Pedestrians walk on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Thursday, October 1, 2026.
Matt Rourke/AP
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Matt Rourke/AP
The president of Cornell University said the institution “must do better” following a civil lawsuit filed in recent weeks alleging a gang rape at a fraternity house in 2024.
In eight minutes video statement Published by Cornell on Saturday, President Michael I. Kotlikoff acknowledged questions about the university’s handling of the student’s sexual assault allegations, which were reported to Cornell University police and school officials weeks after she said the attack took place.
“I want to acknowledge something that can be difficult for an institution to say. We don’t have all the answers, but we are committed to investigating and finding the answers our community deserves,” Kotlikoff said in the statement. “We must do everything in our power to prevent what happened to Jane Doe, all those who came before her, and all those who came after her, from ever happening again.”
A former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe, sued the university and seven former students last month, alleging she was drugged and raped multiple times at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024, when she was 20 years old. Lawyers for some of the men have denied the accusations.
Kotlikoff called the past few days the most difficult weeks in Cornell history.
“What happened to Jane Doe in 2024 is deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come. My heart aches when I think of what she went through,” he said. “It raises heartbreaking and disturbing questions about sexual assault, dehumanization and aspects of partisan culture, alcohol and drug use. It also raises questions about investigations conducted after the allegations were reported.”
Jane Doe first reported her allegations to Cornell University police and the university’s Title IX investigators shortly after the alleged incident. She also reported the sexual assault to the campus health clinic.
According to the lawsuit filed against Cornell, the Chi Phi fraternity, seven fraternity members and other defendants in September, Jane Doe said she initially consented to sexual contact with two men she knew at the fraternity house while she was intoxicated. She claims that as the night progressed, she was then drugged and raped by several men and was unable to give consent.
The Tompkins County prosecutor declined to file charges. He said recently that he had not received the full transcript of Jane Doe’s interview with Cornell police, in which she clearly stated that she had been raped.
“As a community, we must foster a culture in which sexual assault is inexcusable and ensure that our community is empowered and understands informed consent, bodily autonomy and prevention. We all have a role to play in keeping everyone safe,” Kotlikoff said in his video message.
Last week, Governor Kathy Hochul appointed New York State Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case and condemned the manner in which the investigations were conducted. Kotlikoff said he welcomed the governor’s decision and that the university’s board of trustees would soon announce plans to conduct an independent review by an outside law firm of “all aspects of Cornell’s handling of the matter.”
“We will also give our full support to legislative efforts to change New York’s sexual assault laws. You have my commitment that this will not be a passing moment,” he said.
Kotlikoff added that the university would take immediate steps to be more transparent, strengthen sexual assault prevention and education efforts, and substance use resources. He said the university would also seriously examine the role of sororities and fraternities in campus life.
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