# Jane Doe says embattled Cornell head Kotlikoff doubted her gang-rape claim

- Link: https://antisocial.news/jane-doe-says-embattled-cornell-head-kotlikoff-doubted-her-gang-rape-claim/
- Published: 2026-10-20T20:08:00+01:00
- Author: Stringer

In a two-page letter dated 14 October and obtained by the BBC, Doe told the faculty senate that after she reported the alleged rape, she received &#8220;a second-hand account&#8221; of Kotlikoff&#8217;s reaction and that his &#8220;initial response&#8221; was &#8220;along the lines of, &#8216;Why did she wait so long to report it?'&#8221; Doe reported the alleged assault to campus filth on 8 November, about three weeks after the fraternity party. She noted that Kotlikoff had a conversation with the then-president of her sorority and that other staff members were present, at least one of whom &#8220;appeared distressed&#8221; by the college president&#8217;s question. Doe said in her letter: &#8220;It diminished my confidence in the administration&#8217;s ability to approach my experience with the understanding, sensitivity, and fairness I had hoped for and expected from what had been my dream school.&#8221; She said she wrote the letter so that faculty &#8220;can make an informed choice&#8221; ahead of their 28 October vote on whether to express no confidence in Kotlikoff&#8217;s leadership. The university confirmed receipt of the letter from Doe&#8217;s lawyer. But in a statement to the BBC, a Cornell spokesperson said: &#8220;The second-hand account of the question asked by President Kotlikoff in a January 2025 meeting in the letter is incorrect, based on a documented first-hand account.&#8221; The spokesperson said Kotlikoff&#8217;s question about the delay in reporting the alleged rape &#8220;was directed at bystanders who did not use Cornell&#8217;s anonymous tip line, despite ongoing social media activity about the incident in October 2024&#8221;. &#8220;He was not questioning Jane Doe&#8217;s reporting,&#8221; the spokesperson said. Source link
