Lawsuit alleges seven Chi Phi members drugged, gang-raped student in 2024

The resolution follows the September filing of a civil lawsuit by a former Cornell student against the university, the seven men she accused of raping her and the Chi Phi fraternity chapter to which they belonged. Faculty senator Paul Ortiz, a labor history professor, told CNN the resolution reflects pressure on the Senate from across the Cornell community.

“The faculty have been approached by hundreds of students, alumni, staff who are demanding that we do something,” Ortiz said. “We’re tired of the sexual assaults that happened to our students. We’re tired of the administration’s inaction on this issue — and not only our current students, but past students, alumni who have actually given money to this university are fed up.”

The lawsuit alleges that the seven men drugged and gang raped the student over several hours in October 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house. The student reported the incident to the university in November 2024. At that point, Cornell expelled two of the accused students, closed the Chi Phi chapter and punished the other five alleged rapists by requiring them to write essays. The Tompkins County district attorney did not bring criminal charges.

The civil lawsuit brought wider attention to the case, drawing criticism from those who questioned why further legal actions were not taken to investigate the incident.

The New York Times reported that the no-confidence resolution is largely symbolic but adds to pressure on Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff as the administration investigates the allegations.

On Thursday — four days before the faculty filed the resolution — Gov. Kathy Hochul named New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to investigate the case.

“Newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation conducted by the Cornell Police Department and the decision by the Tompkins County district attorney not to prosecute an alleged sexual assault on Cornell University’s campus in October 2024,” Hochul said in a statement.

“This has, in turn, undercut my faith, and the public’s faith, in the district attorney’s ability to effectively investigate and prosecute the case at this time,” she said.

The University Faculty Committee received the resolution Monday, NBC News reported.