Cornell suspends fraternity parties for remainder of academic year

Cornell University suspended all fraternity social events, including parties, for the rest of the academic year.

University president Michael Kotlikoff is also allowing the New York State Police to have a role in sex crime investigations on campus, The Associated Press reported. Typically, the school’s police department handles crimes committed on campus. It is independent of the Ithaca, New York, municipal police.

The New York Times noted that the announcement comes days before the school’s Homecoming weekend.

The school rolled out a “zero tolerance” policy for violations that would result in the immediate emergency suspension of involved chapters.

The Office of Civil Rights will have a case manager added to staff to help people who report sexual misconduct navigate the process of reporting an alleged incident, the AP reported.

“These measures will provide time for a thorough review of fraternity life at Cornell to determine whether and how it can safely continue,” he told the campus in a letter.

The changes were announced as the campus continues to face fallout from allegations of a 2024 gang rape. University police presented their findings to the Tompkins County district attorney, who did not prosecute. The alleged victim, identified as Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit, and New York Attorney General Letitia James is now conducting a separate criminal investigation at the request of Gov. Kathy Hochul, the Times reported.

None of the men accused have been charged with a crime, and all have denied the allegations.

Doe is suing the Chi Phi fraternity, former and current students at the university, and Cornell University itself, among others, The Cornell Daily Sun reported.

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