Whereas, Cornell University (“the University”) has been receiving due scrutiny nationally and internationally for its handling of Jane Doe’s allegations of horrific sexual assault in November 2024;
Whereas, N.Y. State Education Law mandates specific response policies and procedures for reports of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking under Article 129-B (N.Y. EDN §§ 6439-6449);
Whereas, On October 15, 2026, a statement signed by 26 leaders and stakeholders serving the Ithaca and Tompkins County communities, including those in state and local government and leaders of local survivor advocacy institutions such as Jennifer Brownell of the Advocacy Center of Tompkins County, “demand[s] that the Cornell University Board of Trustees and senior Ithaca campus officials take immediate, transparent, and effective steps toward terminating the campus sexual assault culture that Cornell acknowledges has persisted for too long”, specifically “immediately implementing robust, zero-tolerance policies and practices for preventing sexual violence, including: educating its students about sexual assault and its root causes; procedures ensuring effective Title IX and criminal investigations of assault allegations; and meaningful and timely penalties placed on perpetrators as well as Greek organizations and other entities responsible for tolerating sexual assault on their premises”;
Whereas, The University, including Cornell University Police Department (CUPD), has proven incapable of handling reports of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking with care or in a trauma-informed manner that affords victims the rights guaranteed under N.Y. EDN §§ 6443 (¶¶ 4-6), 6444;
Whereas, N.Y. EDN § 6444 ¶ 7 mandates that "institutions that lack appropriate resources or services shall... enter into memoranda of understanding, agreements, or collaborative partnerships with existing commmunity-based organizations... to refer students for assistance or to make services available to students”;
Whereas, The October 15, 2026 Community Statement Concerning Cornell University also notes that “our medical and emergency services, behavioral health providers, and sexual assault advocates are directly involved in supporting Cornell students who experience sexual assault or are affected by it in other ways”, referring to off-campus local resources;
Whereas, N.Y. EDN § 6444 ¶ 8 mandates that the University “ensure that students have access to a sexual assault forensic examination (SAFE exams) by employing the use of a sexual assault nurse examiner in their campus health center or entering into memoranda of understanding or agreements with at least one local health care facility to provide such a service”;
Whereas, Neither the Cornell Title IX Office nor Cornell Office of Civil Rights (COCR) webpages present any information about the necessity and urgency of sexual assault forensic examinations (SAFE exams) in seeking justice for sexual assault, nor are they available at Cornell Health;
Whereas, Current guidance provided to Designated Reporters recommends reporting suspected instances of a crime to CUPD, who report directly to the University;
Whereas, The University, in implicit acknowledgement of the inadequacy of its internal investigators, recently implemented the use of N.Y. State Police investigators for allegations of sexual assault temporarily.
Whereas, There is currently no clear procedural standard for implementing “no-contact” orders after a Formal Complaint is filed via Title IX alleging sexual violence nor statement that the violation of one subjects the Respondant to further disciplinary action as required by N.Y. EDN § 6444 ¶ 4;
Whereas, The University's current policies outlined in the Procedures for Resolution of Reports Against Students Under Cornell University Policy 6.4 for Acts of Sexual and Related Misconduct§ 17.1 for determining whether a respondent constitutes a "continuing threat to the health and safety of the community" and is thus subject to Emergency Suspension are currently insufficient;
Whereas, Transcript notations for those found responsible of sexual violence, and those who withdraw from the University while conduct procedings are ongoing, are explicitly mandated by N.Y. EDN § 6444 ¶ 6, yet no procedure is outlined in the Procedures for Resolution of Reports Against Students Under Cornell University Policy 6.4 for Acts of Sexual and Related Misconduct. The University’s procedures should clearly identify the administrative process, responsible office, and applicable timelines for implementing these requirements;
Whereas, There are currently no minimum sanctions for students found responsible for sexual assault in the Procedures for Resolution of Reports Against Students Under Cornell University Policy 6.4 for Acts of Sexual and Related Misconduct;
Whereas, N.Y. EDN § 6446 ¶ 1f requires the University to provide "information about existing and available methods to anonymously disclose including but not limited to information on relevant confidential hotlines provided by New York state agencies and not-for-profit entities" ;
Whereas, The University’s own Presidential Task Force on Sexual Assault Final Report (2026) recommends the University "increase knowledge and clarity about support and reporting options", "improve communication with the Cornell community" and "improve understanding about the Title IX process";
Whereas, Students’ ability to understand their rights, reporting options, confidentiality protections, and available support services depends in part on clear and accessible guidance for the Title IX Coordinator and other University-employed Designated Reporters;
Whereas, Public access to applicable guidance, protocols, and reporting standards would enable students and members of the University community to better understand how reports of sexual violence are received, referred, and addressed, and would strengthen institutional transparency and accountability;
Whereas, Students and University personnel currently have to follow a series of links to access Title IX complaint resolution procedures, and the disclosures of affirmative consent definitions mandated by N.Y. EDN § 6441 and Student's Bill of Rights guaranteed by N.Y. EDN § 6443 are buried within the 49-page Procedures for Resolution of Reports Against Students Under Cornell University Policy 6.4 for Acts of Sexual and Related Misconduct PDF;
Whereas: The “report it” hyperlink on the Cornell Title IX Office homepage (https://titleix.cornell.edu/) leads to a form that is submitted to CUPD, yet that is not disclosed.
Whereas, There is blatantly misleading language on the COCR webpage on Designated Reporters (https://officeofcivilrights.cornell.edu/policies-procedures/designated-reporters/) under the heading "Is it possible to speak with someone before filing a report?" with the answer suggesting that students can speak to someone at the Title IX office about an incident of sexual harassment or assault without filing a report, when procedures require that a report is made as soon as the Title IX Coordinator is made aware of these instances and similarly misleading information on the Title IX FAQs webpage (https://titleix.cornell.edu/support-and-resources/faqs/) referring students to the COCR to speak with someone without filing a complaint, when these employees are in reality Designated Reporters;
Whereas, Students experiencing sexual violence should be able to distinguish confidential support resources from University employees whose reporting obligations may require them to share information with the institution, and should be able to access clear, accurate information about confidentiality limitations before disclosing sensitive information;
Whereas, The accessibility and accuracy of information about confidential resources, external reporting options, and support services should be maintained on an ongoing basis so that students can make informed decisions about seeking assistance, regardless of whether they have decided to make a formal report;
Whereas, Current mandated sexual assault prevention trainings for students are clearly inadequate, and they must be continually assessed and changed to improve effectiveness as per N.Y. EDN § 6447 ¶ 7.
Be it therefore resolved, The GPSA calls on the University to establish a memorandum of understanding with the Advocacy Center of Tompkins County and Cayuga Medical Center providing significant financial support in order to afford survivors essential services pursuant to N.Y. EDN § 6444 ¶ ¶ 7-8 and commensurate to the rate of sexual assault uncovered in the University’s own data-gathering, with neither agreement conditioned upon University oversight or reporting to the University by either entity;
Be it further resolved, Information regarding the necessity and urgency of SAFE exams in seeking justice for sexual assault and where one can be performed (Cayuga Medical Center) must be readily available and accessible to all students and staff anywhere reporting information for instances of sexual violence is made available;
Be it further resolved, Guidance provided to Designated Reporters should recommend that in instances where criminal acts are suspected that reports be filed with Ithaca City Police or the N.Y. State Troopers as opposed to CUPD;
Be it further resolved, The University should mandate in its procedures regarding the handling of Title IX investigations that independent, third-party investigators, in the form of trained and licensed attorneys, be employed for any allegation of sexual assault in perpetuity;
Be it further resolved, “No-contact” orders must be issued to Respondents in all Formal Complaints of sexual assault, guidance must be provided that the Respondent is responsible for upholding the order, including re-arranging their class schedule if necessary, and is subject to further disciplinary charges pending its violation;
Be it further resolved, In order to satisfy University Policy 6.4 and N.Y. EDN § § 6443-6444, Procedures for Resolution of Reports Against Students Under Cornell University Policy 6.4 for Acts of Sexual and Related Misconduct § 17.1 must be amended so that respondents accused of sexual assault are immediately subject to an Emergency Suspension pending resolution, as is explicitly required as per N.Y. EDN § 6444 ¶ 4;
Be it further resolved, Procedures for Resolution of Reports Against Students Under Cornell University Policy 6.4 for Acts of Sexual and Related Misconduct must be amended to establish clear and consistent procedures for implementing transcript notations for those found responsible for acts of sexual violence, and those who withdraw from the University before conduct proceedings are resolved pursuant to N.Y. EDN § 6444 ¶ 6;
Be it further resolved, Procedures for Resolution of Reports Against Students Under Cornell University Policy 6.4 for Acts of Sexual and Related Misconduct must be amended to include a minimum sanction for a finding of responsible for allegations of sexual assault of expulsion from the University or revocation of any degree conferred after the alleged event occurred in order to fulfill the University's duty to provide a safe and non-discriminatory environemnt for all members of the University community, including the Complainant;
Be it further resolved, Information about support resources outside the University must be provided in Procedures for Resolution of Reports Against Students Under Cornell University Policy 6.4 for Acts of Sexual and Related Misconduct § 6.1;
Be it further resolved, COCR must change the Title IX homepage (titleix.cornell.edu) to explicitly state that following "report it" link leads you to report to CUPD (i.e. change hyperlink text to "report it to CUPD") and include a link for students to report to local law enforcement (i.e. NY State Troopers SA hotline, Ithaca Police, Tompkins County Sheriff);
Be it further resolved, The University shall also maintain a clearly identified and readily accessible section of the Title IX homepage that identifies confidential resources, explains the distinction between confidential resources and Designated Reporters, describes the limits of confidentiality and the circumstances in which information may be shared, and provides direct links to relevant University and community-based support services;
Be it further resolved, The University shall publish and maintain a publicly accessible collection of applicable guidance, protocols, and standards governing the responsibilities of the Title IX Coordinator and University-employed Designated Reporters concerning reports of sexual violence, including guidance on mandatory reporting, confidentiality limitations, referrals to support services, and options for reporting to external law enforcement. The University shall review and update these materials regularly and make material revisions readily identifiable;
Be it further resolved, The University shall conduct an annual review, guided by current research and evidence-based best practices for preventing and responding to sexual violence, in consultation with independent experts in sexual violence prevention, survivor advocacy, trauma-informed response, and relevant legal and investigative procedures, of its publicly available sexual-violence reporting and support information, including the Title IX homepage, Office of Civil Rights webpages, Designated Reporter guidance, and relevant reporting and resource documents distributed to students. The review shall identify and correct inaccurate, inconsistent, outdated, or hard-to-access information and ensure that information about confidential resources, external law-enforcement reporting options, off-campus advocacy services, and sexual assault forensic examinations is readily available. The University shall publicly publish the experts’ recommendations and the University’s responses to each recommendation, clearly identifying which recommendations are accepted, which are not accepted, and the reasons for declining or modifying any recommendation.
Be it further resolved, COCR must update the Title IX FAQs webpage (https://titleix.cornell.edu/support-and-resources/faqs/) and the COCR Designated Reporters webpage (https://officeofcivilrights.cornell.edu/policies-procedures/designated-reporters/) to eliminate misleading language surrounding confidentiality of conversations survivors may have with COCR employees;
Be it finally resolved, All students must receive mandatory, annual, in-person training designed by survivor advocates and sexual assault experts on sexual assault prevention on campus in order to participate in student activities.
Respectfully submitted,
Emma Scales
Graduate Student
Michelle Heeney
Ex Officio Member
Claire King
Finance Commission Chairperson
