Cornell faculty vote no confidence in administration for rape allegations

Cornell University's Faculty Senate on Friday voted no confidence in the university's administration for its handling of sexual assault allegations, following a lawsuit filed by a former student who said she was gang-raped at a fraternity house in 2024.

The resolution passed 75-50, with five abstentions, after weeks of debate about the response of university president, Michael Kotlikoff, and other senior officials to the allegations.

The vote is symbolic and does not call for removing Kotlikoff or other administrators. Only the university's Board of Trustees has the authority to dismiss the president.

The controversy intensified in September when a former student, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit against Cornell, the Chi Phi fraternity and seven men she alleges sexually assaulted her in October 2024.

The men have denied wrongdoing.

Paul Ortiz, the faculty senator who sponsored the resolution, said students approached faculty members expressing concerns about their safety and the university's handling of sexual assault complaints.

"Many of these faculty–including myself–were approached by students at Cornell who are upset, fearful for their personal safety, and wanting our university to address the perennial problem of sexual assault on the campus," Ortiz said in a statement explaining the resolution.

The resolution says that the Faculty Senate "has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University."

Cornell's handling of the allegations has drawn criticism from students, faculty members and the former student's legal representatives.

The woman's attorney, Thomas Giuffra, earlier criticized the university's response, saying it came "too late to protect Ms. Doe."

The Board of Trustees acknowledged the concerns raised by the faculty vote but reaffirmed its support for Kotlikoff.

"Today's Faculty Senate vote reflects the deep anger across our campus and sends a clear signal that what happened to Jane Doe is unacceptable," Board of Trustees Chair Anne Meinig Smalling said in a statement. "There is no place for sexual violence on the Cornell campus."

"We support President Kotlikoff's commitment to taking all necessary steps to ensure students are safe on campus and working together as a community to help prevent this from happening again," she added.

Cornell has announced measures aimed at strengthening campus safety and support for sexual assault survivors, while an independent review of the school’s handling of the case is underway.

New York authorities are also investigating the allegations.