Mood at Cornell University darkens amid mounting pressure on investigators of alleged sex assault

By Taylor Galgano, Danya Gainor, CNN

Ithaca, New York (CNN) — At first glance, the town of Ithaca looks like a picture-perfect college brochure: the trees are starting to flash colorful fall foliage, a man in overalls is selling fresh flowers under the sun and students crowd around small tables outside a popular bagel shop just off Cornell University’s campus.

But deeper into the hills of the Ivy League institution, a homemade banner hanging from student co-op housing Saturday signals roiling turmoil. It reads: “Protect students, not rapists. Admin resign.”

The banner is a sign of the tension that has been growing since a former student identified as Jane Doe filed a bombshell lawsuit against the school and others last month alleging she was the victim of a gang rape in a fraternity house in October 2024.

Alexandra Pogyo Samaniego, a freshman, goes from a cheery smile to a stern look as soon as she’s asked how she’s doing. She wakes up every morning thinking of Doe’s case, she said.

Though it was her dream to attend Cornell, like her big sister, she feels “disillusioned” by the university just a few months into her time here. The “buzz” of excited energy when she first arrived has been replaced with a “quietness,” she said.

The lawsuit ignited a firestorm of criticism surrounding how the university and district attorney handled the case – which resulted in no criminal charges – when it was first reported and revived the national discussion around how schools, police and prosecutors respond to campus sexual assaults.

Here’s the latest:

• Doe’s attorney expresses confidence in James’ investigation: Thomas Giuffra told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday he had an initial call with Attorney General Letitia James’ office last week and believes the investigation will be handled fairly. “So it sounds to me that people are being brought in who are experienced in crime and investigating crime,” he said. There will be a new set of eyes on evidence Doe’s team has collected, including recordings of calls between her and some of the accused, as well as emailed apologies, the attorney said.
• Incomplete investigation: The attorney said he believes there were other photos and videos related to the alleged assault: “You know where I think those photos and videos are now? I think they’re in the bottom of … (Cayuga Lake),” Giuffra said. The attorney said it’s even possible more people were involved in the assault: “We will never know because of such an inadequate investigation that was done,” he said.
• Doe receiving threats: Jane Doe is dealing with threats and attempts to reveal her identity, Giuffra told Tapper, adding he received a threat Sunday morning.
• A message from the president: In his first public remarks since Doe filed her lawsuit, university president Michael Kotlikoff called her allegations “deeply disturbing,” saying, “This is a defining moment in Cornell’s history.” He acknowledged the university does not have all the answers and must “do better” to prevent future sexual violence in the community. Kotlikoff said he welcomes an independent review by an outside law firm into Cornell’s initial handling of the case, which he said would be announced next week.
• Prosecutors refused additional evidence review: The Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office – which handled the 2024 criminal investigation – declined at the time to review any additional evidence, including more interviews gathered by the campus police department, beyond a six-page statement signed by Doe, records obtained by the New York Times show. Prosecutors did not express interest in the additional evidence because they had decided, based on Doe’s statement, “Criminal charges would not be pursued in this case,” a Cornell police investigator said in a note documenting the call, according to the Times.
• State officials take over case: Vowing to unravel the investigation’s failures, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul turned the investigation over to James, replacing Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who reopened the case after the lawsuit was filed. Van Houten, who has been DA since 2017, said he supports James’ appointment.
• Doe in 2024: “I was raped”: Doe’s attorney believes his client did not consent to any of the sexual encounters that are the focus of her allegations and was initially “in denial” about what transpired before starting to feel ashamed and finally realizing she had been raped, he told CNN. Doe told Cornell police in 2024 she was “pretty ok” with aspects of an initial encounter but did not consent to other sexual activities later that night, according to a statement CNN obtained. In a separate transcript of a November 2024 interview with police, she said, “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped,” according to CNN affiliate WCBS, which obtained the document. Prosecutors did not receive the transcript when Cornell police furnished Doe’s much briefer written statement, according to the local DA and New York’s governor.

Mood on campus turns solemn

Pogyo Samaniego describes a range of emotions over the past weeks: anxiety that has made her miss classes, disbelief about the situation, and anger.

She also feels resentment toward the university for what she feels is a lack of transparency and student input, Pogyo Samaniego explained outside of Willard Straight hall, which she pointed out is known for a 1969 student occupation against racial injustice.

“It’s this really deep sorrow at the fact that this could have happened to Jane Doe, but also this could happen to anybody on campus. It could happen to your female friends, it could happen to your male friends, it also could very much be you,” Pogyo Samaniego said.

Outside of Collegetown Bagels, a popular restaurant where students usually meet to share a beer, Jonah Van der Linden said he broke down in tears earlier this week from a culmination of pent-up emotions.

Most conversations about homework or social plans now seem to morph into a discussion about the sexual assault allegations and the university, he said.

As Van der Linden shared intimate details about conversations his peers are having about sexual assault and feeling unsafe, several students passed without a second glance, as if such a conversation is nothing out of the ordinary.

Van der Linden has taken several steps to cope this week. He spent an hour with the president of a Cornell sorority, brainstorming ways to support her chapter’s uneasy sisters. He wrote an article for the student-run magazine Collegetown outlining ways the student body can start to heal. He has taken time to talk to the men in his life about consent.

“You need to talk to your friends and spend time with your friends and put effort into your friendships, especially people who are survivors, and especially women feeling unsafe,” Van der Linden said.

Both students also noted overwhelming online harassment against Cornell students, with Pogyo Samaniego saying people have told her to transfer to another university.

“More and more people are walking with their heads down, and I mean that literally,” Darius Pierce, a freshman, said.

Pierce told CNN that despite the mixed emotions and the online harassment he and some of his classmates have been facing from people outside of the Cornell community, there is an overwhelming amount of support for Jane Doe across campus.

Senior Ava Farkash said she hopes all the attention will bring about change.

“We all need something to come of this and something to be resolved because stuff like this happens all the time. And it’s just so frustrating when nothing ever changes,” Farkash said.

She can still remember the confusion of reading the initial email from Cornell about Doe’s case in 2024. She feels most of her peers are more angry this time around, with much of the frustration directed at the university administrators.

Farkash was already feeling the stress of her senior year and finding a job before her university was pushed into the spotlight. She wondered aloud if her association with Cornell could now hurt her job prospects.

“In a world where it’s already so incredibly difficult to get a job,” Farkash said, “I’m scared that it will be even harder now that I, by default, am associated with this reputation.”

Help is available: For help in the US, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or chat 24/7 on online.rainn.org.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post Mood at Cornell University darkens amid mounting pressure on investigators of alleged sex assault appeared first on KRDO.