Cornell University’s internal processes for responding to sexual assault reports failed “Jane Doe”. In 2024, the third-year student reported being sexually assaulted by seven men while incapacitated at a fraternity house. Cornell launched an investigation that would last months, but the process failed to deliver the accountability Jane Doe sought.
She was left feeling unheard and unsafe, dropping out without completing her degree. No criminal charges were brought against the men she accused. She is now suing Cornell over its handling of her case.
None of the administrators involved in those processes have been named. They have yet to face accountability. Her experience reveals the ways in which confidential procedures at universities are intended to make “problems” go away, rather than work towards any form of justice for victims.
It also reveals how those in positions of authority – deans, provosts and presidents, alongside Title IX and Affirmative Action officers, and university lawyers – are primarily invested in protecting their institutions. They are not here to advocate for vulnerable students, staff, or faculty. Every week, students on campuses throughout the United States – overwhelmingly women – are sexually assaulted.
A 2025 Cornell University survey found that 35 percent of undergraduate women respondents had experienced nonconsensual sexual contact involving force or incapacitation since enrolling. The problem extends well beyond Cornell: a 2025 Michigan State University survey found that approximately one in five undergraduate women had experienced sexual assault since enrolling. Yet most incidents go unreported.
A US Department of Justice study found that fewer than 5 percent of completed and attempted rapes were reported to police. Students – and their parents – must understand that the pathways for reporting violations are strategically designed to be difficult to navigate, or outright broken. Although you will hear administrators make all the right noises, they ensure that their publicly-touted systems remain labyrinthine and impossible to access.
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