Politics
Cornell Will Rescind Your Admission For A Tweet But Needed A Year To Follow Up On A Gang Rape
By Mor Michael, . BSN Network. Satire.
ITHACA, N.Y.: Cornell University, which prides itself on being among the world's leading research institutions, is facing questions this week about whether it applied any of that research capacity to a reported gang rape on its own campus, or whether it was busy.
A lawsuit filed in September alleges that a 20-year-old Cornell student was raped by seven men at a fraternity house and that the university, upon receiving her report, initiated a review process that legal observers have described as "ongoing," which is Latin for "we have a folder."
Cornell did not hold back when the stakes were clear. The university rescinded 119 admission offers in 2023 after discovering application irregularities, a process completed, by all accounts, before the paint dried. Academic dishonesty cases at Cornell proceed under a system so efficient that students have been found responsible, sanctioned, and listed in departmental records before the semester in question has ended.
The alleged gang rape, involving seven identified men and a named complainant, required more time to process. How much more time is a matter Cornell has described as "confidential to the parties," which is a phrase that sounds like it protects the victim and primarily protects the institution.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and a coalition of advocacy groups have called on Cornell to release details of how the case was handled. Cornell responded by confirming that it takes these matters seriously, that it takes these matters seriously, that its Title IX office follows all applicable federal guidelines, and that it takes these matters seriously.
Maranda Holloway, a Title IX compliance consultant who has worked with fourteen universities and describes herself as "structurally optimistic," said Cornell's response was not unusual.
"Universities are not slow because they don't care," Holloway said. "They're slow because caring and liability are two different departments and they have never been in the same meeting."
The fraternity whose house is named in the lawsuit has not been suspended. It held its fall formal in October. The theme, according to its Instagram, was "Old Money."
Cornell issued a statement saying the university "remains committed to a safe campus environment" and that "all reports are taken with the utmost seriousness from the moment they are received." The statement did not specify what happens after the moment they are received.
The plaintiff's legal team has requested internal communications, investigation timelines, and any documentation showing when Cornell first notified the Title IX coordinator. Cornell has provided a PDF.
The PDF does not open.
Cornell has a 158-year history of producing Nobel laureates, Supreme Court justices, and an honor code so thorough it covers the formatting of footnotes. It also has, as of this week, a lawsuit alleging that seven of its students committed a gang rape and that the institution's primary contribution to the aftermath was a folder and a commitment to the process.
The folder is still pending review.
The story we are making fun of: https://thehill.com/homenews/education/6123904-cornell-frat-gang-rape-investigation-jane-doe/