NEW YORK – Cornell University president Michael Kotlikoff is facing mounting pressure over the school’s handling of sexual assault allegations, after faculty peppered him with questions ahead of a no-confidence vote against the university’s leadership.
On Oct 14, members of the Cornell Faculty Senate questioned Kotlikoff over the safety of Greek life, the organisational structure of university leadership and how the Ivy League school has responded to the allegations.
Kotlikoff, who became interim president in 2024 and was named president the following year, also addressed concerns from current and former staff about how the sexual assault case has shaken trust in the school’s leaders.
“If this university feels that they will solve this problem by replacing a president, that, itself, is not good for Cornell’s reputation because I don’t think it’s the right way you address situations like this,” Kotlikoff responded to one question.
The meeting was closed to the media and accessible only to those with a school ID or log-in information, according to Cornell’s faculty dean.
A Cornell spokesperson declined to comment about the meeting.
The meeting comes as the faculty senate prepares to begin voting in October on a resolution expressing “no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault”. The body does not have the power to remove the president, but the resolution could be a barometer of support for Kotlikoff’s leadership.
Since September, protests have roiled the school in response to a former student’s allegations that she was drugged and raped at a fraternity house in 2024. The case has drawn scrutiny beyond Cornell’s upstate New York campus over how the university and local authorities handled her allegations – which were laid out in a civil lawsuit – and why an earlier probe into the matter did not result in criminal charges.
During the meeting, several members of the faculty advocated reforms or the outright removal of Greek life. Andrew Moisey, an associate professor of art history and visual studies, said Cornell has been in an “abusive relationship with fraternities” dating back to a hazing death in 1873.
Fraternities “tell task forces that they’ll never do it again”, Moisey said. “A therapist or a good friend would advise us to say thanks for the memories, but it’s time to break up.”
Kotlikoff said the university should determine the overall safety of Greek life through data and study, not act on emotion.
“I just came from a town hall of alums who made the other point – that they felt that their sorority experience and fraternity experience was a very important part of their life at Cornell,” the president said. “We have to all take a step and carefully study this issue.”
Kotlikoff also said he was looking into whether Cornell’s public safety chief should continue to report to its top finance officer, an arrangement he described as “awkward”. Former faculty dean Charles Van Loan said the relationship could fuel suspicion that donor concerns influence prosecutions.
“I think you make an excellent point,” Kotlikoff told Van Loan.
At several points during the meeting, Kotlikoff said the university needed more data on sexual violence on campus. As is, the president said the university had a survey of students with a “very low participation rate”. “We do not have great data on this situation,” Kotlikoff said. “We need better data.”
Critics of the university’s handling of the case have grown to include New York Governor Kathy Hochul, an ex-officio Cornell trustee who said on Oct 13 that the university “failed that young woman”. But Kotlikoff said he was committed to making Cornell a leader in sexual violence response.
Throughout the meeting, faculty members suggested the university has responded to the former student’s allegations too late. Darlene Evans, a former lecturer, further questioned why Cornell would allow social gatherings at the fraternity on the night of the alleged assault after university police pursued a drug arrest at the location hours earlier.
After the alleged assault, the university conducted a Title IX investigation, assembled a task force on sexual assault, barred the fraternity from campus and sought punishments for the students involved. There have been no criminal charges in relation to the incident.
“This has been an issue on our campus and every college campus. It’s something I know people would like a president or provost to be able to immediately eliminate,” Kotlikoff said. “It’s something that we all have to work very hard to try and address.” BLOOMBERG