Jane Doe says she felt 'disbelieved' by Cornell leaders

A former Cornell student identified as Jane Doe wrote to the faculty senate saying she felt unsupported and disbelieved by President Michael Kotlikoff after he allegedly questioned why she waited to report a 2024 gang‑rape allegation, prompting discussions of a no‑confidence vote.

The former Cornell University student who accused fraternity members of gang raping her in 2024 told university faculty in a recent letter that she felt “unsupported” and “disbelieved” by the school's leaders.  

In an Oct. 14 letter to the faculty senate, the student, known as Jane Doe, shared a secondhand account of comments she alleges university President Michael Kotlikoff made about her case in 2024. 

Doe said she heard about the comments from then-president of Cornell’s Tri Delta sorority chapter. During a meeting with students and faculty, the sorority president said Kotlikoff responded to the assault allegations “along the lines of ‘why did she wait so long to report it?'” 

“It diminished my confidence in the administration’s ability to approach my experience with the understanding, sensitivity, and fairness,” Doe wrote in the letter.  

She sent the letter amid faculty senate debatesabout whether to issue a vote of no-confidence in Kotlikoff's leadership. The senate is expected to meet Oct. 28 to discuss the issue. The deliberative body has no authority to remove university leadership.  

However, a no-confidence resolution would send a message at a time when Kotlikoff has come under intense scrutiny over his handling of the 2024 case and calls from students to resign.  

“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,” Doe said in her letter.  

Cornell did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment about the letter.  

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In a statement to the New York Times, which first reported the letter, a Cornell spokesman said the account described was incorrect, adding the president’s comments were directed at bystanders who didn’t use Cornell’s anonymous tip line. The spokesman said Kotlikoff was not questioning Doe.