Cornells main building covered in graffiti, windows destroyed: Smash the patriarchy
Cornell’s main administration building was splashed with graffiti and a glass door was broken overnight as student groups planned a protest Monday over the university’s handling of the alleged 2024 fraternity-house gang rape that has ignited a firestorm of anger on campus and beyond.Holes were knocked into one of the administration hall’s glass doors, and the walls beside them were marked with red-painted messages condemning patriarchy and the Ivy League school’s handling of sexual assaults, news media photos showed.Cornell spokesperson Kyle Kimball said in a statement that the university was investigating and that “damaging property is not the answer” to Cornellians’ “frustration and strong emotions.” Campus police referred questions to his office, which declined to provide more detail on the incident.Meanwhile, a roster of student organizations planned a late-afternoon “Justice for Survivors” demonstration to push for changes in the university’s process for handling sexual assault complaints and for more punishments connected to the one that followed a party at the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024.A then-sophomore alleges that she was sexually assaulted there by multiple men after being pressured into drinking and taking drugs.The woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, recently sued the university, seven former students, the fraternity and others.Her lawsuit said that she became fully incapacitated as fraternity members assaulted her, and that one man sent others a message inviting them to participate.Lawyers for two of the former students denied they participated in a sexual assault.
Attempts by The Associated Press to reach the other men or their representatives have been unsuccessful.Court records show that some of the accused students, when interviewed by Cornell investigators, described the sexual activity as consensual.The suit has drawn national attention to what Cornell, its police force and the local district attorne...