First on CNN: Cornell faculty prepare no-confidence vote against administration over handling of alleged sexual assault case

CNN, WSTM, MEGAN ZEREZ , ITHACA VOICE, NY OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, Megan Zerez / Ithaca Voice

By Gloria Pazmino, Hanna Park, Maria Sole Campinoti, Holly Yan, CNN

Ithaca, New York (CNN) — Growing outrage over how Cornell University handled rape allegations from a student in 2024 has stretched across the country, from sexual abuse survivors to students on campus and now to the school’s president.

Members of Cornell’s Faculty Senate introduced a resolution Monday evening calling for a vote of no confidence against the administration over its handling of the alleged gang rape on campus. A vote of no confidence is a formal rebuke of a group’s leadership – and often an attempt to force change or compel resignations.

“The faculty have been approached by hundreds of students, alumni, staff who are demanding that we do something,” labor history professor and Faculty Senate member Paul Ortiz told CNN. Some of the students who have approached faculty said they had endured sexual assault, Ortiz said.

“We’re tired of the sexual assaults that happened to our students,” he said. “We’re tired of the administration’s inaction on this issue – and not only our current students, but past students, alumni who have actually given money to this university are fed up.”

Students and community members rallied through streets in Ithaca on Monday evening, chanting “shame” and “resign” after details of the rape allegations came to light in a recently filed civil lawsuit from the former student, known as Jane Doe.

Some groups are also planning to host a seven-hour sit-in on Wednesday “in solidarity with Jane Doe,” according to social media flyers for the event.

The lawsuit Doe filed last month against the university, the Chi Phi fraternity, seven fraternity members and others alleges the school failed to protect her and adequately punish the accused students.

The ensuing fallout has raised questions about how Cornell police handled Jane Doe’s allegations, how much information was shared with the district attorney’s office, the prosecutors’ initial decision not to file charges, and whether the school’s internal investigation and actions went far enough.

Here’s the latest:

• “We’re all angry,” Cornell president says: During a meeting with Cornell’s Graduate and Professional Student Assembly on Monday, university President Michael Kotlikoff acknowledged the mounting frustration across campus as more details and questions emerge about Doe’s 2024 allegations. “We’re all angry. I understand that anger,” Kotlikoff said, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. “People want easy answers to this.” The president previously released a video statement promising further review and answers, saying Doe’s case highlights “heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization, and aspects of party culture, alcohol, and drug use.”
• Faculty move closer to no-confidence vote: A resolution was submitted Monday evening to a university faculty committee, which will review the measure before it’s added to the Faculty Senate’s meeting agenda for October 14, Ortiz said. The Senate is Cornell’s main legislative advisory and review body, with more than 75 members representing the university’s faculty. So far, about 40 senators have supported a resolution to take a vote of no confidence, Ortiz said. CNN has reached out to Cornell officials for comment.
• Protesters support Doe: Professors joined students at Monday’s rally, where demonstrators held signs reading “Justice for every Jane Doe” and “Cornell admin betrays survivors resign now.” Professor Julia Chang said she supported student protesters. “They say Cornell has a rape culture, and I don’t disagree,” Chang said. “But this statement can make rape sound inevitable. Rape should not be inevitable.”
• Vandals damage administration building: Earlier Monday, activists smashed a glass door and painted messages, including “smash the patriarchy,” on the walls of the administration building on campus, The Cornell Daily Sun reported. The vandalism is under investigation, the school said.

• Letters to wireless carriers: Newly obtained documents show Cornell police drafted letters to wireless carriers related to “investigating a sexual assault incident” about a week after Doe first reported the alleged assault to university police and drafted letters to Verizon and T-Mobile asking them to “preserve all available data,” including texts, calls, and picture and video messages associated with accounts that “may contain evidence pertinent to the ongoing investigation.” It’s not clear whether investigators ever sent the requests, followed up with subpoenas, or whether Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten was aware of them. Van Houten has said his office only received from police a six-page statement signed by Doe and Snapchat screenshots. CNN has asked the carriers whether they received the requests from Cornell and if they complied.
• Accused student hires high-profile defense attorney: Teny Geragos, whose law firm has represented disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein and Sean “Diddy” Combs, has been hired by one of the male students involved in the investigation, a source told CNN Monday. It’s not clear which student Geragos is representing. The men named in the lawsuit have denied wrongdoing. The New York Times reported four of the fraternity members acknowledged having sexual contact with Doe but said it was consensual. Three others said they did not have sexual contact with her.
• State officials take over the case: Vowing to unravel the investigation’s failures, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor after saying she “lost faith” in Van Houten’s ability to oversee the inquiry. James will have the power to investigate the incident and, if warranted, prosecute any offenses and present evidence to a grand jury. Van Houten, who has been DA since 2017 and reopened the case after the lawsuit was filed, said he supports James’ appointment.

• Doe’s attorney expresses confidence in James: Thomas Giuffra told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday he had an initial call with James’ office last week and believes the investigation will be handled fairly, with a new set of eyes on evidence Doe’s team has collected – including recordings of calls between her and some of the accused, as well as emailed apologies. Giuffra said he believes other photos and videos related to the alleged assault existed but may have been destroyed. He added it is even possible more people were involved: “We will never know because of such an inadequate investigation that was done.” Cornell’s president has also said he supports the appointment of a special prosecutor and welcomes an independent review by an outside law firm into Cornell’s handling of the 2024 case.
• Prosecutors refused additional evidence: The Tompkins County district attorney’s office — which handled the 2024 criminal investigation — declined at the time to review additional evidence, including more interviews gathered by the campus police department, beyond a six-page statement signed by Doe, according to records obtained by The New York Times. Prosecutors did not express interest in the additional evidence because they had decided, based on Doe’s statement, that “criminal charges would not be pursued in this case,” a Cornell police investigator wrote in a note documenting the call, according to the Times.
• Doe receiving threats: Doe is dealing with threats and attempts to reveal her identity, Giuffra said, adding that he himself received a threat Sunday morning.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Taylor Galgano, Danya Gainor and Isa Mudannayake contributed to this report.