A former Cornell student alleging she was gang-raped at a fraternity party has accused President Michael Kotlikoff of doubting her claim. The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, said she felt “unsupported and disbelieved” by the university’s leader after he questioned why she waited several weeks to report the incident.
Doe set out her account in a two-page letter dated 14 October, addressed to the campus faculty ahead of a rare vote scheduled for 28 October. The faculty senate will decide whether to express no confidence in Kotlikoff’s leadership, a move prompted by how the university handled the case.
According to the letter obtained by the BBC, Doe said she received a “second-hand account” of Kotlikoff’s response during a January 2025 meeting with the then-president of her sorority and other staff. She wrote that the president’s “initial response” was “along the lines of, ‘Why did she wait so long to report it?’” One staff member present appeared distressed by the question, she added.
Doe reported the alleged assault to campus police on 8 November 2024, about three weeks after the October fraternity party where she says the attack occurred. The seven fraternity members she accused have denied any wrongdoing when contacted by CBS, the BBC’s US partner. None has been charged. The local prosecutor initially declined to bring charges but reopened the case recently.
Cornell said it opened an internal investigation and a civil rights inquiry after Doe’s allegations became public.
A university spokesperson disputed Doe’s description of Kotlikoff’s reaction, calling it “incorrect” and based on “a documented first-hand account.” The spokesperson said the president’s question about the delay in reporting was directed at bystanders who did not use Cornell’s anonymous tip line despite ongoing social media activity about the incident. “He was not questioning Jane Doe’s reporting,” the spokesperson said.
Kotlikoff, who has led the Ithaca-based institution for 26 years, faced intense questioning by the faculty senate last Wednesday. Recordings obtained by the BBC reveal staff accused him of lacking an “emotional response” and expressed being “deeply disturbed” by his handling of the case.
In response, Kotlikoff pointed to changes made at Cornell since the allegations surfaced, including a ban on fraternity parties. “We are all extraordinarily upset by the events at Cornell in October of 2024,” he said.
Faculty members described sexual misconduct on campus as a systemic problem requiring “systemic attention.” Paul Ortiz, a labour history professor who sponsored the no-confidence resolution, said students told faculty they “feel unsafe walking to the library after dark.” He accused the university of treating rape “as more of a ‘PR problem’ than a heinous crime.”
Doe’s letter said Kotlikoff’s question diminished her confidence in the administration’s “ability to approach my experience with the understanding, sensitivity, and fairness I had hoped for and expected from what had been my dream school.” She said she wrote the letter so faculty “can make an informed choice” ahead of their vote.
The university confirmed it received the letter from Doe’s lawyer but has not commented further on the upcoming vote.
The faculty senate’s decision on 28 October will be one of the rare instances Cornell’s academic staff formally challenge the university president’s leadership. The case has sparked a wider debate about campus safety and institutional accountability at the Ivy League university.
According to Joy Online.
