New York Governor Kathy Hochul said New York State Police will investigate all future sexual assault complaints that would have been handled by Cornell University Police amid fallout over the Ivy League school’s handling of an alleged gang rape of a female student in fall 2024.
The Democratic governor announced in a statement Thursday that the school signed an agreement with State Police committing to immediately referring all sexual offense complaints normally handled by campus police to the state law enforcement agency for criminal investigation unless otherwise requested by the complaintant.
“Every student deserves to feel safe on their campus. And when someone reports sexual assault, they deserve to be heard, treated with compassion and know their allegations will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated by law enforcement trained to support survivors,” she said.
The transfer of investigative responsibilities comes as the university faces mounting criticism over its handling of a gang-rape complaint filed by a woman known in court documents as Jane Doe, who left the school because of resulting trauma.
The woman alleges that she was drugged and gang-raped for hours by seven members of Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024.
Hochul referenced the woman’s allegations, stating what she described happened to her “is horrifying.”
“Survivors should be able to trust the institutions responsible for protecting them,” she said.
“We cannot afford to let them down.”
Campus police were informed following the incident, but no charges were brought against any of the men allegedly involved. The incident was made public in November of that year, but additional details only became public in September in a civil lawsuit she filed seeking compensatory and punitive damages from Cornell and her alleged attackers.
The resurfacing of the case has drawn intense criticism against the university and local police. Last month, Hochul called for a review of Cornell’s response to the woman’s allegations, which the school agreed to undertake. Its newly formed special committee announced that the review would be led by former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.
Hochul also appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to investigate the allegations against the seven men.
The governor’s announcement on Thursday was also made a day after the Cornell University Faculty Senate began voting on a no-confidence voted on the administration’s ability to effectively address “the ongoing crisis of sexual assault” at the school, with voting to close November 6. (UPI)
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