Cornell Names Sally Yates to Review Sexual Misconduct Cases

Cornell University trustees have appointed former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to review the university’s handling of sexual misconduct complaints, as hundreds of students and supporters protested on October 5 over its response to a sexual-assault allegation involving members of the Chi Phi fraternity. New York has also reopened a criminal investigation, with Attorney General Letitia James appointed special prosecutor by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The trustees said Yates’s review will examine how Cornell investigates sexual assault and harassment complaints, its disciplinary process and campus police responses. The announcement came as demonstrators gathered on campus in Ithaca, New York, calling for greater accountability and changes to the university’s handling of sexual-assault cases. Crowd estimates varied, with reports describing several hundred people and some putting attendance at about 1,000 or more. The protest followed a civil lawsuit filed last month by a former student identified as Jane Doe. The lawsuit alleges that in October 2024 she was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple members of the Chi Phi chapter.