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A rape lawsuit at Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity house has led to campus protests, social media campaigns, and a state investigation led by Attorney General Letitia James.
A lawsuit alleging rape at a Cornell University fraternity house has set off a wave of anger among women on college campuses and beyond. New York Attorney General Letitia James has taken over the investigation into the case, following widespread protests and social media campaigns.
James Leads Cornell Fraternity Assault Investigation
Governor Kathy Hochul appointed James to lead the investigation several days after James posted about the case on social media. Campus sexual assault survivors and their supporters have published essays in school newspapers and flooded social media in solidarity with the complainant, known in court records only as Jane Doe. Some are using the familiar #MeToo hashtag, while others have adopted a new one: #IAmJaneDoe. The lawsuit alleges a 2024 assault at Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity house.
It names seven men and says the university and law enforcement did not do enough to punish or prosecute them. The men deny the allegations, and the university, fraternity and prosecutors say they responded appropriately with the information they had. A Cornell survey found that about one-third of undergraduate women said they had unwanted sexual experiences. In an opinion article in the University of Pennsylvania campus newspaper, students wrote that sexual violence happens far too often on college campuses everywhere.
They said it is time to face the fact that the Cornell incident is not just born of Cornell problems or limited to a Cornell issue. The students wrote that past responses have been bureaucratic and that universities prioritize bolstering their own image instead of making deeper changes to protect women. Celebrities have joined the outcry. Mariska Hargitay and her Joyful Heart Foundation, which supports domestic violence survivors, posted: Survivors deserve to be believed and kept informed.
Silence protects no one. To her: we support you. During an appearance in Ithaca, New York, Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the 2024 episode at Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity house part of a culture of rape on college campuses. Lawyers point out the difficulty of prosecuting such cases, especially when many complainants, including Doe, change their accounts over time.
Conflicting Evidence Challenges Cornell Rape Case
Records obtained by The New York Times present a murky picture. The woman indicated in one text message to one of the men that nothing illegal had happened. But she also told police investigators that I can say with 100 per cent confidence I was raped.
Andrew T. Miltenberg, a lawyer for one of the Cornell men, Gillio Lopes, said the danger in a case like this is that an accusation, amplified often enough, can harden into a verdict before the evidence is ever tested. Miltenberg said the attention had been compounded by statements of public officials that seemed to side with Doe. Lopes unequivocally denied the allegations, Miltenberg said.
On September 28, New York Attorney General Letitia James posted on the social platform X: What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I am holding her in my heart and prayers. Several days later, New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed James to take over investigating the case. The online outpouring in support of Doe has also led to a backlash.
Campus Rape Reports and Reporting Backlash
Some right-wing commentators condemn her and others are trying to reveal her identity. Federal data shows that nationally, there were 6000 to 6200 reports of rapes on campus a year from 2014 to 2019, or about eight to 11 per 10,000 on-campus students. But reports declined drastically during the pandemic years, when many students took classes remotely. Since then, they have begun to rise again.
The data does not show how many reports resulted in action or were substantiated. Over a quarter of undergraduate women reported some form of non-consensual sexual contact by physical force, or because they were unable to consent, according to a large survey of students conducted by the Association of American Universities in 2019. That survey also found evidence of a growing awareness about rules and resources, as universities built out new policies and training.
At Cornell, a survey conducted by the university found that about one-third of undergraduate women said they had had unwanted sexual experiences. Reading Doe's claims of assault has prompted some current Cornell students and recent graduates to share memories of their own experiences of sexual misconduct. Many said the allegations were not entirely surprising because of how often they had heard about friends who said they had been assaulted at parties.
To be honest, there are so many during my time there that it almost feels like it all blurs into one, said Claire Ting, who graduated from Cornell last year and served in student government. We would see posts and discussions talking about the sexual assaults that happened, she said. The buzz would die down, and then it would happen again.
brisbanetimes 
theage:Cornell case revives anger about handling of campus sexual assault cases 
smh:Cornell case revives anger about handling of campus sexual assault casesThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Cornell University Sexual Assault College Campuses Fraternities Metoo Movement Sexual Assault Lawsuit Chi Phi Fraternity Jane Doe Campus Protests Letitia James
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