Michael Kotlikoff expresses deep sorrow over the case, calling it one of the crucial difficult durations for Cornell.
Printed On 4 Oct 2026
Cornell College’s president, Michael Kotlikoff, has known as the alleged 2024 gang rape of a scholar at a fraternity home “deeply disturbing”, pledging larger transparency amid mounting outrage over how the varsity dealt with the case.
“My coronary heart aches once I consider what she skilled,” Kotlikoff mentioned in an eight-minute video message to the Cornell group on Saturday.
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He characterised the previous week as one of the crucial tough within the college’s historical past and mentioned it will weigh on the college for years to return. “It raises heartbreaking and troubling points about sexual assault, dehumanisation and facets of occasion tradition, alcohol and drug use,” he mentioned.
The lady, recognized in courtroom paperwork as Jane Doe, alleges she was sexually assaulted by a number of members of the Chi Phi fraternity in 2024 and has sued the college and 7 former college students.
Scrutiny over Cornell’s dealing with of the case intensified after New York Governor Kathy Hochul mentioned newly launched info had undermined her confidence within the native prosecutor, who initially declined to convey fees.
Hochul subsequently appointed state Legal professional Normal Letitia James as particular prosecutor to take over the legal investigation, saying she would “not permit anybody to brush this case below the rug”.
The case has additionally renewed scrutiny of the “voluntary intoxication loophole” in New York regulation that makes it tough to prosecute sexual assaults involving victims who voluntarily consumed alcohol or medicine, even when they later turned too intoxicated to consent.
Tompkins County District Legal professional Matthew Van Houten had cited the authorized provision in defending his authentic resolution to not pursue fees. Hochul has pledged to push for modifications to it.
At a scholar meeting listening to on Thursday, a number of audio system known as for Kotlikoff’s resignation.
In Saturday’s video, Kotlikoff reaffirmed his help for an impartial overview of the college’s dealing with of the case and mentioned Cornell’s Board of Trustees would announce particulars subsequent week. He additionally known as for a “critical have a look at the function of fraternities and sororities in campus life”.
James’s appointment has positioned the case below a prosecutor whose workplace has repeatedly clashed with President Donald Trump. She has individually described the case as “an energetic legal investigation”.
