Slotkin on alleged rape at her alma mater, Cornell: ‘We’ve lost our way’

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) criticized Cornell University, where she earned her undergraduate degree, for its handling of 2024 gang rape allegations against seven fraternity members.

A lawsuit filed earlier this month against Cornell brought the case into the national spotlight , prompting several lawmakers to denounce the school. The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, accused the men of raping her over several hours at Chi Phi fraternity house; at the time, her alleged rapists did not face criminal charges.

“Whether it’s my university or anyone’s university, clearly there’s been some sort of delay in accountability, and that needs to end,” Slotkin told a TMZ DC reporter at the Capitol Wednesday.

“When we make the decision , that because young men have a promising career ahead of them, that they shouldn’t face accountability for violently assaulting a woman … then we’ve lost our way,” she added.

The Democratic Women’s Caucus expressed support for Jane Doe in a Wednesday statement from chair Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) and vice chairs Reps. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio) and Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.). The lawmakers called the incident “disgusting and vile” while ripping the Trump administration for rolling back Title IX protections.

ABC News reported Wednesday that Cornell had consented to a probe into its handling of the incident after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) called for an independent investigation. The local district attorney’s office also said it would reopen a criminal investigation into the accusations.

Days before, Hochul’s fellow New York Democrat, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, denounced the Ivy League school’s “culture of rape” during a Sunday appearance in Ithaca.

When speaking with TMZ, Slotkin pointed to her experience representing a state home that’s to several large universities, alluding to what several lawmakers have also identified as a broader pattern of rape culture in higher education.

“We know what it’s like when institutions fail women,” she said.

The Hill has reached out to Cornell for comment on Slotkin’s statement.