Cornell University has suspended all parties and social gatherings at fraternity houses for the remainder of the 2026-2027 academic year following intense public backlash and a federal lawsuit detailing an alleged gang rape at an off-campus chapter house in 2024.
University President Michael Kotlikoff announced the moratorium on Tuesday in a message to students and staff, stating that the university must confront systemic problems surrounding student safety. Any fraternity found violating the event ban will receive an immediate suspension, Kotlikoff said, noting that the halt will give administrators time to assess whether Greek organizations can continue to operate safely on campus.
“It is clear that women on our campus continue to question whether they are safe,” Kotlikoff said in the statement reported by NBC News. “We must meet this moment by acknowledging where we have fallen short and taking meaningful action.”
Lawsuit Details Alleged 2024 Assault
The restrictions follow a civil lawsuit filed last month by a former Cornell student identified in court records as Jane Doe. The woman alleges that she was coerced with drugs and sexually assaulted by seven men at the Chi Phi fraternity house overnight between Oct. 19 and Oct. 20, 2024. The lawsuit names the university, the fraternity, her sorority, Tri Delta, and seven former Chi Phi members as defendants.
None of the men have been criminally charged, though Cornell previously disciplined some of the individuals named in the filing, according to Fox News. Attorneys representing several of the accused men have denied that their clients engaged in any nonconsensual sexual activity or provided drugs, while others have not publicly responded. PBS News reported that all seven men have denied wrongdoing.
Thomas Giuffra, an attorney representing the plaintiff, said his client filed the civil action to force institutional reforms at Cornell. While Giuffra noted the newly announced measures were a welcome development, he emphasized that they came too late for his client, who dropped out of the university after the alleged attack.
State Intervention and Independent Reviews
The civil complaint also triggered intense scrutiny of how local law enforcement and campus officials originally handled the case. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten declined to pursue criminal charges in 2024, citing a six-page statement signed by the accuser that offered a different account than the allegations later presented in her lawsuit. However, Van Houten said his office was not provided with the full scope of materials from the campus police inquiry, according to media reports.
Following widespread criticism, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James to act as a special prosecutor and oversee the criminal investigation. At least two of the men accused in the lawsuit have requested that James be removed from the case, citing concerns over public statements she made supporting the accuser prior to her appointment, Fox News reported.
To overhaul its own response mechanisms, Cornell has retained Sally Yates, a former acting U.S. deputy attorney general, to lead an independent evaluation of how the school handles allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment and violence.
Campus Reforms and Future Steps
Alongside the fraternity party shutdown, Kotlikoff announced several operational changes to the university’s Title IX and safety protocols, including:
- Partnering with New York State Police investigators trained in trauma-informed methods to handle sexual assault reports on campus.
- Expanding personnel within Cornell’s Office of Civil Rights to assist survivors in navigating reporting processes and support services.
- Enlisting national experts on sexual assault prevention to study social dynamics and campus safety.
- Developing alternative, university-supervised social events for undergraduate students.
University officials have not provided a timeline for when the broader evaluation of fraternity life will conclude or what specific criteria Greek organizations must meet before social privileges could be restored in future academic years.
