Cornell faculty senate receives second-hand account of president's comments amid no-confidence debate

Jane Doe, who has sued seven former members of the now-dismantled Chi Phi fraternity for alleged sexual assault in October 2024, wrote to Cornell University's faculty senate describing a second-hand account of President Michael Kotlikoff's response to her allegations. In the letter, Doe said the sorority president told her that Kotlikoff asked, “Why did she wait so long to report it?” and that she interpreted the question as doubt about her story.

Cornell disputed that interpretation, stating that Kotlikoff's question during a January 2025 meeting was aimed at bystanders who had not used the university’s anonymous tip line, not at Doe herself. The university’s statement added that the question referenced social-media activity about the incident rather than the timing of Doe’s report.

The letter arrives as faculty members consider a possible vote of no confidence in the administration. Earlier this month, Cornell hired former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent review of the university’s handling of the allegations and its broader sexual-misconduct policies.

"The second-hand account of the question asked by President Kotlikoff in a January 2025 meeting is incorrect, based on a documented first-hand account," the university said.

"The question ‘why did it take so long for the assault to be reported’ was directed at bystanders who did not use Cornell’s anonymous tip line, despite ongoing social media activity about the incident in October 2024. He was not questioning Jane Doe’s reporting," the statement continued.

In the lawsuit, Doe alleges that seven fraternity members provided her with drugs and assaulted her at a party. One individual, Orazio Petito, was later removed from the suit after his lawyer said he had been mistakenly identified as the fraternity president.

Cornell’s investigation through its Title IX process resulted in the expulsion of two students and sanctions for others. The university also created a Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault in early 2025 and said it is implementing recommendations to improve its response to sexual misconduct.

Dean of Faculty Chris Schaffer said he received Doe’s letter on October 14 and forwarded it to the General Counsel, which then passed it to the independent review team led by Yates. Schaffer noted that his office does not have investigatory capacity for private communications of this type.

"Shortly before the start of the Senate meeting on October 14, I received a communication from a lawyer representing Jane Doe, which relayed a second-hand account of President Kotlikoff asking about the timing of reports about the Jane Doe assault in 2024," Schaffer wrote. "I later received a contemporaneous account of the meeting from a university official who was present that indicated President Kotlikoff asked bystanders ‘why did it take so long for the assault to be reported’ through Cornell’s anonymous tip line, given the level of social media discussion of the events. The question was not about Jane Doe or her decision to report."

The faculty senate is expected to review the information as part of its deliberations on whether to pursue a no-confidence vote.