Students, faculty rally at Columbia University in support of Cornell's Jane Doe
Many Columbia University students and professors gathered in Manhattan on Thursday in support of Jane Doe, the alleged victim of a 2024 gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity house.
Rally organizers want Columbia to strengthen its own response to cases of sexual violence, they say, to ensure that something like the alleged incident at Cornell would be handled differently at Columbia.
The rally isn't just in solidarity with the alleged victim. Organizers said they're calling for action at Columbia as well, demanding that the university cut ties with any faculty members or administrators with ties to Jeffrey Epstein. There is Justice Department documentation of Epstein's connections to the University.
"This is part of a broader movement, and we're reforming the systems that we have to make sure that survivors are both valued, respected and that justice is served to them," one rally attendee said.
Columbia responded to the rally with a statement:
We are continually strengthening our systems to better support survivors. Columbia has built one of New York State's most comprehensive campus-based sexual violence response programs, with services at our Morningside, CUIMC, and affiliated Barnard campuses, and the state's only campus-based rape crisis center certified by the New York State Department of Health. Trained advocates are available 24/7, every day of the year. Additionally, our Title IX Division, as part of the Office of Institutional Equity, serves as a centralized resource, offering support and assistance to all University students who have experienced or are accused of sexual misconduct. Together with the Title IX investigators, the Title IX team trains almost 13,000 students a year, mostly in person, including all new students, student leaders, and athletes. Importantly, one of the goals of these trainings is prevention and reminding students how crucial bystander intervention is in achieving that goal.
Meanwhile, students held a sit-in protest at Cornell on Wednesday to demand changes to the administration and an end to Greek life at the school.
A Cornell spokesperson said the protests have been peaceful and added, "The administration is listening, and these conversations are an important part of the work ahead."
