Cornell University faculty members have approved a no-confidence resolution criticizing the administration’s response to the Jane Doe sexual-assault scandal.
The controversy stems from allegations that a student was sexually assaulted by seven fraternity members at the university’s Chi Phi chapter house in October 2024.
In a civil lawsuit filed in September, the woman identified as Jane Doe alleged that the men drugged and gang-raped her during a party. The accused men deny wrongdoing, and none has been criminally charged.
Cornell faced sharp criticism after details emerged about the disciplinary measures imposed on some of the accused students, including suspensions, disciplinary probation and mandatory reflection papers. All seven men have denied the allegations.
The university’s faculty senate passed a largely symbolic resolution declaring that it “has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University.”
The measure passed 75-50, with five abstentions and five members not voting. It does not call for any officials to be removed, nor does it outline a specific plan for dealing with the scandal’s continuing repercussions.
The faculty vote followed revelations that the Chi Phi house had not hired a required live-in monitor—an adult whose presence might have prevented the alleged assault involving Jane Doe.
The resolution has no direct authority over Cornell’s leadership, including the future of university president Michael Kotlikoff.
Cornell’s board of trustees, which holds the power to replace the president, may nevertheless take the faculty senate’s vote into account when making future decisions.
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff has faced condemnation from faculty members, who approved a no-confidence resolution that remains symbolic
The scandal centers on allegations that a student was sexually assaulted by multiple people at the Chi Phi chapter house in October 2024, pictured
Cornell faculty senator Risa Lieberwitz, a co-sponsor of the resolution, told Reuters that the administration had failed to confront campus sexual assault as a systemic issue during Kotlikoff’s decade in senior leadership.
Speaking during an online discussion of the resolution in March, Lieberwitz said: “Students, faculty, and staff have lost trust that sexual assault cases will be handled properly.
“This will have a chilling effect on reporting, creating fear that reporting sexual assault to this administration will be ineffective and even damaging.”
The New York Times reported earlier that the Xi chapter of Chi Phi was required under Cornell policy to have a responsible adult living at the property during the academic year. No such person was in place when the alleged assault occurred.
Cornell has required live-in advisors since at least 2021. The newspaper reported that Chi Phi had met the requirement in previous years but failed to formally hire someone for the role by August 2024, ahead of the 2024-25 academic year.
Fraternity members reportedly confirmed in writing in mid-September 2024 that a recent graduate would live at the house on Edgemoor Lane.
However, Adam Ford, an attorney for Blake Haberstock—the graduate expected to serve as the live-in advisor—said his client had signed licensing documents with Cornell but had never formally accepted the position because it was not offered to him.
“While he was in discussions for the position, it never materialized,” Ford said on Haberstock’s behalf.
That meant no responsible adult was present at the house on October 19, 2024, the night Jane Doe alleges she was assaulted.
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Among those accused is 23-year-old Winston Lee, the grandson of a former South Korean prime minister.
Winston Lee, one of seven fraternity members accused in the alleged drug-related gang rape of a Cornell student, is the grandson of a former South Korean prime minister and ambassador to the United States
Jane Doe alleged that Chi Phi members Matthew Ingalls, left, and Jonathan Newell, right, were the first men to rape her. Cornell expelled both students after its investigation
Lee is accused of snorting ketamine from Jane Doe’s body during the alleged encounter at the Chi Phi house. He denies the allegations and maintains that the sexual activity was consensual. Cornell suspended the rugby player for two years following an internal investigation.
Doe also alleged that fraternity members Matthew Ingalls and Jonathan Newell pressured her to snort ketamine, smoke marijuana and drink high-proof rum.
According to the lawsuit, Newell later posted an offensive message in the fraternity’s Snapchat group advertising “Free p***y in alum pu.”
Cornell expelled both Ingalls and Newell after completing its investigation.
After the civil lawsuit was filed in September, the Tompkins County district attorney said he would consider taking the case to a grand jury. The decision came after prosecutors declined to do so in 2024, when Jane Doe reported the allegations to Cornell University Police.
New York Attorney General Letitia James was initially appointed special prosecutor in the matter but stepped aside earlier this week after facing accusations of bias.
Before her appointment, James had written on social media: “What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable.
“I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: You’re not alone. We stand with you.”
Two potential defendants asked that James be removed from the case, arguing that her public comments demonstrated bias.
Jacqueline Kelly supervised the investigation and prosecution of Sean “Diddy” Combs in the federal sex-trafficking and racketeering case
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Wednesday that Jacqueline Kelly would lead the investigation into Jane Doe’s allegations that multiple men raped her in October 2024
A former federal prosecutor who helped oversee the case against Sean “Diddy” Combs will now direct the sexual-assault investigation.
Jacqueline Kelly, a former Manhattan federal prosecutor with experience in sex-trafficking prosecutions, will report to James, who will have no direct role in the investigation.
James said she was confident Kelly would conduct “a fair and comprehensive investigation.”
Kelly is now a partner at the international law firm Boies Schiller Flexner. She graduated from Cornell University and Columbia Law School.
After her appointment, Kelly said: “All New Yorkers deserve a fair and thorough inquiry into the facts of this case. I look forward to lending my years of experience as a federal prosecutor to the Office of the Attorney General as we examine all available evidence.”
More to follow.
