Cornell: what happens after a woman speaks up?

Emma Walker

Sep 30

4 min read

Content note: sexual violence, rape. Reporting current as of 30 September 2026.

We tell women to report sexual violence. We tell them to inform someone at work, speak to a family member or friend or report it to the police. We also tell them to trust the process. Both of these suggestions carry promises - that someone will take responsibility for what happens next and that person or ororganisation will do the right thing. The expectation is that the allegations will be examined carefully, evidence pursued, decisions explained and the complainant treated with the humanity they deserve.

For many women around the world, the allegations at Cornell University demand that we once again examine this promise, as individuals and as a society. Importantly institutions must be aware of what they have to do to earn the trust they ask for.

A former student, identified as Jane Doe, alleges in a civil lawsuit that seven fraternity members sexually assaulted her at Cornell’s Chi Phi house in October 2024. Her complaint describes being pressured to take drugs and states that a fraternity Snapchat group was used to invite others to participate in the sexual violence. Reporting in the media has included screenshots of the group's conversation. She is also challenging the university’s handling of the case.

Cornell says it investigated, held hearings and imposed serious sanctions. However, only two men were expelled and according to the Washington Post, the other five were made to write essays. Cornell has disputed this. They have said that essay-writing wasn't the sole punishment given to any of those involved. Given the basement-level of discussion around the responses of people in charge, you would be forgiven for thinking that the men had done something as minor as bunking off lessons, rather than drugging and gang raping a woman for seven hours.

There are still more questions than answers surrounding this case, but what is becoming very clear is that Cornell's actions did not meet its responsibilities, either in the investigation itself or in the supporting of Jane Doe and the protection of other students.

After initially declining to bring charges, prosecutors have reopened the criminal investigation and New York Governor Kathy Hochul has called for an independent review of Cornell’s response.

The Snapchat group itself is under scrutiny. Whilst seven men took part in the raping of a woman, there were 50 others on the group who have been called out across social media for not doing anything. But if they understood that a woman was in danger and didn't act, then by Change The Chat’s reckoning, that was doing something. It was leaving her in danger, it was allowing the behaviour to remain unchallenged and expecting someone else to take responsibility.

As Epstein survivor Jess Michaels said in a survivor rally:

It's actually the playbook. From private corporations to college campuses to government to churches to locker rooms - same silence, same cases, rarely investigated,

We need to ask more of men than that they personally refrain from hurting women. We need them to challenge their friends, interrupt behaviour and seek help when a woman may be at risk - even when it costs them approval from other men. What is friendship worth if protecting it means leaving someone else unprotected?

The difficult part of encouraging women to report is fulfilling the obligation that follows. A reporting system needs to do more than receive an account. It needs people equipped to ask careful questions, identify gaps, pursue evidence and explain the next steps. The person reporting should know who is responsible for the investigation and where to turn with concerns about it.

The wider conversation about how people behave towards women belongs to all of us. What happens when someone talks about a woman as though she is an object? Does anyone challenge it? Does the conversation continue? Is objection treated as more embarrassing than the behaviour itself?

When it comes to the case of Jane Doe, accountability needs to be front and centre here. Cornell says privacy laws limit the disciplinary information it can disclose, but at the proper time an independent review should produce findings people can understand and recommendations whose progress can be checked. Otherwise, how will students know whether anything has improved?

This is where this story leaves us: with the responsibility attached to asking someone to trust you.

A university that encourages students to report sexual violence should be as ready to explain what follows as the organisations we work for. They should be comfortable with answering questions such as: Who will investigate? What support will be available? How will concerns about the response be addressed? Who checks whether the system is doing what it promises?

When we tell women to speak up, we owe them an answer about what we will do in return.