Cornell Faculty Introduce No-Confidence Resolution; Students Target President
Version 2: The story has widened beyond the faculty resolution: reporting now includes New York's attorney general investigating at the governor's request, the university's agreement to an outside counsel review, Cornell declining to comment, and a detailed look at the president's record and student demands for his removal.
In short
Members of Cornell University's faculty have introduced a resolution for a vote of no confidence in the university administration over its handling of an alleged 2024 gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity house. The resolution is expected to go to the full Faculty Senate on October 14. It follows a Monday night campus rally where students chanted “shame” and “resign,” and as protesters direct anger at Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff.
Read the full story 3 min read
Members of Cornell University's faculty have introduced a resolution for a vote of no confidence in the university administration over its handling of an alleged 2024 gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity house, CNN first reported and The Hill, NBC News, UPI and The New York Times also reported. CNN, citing Faculty Senate member and labor history professor Paul Ortiz, said the resolution was submitted to the University Faculty Committee on Monday evening; the committee will review it before it goes to the full Faculty Senate, which meets on October 14, according to CNN and The Hill. Ortiz led the resolution, The Hill reported. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
The move follows campus unrest. CNN reported that hundreds of students and community members rallied on campus Monday night, chanting “shame” and “resign” at officials they believe failed the woman known as Jane Doe when she initially reported to campus police in 2024. The Associated Press, in a report carried by The Seattle Times, said students at the Monday protest called on President Michael Kotlikoff to resign or be fired and for fraternities to be banned. Some groups also plan a seven-hour sit-in on Wednesday “in solidarity with Jane Doe,” according to social media flyers cited by CNN. [ 1 , 8 ]
Doe filed a lawsuit last month against the university, the Chi Phi fraternity, seven fraternity members and others, alleging the school failed to protect her and adequately punish the accused students, CNN reported. The Seattle Times reported that the woman alleged she was sexually assaulted by multiple Chi Phi members after being pressured into drinking alcohol and taking drugs, and that she reported the alleged assault to Cornell police in November 2024, three weeks after she said it occurred. According to CNN, the fallout has raised questions about how the campus police investigation was handled, how the district attorney decided not to file charges and whether the school's internal investigation and subsequent actions went far enough. NBC News reported that university disciplinary records show the fraternity members allegedly tried to coordinate their responses after Doe went to campus police. [ 1 , 3 , 8 ]
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul brought in state Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the case but stopped short of calling for the president's resignation, The Hill reported. Hochul said Kotlikoff agreed to have outside counsel investigate the university's response to the woman's allegations, and Kotlikoff released a statement promising reforms, according to The Hill. CNN reported that the resolution came days after the president released a video statement. Cornell declined to comment on the resolution, The Hill reported; CNN said it had reached out to Cornell for comment. [ 1 , 5 ]
The Seattle Times described Kotlikoff as a longtime molecular physiology professor, 75, who was Cornell's longest-serving provost before taking the presidency on an interim basis in July 2024 and permanently the following year. In his second month in charge, dining and custodial workers walked off the job in a labor dispute that ended about two weeks later, and last fall some faculty and students criticized him for agreeing to pay $60 million to end Trump administration civil rights investigations into the university, the outlet reported. Earlier this year he defended himself against accusations that he tried to back his car into a group of demonstrators after a debate over Israel and Palestinian rights, saying he was the victim of harassment, according to The Seattle Times. [ 8 ]
The faculty co-sponsors said in a statement to the University Faculty Committee, quoted by The Hill, that they had been approached by numerous colleagues demanding action and by students who are “upset, fearful for their personal safety, and wanting our university to address the perennial problem of sexual assault on the campus.” They added that alumni had shared their own traumatic stories and called it “a consequential moment in time for our campus.” Ortiz told CNN: “The faculty have been approached by hundreds of students, alumni, staff who are demanding that we do something.” CNN described a vote of no confidence as a means of conveying that a group has lost faith in a leader or administration, a sign of serious dissatisfaction that would put pressure on university leadership to take action. [ 1 , 5 ]
Why it matters
A vote of no confidence would signal serious faculty dissatisfaction and increase pressure on Cornell's leadership to act, according to CNN. The case has also drawn in New York's governor and attorney general, and raised questions about how campus police handled the report, how the district attorney decided not to file charges and whether the university's internal investigation went far enough.
Key facts
- Cornell University faculty have introduced a resolution calling for a no-confidence vote in the university administration over its handling of an alleged 2024 sexual assault at the Chi Phi fraternity house, according to CNN, The Hill, NBC News, UPI and The New York Times. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The resolution was submitted to the University Faculty Committee on Monday evening and will be placed on the full Faculty Senate agenda for its October 14 meeting, CNN and The Hill reported. [ 1 , 5 ]
- The no-confidence resolution is led by Paul Ortiz, a professor of labor history at Cornell and a Faculty Senate member, CNN and The Hill reported. [ 1 , 5 ]
- Hundreds of protesters gathered at a Monday night campus rally chanting “shame” and “resign,” and students called on President Michael Kotlikoff to resign or be fired and for fraternities to be banned, CNN and The Seattle Times reported. [ 1 , 8 ]
- Groups are planning a seven-hour sit-in on Wednesday “in solidarity with Jane Doe,” according to social media flyers cited by CNN. [ 1 ]
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul brought in state Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the case but stopped short of calling for the president's resignation; Hochul said Kotlikoff agreed to have outside counsel investigate the university's response, The Hill reported. [ 5 ]
- Cornell declined to comment on the resolution, The Hill reported; CNN said it had reached out to Cornell for comment. [ 1 , 5 ]
- The woman, identified in court documents only as Jane Doe, reported the alleged assault to Cornell police in November 2024, three weeks after she said it occurred, and filed a lawsuit last month, The Seattle Times reported. [ 8 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Cornell University faculty have introduced a resolution for a vote of no confidence in the university administration over its handling of an alleged 2024 sexual assault at the Chi Phi fraternity house. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The resolution is led by Paul Ortiz, a professor of labor history and Faculty Senate member, and will be reviewed before going to the full Faculty Senate on October 14. [ 1 , 5 ]
- A woman identified in court documents as Jane Doe has filed a lawsuit against the university, the Chi Phi fraternity, seven fraternity members and others, alleging the school failed to protect her and adequately punish the accused students. [ 1 , 8 ]
- Cornell's campus has seen protests over the case, including a Monday night rally where participants chanted “shame” and “resign.” [ 1 , 8 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the Faculty Senate will pass the no-confidence resolution and what effect it would have. The documents describe the resolution as introduced and pending review; no vote or outcome is reported.
- How the campus police investigation was handled and how the district attorney decided not to file charges. CNN reports these as questions raised in the fallout without giving the underlying findings.
- The disciplinary records NBC News cites showing fraternity members allegedly tried to coordinate their responses after Jane Doe went to campus police. Single-source claim reported by NBC News without detail on the records or their origin.
- Whether President Michael Kotlikoff will resign or be removed. The documents report protesters demanding his resignation or firing, and that Gov. Hochul stopped short of calling for it; no statement from Kotlikoff or the university's board on his position is reported.
- The exact clock times of the Monday evening resolution submission and the Monday night rally. The documents place both on Monday evening or night without giving specific times.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Cornell faculty submit a no-confidence resolution to the University Faculty Committee, according to professor Paul Ortiz. [ 1 ]
- Hundreds of students and community members rally on campus, chanting “shame” and “resign” and calling on President Kotlikoff to resign or be fired. [ 1 , 8 ]
- CNN reports the resolution and the campus protests, citing Ortiz. [ 1 ]
- The New York Times reports the faculty senate plans to vote on a rare no-confidence resolution. [ 2 ]
- NBC News reports faculty are reportedly planning a vote of no confidence as protests intensify. [ 3 ]
- NBC News reports the faculty senate introduced the no-confidence resolution. [ 4 ]
- The Hill reports the resolution and that Cornell declined to comment, and details the governor's and attorney general's involvement. [ 5 ]
- UPI reports faculty introduced a no-confidence resolution over the school's handling of rape allegations. [ 6 ]
- The Associated Press reports anger over Cornell's handling of the rape allegations turning toward its president. [ 7 ]
- The Seattle Times publishes the AP report on students directing their anger at Kotlikoff. [ 8 ]
- Groups plan a seven-hour sit-in “in solidarity with Jane Doe,” according to social media flyers cited by CNN. [ 1 ]
- The full Faculty Senate is due to meet, when the resolution is expected to be on the agenda. [ 1 , 5 ]