Cornell student says president doubted her assault report

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 22:03 · Archive

A former Cornell University student who accused seven men of sexual assault says the university president questioned why she delayed reporting the incident.

A former Cornell University student who accused seven men of sexually assaulting her at a fraternity house in October 2024 has written to the university's faculty senate saying she felt 'unsupported and disbelieved' by university president Michael Kotlikoff. The student, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, reported the alleged assault to campus police on 8 November, about three weeks after it took place at the Chi Phi fraternity house.

In her letter, dated 14 October and obtained by the New York Times, Jane Doe described a second-hand account of a meeting between Kotlikoff and the then-president of the university's Tri Delta sorority chapter. She wrote that Kotlikoff's 'initial response was along the lines of, "Why did she wait so long to report it?"' and that she interpreted his question as an expression of doubt in her account.

Cornell disputed Jane Doe's characterisation in a statement on Tuesday. A university spokesperson said the account in the letter was 'incorrect, based on a documented first-hand account'. The university said the question about delayed reporting was directed at bystanders who had not used Cornell's anonymous tip line, despite ongoing social media activity about the incident in October 2024.

All seven men accused by Jane Doe have denied wrongdoing. None has been charged with a crime, although the local prosecutor's office has since reopened the case. Cornell said it had opened an internal investigation and a civil rights inquiry in response to the allegation.

Jane Doe's letter to faculty comes as the university's faculty senate prepares to hold a rare vote of no confidence in Kotlikoff's administration. Faculty members began debating the resolution last Wednesday and are scheduled to meet again before holding an electronic vote. While such a vote would be a powerful rebuke of Kotlikoff's administration, it would not remove him from office.

How it is being reported

• Cornell’s Jane Doe sent a letter to faculty leaders saying she felt ‘unsupported’ by university presidentJane Doe said comments made by Cornell’s president ‘diminished’ her confidence in the university’s administrationIndependent World · 20 Oct, 21:48
• Ex-student says embattled Cornell University head doubted her gang-rape allegationAs a no-confidence vote looms, Cornell says the characterisation of the head's reaction is "incorrect".BBC News · 20 Oct, 20:08
• Cornell responds to Jane Doe letter saying she felt disbelievedCornell has denied claims made in a letter from a former student, known as Jane Doe, about a remark by the school's president.CBS News · 20 Oct, 19:48
• Former Cornell student alleging sexual assault says she felt ‘unsupported’ by university’s presidentThe ex-student writes she wants to share information that ‘may be relevant’ to vote of no confidence The former Cornell University student who accused seven men of sexually assaulting her at a fraternity house in 2024 recently wrote a letter to campus faculty leaders saying that she felt “unsupported and disbelieved” by the Ivy League institution’s president. The letter addressed to the Cornell faculty senate was obtained and published by the New York Times on Tuesday – and in it the former student said she wanted to share information that she believed “may be relevant” as the panel…Guardian World · 20 Oct, 18:29

In this story: Jane Doe · Michael Kotlikoff · Cornell University · Chi Phi · Tri Delta

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