Story summary
In October 2024, a civil lawsuit was filed against Cornell University by a plaintiff known as Jane Doe, alleging she was gang-raped in October of that year while intoxicated and drugged at a fraternity party. The alleged perpetrators are seven male students who remain unnamed due to ongoing legal proceedings; none have been criminally charged.
On Thursday, around 100 Cornell students, faculty, and family members held an emotional town hall on the Ithaca campus where they expressed frustration with the university's handling of sexual assault cases. Several speakers criticized the administration for failing to adequately address rape culture and support survivors.
Adriana Vink, a member of Cornell’s Student Assembly, organized the event, emphasizing that students felt let down by the university's response to the Jane Doe case and other instances of sexual misconduct on campus. According to surveys cited in November 2025, 35% of undergraduate women reported unwanted sexual conduct during their time at Cornell, up from 23% in 2023.
Meanwhile, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopened a criminal investigation into the case, acknowledging the complexity and sensitivity of addressing such allegations.
Written for “Cornell Gang Rape Investigation Reopened” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 122 other(s) covering the same event.
Fraternities at Cornell University are facing fresh scrutiny following an alleged gang rape.
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Fraternities → face → rape
Authorities reopened an investigation Monday as outrage built over a woman’s lawsuit filed September 16 against the Chi Phi fraternity, the Ivy League school and the seven students she says assaulted her.
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she → reopen → her
She told police in November 2024 that she was assaulted at the fraternity house the month before, and prosecutors decided at the time not to prosecute anyone.
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prosecutors → tell → anyone
The Chi Phi chapter has been barred from campus, and its national organization said Wednesday that the Cornell chapter unanimously voted to remove the accused members from its rolls within days of the woman filing a police report.
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woman → bar → report
Cornell has said its investigation had led to some students being disciplined or expelled.
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students → say → ?
Elizabeth Allan, a professor of higher education at the University of Maine and director of the school’s Hazing Prevention Research Lab, said it was a horrifying but familiar story on many campuses.
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it → say → campuses
She said failed reforms show "how entrenched some of the behaviors are and that we need to take an approach that’s transformative.”
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that → say → approach
The university in Ithaca, New York, has rolled out reforms in response to hazing deaths, lawsuits and arrests in its Greek system.
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university → roll → system
In 2019, Cornell required Greek life chapters to hire independent event monitors and submit to random security spot checks, among other changes, after freshman Antonio Tsialas was found dead at the bottom of a gorge.
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Tsialas → require → gorge
His parents’ lawsuit said he and other fraternity pledges were hazed by being forced to drink dangerous amounts of alcohol.
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he → say → alcohol
Cornell has had fraternities — and problems — since its founding in 1865, said Adam McCready, a University of Connecticut associate professor who studies fraternities and sororities.
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who → have → fraternities
One of the first confirmed hazing deaths happened at Cornell in the 1870s, he said.
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he → confirm → 1870s
Over time, the fraternities built what he described as “palatial mansions that dictate the social environment on campus.”
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that → build → campus
Fraternities have a long record of hazing and abuse cases
In 1997, a Cornell student alleged in a lawsuit that he suffered weeks of paddling and beatings.
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he → have → paddling
The following year, a half dozen Cornell students were arrested over allegations that a fraternity pledge was taken from his dorm room, blindfolded and bound with rope and duct tape.
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pledge → arrest → rope
In 2012, a fraternity was found guilty of hazing in the alcohol poisoning death of a Cornell student.
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fraternity → find → student
After the death, Cornell University moved to eradicate risky pledging practices.
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University → move → practices
These students graduate and turn into donors, McCready said.
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McCready → graduate → donors
“It can be a challenge to make change if there’s pressure not to do so,” McCready said.
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McCready → make → change
In 2018, a fraternity chapter was placed on probation over a contest that members dubbed the Pig Roast in reference to the weight of the women they slept with.
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they → place → women
Cornell again took steps to reign in fraternities, moving to ban hard liquor from chapter houses and require live-in advisers.
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Cornell → take → advisers
But in 2022, allegations of a sexual assault and students being drugged at off-campus housing affiliated with fraternities led Cornell to temporarily suspend fraternity parties.
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allegations → drug → parties
Fraternity leaders were supposed to use the time to "implement stronger health and safety plans,” the university had said.
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university → suppose → plans
The gang rape allegation followed two years later.
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allegation → follow → ?
Advocates call for a stronger response
Cornell has said it is committed to implementing recommendations from a task force that launched last year on campus sexual assault.
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that → call → assault
The university has also pointed to the expulsions and suspensions it implemented in the case.
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it → point → case
The people the woman says gang raped her were allowed to write essays to Cornell “to mitigate their conduct,” the woman's lawsuit said.
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lawsuit → say → conduct
That's unacceptable, said Maha Ibrahim, a director at Equal Rights Advocates, a nonprofit that represents survivors.
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that → say → survivors
“There's no schema where that’s an appropriate response to a gang rape,” Ibrahim said.
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Ibrahim → be → rape
Allan said the case highlights a need to better understand what contributes to this kind of violence and misconduct, not just in groups, but communities, institutions and society.
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what → say → groups
“The lack of understanding around consent issues are broad-reaching and we have to be taking a public health approach to change behavior, change attitudes" in more sustainable ways, Allan said.
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Allan → reach → ways
For those affected by rape and sexual abuse, if you are in the United States, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673).
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you → affect → HOPE
Rape Crisis also offers support.
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Crisis → offer → support
You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk.
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You → call → www.rapecrisis.org.uk
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