Cornell president says he is ‘deeply disturbed’ by rape case

• Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff expressed being "deeply disturbed" by a 2024 rape allegation involving students and vowed to prevent such incidents in future.
• The university faces a civil lawsuit naming fraternity members and leaders, with an independent review by an outside law firm announced to assess Cornell's handling of the case.
• New York officials criticised the case management, appointing a special prosecutor, while Cornell plans reforms in Greek life accountability and supports legislative changes on sexual-assault laws.

Cornell University president Michael Kotlikoff said he was “deeply disturbed” by a student’s 2024 rape allegation that has drawn national outrage.

“My heart aches when I think of what she experienced,” he said in a video message released on Oct 3, saying that the university must “do everything we can to prevent what happened to Jane Doe” from happening again.

Attorneys for a Jane Doe in September filed a civil lawsuit against the Ivy League university, its leaders, the Chi Phi fraternity, her sorority and seven men, saying that she was given drugs and alcohol and assaulted.

The men have largely remained silent. Lawyers for at least three of them have issued statements denying criminal wrongdoing.

The university has defended aspects of its handling of the cases, while Kotlikoff acknowledged on Oct 3 that it could “do better”.

“There are real legal and privacy limits on what we can say, but we will make a greater effort to explain what we can, to provide context about the actions Cornell has taken and to be more transparent,” he said, acknowledging questions about the investigation and “distrust” in the community.

Next week, Cornell’s Board of Trustees will announce an independent review by an outside law firm to investigate all aspects of Cornell’s handling of the case, Kotlikoff said.

“We will not wait for the investigation or the review to be completed before we act,” he said. “The review should inform additional changes, not delay improvements already underway or ones we know we can make today.”

Cornell plans a “serious look” at fraternities and sororities, focusing on accountability, transparency and members’ responsibility to intervene when someone is at risk, Kotlikoff said.

He did not announce specific new restrictions on Greek life.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul criticised the university police and district attorney’s handling of the case and appointed New York Attorney-General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to investigate the case.

James’s office will have the authority to prosecute offences and present evidence to a grand jury if warranted – a decision Kotlikoff said he supports.

He pledged the university’s “full support” for legislative efforts to change state sexual-assault laws and said Cornell eventually plans to use its research expertise to study sexual assault, trauma, intoxication and consent, and promote policies beyond its campus. BLOOMBERG