Cornell University has named former United States Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent internal review of how the university handled a former student's rape allegations, the school announced Tuesday.
The appointment was made by a newly formed Special Committee of the Cornell University Board of Trustees. Yates will examine how Cornell investigates reports of sexual misconduct and assault, its disciplinary procedures, campus police responses, its oversight of fraternities, and its broader policies for preventing and responding to sexual harassment and related misconduct on campus.
Yates served as deputy attorney general under President Barack Obama and briefly as acting attorney general at the start of Donald Trump's first presidency. Trump fired her in 2017 after she directed Justice Department lawyers not to defend his initial travel ban targeting Muslim-majority countries. She is now a partner at the law firm King & Spalding, where she conducts independent investigations. In 2022, she led an investigation into sexual abuse and misconduct in the National Women's Soccer League that found systemic failures.
The case at the center of the review involves a former student identified in court filings as Jane Doe, who alleges she was drugged and gang raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity at their campus house in October 2024. Doe filed a civil lawsuit in mid-September against Cornell University, the fraternity and seven former students. Those named in the lawsuit have denied all wrongdoing. No criminal charges have been filed.
Cornell has said its campus police investigated the case thoroughly and that a Title IX investigation was conducted, resulting in suspensions and expulsions of accused students. The Chi Phi chapter was subsequently shut down. Cornell University is also named as a defendant in Doe's lawsuit.
The announcement follows weeks of mounting criticism from students, faculty and others over the university's handling of the allegations. Students have held protests on campus, and a student group, Cornell NAACP, announced plans for a seven-hour sit-in described as a campus-wide "zero day" action, during which students said they would not attend class or spend money. "We have shared our collective demands. Now, we are asking our community to physically show up and stand — or, for seven hours, sit — with survivors," the group said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who had called for an independent review of Cornell's handling of the case, last week appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to lead a separate criminal investigation into the allegations.
Cornell's Board of Trustees Chair Anne Meinig Smalling said Yates and her team had been asked to examine the university's overall approach to preventing and responding to sexual misconduct, identify areas of strength and weakness, and recommend changes to improve campus safety. "Sally Yates brings extraordinary experience, independence and judgment to this work," Smalling said. "The questions raised by the Jane Doe matter warrant a rigorous examination of Cornell's response to that case, but our responsibility is broader."
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff also addressed the situation. "It is imperative that Cornell be willing to examine itself with the same rigor we expect of others," he said. "We don't have all the answers, but we are committed to investigating and finding the answers our community deserves."
