Cornell University has stopped fraternity parties until the end of the 2026-27 school year. The move follows public anger over the school’s handling of a sexual assault case from 2024.
The university will also give New York State Police a role in investigating reports of sexual assault on campus. Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff announced the steps on Tuesday.
The new rules cover all parties and social events at houses run by the Interfraternity Council. Cornell will also apply a zero-tolerance policy. Any chapter that breaks the rules will face an immediate suspension.
Kotlikoff said the changes would give the school time to review fraternity life. The review will look at whether these groups can continue to operate in a safe way.
Cornell has more than 20 active fraternities under the council. The group did not respond at once to a request for comment. The university has not said if the ban also covers parties held away from campus.
The decision comes after protests over Cornell’s response to an alleged gang rape at a fraternity house. The case has raised concerns about campus safety and the way schools deal with reports of sexual abuse.
The woman at the center of the case filed a lawsuit in September. She said several fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted her after a party at the Chi Phi house in October 2024.
She claims she was pressured to take drugs. She also said other men entered the room while she was unable to act. In addition, she alleges that fraternity members shared Snapchat messages that described her as willing to have sex with anyone at the house. She says this took place without her knowledge.
The seven men named in the lawsuit have denied the claims. Some say the sexual activity was consensual. Others say they had no part in the alleged events.
Cornell closed the fraternity chapter and disciplined several students after an internal review. Yet no criminal charges have been filed in the case.
The case has led to new questions about who should investigate serious crimes at colleges. Cornell police handled the first inquiry. The department has full law enforcement powers but is controlled by the university.
Campus police work apart from the local police force in Ithaca, New York. After looking into the 2024 claims, Cornell officers gave their first findings to the Tompkins County district attorney.
The district attorney declined to bring charges within weeks of the woman’s first report to police. The decision later drew strong public criticism.
New York’s governor removed the district attorney from the case this month. New York Attorney General Letitia James is now leading the inquiry.
Cornell has also hired former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates to review the university’s response. Her work will take place apart from the school’s own staff.
Kotlikoff said Cornell would seek ideas for safer ways for students to meet and spend time together. The school plans to use its resources to support social events that do not rely on the usual fraternity party culture.
The university will also add a case manager to its Office of Civil Rights. The new staff member will help people who report sexual misconduct understand the process and find support.
Cornell has faced concerns about fraternity safety before. In 2022, the university paused fraternity parties after reports of sexual assault and claims that students had been drugged at housing linked to Greek life.
The school also changed its safety rules in 2019 after freshman Antonio Tsialas was found dead in a gorge. His death followed an alleged hazing event. In 2018, a fraternity faced probation over a contest in which members competed to have sex with women they viewed as overweight.
The latest rules have also drawn criticism from a lawyer for one of the men named in the lawsuit. Andrew Miltenberg said the university was placing too much blame on fraternities for problems that reach beyond Greek life.
He argued that colleges support fraternity events but distance themselves from the groups when problems arise. He also warned that the ban could push parties off campus, where there may be less oversight.
Miltenberg said moving parties to another place would not change the behavior.
The new restrictions mark a major change in student social life at Cornell. The state inquiry and the independent review may help explain how the school handled the 2024 report and whether its response needs further changes.
