Cornell University is conducting dual investigations into allegations made by a former student who claims she was raped at a fraternity house in 2024. One probe is focused on determining whether criminal charges are warranted, while the other examines the university’s handling of the case.
Newly released video footage reviewed by ABC News depicts members of the Chi Phi fraternity being interviewed by campus police in the weeks following the alleged assault. In the recordings, students who were present in the house but not directly involved in the incident described hearing rumors that the sexual activity was consensual.
During one interview, a fraternity member stated that the prevailing narrative among students was that “multiple consenting adults” were in the room. Another individual told investigators that the general rumor circulating was that the encounter was “consensual.”
The questioning officer appeared skeptical of the students’ assumptions, pressing them on how they could verify consent. “Dude, I was a college kid. I get it. I’m like, in college, I wouldn’t have been like, ‘Oh, that was a sick consensual act last night,’” the officer said. “I guess where — how do they know it was consensual?”
When asked to identify specific individuals involved, the fraternity member admitted he could not recall the details or names of everyone present. He mentioned that he believed the men had claimed they had sex with the woman, but he expressed concern about making assumptions based on incomplete memories.
“I just get worried because you know how it looks. You’re a brother,” the officer noted, according to the footage.
The allegations resurfaced publicly with additional developments. In September, the district attorney reopened the case regarding the alleged gang rape. Meanwhile, the university expelled two students and suspended two others after an internal review.
In testimony before a Cornell disciplinary panel, the accuser, identified as Jane Doe, provided a starkly different account of the events. According to a transcript obtained by ABC News, she stated, “I was prostituted and I was held up like bait for a gaggle of men.” She described a “dark room with shadows of men in and out constantly” and recalled feeling like she was the subject of a joke from which she was excluded.
Concluding her testimony, Jane Doe urged the university to “make it safer for those I love and the community at large” and called for the removal of the students involved from campus.
In response to the controversy, Cornell has enlisted former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent review. Yates will examine the university’s policies and procedures for preventing and responding to sexual harassment and assault, including the conduct of campus police and the oversight of fraternities and sororities.
Why did it take two investigations to escalate this? We need stronger protocols before harm occurs.
It is concerning that gossip was mistaken for evidence. Fraternities need accountability, not silence.