Cornell University is suspending parties and other social events at fraternity houses for the rest of the academic year and will give the New York State Police a role in investigating sex crimes on campus, university officials announced Tuesday, amid mounting outrage over its handling of allegations that a female student was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house in 2024.

The measures announced by Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff include a suspension of all parties and social events at Interfraternity Council houses through the end of the 2026-27 academic year and a new  zero tolerance  policy for violations that would result in the immediate emergency suspension of a chapter.

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 These measures will provide time for a thorough review of fraternity life at Cornell to determine whether and how it can safely continue,  Kotlikoff wrote in a letter to the campus community.

Cornell has more than 20 active fraternities affiliated with its Interfraternity Council. The council did not immediately respond to an email request for comment.


The university president said the school would begin conversations with students and faculty experts about  the development of safe social alternatives  to Greek life party culture and invest money to get those initiatives off the ground.

He also committed to adding a case manager to the school's Office of Civil Rights to help those who report sexual misconduct on the Cornell campus navigate the process, and to working with the New York State Police to allow their criminal investigators - who are independent of Cornell - to investigate allegations.

Crimes reported on Cornell's campus are generally investigated by campus police, a department that has full law enforcement powers but is controlled by the university. The campus police force operates independently from municipal police in Ithaca, New York, where the university is located. Its officers investigated the 2024 gang rape allegations and presented their initial findin
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