Cornell Halts Fraternity Parties After Jane Doe’s Lawsuit

Cornell University said on Tuesday that it is barring fraternity houses from hosting parties for the remainder of the academic year in an effort “to strengthen campus safety” after the school faced widespread backlash over its handling of an alleged gang rape by fraternity members in 2024.Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff announced the news in a letter addressed to the campus community, which said that the ban will be effective immediately. He also outlined ways that the university would work to improve how it handles allegations of sexual assault in the future. In addition to strengthening campus safety, he addressed the need to provide better support to survivors—which involves allowing the New York State Police to independently investigate sexual assault allegations—and change the social culture at the university.Cornell did not immediately respond to questions about the new measures.The announcement comes about a month after a woman, known as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit against several entities, including Cornell, the Chi Phi fraternity, and seven members of Chi Phi that she alleges sexually assaulted her in 2024. The case has made national headlines, and many people h...