Cornell faculty approve no-confidence vote in school leaders - USA Today
Cornell’s Faculty Senate on Friday Nov. 6 approved a vote of no confidence in university administrators, dealing a symbolic blow to embattled President Michael Kotlikoff, who has received mounting criticism over his handling of campus sexual assault.
"This vote is a reckoning for our University," Faculty Senators who brought forward the no confidence vote said in a statement. "It is a call for real, systemic change; not a slow-moving taskforce, weakly enforced ban on fraternity parties, or expensive PR damage control, but meaningful, evidence-based steps to reduce the incidence of sexual assault on campus and provide significant support to and justice for survivors."
According to a faculty union spokesperson, the no confidence vote passed in the Faculty Senate with 75 votes for the resolution and 50 against it. It marks the first time the university's faculty Senate has passed such a no confidence vote in its 56-year history.
In response to a request for comment, the university shared a statement from its board of trustees.
"Today’s Faculty Senate vote reflects the deep anger across our campus and sends a clear signal that what happened to Jane Doe is unacceptable. There is no place for sexual violence on the Cornell campus," Cornell University Board Chair Anne Smalling said in the statement on behalf of the board.
But "the Board of Trustees remains confident that President Kotlikoff and his administration are the right leaders to thoughtfully and comprehensively address the serious problem of sexual assault on our campus."
The Nov. 6 vote comes after professors for weeks have debated whether to send the powerful message to campus leaders, amid nationwide uproar over a lawsuit accusing the school of bungling a 2024 investigation into an alleged fraternity gang rape.
Labor History Professor Paul Ortiz introduced the non-binding resolution in mid-October, telling his colleagues that Jane Doe’s case was “but a tip of the iceberg.” More than a dozen senate members co-sponsored it and more than 160 faculty across the university expressed support.
At an Oct. 28 meeting before voting began Ortiz argued Cornell administrators built and defended a system that put the universities' reputation over victim interests, described campus police investigations into sexual assault allegations as inadequate and cited USA TODAY reporting showing Cornell rarely suspended or expelled students in sexual assault cases.
Opponents of the resolution voiced concerns that they did not have enough information to judge the university’s response to Doe’s case and other instances of sexual assault.
Faculty cast their votes between Oct. 29 and Nov. 6.
Only Cornell’s Board of Trustees has the power to remove Kotlikoff and other administrators. However, supports of the faculty no confidence vote believe it will send a powerful message, especially as Kotlikoff has faced calls to resign from students and other faculty groups.
In the wake of Doe’s allegations, the university hired former acting attorney general Sally Yates to conduct an independent review of its sexual assault policies and procedures.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, an ex-officio member of Cornell’s Board of Trustees, also appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James to oversee a criminal investigation into Doe’s allegations. James this week tapped Jacqueline Kelly, a former federal prosecutor in Manhattan who oversaw the case against Sean “Diddy” Combs, to lead the case.
