Students vandalize Cornell building over handling of gang-rape allegations

Key Points:

• Student activists vandalized Cornell University's Day Hall overnight, smashing a glass door and painting messages protesting the university’s handling of a 2024 fraternity gang-rape case, including slogans like “SMASH THE PATRIARCHY” and accusations that rapists are protected while protestors are expelled.
• The vandalism was a response to a lawsuit alleging gang rape involving members of the Chi Phi fraternity, with criticism over the university’s disciplinary actions, which included expelling two members, suspending others, and requiring some to write reflective essays.
• Cornell University condemned the property damage but acknowledged community concerns, pledging to investigate the incident and address it according to university policy and law, while student activists defended their actions as nonviolent protest against systemic injustice.
• The case has drawn wider attention, prompting New York Governor Kathy Hochul to appoint Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor, and the Tompkins County district attorney is re-examining the case due to new allegations presented in the lawsuit.
• Cornell’s president announced plans to review fraternity and sorority roles on campus to prevent future incidents, while support resources for sexual abuse victims were highlighted.