Cornell Jane Doe Writes Letter to Faculty Senate, Says She Felt ‘Disbelieved’ After Alleged Gang Rape
Jane Doe reportedly sent a letter to Cornell’s faculty senate saying she felt “disbelieved” by the school’s president
The faculty senate is considering a vote of no confidence against Cornell’s administration
Doe has accused seven Chi Phi fraternity members of gang rape in a high-profile civil complaint
The former Cornell student who accused seven fraternity members of gang rape reportedly sent a letter to the school’s faculty senate, saying she felt “disbelieved” by the university’s president.
In September, the former student filed a lawsuit under the name Jane Doe, alleging she was drugged with ketamine and sexually assaulted for hours by members of the Chi Phi fraternity in 2024.
Doe reported the alleged assault to campus authorities in 2024, per her suit, and the university said it conducted a lengthy investigation resulting in suspensions and expulsions.
No criminal charges have been filed.
The New York Times and NBC News reported that Doe sent a letter to Cornell’s faculty senate, which is considering a vote of no confidence against the university’s administration.
In the letter obtained by the Times, Doe described a conversation between her sorority’s president and Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff after she reported the incident.
The letter states that Kotlikoff asked the sorority president, “Why did she take so long to report it?”
“When the then-Tri Delta President relayed this conversation to me, I felt unsupported and disbelieved by President Kotlikoff,” Doe wrote in her letter, according to the outlet. “I am sharing this account now because, to my knowledge, only a few individuals are aware of the conversation; I do not know if you or other members of the Faculty Senate are among them.”
A spokesperson for Cornell told the Times that the second-hand account was not correct and that the question asked by Kotlikoff was not directed at Doe.
“The question ‘Why did it take so long for the assault to be reported?’ was directed at bystanders who did not use Cornell’s anonymous tip line, despite ongoing social media activity about the incident in October 2024,” the spokesperson told the paper.
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Since Doe filed her civil complaint, the case has been the source of intense media attention. The men accused of sexual assault have denied the allegations.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has been appointed to oversee the case going forward after Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had lost confidence in local prosecutors, who have become the subject of controversy after declining to file charges in 2024.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
Source: Crime