Cornell faculty begin no-confidence vote over handling of alleged gang rape

Faculty at Cornell University began a no-confidence vote in the university's leadership on Thursday, after an alleged gang rape prompted public outcry over sexual assault on college campuses and scrutiny of how the school handled the case. The vote is expected to continue until November 6.

The initiative is non-binding, but it could send a message that Cornell president Michael Kotlikoff has lost the confidence of the faculty.

What the lawsuit alleges

A lawsuit filed last month alleges that a female student, identified as Jane Doe, was drugged and gang raped by seven male students at a fraternity house in 2024. The case has raised questions about whether the university acted with sufficient urgency or downplayed the alleged abuse in order to protect its reputation.

The university initially shut down the fraternity and suspended the male students. Two of them were later expelled.

Paul Ortiz, the lead faculty sponsor of the resolution, said: "Hundreds of students, staff, faculty and alumni approached the sponsors of this resolution to emphasize to us that the Jane Doe case is but a tip of the iceberg."

Faculty debate

Faculty considered on Wednesday whether to postpone a vote of no confidence, with some urging patience and others arguing that the vote was a necessary response to institutional reluctance to take the issue seriously.

The Associated Press reported that the debate took place after a group of 20 female science and engineering faculty members called on Kotlikoff to resign in a letter to trustees. "What our community needed was clear leadership; instead, it faced a leadership vacuum," the letter stated.

Kotlikoff sought to address the fallout in a statement earlier this month in which he listed a number of preliminary responses. "I am deeply sorry for the harm Jane Doe suffered in 2024, and appalled that this act of sexual violence occurred within our Cornell community," he said.

Challenge to criminal probe oversight

Two of the men accused of taking part in the alleged rape of Jane Doe have asked for New York Attorney General Letitia James to be removed from her role overseeing the renewed criminal probe into the case, over social media posts from the attorney general expressing support for the accuser prior to her appointment. A judge on Thursday appeared sceptical of one of the challenges, which James' office has said are "without merit".

Source: Al Jazeera.