I was hired by one of the Cornell 7: This is the secret playbook I use to help disgraced rich college students face the difficult truth and reinvent themselves on campus
A consultant helps students disciplined or expelled by elite universities apply to other colleges and continue their education. One family contacted Hanna Stotland after their son was disciplined by Cornell in connection with a sexual misconduct case involving seven fraternity brothers, highlighting how wealth can help students pursue a new academic path after serious allegations.
Stotland, a Harvard-trained lawyer, says she receives about 50 enquiries a year from families and charges a retainer of several thousand dollars plus an hourly fee. She reviews a student’s academic record and ambitions, then helps them explain the disciplinary findings truthfully in applications, without deciding whether the original discipline was justified. The Cornell students received different sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions, and all denied wrongdoing.
- A consultant helps disciplined students apply to other colleges.
- Cornell sanctioned seven fraternity brothers in a sexual misconduct case.
- Her approach centres on candid explanations of disciplinary findings.
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When students face disciplinary action at elite universities for serious offences such as sexual misconduct, their educational prospects can be significantly harmed. Such cases raise practical questions about how students can continue their studies and how disciplinary consequences should be handled.
Hanna Stotland is a Harvard-trained lawyer who specialises in helping families navigate this situation, charging substantial fees for her services. She advises students on how to truthfully explain disciplinary findings in applications to new colleges. The story features seven Cornell University fraternity brothers who faced different sanctions—from suspension to expulsion—following allegations of sexual misconduct, all of which the students denied.
The story matters because it shows how access to expensive specialist guidance affects students' ability to pursue further education after disciplinary action. It also reveals a profession that serves families with the financial means to seek assistance in managing the aftermath of serious allegations.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Every student deserves the opportunity to continue their education, and disciplinary sanctions should not result in permanent exile from higher learning. The consultant operates transparently, ensuring students truthfully present their records so receiving institutions can make fully informed decisions; this respects both the original college's discipline and other colleges' autonomy to assess character and risk themselves. Many disciplined students dispute findings or face due process concerns, and rehabilitation matters; preventing further education indefinitely would be disproportionate and forecloses opportunities for personal growth.
The case against
Wealthy families can purchase expertise to rehabilitate and relocate their children after serious discipline—a luxury unavailable to ordinary families—creating a two-tiered system where consequences depend on financial resources rather than conduct. Sending students disciplined for allegations of sexual misconduct to other campuses risks exposing new communities to potential harm whilst allowing allegations to fade from scrutiny, undermining both accountability and victim protection. The inequity is fundamental: this service entrenches privilege rather than providing fair second chances.