Only two out of the 16 Cornell students found responsible for recent sexual assaults were expelled — while half the others only had to attend extra study programs or write essays, according to a shocking study of the records.
The Ivy League school registered 51 complaints of sexual assaults in the four years starting in mid 2000, according to CNN, with a four-person panel finding 15 of the accused not responsible, while another 19 complaints were eventually dismissed or withdrawn. One was found responsible for a lesser offense.
That left 16 students who were found responsible for assaults — only two of whom were expelled, according to CNN’s analysis of the school, which this week admitted failings in handling such cases after the furore of a student saying she was gang raped by seven frat brothers.
Seven of the others — half of the remaining 14 — were only punished with written reprimands, disciplinary probation, directed study or no-contact orders, CNN said. Six were suspended while one case is listed as pending appeal, the network said.
It was not clear if any of the cases led to criminal proceedings, too, a central part of the outrage at the alleged Cornell 7 gang-rape case.
“It hurts so much,” one anonymous Cornell alum told CNN of the student she accused of assaulting her a year after he was accused of assaulting another girl.
“No punishment. No essay. No apology. Allowed to graduate,” said the student, who previously told school officials she was “ashamed to be a Cornell University alum.”
Kacey Lee said she felt “betrayed” when the student she accused of assaulting her was only made to write a “reflection paper” even though she called for him to be expelled.
“To know that I went through it all for this illusion of accountability felt even worse,” she told CNN.
A Cornell disciplinary panel found that Lee’s alleged assaulter “caused significant harm” but his actions “were not taken with malicious intent,” according to school records.
The school ruled that “education in affirmative consent and related topics was likely to prevent the respondent from engaging in similar misconduct in the future.”
Reading the panel’s decision felt like her alleged attacker “just got an extra homework assignment,” Lee said.
“In a way, they were telling me it just wasn’t bad enough. Why is my pain only worth an essay?” she asked, adding that her experience left her “mentally stuck,” skipping meals, and eventually dropping her minor.
The analysis of cases was shared a day after Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff announced sweeping changes — including a ban of frat parties — following the outrage of the Cornell 7 case from 2024, which has only now become a major investigation after accuser Jane Doe filed a lawsuit in frustration at no charges being filed.
Kotlikoff admitted the school “must do better” to achieve “meaningful and lasting change at Cornell.”
I am deeply sorry for the harm Jane Doe suffered in 2024, and appalled that this act of sexual violence occurred within our Cornell community,” Kotlikoff said in a statement.
“We must meet this moment by acknowledging where we have fallen short and taking meaningful action.”
A Cornell spokesperson told The Post on Wednesday that the university “takes allegations of sexual misconduct extremely seriously and investigates reports through its established processes, providing support and resources to those who come forward.
“In this case, the university conducted an extensive investigation and adjudication over several months, imposing sanctions based on the findings and circumstances involving each student,” the spokesperson continued.
“All evidence maintained and decisions made through the Title IX process are considered educational records and are therefore protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal privacy law that governs educational institutions. Cornell therefore cannot publicly provide any comment on disciplinary actions,” the spokesperson concluded.
