independent review and the calls for Kotlikoff’s resignation. [ 10 ]
- NPR reports Kotlikoff’s statement and his remark that “this is a defining moment in Cornell’s history.” [ 11 ]