Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff banned on-campus fraternity parties for the remainder of the 2026-27 academic year, saying the school will have time to decide “whether and how” its fraternities can “safely” continue in the wake of an alleged gang rape rocking the university.
A woman identified as Jane Doe filed a lawsuit in mid-September against Cornell leaders, seven members of the school’s Chi Phi fraternity, and the school’s Chi Phi fraternity chapter and sorority chapter of Delta Delta Delta, alleging she was gang raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house in the fall of 2024.
Jane Doe’s state lawsuit, the subsequent reopened investigations, and protests embroiling the campus over the incident have brought national attention to the matter and prompted calls from the student body for the administration to act more adeptly in response. Kotlikoff said in a statement released Tuesday that the administration “[meets] this moment by acknowledging where we have fallen short and taking meaningful action.” The first action step in his statement was the yearlong ban on all on-campus Interfraternity Council parties and social events.
“These measures will provide time for a thorough review of fraternity life at Cornell to determine whether and how it can safely continue,” Kotlikoff said in the statement. “There will be zero tolerance for violations of this directive. Any fraternity holding an in-house party or social event will receive an immediate emergency suspension.”
The university announcement comes five days after the town of Ithaca, New York, where Cornell is located, stopped issuing permits for fraternity and sorority events in the area beyond campus property.
Kotlikoff said the university would, instead of allowing fraternity parties, invest in “safe social alternatives” for students on campus. He also announced a multitude of other efforts to support survivors of sexual assault and change the “social culture” at the school, including partnering with the New York State Police to investigate campus allegations of sexual assault.
“It is clear that women on our campus continue to question whether they are safe,” Kotlikoff said.
A TIMELINE OF JANE DOE’S ALLEGATIONS OF CORNELL GANG RAPE
“These are first steps toward systemic change on our campus. We will take all necessary steps to address the conditions that led to Jane Doe’s experiences, and those of other survivors,” he continued.
Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates is leading the university’s independent investigation into the Oct. 19, 2024, incident, while New York state Attorney General Letitia James is leading the state’s criminal investigation into the incident.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
