Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) called for a third-party investigation into Cornell University over allegations that a female student was drugged and gang raped by seven fraternity members in 2024.
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student → call → 2024
The New York district attorney for Tompkins County, where the Ithaca-based Ivy League school is located, reopened the criminal case concerning the allegations this week.
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school → base → allegations
The initial investigation had been closed, but new evidence filed by the alleged victim in a civil lawsuit this month has come to light.
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evidence → close → light
Hochul said she supports the district attorney’s move, but she noted that “serious questions about Cornell’s campus culture and its systems for prevention, reporting, and response” remain outstanding.
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questions → say → prevention
“That is why 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 statement on Tuesday.
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Hochul → call → Tuesday
The woman, identified as Jane Doe, alleges she was sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house Oct. 19, 2024, when she was 20.
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she → identify → house
Doe had been drinking before arriving at the fraternity house to meet a friend, according to the civil lawsuit.
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Doe → drink → lawsuit
She alleges fraternity members pressured her into taking a substance they described as ketamine and sexually assaulted her while she was incapacitated.
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she → allege → her
During the sexual assault, one of the fraternity members allegedly encouraged more of his brothers to join him by sending a Snapchat message about getting “free p***y” upstairs.
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one → encourage → p***y
Doe alleged the defendants snorted ketamine off her body and forced her to do the same off theirs.
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defendants → allege → theirs
The plaintiff submitted the 101-page lawsuit on Sept. 14 against Cornell University, several fraternity and sorority organizations, a local bar, and seven current or former students.
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plaintiff → submit → University
After Doe reported the incident to the Cornell University Police Department in November 2024, the Chi Phi chapter was barred from campus.
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chapter → report → campus
However, criminal charges were never filed.
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charges → file → ?
The seven Chi Phi members in question were suspended, but they were allowed to continue their education at the university following a months-long Title IX investigation.
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they → suspend → investigation
The new allegations are “dramatically different” from the account of events Doe provided to police nearly two years ago, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said.
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Houten → provide → police
He added that Doe did not initially allege she was unknowingly drugged, forced into sexual activity, or incapacitated, but Doe’s lawyer disputed that characterization and said authorities failed to follow up with the woman.
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authorities → add → woman
Van Houten’s office relied on the Cornell police investigation and did not conduct an independent investigation, which Hochul supports.
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Hochul → rely → which
“The allegations in the Cornell University sexual assault case are nothing short of horrifying,” the governor said.
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governor → say → case
“For any student to come forward after an experience like this takes extraordinary courage.
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come → come → courage
No student should ever be left wondering whether the institutions meant to protect them will listen and act.”
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institutions → leave → them
A spokesperson for Cornell University said the school supports the reopened investigation while disputing any insinuations that the Chi Phi fraternity chapter and its seven members were not adequately punished.
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chapter → say → insinuations
“Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,” Kyle Kimball, vice president for university relations, said in a statement Monday.
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Kimball → impose → statement
“A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault.”
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survivors → be → assault
On the same day that the criminal case was reopened, the Education Department said it restored the 2020 Title IX rule that reshaped how colleges and universities handle sexual assaults on campus.
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colleges → reopen → campus
This rule was implemented under the first Trump administration.
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rule → implement → administration
Simultaneously, the department rescinded the Biden administration’s 2024 interpretation of Title IX that included sexual orientation and gender identity under sex-based discrimination protections.
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that → rescind → protections
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