Cornell faculty vote no-confidence in university leadership over alleged gang rape

NEW YORK: Faculty members at Cornell University on Friday (Nov 6) passed a no-confidence resolution against the elite college's leadership over its handling of an alleged gang rape that has sparked outcry in the United States.

The vote is not binding but marks a strong symbolic rebuke of administrators at the Ivy League college in New York state.

According to a lawsuit, a female student was assaulted by seven male students at a fraternity house on campus. Following her initial allegations in 2024, Cornell shut down the fraternity - a male social club - and temporarily suspended the accused students, two of whom were later expelled.

But critics say the college was too lenient, and protests in several US cities last month demanded accountability.

Friday's resolution states that the faculty "has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University."

It passed by a vote of 75-50, with five abstentions.

The alleged gang rape has piled scrutiny on Cornell, which has commissioned an independent probe into its handling of the case.

Cornell's president in October suspended fraternity parties on campus for the remaining academic year as part of several preliminary measures aiming to address sexual assault.

Meanwhile, New York state prosecutors have reopened a criminal investigation into the incident after local authorities said they declined to pursue the case in 2024 over an apparent lack of evidence.

Cornell's Board of Trustees, which is the college's top governing body, on Friday voiced support for university President Laurence Kotlikoff.

"Today's Faculty Senate vote reflects the deep anger across our campus and sends a clear signal that what happened to Jane Doe is unacceptable," Board Chair Anne Smalling said in a statement, referring to the female student who brought the gang rape allegation.

"The Board of Trustees remains confident that President Kotlikoff and his administration are the right leaders to thoughtfully and comprehensively address the serious problem of sexual assault on our campus."