Cornell University saw early-morning vandalism to Day Hall and other campus buildings amid rising anger over the handling of an alleged 2024 fraternity gang rape. A civil lawsuit filed Sept. 16 by a woman identified as Jane Doe accuses multiple assailants and cites alcohol and ketamine; the Chi Phi chapter closed in 2024 and remains barred. Prosecutors have reopened a criminal investigation, and thousands of students and faculty held a "Justice for Survivors" protest demanding accountability and the resignation of President Michael Kotlikoff.
Cornell Protests Escalate: Day Hall Vandalized Amid Outrage Over Alleged Fraternity Assault
Students walk on the campus of Cornell University at sunset following a protest and rally against the university's actions after a student was sexually assaulted at a campus fraternity in 2024 on October 5, 2026, in Ithaca, New York.
Glass doors were smashed and university buildings were daubed with graffiti in the early hours of Monday at Cornell University, reflecting growing campus anger over the handling of an alleged sexual assault linked to a fraternity house.
Day Hall—which houses key administrative offices—was left with broken glass and slogans painted on its walls, including "Smash the patriarchy" and "At Cornell rapists are protected protestors are expelled." Activists told The Cornell Daily Sun they targeted Day Hall to disrupt "business as usual" at the center of Cornell's administration.
The unrest follows backlash over an alleged gang rape said to have occurred in 2024. On September 16, a woman identified as Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit alleging she was raped by multiple people at a fraternity house in an incident she says involved alcohol and the drug ketamine. The Chi Phi chapter at Cornell closed in 2024 after the allegations and remains barred from campus.
All men named in the lawsuit deny wrongdoing. A lawyer for one of the seven men named called the accusations "intentionally dishonest" and "morally repugnant," according to a statement to Newsweek. Prosecutors have confirmed a criminal investigation has been reopened, a decision Cornell has publicly supported.
Trey Robb, interim executive director of Chi Phi, told Newsweek the fraternity "condemns sexual assault and drug and alcohol abuse in the strongest possible terms," saying neither has a place in the organization or on college campuses.
The property damage occurred after thousands of students and faculty participated in a large "Justice for Survivors" protest demanding systemic accountability and the resignation of President Michael Kotlikoff. Photos from the rally show crowds on Cornell’s campus at sunset following the demonstration.
This is a developing story. Newsweek has reached out to Cornell University for comment and will update the report as more information becomes available.
What To Watch
Key developments include the progress of the reopened criminal investigation, any campus or national responses from university leadership, and potential disciplinary or legal consequences for those involved in both the alleged assault and the vandalism.
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