Cornell officials pressed by faculty as outrage mounts over alleged gang rape

Professors and staff at Cornell University pressed administration officials Tuesday as outrage builds over the alleged gang rape of a former student at a fraternity house in 2024, with questions raised about how the school and law enforcement responded as a new investigation of the case begins.

In a virtual webinar, university officials confirmed two students named in the civil lawsuit filed last month by a woman, identified as Jane Doe, are still enrolled and attending classes, according to a recording of the session obtained by CNN.

Some faculty members said they were struggling to teach classes the accused student are in and raised questions about how to accommodate them and other students, as well as questions on transparency, perceived lack of communication over the case, and how to address cultural issues with Greek life on campus.

“This is certainly and most intimately a Cornell community cultural challenge that we’re facing,” said Ryan Lombardi, vice president for student and campus life, at Tuesday’s meeting. “But we know that the world is watching, and we know that we’re all feeling that.”

A spokesperson for Cornell University did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

The meeting comes a day after faculty members submitted a resolution for a vote of no confidence against the school’s administrators - a formal rebuke of a group’s leadership and often an attempt to force change or compel resignations.

Angelina Katsanis/Reuters

Since the lawsuit was filed, frustrations on campus have grown with students and community members rallying in support of Doe and calling for more accountability by university administrators. A seven-hour sit-in is planned for Wednesday and the mayor of Ithaca, where Cornell is located, is expected to hold a council meeting over his proposal to pause Greek life and student gatherings .

University President Michael Kotlikoff, who released a video over the weekend saying the school would take a “serious look at the role of fraternities and sororities on campus,” struck a more skeptical tone Tuesday, cautioning against taking drastic action.

“This is obviously an absolutely horrendous and inexcusable situation that occurred in a fraternity,” Kotlikoff said Tuesday, “But I have to make the point that this doesn’t only occur in fraternities, I worry about pushing this into the shadows, into houses which we don’t own, which are private houses, which have parties, and which things can occur beyond our purview.”

Photo Illustration by Jason Lancaster/CNN/Getty Images

A timeline of the Cornell gang rape allegations

Faculty grill university administrators: Faculty and staff said during Tuesday’s webinar with administrators that they were struggling to teach classes that included the two accused students. Provost Kavita Bala said they were working through different options to “manage the dynamics in the classroom.” More than 300 questions were submitted with only a handful read aloud and addressed, university officials said.

No-confidence vote coming: The Faculty Senate will review a resolution for a no-confidence vote before it’s added to the Senate’s meeting agenda for October 14, labor history professor and Faculty Senate member Paul Ortiz said. The Senate is Cornell’s main legislative advisory and review body, with more than 75 members representing the university’s faculty. So far, about 40 senators have supported a resolution to hold a vote of no confidence, Ortiz said. CNN has reached out to Cornell officials for comment.

Wednesday meetings and protests : The Ithaca Common Council is scheduled to meet Wednesday at 6 p.m. at City Hall, as Mayor Robert Cantelmo seeks council action on a proposed moratorium on student and special event permits , including Greek life and other student gatherings, following the allegations of gang rape at Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024. Meanwhile, protests have cropped up all over the Ivy League school’s campus. Some groups are planning to host a seven-hour sit-in on Wednesday “in solidarity with Jane Doe,” starting at 1:30 p.m., according to social media flyers for the event. On Monday, professors joined students at a rally, where demonstrators held signs reading “Justice for every Jane Doe” and “Cornell admin betrays survivors resign now.”

Students host town hall : Students on Tuesday also hosted a town hall to discuss the ongoing issues on campus. A young woman in attendance said the event had helped “restore my faith in the community.” Another student added they were glad to see the media spotlight being shined on the school. “Sexual violence should make the headlines, it should be shocking, it should be newsworthy because it should be incredibly rare,” they said.

Cornell’s independent review : Former US Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates will lead an independent review of how Cornell University “prevents and responds to sexual harassment, sexual assault and related misconduct on campus,” the university announced Tuesday. Yates and her team will “conduct a detailed review of the university’s response” to Doe’s allegations, “including whether Cornell followed its policies and procedures in responding to the matter,” the university said in a release.

Doe receiving threats : Doe is dealing with threats and attempts to reveal her identity, her attorney, Thomas Giuffra, said Tuesday, telling CNN’s Anderson Cooper: “Just before I got on with you, somebody called her, made a threat to shoot up her house, shoot her, her mother, her father. She’s calling the police as we speak now.” She’s received other threats since filing her lawsuit, but this was the first phone call, the lawyer said, adding, “We’re terrified.” Giuffra previously said that he himself received a threat Sunday morning.

Survivors of sexual violence are reaching out for help in near-record numbers : Over the past week, calls to the National Sexual Assault Hotline are up 73%, and there were more than double the normal number of calls on Monday alone, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, which operates the hotline. Many of those contacting the hotline say they were prompted to call as a direct result of reading about Doe’s case, the organization’s president, Scott Berkowitz, said. “We admire, and are so grateful for, Jane Doe’s courage. RAINN stands with her, as do millions of survivors and supporters across the country,” Berkowitz said.

Letters to wireless carriers : Newly obtained documents show Cornell police drafted letters to wireless carriers related to “investigating a sexual assault incident” about a week after Doe first reported the alleged assault to university police and drafted letters to Verizon and T-Mobile asking them to “preserve all available data,” including texts, calls, and picture and video messages associated with accounts that “may contain evidence pertinent to the ongoing investigation.” It’s not clear whether investigators ever sent the requests, followed up with subpoenas, or whether Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten was aware of them. He has said his office only received from police a six-page statement signed by Doe and Snapchat screenshots. CNN has asked the carriers whether they received the requests from Cornell and if they complied.

Prosecutors refused additional evidence : The Tompkins County District Attorney’s office — which handled the 2024 criminal investigation — declined at the time to review additional evidence, including more interviews gathered by the campus police department, beyond a six-page statement signed by Doe, according to records obtained by The New York Times . Prosecutors did not express interest in the additional evidence because they had decided, based on Doe’s statement, that “criminal charges would not be pursued in this case,” a Cornell police investigator wrote in a note documenting the call, according to the Times.

Help is available : For help in the US, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or chat 24/7 on online.rainn.org .

CNN’s Hanna Park, Kara Scannell, Taylor Galgano, Holly Yan and Isa Mudannayake contributed to this report.

周二，康奈尔大学的教授和教职工向校方施压，因为一名学生在 2024 年于兄弟会宿舍遭到轮奸的指控引发了众怒，人们质疑学校和执法部门是如何应对的，同时新的调查也已展开。

据 CNN 获得的会议录像显示，在一次虚拟网络研讨会上，大学官员证实，上个月一名化名为 Jane Doe 的女子提起的民事诉讼中提到的两名学生仍在注册入学并上课。

一些教职员工表示，他们很难教授被指控学生所在的课程，并提出了如何照顾该学生和其他学生的问题，以及关于透明度、案件沟通不足以及如何解决校园内兄弟会/姐妹会文化问题的问题。

“这无疑是我们康奈尔社区面临的一项极其重要的文化挑战，”学生与校园生活副校长瑞安·隆巴迪在周二的会议上说。“但我们知道全世界都在关注着我们，我们也知道我们所有人都能感受到这一点。”

康奈尔大学发言人没有回应 CNN 的置评请求。

就在一天前，教职工提交了一份对学校管理人员的不信任投票决议——这是对一个团体领导层的正式谴责，通常是为了迫使其做出改变或被迫辞职。

安吉丽娜·卡特萨尼斯/路透社

自诉讼提起以来，校园内的不满情绪日益高涨，学生和社区成员纷纷声援原告约翰·多伊，并呼吁大学管理人员承担更多责任。计划于周三举行七小时静坐示威，康奈尔大学所在地伊萨卡市市长预计将就其提出的暂停兄弟会/姐妹会活动和学生集会的提议召开市议会会议。

大学校长迈克尔·科特利科夫周末发布了一段视频，称学校将“认真审视兄弟会和姐妹会在校园中的作用”。周二，他的语气变得更加怀疑，告诫不要采取过激行动。

“这显然是兄弟会里发生的一起极其可怕且不可原谅的事件，”科特利科夫周二表示，“但我必须指出，这种情况并非只发生在兄弟会里，我担心这会蔓延到我们不拥有的私人住宅，那些住宅会举办派对，而这些事情可能会超出我们的管辖范围。”

图片由 Jason Lancaster/CNN/Getty Images 提供

康奈尔轮奸案指控时间线

教职工质询校方：在周二与校方举行的网络研讨会上，教职工们表示，由于两名被指控的学生在场，他们难以正常授课。教务长卡维塔·巴拉表示，他们正在研究各种方案来“应对课堂上的各种状况”。校方官员称，他们收到了300多个问题，但只有少数几个问题被公开宣读并得到解答。

不信任投票即将到来：康奈尔大学教务委员会将审查一项不信任投票决议，之后才会将其列入10月14日的会议议程。劳工史教授兼教务委员会成员保罗·奥尔蒂斯表示，教务委员会是康奈尔大学的主要立法咨询和审查机构，由75多名代表大学教职工的成员组成。奥尔蒂斯称，目前已有约40名教务委员会成员支持举行不信任投票的决议。CNN已联系康奈尔大学官员寻求置评。

周三会议与抗议：伊萨卡市议会定于周三下午6点在市政厅召开会议，市长罗伯特·坎特尔莫(Robert Cantelmo)寻求市议会就一项拟议的暂停发放学生和特殊活动许可的提案采取行动，该提案涉及兄弟会/姐妹会活动和其他学生集会。此前，康奈尔大学Chi Phi兄弟会宿舍被曝出2024年发生轮奸案。与此同时，抗议活动在康奈尔这所常春藤盟校的校园内蔓延。根据社交媒体上的活动传单，一些团体计划于周三下午1点30分开始举行7小时的静坐示威，以“声援简·多伊”。周一，教授们与学生们一起参加了集会，示威者举着写有“为每一位简·多伊伸张正义”和“康奈尔校方背叛幸存者，立即辞职”的标语。

学生举办市政厅会议：周二，学生们还举办了一场市政厅会议，讨论校园内正在发生的问题。一位参加会议的年轻女性表示，这次活动帮助她“重拾了对社区的信心”。另一位学生补充说，他们很高兴看到媒体关注学校。“性暴力事件应该成为头条新闻，它应该令人震惊，它应该具有新闻价值，因为它应该极其罕见，”他们说道。

康奈尔大学宣布，前美国副司法部长萨莉·Q·耶茨将领导一项独立审查，调查康奈尔大学“如何预防和应对校园内的性骚扰、性侵犯及相关不当行为”。该大学周二宣布了这一消息。耶茨及其团队将“详细审查大学对约翰·多伊指控的回应”，包括“康奈尔大学在处理此事时是否遵循了其政策和程序”。

原告Doe收到威胁：Doe的律师托马斯·吉弗拉周二告诉CNN的安德森·库珀，Doe正面临威胁和身份泄露的企图。吉弗拉说：“就在我跟你连线之前，有人给她打电话，威胁要枪击她的房子，枪杀她本人、她的母亲和她的父亲。她现在正在报警。”吉弗拉表示，Doe提起诉讼后还收到过其他威胁，但这是她第一次接到威胁电话。他补充说：“我们非常害怕。”吉弗拉此前曾表示，他本人也在周日早上收到了威胁。

性暴力幸存者寻求帮助的人数接近历史最高水平：据运营全国性侵犯热线的强奸、虐待和乱伦全国网络（RAINN）称，过去一周，拨打该热线的电话数量增加了73%，仅周一一天，电话数量就超过了平时的两倍。该组织主席斯科特·伯科维茨表示，许多拨打热线的人表示，他们是在读到简·多伊的案例后才决定拨打电话的。“我们钦佩并感激简·多伊的勇气。RAINN与她站在一起，全国数百万幸存者和支持者也与她站在一起，”伯科维茨说道。

致无线运营商的信函：最新获取的文件显示，康奈尔大学警方在女友简·多伊首次向校警报案称遭到性侵后约一周，就已向无线运营商起草了与“性侵事件调查”相关的信函，并致函Verizon和T-Mobile，要求他们“保存所有可用数据”，包括与“可能包含与正在进行的调查相关的证据”的账户关联的短信、通话记录、图片和视频信息。目前尚不清楚调查人员是否发出过这些请求，是否后续发出过传票，也不清楚汤普金斯县地方检察官马修·范·豪顿是否知晓这些请求。他曾表示，他的办公室只收到警方提交的一份由简·多伊签署的六页声明和Snapchat截图。CNN已向运营商询问是否收到康奈尔大学的请求以及是否予以配合。

检察官拒绝接受更多证据：据《纽约时报》获得的记录显示，负责2024年刑事调查的汤普金斯县地方检察官办公室当时拒绝审查更多证据，包括校园警察局收集的更多访谈记录，而仅接受了一份由原告Doe签署的六页声明。据《纽约时报》报道，康奈尔大学一名警官在记录通话内容的笔记中写道，检察官对这些额外证据不感兴趣，因为他们根据Doe的声明决定“不会对此案提起刑事诉讼”。

可以获得帮助：在美国，如需帮助，请拨打全国性侵犯热线 1-800-656-4673 或访问 online.rainn.org 进行 24/7 全天候聊天。

CNN 的 Hanna Park、Kara Scannell、Taylor Galgano、Holly Yan 和 Isa Mudannayake 对本报告做出了贡献。