Overview
- The Cornell faculty senate adopted a non‑binding no‑confidence resolution on Friday expressing distrust in the central administration’s handling of a long‑running sexual‑assault crisis.
- A former student using the pseudonym Jane Doe alleges that in October 2024 she was pressured to take the sedative ketamine and was sexually assaulted by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity.
- Local prosecutors initially declined to bring criminal charges but reopened the investigation after the alleged victim filed a civil suit in September, and the New York attorney general has been reported to be serving as a special investigator.
- Cornell has banned the Chi Phi chapter, removed some but not all students linked to the case, launched an independent review of its response, and President Michael I. Kotlikoff suspended fraternity celebrations for the academic year.
- Widespread protests in several U.S. cities and reported threats to the alleged victim and her lawyer have raised public pressure on the university and its trustees with potential effects on discipline, campus safety policies, and ongoing legal actions.