Cornell pledges transparency and fraternity review over rape allegation

On Oct. 4, Michael Kotlikoff, identified by Al Jazeera as Cornell University’s president, addressed allegations that a woman was drugged and raped by several Chi Phi fraternity members in 2024 at the university in Ithaca, New York, pledging greater transparency and a review of Greek life after criticism of Cornell’s response.¹²³⁴

Lawsuit and investigation

In September, the woman referred to as Jane Doe in the court filings brought a civil case. The case names Cornell, university leaders, Chi Phi, her sorority and seven men as defendants. It alleges that Cornell did not adequately discipline some of the accused students. Lawyers representing at least three of the men have denied criminal wrongdoing; the allegations and denials have not been resolved.²³⁴⁵

Cornell says it conducted a comprehensive investigation, barred Chi Phi from campus and imposed disciplinary sanctions that included expulsions. The university has defended aspects of its response while acknowledging that it could improve its handling of the matter. It has also said that privacy rules and legal restrictions limited what it could disclose publicly.¹²³⁵

New York state officials appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the case. Al Jazeera reported that Governor Kathy Hochul selected state Attorney General Letitia James for that role after new information weakened her confidence in the local prosecutor. James described the matter as an active criminal investigation, according to the same report.²³⁴

Review of Cornell and Greek life

Next week, Cornell’s trustees are due to outline a review to be conducted independently by a law firm unaffiliated with the university. Kotlikoff said the university would not postpone changes while waiting for either that review or the investigation to conclude. Cornell also plans to give members of its community more opportunities to question university leaders.¹²

The university will examine the place of fraternities and sororities in campus life, focusing on accountability, transparency and intervention. It plans to seek views from students, alumni and others. Kotlikoff also said officials would disclose more about actions connected with the 2024 incident, while continuing to observe legal and privacy limits.¹²³

Cornell said it ultimately intends to apply its research expertise to questions involving sexual assault, trauma, intoxication and consent, and to encourage policies beyond the campus. The immediate reviews follow mounting scrutiny from students and state officials over whether the university’s procedures and law-enforcement response adequately protected students.¹²³

Pressure on university leadership

Several speakers at a student assembly hearing on Thursday called for Kotlikoff to resign. Although Hochul backed an external assessment of Cornell’s response and the transfer of the criminal inquiry to the attorney general, she would not say whether he ought to resign, explaining that she lacked sufficient information to decide.¹⁴

Kotlikoff said inadequate communication by Cornell had contributed to distrust. In his video message, he said he was “deeply disturbed” by the allegation and that the institution needed to prevent a recurrence. His commitments include acting before the external processes finish, improving communication and reconsidering how Greek organisations operate on campus.¹²⁵