Cornell’s faculty has spoken: No confidence in varsity administration after alleged gang rape
NEW YORK, Nov 7 — Faculty members at Cornell University on Friday passed a no-confidence resolution against the el...
On November 7, faculty members at Cornell University voted in a no-confidence resolution against the university's leadership in response to their handling of an alleged gang rape case. The vote, though not legally binding, serves as a strong statement of disapproval towards the administration. According to a lawsuit, a female student was allegedly raped by seven male students at a fraternity house on campus in 2024.
Following the initial allegations, Cornell University took immediate action by shutting down the fraternity and temporarily suspending the accused students, two of whom were later expelled. However, critics argue that the college's response was insufficient, leading to widespread protests across several US cities demanding accountability.
The faculty's resolution, passed by a 75-50 vote with five abstentions, asserts the faculty's lack of confidence in the central administration's ability to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell. The resolution comes after the university commissioned an independent investigation into its handling of the case.
In October, Cornell President Laurence Kotlikoff suspended fraternity parties on campus for the remainder of the academic year as part of several preliminary measures to tackle sexual assault. New York state prosecutors have also reopened a criminal investigation into the incident, following local authorities' decision not to pursue the case in 2024 due to an insufficient amount of evidence.
Cornell's Board of Trustees, the college's top governing body, expressed support for President Kotlikoff in response to the faculty's resolution. Board Chair Anne Smalling emphasized that the faculty vote reflects the deep anger across the campus and signals that the incident involving Jane Doe is unacceptable. The Board of Trustees remains confident in President Kotlikoff's leadership to address the serious issue of sexual assault comprehensively on their campus.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
