Cornell Faculty Vote: Resolution on Sexual Assault Response
Voting begins this week on a measure criticizing the administration's handling of campus sexual violence, following a heated debate and a recent lawsuit.
By Mateo Thompson ·
Cornell University faculty members will begin voting this week on a measure that criticizes the school's leadership for its response to sexual violence. The vote is symbolic and will run electronically for five days, starting after a meeting scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. If the resolution passes, it signals strong disapproval from the academic staff but does not force any immediate administrative changes.
The vote centers on a specific sentence proposed by the faculty senate. The text states that the senate has no confidence in the central administration's ability to address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault. Faculty debated this language earlier this month. The debate concluded on Wednesday, with voting beginning immediately after the meeting. A timeline reviewed by ABC News confirms the five-day electronic voting window.
Tensions rose during the initial debate on Oct. 14. President Michael Kotlikoff defended the school's actions during the session. Professor Risa Lieberwitz argued that the administration was reacting to external pressure rather than addressing systemic issues. She told Kotlikoff, "It feels that the administration is considering more about how do we respond to pressure rather than the kind of leadership which should have been doing systemic work." Kotlikoff responded by saying he needed time to process new information. He stated, "I felt hearing about this, having much of this information come through for the first time, we ought to take some time."
Kotlikoff also defended the university's handling of a specific incident from two years ago. He said the Title IX investigation followed school policy and federal law. He noted, "That is due process in the way our process works. You may disagree with the outcome, I may disagree with the outcomes, but that is our process." This defense came as the university faces increased scrutiny from a lawsuit filed by a former student identified as Jane Doe.
The lawsuit alleges that Jane Doe was sexually assaulted at a school fraternity in 2024. No criminal charges have been filed, but the New York attorney general is conducting an ongoing investigation. The case has sparked national conversations about how colleges handle sexual assault allegations. The dispute over the resolution is now a formal part of the university's internal governance process.
Hours before the Oct. 14 meeting, Jane Doe's attorney sent a letter to the faculty senate. The letter included a second-hand account of Kotlikoff's response to her allegations two years ago. The attorney wrote that the student felt unsupported and disbelieved. The letter claimed Kotlikoff asked, "Why did she wait so long to report it?" A Cornell spokesperson disputed this characterization. The spokesperson stated in a statement that the second-hand account was incorrect based on a documented first-hand account from the January 2025 meeting.
