All social events at fraternity houses at Cornell University will be suspended for the remainder of the academic year in the wake of an alleged rape two years earlier, school officials announced Tuesday.
Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff detailed the "immediate measures" the Ivy League institution is taking after a former student known, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, alleged in a civil last month that she had been sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house on October 19, 2024.
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"I am deeply sorry for the harm Jane Doe suffered in 2024, and appalled that this act of sexual violence occurred within our Cornell community," Kotlikoff said in a statement. "It is clear that women on our campus continue to question whether they are safe. We must meet this moment by acknowledging where we have fallen short and taking meaningful action."
The changes will include the suspension of all parties and social events at Interfraternity Council houses at Cornell for the remainder of the academic year, Kotlikoff said.
"There will be zero tolerance for violations of this directive," he added. "Any fraternity holding an in-house party or social event will receive an immediate emergency suspension."
Cornell will also coordinate with New York State Police detectives while investigating allegations of sexual assault on campus moving forward, university officials said.
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"These individuals will interview survivors who elect to pursue criminal charges and will prepare comprehensive investigative summaries for the appropriate law enforcement agency," Kotlikoff said. "This would be in place for the duration of the independent review."
Additional staff at Cornell's Office of Civil Rights, including a case manager to help individuals who report sexual misconduct, will be hired at the university, where students and demonstrators have held rallies and a sit-in in support of Jane Doe.
"These are first steps toward systemic change on our campus," Kotlikoff's statement concluded. "We will take all necessary steps to address the conditions that led to Jane Doe’s experiences, and those of other survivors. Cornell must be a place where safety is not an open question. I am committed to doing that work, and to seeing it through. It will take all of us working together, however, to build a Cornell culture of community, trust, and respect."
The announcement comes a week after Cornell announced Sally Yates, a former U.S. deputy attorney general, would oversee an independent review into its prevention and response to sexual misconduct complaints.
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Yates, who served as the Department of Justice's second-highest-ranking official from 2015 through 2017 during the Obama administration, plans to analyze Cornell's "policies, practices and resources" regarding sexual harassment, sexual assault and related misconduct on campus in the aftermath of the alleged 2024 rape involving seven fraternity brothers.
The assessment will also analyze the ways reports of sexual misconduct are received, as well as support provided to students, related disciplinary decisions and the role of campus police.
Yates had been hired by Cornell after reports indicated that university police received a tip from an anonymous caller stating that Chi Phi fraternity leadership asked a potential witness to keep quiet because the "reputation of all involved and the frat would be ruined," according to school records reviewed by ABC News.
Cornell investigators then questioned witnesses about a potential cover-up by the fraternity brothers days later, videos show.
"Chi Phi held a meeting essentially to get all of the men on the same page about what happened," one female student reportedly told investigators. "I know for a fact there are group me messages about the situation."
All seven men in the lawsuit have denied the sexual assault allegations.
Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul has also appointed Democratic state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to oversee a criminal investigation into the woman's accusations.
Hochul appointed James after "new information" surfaced that raised questions about how the case was initially handled. Hochul said she had lost faith in the ability of Tompkins County Attorney Matthew Van Houten to oversee a reopened probe.
The former Cornell University student who was allegedly assaulted has been repeatedly threatened since filing her lawsuit last month, her attorney told Newsweek last week.
Attorney Thomas Giuffra said the woman identified as Jane Doe in court documents had received at least 20 threats less than a month after she filed a lawsuit regarding the alleged assault.
"She's absolutely terrified," Giuffra told Newsweek during an interview Thursday. "Her mother sent me a picture yesterday of Jane taping paper over the windows in her house so people can't take a shot of her or members of her family. I think things have devolved into a bunker mentality where she's really feeling vulnerable."
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Gray R. Thomas