Cornell responds to Jane Doe’s letter saying she felt disbelieved, unsupported by school president

October 20, 2026 / 2:48 PM EDT / CBS News

The former Cornell student known as Jane Doe has sent a letter to the school saying she "felt unsupported and disbelieved" by the university's president, Michael Kotlikoff, after she accused multiple men of sexually assaulting her at a fraternity house in 2024.

In a statement Tuesday, Cornell disputed her account of Kotlikoff's comments.

The letter, obtained by CBS News, was sent earlier this month to Cornell's Faculty Senate as it considers a no-confidence vote in Kotlikoff's administration. In the letter, Jane Doe describes what she calls "a second-hand account" of a conversation between Kotlikoff and the then-president of Cornell's Tri Delta sorority chapter.

"After the conversation she shared with me, with concern, that President Kotlikoff's initial response was along the lines of, 'Why did she wait so long to report it?'" wrote Jane Doe in the letter. "She interpreted his question as an expression of doubt in the veracity of my story."

Jane Doe reported the alleged assault to campus police on Nov. 8, 2024, about three weeks after she said it took place at the Chi Phi fraternity house.

The university said in its statement Tuesday that her description…

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