Cornell suspends fraternity parties and gives New York State Police a role in campus sex-crime probe

The Story

Cornell University announced Tuesday it is suspending parties and other social events at fraternity houses through the end of the 2026-27 academic year and is adding a role for the New York State Police in investigating sex-crime allegations on campus.

In a letter to the campus community, Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said the measures include a “zero tolerance” policy for violations, with the emergency suspension of a chapter as an immediate consequence.

Kotlikoff said Cornell will use the suspension period to conduct a “thorough review of fraternity life at Cornell” and to develop “safe social alternatives” to Greek-life party culture, including investing money to support those initiatives.

The president also committed to adding a case manager to the school’s Office of Civil Rights to help people who report sexual misconduct on campus navigate the process, and to working with the New York State Police so its criminal investigators can investigate allegations independently of Cornell.

Crimes reported on Cornell’s campus are generally investigated by campus police, which has full law enforcement powers but is controlled by the university. The campus police force operates independently from municipal police in Ithaca, New York, where the university is located.

The statement comes amid criticism over how Cornell handled allegations that a female student was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house in 2024.

According to the announcement, campus police investigated the 2024 allegations and presented initial findings to the Tompkins County district attorney, who declined to prosecute within weeks of the woman’s first report. The New York governor removed the district attorney from the case earlier this month, and the investigation is now being led by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Cornell has also hired former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates to conduct an independent review of the university’s response.

Kotlikoff said he acknowledged that sexual violence extends beyond fraternities, and that Cornell must address a campus culture of excessive drinking and drug use as well as expand education about students’ responsibility to intervene when others are at risk.

The university also plans to add victim advocates and expand sexual-violence prevention programming, including education aimed at encouraging bystanders to intervene, with Kotlikoff calling Tuesday’s actions “first steps toward systemic change on our campus.”