Pushing Back Against the Jane Doe Pushback

Public outrage over the treatment by Cornell University and the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office of former student Jane Doe’s sexual assault allegations against seven Chi Phi fraternity members has swept the nation.

On Monday, October 5th, Cornell students rallied for a “Justice for Survivors” protest on Ho Plaza, demanding stronger punishments for the accused men and changes to how the university handles complaints of sexual assault. Earlier on Monday around 3:00 a.m., vandals smashed a glass door at the entrance of Day Hall, and graffitied on nearby walls the phrases “SMASH THE PATRIARCHY” and “AT CORNELL [,] RAPISTS ARE PROTECTED PROTESTORS ARE EXPELLED.”

Beyond the campus, alumni are pledging to withhold donations from their alma mater, while political activists campaign against New York’s rape law—insisting that it punishes intoxicated victims of sexual abuse. Online, high school students are removing Cornell from their college application list, with parents being no less vocal about their concerns for sending their children off to the once esteemed Ivy League school.