Kathy Hochul

Governor Hochul Slams Cornell University’s Handling of Campus Gang Rape Case

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul on October 2 slammed Cornell University as she appointed Attorney General Letitia James to be an independent special prosecutor into the alleged gang rape of a 20-year-old female student on Cornell’s campus in 2024.

Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James at New York City press conference October 2

Hochul, who three days earlier raised “serious questions” about Cornell’s campus culture and its sexual assault policies, said that the victim spent hours meeting with the Cornell University Police Department and “could not have been clearer that she was 100 percent confident that she had been raped.”

“Yet, shockingly, those words never made it into the account that the Cornell police sent to prosecutors,” Hochul said, displaying emotion and anger at times during a press conference in New York City alongside James.

“In what world would the police learn from a victim that she’d been literally gang raped while intoxicated by five men in a fraternity house and not elevate those allegations to the district attorney?”

Hochul was apparently referencing an October 1 New York Times article a day earlier reporting that the Cornell University Police Department omitted the victim’s “unequivocal statement that she had been raped” in submitting the case to Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten for consideration.

Hochul also criticized Van Houten for declining to pursue charges after reviewing Cornell’s incomplete account: “In what world does the district attorney not even interview her or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript?”

Hochul said she appointed James to take over a new investigation because she lost faith in Van Houten’s ability to pursue the case further.

In Executive Order 64 on October 1, Hochul directed James to investigate the conduct of, and, if warranted, present evidence to a grand jury and prosecute the offenses alleged in a civil suit against seven Cornell students, Cornell University, and other parties by the victim, known as “Jane Doe.”

But Hochul is also demanding to know how Cornell handled Jane Doe’s complaint as well as sexual assault allegations generally, suggesting that officials of the Ivy League school may have intentionally thwarted victim allegations for the sake of its prestige.

“No institution gets to protect its reputation at the expense of a young person seeking justice,” Hochul said. “No public official gets to look the other way when the system breaks down and fails our young people. And as governor, I will not allow anyone to sweep this case under the rug.”

“This woman, this young woman, had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable. And then at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her.”

In response to a reporter’s question, Hochul indicated that besides investigating the alleged gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity house inside the Cornell campus on October 19-20, 2024 the attorney general’s probe will review Cornell’s handling of the case.

Hochul said: “I’m deeply disturbed at Cornell University’s police and how they handled this. They’re the first ones to be able to interview [Jane Doe] and have their questions answered. And yet this young woman tells her story. Them sending a partial record over [to the district attorney] is, in my judgment, a failure.

“We’ll have the attorney general and others find out if this was actually the case of what happened. But somebody knew more than they were letting people know. And this is what shocks me so much, not just as the governor, but as a mother.”

Hochul has also demanded that Cornell commission outside counsel to undertake an independent review of its actions. She said she had spoken with Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff “about my desire, my insistence, that there be outside, independent counsel examining what happened on the civil side, what the university did, what they knew when, how they handled it.”

Furthermore, in a September 29 statement on the case, Hochul said: “There are also serious questions about Cornell’s campus culture and its systems for prevention, reporting, and response. That is why I am calling for outside counsel to conduct a transparent, independent review of the university’s response to determine whether Cornell met every obligation to protect its students and pursue justice.”

In Facebook and Instagram posts on September 30, Hochul said: “I want answers. And I want accountability. I spoke with Cornell’s president today, and the university has agreed to bring in outside counsel for an independent investigation. I directed my team to look at what more we can do to strengthen protections for survivors. This culture has to stop. And in New York, we’re going to do everything we can to stop it.”

At her October 2 New York City press conference, Hochul offered no defense of Kotlikoff when a reporter asked her, “Will you call for the university president to resign?”

“We don’t have enough information to draw any other conclusions at this time,” Hochul, who as governor is an Ex-Officio member of the Cornell Board of Trustees, replied. “I don’t have enough information to draw any further conclusions at this time.”

Hochul: Restrict Smartphone Use in New York State Schools

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Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed legislation to restrict smartphone use in K-12 schools throughout New York State, saying the measure would advance distraction-free education for the benefit of students and their mental health.

Governor Kathy Hochul launches smartphone-restriction initiative

Under the proposal, use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices would be prohibited on school grounds for the entire school day, including classroom time and other settings like lunch and study hall periods.

Students would still be authorized to have access to simple cell phones without internet capability, as well as internet-enabled devices officially provided by their school for classroom instruction, such as laptops or tablets used as part of lesson plans, Hochul said.

Additionally, the proposal notes several exemptions to the smartphone restrictions, such as for students who require access to an internet-enabled device to manage a medical condition, where required by a student’s Individualized Education Program, or for other academic purposes like translation. Schools must give parents a way to contact their kids during the day if needed, according to the proposal.

The restrictions would begin with the 2025-26 school year and would apply to all schools in public school districts, as well as charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).

Schools would be required to develop their own plans for storing smartphones during the day, giving administrators and teachers the flexibility to do what works best for their buildings and students. Hochul’s proposal includes $13.5 million in funding to help schools that need help purchasing smartphone storage solutions.

In announcing the proposal, Hochul released a report, “More Learning, Less Scrolling: Creating Distraction-Free Schools,” with recommendations gathered from a statewide listening tour with students, parents and teachers regarding excessive smartphone use in schools.

The report said that smartphones distract students and inhibit learning and creativity, and that phone-free school environments support the mental health of students and teachers without compromising student safety. The report said that an effective distraction-free policy must  restrict phone for the entire school day and not solely during classroom times.  Schools can strengthen their distraction-free environment by connecting more students with in-person engagement like clubs, sports, arts and other programming, the report added.

Hochul launched her smartphone restriction push at an event held Wednesday at Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland, NY. Farnsworth initiated a smartphone ban at the beginning of the school year. Hochul was joined by New York State United Teachers President Melinda Person, New York State Parent Teacher Association Vice President and parent Roberto Rijos, Farnsworth Middle School student Anika Bhupati, New York State Police Superintendent Steven James, NAACP New York City Chapter President Anthony Harmon, State Senator Patricia Fahy, and Farnsworth school leaders.

“All across America, war is being waged for our children’s minds. It is that profound. Kids are being deceived with addictive algorithms, toxic social media. Cell phones can be so manipulative. It becomes addictive, like a drug. These young people, and I’ve heard them, they’re calling for help,” Hochul said.

“As the adults in the room, the policymakers, it’s our job to pick up that call. I believe we will be judged harshly if we don’t look at the data that is so overwhelming of the negative impact of social media and cell phones on children’s developmental abilities to function not only as kids but as adults. And how so many times social media platforms have had a profoundly negative impact on our children’s mental health, especially the young girls who are contemplating suicide and screening for depression at higher rates than ever before. There’s something going on here. We can no longer turn a blind eye to it.”

Farnsworth Middle School, Guilderland, NY

Hochul framed her proposal as part of her ongoing commitment to protecting youth mental health and promoting student success in the digital age. Last year, she signed a first-in-the-nation law to restrict addictive social media feeds for minors.

In Ithaca, Hochul’s proposal drew support from Mayor Robert Cantelmo and The Sophie Fund.

 “We have seen time and again that we cannot rely on tech companies to prioritize our children over their bottom line. Governor Hochul is taking a firm stance to put learning and our educational environments first by empowering administrators to keep addictive cellphone use out of the classroom. I am grateful to see the Governor pair this initiative with $13.5 million in proposed funding to facilitate its implementation,” Cantelmo said.

Co-founder Scott MacLeod said that The Sophie Fund is grateful for the governor’s robust efforts to address the mental health challenges facing young people.

“The governor’s initiative to restrict the use of smartphones in schools is a critical step in keeping our kids focused on classwork and safer from the harms associated with digital overload in today’s youth culture. We know that addictive scrolling and interactions on social media correlate with depression, anxiety, loneliness, cyberbullying, and even suicidal ideation,” he said.

“Beyond appreciating its envisioned day-to-day practical impact, we welcome Governor Hochul’s proposal as a call to action for parents, school personnel, and all youth-serving professionals to intensify the work of safeguarding the mental wellbeing of children growing up in our precarious digital age.”