Cornell Students Protest University Response to Alleged Gang Rape
- "What we see here is that administrations have created a culture where survivors do not feel like they can stand up and speak out," said Jack Huber, a...
- Huber, a member of Students for a Democratic Cornell, was among the students who organized a protest against the university's response to allegations of a 2024 gang rape...
- Protesters are seeking an overhaul of the student discipline system and changes to how the student code of conduct defines sexual consent.
“What we see here is that administrations have created a culture where survivors do not feel like they can stand up and speak out,” said Jack Huber, a sophomore at Cornell’s school of industrial and labour relations.
Huber, a member of Students for a Democratic Cornell, was among the students who organized a protest against the university’s response to allegations of a 2024 gang rape at a fraternity house. Demonstrators filled a campus plaza and marched to the university’s main administration building to present a list of demands. Students carried a banner that read “Burn Down the Patriarchy.” Early Monday, the university found holes knocked into one of the administration building’s glass doors and red-painted messages on the walls condemning the Ivy League school’s handling of sexual assaults and the patriarchy.
Demands for Accountability
Protesters are seeking an overhaul of the student discipline system and changes to how the student code of conduct defines sexual consent. Specific demands include the revocation of degrees or expulsions for all students involved in the 2024 assault of a woman identified in court records as Jane Doe.
Huber argued that Cornell has used the current code to “cover up instances of sexual violence and rape” due to a lack of an independent judicial system. Citing data from Cornell’s Title IX office, Huber stated that between 2018 and 2024, there were 1,200 reported cases of sexual violence on campus, but only seven resulted in the expulsion of the accused. He alleged that administrators routinely dismiss complaints or perform the “bare minimum” during investigations. Huber added, “We’re looking to restore a code of conduct that properly respects and investigates instances of sexual violence.”
The ‘Cornell Seven’ Lawsuit
The unrest follows a civil lawsuit filed on September 14 by Jane Doe against the university and seven current and former students, a case known as “The Cornell Seven.” The lawsuit alleges that seven Chi Phi fraternity brothers gang-raped the student in October 2024. Jane Doe told investigators the experience was “totally debilitating” and provided a recording to the university in which she told the men, “What y’all did would be classified as gang rape.” Jane Doe told The Cornell Daily Sun that what happened to her was “horrific and deeply disturbing.”
Lawyers for two of the former students have denied their clients participated in a sexual assault. On a call, Jane Doe tried to pinpoint other people who entered the room; while the man suggested they both might be misremembering something “not true,” she said she recalled seeing “too many people” there. Sophia Dasser, editor-in-chief of The Cornell Daily Sun, noted that alleged perpetrators were reportedly offered the chance to write essays to mitigate their conduct.
University Response
In a video released Saturday, Michael Kotlikoff stated that Jane Doe’s account “raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization and aspects of party culture, alcohol and drug use.”
Kotlikoff vowed a commitment to “finding the answers our community deserves” and reaffirmed his support for an independent review of the university’s actions.