Editor’s note: This article references sexual assault.
In the two days after Cornell released an FAQ page about its handling of the alleged 2024 Chi Phi gang rape, the University made multiple changes to its statement on information shared with the district attorney’s office in 2024, The Sun found.
The FAQ page, published on Tuesday, originally stated that the Cornell University Police Department shared “all investigatory information” with the Tompkins County district attorney’s office in 2024.
The page no longer includes this statement.
The FAQ page has been updated at least twice since its original posting, first striking the statement about the D.A. entirely on Wednesday before replacing it with a statement that specifies “the victim’s sworn statement and the Snapchat screenshot were shared” on Thursday.
The Snapchat screenshot refers to an image, included in the Sept. 14 lawsuit, that pictures one defendant allegedly encouraging his fraternity brothers to join in on the alleged assault, messaging about “free pussy” in a Snapchat group chat titled “Chi Phi Actives.”
In the lawsuit, a former student identified as Jane Doe alleged that she was sexually assaulted and gang raped after being coerced into consuming drugs at Cornell’s Chi Phi house in 2024. The district attorney for Tompkins County reopened a criminal investigation into the case on Monday.
At the top of the FAQ page, the University acknowledged that its answers could change, noting that it would update the page “as necessary.”
The updates to the FAQ page change Cornell’s response to one question.
“Did Cornell Police adequately investigate the incident? Why didn’t they bring in the Ithaca Police?” the page asked.
Originally, the University answered that CUPD investigated the allegations in 2024, then followed the “established protocol” by “shar[ing] all investigatory information with the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office.”
It then clarified that CUPD is a “sworn law enforcement agency and performs the same functions as municipal police.”
On Wednesday, the University struck the sentence about the D.A. entirely. It also changed its description of CUPD.
“The Cornell University Police Department is a unit of the university, and its officers are sworn Tompkins County deputy sheriffs whose duties include the enforcement of law and order on Cornell’s property,” the updated answer read.
On Thursday, the University revised and added back a statement about its disclosure of information to the D.A.’s office, clarifying that the sworn statement and the Snapchat image were shared.
The change again updated the description of CUPD to describe officers as “special deputy sheriffs pursuant to NY Educational Law 5709.”
None of the updates changed a subsequent question which read “Did Cornell provide the Snapchat screenshot to the District Attorney?”
“The Cornell University Police Department provided it as part of the evidence supplied to the District Attorney in November 2024,” the University answered.
This statement contradicts a Monday interview in which Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten told ABC News that his office never received this Snapchat image.
The University did not immediately respond to The Sun’s request for comment on why the page was updated.
Varsha Bhargava is a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is the managing editor of the 144th Editorial Board and was a news editor for the 143rd Editorial Board. She can be reached at vbhargava@cornellsun.com.
Kate Turk is a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the assistant managing editor of the 144th board and was an assistant news editor for the 143rd Editorial Board. She can be reached at kturk@cornellsun.com.
