Cornell president admits he never followed up on gang rape allegation ahead of no-confidence debate

Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff acknowledged this week that he never followed up on a 2024 gang rape allegation at a fraternity house in Ithaca. He said he did not know until recently that the student had left Cornell or that students had been expelled or suspended. The disclosure came before the Faculty Senate’s debate on a no-confidence resolution over the administration’s handling of sexual assault reports.

The student, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, sued Cornell alleging that seven Chi Phi fraternity members sexually assaulted or exploited her in October 2024.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten initially declined to pursue charges after reviewing a Cornell police summary, but later reopened the investigation after saying key details had been omitted.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul removed Van Houten from the case, appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor and ordered an independent review of Cornell’s handling of the allegations.

The Faculty Senate has approximately 130 voting members, and a simple majority is required to pass the no-confidence resolution.

Kotlikoff announced a ban on fraternity parties through the end of the academic year and plans to give state police a role in investigating sexual assault reports.

Published Oct 15, 2026 4:06 am KST

Protesters listen to speakers at a rally in support of a former Cornell University student known as Jane Doe at the Ithaca Commons, Tuesday, in Ithaca, New York. The rally was organized by several survivor and activist groups to demand accountability regarding Jane Doe's alleged gang rape she suffered at the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024. Officials at Cornell University announced they would ban fraternity parties for the remainder of the academic year as the university continues to face scrutiny over their handling of the 2024 rape allegations. Getty Images via AFP-Yonhap

Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff knew in 2024 that a student had reported being gang raped at a fraternity house, but never followed up to learn what had happened to her or whether any of the accused students had been punished.

In an interview with The New York Times published Tuesday, a day before Cornell’s Faculty Senate was set to begin debating a no-confidence resolution in his administration, Kotlikoff acknowledged that he did not know until recently that the woman had dropped out of Cornell or that students had been expelled or suspended over the incident.

Kotlikoff publicly addressed what he called “deeply disturbing” allegations involving drug use and sexual violence at the Chi Phi fraternity house in a November 2024 message to the Cornell community, saying criminal and university investigations were underway.

He subsequently convened a presidential task force to examine how Cornell handles sexual assault, but said this week that he never followed up to learn the outcomes of the criminal or Title IX investigations into the woman’s allegations.

Case has drawn national attention, roiled campus

The case has drawn national attention since the woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe , filed a lawsuit alleging that seven Chi Phi fraternity members sexually assaulted or exploited her in October 2024 and that Cornell mishandled her complaints.

On Tuesday, Kotlikoff announced a ban on fraternity parties through the end of the academic year and plans to give state police a role in investigating sexual assault reports.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten initially declined to pursue charges after reviewing a summary prepared by Cornell University Police, but later said it omitted key details. He reopened the investigation after the lawsuit was filed. Gov. Kathy Hochul subsequently removed him from the case, appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor and ordered an independent review of Cornell’s handling of the allegations.

The Cornell Faculty Senate's proposed resolution, declaring no confidence in the administration's ability to handle reports of sexual assault on campus, reflects growing concerns among some faculty members that people who report sexual misconduct face institutional barriers and fear retaliation. Some have called for Kotlikoff’s resignation, while others have urged patience as independent investigations proceed.

Kotlikoff was scheduled to address the Faculty Senate on Wednesday before members begin debating the resolution. Debate was expected to continue Oct. 28, followed by electronic voting by the Faculty Senate, which has approximately 130 voting members. A simple majority is required for passage.

Professor who reported harassment says it nearly cost her career

For Ariana Kim, an associate music professor at Cornell and co-sponsor of the resolution, Kotlikoff’s acknowledgment that he had not followed up on the woman’s case was deeply troubling.

“I mean, that’s appalling in and of itself, right?” Kim said. “That you don’t know about a student who faced an alleged horrific crime, that you don’t think to check in.”

Kim, a Grammy-nominated violinist, said she was motivated to take action after being struck by Jane Doe's story, as well as her own personal experiences on campus since she started at Cornell a decade ago as a young academic in her 20s. She said when she experienced bullying and sexual harassment by senior colleagues, Cornell failed to properly document her complaints and that she was never clearly informed what disciplinary action, if any, had been taken.

“I was asked what I had done to provoke the situation,” she said.

Kim said she continued to be expected to work alongside colleagues involved in the dispute. She believes reporting the misconduct later affected her tenure review.

She spent 18 months appealing an adverse tenure decision, a process during which she lost 20 pounds (9 kilograms) and struggled to eat or sleep. A university appeals board ultimately overturned the original decision, and she secured tenure.

Now seeking promotion to full professor, Kim said she recognizes that publicly criticizing university leaders could again jeopardize her career.

“I’m speaking out publicly against this administration that may very well deny my promotion,” she said.

Kim said she has considered leaving Cornell many times over the years but is determined to stay and make the university safer for those who come after her.

“If by me fighting, it helps move the needle a little bit so that my female students aren’t going through this in 10 years or my female colleagues aren’t going through this in five years, then maybe it’s worth it.”

Faculty members question whether Cornell can investigate itself

Anne Marie Brady, a senior extension associate at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and another co-sponsor of the resolution, questioned whether Cornell University Police can independently investigate serious allegations of sexual misconduct.

“There doesn’t seem to be independence between the administration and the Cornell Police Department,” Brady said. She pointed to its handling of campus protests as one reason for her concerns and said serious criminal allegations should be investigated by outside law enforcement agencies.

Brady welcomed Kotlikoff’s announcement that state police would take on a role in sexual assault investigations, saying it showed the administration was listening to faculty concerns. But she questioned the timing, a day before the Senate was scheduled to begin debating the no-confidence resolution.

“I’m happy that they are listening — we need a dialogue,” she said. “We need to debate and discuss this. But I also feel it’s a bit disingenuous that it comes out just before the resolution.”

康奈尔大学校长迈克尔·科特利科夫本周承认，他从未跟进2024年发生在伊萨卡一所兄弟会宿舍的轮奸指控。他说，直到最近他才知道涉事学生已经离开康奈尔，也不知道有学生被开除或停学。这一披露是在教务委员会就校方处理性侵案件的方式进行不信任投票之前进行的。

法庭文件中化名为 Jane Doe 的这名学生起诉康奈尔大学，声称 2024 年 10 月，七名 Chi Phi 兄弟会成员对她进行了性侵犯或性剥削。

汤普金斯县地方检察官马修·范·豪顿最初在审查了康奈尔警方的案情摘要后拒绝提起诉讼，但后来表示关键细节被遗漏后，重新展开了调查。

纽约州州长凯西·霍楚尔将范·豪顿从该案中撤职，任命总检察长莱蒂西亚·詹姆斯为特别检察官，并下令对康奈尔大学处理这些指控的方式进行独立审查。

教务委员会约有 130 名投票成员，不信任决议需要简单多数票才能通过。

科特利科夫宣布禁止兄弟会举办派对直至本学年结束，并计划让州警参与调查性侵犯案件。

发布于2026年10月15日凌晨4:06（韩国标准时间）

周二，在纽约州伊萨卡市的伊萨卡公共广场，抗议者们聆听演讲者发言，声援一位化名简·多伊（Jane Doe）的康奈尔大学前学生。此次集会由多个幸存者和维权团体组织，旨在要求对简·多伊于2024年在Chi Phi兄弟会会所遭受的轮奸指控进行问责。康奈尔大学官员宣布，由于该校对2024年轮奸指控的处理方式持续受到审查，他们将在本学年剩余时间内禁止兄弟会举办派对。图片来源：Getty Images via AFP-Yonhap

康奈尔大学校长迈克尔·科特利科夫在 2024 年就知道一名学生报告说她在兄弟会宿舍遭到轮奸，但他从未跟进了解她发生了什么事，或者是否有任何被指控的学生受到了惩罚。

在周二发表于《纽约时报》的一次采访中，科特利科夫承认，直到最近他才知道这名女子已经从康奈尔大学退学，也不知道有学生因为这起事件而被开除或停学。采访发表于康奈尔大学教务委员会即将开始辩论对其行政部门的不信任决议的前一天。

科特利科夫在 2024 年 11 月向康奈尔大学社区发表的一封信中，公开回应了他称之为“令人深感不安”的指控，这些指控涉及 Chi Phi 兄弟会宿舍内的吸毒和性暴力，并表示刑事和大学调查正在进行中。

随后，他召集了一个总统特别工作组，调查康奈尔大学如何处理性侵犯事件，但他本周表示，他从未跟进了解针对该女子指控的刑事调查或第九条修正案调查的结果。

此案已引起全国关注，并在校园内引起轩然大波。

该案引起了全国的关注，因为在法庭文件中被确认为 Jane Doe 的女子提起诉讼，声称七名 Chi Phi 兄弟会成员在 2024 年 10 月对她进行性侵犯或性剥削，并且康奈尔大学对她的投诉处理不当。

周二，科特利科夫宣布禁止兄弟会举办派对直至本学年结束，并计划让州警参与调查性侵犯报告。

汤普金斯县地方检察官马修·范·豪顿最初在审阅了康奈尔大学警方准备的案情摘要后，拒绝提起诉讼，但后来表示该摘要遗漏了关键细节。在诉讼提起后，他重新启动了调查。随后，州长凯西·霍楚尔将他从该案中撤职，任命总检察长莱蒂西亚·詹姆斯为特别检察官，并下令对康奈尔大学处理这些指控的方式进行独立审查。

康奈尔大学教务委员会提出的决议草案，对校方处理校园性侵事件的能力表示不信任，反映出部分教职工日益担忧举报性骚扰行为的人会面临制度性障碍，并担心遭到报复。一些人呼吁科特利科夫辞职，而另一些人则敦促大家保持耐心，等待独立调查的进行。

科特利科夫原定于周三向教务委员会发表讲话，之后委员会成员将开始辩论该决议。辩论预计将于10月28日继续进行，随后由拥有约130名投票成员的教务委员会进行电子投票。决议只需获得简单多数即可通过。

一位举报性骚扰的教授称，这几乎毁了她的职业生涯。

对于康奈尔大学音乐系副教授、该决议的共同发起人 Ariana Kim 来说，Kotlikoff 承认他没有跟进该女子的案件，这令她深感不安。

“我的意思是，这本身就令人震惊，对吧？”金说道。“你竟然不知道有学生遭遇了据称骇人听闻的罪行，你竟然没有想到要关心一下。”

曾获格莱美奖提名的提琴家金表示，简·多伊的遭遇以及她自十年前二十多岁刚入康奈尔大学以来在校园中的亲身经历，都促使她采取行动。她说，当她遭到资深同事的欺凌和性骚扰时，康奈尔大学未能妥善记录她的投诉，也从未明确告知她是否采取了任何纪律处分，以及采取了何种处分。

“有人问我，我做了什么才引发了这种情况，”她说。

金女士表示，她仍然被要求与卷入纠纷的同事一起工作。她认为，事后举报不当行为影响了她的任期考核。

她花了18个月的时间上诉，试图推翻一项不利的终身教职裁定。在此期间，她体重减轻了20磅（9公斤），并且难以进食和入睡。最终，大学上诉委员会推翻了原判，她获得了终身教职。

金教授目前正在寻求晋升为正教授，她说她意识到公开批评大学领导可能会再次危及她的职业生涯。

“我公开反对本届政府，他们很可能会否决我的晋升，”她说。

金表示，多年来她曾多次考虑离开康奈尔大学，但她决心留下来，让这所大学对后来者来说更加安全。

“如果我的抗争能够稍微改变现状，让我的女学生在 10 年内不必经历这些，或者我的女同事在 5 年内不必经历这些，那么也许就是值得的。”

教职员工质疑康奈尔大学是否有权进行自我调查。

康奈尔大学工业与劳动关系学院高级推广助理安妮·玛丽·布雷迪是该决议的另一位共同发起人，她质疑康奈尔大学警察能否独立调查严重的性行为不端指控。

布雷迪说：“校方和康奈尔大学警察局之间似乎缺乏独立性。”她指出，校方对校园抗议活动的处理方式是她担忧的原因之一，并表示严重的刑事指控应该由校外执法机构进行调查。

布雷迪对科特利科夫宣布州警将参与性侵案调查表示欢迎，称这表明校方正在倾听教职工的诉求。但她质疑宣布的时机，因为就在参议院计划开始辩论不信任决议的前一天。

“我很高兴他们愿意倾听——我们需要对话，”她说。“我们需要辩论和讨论这个问题。但我也觉得，在决议出台前夕发布这样的声明有点虚伪。”