Cornell Names Sally Yates Reviewer

What happened

Cornell trustees appointed former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent review of the university’s handling of sexual misconduct complaints. The inquiry includes Cornell’s response to Jane Doe’s allegation that seven Chi Phi fraternity members assaulted her in October 2024 after she drank and was pressured to take drugs. Doe reported the incident to Cornell and later sued the university, the fraternity and the men. The men deny wrongdoing; some said during Cornell’s Title IX civil-rights process that the activity was consensual. Cornell said that process led to expulsions and suspensions, and that Chi Phi was shut down. Yates’s team will report findings to a special trustees’ committee.

How each side covered it

From the left

Left-leaning outlets framed the appointment as a test of institutional accountability, centered on Cornell’s duty to examine both the complaint and its wider system. The Guardian tied the move to campus anger over allegations at a fraternity house. The Los Angeles Times used the case to argue that #MeToo changed public response despite failed punishment. Slate warned against treating later contact or downplaying as proof of consent.

From the right

Right-leaning outlets framed the case as a contested campus crisis, stressing process, denials and institutional exposure. Fox News emphasized that the review reaches policies, police response and oversight. The Daily Mail focused on the accused men’s denials, including one claim about intoxication. The New York Post highlighted a bar’s pushback against the lawsuit’s account of underage drinking.

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Cornell Names Sally Yates Reviewer

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