Learning about the Cornell 7 felt heavy. The information was coming in fast. I doomscrolled through a mix of triggering truths, people’s own account of assault, and a lot of public outrage. I laid in bed and spiraled for a few days trying to process this new American development.
On October 19, 2024, a 20 year old female Cornell University student and Delta Delta Delta sorority member attended a social event at a local bar in Ithaca, New York, after having several alcoholic drinks at her sorority house. After a stop at another bar, the 20 year old female, known as “Jane Doe” walked to the Chi Phi fraternity house to visit Matthew Ingalls. He welcomed her with a beer and proposed that she engage in sexual activity with him and Jonathan Newell.
In a civil suit filed on September 16, 2026, Jane Doe claims that prior to engaging in sexual activity with the two men on the night of October 19, she had consumed large amounts of alcohol, marijuana, and pressured to take ketamine, an analgesic and hallucinogen that is medically used for anaesthesia, depression, and pain management. She also states that she sexually engaged with a third man, Gillio Lopes.
At around 1:42 AM, several highly inappropriate messages were sent by Jonathan Newell in a Snapchat group with 57 members called “Chi Phi Actives,” advising the “actives” about “free pussy” upstairs. The invite was met with appalling replies and resulted in other intoxicated men in the room with her, where she expressed her discomfort and embarrassment.
Following the events, Jane Doe maintained friendly exchanges with Matthew Ingalls. That is until she came across online comments referencing the activities that involved her on the night of the party. As rumors started spreading across campus, she had received a phone call from the fraternity president to formally exclude her from the Chi Phi Halloween party. On November 3, she texted two of the accused men and alleged that “90% of what had happened that night was non-consensual”.
With the encouragement of her friends, Jane Doe reported the incident to Cornell University Police on November 8, 2024. Cornell University immediately suspended the Chi Phi chapter and the seven members implicated in the reporting. After reviewing a summary of a 120-page document that included transcripts that took place regarding the incident, the Tompkins County district attorney, Matthew Van Houtten found that their wasn’t enough evidence to present the case to a grand jury. Her report to University Police also triggered a Title IX investigation.
Title IX is a federal law that was enacted as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. The law prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or education program that receives funding from the federal government. This law has undergone a series of changes since its enactment in 1972. In the 1980s and 1990s, the U.S. Supreme Court issued decisions that made sexual harassment and assault a form of discrimination. This decision was later reinforced by the Obama administration, requiring U.S. schools to be more diligent in the investigation and resolution of all reports of sexual assault. In 2017, the United States Secretary of Education Betsey Devos rescinded the guidelines issued by Obama and implemented changes that placed protections for accused students. The new regulations reinstated requirements for live hearings in college sexual misconduct cases, which are known to discourage reporting of assaults because they re-traumatize victims. The biggest change, however, came through a calculating change of words regarding the standards of evidence. They changed the wording from “preponderance of evidence” to “clear and convincing evidence”, which makes the finding of responsibility far more difficult to reach. The Biden administration reversed these changes but they were later reversed again at the start of the second Trump administration.
Cornell began their formal Title IX hearings in January 2025 and concluded in May 2025. The findings were as follow:
- Matthew Ingalls, was found responsible for sexual assault and willingness to manipulate, exploit, and endanger Jane Doe for his own self-interest and entertainment of others. He was expelled from Cornell University.
- Jonathan Newell was also found responsible for sexual assault and expelled from the University.
- Winston Lee was issued a two year suspension and probation upon his return. He was mandated to study sexual harassment and write a reflection paper.
- Gillio Lopes was suspended for three semesters followed by two years probation. He was also mandated to study sexual harassment and write a reflection paper.
- Diego Sarabia had already graduated at the time of the hearings. He was barred from campus for three years.
- Scott Norris was accused of being part of the group of men who entered the room after reading Newell’s messages. He was ordered not to contact Jane Doe, to study sexual harassment, social media use and bystander intervention, and to write reflection papers. No further disciplinary actions were issued.
- Scott Kretzschmar had also entered the room after reading Newell’s messages on Snapchat and was found responsible for the lesser offense of attempted sexual exploitation. He also had to study sexual harassment, social media use and bystander intervention, and write reflection papers. No further disciplinary actions were issued.
On September 18, 2026, The Cornell Daily Sun, an independent, student led newspaper, broke the news on the Cornell 7 civil lawsuit with an editorial titled, “Cornell Won’t, We Will”. Senior Editor Cereese Qusba reported the story following a months-long investigation. The bold decision to publish the names of the accused men was made by Editor-in-Chief Sophia Dasser.
In the lawsuit filed against Cornell University, the university’s Chi Phi fraternity chapter, her sorority Delta Delta Delta, and Moonies Bar & Nightclub Jane Doe alleges that she was drugged and gang-raped by seven members of Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity chapter, and that Cornell University did nothing to protect her or hold the alleged perpetrators accountable. The criminal investigation has also been reopened. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has requested an independent review of Cornell University’s response to Jane Doe’s reporting. Hochul has appointed state attorney general Leticia James as a special prosecutor to the case.
All this information was coming in piecemeal over several days. The rage, sadness, and impotence kept growing inside of me with every new detail. It consumed me. This all felt familiar. About a decade ago we went through similar outrage, after the once powerful and celebrated film producer Harvey Weinstein was exposed for sexual abuse, harassment, and assault. The Weinstein case was the beginning of a string of high-profile figures who would also be held accountable for sexual misconduct, including Louis C.K, Matt Lauer, and Kevin Spacey. It gave rise to the #MeToo and Time’s up movements, viral campaigns that were named on behalf of survivors’ accounts of abuse. The Cornell 7 has a different tune. It isn’t a movement. It is a moniker for a case that is named after a prestigious institution and a select number of defendants. I also couldn’t help but notice the similarity in the naming with the Central Park 5; a group of five Black and Latino men that were wrongfully convicted in connection to the rape and assault of a woman jogging in Central Park. Still, the same rage, sadness, and helplessness.
I talk to people for a living, and on the Wednesday the news broke, the Cornell 7 became the topic of the day. Most of the people I speak to are foreign to the intricacies of United States culture. What they understand American culture to be is fast food, shopping, reality tv, guns, and celebrities. They aren’t attuned to the less shiny details like segregation, the electoral college, or fraternities, sororities, and college culture.
Living abroad and speaking to people from all over the world has given me a different perspective about American culture. I have had to explain things I had always taken as normal, like our over-enthusiasm, our obsession with identity, our electoral, education, and healthcare systems, and even food choices. Last week I added a new topic to the list: fraternities and sororities. It had never come up. I’ve spoken about the college admissions process, our moving-up and graduation ceremonies, and the importance of sports and extra-curricular activities, but the extra-curriculars specific to university campus life was an uncharted topic.
I went to college in a very small city nestled in the Catskill Mountains. It had a population of roughly 12,000 people, which included the student body of two colleges and a Job Corp. Coming in from New York City, I was having a hard time fitting in and adapting to small-town campus life. Most students were from suburban or rural towns and thought New York City was a scary place. After spending some time with them, I thought the same about their hometowns. Our idea of fun was completely different. They loved joy riding. Growing up with gridlock, a 35 mile an hour speed limit, a multitude of pedestrians, and loud honking sounds made it impossible for me to imagine driving around aimlessly for hours was any fun. They loved drinking and house parties. Everyone I knew growing up lived in apartments and there were no kegs or drinking games at the parties I went to.
Freshman year was rough. I had nightmares for first roommates, campus food was horrendous, and I was far away from everything familiar to me. I regretted the decision to ever leave New York City, and I learned rather quickly that alcohol was a great coping tool.
In an earlier reflection, I spoke about how hard adjusting to university campus life was for me. I explain how I used alcohol as a coping tool in this video.
The first time I had to explain what a fraternity and sorority is, was to my mom when I was a sophomore in college. I was longing for a community and a group of friends and wanted to join. I explained that I needed money to pay a fee to join a group of girls who focused on sisterhood and community service. I told her I wouldn’t be able to speak to her for a few weeks because I would be fully committed to my studies and later fulfilling my duties for the sister members in order to earn my place within the group. I also told her I would never be able to tell her what those duties were because I would be sworn to secrecy. I didn’t tell her that even after paying the dues and doing what I was told, I wouldn’t be guaranteed to cross and become part of the group.
Smart phones with video calling capabilities were not available at the time. This conversation happened over a corded dormitory telephone. I wish I could teleport myself back to this moment with my mom and instead be on her end so that I can see her face as I told her.
The first question she had was about the money. She asked what it would be for. I told her that the girls would get me some clothes, like t-shirts and things like that. If I had to translate what she responded into modern-day mom language, it would go something like this: “Darling, bribing people into being your friends sounds like a terrible idea. Adjusting takes time. You will meet friends and have your community in due time. In the meantime, focus on your studies. I love you and I will see you soon!” That was the message, except the original was in a really loud Spanish and in a tone that didn’t come off so affectionately.
Fraternal organizations are very much part of American culture. When George Washington was sworn into office as the first president of the United States of America on April 30, 1789, he took the oath by placing his hand over a Bible owned by a Masonic lodge in New York City. The oath was administered by Robert Livingston, a New York official who was also the first leader of New York State’s Grand Lodge of Freemasons. The connection between secret social organizations and power is a tale as old as time.
The original idea behind these social clubs was to gather professionals in order to protect trade secrets, promote self-improvement and charity, and provide a safe environment for intellectual discussion. Over time, these fraternal organizations have evolved to serve as social connectors of faith, cultural identity, and professional relationships to their adult members. Perhaps you have heard of a few: the Freemasons, the Knights of Columbus, Rotary International, Lions Club International. People usually gain access to these organizations through local chapters in their community, which are connected to bigger regional, national, and/or international networks. Generally, these organizations have been effective at carrying out their purpose, but this concept took on a life of its own in colleges and universities.
In the United States people usually enter higher education institutions at 17. Generally, if they’ve enrolled in a standard program, and if all goes well, they become alums by 21. It is an exciting time for most. For those who choose the dormitory life, it’s the first time they get to experience independence. Learning to share personal spaces, managing meal budgets, and adhering to less structured schedules than what they might have been used to in high school, are just a few of the challenges a 17 year old freshman might face. All of this while being expected to have the wisdom to choose a career path that will provide both personal satisfaction and economic stability.
They say that the friends you make in college become the family you choose (there must be a book dedicated to the ridiculous and overly optimistic things Americans say). In American colleges and universities, this idea is presented in an organized form through fraternities and sororities. These organized groups of men and women are named after three letters in the Greek alphabet, which are supposed to stand for the initials of a motto or a set of ideals that represent the group: Chi Phi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Delta Tau, Sigma, Sigma, Sigma. Greek life, as the system is known, is fully recognized by college and university administrations. Some universities even have fraternity and sorority housing on campus.
The recruitment period, known as rush week, is held at the beginning of the semester. After going through rounds of information sessions and wild parties, the potential new members select their preferred organizations, and hope to be invited by receiving what is formally known as a bid. Once they accept a bid, they become pledges, and are expected to demonstrate their commitment to existing members. At the end of the pledging process, which can take anywhere between six to twelve weeks, they are formally initiated or crossed as formal members of the organization, provided they have satisfied the requirements.
In most fraternities and sororities, pledging is a humiliating and abusive experience. They operate under the idea that pain and suffering builds character, and is thus a good thing. Many young men and women have met their death by demonstrating their loyalty through outrageous challenges imposed by senior members. The Mutual Man on Instagram is a former college fraternity member who does a great job at explaining how these abusive practice, known as hazing, condition and reinforce power structures.
Members of fraternities and sororities form bonds with each other over traumatic and humiliating character-building exercises that are to be kept secret from those outside of the group. Abuse is normalized and hierarchies that enable a perpetual cycle of mistreatment are reinforced each semester. Members become desensitized to the abuse and practice solidarity by covering up for one another in the event someone speaks out against them.
College and university administrations are aware of the practices behind these organizations. Each semester they carry out orientation workshops for on-boarding students that provide prevention and awareness modules that address domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Little or nothing is done to remove Greek life from campus because these organizations have been proven effective at generating substantial sums of donations from alumni.
One of the promises of joining a fraternity or sorority is the large professional network you gain once you graduate. A long list of United States politicians and Fortune 500 executives have connections with these fraternal organizations. There is a direct connection between these organizations and positions of power, and bad habits are hard to break. Movements against harassment and abuse like #MeToo and Times Up came about because of the institutional complicity that allowed people in power to exploit others while institutions looked the other way.
Perhaps the name of the case, the Cornell 7, has given us a clue to how it will all end. But maybe this time we can take a closer look at how these nightmares begin.
