Campus police at Cornell University in New York arrested a student for drug-related offenses at the Chi Phi fraternity house early on October 19, 2024—just a day before allegations in a civil lawsuit were brought against seven former members for gang raping a female student. This information was noted in the school’s crime log, which was revisited by the Cornell Daily Sun, an independent campus newspaper.
The arrest occurred around 1 a.m., but the specific charges were not detailed, and it’s unclear whether the arrested student was affiliated with Chi Phi. The blotter entry mentioned that the individual was referred to the Office of Student Conduct for further action.
The fraternity reportedly held a party later that same day that extended into the following morning. This event is connected to the ongoing civil lawsuit involving an anonymous plaintiff, referred to as Jane Doe, who reported to campus police on November 8 that she experienced sexual assault during the hours spanning from October 19 to the early hours of October 20.
In her lawsuit, Doe claims she was coerced into using ketamine, a drug known for its anesthetic and hallucinogenic properties, and which the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has noted can facilitate sexual assault.
On the day Doe reported her allegations, Cornell University suspended the fraternity. Concurrently, acts of vandalism occurred at Day Hall, where windows were broken and walls were spray-painted with slogans, an act of frustration seemingly connected to the events at Chi Phi. Kyle Kimball, the university’s vice president for university relations, responded by acknowledging the community’s emotions but stressed that damaging property was not an appropriate outlet for those feelings.
After Doe initially reported her case to campus police, Tompkins County prosecutors chose not to pursue criminal charges. Their rationale was tied to statements made by Doe in November 2024, which indicated that she did not claim to have been drugged or gang-raped and described her involvement in drug use and sexual activities as voluntary. Nevertheless, reports from interviews she gave later on highlighted a distinction she made between consensual encounters and the alleged assaults that followed, emphasizing that she firmly believed she had been raped.
In response to growing concerns regarding the allegations in Doe’s lawsuit, New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James to act as a special prosecutor to investigate the matter.
