This column contains mentions of sexual violence and drug use. Reader discretion is advised.
For those unaware, Ivy League institution Cornell University is being held accountable for its gross negligence and corruption in the handling of the case of one Jane Doe after she was assaulted by seven Chi Phi National’s XI chapter fraternity members.
The alleged assailants have since been identified as Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar. It was confirmed that Sarabia lost his job at Wells Fargo as a result of the revelations, deservingly so.
Their justice should have come in the form of a life sentence in a court of law two years ago, not internet sleuths, leaked messages or the lawsuit of a survivor of a horrific act.
Yet another institution decided to protect predators because they have “bright futures,” as if they did not decide her life was a toy for their diabolical enjoyment. Drugging and raping someone for seven hours is not an “oopsie.” More than 50 men in a Snapchat group chat were invited to join in; only one of the men did something by giving the victim evidence of the messages.
On Oct. 19, 2024, Ingalls, whom Doe believed to be a friend, tried to convince Doe to have a threesome with him and another frat brother. Doe, who was already severely intoxicated, was brought into a separate room where she was coerced into snorting a white powder, which Doe claims she was told was Ketamine, by Ingalls and Newell. This is where the assault started and lasted until, allegedly, 5:45 a.m.
Thomas Giuffra, Doe’s attorney, claims only two of the alleged assailants were expelled; the others were given lesser punishments, including suspensions, workshops or essays. An institution that prides itself on its Ivy League designation and “high” pedigree of students believed essays, workshops, suspensions and expulsion were enough punishment for rape.
Anything less than a formal criminal investigation is not only irresponsible — it is rage-inducing.
Doe, who dropped out of Cornell due to the trauma of the incident, was also refused a refund when her parents asked to for her tuition back.
While Cornell reports a Title IX investigation was held and reported to the Ithaca Police Department, IPD has since stated the alleged assault was never reported to them.
Doe is now suing Cornell University, Chi Phi Chapter House Association, Chi Phi Fraternity and several other fraternities and sororities, along with Moonies Bar & Nightclub, which allegedly served her alcohol despite her being underage.
While Doe’s case is getting national headlines, it is not rare. Louisiana State University student Kendall Francis spoke out this week about allegedly being assaulted by an LSU football player in October 2025.
Francis spoke about the assault and the harrowing aftermath, including a seven-hour rape kit, the player’s mother reaching out to Francis asking her not to press charges “so that it didn't ruin his career,” along with the player himself sending Francis $1,000 as hush money.
Columbia University graduate Emma Sulkowicz was raped by another student in 2012. In response to the university’s poor handling and investigation of her assault, she used her senior thesis project to protest.
Titled “Mattress Performance (Carry the Weight),” Sulkowicz carried the mattress she was raped on everywhere, every day, vowing to do so until Columbia took action against the perpetrator. She carried it across the stage at her graduation, where Columbia’s president refused to shake her hand.
The university president at the time was Lee Bollinger, who was named in the Epstein files.
Columbia had to pay over $1 billion in civil lawsuits after former Columbia University Irving Medical Center OB-GYN Robert Hadden was arrested in 2012 and finally sentenced in 2023 for sexually assaulting over 500 confirmed patients in his 25 years working at the institution. He treated nearly 6,500 patients in his time at the institution.
The current United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement camps are being investigated for gross amounts of sexual violence. According to the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, which keeps an updated list of confirmed ICE agent offenders, 34 of 37 listed were for sexual violence-based crimes; 25 of those 34 were against minors. Hundreds more detainees report being sexually assaulted while in ICE custody.
Yet somehow, the “bright” futures of these men, who arguably are always mediocre, outweigh the livelihoods of truly exceptional women. So exceptional they will carry the symbol of their worst day, every day until they are heard — while demanding justice for themselves and others.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten went on record to say Doe's statement did not state the act was not consensual. It has now been released in the official transcript of her sworn statement to campus police that she said she was “100% raped.” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has since removed Houten from the case.
The DA lied while also stating Doe’s drug consumption and sexual assault were consensual.
One of those seven men was a pre-med student. One is now a police officer. We are allowing predators into positions of power, yet again. We have yet, as a society, to stop sacrificing our children in the hopes of a few “bright futures” of beastly humans.
“Protecting your daughters” is not good enough.
Teaching girls to “not get raped” is not good enough.
Cover your drink. Wear longer clothing. It is not good enough.
Teach your sons the world is not owed to them. That another human being’s body does not belong to them. That if you cannot get a willing sexual partner in a time of “hookup culture,” then maybe the problem really is just you. Work on you. You are not owed sex.
But stop trying to convince the world that these men need to be saved. The “Cornell 7” are not the "Central Park Five.” They are not the martyrs of an unjust system.
Teach your sons to at least be the one in 50. While you are at it, teach your daughters too.
Stop protecting predators.
Nyla Gilbert is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Nyla Gilbert about her column? Email her at ng972522@ohio.edu.
