The Sophie Fund

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.