Key facts
- Hundreds of Cornell University students rallied on Monday demanding action on sexual violence.
- Protesters called for an external inquiry into the university's handling of a gang-rape allegation.
- Demonstrators demanded the resignation of Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff and other administrators.
- The alleged victim, Jane Doe, claims she was drugged and assaulted by Chi Phi fraternity members in October 2024.
- New York's attorney general has been appointed special prosecutor for a reopened criminal investigation.
- Cornell shut down the Chi Phi chapter and disciplined involved fraternity members.
Hundreds of Cornell University students rallied on Monday to express solidarity with a classmate who alleges she was gang-raped and to demand stronger action from the university against sexual violence. The protest, which drew an estimated 1,000 or more participants including faculty and activists, took place in Ithaca, New York.
Demonstrators called for an external inquiry into how Cornell's administration has handled the allegations and demanded the resignation of President Michael Kotlikoff and other officials, citing a "culture of rape" on campus. The alleged victim, identified by the pseudonym Jane Doe, claims in a lawsuit filed last month that she was drugged and assaulted by several members of the campus chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024.
The lawsuit names seven Chi Phi members, the fraternity chapter, a local bar, Doe's sorority, and the university as defendants. While local prosecutors initially declined to bring criminal charges, New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed the state's attorney general, Letitia James, as a special prosecutor to oversee a reopened criminal investigation, stating she was "deeply disturbed" by the initial handling of the case.
Cornell has stated it defended its response to the original report, shutting down the Chi Phi chapter and imposing sanctions on fraternity members. However, the lawsuit criticized the university for offering some alleged perpetrators the option to mitigate penalties by writing essays. The men involved have denied wrongdoing, with some claiming the sexual activity was consensual and others disputing their participation, according to the New York Times.