Listen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated using AI-based technology. Pronunciation errors may occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results. Cornell University’s faculty senate on Friday approved a resolution declaring there is no trust in the school’s top leaders, a symbolic gesture that reflects deep discontent on campus in the wake of a lawsuit by a former student who claimed she was gang-raped at a fraternity party in 2024. The resolution passed 75-50, with five faculty senators abstaining and five others not voting, according to an email sent to senate members on Friday afternoon. While faculty have no power over the university’s top leaders, supporters of the resolution had said they hoped it would pressure Cornell trustees to address long-standing institutional failings they identified. Board President Anne Smalling said in a statement that the faculty vote “Reflects the deep anger on our campus” and sent a clear signal that what happened to the woman was unacceptable, but added that Kotlikoff and his administration were the right leaders to address the issue “in a thoughtful and thorough manner.” Thomas Giuffra, an attorney for the woman who filed the lawsuit, expressed hope in a statement that “this will be another step forward in educating and supporting the Cornell community in addressing the long-standing scourge of sexual assault on campus.” since mid-September, when a former student, identified only by the pseudonym Jane Doe in court documents, filed a lawsuit against the university and seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity, alleging they gave her ketamine and raped her at a fraternity house in October 2024. WATCH | Jane Doe’s House Was ‘Smashed,’ Attorney Says: Jane Doe’s House Was Crushed, Says Attorney in Cornell Gang Rape Case Thomas Giuffra says his client moved home with her parents, but they recently experienced a “scary” crushing incident. He spoke to CBC Radio’s The Current about how the woman known only as Jane Doe is coping. All of the men have denied their allegations, saying the sex was consensual or that they were not involved. The local district attorney initially decided that the woman had consented to the encounter and that no crime had been committed, but the investigation has since been reopened and turned over to the New York attorney general. Cornell disciplined several of the accused students after a months-long investigation. Kotlikoff also convened a task force to study the problem of sexual misconduct on campus, which issued certain recommendations. Some faculty members have criticized Kotlikoff for not acting more forcefully to strengthen the school’s disciplinary process, push for criminal investigations and change the party culture on campus. time to make changes. Kotlikoff defended his leadership, arguing that replacing him would do little to resolve complex problems and could damage Cornell’s reputation. He acknowledged that he had not read the campus police report and explained that university policy prohibited senior administrators from interfering in criminal investigations. He also rejected suggestions that he had been indifferent to the woman’s case, although he acknowledged that he recently learned that she had left Cornell. A Cornell University banner hangs in Willard Straight Hall during a public meeting about the university’s handling of the case, in Ithaca, New York, on October 6. (Angelina Katsanis/Reuters) Some professors had said professors should wait to vote until the release of an independent investigation by former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, whom the university hired to examine Cornell’s initial response to the 2024 rape report and its overall procedures for handling similar reports. Yasmeen Masoud, a Cornell student who spoke Friday at a news conference organized by the resolution’s sponsors, called the vote encouraging for students frustrated with the response. from the university. “We shouldn’t have to beg for answers, demand basic transparency or generate media attention just to have our concerns acknowledged,” he said. “It reminds us that there are people at this university who care deeply about its future and are willing to come together to demand a better Cornell.” The censure resolution did not call for Kotlikoff’s resignation.
