By Giselle Lee | Staff Writer
A former Cornell University student filed a lawsuit in September alleging that seven men sexually assaulted her in 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca, New York. Prosecutors have reopened the investigation, according to a report by The New York Times. At Baylor, students and faculty reflected on the allegations and the role of universities and students in addressing sexual assault.
According to an article published by the Cornell Daily Sun, the lawsuit alleges the woman, identified as “Jane Doe,” was pressured to consume drugs and sexually assaulted Oct. 19, 2024.
The lawsuit also alleges that one of the accused men sent a Snapchat message to a fraternity group chat encouraging other members to join.
The fraternity was temporarily suspended after the woman reported the incident to Cornell University Police on Nov. 8, 2024, according to the Cornell Daily Sun. The New York Times reported that Cornell’s disciplinary process resulted in a range of sanctions for the seven accused men, including reflection papers. Two were expelled.
An article published by the Daily Sun Thursday said Cornell has agreed to an independent review of its response to the alleged incident.
Chiang Mai, Thailand, sophomore Jubilee Wong said she was not surprised by the incident. Despite being “disgusted,” she expected the failure to protect Jane Doe at Cornell, as “the world is not a safe place for women.”
“I think it shows that a lot of people have these broader misconceptions about what rape is,” Wong said. “They think it only happens in a dark alley from a stranger and the victim has to be perfect in order for it to count as rape, but they don’t consider that if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you cannot properly consent to sexual intercourse.”
Baylor’s Sexual and Interpersonal Misconduct Policy encourages students to report any suspected Title IX violation.
Atlanta sophomore Nola Abegunde said that sexual assault cases often get “shoved under the rug” because complacency is normalized in fraternities, describing the incidents as “bad actions under the guise of brotherhood.”
“Fraternities put pressure on men to make them feel like if they do say anything, you’re not a true man,” Abegunde said. “These things made me more self-aware of how my parents aren’t here, I’m all by myself and I barely know these people that I’m surrounded with; how do I know I’m not going to be the next as a woman on campus?”
Dr. Lenore Wright, professor of philosophy in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core and Master Faculty member, said in an email to The Lariat that the accounts of the alleged event and the subsequent response reaffirmed the need for more to “ensure the safety and equality of women.”
“The idea of workshop attendance and essay composition as appropriate disciplinary actions for sexual violence is sorely inadequate and, regrettably, reflects an all-too-common minimization of harm perpetuated against women,” Wright said.
According to RAINN, about 1 in 4 undergraduate women and 1 in 14 undergraduate men experience rape or sexual assault after enrolling in college.
New Orleans freshman Julian Lee said students should be wary of their company and advocate for those who can’t advocate for themselves.
“I think who you hang around is a good reflection of your character,” Lee said. “We need to do a better job, just as a campus as a whole, of having better community to where we’re not necessarily allowing people who would condone such behavior, who would be a part of this incident, and we’re not allowing them to influence our beliefs and our personal decisions.”
Wong said students’ attitudes are essential to the effectiveness of Baylor’s Title IX programs.
“I think Baylor tries to raise awareness through their Title IX videos,” Wong said. “But I think a lot of people didn’t take the video seriously and they skipped it or just had it playing in the background and they didn’t seem to care much about that issue. I’m not sure how Baylor could change that at an institutional level, because I fear that is more of an individual character problem across our student population.”
Lee said he believes Baylor has resources in place but that students may be afraid to seek help.
“I honestly think that there is a very good system in place. I think it just requires a lot of self-advocacy,” Lee said. “I know a lot of times people are scared to confront these kinds of situations.’
Apart from making use of the resources available through the Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX Office or the Baylor University Police Department, Wright encouraged more conversations about respect in “various situational contexts” and “maintaining a system of external investigations” as various ways to ensure accountability for women students and university institutions.
“Programs such as Spiritual Life’s ‘Open Table’ as well as Student Life workshops and discussions are helpful platforms for advancing dialogue about sexual assault,” Wright said. “I also think courses related to women’s and gender studies can provide valuable space for students to read and talk together about sexual assault and the underlying conditions that contribute to it.”
Despite initial statistics that show female students make up around 61% of Baylor’s total student body in fall, Wong said student safety extends beyond female students on campus and that men “are not immune” just because of their gender.
“This is not just a gender-based issue, even though it disproportionately affects women,” Wong said. “When talking about protecting victims, we should emphasize the majority population, which is women, but that also means that we have to pay attention to men too, because their experiences can also be invalidated with rape culture and rape myths in different ways than it is with women.”
Letter from the editor: If you are a victim of sexual assault, Baylor has resources available. Anonymous reports can be made through the Title IX website.
