Cornell Faculty Senate passes no-confidence vote over Jane Doe case, but Board of Trustees backs president

On Friday, faculty members at Cornell University voted to express their no-confidence in the university's leadership concerning their response to an alleged gang rape case that has recently ignited outrage across the United States. While the vote does not hold legal weight, it represents a significant symbolic gesture of disapproval directed at the administrators of the prestigious Ivy League institution in New York state.

According to a lawsuit filed by the victim, a female student was sexually assaulted by a group of seven male students at a fraternity house on the Cornell campus in 2024. In response to the initial allegations, Cornell University took immediate action by shutting down the fraternity and temporarily suspending the accused students. However, critics argue that the university's handling of the situation has been too lenient, prompting protests in multiple US cities last month calling for accountability.

In a decisive 75-50 vote, with five abstentions, the faculty membership conveyed its lack of trust in the central administration's capacity to effectively tackle the persistent crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University. Following the resolution, Cornell's president suspended fraternity gatherings on campus for the rest of the academic year as part of an initial series of steps aimed at addressing the issue of sexual assault.

New York state prosecutors have recently reopened a criminal investigation into the incident, following local authorities' decision in 2024 to decline pursuing the case due to a perceived lack of evidence. Cornell's Board of Trustees, the university's highest governing body, wholeheartedly supported President Laurence Kotlikoff in a statement released on Friday.

Board Chair Anne Smalling emphasized the significance of the faculty senate's vote, stating that it represents the deep anger across the campus and clearly signals that what happened to Jane Doe is completely unacceptable. The Board of Trustees remains confident that President Kotlikoff and his administration are the appropriate leaders to thoughtfully and thoroughly address the serious problem of sexual assault on their campus.