Cornell student who gave police tips about alleged rape says she feels ‘betrayed’ by handling of case

The student said she decided to go to police after seeing screenshots of a message from the Chi Phi group on Snapchat and because “it seemed like the right thing to do if we could help this girl.” Doe’s lawsuit included a screenshot of a message from the Chi Phi Snapchat group that said there was free “f—-” in a room at the fraternity Doe was in the night she claims she was assaulted.

“That’s when I made the decision internally. OK, I’ll take everything into account, then I’ll go to the police tomorrow,” the student said.

She remembers sitting with one or two officers for about half an hour during her police interview.

“They seemed pretty competent. It seemed like a normal interview process to me,” she said.

She said she told them everything she knew, including the fact that fraternity members were sending messages about the events of that evening with Doe and potential witnesses. She also gave police second-hand information about drug use at Chi Phi and said she knew of the fraternity and thought she knew where the ketamine was supposed to be kept.

“I guess I assumed I wasn’t enough,” the student said.

Cornell did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday on the student’s account to police. In a video statement Saturday, President Michael I. Kotlikoff called the allegations “deeply troubling” and said they raised questions about the investigations being conducted. He said he supports an independent review of the university’s handling of the matter, which will be conducted by an outside law firm.

Police records obtained by NBC News showed that Cornell police spoke to several witnesses and received anonymous tips about allegations of a gang rape at the fraternity house — but that the information was not forwarded to the local prosecutor for review before deciding whether to file charges.

Tompkins County Prosecutor Matthew Van Houten told NBC News on Friday that the reported interviews “were of each of the fraternity members refusing to speak on the advice of their attorney.” He did not respond to a follow-up request asking whether he had been informed of interviews with other fraternity members in addition to the callers’ advice.

Van Houten ultimately determined the allegations did not warrant charges due to a lack of criminality.

Doe’s trial sparked outcry and criticism of how Cornell and Van Houten handled her allegations. Van Houten has since agreed to reopen his investigation into Doe’s allegations, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul last week named state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case.

The student who spoke with campus police criticized the department’s handling of the case. While students believed there was an active investigation into Doe’s allegations, people continued to visit Chi Phi, including the room at the center of the allegations.

In Greek life at Cornell, “rumors spread quickly,” the student said, and even if you didn’t know Doe or the men, “you knew someone who knew them.”

Doe’s lawsuit named Cornell, Chi Phi and the seven fraternity brothers among the defendants. None of the seven have been criminally charged. The fraternity was suspended from campus and remains banned.

Cornell said in a Sept. 28 statement that it conducted an extensive, months-long Title IX investigation that issued “a series of sanctions including expulsions and suspensions” from the university.

Lawyers for two of the seven men denied to NBC News that they sexually assaulted Doe. The attorney for a third man denied the allegations to ABC News. NBC News did not receive responses to requests for comment from the other five men.

The national Chi Phi fraternity condemned sexual assault and drug and alcohol abuse in a statement released Wednesday. He said the fraternity members named by Doe were expelled from the organization and the national fraternity permanently expelled the chapter.

“At all levels of Chi Phi, we will take actions like these whenever necessary to protect the integrity of our fraternity and the safety of our communities,” said Trey Robb, interim executive director of the national fraternity.

Some men faced backlash as the discussions spread across campus.

Two of the Chi Phi brothers named in the complaint were kicked out of their rugby club after the allegations came to light, a former teammate told NBC News.

“We kicked them off the team immediately before the school kicked them out,” said the teammate, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The teammate said he had participated in discussions among a group of former and current rugby players about the public response to Doe’s trial.

“As a team, it was important for us to support this victim,” he said. “We are extremely, extremely distraught. »

Cornell Rugby said in a statement that it was “deeply disturbed” by the allegations and that its thoughts were with Doe.

“Players known to be connected to the alleged events were permanently removed from the team and alumni network as soon as their affiliation with the incident was established,” the statement said.

No current team members have been affiliated with Chi Phi, the release said.

As news of the allegations spread, some were supportive of Doe, but others were shaming her in conversations, a former member of Doe’s sorority, Delta Delta Delta, told NBC News.

“Some people sympathized with Jane Doe, but also, people didn’t know the details,” said the former member, who graduated and requested anonymity out of concern for confidentiality.

Another student and former member of Tri Delta told NBC News she remembered learning about the incident through rumors and described the student body as “really upset about it.”

This student testified that she was present at the same sorority event on the evening of October 19 that Doe attended and was cited in her lawsuit, but that Doe disappeared during the evening.

A few days later, the student said: Doe said people were spreading rumors about her and she wasn’t sure what to think, “and it seemed like everyone was very confused right now.”

A third former Tri Delta member told NBC News that the campus learned of the incident through the university’s alert and described students feeling “shocked” and “truly appalled.”

She also criticizes the way Cornell handled the matter.

“I think it shows a lack of respect for their students and somehow makes it less attractive to attend college,” she said.

Today, within the sorority, there is a resounding outpouring of support for Doe, she said, as well as “frustration and anger.”

Tri Delta said in a statement on behalf of its national organization and Cornell chapter: “As an organization, we are committed to supporting women and victims of sexual violence. »

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. The hotline, run by the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), can connect you with your local rape crisis center. You can also access RAINN’s online chat service at https://www.rainn.org/get-help.