Cornell student body feels "let down" by university, student leader says

A Cornell University student who helped organize a campus town hall to discuss sexual violence on campus in the wake of Jane Doe's lawsuit alleging a gang rape at a fraternity house in 2024 said students feel "let down" by the school's administrators. 

Adriana Vink said that she and fellow members of Cornell's Student Assembly organized the event so students, including some who were on campus during the alleged assault and its aftermath in 2024, could "discuss this initial case" and "the failure of our administration in responding to it." Dozens of students attended the event with some sharing their own experiences with sexual misconduct. 

"I think as students, we want to take this opportunity to say that Cornell is complicit in rape culture here on campus, in Greek life and outside of it," Vink told "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King. 

Vink referenced campus surveys examining sexual misconduct on campus, which found that in 2025, 35% of the undergraduate women surveyed reported unwanted sexual conduct during their time at Cornell. That number increased from 23% in 2023, according to a university statement in November 2025.

Vink also highlighted recent settlements by Weill Cornell Medicine, where victims of sexual abuse by urologist Dr. Darius Paduch were paid over $1 billion. Paduch has been sentenced to life in prison. 

"It's not even just here on our Ithaca campus," Vink said. "It's our administrators failing across the board." 

When asked if she feels safe on campus, Vink said answering that question "is really hard." 

"I think it feels sad to be at Cornell. It feels frustrating to be at Cornell. We feel anger here at Cornell," Vink said. "And we feel incredibly let down by the adults in charge who are supposed to be keeping us safe." 

Cornell said it conducted an internal review and hearings into the alleged assault. The school said that two of the men accused of being involved were expelled, two were suspended for at least two semesters, one graduated before a punishment could be enacted and two more were found not to be responsible for sexual misconduct. The fraternity chapter also was closed in 2024 and barred from campus.

"The university conducted an extensive investigation and adjudication over several months and imposed different sanctions based on the findings and circumstances involving each student," Cornell said in a FAQ on its website following Jane Doe's lawsuit. 

The school also noted in the FAQ that it established a Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault in early 2025 to develop "a holistic public health framework for addressing sexual assault at Cornell" and that it has committed to implementing the task force's recommendations.

"We will continue to examine and strengthen our policies to ensure we are doing all we can to foster a culture where sexual misconduct is never tolerated, those who come forward are supported, and individuals found responsible through our processes are held accountable," the university said.

No criminal charges were filed in Jane Doe's case at the time, but prosecutors have now reopened the criminal investigation. Lawyers for two of the men have provided statements to CBS News denying the accusations against their clients. Others have not made public statements.

Vink said she and other students hope to see Cornell take more action including removing the remaining fraternity brothers allegedly involved from campus and revoking the degrees of those who already graduated.

"I think the Cornell student body stands unequivocally with Jane Doe in her lawsuit against these frat brothers," Vink said.