Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff posted a video message on October 3 announcing that the Ivy League school will take "a serious look at the role of fraternities and sororities in campus life" after a student's rape allegations sparked national outrage over how the university handled the case.
"At their best, these organizations can provide students with friendship, belonging, mentorship and a powerful sense of community," Kotlikoff said. "But being part of a group can never diminish individual responsibility." He said the university will seek input from students, alumni and others on how to "preserve what is valuable about Greek life while strengthening individual accountability, transparency and a culture in which every member understands their responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of others." He conceded: "We must do better. We don't have all the answers, but we are committed to investigating and finding the answers our community deserves."
The storm was set off by a civil lawsuit filed September 16 by a woman identified as Jane Doe. She alleges that in October 2024 she was drugged — with ketamine and other substances — and raped for hours inside the Chi Phi fraternity house, and that she kept the dress she wore as evidence. The suit names Cornell, seven fraternity members and others, accusing the school of failing to adequately punish some of the accused — including, the lawsuit claims, offering some a chance to mitigate their penalties by writing essays.
The accused men have denied all wrongdoing. Cornell has defended its handling, saying it launched a comprehensive investigation, barred the Chi Phi chapter from campus (it remains closed), and imposed a range of disciplinary measures, including expulsions.
The New York Times obtained more than 1,000 pages of material from Cornell's internal investigation — Title IX hearing transcripts and interviews with roommates, sorority sisters and the defendants. The documents show the woman's understanding of the event shifted over time; at first she did not describe what happened as "rape" or "assault."
The case also exposed a prosecutorial controversy. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten declined in November 2024 to present the case to a grand jury, based on a six-page police summary — without interviewing the victim or requesting the full transcript. In the full transcript, obtained by CBS New York, she told police, "I can say with 100% confidence I was raped" — language the DA never saw. Van Houten reopened the criminal investigation in late September.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said last week that Cornell had agreed to hire an outside law firm to conduct a new investigation. The national Chi Phi fraternity said its Cornell chapter had expelled members understood to have been involved, as had the national organization: "These actions went beyond anything the law or Cornell University required of us."
Whether the president's pledge produces substantive reform remains an open question. But for one of America's most prominent universities, the crisis ignited by a 2024 case is clearly not over.