Jane Doe's attorney says he hopes Cornell no-confidence vote will be 'yet another step forward'

Faculty senators voted electronically over more than a week before Friday’s results

Thomas Giuffra, Jane Doe’s attorney, said Friday he is hopeful Cornell University’s faculty vote of no confidence in the school’s top leaders will be “yet another step forward to educate and support the Cornell community by addressing the longstanding scourge of sexual assault on campus”, after more than a week of electronic voting ended with the results released Friday.

The resolution passed 75-50, with five faculty senators abstaining and five others not voting, according to an email sent to members of the faculty senate Friday afternoon. Its approval was a symbolic gesture reflecting deep discontent on campus in the wake of a former student’s lawsuit saying she was gang-raped at a fraternity party in 2024.

The vote followed weeks of debate among professors over whether Cornell’s president, Michael Kotlikoff, and other administrators handled the woman’s allegations properly and whether they have done enough to curtail sexual misconduct at the university. While the faculty body has no power over the university’s top leaders, backers of the resolution had said they hoped it would pressure Cornell’s trustees to urgently address what they viewed as longstanding institutional failures. The resolution did not call for Kotlikoff’s resignation.

The lawsuit was filed in mid-September against the university and seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity. It says the former student was given ketamine and raped at a fraternity house in October 2024. All seven men have denied her allegations, saying either that the sex was consensual or that they were not involved.

The local district attorney initially decided the woman had consented to the encounter and that no crime had been committed, but the investigation has since been reopened and handed to New York’s attorney general.

Cornell disciplined several of the accused students after a months-long Title IX investigation, according to records obtained by the New York Times. Two were expelled, two received suspensions and probation, and two were required to write “reflection” papers and complete bystander training. A seventh man had already graduated and was barred from campus.

Cornell’s board of trustees said Friday that the vote reflected deep anger on campus and sent a “clear signal that what happened to Jane Doe is unacceptable”, but added that Kotlikoff and his administration were the right leaders to “thoughtfully and comprehensively” address the issue.

“The board fully supports President Kotlikoff and his administration as they continue to listen and act decisively in support of students,” board chair Anne Smalling said in a statement. She cited expanded sexual assault prevention education, additional victim advocates and more staff at the university’s office of civil rights as evidence of the administration’s response.

Kotlikoff convened a taskforce to study the problem of sexual misconduct on campus, which released certain recommendations. Some faculty members have been sharply critical of him for not acting more forcefully to strengthen the school’s disciplinary process, push for criminal investigations and change campus party culture.

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse is available in the United States from Rainn at 800-656-4673.