ReutersCornell University has updated its newly published FAQ on a 2024 sexual assault case involving its Chi Phi fraternity. It reportedly removed a statement that its police department had shared “all investigatory information” with the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office.
According to WSKG reporting on Thursday, October 1, the change was made a day earlier as the university is in a national firestorm over its handling of allegations that a former Cornell student, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, was sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.
It was followed by a civil lawsuit filed by Jane Doe against the university, Chi Phi, and seven men. The lawsuit alleges that in October 2024, she was drugged and gang raped at the fraternity house.
One of the questions on Cornell's FAQ asks: “Did Cornell Police adequately investigate the incident? Why didn’t they bring in the Ithaca Police?” On Wednesday morning, the answer said Cornell University Police Department had investigated the case and “shared all investigatory information with the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office.” The statement also described CUPD as a sworn law enforcement agency performing the same functions as municipal police on Cornell property, according to WSKG.
Also Read: Cornell University rape case: What we know so far and what happened in 2024 involving the Chi Phi fraternity
But by the afternoon, Cornell had apparently removed the reference to “all investigatory information.” The revised FAQ instead states that CUPD “shared the victim’s sworn statement and the Snapchat screenshot with the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office.”
It also changed the description of CUPD, going on to say that it is a university unit whose officers are special deputy sheriffs under New York law. “The Cornell University Police Department is a unit of the university, and its officers are special deputy sheriffs pursuant to NY Educational Law 5709 whose duties include the enforcement of law and order on Cornell property. This incident occurred in Cornell’s jurisdiction,” the FAQ reads as of writing.
The handling of the Snapchat evidence has also come under scrutiny. According to CNN, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said the Snapchat screenshots were not part of his office’s initial analysis. When CNN’s Jake Tapper asked when his office received them, Van Houten said, “We did not see them initially. They were not part of our initial analysis. But I understand that Cornell had them and they sent them to our team.”
Cornell’s updated FAQ, however, says the Cornell University Police Department provided the victim’s sworn statement and the Snapchat screenshot to the DA’s office in November 2024.
Also Read: Cornell University ‘Gang Rape' Case: How did a Marine sergeant and his family become targets of death threats and harassment by mistake?
WSKG also reported that Van Houten said that if a reported transcript of Jane Doe's police interview is accurate, prosecutors should have been informed about what she told Cornell police that was not included in her six-page statement.
Jane Doe's attorney, Thomas Giuffra, separately told NPR that his client said in her 2024 sworn statement: “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.” NPR said it had not obtained the transcript itself, and WSKG said it had not independently verified it.
Cornell has maintained that it conducted a months-long Title IX investigation and imposed sanctions that included expulsions and suspensions. The university has also supported the reopening of the criminal investigation.
According to WSKG reporting on Thursday, October 1, the change was made a day earlier as the university is in a national firestorm over its handling of allegations that a former Cornell student, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, was sexually assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.
It was followed by a civil lawsuit filed by Jane Doe against the university, Chi Phi, and seven men. The lawsuit alleges that in October 2024, she was drugged and gang raped at the fraternity house.
What Cornell's FAQ originally said
One of the questions on Cornell's FAQ asks: “Did Cornell Police adequately investigate the incident? Why didn’t they bring in the Ithaca Police?” On Wednesday morning, the answer said Cornell University Police Department had investigated the case and “shared all investigatory information with the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office.” The statement also described CUPD as a sworn law enforcement agency performing the same functions as municipal police on Cornell property, according to WSKG.
Also Read: Cornell University rape case: What we know so far and what happened in 2024 involving the Chi Phi fraternity
But by the afternoon, Cornell had apparently removed the reference to “all investigatory information.” The revised FAQ instead states that CUPD “shared the victim’s sworn statement and the Snapchat screenshot with the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office.”
Cornell changed the description of CUPD
It also changed the description of CUPD, going on to say that it is a university unit whose officers are special deputy sheriffs under New York law. “The Cornell University Police Department is a unit of the university, and its officers are special deputy sheriffs pursuant to NY Educational Law 5709 whose duties include the enforcement of law and order on Cornell property. This incident occurred in Cornell’s jurisdiction,” the FAQ reads as of writing.
The Snapchat dispute
The handling of the Snapchat evidence has also come under scrutiny. According to CNN, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said the Snapchat screenshots were not part of his office’s initial analysis. When CNN’s Jake Tapper asked when his office received them, Van Houten said, “We did not see them initially. They were not part of our initial analysis. But I understand that Cornell had them and they sent them to our team.”
Cornell’s updated FAQ, however, says the Cornell University Police Department provided the victim’s sworn statement and the Snapchat screenshot to the DA’s office in November 2024.
Also Read: Cornell University ‘Gang Rape' Case: How did a Marine sergeant and his family become targets of death threats and harassment by mistake?
Victim’s account
WSKG also reported that Van Houten said that if a reported transcript of Jane Doe's police interview is accurate, prosecutors should have been informed about what she told Cornell police that was not included in her six-page statement.
Jane Doe's attorney, Thomas Giuffra, separately told NPR that his client said in her 2024 sworn statement: “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped.” NPR said it had not obtained the transcript itself, and WSKG said it had not independently verified it.
Cornell has maintained that it conducted a months-long Title IX investigation and imposed sanctions that included expulsions and suspensions. The university has also supported the reopening of the criminal investigation.
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