Handling of rape allegations at Cornell shows why so many assaults go unreported – victims don’t trust the institutions that are supposed to help them

A former Cornell student filed a civil suit alleging seven Chi Phi fraternity members gang-raped her as a sophomore two years earlier. Ithaca police took her report but allegedly left out the word 'rape' before sending it to the district attorney, who declined to press charges against any of the seven without ever interviewing her.

Cornell's own internal investigation expelled two of the accused, suspended two more, and barred a fifth who had already graduated; the remaining two got training and were told to write reflection essays. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has since appointed Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to review how campus and local authorities handled the case.

Surveys cited show only 7.1% of assaulted students contact local police and just 37.5% believe campus officials will take force-based allegations seriously. Hochul has also flagged a state-law loophole that may exempt the alleged assault from prosecution because the victim had voluntarily consumed alcohol and ketamine before the incident.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.