Governor Hochul and the Cornell Investigation

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The Sophie Fund gave a presentation to members of New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s staff on October 7 on its experiences advocating for student mental health reforms at Cornell University including the need for zero-tolerance measures toward ending the high prevalence of sexual assault on the Ithaca campus.

In Executive Order 64 on October 1, Hochul directed Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the offenses alleged in a civil suit against seven Cornell students, Cornell University, and other parties by the plaintiff known as “Jane Doe.” She also demanded that Cornell commission outside counsel to undertake an independent review of how the university handled Jane Doe’s allegation that in 2024 she was gang raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house on campus.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul

Here is the text of The Sophie Fund’s presentation, delivered via Zoom by Co-Founder Scott MacLeod:

In 2016, our daughter Sophie, a Cornell senior on a mental health leave of absence from Cornell, took her own life while waiting to be re-admitted to the university.

Thereafter, my wife Susan and I established The Sophie Fund as a nonprofit advocacy organization to campaign for improved mental health support for young people in the greater Ithaca community including its college campuses.

I am also a current member of the New York State Suicide Prevention Council within the Office of Mental Health. OMH presented The Sophie Fund with its Excellence in Suicide Prevention Award in 2018.

By the way, professionally I was a TIME Magazine foreign correspondent for 25 years.

Thank you for this opportunity to share experiences and perspectives.

I’d like to share our experience that I think sheds light on the institutional indifference that provides some valuable context for the Jane Doe case.

And, from our perspective, how Cornell responded to the Jane Doe allegations—and to the furor that it is now causing—doesn’t instill confidence that much will change at Cornell.

For the past 10 years, The Sophie Fund has repeatedly urged the Cornell administration to reform its policies for student mental health, suicide prevention, and sexual assault prevention.

We have specifically and repeatedly warned Cornell administrators about the need for robust new policies to end the cycle of sexual assault on their campus.

Unfortunately, what we have experienced is foot dragging on promises of systemic change and a failure of accountability on the part of Cornell’s leaders.

Here’s the most palpable example of what we experienced.

In 2018, then Cornell President Martha E. Pollack commissioned a task force to review student mental health. We had led a campaign for a task force that was joined by students. She only agreed after foot dragging and gaslighting for a year and a half.

In our April 2017 letter to Pollack asking for the task force, we noted:

—“[Cornell’s] failure to develop a policy and strategy that addresses the disturbing mental health-related problem of sexual violence against Cornell students and provides effective support for victims of sexual violence.”

—“A lack of institutional accountability for Cornell’s mental health policies, programs, and practices.”

—“An institutional mindset reflecting complacency and defensiveness that appears to prioritize Cornell’s public image over the welfare of students struggling with mental disorders.”

—“A system of accountability would include a zero-tolerance program with robust measures to fight against rape and sexual violence, and hazing, and equally robust legal and psychological support services for victims.”

—“31.6 percent—nearly 1 in 3—reported being victims of rape or sexual battery during their years in college; 9.8 percent of undergraduate female students participating in a recent campus climate survey reported having been the victims of rape or attempted rape since enrolling at Cornell.”

The Mental Health Review task force report Pollack finally commissioned was good. It was led by Dr. Michael Hogan, a former New York State Commissioner of Mental Health and a widely respected national leader in mental health and suicide prevention.

Initially, Pollack’s team set up what they called the “Executive Accountability Committee” to review and implement Hogan’s recommendations. Her administration promised to regularly update the Cornell community on the progress. The Sophie Fund commended these steps at the time.

After a couple years of no clear action, Pollack’s administration abolished the Executive Accountability Committee. It also failed to fill senior healthcare related vacancies that were critical to implementing the mental health recommendations.

For example, the Cornell administration left vacant for two and a half years the position of Assistant Vice President for Student Health and Well-being.

These are not the actions of a university that is intent on protecting its students’ mental health and safety.

After experiencing frustration after being told over and over that a full accounting of the recommendations was still in the works, we wrote to President Michael I. Kotlikoff five times during the course of 2025.

We implored him to issue a report on what the Cornell administration had done with the task force’s 130 recommendations. After all, they had promised to do so.

Obviously—and a prestigious research institution like Cornell knows this very well—it was important that Cornell identify any changes that it had made and evaluate their effectiveness, as well as explain why it had not yet implemented any recommendations. True quality improvement is ongoing work.

We wrote: “Transparently fulfilling a commitment to hold itself accountable will enhance confidence and respect in how Cornell is supporting its students’ well-being and acting as a responsible and valued part of the greater community.”

Remember, by 2025 the students who had campaigned for a task force had long ago graduated. New student leaders on the campus didn’t even know there had been a task force.

After a summer of back-and-forth exchanges, Kotlikoff refused our request to inform the Cornell and Ithaca communities what Cornell had done with the recommendations. Cornell had moved on, he said.

A few more recent signs that suggest to us that the Cornell administration has not learned the lesson of accountability.

Kotlikoff issued a statement last Saturday, and Board Chair Smalling issued one yesterday. They both spoke of Cornell striving to be a national leader in sexual assault prevention.

But in the wake of this tremendously troubling Jane Doe case, with the fury of the campus and the nation directed at the Cornell administration, neither mentioned a single change of personnel or policy or practice that would take place immediately.

Finally, the allegations of gang rape in October 2024 led Kotlikoff to establish a Presidential Task Force on Sexual Assault in February 2025. He said it would deliver a report in the summer of 2025. The report came out only in March 2026.

People following this are not too impressed with the task force’s recommendations. And, apparently, neither is the Cornell Board of Trustees. In engaging King & Spalding, the Board tasked its team with reviewing “how the University prevents and responds to sexual harassment, sexual assault, and related misconduct on campus.”

Why Kotlikoff’s presidential task force did not do that is an important question. I believe the answer is that Cornell leadership is intent on downplaying the problem. The task force was for show.

Governor Hochul was on to something when she stated, “No institution gets to protect its reputation at the expense of a young person seeking justice.”

I know from discussions with many leaders and stakeholders and parents in Ithaca over the last two weeks that there is great anger and distress among local citizens who are not part of the Cornell campus. The persistence of sexual assault involving Cornellians has always impacted the wider Ithaca and Tompkins County communities.

Our medical and emergency services, behavioral health providers, and sexual assault advocates are directly involved in supporting Cornell students who experience sexual assault or are affected by it in other ways. Members of our community including our children are constantly alerted to incidents of sexual misconduct related to the Cornell campus.

We very much doubt that the Cornell administration would have reviewed its handling of the Jane Doe allegations on its own—if Governor Hochul had not demanded that they do so.

No matter what the new investigations bring about, we fear from frustrating experience that Cornell will pay lip service to reform and fail to follow through on systemic change with transparency and accountability as the Governor is demanding.

Students will move on. Attention will move on.

We deeply appreciate Governor Hochul’s intervention and her overall championing of health and safety for our young people throughout New York State. We pray that her leadership and influence will be a critical factor in ending the rape culture on the Cornell campus.

Cornell Board of Trustees Launches “Independent” Review After Gang Rape Allegations

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Anne Meinig Smalling, chair of the Cornell University Board of Trustees, in her first public statement on the sexual assault allegations made by a student identified as “Jane Doe” in a civil lawsuit against Cornell, says she wants Cornell to become a leader in preventing sexual violence.

Cornell University Board of Trustees Chair Anne Meinig Smalling (Cornell University)

Smalling made the comment in a university statement from a newly formed “Special Committee,” which she also chairs, announcing the appointment of an outside law firm “to lead a comprehensive independent review of how the University prevents and responds to sexual harassment, sexual assault and related misconduct on campus.”

The statement said that the Special Committee had retained former U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates, of the King & Spalding law firm, to conduct the review as expeditiously and thoroughly as possible.

“As part of that broader mandate, Yates and her team will conduct a detailed review of the university’s response to the allegations involving Jane Doe and members of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024, including whether Cornell followed its policies and procedures in responding to the matter,” the statement said.

The Board of Trustees intends to “share” the review’s “results and recommendations” with the Cornell community, the statement said. It did not say that the review’s final, full report to the Board would be provided to the Cornell community or to the broader public.

Commenting on the action, Smalling said:

“It is imperative that Cornell be willing to examine itself with the same rigor we expect of others. We want to understand not just what happened in 2024, but how Cornell can become a leader in preventing sexual violence, supporting those who come forward and responding to allegations rigorously, fairly and compassionately.”

The statement said that the review “will examine Cornell’s policies, practices and resources across the full range of prevention and response, including how reports are received and investigated; how students are supported; how hearings, disciplinary decisions and appeals are handled; the role, processes and response of campus police; coordination with other law enforcement agencies and prosecutors; campus safety reporting; and policies and oversight involving fraternities, sororities and other student organizations. It will also examine the Board’s oversight of these issues.”

The Special Committee is comprised of Smalling, and fellow trustees, Jennifer L. Davis, Tara Holm, Howard L. Morgan, Beckie Robertson, Stephen C. Robinson, Martin F. Scheinman, and Robert W. Selander.

“Sally Yates brings extraordinary experience, independence and judgment to this work,” said Smalling. “The questions raised by the Jane Doe matter warrant a rigorous examination of Cornell’s response to that case, but our responsibility is broader. We have asked Ms. Yates and her team to examine Cornell’s overall approach to preventing and responding to sexual misconduct, identify where we are doing things well and where we can do better, and recommend changes that will help make our community safer.”

The Board of Trustees acted in response to a demand to appoint outside counsel to review Cornell’s actions from New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who blasted Cornell’s handling of Jane Doe’s allegations as a “failure” for reportedly providing prosecutors with only a partial record of Jane Doe’s allegations. Hochul also appointed Attorney General Letitia James to be an independent special prosecutor into the gang rape allegations.

“There are also serious questions about Cornell’s campus culture and its systems for prevention, reporting, and response. That is why I am calling for outside counsel to conduct a transparent, independent review of the university’s response to determine whether Cornell met every obligation to protect its students and pursue justice,” Hochul said.

Hochul is demanding to know how Cornell handled Jane Doe’s complaint and also how Cornell has handled sexual assault allegations generally, suggesting that officials of the Ivy League school may have intentionally thwarted victim allegations for the sake of its prestige.

“No institution gets to protect its reputation at the expense of a young person seeking justice. No public official gets to look the other way when the system breaks down and fails our young people. And as governor, I will not allow anyone to sweep this case under the rug,” Hochul said.

The Special Committee’s brief statement made no mention of Hochul’s demands nor of the September 14 lawsuit filed against Cornell and the perpetrators in a gang rape that she alleges was committed in October 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house on the Cornell campus. The statement did not elaborate on the role it plays beyond retaining King & Spalding and directly receiving its findings and recommendations.

The statement added: “The University will provide the investigative team with access to relevant policies, records, case files, personnel and leadership, consistent with applicable law and privacy requirements. The review will assess Cornell’s organization, staffing and resources; policies and procedures; student support services; investigative and adjudicative processes; discipline and remediation; relationships with outside support organizations; and law-enforcement practices and coordination.”

The statement said that Yates, a former Acting Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, is a partner in King & Spalding’s Special Matters and Investigations practice. She led U.S. Soccer’s independent investigation into allegations of abusive behavior and sexual misconduct in women’s professional soccer.

Smalling, who last year became the first woman to chair Cornell’s Board in its 161-year history, is a third-generation Cornellian with deep ties to the university’s governance and growth. Her two daughters have attended the university and her father was once a chair of the Cornell Board himself.

According to the Cornell Chronicle, Smalling’s grandfather, Carl H. Meinig, graduated from Cornell nearly a century ago in 1931. Both of Smalling’s parents, Peter and Nancy, then attended Cornell, graduating in 1961 and 1962, respectively. Peter chaired the board from 2002 to 2011, when he was named chairman emeritus.

Smalling earned a bachelor’s degree in human development in the College of Human Ecology in 1987 and was a four-year varsity tennis player, captaining the team, the Chronicle reported.

The Meinig family has been one of Cornell’s most generous donors, according to the Chronicle. The new Meinig Fieldhouse on the Ithaca campus is named in memory of Smalling’s father.

“In 2015, a $50 million gift from Peter Meinig and his family endowed the Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, expanding and elevating what had been a department into a school within Cornell Engineering,” the Chronicle reported.

“Additional endowed positions and programs include the Meinig Family Professor of Engineering, Nancy Schlegel Meinig Professor of Maternal and Child Nutrition, Meinig Family Investigatorships in the Life Sciences, Carl H. Meinig ’31 Head Coach of Women’s Tennis, and Meinig Family Cornell National Scholars.”

Smalling is CEO and managing partner of HM International, a diversified holding company with interests ranging from frozen foods and online learning to natural gas pipelines headquartered in Austin founded by her father.

What Cornell’s President Did NOT Say About the Gang Rape Case

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Nineteen days after “Jane Doe” sparked national fury against Cornell University with a civil lawsuit alleging she was gang raped at the campus Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024, President Michael I. Kotlikoff resurfaced on October 3 with an 8:23 video message to the Cornell community.

Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff appearing in a video message on October 3, 2026

His somber address was threaded with expected platitudes and promises— “must do better”; “we must lead the way”; “we will act”; “change starts with us”; “we owe it to Jane Doe”; “get this right”; “we are listening”; “we are learning.”

Kotlikoff promised to cooperate with investigations (that New York Governor Kathy Hochul has forced Cornell to accept); to start a new “conversation” with the Cornell community; to give “full support” for tougher state sexual assault laws; to strengthen Cornell’s sexual assault prevention and education; and even to become a national leader in sexual violence research, policies, and practices.

Kotlikoff’s remarks, not surprisingly, were classic PR-driven reputation damage control. The Sophie Fund took notes on what he did not say.

—Kotlikoff did not apologize or take personal or institutional responsibility for “what happened to Jane Doe in 2024.”

—In addressing the alleged assault, Kotlikoff’s first thoughts were not on Jane Doe’s trauma but on how Cornellians are “angry, saddened, and struggling,” and how it will “weigh heavily on our community for years to come.”

—Kotlikoff’s “heart aches” for “what she experienced” but he takes no personal or institutional responsibility for that and offers Jane Doe no apology or regret for how Cornell responded.

—Nor did Kotlikoff apologize or take personal or institutional responsibility for a scandal on his watch that has shaken the Cornell community in “one of the most difficult weeks in our history” and brought shame and disrepute on the university.

—Kotlikoff spoke about “strengthening individual accountability” at Cornell’s fraternity houses, but said nothing about strengthening accountability for Cornell’s leaders.

—Astoundingly, two years after Jane Doe alleges she was raped and reported it to the campus police, the Cornell president professes to be clueless about how her case was botched: “We don’t have all the answers.” (He attempts to make this stunning admission seem brave by prefacing it with “I want to acknowledge something that can be difficult for an institution to say.”)

—Kotlikoff began his video empathizing with the “precious” Cornell community that is “angry, saddened, and struggling.” But he omitted any such message to the Ithaca community, whose medical and advocacy services provide support for Cornell’s rape victims and whose parents and children are now shaken by daily media about gang rape in their precious community.

—Seemingly to deflect the focus on his administration’s responsibility, Kotlikoff repeatedly points to societal and individual responsibility for preventing sexual assault. “We, as a community, must do better”; “as a community, we must foster a culture in which sexual assault is inexcusable”; “change starts with us. The Cornell community”; “being part of a [fraternity] group can never diminish individual responsibility for our own actions.”

—Kotlikoff touted his endorsement of Cornell’s “Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault Final Report March 10, 2026,” but did not mention it was an in-house job led by his own administrators who long had responsibility for curbing what the report itself called “unacceptably high and persistent rates of sexual assault” at Cornell. Or why there was a seven-month delay in issuing the task force report, which Kotlikoff promised by the previous summer. The report contained weak recommendations focused on raising awareness but had nothing to say about reforming the two Cornell entities at the center of the Jane Doe scandal, the Cornell University Police Department and the Office of Civil Rights (Title IX). Nor did the report mention reviewing the alleged assault case involving Chi Phi, despite the case having been the trigger for establishing the task force.

—Kotlikoff otherwise made no announcement of specific, concrete steps his administration will immediately take to address the “unacceptably high and persistent rates of sexual assault” on Cornell’s campus. The year 2025 was the worst on record, with 35 percent of surveyed Cornell women—roughly 3,000 female students when extrapolated—reporting “nonconsensual sexual contact.” Kotlikoff claimed that the presidential task force recommendations had already led to “substantial changes” but he did not point to a single one.

—While the alleged gang rape, botched campus investigation, and subsequent long administration silence about the case occurred on Kotlikoff’s watch and became a national scandal, he does not explain how he is nonetheless qualified to “lead the way” and “get this right.”

—Why would we believe Kotlikoff’s promises of “transparency” and action on sexual assault when he refused repeated requests to simply tell the campus and Ithaca communities how Cornell handled mental health task force recommendations made in 2020?

Below is a transcript of Kotlikoff’s full remarks, with our annotations in bold.

Hello, Cornelians: Students, alumni, faculty, staff, and parents.

Acknowledging Cornell anger

I’ve been at Cornell and part of this community, for more than 26 years. In almost every speech I make, I talk about that precious community, and the unique bonds between us. This has been one of the most difficult weeks in our history. And I know many of you are angry, saddened, and struggling. And that those bonds are under extraordinary stress.

Acknowledging Jane Doe’s trauma

What happened to Jane Doe in 2024 is deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come. My heart aches when I think of what she experienced. It raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, de-humanization, and aspects of party culture, alcohol, and drug use.

Doesn’t know why Jane Doe’s case was botched

It also raises questions around the investigations, conducted after the allegations were reported. I want to acknowledge something that can be difficult for an institution to say: we don’t have all the answers.

Reassuring the Cornell community

But we are committed to investigating and finding the answers our community deserves.

The “community”—not just Cornell’s administration—must do better

I believe we, as an administration and we, as a community, must do better. We must do everything we can to prevent what happened to Jane Doe and everyone before her, and anyone after her, from ever happening again.

The “community”—not just the Cornell administration—must change the culture

As a community, we must foster a culture in which sexual assault is inexcusable. And ensure our community is empowered and understands informed consent, body autonomy, and prevention. We all have a role to play in keeping each other safe.

Sexual assaults in the community are just going to happen

And understanding the sexual violence exists within our society and our community, as leaders, we must create an environment in which people who experience sexual assault feel safe coming forward and are treated with compassion and dignity.

“We”—Cornell? the “community”?—must support victims

We must have systems that are trauma-informed and provide survivors the services they need. We must also investigate allegations rigorously and fairly, including providing due process.

Cornell “welcomes” investigations into “the 2024 matter” that the Governor of New York forced it to accept

In conjunction with our board of trustees, I welcome the independent review by an outside law firm into all aspects of Cornell’s handling of the 2024 matter, which the board will announce next week. We also support the governor’s decision to turn the criminal investigation over to the New York attorney general.

“We will act”

But we will not wait for the investigation or the review to be completed before we act. Where we see opportunities to strengthen prevention and education, students support, mental health and substance use resources, investigative processes, or coordination among our university offices, we will act.

The review should inform additional changes, not delay improvements already underway, or ones we know we can make today.

Change starts with the “community” (not with the Cornell administration)

I believe the change starts with us. The Cornell community.

Look at what Cornell has already done

In early 2025, in the wake of what happened to Jane Doe, we established the presidential task force on sexual assault, to make recommendations focused on prevention and improving the social context in which sexual assaults occur. We fully endorse the task force recommendations which have already led to substantial changes in education, prevention, and support with more work to come.

Cornell must engage the “community,” find new ways to do more

We must also take this moment to reengage our community, and for the task force to come together, and have hard conversations about our campus culture and its future. And to find new ways to do more.

Cornell wasn’t transparent but will now be more transparent

I also hear the frustration that Cornell has not communicated enough about what the university did after the assault was reported, which has led to distrust. There are real legal and privacy limits on what we can say. But we will make a greater effort to explain what we can, to provide context about the actions Cornell has taken, and to be more transparent.

Cornell leadership will start talking with “our community”

This message is the beginning of what we hope will be an ongoing, constructive and dynamic conversation with our community. In the coming weeks, we will create additional opportunities for members of our community to ask questions, and hear directly from university leadership. That will include opportunities for Cornell leadership to listen to our community. including parents of our current students. And as we look ahead to the volunteer summit, additional forums for our extended Cornell community to engage with university and board leadership about what we have done, what we are doing now, and what more needs to be done.

Cornell will now become a national leader in sexual assault prevention

We also need to be the author of our own future as an institution. At the appropriate time, we will speak in greater detail about how Cornell will use this moment, this conversation, this anger, to help lead the broader effort to combat sexual assault not only on our campus but beyond it.

Cornell has extraordinary resources and expertise. We will bring them to bear, building respect for each other as human beings. Understanding the factors that lead to this behavior and the interventions that mitigate it, improving support for those who experience sexual violence, and advancing research that can deepen our understanding [of] sexual assault, trauma, intoxication, and consent, and help shape better practices and policies elsewhere.

Fraternities are okay (even if some of their members are rapists)

That broader work should include a serious look at the role of fraternities and sororities in campus life. At their best, these organizations can provide students with friendship, belonging, mentorship, and a powerful sense of community. But being part of a group can never diminish individual responsibility for our own actions, for how we treat others, for speaking up when someone may be at risk. We will reengage students, alumni, and other members of our community to examine how we preserve what is valuable about Greek life. while strengthening individual accountability, transparency, and a culture in which every member understands their responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of others.

Cornell will back state legislation on sexual assault

We will also lend our full support to legislative efforts to change New York’s sexual assault laws.

Cornell will talk the talk AND walk the walk

You have my commitment that this will not be a moment that passes. We will continue taking every step necessary to make Cornell an institution that leads not just in what we say about these issues. but in the work that we do to address them.

Cornell administration is “listening” and “learning.”

We are listening. We are learning. We are committed to communicating more openly. And where we can do better, we will. That is our responsibility, and is one I take personally.

Cornell must lead the way

This is a defining moment in Cornell’s history. We must lead the way. We owe it to Jane Doe and to survivors of assault to get this right. And we must keep each other safe.

Governor Hochul Slams Cornell University’s Handling of Campus Gang Rape Case

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul on October 2 slammed Cornell University as she appointed Attorney General Letitia James to be an independent special prosecutor into the alleged gang rape of a 20-year-old female student on Cornell’s campus in 2024.

Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James at New York City press conference October 2

Hochul, who three days earlier raised “serious questions” about Cornell’s campus culture and its sexual assault policies, said that the victim spent hours meeting with the Cornell University Police Department and “could not have been clearer that she was 100 percent confident that she had been raped.”

“Yet, shockingly, those words never made it into the account that the Cornell police sent to prosecutors,” Hochul said, displaying emotion and anger at times during a press conference in New York City alongside James.

“In what world would the police learn from a victim that she’d been literally gang raped while intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house and not elevate those allegations to the district attorney?”

Hochul was apparently referencing an October 1 New York Times article a day earlier reporting that the Cornell University Police Department omitted the victim’s “unequivocal statement that she had been raped” in submitting the case to Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten for consideration.

Hochul also criticized Van Houten for declining to pursue charges after reviewing Cornell’s incomplete account: “In what world does the district attorney not even interview her or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript?”

Hochul said she appointed James to take over a new investigation because she lost faith in Van Houten’s ability to pursue the case further.

In Executive Order 64 on October 1, Hochul directed James to investigate the conduct of, and, if warranted, present evidence to a grand jury and prosecute the offenses alleged in a civil suit against seven Cornell students, Cornell University, and other parties by the victim, known as “Jane Doe.”

But Hochul is also demanding to know how Cornell handled Jane Doe’s complaint as well as sexual assault allegations generally, suggesting that officials of the Ivy League school may have intentionally thwarted victim allegations for the sake of its prestige.

“No institution gets to protect its reputation at the expense of a young person seeking justice,” Hochul said. “No public official gets to look the other way when the system breaks down and fails our young people. And as governor, I will not allow anyone to sweep this case under the rug.”

“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.”

In response to a reporter’s question, Hochul indicated that besides investigating the alleged gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity house inside the Cornell campus on October 19-20, 2024 the attorney general’s probe will review Cornell’s handling of the case.

Hochul said: “I’m deeply disturbed at Cornell University’s police and how they handled this. They’re the first ones to be able to interview [Jane Doe] and have their questions answered. And yet this young woman tells her story. Them sending a partial record over [to the district attorney] is, in my judgment, a failure.

“We’ll have the attorney general and others find out if this was actually the case of what happened. But somebody knew more than they were letting people know. And this is what shocks me so much, not just as the governor, but as a mother.”

Hochul has also demanded that Cornell commission outside counsel to undertake an independent review of its actions. She said she had spoken with Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff “about my desire, my insistence, that there be outside, independent counsel examining what happened on the civil side, what the university did, what they knew when, how they handled it.”

Furthermore, in a September 29 statement on the case, Hochul said: “There are also serious questions about Cornell’s campus culture and its systems for prevention, reporting, and response. That is why I am calling for outside counsel to conduct a transparent, independent review of the university’s response to determine whether Cornell met every obligation to protect its students and pursue justice.”

In Facebook and Instagram posts on September 30, Hochul said: “I want answers. And I want accountability. I spoke with Cornell’s president today, and the university has agreed to bring in outside counsel for an independent investigation. I directed my team to look at what more we can do to strengthen protections for survivors. This culture has to stop. And in New York, we’re going to do everything we can to stop it.”

At her October 2 New York City press conference, Hochul offered no defense of Kotlikoff when a reporter asked her, “Will you call for the university president to resign?”

“We don’t have enough information to draw any other conclusions at this time,” Hochul, who as governor is an Ex-Officio member of the Cornell Board of Trustees, replied. “I don’t have enough information to draw any further conclusions at this time.”

Support the Family Reading Partnership!

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The Sophie Fund’s 2026 Cupcake Button fundraiser is live! Each October, we coordinate with college student organizations to collect donations for local nonprofits focused on community well-being.

This year’s campaign is raising funds for the Family Reading Partnership, which connects families with young children to the joy of books and read-aloud experiences to expand their horizons and support their literacy journey. It strives to develop in all children a love of books and strong language skills before beginning school.

Bevi Wallenstein, Outreach Coordinator, and Amber Smith, Executive Director

The organization’s home base is The Nook in the Shops at Ithaca Mall. It operates several programs that together reach all families with children under age 5 in Tompkins County.

“We believe, and research confirms, that literacy skills begin growing before birth,” said Partnership Executive Director Amber Smith. “As with all early childhood development, literacy is best built through early and frequent interactions with responsive adults.”

Smith said that playful games of peek-a-boo and itsy-bitsy spider do more to grow the young brain than flash cards and memorizing the names of colors. “Reading together is an incredible tool for introducing vocabulary, growing a broad worldview, and bonding with a loving adult,” she explained.

DONATE TO THE FAMILY READING PARTNERSHIP

FRP provides families with quality children’s books free of charge to build their own home libraries, a tool for frequent interaction between young children and their caregivers in building literacy skills. The books are available at The Nook’s Bright Red Bookshelf as well as in dozens of other community locations within easy reach.

The Nook is a community hub of activity and resources where local families engage with their infants and toddlers and with each other. The tech-free space is designed to encourage imaginative play, physical development, and emotional regulation via exploration with toys, books, and art materials.

Parents can also take their kids on Story Walks through Tompkins County parks hosted by FRP.

The Partnership runs a weekly New Parent Support Group with a perinatal mental health specialist to build confidence and community, and to combat the common isolation and depression that many infant caregivers experience in the first year of a baby’s life.

The space hosts Early Intervention therapy sessions, which provides supports and services for infants and young children who have developmental delays or disabilities. The Nook is also a space for parents lacking custodial rights to spend time with their children in a supervised setting.

FRP was founded in the late 1990’s as a coalition of individuals and agencies who cared deeply about ensuring that all children in our community were exposed to books and read aloud to from the very beginning. Originally housed under the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) umbrella, FRP received nonprofit status in 2001 and has given away over half a million books to children over the last 25 years.

The Partnership is funded by hundreds of generous community members, corporate sponsors, and foundations such as the Community Foundation of Tompkins County, Triad Foundation, and the United Way of Tompkins County.

Volunteer with FRP: Fill out an online form here.

Donate Books to FRP: Go to: https://www.familyreading.org/get-involved/give-books/

For the Cupcake Button fundraising campaign, The Sophie Fund coordinates with college students to raise money through various in-person activities (and provide donors with Cupcake Buttons) on campus and in the community.

Community members may also contribute to the campaign directly through the Family Reading Partnership’s donation page here.

Since 2017 the Cupcake Button campaigns have raised about $9,000 for organizations including: Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service; Mental Health Association in Tompkins County; Advocacy Center of Tompkins County; Village at Ithaca; The Learning Web; National Alliance on Mental Illness–Finger Lakes; Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca; Ithaca Free Clinic; and Ithaca Welcomes Refugees.

This year’s Cupcake Button campaign is supported by many student organizations, including Cornell University’s Cornell Circle K, Pre-Professional Association Toward Careers in Health (PATCH), Alpha Phi Omega–Gamma Chapter, Realizing Integration, Support, and Support for Underserved Populations at Cornell (RISEUP), and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Donors receive a Cupcake Button featuring the image of a cupcake created by Sophie Hack MacLeod, a Cornell art student who died by suicide in 2016 for whom The Sophie Fund is named.

For more information about The Sophie Fund, go to: www.thesophiefund.org