ITHACA, N.Y. — Around 2 a.m. Monday, student activists painted messages condemning Cornell University and smashed the windows of Day Hall, the seat of the university’s senior administrators. “At Cornell rapists are protected protestors are expelled,” read one message. “Smash the patriarchy,” read another.
Organizers are gearing up for a week of protests in support of a former classmate who alleges she was gang-raped by seven Chi Phi fraternity members in 2024. The accuser, identified in court documents only as Jane Doe, is suing the university, her sorority and the seven men she alleges assaulted her.
The lawsuit sparked a national outcry over the school’s handling of the sexual assault allegations and the pervasiveness of sexual violence on college campuses. After an investigation, a university hearing panel issued a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from the school. The local district attorney decided there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges.
“We took it upon ourselves to halt business as usual until justice is attained,” the activists wrote in a message shared with The Washington Post. “Property damage is not violent; condoning rape is.”
Cornell spokesman Kyle Kimball wrote in a statement: “We understand the frustration and strong emotions being expressed across our community. Those concerns deserve to be heard, but damaging property is not the answer.” The university will investigate the vandalism at Day Hall.
On Sunday, college students and Ithaca residents gathered at the Bernie Milton Pavilion downtown for a peaceful demonstration of solidarity with victims of sexual violence. Eliot Larson, a part-time Ithaca College student who helped organize the protest, called to the packed pavilion in solidarity with the accuser, “My name is Jane Doe.”
Larson shared their story of sexual abuse, along with stories other attendees had submitted anonymously before the rally. Speakers demanded that Cornell administrators be fired, degrees revoked from the men who allegedly assaulted Jane Doe and for Greek life to be abolished.
A larger protest on the university campus is planned for Monday evening.
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