Mayor Robert Cantelmo wants the city to place a moratorium on all student event permits, including Greek life gatherings. The move comes following the reopening of an alleged drugging and gang rape case on Cornell University’s campus.
A civil lawsuit filed earlier this month alleged that seven fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted a university student, referred to as Jane Doe, in 2024.
The Tompkins County District Attorney’s office reopened the case on Monday. District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said the account of the alleged assault outlined in the lawsuit differs from Doe’s original sworn statement to university police, who investigated the case.
“Jane Doe’s sworn statement in November of 2024 did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped. On the contrary, Jane Doe’s statement described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual,” Van Houten wrote.
Cornell’s university police department is made up of sworn officers who have the authority to make arrests and carry guns, and are also tasked with enforcing Cornell’s student code of conduct. They are employees of the university.
The incident was not reported to the Ithaca Police Department, according to a statement from the department, which said it was “disturbed to hear about the allegations.”
“This incident was not reported to the Ithaca Police Department. The Ithaca Police Department learned of these allegations recently through the media.”
Cantelmo slammed the university for its handling of the case in a statement released on Monday.
“Despite the severity of these crimes, Cornell University administrators and police failed to contact or coordinate any response with the Ithaca Police Department. Furthermore, the University failed to hold the perpetrators to account.”
Cantelmo said that he had “no choice but to declare a new policy directive and corresponding Common Council resolution, implementing an immediate moratorium on all student event and special event permits, including, but not limited to Greek life and other student group gatherings.”
Ithaca Common Council would need to vote on the resolution.
Cantelmo said the moratorium would stay in effect until the university reviews its protocols to “prevent and prosecute crimes of sexual violence” and publicly releases new standards and practices for community safety.
In a statement Tuesday, a Cornell University spokesperson said that the university “shares the mayor’s interest in student well-being and safety. We will work with him to address his concerns.”
The university, which the lawsuit says failed to protect Jane Doe, has been under fire for its response to the incident. The lawsuit says that the seven fraternity members “were afforded the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to Cornell.”
Vice President for University Relations Kyle Kimball said in a statement Monday that “none of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement.”
“Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false.”
Kimball added that the Chi Phi fraternity chapter was closed in 2024 and “remains barred from campus.”