New York Governor Kathy Hochul secured an independent investigation into Cornell University's handling of alleged gang rape at a fraternity house, pressing the Ivy League school to address campus culture. Cornell agreed to the outside review after a former student filed a civil lawsuit alleging she was drugged and assaulted in 2024 at the Chi Phi house.
During a hearing at Cornell, the student described the night: "I felt like bait. I felt like lions around me. It just was a totally debilitating place to be in." According to a 99-page university report obtained by ABC News, she told investigators that ketamine she consumed that night induced a "vague consciousness" that left her disoriented. "Lights are on, but nobody's home. Your brain is not functioning at its proper level," she said. "I know it happened, but I don't remember it."
Cornell's 2024 internal investigation involved 50 interviews with 32 witnesses, including seven fraternity brothers the student accused in her lawsuit. The report confirmed that ketamine was used by multiple individuals in the Chi Phi house, with one person overdosing on Oct. 18, 2024—one day before the alleged assault.
One fraternity brother questioned in the investigation offered an apology during the university hearing: "I was sorry that maybe if it wasn't consensual and she was victimized, I was sorry for not stopping it." Cornell found him responsible for attempted sexual exploitation but concluded he did not participate in the assault.
Hochul called for the outside review, saying: "Serious questions about Cornell campus culture remain about whether the university is doing all it can to protect students." She added: "People need to know the truth. I think it's important for the public, for the victim, her family and the university community to know that their university did everything they're supposed to do."
Cornell's data shows 35 percent of undergraduate women reported experiencing sexual assault during their time at the university. Hochul characterized sexual assault as "acute on every campus," describing a pervasive "culture of this kind of treatment of young women."
The student reported the assault to campus police about three weeks after the incident. Prosecutors, who had previously declined to pursue criminal charges, have reopened their investigation following the civil suit. The lawsuit reportedly includes a photo of a group chat among fraternity members discussing the events of that night.
