Cornell University's faculty senate has passed a vote of no confidence in the institution's central administration over its handling of what staff describe as a "crisis of sexual assault" on campus.
The vote, held on Friday, passed 75 to 50. It is largely symbolic, as the faculty senate does not have the power to remove university leaders.
The resolution states that the senate "has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University." It did not make specific recommendations or identify what administrators did wrong in responding to the allegations.
The case centres on a former student, identified anonymously as Jane Doe, who alleges she was gang raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. She is suing both the university and the fraternity. All seven of the accused have denied wrongdoing. None has been charged with a crime.
The no-confidence vote is seen as a rebuke of university leadership, including President Michael Kotlikoff. Doe has accused Kotlikoff of asking why she waited several weeks to report the incident. The university has said her account of his reaction is "incorrect."
Doe's lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, welcomed the outcome. "We recently learned that Cornell's Faculty Senate made a finding of no confidence in the Central Administration's ability to address the longstanding crisis of sexual assault at Cornell," he said in a statement. "We believe that the Faculty Senate did not reach this decision lightly and considered all available information."
Giuffra added: "We are hopeful that this will be yet another step forward to educate and support the Cornell community by addressing the longstanding scourge of sexual assault on campus."
The university's board of trustees, which does hold the power to dismiss Kotlikoff, expressed continued support for the administration. In a statement, the board said it "remains confident" that Kotlikoff and his team "are the right leaders to thoughtfully and comprehensively address the serious problem of sexual assault on our campus."
Board chairwoman Anne Meinig Smalling added: "This confidence is rooted not only in the administration's actions to date and plans moving forward, but also in its track record of navigating complex problems." She also acknowledged that the no-confidence vote "reflects the deep anger across our campus and sends a clear signal that what happened to Jane Doe is unacceptable."
Backlash against the Ivy League institution, located in upstate New York, has intensified since Doe filed her lawsuit in September. She reported the alleged assault to campus police shortly after it occurred, but the local prosecutor declined to bring charges at the time.
Cornell initially defended its disciplinary response but has since acknowledged it fell short in handling her case. The university has hired a former attorney general to conduct an independent review and announced a series of new measures, including cancelling fraternity parties.
New York state prosecutors, led by Attorney General Letitia James, are conducting a separate investigation to determine whether criminal charges are warranted. Earlier this week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that state police would investigate any future sexual offence complaints at the university.
