Cornell faculty declare no confidence in leaders over Jane Doe sexual assault lawsuit

Members of Cornell University’s Faculty Senate issued a vote of no confidence against the school’s top leaders’ ability to manage the response to a former student’s lawsuit, saying she was gang raped at a fraternity house, the school said. The Senate’s resolution passed 75-50, with five faculty senators abstaining and five others not voting, according to an email sent Friday evening.It does not recommend removals or suggest how to manage the controversy’s fallout.The governing body addressed the matter after a former student filed a lawsuit under the pseudonym Jane Doe, alleging that seven fraternity members sexually assaulted her in October 2024 and that Cornell University mishandled her complaints at the time.The vote came after weeks of internal debate among admin and professors over whether Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff and other administrators handled the woman’s allegations properly. (AFP/Getty)Voting began over a week ago on Oct. 28, following a closed-door meeting on Oct. 14 where angry members confronted Kotlikoff. In an audio recording obtained by The Associated Press, Kotlikoff can be heard acknowledging missteps but defending his leadership.Kotlikoff urged faculty members to have confidence in his leadership, warning that replacing him could harm the university’s reputation.Asked by a faculty member whether he read the Cornell Police Department’s report on the rape allegations, Kotlikoff acknowledged he had not. “I really reject the idea that I had no interest in it or was not concerned about it,” Kotlikoff said.(Reuters)Thomas Giuffra, an attorney for the woman who filed the lawsuit, said in a statement Friday that “we are hopeful that this will be yet another step forward to educate and support the Cornell community by addressing the longstanding scourge of sexual assault on campus.”In a New York Times interview, Kotlikoff admitted he never followed up to learn what had happened to the woman or seek to learn whether any of the accused men had been punished.He also wasn’t aware Jane Doe had dropped out of Cornell until the lawsuit was filed.The no-confidence resolution is largely symbolic and did not call for Kotlikoff's resignation.