Cornell Faculty Senate Votes No Confidence in Leadership Over Handling of Sexual Assault Allegations

On Friday afternoon, an email went out to the members of Cornell University's Faculty Senate with a tally: 75 in favor, 50 opposed, five abstaining and five not voting. The resolution it counted declared "no confidence" in the university's top leaders, including President Michael Kotlikoff.

The vote came after weeks of argument 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. The faculty body has no power over the university's leadership, so the resolution is symbolic. Its backers said they hoped it would press the board of trustees to act quickly on what they see as longstanding institutional failures. Notably, the resolution did not call for Kotlikoff to resign.

The case behind it surfaced in mid-September, when a former student filed a lawsuit against Cornell and seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity. She says she was given ketamine and raped at the fraternity house in October 2024. The men have all denied the allegations; some say the sex was consensual, others say they were not involved. The local district attorney first concluded 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 Title IX process, which ran for months, ended in discipline for several of the accused. 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 remain furious that he did not move 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 the sponsors to say that the Jane Doe case is "but a tip of the iceberg," and that since the resolution was introduced "a veritable fortress of silence has been breached" around sexual violence.

Kotlikoff spoke to senators on the first day of debate. 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 said he had not read the campus police report, explaining that 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 acknowledged he had not known until recently that she had left Cornell. He also said the university must determine whether fraternities can operate safely, leaving open sweeping restrictions on Greek life, and said 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 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 the problem "thoughtfully and comprehensively." Board chair Anne Smalling said the board fully supports the president, and pointed to expanded sexual assault prevention education, additional victim advocates and more staff in the Office of Civil Rights.

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, along with the attorney general's reopened criminal inquiry, are the next developments to watch.