Cornell University’s president says the school “must do better” after a woman alleged she was drugged and raped by a group of men at a fraternity house.
In an eight-minute video statement released on Saturday night, Michael Kotlikoff described the allegations raised by the woman, identified as Jane Doe, as “deeply disturbing”.
The alleged incident has raised questions around the culture on campus of drug and alcohol use, and the way investigations were conducted in the case, Kotlikoff said.
Jane Doe was a 20-year-old student at the university when she says seven men from its Chi Phi fraternity assaulted her for hours in an incident involving alcohol and the drug ketamine on 19 October 2024.
She said she had reported the incident two weeks after it happened to Cornell University police, which investigated, but no charges were laid.
Last month, Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit against the Ivy League university, in which she alleged Cornell had failed to protect her or adequately punish the men involved.
Kotlikoff said Cornell was “committed to investigating” the way the case was handled, and said the school administration and community “must do better”.
“We must foster a culture in which sexual assault is inexcusable and ensure our community is empowered and understands informed consent,” he said.
He added that university leaders need to create an environment where victims of sexual assault “feel safe coming forward and are treated with compassion and dignity”.
Kotlikoff said it is a “defining moment” in the university’s history.
“We must lead the way, we owe it to Jane Doe and to survivors of assault to get this right. And we must keep each other safe,” he said.
On the university’s campus this week, the BBC saw growing frustration about the situation.
At a public hearing for students to speak about the alleged gang rape, many told the BBC they were ashamed of what happened and said the university had failed Jane Doe.
“Our administration needs to change and it needs to change drastically and it needs to change fast,” one student told the BBC. “Something like this never should have happened, this is a disgrace.”
As part of “broader work” that needs to happen, Kotlikoff said in his video statement that there should be a “serious look at the role of fraternities and sororities in campus life”.
“Being part of a group can never diminish individual responsibility for our own actions, for how we treat others, or for speaking up when someone may be at risk,” he said.
The university president also said that at the “appropriate time”, the school would speak about how Cornell will “use this moment, this conversation, this anger, to help lead the broader effort to combat sexual assault not only on our campus, but beyond it”.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has said she was “deeply disturbed” by how the investigation was handled, and has appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James to lead a review of the case.
Kotlikoff said he supported the decision to appoint James to lead a criminal investigation, and welcomed an independent review by a law firm of how Cornell has handled the matter.
Jane Doe said in her lawsuit that she was intoxicated during the alleged incident and could not provide consent.
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