Cornell University is examining its fraternities and sororities after allegations of gang rape prompted concerns about accountability for sexual assault on college campuses.
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allegations → examine → campuses
The university’s President Michael Kotlikoff said on Saturday in a video message to the university community that the school would take “a serious look at the role of fraternities and sororities in campus life” among other steps aimed at creating a safer campus environment.
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school → say → environment
“At their best, these organizations can provide students with friendship, belonging, mentorship and a powerful sense of community,” Kotlikoff said.
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Kotlikoff → provide → community
“But being part of a group can never diminish individual responsibility.”
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being → diminish → responsibility
Kotlikoff said the university would seek input from students, alumni, and other community members about how to “preserve what is valuable about Greek life while strengthening individual accountability, transparency and a culture in which every member understands their responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of others.”
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member → say → others
The message comes on the heels of a civil lawsuit filed last month against Cornell and seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity.
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message → come → fraternity
The plaintiff, anonymized as “Jane Doe,” alleged she was sexually assaulted and pressured to take drugs and alcohol on the night of Oct. 19, 2024, and that the university failed to protect her and mishandled its response.
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university → anonymize → response
The lawsuit names seven current and former students as defendants, all of whom have denied any wrongdoing.
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all → name → wrongdoing
The lawsuit has triggered renewed criticism of the handling of the allegations by the university and local authorities, who declined to pursue criminal charges at the time.
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who → trigger → time
On Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, appointed the state’s Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor of the case, citing a loss of confidence in the local prosecutor’s ability to oversee it.
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Hochul → appoint → it
New York lawmakers also said they were reviewing the state’s legal definition of consent while voluntarily intoxicated.
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they → say → consent
Kotlikoff was not among the administrators present at a university town hall on Thursday, where students, faculty, and alumni called for stronger action against campus sexual assault.
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students → call → assault
The public meeting was led by the university’s student government.
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meeting → lead → government
Some students shared their own stories of sexual harassment and assault.
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students → share → harassment
“I am also speaking as Jane Doe,” one student said at the forum.
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student → speak → forum
In a statement last week, Cornell defended its initial handling of the allegations and said it complied with university policies and Title IX.
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it → defend → policies
The university banned the Chi Phi fraternity from campus and launched a Title IX investigation in 2025, which resulted in a range of disciplinary measures for the seven members implicated.
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which → ban → members
“We don’t have all the answers,” Kotlikoff said Saturday.
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Kotlikoff → have → answers
“But we are committed to investigating and finding the answers our community deserves.”
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community → commit → answers
Jane Doe faces threats of doxxing, harm to drop lawsuit
Thomas Giuffra, the attorney representing Doe, told CNN on Sunday that people have threatened to harm her if she does not withdraw her civil lawsuit.
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she → face → lawsuit
Giuffra said there have also been multiple attempts to doxx Doe, which has resulted in at least three other women being mistakenly identified as her.
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women → say → her
“She’s received multiple threats, and women who aren’t even Jane Doe have received threats,” Giuffra said.
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Giuffra → receive → threats
“The threats, the abuse to protect what’s going on, the status quo, these guys are disgusting.”
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guys → protect → ?
Ann Olivarius, a civil rights attorney and a plaintiff in the landmark Title IX sexual harassment case Alexander v. Yale (1977), told TIME last week that the backlash against Doe could deter sexual assault survivors from coming forward to make a report.
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backlash → tell → report
That backlash has also prompted an outpouring of solidarity, with thousands of people posting #IamJaneDoe on social media.
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thousands → prompt → media
The posts are an effort to counter attempts to doxx Doe, but they have also become a way for survivors to share their own experiences of sexual assault.
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survivors → counter → assault
Lawsuit raises accountability concerns
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Lawsuit → raise → concerns
The lawsuit has brought scrutiny to the university’s Title IX process, especially over its claim that some of the alleged perpetrators were “afforded the opportunity to mitigate” their disciplinary sentences by writing essays.
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some → bring → essays
Cornell said that nobody was allowed to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement.
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nobody → say → involvement
After Doe reported the case in November 2024, Cornell conducted a closed proceeding by a three-member panel, which met on Zoom over 12 days in May 2025, the New York Times reported, citing records gathered by Cornell investigators.
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Times → report → investigators
Individual sanctions and the reasoning behind them had not been publicly disclosed.
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sanctions → disclose → them
According to discipline summaries obtained by the Times, the panel, which enforces federal civil rights at Cornell, did not conclude that Doe was sexually assaulted by all the men accused.
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Doe → accord → men
Two of the fraternity members were found responsible for sexual assault and expelled.
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Two → find → assault
A third, who had graduated at the time of the ruling, was issued a persona non grata order barring him from campus for three years.
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who → graduate → years
Two others were suspended, given disciplinary probation, and required to study sexual harassment and write reflection papers.
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others → suspend → papers
The remaining two, who were accused of being among the men that entered the room after reading a Snapchat message to the Chi Phi group chat encouraging others to join the alleged assault but were not accused of assaulting Doe themselves, were required to write reflection papers and attend trainings on sexual harassment, social media use, and bystander intervention.
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that → remain → harassment
They were also barred from contacting Doe.
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They → bar → Doe
None of the men has been criminally charged in connection with the allegations.
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None → charge → allegations
Chi Phi’s Cornell chapter was suspended in 2024, and it remains barred from campus.
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it → suspend → campus
Doe’s attorney as well as members of the Cornell community and the public have decried what they see as a lack of accountability for the alleged perpetrators.
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they → decry → perpetrators
…and 48 more, not listed.
The Aporia
