Cornell faculty senate introduces no-confidence resolution over handling of alleged 2024 sexual assault

ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell University faculty introduced a resolution declaring a no-confidence vote in the university administration’s handling of the alleged 2024 sexual assault at a fraternity house. The resolution was submitted to the University Faculty Committee on Monday evening, according to a copy obtained by NBC News. “That the Faculty Senate has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University,” the resolution, which is less than half a page, says. The measure is expected to be considered by the faculty senate, which meets Oct. 14, according to a statement from faculty senator Paul Ortiz. “The goal is to really force systemic change,” Ortiz, a professor of labor history, said in a statement. Ortiz added that “students have been telling us stories they don’t feel safe, and this has been going on for a number of years” and called the situation a “systemic problem.” He reiterated that the senate was not “targeting any individual” but that the students and faculty “have been unsatisfied with the response.” “Women need to feel safe,” he said. In a statement accompanying the resolution, the faculty sponsors said “numerous Cornell colleagues” had approached them demanding action, while students had told faculty they were “upset, fearful for their personal safety,” and wanted the Ivy League school to address sexual assault on campus. Cornell alumni had also contacted faculty members and shared “their own traumatic stories as students,” the statement added. Cornell declined to comment. The proposed no-confidence resolution marks an escalation in pressure on Cornell and its administration following national scrutiny over how the case was handled. Last month, a former student identified as Jane Doe sued the university and seven current and former students in connection with the alleged sexual assault. She alleges that in October 2024 she was sexually assaulted by multiple fraternity members while she was impaired by alcohol, ketamine and marijuana. The woman’s allegations have made national headlines for days and prompted protests on the university’s campus after widespread criticism that the university and local officials did not do enough to investigate the woman’s allegations. Anne Marie Elizabeth Brady, a Faculty Senate member and research director for the university’s Industrial and Labor Relations Workers Institute, said the resolution came together “quickly” in recent days. “If I was a woman on Cornell’s campus, I’d run in the other direction,” she said. “Because I’m not sure Cornell is there to protect the students the way they should be.” Brady said that Cornell’s decision to discipline the seven men accused of wrongdoing instead of passing on the case to outside law enforcement “feels like a cover-up to me.” “If I’m a betting woman, I suspect they didn’t do that because they wanted to keep it secret,” she said. “They wanted to manage the story.” If the Faculty Senate passes the resolution, Brady said, it will then prompt a series of discussions between faculty and Cornell’s leadership for policies affecting sexual assault. Similar action was taken last year following years of campus protests of the war in Gaza. Brady says those recommendations have largely been ignored. “If the administration came out and said: ‘you know what? we screwed up, we did A, B, and C wrong. We failed this student, we failed all our students through this process and these are the concrete ways and steps we are going to take to change,’” she said. “If they did that? That goes so far.” Adam Reiss and Maggie Vespa reported from Ithaca; Matt Lavietes reported from New York City.