# Cornell Faculty Senate Moves Toward No Confidence Vote Over Jane Doe Allegations > The Cornell Faculty Senate will debate a no-confidence resolution against President Michael I. Kotlikoff on Wednesday after a 2024 gang-rape allegation at a fraternity sparked nationwide outcry. - Publisher: Briefzora (https://briefzora.com) - URL: https://briefzora.com/cornell-faculty-senate-moves-toward-no-confidence-vote-over-jane-doe-allegations - Published: 2026-10-28T19:07:40+05:00 - Author: Briefzora Desk (https://briefzora.com/author/briefzora-desk) - Section: Politics - Topics: Chi Phi fraternity, Cornell, Cornell 7, Cornell Faculty Senate, Cornell gang rape, Cornell gang rape case, Cornell rape case, Cornell student, Cornell University, Cornell University Faculty Senate, Jane Doe, kathy hochul, Letitia James, Michael I. Kotlikoff, Paul Ortiz - Image: https://briefzora.com/uploads/2026/10/cornell-faculty-senate-preps-for-no-confidence-vote-on-president-after-88zjb3.webp ## Key points - Cornell Faculty Senate will debate a no-confidence vote on President Michael I. Kotlikoff on Wednesday. - The resolution, led by Professor Paul Ortiz, claims faculty lack confidence in leadership to address sexual-assault crisis. - Jane Doe alleges seven Chi Phi fraternity members raped her in 2024 and says Kotlikoff's response was unsupportive. - Doe has sued the university, the fraternity, her sorority, the bar and the alleged perpetrators. - Governor Kathy Hochul assigned Attorney General Letitia James to investigate; parties on campus are suspended for the year. ## Why it matters The vote reflects faculty concerns over Cornell's handling of sexual-assault allegations, while the lawsuit and state investigation could affect the university's reputation and operations. ## Article The Cornell University Faculty Senate is scheduled to discuss a no-confidence vote on Wednesday against President Michael I. Kotlikoff following a 2024 gang-rape allegation at a campus fraternity that drew national attention. More than 75 senators will hold a second meeting to consider the resolution and decide when to vote. A motion could be offered to postpone the vote and schedule another session. If no postponement motion is presented or it fails, the Senate will begin the vote after Wednesday's meeting and typically allows a week for members to submit their choices online. Although a no-confidence vote cannot remove an official, its passage would signal strong faculty dissatisfaction with how Cornell leadership handled Jane Doe's claim that seven Chi Phi fraternity members raped her. ## What the no confidence vote involves The resolution, introduced by labor-history professor Paul Ortiz, declares that faculty lack confidence in Cornell's leadership to "address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault" on campus. "The faculty co-sponsors of this resolution deliberated at great length on this resolution. As you may suspect, we were approached in our capacity as faculty senators by numerous Cornell colleagues demanding action. Many of these faculty, including myself, were approached by students at Cornell who are upset, fearful for their personal safety, and wanting our university to address the perennial problem of sexual assault on the campus," the statement read to the University Faculty Committee. "Cornell alumni, some of whom have shared their own traumatic stories as students, have also contacted faculty to share their frustrations about this matter. This is certainly a consequential moment in time for our campus!" the statement added. The Wednesday session marks the second time the Faculty Senate has convened on the issue. Even if the measure passes, it would create further internal challenges for the administration, though it lacks the power to remove the president. ## How Kotlikoff has responded In a New York Times interview, Kotlikoff said his administration now has a fuller picture of the incident than when Doe first reported it in 2024. "The fact that Jane Doe experienced what she experienced at Cornell is something that I am personally sorry for," Kotlikoff told the Times. "And I think this entire campus is sorry that occurred." He added, "I do think it's important to understand we have more information now than we had at that time." Kotlikoff acknowledged he did not contact the student after learning of the alleged assault in 2024. Jane Doe wrote that she felt "unsupported and disbelieved" by Kotlikoff in a letter to the Faculty Senate earlier this month. The letter described a conversation Kotlikoff had with Doe's sorority president, noting that his initial response was, "Why did she wait so long to report it?" which Doe interpreted as doubting her story. ## Current status of the case Doe has filed a lawsuit against the university, the alleged perpetrators, the fraternity, her sorority and the bar that served her alcohol that night. The complaint alleges she was coerced into drugs and alcohol before being raped over several hours and includes a screenshot of a fraternity group chat showing a member messaging "free p, - upstairs" during the alleged assault. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has tasked Attorney General Letitia James with investigating the matter. At least two accused men are seeking to have James removed from the case, citing a pre-appointment Facebook post in which she expressed support for Doe. On campus, parties have been suspended for the remainder of the academic year, and Cornell is adding staff to handle sexual-assault reports. ## Frequently asked questions ### When is the Cornell Faculty Senate voting on the no confidence resolution? The Senate will discuss the resolution on Wednesday and may begin the vote after that meeting, with a week to cast votes online. ### What does the resolution say about Cornell's leadership? It states the faculty has no confidence in Cornell's leadership to address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault. ### Who is investigating the allegations against the fraternity? New York Attorney General Letitia James has been assigned to investigate the matter. --- When citing, please link to https://briefzora.com/cornell-faculty-senate-moves-toward-no-confidence-vote-over-jane-doe-allegations and name Briefzora as the source.