Cornell president says university 'must do better' on handling of sexual assault allegations

"What happened to Jane Doe in 2024 is deeply disturbing and will weigh heavily on our community for years to come. My heart aches when I think of what she experienced," Kotlikoff said in a video statement to the Cornell community.

"I want to acknowledge something that can be difficult for an institution to say we don't have all the answers, but we are committed to investigating and finding the answers our community deserves. I believe we as an administration, and we as a community must do better," Kotlikoff said.

He said Cornell would not wait for those reviews to conclude before making changes to prevention and education, student support, mental health and substance use resources and investigative processes.

The men have denied wrongdoing, with some maintaining the sexual activity was consensual and others denying they participated. No criminal charges have been filed against the seven men.

Doe filed a 101-page lawsuit last month accusing the former fraternity members of sexual assault and rape and naming Cornell and other entities.

The case came under renewed scrutiny after Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office had not received the full transcript of Doe's November 2024 interview with Cornell University Police before prosecutors initially declined to pursue charges.

Kotlikoff also addressed frustration over Cornell's communication about its response to the allegations and said the university would make a greater effort to be transparent.

"There are real legal and privacy limits on what we can say, but we will make a greater effort to explain what we can to provide context about the actions Cornell has taken and to be more transparent," Kotlikoff said.

Kotlikoff said Cornell would also reexamine the role of fraternities and sororities on campus and support efforts to change New York's sexual assault laws.

"You have my commitment that this will not be a moment that passes," Kotlikoff said.

Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.