Cornell Suspends Fraternity Parties In Fallout From Gang Rape Allegation

Cornell University is suspending parties at fraternity houses for the rest of the academic year and implementing other changes in response to an more than two-year-old allegation of a gang rape.A former student, identified as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit in September alleging she was drugged and raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity in 2024 over a period of several hours after county prosecutors declined to prosecute her case at the time of the alleged attack. The accuser said she was pressured to use drugs and that other men entered the room while she was incapacitated after members of the fraternity sent out a text blast to fraternity brothers saying she was available for sex to anyone interested.Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten cited insufficient evidence. The investigation was reopened last month after reporting of the civil suit brought public outrage. New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor.“It is clear that women on our campus continue to question whether they are safe. We must meet this moment by acknowledging where we have fallen short and taking meaningful action,” Cornell’s president, Michael Kotlikoff said Tuesday in a release.The Cornell Interfraternity Council lists 22 active fraternities. Sororities are not including among the council. Mr. Kotlikoff said there would be “zero tolerance” for violations of the party ban. “Any fraternity holding an in-house party or social event will receive an immediate emergency suspension,” he stated. It was unclear if the ban covered events held off campus.The university also announced that it is strengthening its support systems for survivors of sexual assault including allowing the New York State Police to investigate allegations of sexual assault on campus independently of the school’s police force. Crimes reported on Cornell’s campus are traditionally investigated internally.Cornell has also launched an independent review by former United States Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to look at the university’s policies and practices but Mr. Kotlikoff said he couldn’t wait for the finding to take action.An attorney for one of the Cornell students accused of being part of the attack, Andrew Miltenberg, said Cornell’s decision to suspend fraternity parties won’t solve any underlying problems. “Alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct, peer pressure, and issues surrounding consent aren’t confined to Greek life,” Mr. Miltenberg said in a statement. “It can’t simply point to Greek life and say, There’s the problem.”The move to ban fraternity parties was met with criticism from conservatives on social media. “This is absurd,” conservative commentator and podcast host Megyn Kelly said on X. “Overreaction? Isn’t this like banning all keg parties because some drunk students wrecked their cars on the way home?” asked conservative writer Michael J. Fell.“So you ban the parties but keep the campus cash flow from frat housing — justice in name only, while the ledger of abuse stays untouched,” X user Marcus Vance noted. Others noted that while the fraternities may not use their houses for parties, they can still hold parties in locations off campus.The Cornell Faculty Senate has scheduled a debate Wednesday on a no-confidence resolution on the ability of the school’s administration to “effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University.”

Cornell Suspends Fraternity Parties In Fallout From Gang Rape Allegation

Cornell Suspends Fraternity Parties In Fallout From Gang Rape Allegation

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