MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
I need to let you know that this next story includes descriptions of sexual violence.
A prosecutor in New York says it could be six weeks before a sexual assault case at Cornell University is presented to a grand jury. That campus is in an uproar after a former student filed a civil lawsuit saying she was gang raped by seven male students in 2024. NPR's Brian Mann reports from Ithaca.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: It's a gray, drizzly day. There are splashes of autumn color as students hurry to class. You Chung, a graduate student, pauses to talk about the sexual assault case here that's drawn global attention. She can't stop thinking about the woman who was allegedly raped and the scrutiny she's faced since.
YOU CHUNG: It must be very brutal for the victim to go through all the processes. And I know of someone who also went through those processes, so I feel really bad.
MANN: Omoye Imoisili, another Cornell student, says she doesn't understand why more wasn't done in 2024, when word of the alleged sexual assault by multiple men at a frat party first spread on campus.
OMOYE IMOISILI: They should be, like, in jail, not just expelled.
MANN: According to Cornell, only some of the men involved in the incident were actually expelled. One reason women here are so concerned - a survey conducted last year found as many as 1 in 3 female students at Cornell experienced sexual assault during their time here. After the woman came forward in 2024 and described her experience to campus police, the county prosecutor, Matthew Van Houten, reviewed her statement and says he concluded she gave voluntary consent.
MATTHEW VAN HOUTEN: Fraternity members who were part of this were morally reprehensible, and it was a disgusting situation. That being said, that's not the legal standard, and we can't prosecute someone for a crime because they are morally wrong. They have to be in violation of the penal law.
MANN: In fact, the woman's partially redacted original statement, released by Van Houten, describes moments where men reached for her genitals, grabbing her face and kissing her. Despite being too young to drink legally, she described being so inebriated she couldn't remember certain incidents. Still, Van Houten says no further criminal investigation was warranted.
VAN HOUTEN: Would there be more evidence collected or needed if we were going to prosecute a case if that statement alleged a crime? Absolutely. Then we would want more investigation to be done. But that would not have changed the initial assessment based upon her statement.
MANN: Van Houten says his view changed after the woman came forward with her civil lawsuit. Van Houten confirmed his office has opened an investigation, though he says they're still trying to schedule a first meeting with the woman.
While Van Houten's handling of this case has drawn scrutiny, Cornell also faced a call yesterday from New York Governor Kathy Hochul for an independent probe into how the school responded to the incident and whether the campus culture here is safe. Cornell officials said in a statement the school will cooperate with elected officials to, quote, "advance student safety and well-being." Graduate student You Chung says women here are worried. She described going to fraternity parties where she felt vulnerable.
CHUNG: Yeah, I did. And it may be not safe.
MANN: It felt risky there?
CHUNG: Yeah. If you're unwell and intoxicated, yeah.
MANN: As anger grows, a public shaming campaign has begun, with people sharing social media posts where they name the seven men accused in the woman's civil lawsuit, calling for them to be held accountable.
Brian Mann, NPR News, Ithaca, New York.
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MARTIN: Member station WSKG contributed reporting to that story. We'll have more coverage of the Cornell lawsuit and its repercussions later today on All Things Considered. You can hear it in the NPR app or on this public radio station.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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