Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff announced in an open letter published on Tuesday, 13 October that no fraternity on his university’s campus will be allowed to host any social gatherings until the end of the academic year in spring 2027.
This strict measure comes in the wake of the ‘Cornell 7’ alleged sexual assault scandal that broke last month. An unidentified female former student at the university, referred to in court records and the media as ‘Jane Doe’, had filed a civil suit alleging group sexual assault at a party at the Phi Chi fraternity house at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, by seven male students in October 2024.
Since the scandal broke, protests in support of the alleged victim have been widespread on the university campus, some drawing thousands of attendees, hence the University President’s sweeping response.
Kotlikoff stressed that there will be a zero-tolerance policy applied to Cornell’s ‘frat party prohibition’, and that any chapters in violation will face immediate suspension.
‘These measures will provide time for a thorough review of fraternity life at Cornell to determine whether and how it can safely continue,’ Kotlikoff wrote in his open letter to students and college staff.
However, with the new restrictions, some critics accuse Cornell University of imposing collective punishment on male students for crimes his fellow students were accused of doing.
In addition to the fraternity party ban, the university has also announced that Cornell will collaborate with New York state police to investigate alleged sexual offences occurring on campus. Kotlikoff promised to appoint a case manager to the Office of Civil Rights at Cornell to assist individuals reporting sexual misconduct in navigating the procedures. Additionally, Kotlikoff committed to partnering with the New York state police to enable their trauma-informed criminal investigators—who operate independently from Cornell University—to look into such allegations.
Also, on 7 October, the Ithaca Common Council voted to implement a temporary ban on student event permits, mainly affecting Greek Life organizations.
‘We will take all necessary steps to address the conditions that led to Jane Doe’s experiences, and those of other survivors,’ Cornell President Kotlikoff concluded his public message.
However, social media users worldwide are not as unified in their opinion on the Cornell 7 case as the students on campus.
Jane Doe did send text messages to some of her alleged aggressors that indicate she believed the sex acts were consensual, shortly after they occurred. These messages were made public by the legal counsel of some of the defendants.
‘Social media users worldwide are not as unified in their opinion on the Cornell 7 case as the students on campus’
Sceptics of the victim's claims also point to the major gap—nearly two years—that passed between the time when the alleged sex crimes occurred and her filing the civil suit.
On the other hand, her supporters highlight that all seven alleged offenders faced some level of punishment following the immediate university investigation into the incident, even if the local prosecutors declined to file any charges. In fact, two of the seven male students were expelled for their conduct involving Jane Die that night.
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