New York Gov. Hochul Calls For ‘transparent, independent review’ of Cornell

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday called for an outside investigation into Cornell University’s campus culture and its response to allegations by an unidentified female former student that she was raped by several men at a fraternity there in 2024. The governor said in part that she is seeking to determine whether “Cornell met every obligation to protect its students and pursue justice.”

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“The allegations in this case are nothing short of horrifying. For any student to come forward after an experience like this takes extraordinary courage,” Hochul said in her statement. “I support the district attorney’s decision to reopen the criminal investigation. But there are also serious questions about Cornell’s campus culture and its systems for prevention, reporting, and response,” Hochul’s statement continued. “That is why I am calling for outside counsel to conduct a transparent, independent review of the university’s response to determine whether Cornell met every obligation to protect its students and pursue justice.”

“No student should ever be left wondering whether the institutions meant to protect them will listen and act,” the statement also said. “Cornell shares Governor Hochul’s commitment to addressing campus culture issues, which affect universities across the nation and New York. We are committed to continuing to work with state officials to advance student safety and wellbeing,” a Cornell spokesperson said in a statement provided to ABC News.

Prosecutors in central New York this week announced that they are reopening the investigation of the alleged sexual assault after a former Cornell student filed a civil lawsuit alleging that she was drugged, assaulted and gang raped by seven former and current members of the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell, sparking outrage about the incident. 

Source: ABC News