Anonymous activists smashed a glass door at the entrance of Day Hall and painted messages on the walls of the building in response to the alleged 2024 Chi Phi gang rape at approximately 3 a.m. on Monday.
Both the top and bottom pane of the right hand door were smashed, leaving shards of glass littering the entryway and the floor of Day Hall. The messages, which read “SMASH THE PATRIARCHY” and “AT CORNELL RAPISTS ARE PROTECTED PROTESTORS ARE EXPELLED,” were written in red paint on the two walls surrounding the doors.
The security camera above one of the graffitied messages was also painted over.
This demonstration comes in response to a lawsuit filed on Sept. 14 by a former Cornell student who alleged that she was sexually assaulted and gang raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity in 2024, according to a statement from the activists sent to The Sun.
The actions were motivated by both the lawsuit and “in protest of the global systems of power that allowed this to happen in the first place,” the activists wrote in their statement.
“We wanted to ensure that Day Hall, the center of Cornell’s administrative function, was not able to continue business as usual,” the activists wrote to The Sun.
Cornell University Police Department officers arrived at Day Hall at approximately 3:50 a.m., clearing the scene and observing the vandalism. The officers declined to comment while at the scene.
When asked about their goals for the demonstration, the activists wrote that they are calling for the “abolition of [Interfraternity Council] greek life on campus, resignation or termination of the named administration officials, the replacement of Cornell’s Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards with a democratic disciplinary system, and expulsion/revocation of degrees for all Chi Phi members involved in the rape,” in a statement to The Sun.
The alleged rape was a product of “morally corrupt systems” at Cornell and around the world, the activists wrote. They added that these systems have “historically punished women for speaking out about sexual violence.”
The Chi Phi lawsuit has sparked national outrage, inspired international media coverage and has received attention from celebrities and public figures.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denounced a “culture of rape” at elite institutions, referencing the Chi Phi case at Cornell, in a town hall held in Ithaca on Sept. 27, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi canceled her appearance at a Cornell event the same week.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) have also spoken out against the handling of the case and demanded action.
Organizations, students and officials have also condemned the University for its handling of the case in 2024. Ithaca Mayor Robert Cantelmo M.A. ’20 called the administration’s response “appalling” and wrote that Cornell “failed to hold the perpetrators to account.” Cantelmo, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) and New York Attorney General Letitia James all requested that an independent review be conducted into the University’s response in 2024.
President Michael Kotlikoff has since addressed the backlash in an eight-minute video sent to the Cornell community on Saturday, saying the University “must do better.”
In the video, Kotlikoff outlined several steps the University must take, including fostering an environment where sexual assault victims “feel safe coming forward,” creating systems that “are trauma-informed” and investigating allegations “rigorously and fairly” while providing survivors the resources they need.
The University plans to examine Greek life’s role on campus and advocate for reform to New York’s sexual assault laws, Kotlikoff added.
The activists sent a copy of their “manifesto” to The Sun, which criticized University leaders.
“Michael Kotlikoff, Ryan Lombardi, Brian White, Robert Harrington, Kavita Bala, and Christina Liang are not only guilty of condoning rape, they are also guilty of cultivating such a culture that emboldens rapists in their actions,” the activists wrote.
The administrators named include members of Cornell’s senior leadership team – Kotlikoff, Provost Kavita Bala, Ryan Lombardi, vice president of student and campus life, Robert A. Harrington, provost for medical affairs, and Brian White, vice president and general counsel. As part of his role, White provides legal advice to the University administrators and the Board of Trustees.
Christina Liang directs the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, which adjudicates student disciplinary violations. She is not a member of the University’s senior leadership team.
When asked why they named these administrators, the activists wrote that they were the ones “primarily responsible for failing Jane Doe.” They also referenced the abuse of over 50 male patients from a Weill Cornell doctor, claiming that sexual violence is “not a stranger to Cornell.”
In their manifesto, the activists defended their actions as nonviolent.
“We reject the dogma that would condemn our actions this morning as violent while excusing rape,” they wrote. “Property damage is not violent; condoning rape is.”
The activists also criticized the University’s suspension of pro-Palestine protestors and its relationship with Israel.
The University suspended four pro-Palestinian protestors and barred them from campus for three years in 2024 after they shut down a career fair featuring defense contractors with ties to Israel.
A September rally from the student coalition Students Not Bombs criticized the University’s suspension of Amandla Thomas-Johnson and Momodou Taal, two graduate students whose visas were canceled in 2024 following their participation in the career fair shut down.
“[Cornell] suspended nonviolent protestors who were protesting the genocide in Palestine at the same time it punished those who stand accused of the most heinous crimes with an essay,” the activists wrote in their manifesto.
Jane Doe’s lawsuit alleged that the defendants accused of assault were allowed to “mitigate their conduct” with essays. The University has since denied that essays were the “sole consequence” given to any defendants.
The University did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
When asked what message they wanted to send with their actions, the activists called for administrators to resign and for the community to organize.
“To the administrators: resign and turn power over to the students and the workers, the people who truly care about this campus and want nothing but justice and liberation for themselves and their peers,” they wrote. “To the Cornell community: Do more than just demand justice. Enact it.”
Everett Chambala is a member of the Class of 2027 in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He is an assistant news editor for the 144th Editorial Board and can be reached at echambala@cornellsun.com.
