Cornell University announced Tuesday that it will suspend all fraternity parties through the end of the academic year and add trained sexual assault investigators to its campus police force, a sweeping response to a lawsuit alleging a gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity in 2024.
President Michael Kotlikoff, in a message to the campus community, said any fraternity that violates the party ban will face immediate emergency suspension. The move comes as the university faces mounting scrutiny over its handling of the allegations by a student identified as Jane Doe, who says she was coerced into using drugs and alcohol at the fraternity in October 2024 and then raped by multiple members over the course of the night.
Kotlikoff acknowledged the broader challenges facing students in Ithaca, telling The New York Times, "There is an issue, post-Covid, of what are the options for students in a town like Ithaca. Many, many bars and venues went out of business and did not come back." He said the university will invest in "safe social alternatives" to fill that void.
In addition to the party suspension, Cornell is appointing a dedicated case manager to guide students who report sexual misconduct through the reporting process and is adding staff to its Office of Civil Rights. The university is also accelerating recommendations from its Presidential Task Force on Sexual Assault and expanding bystander intervention training.
Kotlikoff's message stressed that the problem is not unique to fraternities or to Cornell. "Research has shown that campus sexual assault is not limited to the fraternity system. At its core is the specific context of social behavior and a deeply disturbing prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse," he wrote, adding that the university is committed to "setting a higher standard for education, oversight, and enforcement."
The changes follow an outside investigation into Cornell's handling of Jane Doe's case. The local district attorney declined to pursue criminal charges after campus police provided a condensed statement that omitted Doe's assertion that she was "certain" she had been raped. New York Attorney General Letitia James has opened her own inquiry, and the university has tapped former acting attorney general Sally Yates for an independent review.
Kotlikoff 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."
The suspension is the latest in a series of campus crackdowns on Greek life. The University of Arizona recently halted fraternity events amid similar reports, and Cornell's decision could set a precedent for other schools. Legal experts say the case also raises questions about potential bias in the attorney general's probe, while defense attorneys have moved to gag Jane Doe's attorney from speaking publicly.
