Cornell begins no confidence vote over handling of alleged gang rape

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkA person holds a sign as demonstrators gather for a "Stop Sexual Violence" protest as part of US rallies being held in the wake of the Cornell University rape allegations, in Seattle, Washington, US, on October 8, 2026 [David Ryder/Reuters]By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and The Associated PressPublished On 29 Oct 202629 Oct 2026Cornell University has begun a no-confidence vote for the school’s leadership after an alleged gang rape prompted public outcry over sexual assault on college campuses and scrutiny over the university’s handling of the case.Faculty members started the no-confidence vote on Thursday that is expected to continue until November 6. The initiative is non-binding, but could send a message that president Michael Kotlikoff has lost the confidence of the school’s faculty.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Cornell president vows transparency amid outrage over fraternity rape caselist 2 of 3Why the Cornell gang rape case has raised concerns about fraternity culturelist 3 of 3Cornell names Sally Yates to review university’s response to rape caseend of list“Hundreds of students, staff, faculty and alumni approached the sponsors of this resolution to emphasize to us that the Jane Doe case is but a tip of the iceberg,” said Paul Ortiz, the lead faculty sponsor of the resolution.A lawsuit filed last month alleges that a female student, identified as Jane Doe, was drugged and gang raped by seven male students at a fraternity house in 2024.The case has raised questions about whether the university acted with sufficient urgency or downplayed the alleged abuse in order to protect its reputation. The university initially shut down the fraternity and suspended the male students, two of whom were later expelled. Faculty considered on Wednesday whether to postpone a vote of no confidence, with some urging patience and others arguing that the vote was a necessary response to institutional reluctance to take the issue seriously.The Associated Press news agency reported that the debate took place after a group of 20 female science and engineering faculty members called on Kotlikoff to resign in a letter to trustees.“What our community needed was clear leadership; instead, it faced a leadership vacuum,” the letter stated. Kotlikoff sought to address the fallout in a statement earlier this month in which he listed a number of preliminary responses.“I am deeply sorry for the harm Jane Doe suffered in 2024, and appalled that this act of sexual violence occurred within our Cornell community,” he said.Two of the men accused of taking part in the alleged rape of Jane Doe have asked for New York Attorney General Letitia James to be removed from her role overseeing the renewed criminal probe into the case over social media posts from the attorney general expressing support for the accuser prior to her appointment.A judge on Thursday appeared sceptical of one of the challenges, which James’ office has said are “without merit”.