Cornell University’s president faced intense scrutiny and pointed questions from his Faculty Senate on Wednesday, when the group met to discuss a vote of no confidence in the university’s handling of an alleged 2024 sexual assault at a fraternity house, according to an audio recording obtained by NBC News.
Talk of a vote of no confidence comes after serious concerns were raised by students and staff over the way the university responded to the allegations.
University President Michael Kotlikoff defended himself and Cornell’s administration by answering a series of pointed questions from school staff.
At the meeting, most speakers were heard identifying themselves before speaking. Risa Lieberwitz, a professor of labor and employment law, said the issue of sexual assault “is a systemic problem. It deserves systemic attention.”
She told Kotlikoff that so far it seemed he had “just reacted to pressure.”
“It feels like the administration is thinking more about how we respond to pressures than the type of leadership, which should have been doing systemic work and prioritizing these issues from the beginning,” she said.
Kotlikoff argued that replacing management was not the solution.
“We need to be able to work together to change the culture, educate our students and try to solve this problem,” he said during the meeting. “I want Cornell to be a leader in this area, and we intend to really invest in this area. But the idea that you can somehow, because something happened, eliminate it immediately is just unrealistic.”
Last month, a former student identified as Jane Doe sued the university and seven current and former students in connection with her sexual assault allegation.
In 2024, Cornell closed the Chi Phi fraternity chapter at the university and expelled two students after Doe reported the incident. Others were suspended or faced lesser disciplinary measures. The university also said it launched the President’s Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault shortly after the incident and implemented recommendations to combat sexual assault on campus.
No criminal charges were filed at the time and the investigation was reopened following Jane Doe’s lawsuit. Four of the men, through their lawyers, have denied coercing Jane Doe into drugging or sexually assaulting her. NBC News was unable to reach the three other men named in the lawsuit.
Although the Faculty Senate does not have the power to remove the president, the move would significantly increase pressure on Cornell and its administration.
Darlene Evans, senior lecturer emeritus, asked Kotlikoff why he was only taking steps now “toward serious systemic change” when he had held leadership positions at the university for more than a decade.
Evans noted that more than 35% of female undergraduates surveyed at Cornell University reported having had nonconsensual sexual contact involving physical force, threats of force or incapacitation, according to a Cornell University survey conducted last year, a figure up from 23% in 2023.
“It was only after a vote of no confidence was introduced that the Cornell administration announced any real steps to prevent sexual assault on this campus or to seriously support survivors,” she said. “So saying what we’re going to do now rings hollow here. Why haven’t you taken these things more seriously until now, when there’s a press storm focusing on Cornell?”
Kotlikoff announced Tuesday that all house parties and fraternity events would be prohibited for the remainder of the academic year.
“We do not have the full capacity to be sure that what is happening in these homes is safe, and so for the moment we will stop this activity,” he said during Wednesday’s meeting.
He also responded to calls from some who asked whether Greek life at the university should be banned altogether.
“If ultimately fraternities cannot exist in a safe environment and we cannot be confident that they can be safe, then we should make that decision,” he said. “But we should do it based on data, studies and expertise, not emotions.”
After a question and answer session, the Faculty Senate began debating the censure resolution, with another meeting scheduled for later this month. Many spoke in favor of the resolution, while others wanted to delay the vote until the results of an upcoming independent investigation.
Earlier this month, the university announced that Sally Yates, former deputy U.S. attorney general and acting U.S. attorney general, would lead an independent review of how Cornell University has responded to the allegations and, more broadly, how it responds to sexual harassment, assault and misconduct on campus.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is also investigating the allegation. A spokesperson said staff members from the attorney general’s office have “spoken with the Tompkins County Prosecutor, Jane Doe’s attorney and several candidates for outside counsel to support the investigation.”
After the meeting, music teacher Ariana Kim said she was “truly inspired by everyone who spoke and was courageous in support of the resolution – it takes a lot to stand up in front of the president and ask him direct questions.”
Kim said she received some 200 emails from alumni saying they supported the censure resolution and wanted the administration to be held accountable.
The professor said some at the meeting held up signs reading: “I stand with Jane Doe,” “How many others?” and “We demand accountability.”
“Some people broke down and hugged each other after the meeting,” she said.
Political history professor Richard Bensel said that so far the central administration “has not responded in a way that alleviates the despair of faculty and students over the university’s handling of the issue.”
Bensel said he wasn’t sure he wanted the president to resign, but said he believed the university leadership “will not reform without the adoption of a resolution of censure.”
“I can imagine a way for the trustees, through the president, to reconcile their relationship with the Cornell community, but that requires a real change in governance style, and I don’t think that’s possible under this administration,” he said. “There are real problems in the way the university is run. »
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