Cornell president calls alleged gang rape 'deeply disturbing,' pledges greater transparency

Cornell University’s president has called the alleged gang rape of a student at a fraternity house in 2024 “deeply disturbing.”

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APTOPIX Cornell Investigation (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Cornell's president called the alleged gang rape of a student at a fraternity house in 2024 “deeply disturbing” Saturday and said it would weigh on the university for years to come, as he pledged greater transparency amid mounting outrage over the school’s handling of the case.

In an eight-minute video message to the Cornell community, Michael Kotlikoff described the past week as one of the most difficult in the university’s history and acknowledged troubling questions about the investigations that followed the allegations.

“My heart aches when I think of what she experienced,” Kotlikoff said. “It raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization, and aspects of party culture, alcohol, and drug use.”

“I believe we as an administration and we as a community must do better,” he continued.

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