Task force reveals 35 percent of female Cornell students reported assault as prosecutor reopens frat rape probe
As many as 35 percent of female undergraduates at Cornell University reported experiencing sexual assault during their time on campus—a staggering figure uncovered by a school task force that now hangs over a reopened criminal probe into a brutal fraternity gang rape.
The task force, formed in 2025 to tackle rampant campus sexual violence, issued recommendations earlier this year after its survey revealed the alarming statistic, alongside 8 percent of undergraduate men who reported being assaulted. Now, those findings provide a grim backdrop as a New York prosecutor reopens a criminal investigation into allegations that seven students drugged and gang-raped a woman at a Cornell fraternity in 2024.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced Monday that his office will present evidence to a grand jury regarding the alleged attack at the former Chi Phi fraternity house. The decision follows a civil lawsuit filed Sept. 16 that triggered widespread community outrage, public insults, and threats directed at prosecutors over why no criminal charges were originally brought.
The reopening of the case has intensified scrutiny on the Ivy League school’s culture and its initial disciplinary response. Student body president Eeshaan Chaudhuri called for a fresh examination of the university’s original investigation, the district attorney’s inaction, and fraternity culture at large. “This issue poses more of a broader question, not just at Cornell,” Chaudhuri said. “Obviously, these things can’t be fixed overnight.”
In her lawsuit, the victim alleges she was pressured into snorting ketamine, smoking marijuana, and drinking alcohol before being sexually assaulted. She is suing seven students, the national Chi Phi fraternity, Cornell University, and a local Ithaca bar.
Van Houten defended his original choice not to prosecute, claiming the woman did not allege drugging or gang rape in her initial 2024 sworn police statement. However, he admitted that “community outrage stemming from incomplete news and social media coverage” required his office to take the case to a grand jury.
Cornell defended its actions, stating a 2024 disciplinary panel expelled several students, suspended others, and permanently shut down the Chi Phi chapter. University officials slammed claims of minimal consequences as “irresponsible,” warning that such narratives make survivors feel unsupported and perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault.
