Cornell University’s Sex Education Pamphlets for Students Draw Backlash

Cornell University is facing renewed criticism over sexual health materials that ask students to consider topics including group sex, BDSM and intimacy involving alcohol or recreational drugs.

The debate comes as the Ivy League school remains under scrutiny following allegations of a gang rape involving seven fraternity members.

Among the resources circulated by the prominent New York university is a sexual checklist that encourages students to reflect on scenarios ranging from having several partners at once to engaging in sexual activity after drinking alcohol or using recreational drugs.

The Cornell Health materials have resurfaced amid anger over allegations of a ketamine-related sexual assault at the university’s Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.

Cornell has said the resources were designed to help students discuss sexual preferences, personal limits and consent. Critics, however, contend that the highly explicit language could send the wrong message to young people.

The controversy has prompted questions about whether Cornell’s sexual education strategy adequately distinguishes between sexual exploration and informed consent. There is no evidence that the materials had any connection to the alleged assault.

One of the documents drawing the most attention is a 2019 worksheet titled ‘Yes, No, Maybe So: A Sexual Inventory Stocklist,’ which asks users to mark their level of interest in a broad selection of sexual activities.

The list includes prompts about having “sex of some kind(s) with three partners at a time” and encounters involving more than three partners.

It also asks students to consider whether they might be interested in a casual, occasional or open relationship that is not exclusive.

Another prompt asks participants to consider initiating or having sex while drinking alcohol or after using other recreational drugs.

That wording has drawn particular scrutiny because the allegations involving the fraternity party reportedly center on a student who had consumed alcohol and ketamine.

Additional Cornell Health resources include ‘Sexual Pleasure: Finding the Sweet Spot,’ a worksheet covering subjects such as BDSM, fetish accessories and sex toys.

A separate guide, ‘Sensate Focus,’ explores physical intimacy and exercises involving mutual touch.

An archived Cornell sexual health campaign website reviewed by the New York Post reportedly instructed resident advisers to place the resources on bulletin boards in student residences through April.

Jared Lederman, a 19-year-old Cornell student who drew attention to the checklist in a Substack post, accused the university of establishing what he described as a “permission structure” that might contribute to confusion in situations involving consent.

“Cornell isn’t directly responsible for the alleged gang rape, but the group sex act they are endorsing could very well lead to non-consensual activity, they inherently lead to a gray area,” Lederman told the Post.

Bethany Mandel, co-host of The Mom Wars podcast, was equally scathing.

‘Progressives have insisted on blurring the boundaries on safe and healthy sexual relationships for a long time. On campus at Cornell, we’re seeing the end result of that decision,’ she said. 

Our News Outlet has contacted Cornell for further comment.

The controversy comes as Cornell faces intense scrutiny over allegations made by a former student identified in court documents as Jane Doe.

The woman claims she was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple members of Chi Phi during a fraternity gathering in October 2024.

Her civil lawsuit alleges that she was given ketamine, marijuana and alcohol before being subjected to sexual acts without her consent.

According to the complaint, fraternity members exchanged disturbing Snapchat messages during the alleged incident, including one advertising ‘free p***y.’

NEXT UP: White House Blasts NYC’s ‘Reckless’ Sanctuary City Policies

Another message allegedly declared: ‘you can walk in and whip it out.’

The allegations have triggered widespread anger on campus, protests by students and renewed questions about how Cornell investigates sexual misconduct.

Among the seven men named in the lawsuit is Matthew Ingalls, who was expelled following an internal Title IX investigation.

Our News Outlet previously revealed that Ingalls told friends in Dubai he planned to spend a gap year in Thailand to ‘find himself’ after leaving Cornell.

Ingalls, whose family has connections to the affluent Jumeirah district of Dubai, has denied the allegations against him.

His father, Matthew B Ingalls, is a Yale-educated academic who has taught courses covering Islamic law and Middle Eastern studies at several universities.

Another defendant, Jonathan Newell, 21, was also expelled following Cornell’s disciplinary proceedings, which involved more than 50 interviews.

Cornell shut down the Chi Phi chapter in 2024 and says other students were suspended following its investigation.

But the handling of the criminal allegations has proved equally controversial.

Jane Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, accused authorities of misleading his client about whether police were continuing to investigate her complaint.

Although the woman reported the alleged assault to Cornell police in November 2024, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten decided within days of receiving her initial substantial police interviews that criminal charges were not warranted.

Van Houten has maintained that the evidence indicated the sexual activity was ‘voluntary, conscious and consensual.’

Giuffra strongly disputes that assessment.

‘I think she was misled. She was told it was still – they weren’t going to prosecute, but they were still investigating,’ he said.

‘I was involved with this case early on. I thought they were still investigating. It was news to me that they weren’t doing anything.’

He claimed crucial allegations were missing from the six-page police summary reviewed by prosecutors, including the woman’s insistence that she had been raped.

‘But nothing was being done, and we didn’t know that,’ Giuffra said.

The controversy eventually prompted New York Governor Kathy Hochul to remove Van Houten from the case and appoint state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor.

James has indicated that her investigation could take months.

Meanwhile, Cornell students have staged protests, including a dining hall sit-in and demonstrations demanding greater accountability for sexual misconduct.

The university’s trustees have also enlisted former US Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to conduct an independent review of its handling of sexual assault complaints, disciplinary proceedings and campus policing.