Cornell building is sprayed with graffiti blasting school’s response to gang rape complaint

Cornell University's main administration building was vandalized overnight with graffiti and a glass door was broken, as student groups prepared to protest the school's response to a 2024 fraternity-house gang rape case. The incident has sparked outrage on campus and beyond. According to Cornell spokesperson Kyle Kimball, the university is investigating the vandalism and emphasized that damaging property is not the solution to expressing frustration over sexual assaults.

A University spokesperson also stated that the university is looking into the incident and that "damaging property is not the answer" to addressing the campus' "frustration and strong emotions." The protest is part of a broader movement led by student organizations demanding changes in the university's process for handling sexual assault complaints and harsher punishments for those involved in the alleged 2024 fraternity-house gang rape.

The case has drawn national attention to the university's handling of the situation, the police response, and the local district attorney's actions. Despite the university expelling and suspending some students, students have called for more accountability and transparency. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has intervened, appointing the state attorney general to take over a criminal investigation that had been reopened, and has called for an independent review of Cornell's handling of the matter.