Gov. Kathy Hochul called Tuesday for outside counsel to independently review how Cornell University responded to sexual-assault allegations involving a former student and members of a fraternity.
In a statement, Hochul said the review should be transparent and determine whether Cornell met its obligations to protect students and pursue justice; she did not announce that a review had begun or say who would commission it.
Hochul also backed Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten's decision to reopen his office's criminal review of the allegations.
She said the case raises questions about Cornell's campus culture and its systems for preventing sexual violence, receiving reports and responding to them. Those are questions she wants examined, not findings announced in the statement.
The former student filed a civil lawsuit this month describing an alleged October 2024 assault at Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity house. The allegations remain unresolved in court, and no criminal indictment has been announced.
Van Houten said Monday that his office had assigned a senior prosecutor to prepare a possible grand-jury presentation after reviewing new allegations in the lawsuit. Earlier FingerLakes1 coverage also details the prosecutor's account of why his office did not bring charges after its initial 2024 review.
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