Members of the Cornell University Faculty Senate have introduced a formal resolution to hold a vote of no confidence against the school’s administration. This measure serves as a direct rebuke of leadership, intended to pressure officials into accountability regarding their handling of a 2024 alleged sexual assault case. According to labor history professor and Faculty Senate member Paul Ortiz, faculty have been inundated with demands for action from hundreds of students, staff, and alumni who are exhausted by the ongoing issue of sexual violence on campus. Some students who reached out to faculty reported being survivors of sexual assault themselves. From sexual abuse survivors to students on campus and now to the school’s president, growing outrage over how Cornell University handled rape allegations from a student in 2024 has stretched across the country. “We’re tired of the sexual assaults that happened to our students,” he said. “We’re tired of the administration’s inaction on this issue – and not only our current students, but past students, alumni who have actually given money to this university are fed up.”. I understand that anger,” Kotlikoff said, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. “People want easy answers to this. Saying Doe’s case highlights “heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization, and aspects of party culture, alcohol, and drug use.”, the president previously released a video statement promising further review and answers. According to professor Julia Chang, She supported student protesters. “They say Cornell has a rape culture, and I don’t disagree,” Chang said. “But this statement can make rape sound inevitable.
The push for a no-confidence vote follows a surge of public demonstrations in Ithaca, where students and community members rallied through the streets on Monday. Participants chanted for resignations, spurred by disclosures in a civil lawsuit recently filed by a former student identified as Jane Doe. The legal filing names the university, the Chi Phi fraternity, and seven individual fraternity members, alleging the institution failed to protect the plaintiff or hold the accused accountable. Various groups are now organizing a seven-hour sit-in scheduled for Wednesday to express solidarity with the plaintiff. Where demonstrators held signs reading “Justice for every Jane Doe” and “Cornell admin betrays survivors resign now, protesters support Doe: Professors joined students at Monday’s rally.
University President Michael Kotlikoff addressed the campus tension during a meeting with the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly on Monday, acknowledging that he understands the widespread anger. Kotlikoff has previously pledged to support an independent review by an outside law firm and the appointment of a special prosecutor to examine the school’s investigative failures. The current atmosphere remains volatile; activists vandalized the administration building on Monday, spray-painting slogans and smashing a glass door in a protest that remains under investigation.
Significant scrutiny has fallen on the performance of campus police and their coordination with the Tompkins County district attorney’s office during the 2024 investigation. Documents indicate that Cornell police drafted letters to wireless carriers, including Verizon and T-Mobile, requesting the preservation of data such as text messages, calls, and visual files linked to accounts potentially containing evidence. It remains unconfirmed whether these requests were transmitted or subpoenaed. District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has stated that his office received only a six-page statement from the survivor and screenshots from Snapchat, noting that his office declined to pursue criminal charges at that time based on the available information provided by police.
Governor Kathy Hochul has intervened by appointing state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to review the investigation. Attorney Thomas Giuffra, representing Jane Doe, expressed confidence in the new oversight, noting that the team is bringing fresh scrutiny to evidence. Giuffra also claimed that additional photographic and video materials relevant to the case may have been destroyed. He further reported that his client is facing persistent threats and attempts to compromise her anonymity, noting that he himself has been targeted with threats.
Legal developments continue as one of the accused male students has retained high-profile defense attorney Teny Geragos, whose firm has represented figures such as Harvey Weinstein and Sean Combs. While the defendants have collectively denied wrongdoing, court records indicate that four of the fraternity members named in the suit acknowledged having sexual contact with the plaintiff but maintained it was consensual; three other named individuals denied any sexual contact occurred. The Faculty Senate, which represents more than 75 faculty members, has seen approximately 40 senators voice support for the no-confidence resolution, which is slated for review by a committee ahead of an October 14 meeting agenda.
