Students have called for drastic change at Cornell University as a result of an alleged gang rape in 2024, with one using an emotional student assembly on Thursday to say: “We’re absolutely ashamed of the events that happened on campus.”
Students and faculty members say the investigation into the incident has cast a “dark cloud” over the campus – stirring anger, concern over fraternity culture, and a backlash against the university’s handling of the situation.
At Thursday’s assembly, some labelled the perceived lack of justice a “disgrace” and criticised the prestigious university, which has defended its handling of the case.
“We deserve to know that our institution values our safety more than its reputation,” undergraduate Sophia Riley Sim told those at the gathering.
Sim said she had been too upset by the case to attend classes for the past week.
Under normal circumstances, the Ivy League university is a beautiful place to study at this time of year. Autumn leaves bring pops of colour to its stately buildings, which are set against the backdrop of the rolling hills of upstate New York.
But students and staff who spoke to the BBC – some on condition of anonymity – said the tension on campus had become palpable since the 2024 case resurfaced in recent weeks.
The accuser at the centre of the alleged gang rape, known anonymously as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit against Cornell on 16 September, saying she was drugged and raped at a fraternity house during the incident two years ago.
She claimed that Cornell had failed to protect her or adequately punish the men involved in the incident. The men have been dubbed the Cornell Seven.
Cornell has already agreed to an independent investigation into the rape allegation.
The university has also defended its handling of the issue to date, saying it conducted an “extensive investigation” that lasted several months following the report of the incident, and that it followed applicable federal civil rights law.
Shortly after Thursday’s student assembly at Cornell, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced she had appointed the state attorney general, Letitia James, as special prosecutor in the case.
She said she had “lost faith” in the Tompkins County district attorney, who was previously leading the investigation. James therefore takes over the case from Matthew Van Houten.
Van Houten’s office initially concluded that the evidence did not meet the legal threshold to bring charges – before reopening a criminal investigation last week in light of the new civil complaint, a move that Cornell supported.