Cornell bans fraternity parties for the rest of the academic year amid investigation into alleged sexual assault

Cornell University said Tuesday it is suspending all “parties and social events” at fraternity houses for the rest of the academic year amid an uproar over a former student’s allegation that she was sexually assaulted by members of the campus Chi Phi chapter nearly two years ago.

Michael I. Kotlikoff, Cornell’s president, also announced that the Ivy League institution would bring on “experienced, trauma-informed criminal investigators” to review allegations of sexual assault on campus.

“These are first steps toward systemic change on our campus,” Kotlikoff said in a statement posted on Cornell’s website. “We will take all necessary steps to address the conditions that led to Jane Doe’s experiences, and those of other survivors.”

The former student, identified in court documents by the pseudonym Jane Doe, alleges she was sexually assaulted and plied with drugs Oct. 19-20, 2024. She filed a civil lawsuit last month against multiple parties, including the university, the fraternity, her sorority, and seven former Chi Phi members.

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Attorneys for four of the men have said their clients deny sexually assaulting Jane Doe or coercing her with drugs. The three other men have not responded to requests for comment. The seven defendants have not been criminally charged. The fraternity and sorority previously declined to discuss the pending litigation.

Jane Doe’s lawsuit put renewed scrutiny on the Cornell University Police Department’s handling of the 2024 probe and the local district attorney office’s decision not to bring criminal charges against the accused. Cornell and Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten have each defended their probes, with the prosecutor saying that his office was not provided with all the materials from the campus police investigation.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has appointed state Attorney General Letitia James to oversee the case going forward. Cornell separately tasked former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates with an independent review of how Cornell responds to sexual harassment, assault and misconduct on campus.

“I am deeply sorry for the harm Jane Doe suffered in 2024, and appalled that this act of sexual violence occurred within our Cornell community,” Kotlikoff said in Tuesday’s announcement. “It is clear that women on our campus continue to question whether they are safe. We must meet this moment by acknowledging where we have fallen short and taking meaningful action.”

Tuesday’s announcement outlined other changes in response to the Jane Doe case, including additional staff members at the Cornell Office of Civil Rights.

In response to a request for comment, Jane Doe’s lawyer said his client’s “goal in filing her lawsuit was not solely for herself.”

“She wanted to achieve her aim of improving Cornell and its response to abuse claims. While the steps announced today are helpful to achieve this goal, they are too late to protect Ms. Doe,” said the lawyer, Thomas Giuffra. “However, these steps will hopefully go a long way to help ensure that there are no more Jane Does.”