Cornell president vows transparency amid outrage over fraternity rape case

What the report says

Cornell University president Michael Kotlikoff has vowed greater transparency as the school faces intense criticism over its handling of an alleged 2024 gang rape case tied to a fraternity house. In a video message to the campus community, Kotlikoff described the matter as deeply disturbing and said it has been one of the hardest periods in Cornell’s history. The university is in Ithaca, New York.

According to Al Jazeera, the student at the center of the case, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, alleges she was assaulted by multiple members of the Chi Phi fraternity and has filed suit against Cornell and seven former students. The case has drawn renewed attention after new information led New York Governor Kathy Hochul to appoint state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor, replacing the local prosecutor who had initially declined to file charges.

The controversy has also fueled broader debate about how colleges respond to sexual assault allegations and about New York’s sexual assault laws when alcohol or drugs are involved. Hochul has said she wants changes to the state’s law, while Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten had cited that legal framework in explaining his earlier decision. Cornell says an independent review of its response is underway, and Kotlikoff said the Board of Trustees will share more details next week.