Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. A woman, identified as Jane Doe, is suing Cornell University over an alleged gang rape at a fraternity house in 2024, and the details are just shocking. According to a letter she wrote to two senior Cornell faculty members, she felt “unsupported and disbelieved” by Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff after she reported the incident. Now, I’m not one to jump to conclusions, but it sounds like the university’s handling of the situation was, at the very least, insensitive.
The 101-page complaint has prompted a re-opening of the investigation into her claims, and it’s also sparked a re-examination of how universities across the US handle allegations of sexual assault. Cornell students and faculty members are even calling for a vote of no confidence in the administration, which is pretty serious. I mean, it’s not every day you see a university’s leadership being questioned like this.
Cornell professors grilled Kotlikoff about their concerns on October 14, and it sounds like they’re not happy with the way the university has handled the situation. Doe said in the letter that after she reported the incident, the president of her sorority spoke with Kotlikoff, who allegedly asked something like, “Why did she wait so long to report it?” Now, I’m no expert, but that sounds like a pretty insensitive question to me.
The sorority president interpreted Kotlikoff’s question as an expression of doubt in the veracity of Doe’s story, which is understandable. I mean, if someone asked me that question after I reported a traumatic incident, I’d probably feel like they weren’t taking me seriously either. The letter says that Kotlikoff’s question “diminished my confidence in the administration’s ability to approach my experience with the understanding, sensitivity, and fairness I had hoped for and expected from what had been my dream school.”
A Cornell University spokesperson disputed Doe’s account, saying that Kotlikoff’s question was actually directed at bystanders who didn’t use the university’s anonymous tip line, despite social media activity about the incident. But Doe’s attorney hasn’t commented yet, so we’ll have to wait and see how this plays out.
Doe was allegedly assaulted in the early morning of October 20, 2024, and she reported the incident to Cornell University police on November 8. She sent the letter to the Dean of Faculty and the Speaker of the Faculty Senate the day the Faculty Senate met to deliberate a vote of no confidence over Kotlikoff’s leadership.
It’s worth noting that the letter was never shared with the larger faculty body, according to two Cornell professors. Cornell professor Paul Ortiz, who sponsored the Senate’s no confidence vote, told CNN that he’s disappointed the letter wasn’t shared with the faculty and that they’re only learning about it through media coverage.
In an email to Faculty Senate members, Cornell’s Dean of Faculty Chris Schaffer confirmed that he received Doe’s letter on October 14 and passed it on to the Office of the General Counsel. The letter has been sent to the investigatory team led by Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, which is a good sign that the university is taking this seriously.
In conclusion, this whole situation is just a mess. It’s clear that the university’s handling of the alleged gang rape was inadequate, and it’s even more clear that the victim felt unsupported and disbelieved. As I finish my coffee, I’m left wondering how this could have been handled better, and I hope that the university will take steps to prevent something like this from happening again. And to Cornell University, I say: bless their hearts, they’ve got a lot of work to do to regain the trust of their students and faculty. 🙄
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
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