Ocasio-Cortez Criticizes Cornell Over Handling of Gang Rape Allegations
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned Cornell University's response to accusations that it leniently disciplined students accused of gang rape.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has sharply criticized Cornell University, alleging that the institution failed to adequately punish students accused of gang rape. The congresswoman made her remarks during a town hall-style event in Ithaca on Sunday, comparing the alleged environment on college campuses to a "factory of sexual assaults."
"I want to be clear that the culture of rape, sexual assault, and pedophilia is protected in elite institutions across the United States, including Cornell University," Ocasio-Cortez stated, addressing students from the Ivy League school.
The controversy stems from a lawsuit filed earlier this month by an anonymous student against seven members of Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity. The suit alleges that these students drugged and gang-raped her in October 2024. According to reports, the university initially offered the accused students the option to write essays as a means to mitigate their punishment.
Ocasio-Cortez highlighted the accuser's decision to come forward, noting that the student no longer attends the college. "The fact that she had to lose her education and those men were protected by an institution and granted an Ivy League degree as a reward — never again," the congresswoman said to applause from the audience.
The Tompkins County District Attorney's office has since reopened the case.
During her remarks, Ocasio-Cortez shared a personal experience, stating she was assaulted at a party as a freshman at Boston University. "I was horrified at what I saw," she said. "What I thought that I was in at that point was a factory of sexual assault."
She urged the students present to demand institutional change, asserting, "This is a culture. These are norms. These are practices."
A spokesperson for Cornell University declined to comment directly on Ocasio-Cortez's statements. However, the spokesperson stated that the case underwent an extensive Title IX adjudication process and that writing an essay was not the sole form of punishment. "Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false," the spokesperson added.
Ocasio-Cortez is expected to win re-election in the upcoming midterm elections and has been reportedly exploring potential future political ambitions.