Cornell University's 2025 campus climate survey found that 35% of undergraduate women reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact since arriving on campus — with 15% of the entire student body reporting the same. In 2023, those figures were 23% and 11%. Cornell has run the survey since 2021; this was the largest jump yet.
Around the same time, a USA Today investigation published in late September laid out the accountability side: between 2018 and 2024, Cornell's Title IX office received more than 1,200 allegations of sexual assault, domestic violence, or dating violence — and only 162 ended up investigated. Of those, 51 resulted in a finding of responsibility, 53 in a finding of no responsibility, and 26 in informal resolution or withdrawal. Among those found responsible, only seven were actually expelled or fired. Just 13% of claims ended with expulsion or dismissal.
The investigation surfaced an uncomfortable pattern: formal reports fell to 166 in 2024, down 41% from the peak — even as the surveys showed the actual prevalence of assault climbing. Sociologist Nicole Bedera's reading is blunt: with reports declining and violence rising, the two trendlines together suggest students no longer believe coming forward will lead to consequences — "all students, including victims and perpetrators, believe that there is impunity for sexual assault at Cornell."
National data backs the silence. Research consistently finds that the vast majority of campus sexual assaults go unreported, with estimates running as high as 80 to 95 percent. Laura Palumbo, communications director for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, says campus climate surveys reveal far more than campus safety reports: they measure what actually happened, not just what someone dared to report.
Cornell created a Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault, whose recommendations included stronger sex education and clearer campus reporting processes. But at the federal level, the safety net is thinning. The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights — which investigates Title IX complaints — has been drastically cut back, with many of its lawyers moved to the Justice Department. In 2025, OCR reached no resolution agreements in any major campus sexual harassment or sexual violence cases, according to a report from Senator Bernie Sanders's office. Enforcement energy has meanwhile shifted toward gender identity and transgender athlete policies.
New York's own legal fix is stuck. Senate Bill S10632, sponsored by State Senator Nathalia Fernandez, would reframe the legal test around a single question — could the person consent? If not, it is assault; how they became incapacitated would be irrelevant. The bill passed the State Senate in 2024, but its Assembly companion (A101) has never received a floor vote. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie tasked a working group with recommendations by the end of 2026, and that deadline is now approaching.
Cornell's task force found a sharp divide: 52% of women affiliated with Greek life reported nonconsensual sexual contact, compared with 29% of women who were not. On September 14, a former student sued Cornell and seven Chi Phi fraternity members over a 2024 incident; the university investigated, expelled and suspended students involved, and shut down the chapter. That case ignited the current national scrutiny.
One caveat matters: the 2025 survey's response rate fell from 36% in 2023 to just 15% — of 926 respondents, only 272 were undergraduate women. The numbers are alarming, but they should be read with that grain of salt. Palumbo notes the collapse in participation itself asks a question: do students still believe sharing their experiences will lead to change?
The state Assembly working group's year-end deadline, the federal enforcement vacuum, and the rollout of Cornell's task force recommendations — whichever track moves first will help decide whether the 35% figure rises or falls next time. The data is on the table. What comes next is action.