Seven fraternity men at Cornell University were accused of participating in the gang rape of a female student in 2024. Two years later, these men have not been charged for their alleged crimes.
The case has now been reopened after the young woman filed a lawsuit against the seven alleged rapists, the fraternity where the assaults allegedly took place, Cornell University, her sorority and the nightclub that served her alcohol. The text messages released from the night of the incident are too disgusting to include in this article, with social media being rightfully upset about these men and what they allegedly did to this woman.
What is Cornell doing about this? Nowhere near enough. As a society, we need to hold sexual abusers accountable for their actions, and powerful organizations like universities must do better.
Cornell’s student newspaper, The Daily Sun, had to break the story for the university to finally pay attention to the case. According to reporter Cereese Qusba, Cornell sent an email in 2024 y that read “Crime ALERT: Sexual Assault,” naming Chi Phi. the fraternity where the incident allegedly took place. Outrage spilled on campus, with eggs thrown at the fraternity house and the university convening a sexual assault task force teaching students about consent. But then, the university moved on.
However, Qusba never did, claiming “The Sun never really let the case go.” The Sun’s editorial headline on Sept. 18 read “Cornell Won’t, We Will.”
It’s true: Cornell didn’t properly investigate the fraternity members after the survivor reported being raped. Cornell didn’t hold those men to the same disciplinary standard as student protesters, who were hit with three-year campus bans around the same time. And most importantly, Cornell didn’t offer any transparency, leaving students frustrated by the lack of accountability and support for the survivor. Keeping students safe means nothing if universities care more about protecting their own reputations than actually holding abusers accountable.
In her lawsuit, the anonymous “Jane Doe” claimed that she filed a report with the campus police two weeks after the assault took place. The lawsuit details that after arriving to Chi Phi fraternity house, two brothers coerced Doe into consuming drugs before multiple men took advantage of her, raping her for hours. She says the events caused her to drop out of school.
Cornell’s choice of “discipline” was an absolute joke: Two of the men allegedly involved were expelled, and five were assigned an essay.
The lawsuit heavily criticizes Cornell, claiming the administration failed to properly discipline the fraternity by sheltering it from law enforcement.
Although Cornell denies protecting the Chi Phi fraternity, these men are still walking free without due punishment. The administration said that its Title IX office expelled the Chi Phi chapter from campus and agreed to an independent review of how Cornell handled the case.
However, its words now don’t erase its actions. The lawsuit states that Cornell’s handling of the situation was “so outrageous, shocking, despicable and contemptible that it exceeds the reasonable bounds of decency.”
The students’ punishment is just a slap on the wrist, and worse — a signal to survivors that speaking up doesn’t help, and that universities only care about not looking bad.
However, this controversy comes with nuance as Jane Doe allegedly changed her statement and some accounts say she consented to aspects of the encounter. Other accounts also indicate that she took ketamine willingly without being pressured or coerced—although she was apparently already drunk when she partook in drug use. Four of the seven men admitted to having sexual contact with Jane Doe, but claimed it was consensual because they did not think she was intoxicated. The others denied participating in sexual encounters.
The Chi Phi fraternity men in the group chat, not just the seven men, still did the inexcusable: they saw the texts and did nothing. That’s not even “locker-room talk” — it’s a terrible case of bystander apathy.
Some universities have taken action in its own Greek Life organizations recently. University of Arizona halted all fraternity activities and is now conducting a full on investigation on reports of misconduct that include physical assault, drugs and alcohol hazing.
Despite this public controversy, Cornell still does not have a sexual assault prevention organization on campus. UM has an It’s On Us chapter on campus, the nation’s largest nonprofit program dedicated to college sexual assault prevention. WhileIt’s On Us has chapters at more than 266 college campuses, Cornell does not have a chapter of its own.
“In light of the deeply disturbing news of sexual violence at Cornell University, It’s On Us at the University of Miami stands in solidarity with survivors of sexual assault on college campuses everywhere,” said It’s On Us in a statement to The Hurricane
“For students in our community, we understand hearing about a case of this magnitude can be frightening and deeply unsettling. We firmly believe every student deserves to feel safe on their campus,” the organization said. “At IOU UM, we take our role seriously. We are committed to continuing conversations and offering students a safe place to ask questions and seek support. We strive to foster a campus culture rooted in respect for one another.”
Cornell isn’t the only university that has allegedly failed its students. In 2021 at San Diego State University, football players allegedly raped a 17-year-old girl, who was under the age of consent. The players were not charged for the crime, and SDSU allowed accused players to continue practicing and playing during the ongoing investigation.
Similarly in 2020, USA Today revealed LSU mishandled sexual misconduct cases against students, including star athletes. LSU refused to release police reports and withheld Title IX records. The university eventually faced a federal Title IX investigation.
Let’s be clear: Cornell is an Ivy League establishment that thousands of young students dream of attending. It is an institution known for its innovative research and prestigious academic reputation. Yet, Cornell is sweeping this under the rug.
As a university in the center of nightlife culture, UM cannot afford to be a bystander. It is not enough to host awareness campaigns during orientation. When severe situations like this arise, the administration must prove that student safety takes priority over reputation.
If a situation at this scale ever happened at UM, I would hope that the administration would stand with the victim and go the extra mile to deliver real justice.