# Cornell Faculty Senate preps for no confidence vote on president after Jane Doe’s allegations: What to know

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/cornell-faculty-senate-preps-for-no-confidence-vote-on-president-after-jane-does-allegations-what-to-know/
- Published: 2026-10-28T14:07:40+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T00:46:21+00:00
- Original publisher: The Hill (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://thehill.com/homenews/education/6175952-cornell-faculty-senate-no-confidence-vote-jane-doe/
- Topics: Americas, Elections, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Faculty senators are voting through 6 November on confidence in Cornell’s administration.
- The vote follows Jane Doe’s lawsuit alleging a 2024 sexual assault and failures in Cornell’s response.
- Cornell disputes an account of the president’s remarks and has ordered an independent review.

## Summary

Cornell University’s Faculty Senate is voting electronically through 6 November on a resolution declaring no confidence in the central administration’s ability to address sexual assault on campus. Senators rejected a proposal to postpone the vote until an independent review is complete. The debate follows a civil lawsuit filed in September by a former student using the name Jane Doe. She alleges that seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted or exploited her in October 2024 and that Cornell mishandled her complaints. The allegations remain contested; the no-confidence vote will not itself remove President Michael Kotlikoff or other university leaders.

Doe has also told senators that a second-hand account of Kotlikoff’s response to her initial report left her feeling unsupported and disbelieved. Cornell disputes that account of his remarks. The university has commissioned an independent review of its handling of the case and announced changes including a suspension of fraternity social events for the academic year, expanded support for people reporting sexual assault and a role for state police in investigating reports. Faculty members disagree over whether those steps warrant waiting for the review or whether the administration’s response already calls for a public vote.

## Coverage

- [The Hill: Cornell Faculty Senate preps for no confidence vote on president after Jane Doe’s allegations: What to know](https://thehill.com/homenews/education/6175952-cornell-faculty-senate-no-confidence-vote-jane-doe/)
- [Cornell University Office of the Dean of Faculty: Proposed resolution: Cornell Faculty Senators Vote of No Confidence](https://deanoffaculty.cornell.edu/faculty-governance/faculty-senate/pending-matters/resolution-cornell-faculty-senators-vote-of-no-confidence/comment-page-1/)
- [Cornell University: Updates | Addressing Sexual Violence](https://info.cornell.edu/addressing-sexual-violence/updates/)

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.