Cornell president admits he knew about alleged gang rape in 2024

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The president of Cornell University, Michael Kotlikoff, admitted he knew that a student reported being gang-raped at a fraternity in 2024 — but he never followed up on the case.

In the lawsuit, Doe alleges she was drugged and gang raped by seven members of the now-defunct Chi Phi fraternity in Ithaca, New York, in October 2024. None of the men have been criminally charged and all have denied wrongdoing.

“The fact that Jane Doe experienced what she experienced at Cornell is something that I am personally sorry for,” Kotlikoff said. “And I think this entire campus is sorry that occurred.”

“I’ve heard enough from the community that there is a loss of trust,” he told the Times. “People are angry. I understand that anger.”

Kotlikoff noted that he had created a task force in February 2025 to address sexual assault on campus as a sign of how seriously his administration takes the issue.

Shortly after Kotlikoff’s interview was published Tuesday, Cornell announced that it had banned fraternity parties for the rest of the year and will add sexual assault investigators to its campus police force.

The initiative said that survivors of sexual assault will also receive stronger support with additional staff added to the Cornell Office of Civil Rights. New York State Police criminal investigators will also investigate campus allegations.

The Ivy League school will also move to change the “social culture” on campus. “Research has shown that campus sexual assault is not limited to the fraternity system. At its core is the specific context of social behavior and a deeply disturbing prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse,” Kotlikoff wrote.

After Cornell's Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit last month, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten — who initially declined to pursue charges over the alleged rape — reopened the criminal investigation. New York Governor Kathy Hochul then reassigned the case to state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor.

After Doe reported the alleged rape in 2024, Cornell began an investigation, which involved multiple hearings and resulted in the suspensions and expulsions of some of the students involved. The Chi Phi fraternity was also shut down.