The Student Assembly announced plans to hold a Thursday public hearing on sexual violence and voiced “outrage” toward the University’s handling of the alleged 2024 Chi Phi fraternity gang rape Tuesday morning.
The public hearing is open to the Cornell community and will take place from 4:45 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in Willard Straight Hall. Its purpose is to provide students with an open forum to “voice their concerns directly” to the Assembly, according to the Assembly’s post.
In its statement, the Assembly questioned the University’s lack of “meaningful transparency” on disciplinary actions taken and Cornell University Police Department’s “mishandl[ing]” of “crucial evidence” in the case.
This comes after a former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit against the University, Chi Phi and others on Sept. 14, alleging that she was sexually assaulted and gang raped after being coerced into consuming drugs at Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.
Following the incident, Doe filed a formal complaint to the University’s Title IX office, which opened a monthslong investigation in January 2025, according to the lawsuit.
“Vague references to ‘temporary suspensions’ and ‘other restrictive measures’ are inadequate given the gravity of the allegations,” the Assembly’s statement reads, referencing the consequences the University described it had enacted for the alleged rapists.
Kyle Kimball, vice president for university relations, confirmed in a statement released Monday that the University issued expulsions and suspensions after investigating the incident in 2024. The statement did not clarify who or how many students were expelled or suspended. Kimball asserted that essay writing was not the “sole consequence" given by the University to any of the defendants.
The Assembly also condemned CUPD for its “reported failures surrounding critical evidence.”
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten released a statement on Monday claiming that his office was informed of CUPD’s investigation into the case in November 2024 and asked to review a statement provided by Jane Doe “to determine if her allegations constituted a crime under New York law.” Based on its review, the D.A.’s office determined that “criminal charges were not appropriate.”
Van Houten told ABC News that CUPD did not provide him with an image included in the lawsuit of a Snapchat group chat.
A University FAQ page on the incident released on Tuesday states that “all investigatory information” was shared with the D.A.’s office in 2024, specifically naming “the Snapchat screenshot.”
The image, included in the lawsuit, pictured one defendant allegedly encouraging his fraternity brothers to join in the alleged assault, messaging about “free pussy” in a Snapchat group chat titled “Chi Phi Actives.”
Van Houten re-opened a criminal investigation into the case due to the allegations in the civil lawsuit presenting a “different narrative” than the plaintiff’s initial statement to police in 2024, Van Houten wrote in a Monday statement.
The Assembly’s statement pointed to the lack of “disciplinary accountability” and “failures” of CUPD as reflecting “a larger systemic failure in Cornell’s response to sexual violence.”
“Jane Doe’s lawsuit reflects a larger culture concern at Cornell,” the Assembly argued, referring to the results of the University’s Survey of Sexual Assault and Related Misconduct.
Mandated by New York State Law to be conducted every two years, 11% of respondents reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact in 2023. The 2025 survey saw a 36% increase, with 15% of respondents reporting nonconsensual sexual contact.
In response to the University’s handling of the case, the Assembly plans to introduce Resolution 15: “Institutional Transparency and Accountability in the University’s Response to Sexual Assault” on Thursday, Student Assembly President Eeshaan Chaudhuri ’27 told The Sun.
“Change must come,” the statement concludes. “We stand unequivocally with the survivors of sexual violence, and we remain committed to ensuring that their voices are not only heard, but met with action.”
Mary Caitlin Cronin is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is a news editor for the 144th Editorial Board and can be reached at mcronin@cornellsun.com.
