Cornell President Admits to Lacking Follow-Up in Assault Case
Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff has acknowledged that he was aware a student had reported being sexually assaulted in November 2024, but did not follow up with her in the months following the report. In his first interview since the student filed a civil lawsuit last month, Kotlikoff spoke with the New York Times regarding his administration’s handling of the allegations and addressed mounting calls for his resignation.
“The fact that Jane Doe experienced what she experienced at Cornell is something that I am personally sorry for,” Kotlikoff stated in the interview. “And I think this entire campus is sorry that occurred. I’ve heard enough from the community that there is a loss of trust. People are angry. I understand that anger.”
The civil lawsuit was filed last month by a former student, identified pseudonymously as “Jane Doe,” against multiple parties including the university. The suit accuses seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity of sexually assaulting her during an October 2024 party at their campus house. All named individuals have denied wrongdoing, and no criminal charges have been filed against them.
Internal Investigations and Disciplinary Actions
Records obtained by the New York Times indicate that the student reported the incident to the Cornell University police department in November 2024. Following an internal university investigation, two men were expelled, two were suspended, and another who had already graduated was barred from campus. Remaining members received lighter penalties, including no-contact orders directed toward Jane Doe and mandatory “reflection papers.”
At the time of the initial reports, the Tompkins County district attorney declined to bring charges, citing insufficient evidence. However, the district attorney has since stated that the office will reopen its investigation. Additionally, New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed State Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to examine the claims, a move Kotlikoff welcomed in a previous statement calling the allegations “deeply disturbing.”
During his 90-minute interview, Kotlikoff defended his administration against criticisms of delayed action by pointing to a presidential taskforce established to examine campus sexual assault. He remarked, “I do think it’s important to understand we have more information now than we had at that time. We’ve learned some more information that has come out around how this process unfolded.”
Calls for Resignation and Upcoming Faculty Vote
Kotlikoff revealed that he was unaware the student had dropped out of Cornell until she filed her lawsuit last month. Discussing her withdrawal from the school, he noted, “I do think there’s an argument for what you said, which is that if in fact a student has withdrawn because she feels unsafe at the outcome of the” university’s administrative review process “or there’s specific concerns around individuals – you know that there were no-contact orders for those individuals – I think that’s something that leadership should be made aware of. I would agree with that.”
Amid intense scrutiny and community anger, Cornell’s faculty senate is expected to hold a rare vote of no confidence in the president later this month.
Institutional Changes and Independent Reviews
In response to the unfolding crisis, Cornell announced several measures following the president’s interview. The university suspended parties at fraternity houses for the remainder of the academic year and stated plans to add experienced sexual assault investigators to collaborate with the campus police force.
Furthermore, a newly formed special committee of the Cornell University Board of Trustees has retained Sally Yates, a former deputy attorney general in the Obama administration, to lead a comprehensive independent review evaluating how the university prevents and responds to sexual harassment, assault, and related campus misconduct.
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