The New York Times has obtained classified documents showing that while two people were expelled, the others received mild punishments. Two were suspended for several semesters, and one person, who had already graduated, was banned from the school's campus for three years. The other two were given sanctions in the form of taking courses and writing "reflective" essays about sexual harassment.
With the exception of two of the men, all will be able to graduate from Cornell and move on in life, the woman's lawyer Thomas Giuffra told the newspaper.
The president of Cornell has also promised greater transparency in its handling of the high-profile case of a reported gang rape in 2024.
“Deeply upsetting”
Michael Kotlikoff calls the information about the rape "deeply upsetting" and says it will leave its mark on universities for many years to come.
"We as an administration and society must become better," he says in a video clip.
Kotlikoff promises to cooperate with the investigation into the incident, which is now led by state Attorney General Letitia James.
The case has shaken Cornell and the entire United States. Social media is calling for justice and reform of the university's handling of abuse, which is handled under the federal civil rights law Title IX. Students at Cornell have also reportedly called for the president's resignation.
Raped for seven hours
According to the lawsuit filed by the woman against Cornell University and others in September, she was raped for nearly seven hours in the Chi Phi fraternity house on the campus in Ithaca, New York. She was also pressured to use drugs.
The assault was reported to the university police in November 2024, but never led to a criminal investigation against any of the seven men named.
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