Cornell fraternity party ban, one week in: faculty vote still pending, State Police role and Jane Doe lawsuit unresolved

As of 9:09 a.m. ET, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

A week after Cornell University President Michael I. Kotlikoff suspended parties and social events at Interfraternity Council (IFC) houses "for the remainder of the 2026-2027 academic year," the Faculty Senate has not voted on a no-confidence resolution, no one has been criminally charged in the underlying case, and the Jane Doe lawsuit remains pending.

No-confidence vote: no outcome yet

The Faculty Senate considered the resolution at an Oct. 14 meeting that lasted more than two hours but did not vote on it, The Cornell Daily Sun reported. The nonbinding 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." Prof. Paul Ortiz sponsored it, and 122 faculty members signed in support, the Sun reported.

The Dean of Faculty's tentative agenda for the Senate's Oct. 28 meeting lists continued discussion of the resolution and says electronic voting will follow that discussion. Voting is limited to faculty senators, and results are expected in early November, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported.

Faculty were divided at the Oct. 14 meeting. Of the 19 senators who spoke, 11 backed the resolution, while seven senators and Dean of Faculty Chris Schaffer, speaking in a personal capacity, voiced dissent, the Sun reported. Prof. Yuval Grossman proposed postponing the vote until the independent review led by former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates is finished, and said he would bring a similar motion on Oct. 28 if the vote is not postponed, according to the Sun.

Kotlikoff, who addressed the Senate before the debate, criticized calls for his replacement: "If this university feels that they will solve this problem by replacing a president, that itself is not good for Cornell's reputation," he said, according to the Sun.

The IFC suspension in practice

Under the Oct. 13 directive, any fraternity that holds an in-house party or social event "will receive an immediate emergency suspension." GROKsiNEWS.com found no public report that any chapter has been suspended under the directive.

A Sorority and Fraternity Life representative told Greek life leaders that the ban also covers fraternities' off-campus "annexes," the Sun reported Oct. 16, citing multiple people close to the guidance. A university spokesperson did not directly confirm that, saying the ban covers "any event hosted, sponsored, endorsed, or organized by a chapter, on chapter property that would require registration through the University's social event policy registration process."

Homecoming weekend, the first since the ban took effect, was quieter than usual, University Herald reported, citing reporting by The New York Times. According to that report, university spokeswoman Rebecca Valli said Ithaca police, with help from Cornell police, shut down an outdoor gathering on Catherine Street on Saturday afternoon. GROKsiNEWS.com did not independently confirm the account.

State Police arrangement

Cornell's letter says the university is working with the New York State Police "to allow their experienced, trauma-informed criminal investigators, who are independent of Cornell University, to investigate allegations of sexual assault on campus." It says those investigators will interview survivors who elect to pursue criminal charges and "will prepare comprehensive investigative summaries for the appropriate law enforcement agency," and that the arrangement would be in place for the duration of the independent review. The letter does not say State Police investigators will be stationed on campus. GROKsiNEWS.com found no public statement from the State Police describing the arrangement or saying whether any cases have been referred under it. University Herald reported that a State Police spokesperson declined to comment.

That arrangement is separate from the criminal investigation into the 2024 allegation. On Oct. 1, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order appointing the office of Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in that case, the attorney general's office said. Two of the men named in the suit have since moved to remove James, citing her public comments, one in civil court and one in criminal court in Tompkins County, NBC News reported. A hearing on the civil-court challenge is set for Oct. 29, according to NBC News and FingerLakes1. James's office said it is "committed to conducting a comprehensive review of nothing but the facts, the evidence, and the law."

The civil suit

The suit was filed Sept. 14 in New York State Supreme Court by a former student using the pseudonym Jane Doe. She alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple fraternity members at Cornell's Chi Phi house in October 2024. The suit accuses Cornell of negligence, breach of contract and violations of state human rights and education laws, the Sun reported. Defendants include Cornell, seven men, Chi Phi Fraternity Inc., the Delta Delta Delta sorority and an Ithaca bar, Courthouse News Service reported.

The parties dispute what happened. The men named in the suit have denied wrongdoing, and none has been criminally charged, WSKG and FingerLakes1 reported. Lawyers for several of the defendants say the encounters were consensual, WSKG reported. The Tompkins County district attorney ruled out charges in 2024, NBC News reported. Cornell's disciplinary process expelled two of the men, Courthouse News reported. Cornell says the Chi Phi chapter has been closed and barred from campus since 2024, according to FingerLakes1.

On Oct. 16, Judge Phaedra Perry-Bond denied a defendant's request for a gag order on the plaintiff's attorney. She wrote that "expressing opinions on the case or reporting on how the litigation has impacted clients cannot alone serve as a factual basis for limiting an individual's First Amendment rights," according to Courthouse News. On Oct. 9, she ordered filings that list addresses sealed after a family that shares a defendant's name received threats, Spectrum News reported. No ruling on the merits has been reported.

The plaintiff's attorney has accused Cornell of a cover-up, and Cornell denies it, FingerLakes1 reported.

What's next

The Faculty Senate meets Oct. 28, and the hearing on the challenge to James's appointment is set for Oct. 29. GROKsiNEWS.com found no announced date for the Yates review's findings.