Some high school seniors are taking Cornell University off their college lists after a former student sued the school over an alleged 2024 gang rape at a fraternity house, CNN reported. The timing is tight. Cornell's early decision deadline is November 1, and early decision is binding.
Robert Schwartz, a college application consultant, told CNN that five high school senior girls had told him in recent weeks they would no longer apply. "I've never seen anything like this," he said. Rachel Rubin of Spark Admissions said her firm had fielded more than a dozen calls from worried families, and two families decided not to apply early decision. Elizabeth Stone of Top Tier Admissions said the number of early decision clients who switched schools was in the "single digits."
Other counselors told CNN they had seen little change. Charis Ralko of Ivy Coach said none of the firm's students had dropped Cornell. "It's a little late to just pick up and totally abandon their original plan," Ralko said. Linda Kern, a Cornell graduate and college counselor, said she doubted the case would deter many families, because "the overriding consideration is prestige."
Students are split too. A Minnesota senior, identified by CNN with a pseudonym, said he dropped Cornell from his early decision plans. "I don't know that I would feel safe in an environment that handles drugging situations like that," he said. A Utah senior said he still plans to apply early decision after seeing students protest, which convinced him Cornell is "a place that I want to be."
The lawsuit was filed in September by a former student identified in court papers as Jane Doe. She alleges she was given drugs and sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house on October 19 and 20, 2024, NBC News reported. The suit names Cornell, Chi Phi, the Tri Delta sorority, and seven former Chi Phi members. None of the seven has been criminally charged. Attorneys for four of them say their clients deny the allegations, and the other three had not responded to NBC News. Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James to oversee the case.
On October 13, Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff apologized. "I am deeply sorry for the harm Jane Doe suffered in 2024," Kotlikoff wrote. Cornell suspended parties and social events at fraternity houses for the rest of the academic year and said it would bring in "experienced, trauma-informed criminal investigators" to review sexual assault allegations and add staff to its Office of Civil Rights, NBC News reported. The university had already asked former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent review of how it handles sexual misconduct. Jane Doe's lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, said the steps came "too late to protect Ms. Doe."
Cornell's undergraduate admissions office also wrote to high school guidance counselors during the week of October 12. "We know that some of you may have mixed feelings about recommending Cornell to students now or in the future," the letter said, according to CNN. It called the allegations "deeply disturbing" and listed the university's resources for preventing and responding to sexual violence.
Cornell has more than 16,000 undergraduates, the most in the Ivy League. Past scandals have had mixed effects on applications, CNN noted. Duke attributed an estimated three-percentage-point drop in acceptances to its 2006 lacrosse case, which turned out to be a hoax.
What families can check at any college
Families can check any college's safety record with federal data. Under the Clery Act, colleges that take part in federal student aid programs must distribute an annual security report to students and employees by October 1 each year, according to federal regulations. The report must include crime statistics for the three most recent calendar years, and colleges must give prospective students a notice saying the report is available and how to request a copy.
The U.S. Department of Education posts the same statistics in its Campus Safety and Security data tool, where families can look up the statistics a school has reported. The figures count only crimes reported to police or to college security officials, under the federal rules. For more on weighing college decisions, see allk12's look at whether college is still worth it for everyone.
Sources
CNN: High school seniors, parents and college counselors grapple with applying to Cornell
NBC News: Cornell bans fraternity parties for the rest of the academic year amid investigation into alleged sexual assault
34 CFR 668.41: Reporting and disclosure of information (annual security report deadline)
34 CFR 668.46: Institutional security policies and crime statistics
U.S. Department of Education: Campus Safety and Security
