Overview
- Faculty senators opened an anonymous electronic no-confidence vote on Thursday that will run through November 6 to rebuke the university’s response to a 2024 alleged gang rape.
- A civil lawsuit by a woman identified as Jane Doe in September made interviews and records public and prompted Tompkins County and state scrutiny that led to a reopened criminal review.
- New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading the active criminal review and Governor Kathy Hochul announced an agreement to refer future campus sexual-assault complaints to the New York State Police unless an accuser requests otherwise.
- Cornell has appointed former deputy U.S. attorney general Sally Yates to conduct an independent review of the university’s handling of the case while the university has suspended fraternity parties and disciplined some students.
- Reporting to faculty and campus media has raised specific concerns about housing placements and transparency around disciplinary outcomes that critics say show procedural failures and risk to survivors and roommates.