Cornell president admits he never read police findings on alleged gang rape during tense faculty meeting: report
Cornell University’s president faced an angry confrontation with faculty members Wednesday over his administration’s handling of allegations that a female student was gang raped by fraternity members, as calls for a vote of no confidence in his leadership intensified.
Michael Kotlikoff acknowledged mistakes but defended his record during a tense Faculty Senate meeting, where professors questioned whether he was capable of addressing sexual assault allegations on campus.
During the meeting, Kotlikoff reportedly admitted he had not read the Cornell Police Department’s report concerning the allegations.
The meeting was closed to reporters, but an audio recording obtained by The Associated Press captured Kotlikoff urging faculty to give him more time to introduce reforms and change the culture surrounding student social life.
He argued that Cornell needed experienced leadership to confront problems “that are not simplistic, they’re not easy, they can’t be brushed aside with a wave of a hand.”
Removing him would not solve the university’s problems and could damage its reputation, he warned.
Kotlikoff also raised the possibility of sweeping restrictions on fraternities, saying the university needed to determine whether Greek life could operate safely.
“If, at the end of the day, fraternities cannot exist in a safe environment and we can’t be convinced that they can be safe, then we should make that decision,” he said.
He insisted that any decision should be based on research and evidence, not emotion.
On Tuesday, Kotlikoff announced a ban on fraternity parties through the end of the academic year, one of several measures introduced amid mounting criticism of the university’s response to sexual assault allegations.
But his assurances appeared to do little to satisfy some faculty members.
“The faculty were extremely angry. They gave him a hard time, I think appropriately so,” government professor Richard Bensel said after the meeting.
The controversy erupted after a woman identified in court documents as Jane Doe filed a lawsuit last month alleging that seven members of Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted or exploited her in October 2024.
All seven men have denied the allegations, maintaining either that their encounters were consensual or that they were not involved.
