Faculty Senate Debates “No Confidence” in Day Hall

On Wednesday, October 14, the Cornell Faculty Senate debated a “no confidence” resolution regarding Cornell’s handling of the 2024 alleged sexual assault of a 20-year-old undergraduate woman. The proposed resolution reads, “Resolved: That the Faculty Senate has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University.“ The Faculty Senate is a group of 138 faculty representatives who are elected by their departments to set academic policy on matters that affect more than one college or unit. It is one of five “shared governance bodies” on campus.

The resolution was drafted by a group of a dozen Faculty Senators and then vetted by the University Faculty Committee, which set it for debate at the October 14 and 28 Faculty Senate meetings. Following those meetings, the resolution will be subject to online voting. Everyone understood that the resolution was carefully drafted to avoid specific reference to any individual or to the specific proceedings involved in the specific 2024 event. However, it became a lightning rod for debates about President Kotlikoff’s leadership and Cornell’s conduct processes

Pre-Meeting Steps

Prior to the Senate meeting, on October 1, the Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program posted an “Open Letter on Sexual Assault & Violence at Cornell.” That department felt “compelled to stand against sexual assault on campus and to address how gender and power are unequally shaping student, staff, and faculty lives at Cornell.”

Professor Seth Sanders conducted a survey of his department with 20 faculty responding. said that 80 percent were not in favor of the resolution, while 20 percent supported it. The group, as well as some members of the physics department, suggested postponing a vote on any resolution as more information emerges from an independent review.

President Kotlikoff also took steps ahead of the meeting. Kotlikoff announced measures he issued Tuesday to ban fraternity parties and bolster campus sexual support services and training on consent. Kotlikoff also suggested a deeper assessment of Cornell’s Greek life culture was necessary. Unlike the temporary pause in social events that the Interfraternity Council (IFC) took in the weeks that followed the 2024 incident, Kotlikoff unilaterally took this step the day before the Faculty Senate meeting, and two days before the Board of Trustees meeting.

Kotlikoff told the Senate, “We don’t have full ability to be confident that what goes on in those houses is safe. I think we need a very careful, open look at Greek life on campus.”

“If this university feels that they will solve this problem by replacing a president, that itself is not good for Cornell’s reputation,” Kotlikoff said. “I don’t think it’s the right way to address situations like this.”

Background Issues

Several long-disputed issues are surfacing as a part of this debate. First, Kotlikoff is an older white male, and many people hope that his replacement would be younger and international, female, or a person of color. Second, faculty are sensitive to their prerogatives and want a more direct voice in conduct matters. Specifically, they want a more orderly “rule of law” with set procedures to handle serious cases, such as sexual assault. In contrast, others are unhappy with Kotlikoff’s navigation of the expectations of the Trump Administration and claim that he cracked down on pro-Palestine protesters to appease Trump.

Prof. Richard Bensel, Government, raised these concerns: “Your reported lack of interest in the Jane Doe event is in fact very surprising, since, as president of Cornell University, you have been extraordinarily active in the disciplining of student behavior.” Bensel was referencing decisions by the university to discipline students who have led protests on campus, including over the war in Gaza.

Cornell’s original Plan of Organization, adopted in 1866, assigned conduct responsibility to the Faculty. It remained with the faculty until 1969, when it was transferred to the faculty-student-employee University Senate. The Senate, and its successor, the University Assembly (UA), drafted and implemented conduct codes and procedures until the Trustees removed their jurisdiction in December 2020 and placed it with Vice President Lombardi instead. Several of the critics vocal at the Faculty Senate meetings, such as Bensel and Risa Lieberwitz, were also active in conduct issues at the UA until that transfer.

“And the reaction to pressure shows up in the drip, drip, drip of emails that we get, saying, ‘This is going to happen, this is going to happen, this is going to happen,’” Lieberwitz said. “It feels that the administration is considering more about how we respond to pressure rather than the kind of leadership which should have been doing systemic work and prioritizing these issues all along.” 

The status of Greek Life is also a long-debated issue. President Andrew Dickson White encouraged the formation of fraternities since the year that Cornell opened, and many of those fraternities continue to exist. In the meantime, they have accumulated millions of dollars in both real estate and endowments covering house operations and scholarships. Faculty regulation of Greek Life followed jurisdiction over conduct issues. Some faculty are relieved that they no longer have direct responsibility for setting such roles, while others express concern that Greek Life poses a threat to campus safety.

Greek Life has three components: the IFC that regulates inclusive and diverse fraternities, the PanHellenic Council that regulates sororities, and the Multicultural Greek Letter Council (MGFC) that regulates fraternities that are restricted to Black, Latino, or Asian students. Kotlikoff’s order limited social events held at IFC chapter houses, but exempted sorority houses or MGFC groups. Critics are questioning the basis for that distinction.

President Kotlikoff then made the IFC chapter house party ban a key feature of his State of the University address delivered to the Board of Trustees.

Subsequently, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has sent Cornell a letter asking it to reconsider the limit on IFC chapter house events, based on Constitutional grounds.

A recording of the Faculty Senate meeting has been posted.