New York state police will take over all sexual assault cases at Cornell after a student's fraternity gang rape lawsuit
Matthew Ingalls, Diego Sarabia, Winston Lee, Scott Kretzschmar, Scott Norris, Gillio Lopes and Johnathan Newell, the seven Cornell University Chi Phi fraternity members accused of drugging and gang-raping a fellow…Kathy Hochul, pictured in August, as Cornell's Faculty Senate votes on a no-confidence motion against President Michael Kotlikoff, with ballots open until 6 November.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday that state police have signed a formal agreement with Cornell University to handle all sexual assault complaints on campus, stripping the university's own police of jurisdiction. The move follows a lawsuit filed in September by a former student, Jane Doe, who alleged she was drugged and gang raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024 — a case that exposed catastrophic failures in how Cornell handled her complaint.
Cornell's Faculty Senate is now voting on a no-confidence motion against President Michael Kotlikoff, with ballots open from Friday until 6 November.
Hochul said survivors deserve to know their allegations 'will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated by law enforcement trained to support survivors'.
Cornell had initially defended its disciplinary response before publicly acknowledging it fell short in handling Jane Doe's case.
