Cornell rarely expels students in sex assault cases | Exclusive

Cornell’s Record on Sexual Violence Discipline Draws New Scrutiny

Cybersecarmor.com – Cornell University removed relatively few people from campus after finding them responsible for sexual or gender-based violence between 2018 and 2024, even as reports to its Title IX office exceeded 1,200 during that period.

The cases involved allegations of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking. Cornell brought disciplinary charges against a student or employee in 162 of those matters, and found at least one accused person responsible in 51 cases.

Fewer than half of the people found responsible were suspended or expelled. Many instead received sanctions that permitted them to continue studying or working at Cornell, including probation and required education or training.

The data have gained added attention while the university confronts a federal lawsuit tied to an alleged 2024 assault involving fraternity members. The suit alleges that Cornell did not adequately protect a student who says she was drugged and gang-raped by seven fraternity members.

Low Rate of Campus Removal

With enrollment averaging about 29,000 students, Cornell suspended roughly two students or employees annually for sexual violence from 2018 through 2024. The university expelled or dismissed about one person a year over the same span.

Not every report can or should result in a formal disciplinary case. Some reports originate with mandatory reporters or people who learned of an incident secondhand and may lack enough information for an investigation. In other situations, a survivor may seek safety measures, counseling or academic accommodations without choosing a formal resolution process. A university may also lack jurisdiction over some alleged conduct.

Still, the gap between reported incidents and serious discipline raises questions about whether survivors believe reporting will lead to meaningful accountability. Nicole Bedera, a sociologist who studies how institutions respond to campus sexual misconduct, said weak consequences can undermine confidence in the reporting system and leave harmful conduct unchecked.

“Those numbers strike me that there’s been an erosion of trust,” Bedera said of Cornell’s data. “If perpetrators know that nothing is going to happen to them, then they feel less inhibited in acting violently. If there’s no check on that violence, it just grows and grows.”

The issue is not simply about punishment. Title IX processes can determine whether students are able to attend classes, live in campus housing, participate in activities and pursue an education without further disruption. When a school finds someone responsible for misconduct, restrictions on that person may also affect the safety and well-being of others in the campus community.

Student Experiences and Reporting

Results from Cornell’s 2025 campus climate survey point to the scale of concerns among students. Nearly one in six respondents said they had experienced unwanted sexual contact or penetration after enrolling at the university. The share was higher among undergraduate women, with more than one in three reporting such an experience.

Those figures do not mean every experience became a Title IX case, and the university’s reported incidents cannot be treated as a complete measure of all sexual violence affecting students. Many survivors never report what happened, while others may choose confidential support or an informal response rather than a disciplinary complaint.

Campus climate surveys, Title IX reports and disciplinary outcomes each capture different parts of a larger picture. Together, they can help students, families and university leaders assess whether support systems, investigative practices and sanctions are meeting the needs of those affected by violence.

Federal Law and Institutional Responsibilities

Title IX is the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. Its protections include a school’s responsibility to address sexual misconduct when it interferes with a student’s ability to participate in educational programs.

Federal enforcement of Title IX became more prominent during the Obama administration in the early 2010s, when colleges faced increased pressure to respond promptly and fairly to allegations of sexual harassment and violence. The resulting debate has often focused on claims that campus processes are unfair to accused students. At the same time, advocates and researchers have continued to question whether institutions impose sufficient consequences after finding someone responsible.

Disciplinary systems must balance several obligations: providing support to complainants, respecting the rights of respondents, conducting reliable investigations and protecting the wider community. A finding of responsibility does not automatically require the same sanction in every case, because institutions may consider the nature of the conduct, prior history, safety concerns and other factors permitted by their procedures.

But the Cornell figures show that severe sanctions were not the most common outcome among the cases in which responsibility was established. For survivors, the outcome of a process can shape whether they feel safe returning to classrooms, residence halls and campus organizations. For institutions, it can influence confidence in whether policies are being enforced consistently.

Questions Surrounding the 2024 Allegation

The federal lawsuit involving the alleged 2024 fraternity assault has intensified attention on Cornell’s handling of sexual violence claims. A lawyer for the woman who filed the lawsuit told CBS News that Cornell expelled two of the seven fraternity members accused in the case. The lawsuit states that other students were allowed to write essays that could help reduce their discipline.

It remains unclear whether those students appear in the 2018-2024 disciplinary data because court records indicate their discipline occurred in 2025. Criminal charges had not been filed against the accused men when the allegations emerged. The Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office reopened the matter on Sept. 28.

Cornell did not provide detailed responses to questions about its disciplinary record. In a statement sent after publication of the findings, university spokesperson Rebecca Valli said that many reports do not become formal complaints or investigations. Reasons can include uncertainty about the identity of a complainant or respondent, or a complainant’s decision not to continue with a case.

“Cornell takes each report seriously and, to the greatest extent possible, honors a complainant’s decision not to pursue resolution,” Valli said. “The university provides support and resources regardless of whether the respondent is subject to our conduct processes, and regardless of whether a complainant consents to an investigation.”

That explanation underscores an important distinction between receiving a report and completing a disciplinary case. Yet the outcomes of completed cases remain central to public concerns. As Cornell faces questions from students, survivors and the broader community, the university’s approach to investigations, support services and sanctions will remain under close examination.