Cornell University trustees have appointed former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to review how the university handles sexual misconduct complaints. The decision follows protests over Cornell’s response to allegations of a sexual assault involving members of the Chi Phi fraternity in 2024.
A woman identified publicly as Jane Doe reported to campus police in November 2024 that multiple fraternity members had sexually assaulted her the previous month after she was pressured to drink alcohol and take drugs. No criminal charges have been filed. Cornell has closed the fraternity’s campus chapter and said it expelled some students and suspended others.
Doe has sued the university, seven former students, the fraternity and other defendants. Lawyers for two former students deny that their clients participated in a sexual assault. During Cornell’s Title IX investigation, some accused students maintained that the sexual activity was consensual.
Yates’s review will examine how Cornell handled Doe’s complaint, as well as its procedures for investigating sexual assault and harassment reports. It will also assess the disciplinary process, campus police responses and oversight of fraternities, sororities and other student groups.
New York’s attorney general is conducting a criminal investigation. The governor called for an independent review of Cornell’s handling of the case. Students, faculty and others have demonstrated, seeking greater transparency, accountability and changes to disciplinary procedures. Faculty members are also preparing a vote of no confidence in the university administration.
Yates held senior Justice Department positions during the Obama administration and briefly served as acting attorney general in 2017. Since leaving government, she has conducted independent investigations in private practice, including an inquiry into abuse and misconduct in the National Women’s Soccer League. That investigation concluded in 2022 that abuse was systemic.
Trustee chair Anne Meinig Smalling said Cornell must examine its own practices with rigor. The trustees have not specified when Yates’s review will conclude or how its findings will be made public.