Student groups call for the abolition of Greek life and punitive action following fraternity assault allegations.
Published On 5 Oct 2026
Protesters at Cornell University smashed a glass entrance to the main administrative building and sprayed slogans on its walls, reacting to ongoing anger over allegations of a 2024 gang rape at a nearby fraternity.
Early Monday morning, the glass panes of Day Hall’s entrance were broken, scattering shards across the floor.
Activists, frustrated with the university’s response, also sprayed slogans on nearby walls, including “At Cornell rapists are protected protesters are expelled” and “Smash the patriarchy”.
The predawn vandalism preceded a Monday rally organized by student groups calling for justice for survivors.
Cornell spokesperson Kyle Kimball stated on Monday that the university is investigating the vandalism.
“We understand the frustration and strong emotions being expressed across our community,” Kimball said. “Those concerns deserve to be heard, but damaging property is not the answer.”
Cornell, a prominent Ivy League institution in New York, has become a focal point in a national debate on campus sexual violence after an anonymous student identified as Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit last month alleging a gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity.
Her lawsuit accuses seven former students of committing heinous criminal sexual acts against her during a fraternity party on October 19, 2024, claiming she was pressured to consume alcohol and ketamine.
The fraternity, Cornell University, and other parties are named as co-defendants. Attorneys for two of the accused former students have denied any involvement in sexual assault.
The case has sparked nationwide outrage over how universities handle sexual assault allegations.
During Monday’s demonstration, students called for an overhaul of the university’s sexual assault complaint process, the dismissal of certain administrators, and stricter disciplinary measures against alleged perpetrators.
In a statement to The Cornell Daily Sun, student organizers said they are demanding the abolition of the campus Interfraternity Council and the expulsion or revocation of degrees for all Chi Phi members implicated in the rape.
They also urged that Cornell’s Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards be replaced with a democratic disciplinary system, noting that Monday’s protest aimed to highlight the systemic failures that permit sexual violence to persist.
“We wanted to ensure that Day Hall, the centre of Cornell’s administrative function, was not able to continue business as usual,” the students told the campus paper.
They stated that the alleged incident reflects a widespread pattern of sexual assault committed by Greek life members at Cornell and at hundreds of other institutions nationwide.
Following pressure from New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James, the university said this week it will hire an independent law firm to review its initial handling of the case.
A transcript obtained by U.S. media indicates that, although no charges were filed, Doe told campus police she could say with 100% confidence that she had been raped.
Her lawsuit also claims that Cornell allowed the accused fraternity members to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to the institution; two of them were later expelled and two were suspended.
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