![Madelyn Smith, 20, a student at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. was among several thousand students, faculty, and community members who attended a rally at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Oct. 5, 2026. The protestors gathered to demand change from Cornell’s administration after the handling of the Jane Doe sexual abuse allegations. [Via MerlinFTP Drop]](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/186152552/6ad8980cab90c5acc9002ccf3d11c621121e99e8cf98f660920ba2194d09e6ce)
Overview
- A civil suit filed on Sept. 16 by a woman identified as Jane Doe alleges she was drugged and gang‑raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house on Oct. 19, 2024, and names seven former members plus Cornell and others.
- Tompkins County prosecutors initially declined to bring charges in 2024 after reviewing a short police summary but reopened the inquiry this month and Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to lead the criminal probe.
- Cornell closed the Chi Phi campus chapter after a 2025 Title IX investigation that led to expulsions and suspensions, and the university has hired former deputy attorney general Sally Q. Yates to run an independent external review of how the case was handled.
- Journalists and court filings have released transcripts, chat screenshots and police records that show fraternity group messages and alleged efforts to silence a witness, material prosecutors say helped prompt renewed scrutiny, while Jane Doe and her lawyer report repeated threats and attempts to expose her identity.
- Students held rallies and a seven‑hour sit‑in on Wednesday to demand tougher sanctions and systemic change, faculty are pursuing a no‑confidence vote against the administration, and the unfolding probes could reshape Cornell’s Title IX practices and oversight of Greek life.