Cornell students protest university’s handling of 2024 fraternity rape allegation
Cornell students protest handling of 2024 frat rape allegation
Monday’s rally follows a lawsuit by a former student who says seven Chi Phi members assaulted her in 2024.
ITHACA – Hundreds of students, faculty and community members gathered at Cornell University’s Ho Plaza on Monday and marched to Day Hall to demand answers from the administration about their handling of a former rape allegation made in 2024.
The case involving Chi Phi fraternity members dubbed the “Cornell 7” has garnered extensive media coverage and stirred a national debate around issues of sexual violence on college campuses and Cornell’s response to the incident.
Monday’s protest, organized by Students for a Democratic Cornell and more than 40 other student groups, follows a lawsuit filed Sept. 16 by a woman identified in court documents as Jane Doe.
Doe claims that seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity drugged and sexually assaulted her at their fraternity house in October 2024. Lawyers for three of the men named in the suit have denied wrongdoing, and as of now, no one has been charged.
“We don’t just want to send a message to the administration with our demands,” said Jonathan Lam, a fourth-year Cornell student and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) representative. “But we’re also hoping that college campuses across the U.S. also have this dialogue because this is not just an issue that is happening here. It is happening nationwide.”
Stephanie R., a protester who traveled from Elmira about 35 miles away, marched holding a large sign with the image of an eye and the words “am Jane Doe.”
“I want women to know we need to stick together, because I am Jane Doe, you are Jane Doe, you know Jane Doe and it’s time to rise and stick together,” she said.
The case has sparked debate nationally over how colleges and the legal system respond to sexual violence. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor Friday, after removing Tompkins County district attorney Matthew Van Houten from leading the investigation.
“I am calling for outside counsel to conduct a transparent, independent review of the university’s response to determine whether Cornell met every obligation to protect its students and pursue justice,” Hochul said in a Sept. 29 statement.
The attorney general’s office has said the investigation will take months and there is no timeline set on Cornell’s outside review.
Speakers at Monday’s protest called on universities across New York state to review their domestic violence and sexual assault handling and reporting policies to ensure that what happened on Cornell’s campus in 2024 is not repeated.
“It’s a dark time and a difficult subject, but I am really hopeful to see the amount of people that have come together for this movement,” Cornell Sun editor and third-year student Reem Nasrallah said. “I think it’s a kind of light in all of this darkness.”
Cornell student Avery Morris described the past week on campus as emotional in part because of the attention the rape case has drawn.
“You are having every single person you’ve ever met wanting to know what happened here, wanting to know the truth and what people are doing about it,” said Morris, who also is an ACLU representative.
Supporting domestic violence awareness causes is extending further across Cornell University’s campus. Rho Psi Eta, Cornell University’s pre-health sorority, set up a table at Ho Plaza, selling flowers in support of domestic violence awareness.
“We are all wearing purple pins in support of survivors and trying to recognize the sacrifice they make in speaking up when they do,” chapter president Jiya Chattergee said. “Our community is wonderful when it comes together and we love to talk about the things we really care about and are unafraid to do so.”
Syracuse University sent out a campuswide email Thursday with resources for students to report or get support for sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking or relationship violence:
Free, confidential support, 24/7: Call the Sexual and Relationship Violence Response Team in the Barnes Center at The Arch at 315.443.8000 (dial 1). This team is a confidential resource. It will not share information with the University or law enforcement without your permission. For non-urgent questions, please contact the Barnes Center during business hours.
Emergency medical attention or transportation to an emergency room: Call Syracuse University Ambulance at 315.443.4299, dial 711 on campus or call 911 off campus.
Student Title IX Case Management: 315.443.0211 or submit a report online. The office is in Marley Education Center, 765 Irving Ave.
Department of Public Safety: 315.443.2224
Syracuse Police Department: 315.435.3016
is a Digital Producer for The NewsHouse for news, entertainment and life & style coverage and a lead for the Orange Pulse data analysis and visualization team.
is a contributor to The NewsHouse.