For families with the means to pay, expulsion from the country's leading universities over serious misconduct allegations such as sexual assault doesn't have to spell the end of a child's academic career.
asserted
expulsion → pay → career
That was the crisis facing the parents of one of the seven Cornell fraternity brothers accused of sexual abuse in a now highly publicized lawsuit containing horrifying allegations of an hours-long, drug-fueled gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.
asserted
That → face → October
Cornell conducted its own lengthy investigation into the incident, eventually disciplining all seven men to varying degrees.
asserted
Cornell → conduct → degrees
Two were expelled, others were suspended or barred from campus, while the remaining students received lesser sanctions.
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students → expel → sanctions
All denied wrongdoing.
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All → deny → wrongdoing
Last year, with their son's future at the Ivy League school derailed, the parents of one of the accused were already looking for a way forward – so they picked up the phone and called Hanna Stotland.
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they → derail → Stotland
Stotland, a Harvard-trained lawyer, has carved out an unusual niche helping students disciplined or expelled by elite schools find another college willing to take them and get their academic careers back on track.
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careers → train → track
Her clients are accused of everything from using drugs to cheating on exams, as well as misconduct handled through Title IX proceedings, the federal process universities use to address allegations of sexual misconduct.
asserted
universities → accuse → misconduct
For a retainer of several thousand dollars, plus a hefty hourly rate, Stotland helps them navigate the admissions process and present the disciplinary findings against them in what she calls the 'best truthful light.'
asserted
she → help → what
She would not reveal to the Daily Mail which of the Cornell seven she was hired to help but said the approach from his family was typical of the calls she receives.
asserted
she → reveal → calls
Matthew Ingalls was one of the two Cornell frat brothers expelled from the Ivy League school over explosive sexual assault allegations first raised in 2024; he denied wrongdoing
Johnathan Newell, who grew up in South Florida, was also expelled following Cornell's internal Title IX investigation into the claims
The case roiled the Ivy League school after the alleged victim, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, filed a lawsuit in September claiming she was sexually assaulted in the Chi Phi fraternity house (pictured) in 2024
'
uncertain
she → expel → 2024
A family contacted me, said my student has been disciplined at Cornell, and we need help to help him continue his education,' she said.
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she → contact → education
I get that call 50 times a year - and those are just the people who actually hire me.
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who → get → me
I get more calls than that.'
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I → get → that
Stotland cannot discuss what she advised the Cornell student specifically but she described the playbook she uses for young men who find themselves in the same position.
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who → discuss → position
She begins her process by compiling what she calls an 'educational history' of her client, looking at everything from grades and academic interests to career ambitions and what caliber of university is still realistically within reach.
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caliber → begin → reach
What she does not do is investigate the underlying accusation.
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do → investigate → accusation
'I'm not involved in assessing whether the student was rightly or wrongly disciplined,' Stotland said.
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Stotland → involve → ?
Then she turns to the disciplinary case itself, studying the allegations and helping the student explain in their personal statements what happened – without omitting or glossing over damaging facts that another university may discover independently.
uncertain
university → turn → that
That does not require a confession.
asserted
That → require → confession
A student who maintains they were falsely accused can continue to say so, Stotland said, provided they acknowledge what their former university found and are truthful about the facts that went against them.
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that → maintain → them
'I tell all of my students, "Lying is free,"' Stotland said.
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Stotland → tell → students
'If you're interested in hiding this and lying to other universities, you don't need my help.
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you → hide → help
You need my help if you want to tell difficult truths.
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you → need → truths
For those who accept responsibility, or were found responsible, the pitch becomes less about disputing the old case and more about demonstrating what has changed since: what they learned, how their behavior has changed and why another university should believe that they won't cause any trouble.
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they → accept → trouble
Prospective universities typically aren't looking to retry another school's Title IX case, she added.
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she → look → case
What they want to know is who the applicant is now and whether admitting them poses a risk.
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admitting → want → risk
How has this changed you?
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this → change → you
What insight do you have about this problem?' she said.
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she → have → problem
'Why should we trust you that you're not going to make trouble at our school?'
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you → trust → school
Newell, pictured holding a plaque with his last name as a high school student, was booted from another college campus after the Cornell allegations came to light, the Daily Mail reported this week
The 21-year-old quietly enrolled at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, earlier this year after being expelled from Cornell University
Finding a path forward for those involved in Title IX investigations can be difficult, with the odds stacked firmly against.
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odds → picture → investigations
For an Ivy League student, however, there is another uncomfortable reality: the next move is almost always down.
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move → be → student
'If you get kicked out of Cornell, there will not be another Cornell,' she said.
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she → kick → Cornell
'These students do need to be very flexible.
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students → need → ?
If there's a school that's going to give you a chance, you need to give them a chance.'
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you → be → chance
Jonathan Newell, one of the two students expelled by Cornell over Jane Doe's claims, quietly enrolled at Nova Southeastern University in Florida earlier this year.
uncertain
Newell → expel → Florida
His attempt at a fresh start was upended after Doe's lawsuit made the allegations national news and sparked a flood of complaints from concerned parents over student safety, prompting NSU to order him to stay away from campus, the Daily Mail exclusively revealed this week.
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Mail → upend → campus
Stotland said most Title IX students will be rejected by the majority of schools they approach, which is why she typically advises a transfer applicant to apply to around 30 universities in the hope of securing five or six offers.
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she → say → offers
She recalled one former Title IX client who applied to 80 medical schools and was accepted by just one.
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who → recall → one
She considers him one of the greatest successes of her career.
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him → consider → career
…and 28 more, not listed.
The Aporia
