Cornell Changes Answers on FAQ Into Gang Rape Allegations
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Cornell University has made multiple changes to statements made on a recently published list of Frequently Asked Questions about its handling of an alleged 2024 gang rape at Chi Phi fraternity.
A spokesperson for Cornell’s Media Relations team said in a statement to Newsweek over email, “The FAQ is a living document, and we are working to update it regularly.”
Archived versions of the web page, reviewed by Newsweek, show that in the two days since Cornell published it, it has adjusted statements about the information it shared with the district attorney in 2024. The adjustments were first reported by the Cornell Daily Sun.
The page first said that the Cornell University Police Department shared “all investigatory information” with the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office in 2024. The page no longer includes that statement.
The university notes at the top of the FAQ page that its answers may change and states that it will update the page as “necessary.”
Newsweek has contacted the Tompkins County district attorney and the Cornell Police via email for comment.
On September 14, a woman, known as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit alleging that she had been raped by multiple individuals in an incident that involved alcohol and the drug ketamine.
The Chi Phi chapter at Cornell closed in 2024 in the wake of the allegations and remains barred from campus.
Several of the men named in the civil lawsuit deny wrongdoing.
A criminal probe into the alleged gang rape was reopened on Monday, prosecutors said.
Matthew Van Houten, the Tompkins County District Attorney, said that he intends to “seek justice.”
Criminal charges had not previously been filed in 2024 because the woman did not allege that she had been gang raped or drugged against her will, Van Houten said.
Cornell has backed that decision and said in a statement earlier this week, "Cornell University supports the decision of the Tompkins County District Attorney (DA) to provide an opportunity for the victim’s story in the 2024 Chi Phi fraternity sexual assault case to be heard by a criminal grand jury.”
The alleged incident has elicited outrage, responses from prominent public figures and sparked a national conversation about sexual violence on college campuses.
On Thursday, Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order appointing New York Attorney General Letitia James' office as the special prosecutor .
"As governor, I will not allow anyone to sweep this case under the rug," Hochul told reporters on Friday.
“This woman, this young woman, had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable. And then at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her,” Hochul said.
The FAQ page was first published on Tuesday.
One of the questions on it is, “Did Cornell Police adequately investigate the incident? Why didn’t they bring in the Ithaca Police?”
An archived version of the webpage, captured as of Tuesday, September 29, stated in response to the question, “The Cornell University Police Department investigated the matter in 2024 and shared all investigatory information with the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office.”
As of Wednesday, September 30, an archived version of the webpage had removed the reference to all investigatory information being shared, reading, “The Cornell University Police Department is a unit of the university, and its officers are sworn Tompkins County deputy sheriffs whose duties include the enforcement of law and order on Cornell property. This incident occurred in Cornell’s jurisdiction.”
As of Thursday, October 1 , the FAQ answer read, “The Cornell University Police Department investigated the matter in 2024 and shared the victim’s sworn statement and the Snapchat screenshot with the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office, which is the established protocol if the department believes it is possible a crime has occurred.”
That same response is what appears on the website as of reporting on Friday morning.
The Snapchat screenshot refers to an image included in the September 14 civil lawsuit filing, reviewed by Newsweek , which shows an alleged discussion of the alleged assault conducted on a Snapchat group chat titled “Chi Phi Activities.”
Cornell has faced intense scrutiny over its handling of the alleged incident. The FAQ list was published following backlash.
In response to a request for comment from Newsweek on Wednesday morning, Cornell directed Newsweek to two previous statements and the series of FAQs referenced.
One of Cornell’s statements read, "Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false. A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault."
Hochul is among those pressing Cornell and law enforcement over their handling of the case.
A Change.org petition titled “Hold Cornell University accountable for campus sexual assault” has reached 379,250 signatures as of reporting on Friday morning. It was created on September 28.
Cornell’s student newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun , broke the original story and has continually scrutinized the university’s response.
In the original story in The Sun, the plaintiff said, “What happened to me was horrific and deeply disturbing.”
“Almost two years later, I still carry the weight of its impact every day and night,” she said.
CBS News obtained a transcript of the alleged victim's interview with campus police back in 2024.
In the transcript, Jane Doe differentiates initial sexual activity on the night of the alleged rape from what happened later in the night.
“As much as I can be because,…
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