Cornell’s Greek life should end permanently if found to be unsafe, school president says

Greek life Cornell University should end permanently if leaders cannot be convinced that fraternity gatherings there can be safe, school President Michael Kotlikoff said during a contentious Faculty Senate meeting Wednesday night.

“I really appreciate the sentiment of many professors and many university leaders who have told me that it is time for Greek life to go,” Kotlikoff said at the meeting. “I think as an academic institution we should be studying things, making decisions based on data and facts.”

“If ultimately fraternities cannot exist in a safe environment and we cannot be confident that they can be safe, then we should make that decision,” he continued. “But we should do it, it seems to me, on the basis of data, studies and expertise, and not on emotion.”

Kotlikoff made the remarks at the start of a meeting in which members of the Faculty Senate debated a resolution of censure of the school’s administration. A vote on this topic is expected after another meeting on October 28.

The meeting was closed to the media, but CBS News New York exclusively video obtained of the meeting before Cornell released audio of it early Thursday.

More than 300 people participated, including about 100 in person and almost 200 on Zoom, and it lasted more than two hours, said Associate Professor Ariana Kim.

The meeting was held following Jane Doe civil suit alleging she was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple men at a fraternity house in Cornell in 2024. CBS News has contacted attorneys for all defendants; two responded and denied the allegations, while others denied any wrongdoing in comments elsewhere. None of the defendants have been charged with a crime.

In an opening statement to the meeting, Kotlikoff noted his concern about fraternities on campus, saying it had become “absolutely clear” that fraternities were now the center of student social activity.

“Many bars and alcohol-free areas in Collegetown closed their doors post-COVID,” Kotlikoff said. “And we’re now in a situation where a lot of social activity is happening in private homes. We don’t have the full capacity to be sure that what’s happening in those homes is safe.”

All Fraternity Parties were suspended at Cornell until the end of the school year, while an independent investigation — led by former Assistant U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates — is underway into “how the university prevents and responds to sexual harassment, sexual assault, and related misconduct on campus,” the school said in a statement.

The president questioned before the “censorship” debate

The school’s administration faced heavy criticism over how it responded after Jane Doe first reported the alleged gang rape.

The resolution to be voted on later this month states that the Faculty Senate “has no confidence in the ability of central administration to effectively respond to the ongoing sexual assault crisis at Cornell University.” The resolution, which requires a simple majority to pass, is largely symbolic in that the Faculty Senate cannot fire any member of the administration.

At the meeting, an associate professor described the resolution as having “pretty strong support” and “some opposition.”

The Faculty Senate asked Wednesday how Kotlikoff plans to regain the trust of students, alumni and the broader Cornell community, particularly in the wake of arrests of people on campus during protests in recent years.

“He really didn’t answer the questions, and he really didn’t take responsibility for the problems that we have,” said Risa Lieberwitz, a professor of labor and employment law, who relayed what happened during the closed-door portion of the Faculty Senate meeting.

Faculty members asked Kotlikoff why it took him “a long time” to speak out about the Jane Doe trial, and how the statements he made were “apparently in response to the press.”

“I really reject the idea that I wasn’t interested or worried about this,” Kotlikoff said. “That was my message to the community as soon as we became aware of it, as soon as it was reported to the Title IX Officeand this is why we created this (independent) working group. »

The question-and-answer session lasted about 45 minutes before Kotlikoff left the building and faculty members turned their attention to the censure resolution.

Supporters of the resolution said they lacked confidence in the school’s administration to make “systematic changes” at Cornell, Lieberwitz said.

“People were talking about the lack of effective democratic governance on campus,” she added.

A smaller group, made up largely of professors from the math and physics departments, argued that they needed “more information or data” before making a final decision, Kim said.

Professor Paul Ortiz, the resolution’s lead sponsor, said those opposing the resolution knew Kotlikoff well.

“They know him by his first name,” he said. “They have friendships like that with him that go back many years.”

Ortiz and Kim said they each received more than 100 messages from alumni Wednesday, urging them to vote in favor of the resolution and “hold the administration accountable.”

Tommy Li, a Cornell student who spoke with CBS News outside the meeting, said he hoped the resolution would pass and described Kotlikoff’s response to Jane Doe’s allegations as “horrible mismanagement.”

The Faculty Senate will hold another hearing on October 28 before its members vote on the resolution.

“If the resolution were to be put to a vote today, I would say this: The resolution would pass,” Ortiz said.