Cornell Jane Doe says embattled university head doubted her gang-rape allegation

ByNardine Saad and Pratiksha Ghildial.

Key points

• Known anonymously as Jane Doe, she has written a letter accusing President Michael Kotlikoff of asking why she waited a number of weeks to report the incident.
• The Ivy League institution in upstate New York notes her account of the Cornell head's reaction is "incorrect".
• "We are all extraordinarily upset by the events at Cornell in October of 2024, " he remarked.
• Kotlikoff, who has led the Ithaca-based institution for 26 years, was grilled by the faculty senate last Wednesday.
• The faculty senate, a governing body composed of professors and other academic staff at Cornell, scheduled their no-confidence vote for 28 October.

Meanwhile, a former Cornell student who alleges she was gang-raped at a fraternity house has remarked she felt "unsupported and disbelieved" by the university president.

For context, the Ivy League institution in upstate New York notes her account of the Cornell head's reaction is "incorrect".

She addressed her letter to campus faculty who will hold a rare vote this month on Kotlikoff's leadership. Doe filed her lawsuit last month alleging she was raped by a number of men in October 2024 at a Chi Phi fraternity party.

All seven former fraternity members accused by Doe have denied wrongdoing when contacted by the BBC's US partner CBS. None has been charged with a crime.

Doe documented the alleged assault to campus police, and the local prosecutor declined to bring charges at the time, but the case has since reopened.

As well as a civil rights inquiry, responding to Doe's initial allegation, Cornell remarked it had opened an internal investigation. What we know regarding Cornell University frat house rape investigation.

In a two-page letter dated 14 October and obtained by the BBC, Doe informed the faculty senate that after she noted the alleged rape, she received "a second-hand account" of Kotlikoff's reaction and that his "initial response" was "along the lines of, 'Why did she wait so long to report it?'".

Doe documented the alleged assault to campus police on 8 November, concerning three weeks after the fraternity party.

According to She, kotlikoff had a conversation with the then-president of her sorority and that other staff members were present, at least one of whom "appeared distressed" by the college president's question.

Doe remarked in her letter: "It diminished my confidence in the administration's ability to approach my experience with the understanding, sensitivity, and fairness I had hoped for and expected from what had been my dream school."

She remarked she wrote the letter so that faculty "can make an informed choice" ahead of their 28 October vote on whether to express no confidence in Kotlikoff's leadership. The university confirmed receipt of the letter from Doe's lawyer.

But in an official note to the BBC, a Cornell spokesperson remarked: "The second-hand account of the question asked by President Kotlikoff in a January 2025 meeting in the letter is incorrect, based on a documented first-hand account."

In practice, the spokesperson remarked Kotlikoff's question concerning the delay in reporting the alleged rape "was directed at bystanders who did not use Cornell's anonymous tip line, despite ongoing social media activity about the incident in October 2024". "He was not questioning Jane Doe's reporting, " the spokesperson remarked.

Staff remarked they were "deeply disturbed" by his handling of the case and accused him of lacking an "emotional response", according to recordings obtained by the BBC.

Kotlikoff highlighted changes the university had introduced since of Doe's allegations, including banning fraternity parties.

Meanwhile, the faculty senate, a governing body composed of professors and other academic staff at Cornell, scheduled their no-confidence vote for 28 October.

In recordings of the session, faculty stated sexual misconduct on campus was a systemic difficulty that demanded "systemic attention".

Paul Ortiz, a labour history professor who the no-confidence resolution, remarked students had informed faculty they "feel unsafe walking to the library after dark".

He accused Cornell of treating rape "as more of a 'PR problem' than a heinous crime".

Taken together, the developments around cornell Jane Doe says embattled university head doubted her gang point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.