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Cornell president says 'we must do better' after rape case investigation controversy
Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff released an eight-minute video message addressing intense backlash over how the university handled a 2024 gang-rape complaint from "Jane Doe" against seven men at the Chi Phi fraternity house.
NEW YORK - Cornell's president addressed the growing controversy surrounding the university's response to the alleged 2024 gang rape of a student in a campus fraternity house on Saturday, calling the case "deeply disturbing."
President Michael Kotlikoff also pledged transparency, change, and a "serious look" at campus and fraternity culture.
Cornell president addresses alleged 2024 gang rape
What we know:
In a video shared with the Cornell community on Saturday, Kotlikoff said that he supports an independent investigation into how the university handled the case in 2024, as well as Gov. Kathy Hochul's decision to reassign Attorney General Letitia James to the criminal investigation.
In a recent lawsuit from a former Cornell student, identified only as Jane Doe, claims that she was sexually assaulted by seven men assaulted in the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024, and that when she reported the incident to campus police, they chose not to press charges.
"My heart aches when I think of what she experienced," Kotlikoff said of the victim. "It raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization, and aspects of party culture, alcohol, and drug use. It also raises questions around the investigations conducted after the allegations were reported."
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President vows campus change
Dig deeper:
Kotlikoff said that the university made changes to how it handles allegations of sexual assault following Jane Doe's claims, but that they need to "have hard conversations about our campus culture and its future, and to find new ways to do more."
"That broader work should include a serious look at the role of fraternities and sororities in campus life," Kotlikoff said.
He also vowed more transparency from Cornell, despite saying that there were "real legal and privacy limits on what we can say" about the case.
New York's voluntary intoxication loophole
The backstory:
Kotlikoff said Cornell University would support efforts to change New York's sexual assault laws, which have similarly drawn scrutiny in this case.
Part of the controversy in this case surrounds New York state law regarding sexual assault and consent.
In Jane Doe's lawsuit, the former student says she was pressured into snorting ketamine and drinking alcohol, and therefore couldn't consent to sex. The Tompkins County District Attorney initially declined to bring criminal charges in the case, saying that Jane Doe was voluntarily intoxicated, and therefore, under the law, could consent.
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The investigation has since been reopened, and the district attorney stated the case will be presented to a grand jury.
Independent investigation
What's next:
Kotlikoff said that Cornell's Board of Trustees will announce more details about an outside law firm's independent review into the case.
The Source: Information in this story is from a video message from Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff,