A large crowd rallied on Cornell University’s campus Monday afternoon, protesting the university'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. Early Monday morning, Day Hall, an administrative building on the university's campus, was vandalized.
The crowd marched from Ho Plaza to Day Hall, following a gathering where speakers shared their anger at the university and called for action.
The groups that organized the rally, including Students for a Democratic Cornell, are demanding that the university “expel or revoke the degrees of all perpetrators complicit in the gang rape of Jane Doe.”
They are also calling on the university to “rewrite Policy 6.4 to require independent hearings and minimum sanctions for Sexual Assault,” and conduct an external investigation of Cornell’s administration.
The group is demanding that the university put in place mandatory sexual assault prevention trainings for students and the Cornell University Police Department (CUPD), which conducted the Title IX investigation in 2024.
Finally, the organizers are calling for Cornell’s “full compliance with the NYS ‘Enough is Enough’ Law.”
Cornell University did not respond to WSKG’s request for comment on the demands or the rally in time for publication.
On Saturday, the university released an eight-minute video statement from University President Michael Kotlikoff.
"What happened to Jane Doe in 2024 is deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come," he said.
The video was the first time Kotlikoff has spoken publicly since the lawsuit was filed.
He acknowledged concerns over the investigation of the allegations in 2024 and said "we as an administration, and we as a community, must do better."
Last week, New York Attorney General Kathy Hochul announced she appointed state Attorney General Letitia James to take over the investigation of the allegations.
