ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell University faculty have introduced a resolution declaring a vote of censure in the university administration’s handling of the alleged 2024 sexual assault at a fraternity house.
The resolution was submitted to the university committee Monday evening, according to a copy obtained by NBC News.
“The Faculty Senate has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively respond to the ongoing sexual assault crisis at Cornell University,” states the resolution, which is less than half a page.
The measure is expected to be considered by the Faculty Senate, which will meet Oct. 14, according to a statement from Faculty Senator Paul Ortiz.
“The goal is to truly force systemic change,” Ortiz, a labor history professor, said in a statement.
Ortiz added that “students are telling us stories that they don’t feel safe, and this has been going on for several years” and called the situation a “systemic problem.” He reiterated that the Senate was not “targeting any individual” but that students and faculty “were not satisfied with the response.”
“Women need to feel safe,” he said.
In a statement accompanying the resolution, faculty sponsors said “many Cornell colleagues” had approached them demanding action, while students told faculty they were “distraught, fearful for their personal safety” and wanted the Ivy League school to address sexual assault on campus.
Cornell alumni also reached out to faculty members and shared “their own traumatic stories as students,” the statement added.
Cornell declined to comment.
The proposed censure resolution marks an escalation of pressure on Cornell and its administration following national scrutiny of how the matter was handled. Last month, a former student identified as Jane Doe sued the university and seven current and former students in connection with the alleged sexual assault.
She alleges that in October 2024, she was sexually assaulted by several fraternity members while under the influence of alcohol, ketamine and marijuana.
The woman’s allegations made national headlines for days and sparked protests on the university’s campus after widespread criticism that the university and local authorities had not adequately investigated the woman’s allegations.
Anne Marie Elizabeth Brady, a Senate member and research director at the university’s Institute of Industrial and Labor Relations, said the resolution was passed “quickly” in recent days.
“If I were a woman on Cornell’s campus, I would run the other way,” she said. “Because I’m not sure Cornell is there to protect students the way they should be.”
Brady said Cornell’s decision to discipline the seven men accused of wrongdoing instead of turning the matter over to outside law enforcement “seems to me to be a cover-up.”
“If I’m a betting man, I suspect they didn’t do it because they wanted to keep it a secret,” she said. “They wanted to manage history.”
If the Faculty Senate passes the resolution, Brady said, then it will spark a series of discussions among Cornell faculty and leaders about policies regarding sexual assault.
Similar measures were taken last year after years of campus protests against the war in Gaza. Brady says these recommendations have been largely ignored.
“If the administration came out and said, ‘You know what? We made a mistake, we did A, B and C wrong. We failed this student, we failed all of our students throughout this process and here are the concrete ways and steps we’re going to take to change,'” she said. “What if they did that? That’s okay so far.”
Adam Reiss and Maggie Vespa reported from Ithaca; Matt Lavietes reported from New York.
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