Discourse is vital, and I am never one to discourage it. Social media is a powerful tool when wielded for good, and social media platforms have been very effective in increasing global awareness about Jane Doe’s lawsuit.
But, I think it is safe to say that a line has been crossed.
I have seen friends and internet strangers posting selfies and short clips accompanied by a little blurb condemning the “Cornell 7.” The comment section is inevitably filled with people praising them for speaking out or saying that other people should be more like them.
Unfortunately, it is easy to get caught up in the ‘glamor’ of it all. There are major media outlets and camera crews parked all over our campus. We have watched our peers give poignant interviews and make national headlines. The feeling you get when a video you post goes viral can be intoxicating.
To address the elephant — or camera crews — in the room, it is obvious that the press has infiltrated our lives in a way that most students have never experienced. It is difficult to suppress the initial excitement that comes with being invited to share a unique perspective on the situation for the whole world to see. But the logical part of my brain reminds me that my perspective might not actually be unique; my time could be better spent making tangible efforts to support the movement.
Again, I encourage discourse. But to echo a previous Sun article, in this case especially, I encourage respect.
Respect for Jane Doe. Respect for survivors of sexual assault everywhere. Respect for yourselves.
This is not a glamorous situation. This is an alleged gang rape. We are not heroes, and no matter the outcome of the case, there will be no winners.
And while we are rightfully demanding accountability from this institution and our community’s ‘protectors,’ we should be careful not to turn that anger toward current students. Cornell’s students did not choose to make this case national news. They did not choose to have cameras documenting their treks to class and preliminary exams.
The backlash that Cornell students are receiving online for simply attending Cornell is intense and, quite frankly, in poor taste. I have seen the Instagram comment sections of Cornell student organizations and even of individual students flooded with vicious messages. I have watched my peers get torn apart in Reddit threads and TikTok comment sections.
At the end of the day, the Internet is filled with misinformation about this case and about student responses to it. Attacking students for simply attending the Ivy League institution that most of them fought tirelessly to get into is unhelpful, both in this case and in the broader fight against rape culture.
Criticize institutions and scrutinize decisions, but do not treat ordinary students as pariahs under the guise of activism or solidarity, especially when so many students on this campus are survivors of sexual violence themselves. According to the 2025 Cornell Survey of Sexual Assault and Misconduct, 35% of undergraduate women reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact during their time at Cornell. The data goes to show that we have no idea what someone is carrying with them when they walk into a library, write an article, attend a protest or simply go about their day.
If I could give one message to my peers and to the broader community, particularly now that this case has become the internet's latest fixation for true crime aficionados, it would be to be cautious about what you post and how you post it.
Do you really care about what happens with this lawsuit, or are you simply low on content for the week?
Are you really trying to help, or are you just using likes and views as a distraction from that hollowed-out feeling that is consuming so many of us?
And are you really “raising awareness” about a case that is already making national headlines by posting a “Get Ready With Me While I Tell You About The Cornell Seven”?
I don’t have a concrete answer for how we move forward from here. I don’t think that any of us really do. But while we heal, let us heal respectfully. Not everything that can be a viral video should become one.
Reem Nasrallah is a member of the Class of 2028 in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She is a senior editor for the 144th Editorial Board and was an assistant news editor for the 143rd Editorial Board. She can be reached at rnasrallah@cornellsun.com.
