A crowd of students protest Cornell’s response to gang rape complaint

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) – Cornell students thronged a campus plaza to protest the university's response to allegations of sexual assault at a fraternity house, and the school's main administration building was splashed with graffiti and damaged overnight.

Key points

• Hispanic studies professor Julia Chang continued to applause: "Rape should not be inevitable."
• "Too often, we are met with silence, we are met with statements, we are met with procedures, but not enough support, " student Athena Holloway informed the crowd.
• Other individuals watched from pathways, windows and a nearby hill.

What happened

At a demonstration that overflowed the sizeable space in front of the school's student center, students, faculty members and others wore purple ribbons and held signs with such messages as "support survivors, expel rapists" and "Justice 4 every Jane Doe" – the name by which the woman who noted the assault is known in court papers. Other individuals watched from pathways, windows and a nearby hill.

"Too often, we are met with silence, we are met with statements, we are met with procedures, but not enough support, " student Athena Holloway informed the crowd. "How much does it take for our university to stand with survivors?"

The bottom line

In short, a crowd of students protest Cornells response to gang rape complaint is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.