Jane Doe said she felt unsupported by Cornell leadership
Goldlaner.com – Jane Doe said she felt unsupported and disbelieved after learning that Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff had allegedly questioned the timing of her report of a sexual assault. In a letter sent through her attorneys to senior faculty leaders, the student said the reported comment damaged her confidence in the university’s response.
The letter was delivered to Cornell’s Dean of Faculty and the Speaker of the Faculty Senate on October 14, the day the Senate met to consider a no-confidence vote in Kotlikoff. It comes amid heightened scrutiny of Cornell’s handling of allegations connected to an alleged gang rape at a fraternity house in 2024.
The student, identified in court records as Jane Doe, filed a 101-page lawsuit against Cornell last month. Her complaint prompted the university to reopen its investigation into the allegations and intensified debate among students and faculty about institutional accountability.
Letter recounts reported conversation
Jane Doe said she felt troubled by what she was told about a meeting between Kotlikoff and the president of her sorority. According to Doe’s letter, the sorority president said Kotlikoff asked a question similar to, “Why did she wait so long to report it?”
Doe did not hear the exchange herself and described the account as secondhand. However, she wrote that the sorority president interpreted the question as skepticism about Doe’s account of the alleged assault.
“It diminished my confidence in the administration’s ability to approach my experience with the understanding, sensitivity, and fairness I had hoped for and expected from what had been my dream school,” Doe wrote.
Jane Doe said she felt it was important for Faculty Senate members to know about the letter, while emphasizing that she was not directing them how to vote or asking them to draw a specific conclusion from her experience.
“It is important to me that the Faculty Senate be made aware of this letter so that its members can make an informed choice about how they wish to consider or act upon the information it contains,” she wrote.
Cornell disputes interpretation of president’s question
A Cornell spokesperson rejected the characterization of the January 2025 meeting. The university said a documented firsthand account indicated that Kotlikoff was asking about bystanders who had not used Cornell’s anonymous tip line, despite continued social-media discussion of the incident in October 2024.
According to the university, the president was not questioning Doe’s decision to report the alleged assault. The disagreement centers on both the meaning of the reported question and its effect on Doe’s view of Cornell’s leadership.
The alleged assault occurred during the early hours of October 20, 2024. Doe reported the matter to Cornell University police on November 8. Jane Doe said she felt the reported conversation showed a lack of the sensitivity and fairness she expected from the institution.
Faculty leaders face questions about transparency
Two Cornell professors said Doe’s letter was not distributed to the full Faculty Senate before its deliberations. Paul Ortiz, who sponsored the no-confidence measure, said faculty should have received the communication.
“I am disappointed that the letter that Jane Doe sent to Cornell faculty has still not been shared with the faculty and that we are only learning about it because of media coverage,” Ortiz said.
Chris Schaffer, Cornell’s Dean of Faculty, later told Faculty Senate members by email that he received the letter on October 14 and forwarded it to the Office of the General Counsel. He said the office sent it to the investigative team led by former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cornell investigating?
Cornell reopened its investigation after Doe filed her lawsuit concerning allegations tied to an alleged assault at a fraternity house in 2024. The university has also said the matter was sent to an investigative team led by Sally Yates.
Did Cornell say its president questioned Doe’s report?
No. Cornell disputes that interpretation, saying Kotlikoff’s reported question concerned bystanders and the anonymous tip line, not Doe’s decision to report the alleged assault.
Why does the letter matter to faculty members?
The letter reached faculty leaders as the Faculty Senate considered a no-confidence vote in the president. Its handling has raised separate questions about whether senators had access to information relevant to their deliberations.