A Cornell University accuser, identified as Jane Doe, says president Michael Kotlikoff questioned why she waited to report, according to CBS News US. The claim has prompted a faculty dispute and a possible no-confidence vote, and Cornell disputes her account. The dispute is part of the Cornell Jane Doe lawsuit, in which Doe alleges she was gang raped at a 2024 fraternity party.
All seven men accused of wrongdoing in the lawsuit deny the allegations, according to CBS News US. Doe’s letter, dated Oct. 14 and sent to Cornell faculty leaders, says she felt "unsupported and disbelieved" by Kotlikoff, CBS reported.
Three Cornell faculty sources told CBS News New York that they never received the letter from university administration. Cornell says Dean of Faculty Chris Schaffer sent the letter to general counsel for verification and then to the independent review, according to CBS News US. Schaffer said he waited to share the letter with senators until he could get another account of the conversation, according to AP.
Schaffer said he opposed the proposed no-confidence resolution, saying it identified no specific failures or fixes, according to PBS NewsHour headlines. He also said: "The anger in our community is justified and I share it."
Doe’s account of Kotlikoff’s remarks is secondhand. She relays it from her former sorority president, according to CBS and AP. Cornell says Kotlikoff was asking why bystanders did not report sooner, not Doe, according to CBS and AP. AP says another official present recalled the bystander framing.
The allegations have sparked campus protests, renewed scrutiny of the university’s disciplinary system, and an investigation. CBS calls it a criminal investigation, while AP calls it a state investigation. Former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates, appointed by Cornell, is leading a review of the university’s handling of sexual assault allegations and has promised recommendations, according to CBS News US.
Debate on the no-confidence resolution began at a meeting where Kotlikoff faced pointed questions about the school’s response to sexual assault allegations and its oversight of fraternities. Doe’s attorneys, Thomas Giuffra and W. Whitney Seals, issued a statement saying Doe asked the Senate to weigh the letter as it sees fit, according to CBS News US.
The Faculty Senate is expected to resume debate on Oct. 28 before an electronic vote on the resolution, according to AP. CBS reports a meeting on Oct. 24 and says Kotlikoff is not scheduled to attend. Yates’s review of Cornell’s response and policies is ongoing.
Kotlikoff did not respond to AP’s email about the letter, and no direct response from him appears in the reporting. The letter’s full contents have not been independently confirmed beyond the copies CBS and AP obtained. The two outlets also differ on timing: CBS says the letter was sent the day debate began, while AP says it was sent "last week" and obtained Tuesday.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.