Cornell University Faculty Senate Approves No-Confidence Vote in Campus Leadership

The advisory tally recorded five abstentions and five non-voting members, representing 55.6 percent support among participating faculty senators.

The vote carries symbolic weight and does not remove administrative officers, a legal power held exclusively by the university's Board of Trustees. The vote followed campus demonstrations and faculty debates stemming from a civil lawsuit filed in September by a former student using the pseudonym Jane Doe. The lawsuit alleges that seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity drugged her with ketamine and sexually assaulted her at an off-campus fraternity house in October 2024.

All seven accused individuals have denied the allegations, stating either that sexual encounters were consensual or that they were not involved. Campus police initially referred findings to the local district attorney, who declined to file charges, though New York Attorney General Letitia James subsequently reopened a criminal investigation. Faculty members criticized President Michael Kotlikoff after he acknowledged during an October 14 faculty meeting that he had not read the initial campus police report.

Following the vote, Board of Trustees Chair Anne Smalling issued a statement confirming the board's continued support for Kotlikoff, citing administrative measures that added staff to the Office of Civil Rights, expanded prevention education, and hired additional victim advocates.