Cornell Cancels Homecoming Concert Amid Support for Alleged Rape Survivor

Cornell University has canceled its annual homecoming concert, with the student-run Cornell Concert Commission stating their support for Jane Doe, a former student who alleges she was gang-raped by fraternity brothers. The decision comes as students rally behind Doe amid her lawsuit against the university, the Chi Phi fraternity, and seven named members.

The Cornell Concert Commission announced the cancellation on Friday, noting that the event would not proceed this school year. "As students, we stand with Jane Doe and all survivors of sexual violence," the organization said in an Instagram post. "It takes so much strength to come forward with such a painful truth, and Jane Doe needs all the support she can get to stay strong during this turbulent time."

Doe alleges in a lawsuit filed in September that she was sexually assaulted after being coerced into consuming drugs and alcohol at the Chi Phi fraternity house on October 19, 2024. The lawsuit names Umar Matthew Ingalls, Jonathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar as defendants. The seven men deny the allegations.

The alleged victim first reported the incident in 2024. At the time, the Tompkins County District Attorney's office investigated but filed no charges. Following Doe's lawsuit, the case has been reopened, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor.

In response to Doe's initial report, the university disciplined several of the accused students. Ingalls and Newell were expelled, Lee was suspended for two years and placed on disciplinary probation, Lopes was suspended for three semesters and given probation, and Sarabia received a three-year campus ban. Norris and Kretzschmar were required to complete essays and study sexual harassment and related topics. The Chi Phi fraternity chapter has since been banned from campus.

The concert commission stated that it will refund ticket holders, with refunds expected within seven to 10 business days. The group also announced plans to organize a future charity concert to support sexual violence prevention, featuring student performers, with proceeds benefiting the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). The commission expressed hope that the band Between Friends, originally scheduled to headline, could perform at Cornell at a later date.

The cancellation of the homecoming concert occurs as protests supporting Jane Doe have taken place on campus and in other locations across the country. The student commission emphasized the need to "advocate and stand up for those failed by the university's administration" and called for "meaningful changes that protect and support survivors."