ALBANY – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called for a third-party investigation into Cornell University after allegations that a female student was allegedly drugged and gang raped by seven fraternity members in 2024. The call follows the reopening of a criminal investigation by Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, in Tompkins County, home to the Ivy League school.
The criminal investigation was initially closed, but new evidence emerged from a 101-page civil lawsuit filed Sept. 14 by the alleged victim, identified as Jane Doe. The lawsuit names Cornell University, several fraternity and sorority organizations, a local bar and seven current or former students as defendants.
Hochul said she supported the district attorney's decision but said "serious questions about Cornell’s campus culture and its systems for prevention, reporting, and response" remain. In a statement Tuesday, she called for "outside counsel to conduct a transparent, independent review of the university’s response to determine whether Cornell met every obligation to protect its students and pursue justice."
Jane Doe alleges she was sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house on Oct. 19, 2024, when she was 20 years old. According to the civil lawsuit, Doe had been drinking before arriving at the fraternity house to meet a friend. She claims fraternity members pressured her into consuming a substance described as ketamine.
The lawsuit further alleges that fraternity members sexually assaulted her while she was incapacitated. During the assault, one member reportedly sent a Snapchat message encouraging other brothers to join him, referencing "free p***y" upstairs. Doe also alleged the defendants snorted ketamine off her body and forced her to do the same off theirs.
Doe reported the incident to the Cornell University Police Department in November 2024. Following her report, the Chi Phi chapter was barred from campus. However, no criminal charges were filed against the seven members implicated in the allegations.
The seven Chi Phi members were suspended by the university but were permitted to continue their education after a months-long Title IX investigation concluded. This outcome drew scrutiny, particularly with the new allegations now surfacing in the civil suit.
District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said the new allegations are "dramatically different" from the account Doe initially provided to police nearly two years ago. Van Houten said Doe did not initially allege she was unknowingly drugged, forced into sexual activity or incapacitated.
Doe's lawyer disputed Van Houten's characterization, asserting that authorities failed to follow up with the woman during the initial investigation. Van Houten's office relied on the Cornell police investigation and did not conduct its own independent inquiry, a point Hochul now supports correcting with an external review.
Hochul described the allegations as "nothing short of horrifying." She added, "For any student to come forward after an experience like this takes extraordinary courage. No student should ever be left wondering whether the institutions meant to protect them."
The governor's call for an independent review puts direct pressure on Cornell University to address its institutional response to serious misconduct claims and its campus culture regarding student safety and accountability.
