Cornell president says university 'must do better' over fraternity gang rape allegations

Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff has admitted the university "must do better" following mounting outrage and a lawsuit over the alleged gang rape of a student at a fraternity house.

In an eight-minute video address released on Saturday evening, Kotlikoff described the allegations as "deeply disturbing" and "a defining moment" in the school's history. His statement follows a wave of anger on the Ithaca campus, where student groups have scheduled protests and fraternity social events have been cancelled.

The civil lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court by a former student identified as Jane Doe, accuses seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity of drugging and sexually assaulting her for hours on 19 October 2024. Doe, who was 20 at the time, says she was given ketamine and alcohol, rendering her unable to consent.

The case has exposed major failures in how campus police, local prosecutors and university administrators handled the initial report. Although Doe reported the assault to campus police two weeks after it happened, no criminal charges were brought.

What went wrong with the investigation?

The fallout intensified when records revealed that the Tompkins County District Attorney, Matthew Van Houten, declined to prosecute without reviewing most of the evidence. Van Houten defended his office's decision by saying he was only shown a six-page police summary of Doe's interview, rather than the complete 120-page transcript.

That summary left out critical details, including Doe explicitly telling officers she was 100% confident she had been raped. Prosecutors also did not examine more than 1,000 pages of text messages, documents and interviews collected by Cornell’s internal Title IX inquiry.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul intervened on Friday, calling the administrative and legal response a failure "at every turn". Hochul has appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James to act as a special prosecutor and run a fresh criminal investigation.

How is Cornell responding?

In his video, Kotlikoff welcomed the attorney general's intervention. He also announced that Cornell’s board of trustees will appoint an outside law firm next week to conduct an independent review of the university’s actions.

"My heart aches when I think of what she experienced," Kotlikoff said, adding that the case raises "heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization, and aspects of party culture, alcohol, and drug use."

The university president has faced direct pressure from the student body. During a student assembly on Thursday, several speakers called for Kotlikoff to resign. Students and parents have expressed fury over the university's silence and the lack of communication since the lawsuit was filed.

Kotlikoff acknowledged that the university's quietness had built distrust, though he argued there were "real legal and privacy limits" on what could be shared. He promised more opportunities for families and students to voice their concerns.

The political fallout and next steps

The scandal has also revived a political push to close New York's "voluntary intoxication loophole". Under current state law, it is difficult to prosecute sexual assault if a victim consumed drugs or alcohol voluntarily, even if they became too impaired to consent.

Van Houten cited this loophole in defence of his initial decision not to charge the men. Governor Hochul has pledged to lobby for changes to the law, a move Kotlikoff said Cornell would support.

For now, Cornell has suspended all fraternity social activities. Student protests are planned for Monday as the campus demands systemic reform of how sexual violence is handled.