The Kyunghyang Shinmun reported on the 29th that Cornell faculty are pushing a no-confidence measure against the president over the handling of campus sexual violence. The Faculty Senate rejected a motion to delay, and voting runs from the 30th through November 6.
The Kyunghyang Shinmun reported on the 29th that Cornell University faculty, citing a leadership vacuum in the response to campus sexual violence, are pushing a vote of no confidence in the president. The dispute stems from how the university handled an alleged group sexual assault in 2024 at a student social organization building. The students accused are reported to deny the allegations.
광고 문의 · 300×250According to the student newspaper The Cornell Daily Sun, the Faculty Senate on Wednesday the 28th rejected, 48 to 76, a motion to postpone the vote until after an independent review led by Sally Yates. Voting opens on Friday the 30th and runs through November 6.
A one-sentence resolution
The resolution was introduced on October 7 and first taken up at the full Senate meeting on the 14th. It consists of a single sentence saying the Senate has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell. The paper said it would carry no binding consequences even if passed.
The Associated Press reported that President Michael Kotlikoff acknowledged some missteps at the closed Senate session on the 14th while defending his leadership. He said he had not separately followed the case or the criminal investigation, citing confidentiality and university policy. He asked for more time to carry out reforms and argued that replacing him would not solve the problem, AP said.
Steps by the university and the state after the case grew
As the case grew, New York Governor Kathy Hochul had the state attorney general named special prosecutor to take over the criminal investigation. The university said it would accept a review by an outside law firm. It also announced a ban on fraternity parties through the end of the academic year and temporary handling of sexual assault investigations by state police.
Reaction on campus is divided. AP said some faculty at the meeting said they no longer trusted the administration to address sexual assault, while some senators warned that a hasty vote would not fix the underlying problems. AP explained that a faculty no-confidence vote is largely symbolic but can send a signal to the trustees, who decide how the university is run and who leads it.
Because the matter involves sensitive allegations of sexual violence, this paper does not address the identities of those involved, and no judicial finding has been made on the individual allegations. The result is expected to be known only after voting closes on November 6.
