Cornell Faculty Senate Votes No Confidence in Leadership Over Handling of Alleged 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 members that afternoon. The resolution is symbolic. The faculty body has no power over the university's leadership, and the resolution did not call for President Michael Kotlikoff to resign.

The vote came after weeks of debate among professors over whether Kotlikoff and other administrators handled a former student's allegations properly, and whether they have done enough to curb sexual misconduct on campus. In mid-September, the woman filed a lawsuit against the university 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 of the men have denied the allegations. Some say the sex was consensual, and others say they were not involved.

The criminal side of the case has shifted. 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 with discipline for several of the accused after a monthslong Title IX investigation. According to records obtained by The New York Times, two were expelled, two were suspended and placed on probation, and two 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 released certain recommendations. Some faculty members have said he has not done enough to strengthen the disciplinary process, push for criminal investigations or change campus party culture.

Paul Ortiz, a labor history professor and co-sponsor of the resolution, said last week that hundreds of students, staff, alumni and faculty had approached the sponsors. They told him the Jane Doe case is "but a tip of the iceberg," and he said a "veritable fortress of silence has been breached" around sexual violence since the resolution was introduced. Backers hoped the vote would pressure Cornell's trustees to address institutional failures they consider longstanding.

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

The board of trustees responded Friday. It said the vote reflected deep anger on campus and sent a "clear signal that what happened to Jane Doe is unacceptable," but held that Kotlikoff and his administration were the right leaders to address the issue "thoughtfully and comprehensively." Board chair Anne Smalling said the board fully supports him, and she pointed to expanded sexual assault 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 Cornell community.

Some professors had urged colleagues to wait for an independent investigation by former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. 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, the attorney general's reopened inquiry, and any move on fraternities are the next things to watch.