Ithaca council passes moratorium on new Cornell events permits, calls for city police to handle sexual violence cases

October 8, 2026 / 9:31 AM EDT / CBS News

The Ithaca Common Council voted Wednesday night to pass a temporary moratorium on special events permits at Cornell University and called on the school to hand over investigations into "violent sex crimes" to the Ithaca Police Department.

The moratorium will apply to Cornell University, its residential and nonresidential sorority and fraternity organizations, general student organizations, and university student affiliations, according to Ithaca's mayor, Robert Cantelmo.

Effective immediately, the city will not issue new permits to the affected parties for assemblies, parades, special events and noise. The moratorium, which is set to expire on Nov. 5, passed by a 9-1 vote and is designed so that the council can choose to renew it on a monthly basis.

Cantelmo said the council adopted the moratorium "based on substantial concerns for the safety, health, and welfare of the residents of, and visitors to, the city of Ithaca."

The council also amended the moratorium Wednesday night to include a resolution "that the city calls upon Cornell to hand over investigation of violent sex crimes" to the Ithaca Police Department.

Cantelmo said the city is demanding the school do more to "punish, monitor transparently and…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/