Students of Cornell University in the United States on Monday staged a mass protest in solidarity with a fellow student identified as Jane Doe, who alleged that she was gang-raped, while demanding stronger action against sexual violence on campus.
The protesters called for an independent investigation into the university’s handling of the case, independent hearings and uniform minimum sanctions for sexual assaults.
They also demanded improved training for campus police in responding to sexual violence and harassment complaints.
Doe, whose identity has been withheld, accused the university of failing to adequately investigate and punish members of the Chi Phi fraternity allegedly involved in the incident.
Some demonstrators also demanded the resignation of Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff and other members of his administration, accusing the university of perpetuating what they described as a “culture of rape” on campus.
In a lawsuit filed last month, Doe alleged that she was given drugs and alcohol before being sexually assaulted by several members of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024 after she became incapacitated.
She was 20 at the time and named seven fraternity members, the fraternity chapter, a local bar, her sorority and the university as defendants.
She reported the alleged assault to police weeks after the incident, prompting a university investigation and a law enforcement probe.
However, the local prosecutor initially declined to file criminal charges.
Cornell said it had shut down the Chi Phi chapter and imposed various disciplinary measures, including expulsions and other sanctions, against members involved.
The men denied wrongdoing, with some maintaining that the sexual activity was consensual and others disputing their participation.
The protesters criticised the university for allowing some of the alleged perpetrators to reduce their penalties by writing essays.
They called for the expulsion or revocation of degrees of any student found complicit in the alleged gang rape.
The demonstration, involving several hundred students, faculty members and community activists, ended at Cornell’s main administration building.
Protesters chanted “One struggle, one fight” and “No justice, no peace” while carrying placards including “Justice for Jane Doe,” “We Stand for Survivors” and “Prison Sentences, not Topic Sentences.”
The rally came after New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to take over a reopened criminal investigation into the case. Hochul said she was “deeply disturbed” by the way local authorities initially handled the matter.
The protest also followed reports that Doe and her lawyer had received multiple threats since the lawsuit was filed, fuelling widespread debate and social media attention under the hashtag #IamJaneDoe.
Cornell President Kotlikoff said in a video message that the university would examine the role of fraternities and sororities on campus, adding that “being part of a group can never diminish individual responsibility.”
