Cornell Faculty Senate Votes 75-50 'No Confidence' in Leadership Over Handling of Sexual Assault Case

On Friday, Cornell University's Faculty Senate approved a resolution declaring "no confidence" in the school's top leaders. The vote was 75-50, with five senators abstaining and five others not voting, according to an email sent to senate members that afternoon. The resolution followed a lawsuit from a former student who says she was gang raped at a fraternity party in 2024.

The lawsuit was filed in mid-September against the university and seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity. It says she was given ketamine and raped at the fraternity house in October 2024. All of the men have denied the allegations. Some say the sex was consensual, others that they were not involved. The local district attorney initially concluded that the woman had consented and that no crime was committed, but the investigation has since been reopened and handed to New York's attorney general. The campus has been distressed since the suit became public.

Cornell's own disciplinary process, a monthslong Title IX investigation, ended with varied outcomes, according to records obtained by The New York Times. Two of the accused students were expelled. Two received suspensions and probation. Two were required to write reflection papers and complete bystander training. The seventh man had already graduated and was barred from campus. President Michael Kotlikoff also convened a task force on sexual misconduct, which has released some recommendations.

The weeks of debate that led to Friday's vote centered on whether Kotlikoff and other administrators handled the woman's allegations properly and have done enough to curb sexual misconduct. Some faculty criticized him for not acting more forcefully to strengthen discipline, press for criminal investigations and change campus party culture.

The Faculty Senate has no power over the university's leadership, and the resolution did not call for Kotlikoff's resignation. Its backers said they hoped it would pressure the board of trustees to address institutional failures they described as longstanding. Paul Ortiz, a labor history professor and co-sponsor, said last week that hundreds of students, staff, alumni and faculty had approached the sponsors to say the Jane Doe case is "but a tip of the iceberg," and that a "fortress of silence" around sexual violence had been breached since the resolution was introduced.

When senators first took up the resolution, Kotlikoff addressed them. He pledged to make Cornell a leader on the issue and asked for more time. He argued that replacing him would do little to solve complex problems and could harm the university's reputation. He acknowledged he had not read the campus police report, saying university policy bars top administrators from interfering in criminal investigations. He rejected the idea that he had been indifferent to the woman's case, though he said he had only recently learned she had left Cornell. He said the university must determine whether fraternities can operate safely, left open sweeping restrictions on Greek life, and said decisions should rest on research and evidence rather than emotion.

The trustees responded Friday. They said the vote reflected deep anger on campus and was a "clear signal that what happened to Jane Doe is unacceptable," but maintained that Kotlikoff and his administration were the right leaders to address it "thoughtfully and comprehensively." Board chair Anne Smalling said the board fully supports the president, and cited expanded prevention education, additional victim advocates and more staff in the Office of Civil Rights. Thomas Giuffra, the woman's attorney, said he hoped the vote would be another step toward educating and supporting the community in addressing what he called the longstanding scourge of sexual assault on campus.

Some professors had urged colleagues to wait for an independent investigation by Sally Yates, the former U.S. Deputy Attorney General. Cornell hired her to examine how it responded to the woman's initial report in 2024 and how it handles similar reports from other students. Her findings, along with the attorney general's reopened inquiry, are what to watch next.