Cornell University has hired former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates to investigate how it handled a former student’s allegation that she was drugged and gang-raped at a fraternity house in 2024, and how the school deals with sexual assault in general.
The announcement came Tuesday from a new special committee of Cornell’s Board of Trustees. It also came as some faculty are pushing for a vote of no confidence in the administration.
What will Sally Yates investigate?
Two things, according to Cornell. First, a “detailed review of the University’s response” to the 2024 Chi Phi case, “including whether Cornell followed its policies and procedures.” Second, a broader look at how Cornell prevents and responds to sexual harassment and assault, including:
- How reports are received and investigated, and how students are supported.
- Hearing and discipline procedures.
- How campus police respond and coordinate with outside law enforcement.
- Oversight of fraternities and sororities.
- Whether Cornell complies with Title IX, the Clery Act, the Campus SaVE Act and New York law.
Yates, a partner at the law firm King & Spalding, will report to the trustees’ special committee. Cornell says she’ll have “full independence.” No timeline or cost has been announced.
Why is Cornell under so much pressure?
In a lawsuit filed September 16, the former student, known as Jane Doe, accuses seven former Chi Phi members of drugging and raping her in October 2024. The men deny it, and none has been charged. Cornell’s Title IX panel found she was sexually assaulted by two of them, and two were expelled, but others got lighter penalties, including reflection papers. That outcome set off protests on campus.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has called for an outside review of Cornell’s response and appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the reopened criminal case. Professor Ariana Kim has introduced a faculty resolution of no confidence in the administration’s handling of sexual assault, and the Faculty Senate is expected to vote next week.
The case has also become a national political fight. We wrote about how conservative commentators and Trump have rushed to defend the accused men.
Who is Sally Yates?
Yates spent 27 years at the Justice Department, including as U.S. attorney in Atlanta and as deputy attorney general under President Obama. Trump fired her in 2017 as acting attorney general after she refused to defend his first travel ban. In 2022, she led an investigation into abuse and sexual misconduct in women’s professional soccer that found “systemic” problems and prompted changes in the league.
The BeezLoop Take
Hiring Yates is a serious choice. Her soccer investigation named names and forced real change. That’s the kind of review Cornell needs, not a law-firm memo that clears everyone.
But the details will decide whether this is accountability or damage control. Yates reports to a committee of the same Board of Trustees that oversees the administration under fire. There’s no deadline, and Cornell hasn’t promised to publish her findings in full. Until it does, students and faculty have good reason to wait before calling this a fix.
The open question: will Cornell commit now to making Yates’ full report public, whatever it says?
Sources: CBS New York · ABC News · CNN · Al Jazeera · The Hill
