'People are angry. I understand that anger': Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff admits he failed to follow up on sexual assault report

Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff has acknowledged that he knew a student had reported an alleged sexual assault in November 2024 but did not follow up with the woman in the months that followed. He also revealed that he did not know she had left the university until she filed a lawsuit last month. In an interview with The New York Times, Kotlikoff addressed mounting criticism of the university’s handling of the allegations, as calls for his resignation grow. “The fact that Jane Doe experienced what she experienced at Cornell is something that I am personally sorry for,” Kotlikoff said in the interview, his first since the woman filed her civil lawsuit last month. “And I think this entire campus is sorry that occurred. “I’ve heard enough from the community that there is a loss of trust,” he added. “People are angry. I understand that anger.”

Last month, a former Cornell student identified in court documents as Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit against several parties, including the university. She accused seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity of sexually assaulting her at a party held at the fraternity house on campus in October 2024. All the men named in the lawsuit have denied wrongdoing, and none have been criminally charged. The woman reported the alleged incident to Cornell University Police in November 2024. Records obtained by The New York Times suggest that an internal university investigation resulted in two men being expelled, two being suspended and another, who had already graduated, being barred from campus. The remaining individuals received lesser disciplinary measures, including orders not to contact Jane Doe and requirements to write ‘reflection papers’.

At the time, the Tompkins County district attorney declined to pursue criminal charges, citing insufficient evidence. The investigation has since been reopened by the district attorney’s office. New York Governor Kathy Hochul also announced that she was appointing state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to investigate the allegations. Earlier this month, Kotlikoff described the allegations as deeply disturbing and welcomed Hochul’s decision to appoint James to oversee the case.

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During the 90-minute interview, the university president was questioned about criticism that his administration had failed to adequately respond to the student’s allegations before she filed her lawsuit. Kotlikoff pointed to a presidential task force established to examine sexual assault on campus. He also acknowledged that the university now had additional information about how the case had been handled. “I do think it’s important to understand we have more information now than we had at that time. We’ve learned some more information that has come out around how this process unfolded.”

Cornell’s faculty senate is reportedly expected to hold a rare vote of no confidence in Kotlikoff later this month, reflecting growing concerns within the university community over the administration’s response. During the interview, Kotlikoff also acknowledged that he had not known the former student had withdrawn from Cornell. “I do think there’s an argument for what you said, which is that if in fact a student has withdrawn because she feels unsafe at the outcome of the” university’s administrative review process “or there’s specific concerns around individuals, you know that there were no-contact orders for those individuals, I think that’s something that leadership should be made aware of. I would agree with that.”

Following the interview on Tuesday, Kotlikoff announced that Cornell would suspend parties at fraternity houses for the remainder of the academic year. The university also said it planned to bring in experienced sexual assault investigators to work alongside campus police.

In a further step, a newly established special committee of the Cornell University Board of Trustees announced that it had appointed Sally Yates, who served as deputy attorney general during the Obama administration, to oversee an independent review of the university’s response to misconduct allegations. The committee said Yates would lead a comprehensive independent review of how the university prevents and responds to sexual harassment, sexual assault and related misconduct on campus.