Cornell President Kotlikoff expresses deep concern over alleged gang rape

Michael Kotlikoff, the president of Cornell, has described the alleged gang rape of a student at the elite US university as “deeply disturbing”. "My heart hurts when I think about what she went through," he said in a video. What happened to the former student in October 2024 will burden the Cornell community for a long time.

"This has been one of the most difficult weeks in our history," said Kotlikoff, who has been the university's president since March 2025 and previously served as interim president for eight months. The incident raises "heartbreaking and disturbing questions about sexual violence, dehumanization and aspects of party culture, alcohol and drug use."

A former student of the renowned university accuses seven men of sexually abusing and raping her in a house belonging to the Chi Phi fraternity on the university grounds. She was given alcohol and drugs. She was 20 years old at the time and said she contacted the police on campus around three weeks after the incident. Her statements shortly after the incident did not lead to a trial.

University president supports new investigations

Local authorities have faced criticism since the woman filed a civil lawsuit in September and the incident received widespread attention. Newly released information raised "serious questions" about the campus police investigation and the district attorney's decision not to prosecute the incident, said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. She commissioned the state attorney general's office to investigate.

Kotlikoff said he was supporting the investigation. At the same time, he admitted that there has been increased mistrust on campus since the allegations became known. He promised that the university would act more transparently in the future and better explain the measures taken. At the same time, he referred to “legal and data protection limits” in the case.