Cornell president agrees to third-party gang rape investigation, Hochul says

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced on Wednesday that Cornell University President Michael I. Kotlikoff has agreed to allow an independent investigation into the school’s handling of a female student’s allegations that she was drugged and gang-raped by seven fraternity members in 2024.Hochul had announced her intention to have an independent investigation into Cornell’s report and response infrastructure for sexual assault. The school has come under intense scrutiny as it relates to the 2024 alleged gang rape, for which the New York district attorney for Tompkins County has reopened the criminal case.“I want answers,” Hochul said. “I want to know what happened, and that’s why I’ve called for an independent investigation by Cornell University outside counsel hired to ask those questions and more. And I just spoke to the university president. They have agreed. They understand the importance of this, so we’re looking forward to their announcement in fairly short order that this will be occurring.” Hochul also said she would be taking action at the state level to ensure there are laws in place for colleges to conduct thorough investigations into reports of sexual assault.“As a mom who dropped her own daughter off at college not that long ago, parents deserve to know that the institution that they leave their children at will protect them,” Hochul said. “While we have some of the toughest laws on sexual assault on college campuses right here in New York, I think we can do better. That’s why I’ve directed my team to look at what we can do when the next session of the legislature convenes. This culture has to stop, and it will stop here in the state of New York.”The woman, identified as Jane Doe, alleges she was sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house Oct. 19, 2024, when she was 20. The initial investigation into the incident had been closed, but Doe filed a 101-page lawsuit on Sept. 14 against Cornell University, several fraternity and sorority organizations, a local bar, and seven current or former students. The Chi Phi members named in the lawsuit as defendants are Jonathan Newell, Matthew Ingalls, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar.Doe had been drinking before arriving at the fraternity house to meet a friend, according to the civil lawsuit. She alleges fraternity members pressured her into taking a substance they described as ketamine and sexually assaulted her while she was incapacitated. During the sexual assault, one of the fraternity members allegedly encouraged more of his brothers to join him by sending a Snapchat message about getting “free p***y” upstairs.Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said Doe’s allegations in the civil lawsuit are “dramatically different” than the account provided to police two years prior.However, a CBS News investigation found that Doe had told police that, “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped,” according to a transcript obtained by the outlet. When Doe revisited her statement the next day, she said she was “very confident” about her account of the October evening. A Title IX investigator, a victim advocate, and Doe’s adviser were in the room while Doe recounted the evening.DISTRICT ATTORNEY REOPENS INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGED GANG RAPE AT CORNELL UNIVERSITYAfter Doe reported the incident to the Cornell University Police Department in November 2024, the Chi Phi chapter was barred from campus. However, criminal charges were never filed. The seven Chi Phi members in question were suspended, expelled, or faced other consequences, such as writing an essay, but most were allowed to continue their education at the university following a monthslong Title IX investigation.A spokesperson for Cornell University said the school supports the reopened investigation and disputed “the false narrative that there were minimal consequences” for the Chi Phi fraternity chapter and its members accused.