Cornell cracks down on fraternities after gang rape lawsuit

Cornell University has banned parties at fraternity houses through the end of the academic year and will add experienced sexual assault investigators to its police force, responding to a student’s allegations that she was gang raped in October 2024.

The move follows a lawsuit the young woman filed against the Chi Phi fraternity, the university and seven students she says assaulted her. Authorities have since reopened the investigation, and the fraternity has been barred from campus grounds.

Her suit says the accused students were allowed to write essays to Cornell to mitigate their conduct. The university says its own investigation resulted in some students being disciplined or expelled.

It isn’t Cornell’s first crackdown. In 2022, reports of druggings and a sexual assault at fraternity-affiliated off-campus housing led to a temporary suspension of parties, meant to give chapters time to tighten safety plans. The gang rape allegation came two years later.