Cornell faculty no-confidence vote on sexual assault response closes Nov. 6
Sexual offense complaints at Cornell University that would have been handled by campus police will go to New York State Police for criminal investigation unless the complainant requests otherwise. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the agreement in a statement Thursday, saying Cornell committed to immediately refer such complaints to the state law enforcement agency.
“Every student deserves to feel safe on their campus. And when someone reports sexual assault, they deserve to be heard, treated with compassion and know their allegations will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated by law enforcement trained to support survivors,” she said.
The agreement comes as the Ivy League school faces mounting criticism over its handling of a gang-rape complaint filed by a woman known in court documents as Jane Doe, who left the school because of resulting trauma. The woman alleges she was drugged and gang-raped for hours by seven members of Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024.
Campus police were informed following the incident, but no charges were brought against any of the men allegedly involved. The incident was made public in November of that year, and additional details became public in September, when Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit seeking compensatory and punitive damages from Cornell and her alleged attackers. The resurfacing of the case has drawn intense criticism against the university and local police.
Hochul said what the woman described happening to her “is horrifying.” “Survivors should be able to trust the institutions responsible for protecting them,” she said. “We cannot afford to let them down.”
Last month, Hochul called for a review of Cornell’s response to the woman’s allegations, which the school agreed to undertake. Cornell’s newly formed special committee announced the review would be led by former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. Hochul also appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to investigate the allegations against the seven men.
The governor’s announcement came a day after Cornell’s Faculty Senate began voting on a no-confidence measure over the administration’s ability to effectively address “the ongoing crisis of sexual assault” at the school, with voting to close Nov. 6.