A Cornell University administrative building was vandalized early Monday morning amidst criticism of the Ivy League’s handling of an alleged gang rape and drugging case in 2024.
A lawsuit filed by a former student, referred to in court filings as Jane Doe, has renewed criticism of Cornell’s investigation into the allegations. Last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James was assigned to the freshly reopened case.
According to an anonymous press release attributed to activists who claimed responsibility for the vandalism, the action was motivated by university’s handling of the case.
Messages were painted on the exterior walls of Day Hall, and and a window of the building was smashed. The graffiti reads “Smash the patriarchy,” and “At Cornell rapists are protected protesters are expelled.”
A “manifesto” obtained by WSKG criticized the university for its handling of sexual violence and its treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters. In recent years, the university has suspended and arrested protesters, and banned them from campus.
“Rape and sexual assault are a systemic poison that are endemic to American universities, and the Cornell 7 are part of a broader structure of power that allows violence to persist with impunity. It is against this structure and culture that we protest so that we may tear it down,” the statement reads.
The manifesto also criticizes Israel, the United States military, and Cornell’s connection to the dispossession of Indigenous people’s lands.
“Trapped in its foundational violence, Cornell continues to invest in the very same militarism and violence that exerts its dominance over the majority of the Global South. It is not just a culture, it is an incentive, a self-propagating cycle, and the reason why Jane Doe's case is a horrifying symptom of, not an unfortunate exception to, the systems in place.”
The manifesto defended the vandalism of the building.
“We reject the dogma that would condemn our actions this morning as violent while excusing rape. Property damage is not violent; condoning rape is.”
In a statement released this morning, Vice President for University Relations Kyle Kimball wrote that Cornell is “investigating the vandalism at Day Hall and will address it in accordance with University policy and applicable law.”
“We understand the frustration and strong emotions being expressed across our community. Those concerns deserve to be heard, but damaging property is not the answer.”
This is not the first incident of vandalism associated with the sexual assault allegations. In November of 2024, anonymous activists spray painted and smashed windows at the Chi Phi fraternity house, where court filings say the alleged rape and drugging took place. Another fraternity, Sigma Alpha Mu, was also vandalized.
This is a developing story. WSKG will update it as we receive more information.
