First on CNN: Cornell faculty prepare no-confidence vote against administration over handling of alleged sexual assault case

CNN

By Gloria Pazmino, Hanna Park, Maria Sole Campinoti, CNN

Ithaca, New York (CNN) — Members of the Cornell University Faculty Senate have introduced a resolution for a vote of no confidence against the university administration for its handling of the 2024 alleged gang rape on campus, as calls for reform and accountability reverberate with hundreds of protesters gathering on campus.

The resolution was submitted to the university faculty committee Monday evening, according to Paul Ortiz, a professor of labor history at Cornell who is also a member of the Faculty Senate. The group will review the resolution and it will be put on the full Faculty Senate agenda for when the Senate meets on October 14, Ortiz said.

A vote of no confidence, meant to convey a group has lost faith in a leader or administration, would be a sign of serious dissatisfaction and put pressure on university leadership to take action. “The faculty have been approached by hundreds of students, alumni, staff who are demanding that we do something,” Ortiz told CNN.

CNN has reached out to Cornell for comment.

Frustrations with the administration were made clear Monday night during a rally on campus as students and community members chanted “shame” and “resign,” expressing raw anger at the officials they believe failed the woman known as Jane Doe when she initially made a report to campus police in 2024.

Some groups are also planning to host a seven-hour sit-in on Wednesday “in solidarity with Jane Doe,” according to social media flyers for the event.

The lawsuit Doe filed last month against the university, the Chi Phi fraternity, seven fraternity members and others alleges the school failed to protect her and adequately punish the accused students. The ensuing fallout has raised questions about how the campus police investigation was handled, how the country district attorney made the decision not to file charges and whether the school’s internal investigation and ensuing actions went far enough.

The move comes just days after Cornell’s president, Michael Kotlikoff, released a video statement promising further review and answers for the community, saying Doe’s alleged experiences raise “heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization, and aspects of party culture, alcohol, and drug use.”

Kotlikoff said he supports the governor’s decision to turn the criminal investigation over to the New York Attorney General and welcomes an independent review by an outside law firm into Cornell’s handling of the 2024 case.

Here’s the latest:

• Resolution presented to Faculty Senate: So far, approximately 40 senators have expressed support for the resolution to take a vote of no confidence against the university administration, Ortiz told CNN. The Senate functions as the primary legislative advisory and review body representing the university’s faculty and has over 75 voting members. Ortiz, who has been teaching at Cornell since the fall of 2024, said faculty members have been approached by students sharing their own experiences of sexual assault. “We’re tired of the sexual assaults that happened to our students. We’re tired of the administration’s inaction on this issue, and not only our current students, but past students, alumni who have actually given money to this university are fed up,” Ortiz said.
• Demonstrations in support of Doe: During Monday’s demonstration on campus, students and others held signs reading “Justice for every Jane Doe”; “Cornell admin betrays survivors resign now”; and “This is feminine rage. Do you hear us yet?” Sabrina Karim, an associate professor in Cornell’s department of government and among the faculty who spoke at the rally, said trust has been broken. “We have to come together as a community nonviolently to demand change and to ensure that these basic principles are met,” she said. Another professor, Julia Chang, said: “They say Cornell has a rape culture, and I don’t disagree. But this statement can make rape sound inevitable. Rape should not be inevitable.” Earlier Monday, anonymous activists smashed a glass door and painted messages, including “smash the patriarchy,” on the walls of the administration building on campus, The Cornell Daily Sun reported. The vandalism is under investigation, the school said.

• Letters to wireless carriers: Amid questions about what information university police shared with prosecutors before the local district attorney’s office declined to bring charges, new evidence shows Cornell police drafted letters to wireless carriers related to “investigating a sexual assault incident.” About a week after Doe first reported the alleged assault to university police investigators at the department drafted letters to Verizon and T-Mobile asking them to “preserve all available data,” including texts, calls, and picture and video messages associated with accounts that “may contain evidence pertinent to the ongoing investigation,” a signed warrant would follow within 30 days. It is not clear whether investigators ever sent the requests, followed up with subpoenas, or whether Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten was aware of them. Van Houten has said his office only received from police a six-page statement signed by Doe and Snapchat screenshots. CNN has asked the carriers whether they received the requests from Cornell and if they complied.
• Accused student hires high-profile defense attorney: Teny Geragos, whose law firm has represented disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein and Sean “Diddy” Combs, has been hired by one of the male students involved in the investigation, a source told CNN Monday. It’s not clear which student Geragos is representing. The men named in the lawsuit have denied wrongdoing. The New York Times reported four of the fraternity members acknowledged having sexual contact with Doe but said it was consensual. Three others said they did not have sexual contact with her.
• State officials take over the case: Vowing to unravel the investigation’s failures, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor after saying she “lost faith” in Van Houten’s ability to oversee the inquiry. James will have the power to investigate the incident and, if warranted, prosecute any offenses and present evidence to a grand jury. Van Houten, who has been DA since 2017 and reopened the case after the lawsuit was filed, said he supports James’ appointment.

• Doe’s attorney expresses confidence in James: Thomas Giuffra told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday he had an initial call with James’ office last week and believes the investigation will be handled fairly, with a new set of eyes on evidence Doe’s team has collected – including recordings of calls between her and some of the accused, as well as emailed apologies. Giuffra said he believes other photos and videos related to the alleged assault existed but may have been destroyed. He added it is even possible more people were involved: “We will never know because of such an inadequate investigation that was done.”
• Prosecutors refused additional evidence: The Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office — which handled the 2024 criminal investigation — declined at the time to review additional evidence, including more interviews gathered by the campus police department, beyond a six-page statement signed by Doe, according to records obtained by The New York Times. Prosecutors did not express interest in the additional evidence because they had decided, based on Doe’s statement, that “criminal charges would not be pursued in this case,” a Cornell police investigator wrote in a note documenting the call, according to the Times.
• Doe receiving threats: Doe is dealing with threats and attempts to reveal her identity, Giuffra told Tapper, adding that he himself received a threat Sunday morning.

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CNN’s Taylor Galgano, Danya Gainor, Isa Mudannayake and Holly Yan contributed to this report.