What ‘Cornell 7’ says about speech, fairness
By Elise Ong, October 13, 2026
With the recent lawsuit filed against Cornell University, I’m reminded of how far away we are from a fair and just society where people don’t have to live in fear of being doubted or discredited.
My heart hurts for Jane Doe. I am livid she will carry the weight of those fraternity members’ actions with her for the rest of her life, while they continue to live out their lives on campus with minimal punishment.
The Cornell Daily Sun, Cornell’s student-run newspaper, published an article Sept. 18 that has since gone viral about a lawsuit alleging a gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024. The article details the seven horrific hours during which Jane Doe was allegedly forced to ingest various drugs and sexually assaulted by seven fraternity members.
In addition to these seven men, now famously known “Cornell 7,” there were 50 other fraternity members in a group chat where someone declared there was “free p****,” according to the article.
The internet erupted after learning two of the seven fraternity members were expelled, while the other five were ordered to write essays.
However, a follow-up article published by The Cornell Daily Sun Oct. 5 reported the punishments for the seven individuals included suspension and/or probation in addition to what was called “reflection papers” and “educational modules.”
Even with probation and suspension, how can completing something students do daily for school possibly be punishment for permanently altering someone’s life in such a harmful and inescapable manner? It’s not.
Shortly after the internet reacted to the case, Cornell’s President Michael Kotlikoff released a video to the Cornell community following the online backlash directed at the university’s handling of the lawsuit.
In the video, Kotlikoff said the university “must do everything we can to prevent what happened to Jane Doe, and everyone before her and anyone after her, from ever happening again.”
I find it almost comical this promise of student protection and rights is coming from the same university that placed restrictions on protests when the campus was rallying for Palestine in 2023, according to an article published by The Nation.
The restrictions included required approval to use megaphones, limited the use of posters and limited the times of day when protests could take place. Above all, a policy was created that put students at risk of suspension for protesting.
If students know they are at risk of suspension for exercising their First Amendment rights by protesting issues as significant as war, how could they feel safe enough to speak up on issues regarding their personal well-being?
They don’t. And I can’t imagine how many unknown cases there are that haven’t been brought to light.
According to USA Today, more than 1,200 incidents of sexual violence were reported to Cornell’s Title IX office between 2018 and 2024. Of the 51 people found guilty, only seven were expelled from the university. Punishments for the other cases were mostly suspension and/or training. I can’t wrap my head around the fact Cornell allows those found guilty for sexual misconduct to remain on campus.
There is a notable trend of minimal accountability for similar crimes across universities in New York, not just at Cornell. According to data from 2018 to 2024 published by The Economic Times, less than 1% of reported incidents of sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking from 26 four-year colleges resulted in expulsion. It infuriates me that this university system allows them to carry on with their lives after ruining another’s, sometimes in one night.
The fact that Jane Doe called Matthew Ingalls, one of the members accused of being directly involved in the assault, a friend is heartbreaking and even more reason why women can never say, “not all men.” It’s impossible to know who is truly trustworthy.
Sure, it’s “not all men,” and yet not one member in the group chat did anything to stop or notify authorities of what was going on in that house. Despite not participating directly in the assault, these 50 other men are not any less guilty than the seven being talked about most.
I worry not everyone is grasping how long seven hours is. Seven hours is a full workday. A school day. A night’s sleep. A movie marathon. It is a disturbingly long time in which this assault took place.
Women shouldn’t have to be in pain or suffer and fight so hard just to be heard.
For ages, women have been deemed dramatic or sensitive for feeling unsafe. We check the backseat when we get in the car. We hold keys between our fingers. We carry pepper spray. We cover drinks and don’t leave them unattended. We share locations with one another. Cases such as this one prove there is no such thing as being too careful.
Recently, public commentator Michael Tracey posted to X attempting to unveil Jane Doe’s identity, saying he would be “happy to publish her name and identifying information” to “evaluate her veracity,” even calling The Cornell Daily Sun’s article “melodramatic.”
Attempting to expose a victim’s identity and dismissing a story as sensitive as this one as “melodramatic” is beyond inappropriate and absurd.
The Society of Professional Journalists lay down the foundations of ethical journalism in its code of ethics. The ethic of minimizing harm calls journalists to “use heightened sensitivity when dealing with crime victims (especially victims of sex crimes).” By pursuing the identity of Jane Doe, Tracey is violating not only this code of ethics but her privacy and right to remain anonymous.
Attending university, especially one as prestigious as Cornell, is a privilege and a dream for many people, including Jane Doe. According to her lawyer in an article published by People, Jane Doe hasn’t been to school since the assault occurred. I sincerely hope Jane Doe can heal with the help of true friends and family and continue chasing whatever dreams she may have.
Seeing women on the internet unite to ensure Jane Doe’s identity remains unknown gives me hope victims of sexual assault don’t have to continue fighting alone or in silence. We stand with her. We are Jane Doe.
I commend the student journalists at Cornell for bringing necessary attention to this case with such professionalism. Thank you for not being afraid to report on subjects such as this. It is because of you that student journalism continues to thrive and remains absolutely necessary.
If you or someone you know is struggling after experiencing sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 1-800-656-4673.