A woman who accused seven Cornell University students of rape stated that the university’s president questioned why she waited to report the alleged assault, making her feel “unsupported and disbelieved,” according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.
The secondhand account of President Michael Kotlikoff’s remark comes as Cornell faculty prepare for a potential vote of no confidence in the Ivy League school’s leadership. The former student, referred to as Jane Doe in court documents, sent the letter to faculty leaders last week.
The sexual assault allegations, stemming from an incident in October 2024, have led to campus protests, renewed scrutiny of Cornell’s disciplinary system and prompted a state investigation.
In her letter, Jane Doe recounted a conversation her sorority president had with Kotlikoff in November 2024. According to Jane Doe, the sorority president relayed that Kotlikoff had asked why she delayed reporting the alleged assault. Jane Doe wrote that this remark made her less confident in the administration's ability to handle the situation with the expected sensitivity and fairness.
However, Cornell’s dean of faculty, Chris Schaffer, offered a different account of the conversation in an email to faculty senators, verified by the AP. Schaffer stated that another official present during the discussion recalled Kotlikoff inquiring about why bystanders had not reported the alleged assault sooner through the school’s anonymous tip line, particularly as the allegations were already circulating on social media.
Schaffer explained that he delayed sharing Jane Doe’s letter with faculty senators until he could obtain this alternative account. He subsequently forwarded the letter to university lawyers, who then passed it to an independent team investigating Cornell’s response to the allegations.
Schaffer previously stated at a faculty meeting that he opposed the proposed no-confidence resolution, arguing it lacked specific failures or proposed fixes. He did, however, acknowledge the faculty's frustration, saying, “The anger in our community is justified and I share it.”
A university spokesperson disputed Jane Doe’s account of the conversation, asserting that Kotlikoff was focusing on the actions of bystanders rather than the accuser’s timeline. Kotlikoff did not respond to an email inquiry regarding the letter.
The letter from Jane Doe, transmitted through her attorney and first reported by The New York Times, arrives as faculty members deliberate on a resolution expressing no confidence in the university administration’s handling of sexual assault allegations. Some faculty members have characterized the situation as an “ongoing crisis” on campus.
Faculty senators began debating the resolution last Wednesday, during which Kotlikoff faced pointed questions regarding the university's response to sexual assault claims and its oversight of fraternity activities. The Faculty Senate is scheduled to resume its debate on October 28 before conducting an electronic vote.
Jane Doe stated in her letter that she intended to provide information that might be relevant to the faculty’s deliberations, emphasizing that she was not attempting to dictate their vote. "My intention is not to prescribe how the Senate should interpret this account, but rather to provide information that its members may wish to consider or investigate further,” she wrote.
Attorneys for Jane Doe, Thomas Giuffra and W. Whitney Seals, could not be reached for comment.