"Responsibility for Inadequate Response to Sexual Assault"... Cornell Faculty Push for President's No-Confidence

At Cornell University in the United States, which is facing a crisis over its inadequate response to a student sexual assault case that occurred two years ago, the faculty has now initiated a push for a vote of no confidence against the university president.

According to local media outlets such as CNN and The New York Times (NYT) on the 6th, members of the Cornell Faculty Senate criticized the university leadership's handling of sexual violence cases and submitted a no-confidence resolution the previous evening.

The draft resolution stated, "The Faculty Senate judges that the university administration lacks the ability to effectively address the ongoing sexual violence crisis at Cornell."

This measure aims to hold Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff and the university administration accountable for their insufficient response and to pressure for change. It is scheduled to be brought up as an agenda item at the plenary meeting to be held on the 14th.

The Faculty Senate is a primary legislative advisory and review body at Cornell, composed of more than 75 faculty representatives.

It is reported that about 40 members of the Faculty Senate have expressed support for the no-confidence resolution.

While President Kotlikoff and the university leadership have promised to accept an investigation by an independent external law firm and uncover the truth, the faculty's push for a vote of no confidence is expected to deal a major blow to their leadership.

Ariana Kim, a music professor and member of the Senate, told the NYT that this action makes clear the rejection of the Cornell leadership and effectively expresses that they are unfit to run the university.

Previously, a female former Cornell student recently filed a civil lawsuit against the university and her perpetrators, claiming she was sexually assaulted by seven male students on campus in October 2024.

The woman stated that although she reported the damage to the university and prosecutors at the time, it did not lead to criminal indictment, and the perpetrators did not receive appropriate punishment.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.