Photo courtesy of The Cornell Daily Sun
Amidst widespread outrage towards Cornell University for its handling of an alleged sexual assault, The Cornell Daily Sun published an editorial entitled, “Cornell Won’t, We Will.” The article has continued to ignite discourse about sexual assault and how institutions fail to protect alleged victims. The piece comes amidst widespread outrage towards Cornell in light of a lawsuit filed on September 14 in New York state court. The suit details how a former Cornell student, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, was allegedly drugged and gang-raped on campus by seven members of the university’s Chi Phi fraternity chapter. The suit accuses Cornell of failing to protect the alleged victim, arguing that the university and fraternity did not adequately supervise activity at the house, and that both failed to respond to her requests for help and accountability after the alleged assault. Doe reported the incident to campus police roughly three weeks after it occurred, filed a formal Title IX complaint that prompted a university investigation, and ultimately withdrew from Cornell.
The Sun first reported on the case in 2024, when the fraternity chapter was initially suspended, and recently revealed the names of the defendants in the article published September 21, 2026.
Public criticism has focused largely on the university’s response to the situation. Cornell’s internal investigation in 2024 suspended the fraternity chapter and, according to Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff, one of the accused had already graduated, two were expelled, two were suspended, and the final two were not found liable for sexual misconduct.
Rebecca Block, Episcopal ’26 and Cornell ’30, expresses her frustration with the administration, saying, “I think someone very obviously tried to brush this under the carpet.” Olivia Olson ’27 echoes that view. “I just think that it’s a really messed up situation that Cornell has tried to sweep under the rug…And I’ve heard other stories about other women from Cornell trying to speak up about being assaulted, and it’s just not taken seriously,” she says. Calls for accountability have since reached the state level, with Governor Kathy Hochul appointing New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case on October 1.
Among Cornell students, campus news has been difficult to absorb. Block shared how she first saw the story on social media. “I was heartbroken and so uncomfortable,” she says. “The more I read, I just had to stop and take breaks because it didn’t seem real.” Block adds, “I do not think the punishment was adequate…It’s a known thing on campus that our school doesn’t do a great job of handling misconduct, as there was another incident last year [that] they tried to keep quiet.”
The outside attention has strained campus life as well. “There have been some incidents with reporters and politicians flooding campus and ambushing students with questions,” Block reports. Online, even routine achievements have drawn hostility. After several Cornell athletes earned Ivy League weekly honors, strangers flooded the congratulatory posts with accusations. Block shares, “Our athletics posts were flooded with vile comments saying that— by going to Cornell—we stand with the seven and that we should no longer be praised…I even had a post that started getting comments saying the same thing just because I represent the school.” The backlash, she says, makes it feel “like we are being punished and framed as guilty as well.”
Although none of the men faced criminal charges following the alleged assault, prosecutors announced on September 28 that the investigation would be reopened, with the district attorney indicating he would consider presenting the case to a grand jury despite having declined to do so in 2024.
The lawsuit alleges that one defendant messaged the fraternity’s group chat at roughly 1:42 a.m. that a woman was vulnerable for sexual activities upstairs, allegedly encouraging others to join. Jeremey Saland, one of the defendant’s attorneys, argued that though the texts were inappropriate, they are not evidence of assault. Additionally, more messages released this past Wednesday signal that this was not a standalone incident and have drawn further scrutiny. The allegations have not been proven in court, and defendant Scott Kretzschmar’s attorney maintains that they “wholeheartedly deny” Doe’s claims.
The reverberations of this case have reached Episcopal, where students have followed the developments closely. Cai Parker ’27 says, “I was disgusted by the response from the college and also how social media began to blame Jane Doe and not the people who are part of the group chat.” She further explains how the student environment at EA has shifted. “I feel like people are a bit more wary about how they talk and what they say, especially surrounding random, regular jokes we make.” Both Parker and Olson tied the case to a larger question of what institutions owe their students. Olson says the standard is clear: “One of the main priorities [of Ivy League schools] should be the well-being of their students.”