Cornell Faculty Pass No-Confidence Resolution Over Handling of Alleged Fraternity Gang Rape

On Friday, Cornell University's Faculty Senate voted 75-50 to declare no confidence in the school's top leaders. Five senators abstained and five others did not vote, according to an email sent to senate members that afternoon. The resolution is symbolic. The faculty body has no power over the university's leadership, and the resolution does not call for President Michael Kotlikoff to resign.

The vote came after weeks of debate among professors. They were weighing whether Kotlikoff and other administrators handled a former student's allegations properly, and whether the university has done enough to curb sexual misconduct. Since mid-September, the campus has been in what the source describes as a state of distress and dismay. That was when the woman filed a lawsuit against Cornell and seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity. She says she was given ketamine and raped at a fraternity house in October 2024.

All seven men deny the allegations. Some say the sex was consensual, and others say they were not involved. The local district attorney first concluded that the woman had consented and that no crime had been committed. That investigation has since been reopened and handed to New York's attorney general.

Cornell's own process ended in discipline for several of the accused after a monthslong Title IX investigation. Records obtained by The New York Times show that two students were expelled and two were suspended and placed on probation. Two more were required to write reflection papers and complete bystander training. A seventh man had already graduated and was barred from campus.

Kotlikoff also convened a task force on sexual misconduct, which has released some recommendations. Even so, some faculty are angry that he has not acted more forcefully to strengthen the disciplinary process, push for criminal investigations and change campus party culture.

Paul Ortiz, a labor history professor who co-sponsored the resolution, said last week that hundreds of students, staff, alumni and faculty had approached its sponsors. Their message, he said, was that the Jane Doe case is "but a tip of the iceberg." He also said a "veritable fortress of silence" around sexual violence had been breached since the resolution was introduced. Backers hoped the vote would pressure Cornell's trustees to take urgent action on what they see as longstanding institutional failures.

On the first day of debate, Kotlikoff addressed the senators. He pledged to make Cornell a leader in confronting sexual assault and asked for more time. Replacing him, he argued, would do little to solve complex problems and could hurt the university's reputation. He acknowledged that he had not read the campus police report, saying university policy bars top administrators from interfering in criminal investigations. He rejected the suggestion that he had been indifferent to the woman's case, though he conceded he had not known until recently that she had left Cornell. He said the university must decide whether fraternities can operate safely, and he left open the possibility of sweeping restrictions on Greek life. Decisions, he said, should rest on research and evidence rather than emotion.

Some professors urged patience. They argued that faculty should wait for an independent investigation by Sally Yates, the former U.S. Deputy Attorney General, whom Cornell hired. Her review covers how the university responded to the woman's initial report in 2024 and its overall procedures for handling similar reports from other students.

The board of trustees responded Friday that the vote reflected deep anger on campus and sent a "clear signal that what happened to Jane Doe is unacceptable." It said Kotlikoff and his administration were still the right leaders to address the issue thoughtfully and comprehensively. Board chair Anne Smalling said the board fully supports Kotlikoff. She cited expanded sexual assault prevention education, additional victim advocates and staffing increases at the Office of Civil Rights. Next to watch are the Yates findings, the attorney general's review, and any move on fraternities.