Cornell University has banned fraternity parties through the 2026-27 school year. The move comes after protests over its handling of a sexual assault case from 2024.
The university will also work with New York State Police to investigate reports of sexual assault on campus. Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff announced the new steps on Tuesday.
The ban covers parties and social events at houses run by the Interfraternity Council. The school has also set a zero-tolerance rule. Fraternity chapters that break the new rules will face an immediate suspension.
Kotlikoff said the changes would give Cornell time to review fraternity life. The review will seek to find out if these groups can hold events in a safe way.
Cornell has more than 20 active fraternities under the council. The council did not reply at once to a request for comment. The school has not said whether the ban also covers parties held off campus.
The new steps follow growing anger over a woman’s claims of gang rape at a fraternity house. The case has raised questions about student safety and how colleges handle reports of sexual abuse.
The woman filed a lawsuit in September. She said she was drugged and sexually assaulted by several fraternity members after a party at the Chi Phi house in October 2024.
She claims she was pressured to take drugs. She also says other men entered the room while she was unable to act. In her lawsuit, she alleges that fraternity members shared Snapchat messages that described her as willing to have sex with anyone at the house. She says this happened without her knowledge.
The seven men named in the lawsuit have denied the claims. Some say the sexual activity was consensual. Others say they were not involved in the alleged events.
Cornell closed the fraternity chapter and disciplined several students after its own review. However, no criminal charges have been filed in the case.
The university’s response has drawn close public attention. Cornell police first handled the investigation. The department has full law enforcement powers, but it remains under the control of the university.
Campus police work apart from the local police force in Ithaca, New York. After reviewing the 2024 claims, Cornell officers shared their first findings with the Tompkins County district attorney.
The district attorney declined to bring charges within weeks of the woman’s first report to police. The decision led to public criticism and calls for a new review.
New York’s governor removed the district attorney from the case this month. New York Attorney General Letitia James is now leading the inquiry.
Cornell has also hired former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates to conduct an independent review of its response. The review will examine how the school handled the case.
Kotlikoff said the university would seek ideas for safer ways for students to meet and spend time together. Cornell plans to direct school resources toward social events outside the usual fraternity party culture.
The university will also add a case manager to its Office of Civil Rights. The new staff member will help people who report sexual misconduct understand the process and find support.
Cornell has faced similar concerns in the past. In 2022, the university paused fraternity parties after reports of sexual assault and claims that students had been drugged at fraternity-linked housing.
The school also tightened its safety rules in 2019. That change followed the death of freshman Antonio Tsialas, who was found in a gorge after an alleged hazing event. In 2018, a fraternity faced probation over a contest in which members competed to have sex with women they viewed as overweight.
The latest restrictions have also drawn criticism from a lawyer for one of the men named in the lawsuit. Andrew Miltenberg said the university was placing too much blame on fraternities for problems that affect wider campus life.
He argued that colleges promote Greek life but distance themselves from it when serious problems arise. He also warned that the ban could push parties off campus, where oversight may be weaker.
Miltenberg said changing the location of a party would not change the behavior.
The ban marks a major change in student social life at Cornell. The state inquiry and the independent review may help explain how the university handled the 2024 allegations and what further steps may be needed to improve campus safety.
