Protests and Vandalism at Cornell University After Gang Rape Allegations

Protesters in the United States smashed glass doors at Cornell University's main administrative building and spray-painted the walls, as a wave of demonstrations continues over allegations of a 2024 gang rape at a local fraternity.

In the early hours of Monday, glass panels on the entrance doors of Day Hall were shattered, leaving debris scattered across the floor.

Activists, angered by the university's handling of the case, also spray-painted nearby walls with slogans including "At Cornell, rapists are protected, protesters are expelled" and "Smash the patriarchy."

The incident occurred ahead of a Monday march organized by student groups demanding "justice for survivors."

Cornell spokesperson Kyle Kimball said Monday that the university is investigating the vandalism.

"We understand the frustration and strong emotions being expressed in our community," Kimball said. "Those concerns need to be heard, but property destruction is not the answer."

Cornell, a prestigious Ivy League university in New York State, is at the center of a national outcry over sexual violence at American universities, after an anonymous student, Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit last month alleging gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity.

Her complaint alleges that seven former students committed "heinous criminal sexual acts" against her at a fraternity party on the night of October 19, 2024, after she said she was pressured into drinking alcohol and using the drug ketamine.

The fraternity, Cornell University, and others are named as co-defendants in the lawsuit. Attorneys for two of the former students have denied allegations that they participated in sexual assault.

The case has sparked protests over how universities across the United States handle sexual assault.

At Monday's protest, students demanded reforms to the university's sexual assault complaint process, the dismissal of certain university officials, and stricter disciplinary action against those accused of abuse.

In a statement to the student newspaper The Cornell Daily Sun, student organizers wrote that they are calling for the "abolition" of the campus Interfraternity Council system and for the "expulsion/revocation of degrees of all Chi Phi members involved in the rape."

They also demanded that Cornell's Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards be replaced with a "democratic disciplinary system." Monday's protest, they added, was designed to draw attention to the systemic failures that allow sexual violence to occur.

"We want to ensure that Day Hall, Cornell's administrative center, cannot continue to operate as usual," the students told the campus newspaper.

According to them, the alleged crime at the fraternity is part of a "pattern of rampant sexual assault perpetrated by members of Greek life at Cornell University and hundreds of other academic institutions across the country."

Under pressure from New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James, the university announced this week that it will appoint a law firm to conduct an independent internal review of how it handled the initial case.

An audio recording obtained by U.S. media shows that although no charges were filed, Doe told campus police at the time that she "can say with 100% confidence that I was raped."

Her lawsuit also alleges that Cornell "gave" the accused fraternity members "the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays" to the university. Two were subsequently expelled, and two others were suspended.