Cornell faculty vote no confidence in university's leadership
The faculty senate of Cornell University approved a resolution Friday declaring no confidence in the school's top leaders, a symbolic gesture reflecting deep discontent on campus in the wake of a former student's lawsuit saying she was gang raped at a fraternity party in 2024.
Advocates hope symbolic vote will pressure school to address longstanding institutional failures
The Associated Press
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The faculty senate of Cornell University approved a resolution Friday declaring no confidence in the school's top leaders, a symbolic gesture reflecting deep discontent on campus in the wake of a former student's lawsuit saying she was gang raped at a fraternity party in 2024.
The resolution passed 75-50, with five faculty senators abstaining and five others not voting, according to an email sent to senate members on Friday afternoon.
The vote followed weeks of debate among professors over whether Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff and other administrators handled the woman's allegations properly and have done enough to curtail sexual misconduct at the prestigious Ithaca, N.Y., university.
While the faculty body has no power over the university's top leaders, backers of the resolution had said they hoped it would pressure Cornell's trustees to address longstanding institutional failures they identified.
Board of Trustees chair Anne Smalling said in a statement the faculty vote "reflects the deep anger across our campus" and sent a clear signal that what happened to the woman was unacceptable, but added that Kotlikoff and his administration were the right leaders to "thoughtfully and comprehensively" address the issue.
Thomas Giuffra, an attorney for the woman who filed the lawsuit, expressed hope in a statement 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."
The Cornell community has been distressed since mid-September, when a former student, identified only by the pseudonym Jane Doe in court documents, filed a lawsuit against the university and seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity, saying she was given ketamine and raped at a fraternity house in October 2024.
WATCH | Jane Doe's home 'swatted,' lawyer says:
Jane Doe’s home was swatted, says lawyer in Cornell gang-rape case
October 14|
Duration
1:04
Thomas Giuffra says his client moved back home with her parents, but they recently experienced a 'terrifying' swatting incident. He spoke with CBC Radio's The Current about how the woman known only as Jane Doe is coping.All of the men have denied her allegations, saying the sex was consensual or that they weren't involved. The local district attorney initially decided the woman had consented to the encounter and that no crime had been committed, but the investigation has since been reopened and handed to New York's attorney general.
Cornell disciplined several of the accused students following a monthslong investigation.
Kotlikoff also convened a task force to study the problem of sexual misconduct on campus, which released certain recommendations.
Some faculty members have criticized Kotlikoff for not acting more forcefully to strengthen the school's disciplinary process, push for criminal investigations and change campus party culture.
President defends his leadership
Speaking to faculty senate members on the first day that they debated the no-confidence resolution, Kotlikoff pledged to make the university a leader in addressing sexual assault and asked for more time to make changes.
Kotlikoff defended his leadership, arguing that replacing him would do little to solve complex problems and could damage Cornell's reputation. He acknowledged he had not read the campus police report, explaining that university policy barred top administrators from interfering in criminal investigations. He also rejected suggestions he had been indifferent to the woman's case, though he acknowledged only recently learning she had left Cornell.
A Cornell University banner hangs in Willard Straight Hall during a town hall meeting about the university’s handling of the case, in Ithaca, N.Y. on Oct. 6. (Angelina Katsanis/Reuters)
Some professors had said faculty should wait to vote until the release of an independent investigation by former U.S. deputy attorney general Sally Yates, whom the university hired to examine Cornell's inital response to the rape report in 2024 and its overall procedures for handling similar reports.
Yasmeen Masoud, a Cornell undergrad who spoke Friday at a news conference organized by the resolution's sponsors, called the vote encouraging for students frustrated with the university's response.
"We should not have to beg for answers, demand basic transparency or generate media attention just to get our concerns acknowledged," she said. "It reminds us that there are people across this university who care deeply about its future and are willing to stand together to demand a better Cornell."
The no-confidence resolution did not call for Kotlikoff's resignation.
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