Cornell building vandalised amid fury over gang rape complaint handling
Cornell's main administration building was splashed with graffiti and a glass door broken overnight, as student anger mounts over the university's response to a 2024 fraternity gang rape allegation.
Graffiti and broken glass at Cornell amid protests over sexual assault response
Cornell University's main administration building was covered in graffiti and had a glass door smashed overnight, bangordailynews.com reports, as student groups prepared a Monday afternoon protest over the Ivy League school's handling of an alleged gang rape at a fraternity house in October 2024.
Photographs taken by news media showed red-painted messages on the walls beside the administration hall's doors condemning patriarchy and the university's response to sexual assault complaints. Holes had been knocked into at least one glass door panel.
Cornell spokesperson Kyle Kimball said in a statement that the university was investigating the damage, adding that "damaging property is not the answer" to the "frustration and strong emotions" felt by members of the Cornell community. Campus police referred further questions to Kimball's office.
A coalition of student organisations planned a late-afternoon "Justice for Survivors" rally, calling for changes to how the university processes sexual assault complaints and for stronger sanctions in connection with an incident at the Chi Phi fraternity.
A then-sophomore — identified in court documents as Jane Doe — alleges she was sexually assaulted by multiple men at a Chi Phi party after being pressured into drinking and taking drugs. She recently filed a lawsuit against the university, seven former students, the fraternity and others. Her lawsuit states that she became fully incapacitated while fraternity members assaulted her, and that one man sent a message to others inviting them to participate.
Lawyers for two of the former students denied their clients took part in any sexual assault. Attempts by the Associated Press to reach the remaining accused men or their representatives were unsuccessful. Some of the accused students, when interviewed by Cornell investigators, described the sexual activity as consensual, according to court records.
No criminal charges have been filed. The Chi Phi chapter at Cornell was shut down following the incident, and the university has said it expelled some students and suspended others. In a statement issued last week, the Cornell administration pushed back against what it called the "false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case."
The case has drawn national attention to how Cornell, its campus police force, and the local district attorney responded after Jane Doe told campus police in November 2024 that she "can say with 100% confidence I was raped."
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Jane Doe was "failed by people and institutions," including Cornell police and local District Attorney Matthew Van Houten. Hochul last week appointed the state attorney general to take over a criminal investigation that Van Houten had himself reopened only days earlier. The governor also called for an independent review of Cornell's conduct throughout the matter.
Following those developments, Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff released an apologetic video on Saturday, saying Jane Doe's account "raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization and aspects of party culture, alcohol and drug use." Kotlikoff reaffirmed his support for an independent review and pledged greater transparency and a commitment to "finding the answers our community deserves."
Source: Google News MT