Cornell building vandalized overnight as hundreds rally over handling of alleged gang rape
Activists smashed doors and spray-painted Day Hall before a Monday rally where students demanded an outside investigation and expulsions.
Activists smashed doors and spray-painted Day Hall before a Monday rally where students demanded an outside investigation and expulsions.
Someone smashed glass doors and spray-painted messages on Cornell University's main administration building overnight, hours before hundreds of students and others rallied on campus Monday over the school's handling of an alleged 2024 fraternity gang rape, according to the Associated Press.
## What happened at Day Hall
Activists broke the glass doors at the entrance of Day Hall at about 3 a.m. Monday, sprayed red paint on its walls and covered a security camera, The Cornell Daily Sun reported. Cornell University Police arrived at about 3:50 a.m., according to the Sun.
The messages included "SMASH THE PATRIARCHY" and "AT CORNELL RAPISTS ARE PROTECTED PROTESTORS ARE EXPELLED," the Sun reported. The door was later boarded up, AP reported.
An anonymous group sent a statement to the Sun saying it acted to protest Cornell's handling of the case. "Property damage is not violent; condoning rape is," the statement said. The group called for abolishing fraternity and sorority life governed by the Interfraternity Council, replacing the university's student conduct office and expelling the Chi Phi members involved, according to the Sun.
## Cornell responds
Cornell spokesperson Kyle Kimball said "damaging property is not the answer" to frustrations on campus, according to AP. The university said it is investigating. No arrests had been reported as of Monday afternoon.
## Students rally
Later Monday, hundreds of people gathered on campus wearing purple ribbons and holding signs reading "support survivors, expel rapists" and "Justice 4 every Jane Doe," AP reported.
The rally was organized by about 20 student groups, including the Cornell NAACP and the campus chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, according to the Sun. Their demands include an external investigation of how the university handled the case, sexual assault training for all students, trauma-informed training for campus police, and changes to Cornell's sexual misconduct policy to require independent hearings and minimum sanctions.
## How we got here
A former Cornell student, identified in court papers only as Jane Doe, sued the university, the Chi Phi fraternity and seven current and former students in September, alleging she was drugged and gang-raped at the fraternity house in 2024, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. The accused men have not been charged with a crime, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
The Tompkins County district attorney reopened the criminal investigation in late September. Gov. Kathy Hochul then appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor, AP reported. Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff released a video Saturday saying the case "raises heartbreaking and troubling issues," according to AP.
## What happens next
The attorney general's office now leads the criminal investigation, and no timeline for a decision on charges has been announced. Cornell says it is investigating the damage to Day Hall. Student organizers say they will keep pressing the university on their demands, and state lawmakers are expected to take up changes to New York's rape law when the legislature returns, according to Democracy Now.