Cornell student placed in co-ed dorm, roommate unaware of suspension

A student suspended for three semesters in connection with a 2024 fraternity incident returned to Cornell this fall and moved into a co-ed dormitory room.

Psychology professor Corinna Loeckenhoff said housing officials placed the student in the room without telling his roommate about the case. She spoke at an Oct. 14 Faculty Senate meeting, according to a recording obtained by The Associated Press. The roommate asked Housing Services for a room change two weeks later, after a woman filed a lawsuit in September that named the student. Cornell students then posted the student's name and dorm location on social media.

Loeckenhoff addressed Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff at the meeting. "This was a clear security risk," she said. She also said, "Cornell's own records show that, at the very least, he admitted to taking drugs and having sex with an intoxicated person. Why was Housing Services not aware of this? They had no clue until the shocked roommate contacted them and asked them for a room change," she said.

Kotlikoff said the university's disciplinary panel, not him, decided to let the student return. "It's something you might disagree with .. I may disagree .. but we didn't hear the evidence," he said. He added, "If we didn't do that, I pledge to look into what happened there." Cornell said it would review whether concerns were raised with housing offices and whether accommodations were provided.

Seven Cornell students received discipline after a Title IX investigation into an incident at the Chi Phi fraternity house. Two were expelled, two received suspensions and probation, and two wrote reflection papers and completed bystander training. A seventh man had already graduated and was barred from campus, according to records obtained by The New York Times. The woman, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, sued Cornell and seven men last month. Her lawsuit says she was given ketamine and raped at a fraternity house in 2024. All seven men have denied the allegations. The local district attorney initially concluded she consented, and the investigation was later reopened and given to New York's attorney general.

Andrew Miltenberg, an attorney for the student who returned, said his client maintains the encounter was consensual. "These are seven different people, with different circumstances, and each deserves to be judged on the evidence concerning him," Miltenberg said.

Anthropology professor Noah Tamarkin told the Associated Press that students in one of his classes do not think accused students should be back on campus. "The other students in the class are uncomfortable with it," Tamarkin said.

Federal privacy law shapes what housing staff can say. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act lets schools share records with school officials who need them for their work, according to U.S. Department of Education guidance. It also permits disclosure when a student is found responsible for violations involving violence, including forcible sexual assault. Kristi Patrickus, an attorney and board member of the Association for Student Conduct Administration, said the law generally bars telling a roommate about another student's disciplinary history. "There are not really any exceptions that allow us to tell a roommate, like, 'Hey, this person is returning from suspension. Be careful,'" Patrickus said. David Karp, who directs the Center for Restorative Justice at the University of San Diego, said universities often focus on sanctions without addressing the needs of those involved or the campus. "I don't think it meets people's needs very well, even if it meets university compliance needs," Karp said.

Kotlikoff faces a possible no-confidence vote from faculty. Debate on that resolution resumes Wednesday.