Cornell University bans fraternity parties amid campus sexual assault lawsuit
Following a civil lawsuit alleging a gang-rape at a fraternity house, Cornell University announced a year-long suspension of parties at fraternity houses and added support resources for sexual-misconduct reporting.
Cornell University said it will suspend all parties and social gatherings at fraternity houses for the remainder of the academic year, a measure announced in a letter to the campus community on 13 October. The decision follows a civil lawsuit filed by a former student, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe,” who alleges that seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted her at a party in October 2024. The men named in the lawsuit have denied the allegations and have not faced criminal charges.
University President Michael Kotlikoff wrote that the ban is intended to provide time for a thorough review of fraternity life and to strengthen campus safety. He added that recent conversations with students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni and trustees have underscored the need for “meaningful and lasting change” at Cornell and across campuses.
Student reactions are mixed. One sophomore in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, who asked to remain anonymous, welcomed the ban, describing Greek life as nonessential to her experience and calling the measure “necessary.” Another sophomore, Jack Huber, a member of the student-run group Students for a Democratic Cornell, criticized the moratorium as insufficient and suggested it serves to deflect responsibility from the university. Huber and other critics argue that broader institutional reforms, including an independent judicial process for sexual-assault cases, are needed.
The university also announced the addition of a case manager to its Office of Civil Rights and pledged to work with New York state police, allowing trauma-informed investigators independent of Cornell to handle future allegations. Support resources for survivors of sexual violence were listed in the university’s communication.
The lawsuit and the university’s response have revived debate over the role of Greek life in campus sexual-assault incidents. A 2025 university survey found that 35% of undergraduate women reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact since arriving at Cornell, while a 2019 national survey of American universities identified fraternities as the setting most likely for such conduct.