Cornell University's Faculty Senate passed a vote of no confidence in the university's central administration on Friday over its handling of sexual assault allegations made by a former student identified as Jane Doe.1,4
The vote is a rebuke of President Michael Kotlikoff and other leaders over the university's response to Doe's allegation that she was gang raped at a campus fraternity house in October 2024. It is largely symbolic because the Faculty Senate, which represents academic staff, does not have the power to remove leaders, while the Board of Trustees, which does have that power, said it continues to support the administration.1,4
The two accounts of the vote differed on the tally. The BBC News account put the result at 75 votes to 50. The Hill described the result as 55 percent to 37 percent, with 7 percent abstaining, and called the vote symbolic.1,4
The resolution states that the Faculty Senate "has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University". It did not make any specific recommendations or state what administrators did wrong in response to the allegation.1
Doe is suing the university and the fraternity over the alleged incident involving several men at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. She reported the alleged assault to campus police after it happened, but the local prosecutor declined to bring charges at the time. All seven of the accused have denied wrongdoing when contacted by the BBC's US partner CBS. None has been charged with a crime.1
Doe has accused Kotlikoff of asking why she waited several weeks to report the incident. The university, an Ivy League institution in upstate New York, has said her account of Kotlikoff's reaction is "incorrect".1
Doe's lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, said in a statement, "We recently learned that Cornell's Faculty Senate made a finding of no confidence in the Central Administration's ability to address the longstanding crisis of sexual assault at Cornell." Giuffra added, "We believe that the Faculty Senate did not reach this decision lightly and considered all available information."1
Giuffra added, "We are hopeful that this will be yet another step forward to educate and support the Cornell community by addressing the longstanding scourge of sexual assault on campus."1
The Board of Trustees said in a statement that it "remains confident" that Kotlikoff and his administration "are the right leaders to thoughtfully and comprehensively address the serious problem of sexual assault on our campus". Board chairwoman Anne Meinig Smalling said, "This confidence is rooted not only in the administration's actions to date and plans moving forward, but also in its track record of navigating complex problems."1
Smalling also said that the vote of no confidence "reflects the deep anger across our campus and sends a clear signal that what happened to Jane Doe is unacceptable".1
The vote followed intense criticism of Cornell since Doe filed her lawsuit in September. Cornell, after initially defending its disciplinary measures, has acknowledged it fell short in its handling of her case and has hired a former attorney general to conduct an independent review of the case. It also recently announced a series of measures related to assault, including cancelling fraternity parties.1
New York state prosecutors, led by Attorney General Letitia James, are carrying out their own investigation to decide if criminal charges are warranted. Earlier this week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that state police would investigate any future sexual offence complaints at the university.1
