Cornell University has hired a former Obama-appointed justice official who was infamously fired by President Donald Trump to investigate its response to gang rape allegations.
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who → hire → allegations
Sally Yates, who served as a deputy attorney general in the Obama administration, will lead the review into the Ivy League's handling of sexual misconduct claims including the alleged 2024 gang rape of a former student at the Chi Phi fraternity house, university officials announced Tuesday.
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officials → serve → house
As part of the 'comprehensive independent review,' Yates will also investigate 'how the University prevents and responds to sexual harassment, sexual assault and related misconduct on campus.'
It will cover Cornell's 'policies, practices and resources across the full range of prevention and response.'
That includes examining how reports are received and investigated, how hearings and disciplinary decisions are handled, as well as the role and response of campus police and its coordination with other law enforcement agencies and prosecutors and even oversight of fraternities and sororities on campus.
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hearings → investigate → campus
The review will be conducted separately from New York Attorney General Letitia's James criminal investigation into the seven former fraternity brothers' alleged conduct.
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review → conduct → conduct
'Sally Yates brings extraordinary experience, independence and judgment to this work,' Anne Meining Smalling, chair of Cornell's Board of Trustees, said in a statement.
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Smalling → bring → statement
'The questions raised by the Jane Doe matter warrant a rigorous examination of Cornell's response to that case, but our responsibility is broader,' she continued.
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she → raise → case
'We have asked Ms Yates to examine Cornell's overall approach to preventing and responding to sexual misconduct, identify where we are doing things well and where we can do better and recommend changes that will help make our community safer.'
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community → ask → changes
Cornell University has hired former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to lead its probe into the school's handling of gang rape allegations
A woman claimed in court documents she was sexually abused by seven men at the schoo;'s Chi Phi fraternity house on October 19, 2024
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she → hire → October
Yates had a decades-long career at the Justice Department, serving for years as the top federal prosecutor in Atlanta and later as a deputy attorney general.
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Yates → have → general
She achieved particular prominence in January 2017 when, as acting attorney general in the early days of the Trump administration, she directed Justice Department attorneys not to defend the constitutionality of President Donald Trump's refugee and immigration ban.
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she → achieve → ban
Yates was swiftly fired, as the White House claimed she refused 'to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States.'
The former justice also generated headlines when it emerged that, in a conversation days before her departure, she had expressed alarm to the Trump White House about contacts that Trump´s new national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had had with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition period.
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adviser → fire → period
Flynn later was fired.
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Flynn → fire → ?
Her practice at the King & Spalding law firm includes conducting independent investigations for outside organizations and companies.
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practice → include → organizations
She led a high-profile inquiry into alleged abuse and misconduct, including claims of harassment and coercion, at the National Women´s Soccer League.
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She → lead → League
The investigation concluded in 2022 with a finding of systemic abuse.
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investigation → conclude → abuse
When Yates now concludes her investigation into the alleged gang rape and the university's response, she and her team are expected to report their findings to a special committee of the Board of Trustees – which will then share the results and recommendations with the broader Cornell community, school officials said.
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officials → conclude → community
Protests have broken out across the campus in the wake of the lawsuit that was filed by Jane Doe last month
'
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that → break → Doe
It is imperative that Cornell be willing to examine itself with the same rigor we expect of others,' Smalling said.
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Smalling → examine → others
'We want to understand not just what happened in 2024, but how Cornell can become a leader in preventing sexual violence, supporting those who come forward and responding to allegations rigorously, fairly and compassionately.
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who → want → allegations
The move to appoint Yates comes amid growing outrage over the school's handling of a former student's claims that she was gang raped by members of the Chi Phi fraternity at a party on October 19, 2024.
The woman, only identified in court documents as Jane Doe, claimed in a civil lawsuit on September 16 that she arrived at the fraternity house that night already heavily intoxicated following a night of drinking.
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she → appoint → drinking
She alleges she was pressured to take ketamine and given marijuana and high-proof alcohol before being repeatedly sexually assaulted as additional fraternity members entered the room.
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members → allege → room
The complaint goes on to allege that Doe became 'completely incapacitated' and that the sexual abuse continued until around 5.45am, when she said she lost consciousness.
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she → go → consciousness
Doe dropped out of the school in the aftermath.
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Doe → drop → aftermath
Meanwhile, school officials expelled two students who were allegedly involved and suspended two others, while a third who had already graduated from the school was barred from campus.
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who → expel → campus
The accuser, only identified in court documents as Jane Doe, spoke with campus police about the ordeal on November 14.
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accuser → identify → November
Students are pictured walking past Cornell Police headquarters
It has since been revealed that Jane Doe told investigators she was '100 percent' confident she had been raped that night.
In the aftermath, Cornell University Police sent letters to Verizon and T-Mobile stating they were 'investigating a sexual assault incident, wherein it is believed that the account/phone number listed below may contain evidence pertinent to the ongoing investigation,' CNN reported.
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CNN → picture → investigation
Police also said they would send a signed warrant within 30 days and asked the companies to 'preserve all available data,' including text messages, emails, phone calls, pictures and video messages associated with the accounts, according to the report.
But it remains unclear if those drafted letters were ever sent to Verizon and T-Mobile, and if the Ivy League campus police ever followed up with subpoenas.
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police → say → subpoenas
It is also unclear whether Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten knew about the police agency's records request.
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Houten → know → request
Van Houten initially investigated the sexual assault allegation and declined to file charges against the accused.
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Houten → investigate → accused
The office has since reopened the case.
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office → reopen → case
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