Cornell's president suspended parties at Interfraternity Council houses for the rest of the year.

A campus directive is not a criminal charge and not a verdict. Kotlikoff's letter suspends parties in Interfraternity Council houses and says New York State Police investigators may interview people who elect to pursue charges, for the duration of Sally Yates's review. Attorney General Letitia James remains the special prosecutor on the criminal investigation. The seven men named in the civil lawsuit have not been charged.

Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff wrote the campus on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, that all parties and social events in Interfraternity Council houses are suspended, effective immediately, for the rest of the 2026-2027 academic year. The letter says the pause is meant to give time for a review of fraternity life and whether it can safely continue. It says any fraternity that holds an in-house party or social event will get an immediate emergency suspension. NBC News reported the suspension as applying to parties and social events at fraternity houses. NPR reported a ban on parties and social events at fraternities. The letter's own term is Interfraternity Council houses. That is the text of the directive.

Kotlikoff wrote that the university is working with the New York State Police so their criminal investigators, who are independent of Cornell, can investigate allegations of sexual assault on campus for the duration of the independent review. He wrote that those investigators will interview people who elect to pursue criminal charges and will prepare summaries for the appropriate law enforcement agency. He also wrote that Cornell will add staff in the Office of Civil Rights, including a case manager, and add victim-advocate support in the SHARE office. NBC News quoted him calling the steps "first steps toward systemic change" and saying the university will "take all necessary steps to address the conditions that led to Jane Doe's experiences, and those of other survivors." A staffing plan and a police-assistance agreement are university process. They are not a grand jury.

The letter says the independent review led by former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates will look at Cornell's related policies and practices, and that the university would not wait for those findings before acting. NPR reported the faculty senate is considering a vote of no confidence in the administration at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday. A scheduled consideration is not a vote that has been taken. NPR reported sophomore John Hartnett, who has helped organize protests, called the changes a "half measure." Associate professor Julia Chang told NPR that trust on campus is still eroded and that the timing, two years later, reflects student pressure. Those are reactions to a letter. They are not findings about Oct. 19, 2024.

NBC News reported the former student, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, alleges she was sexually assaulted and plied with drugs on Oct. 19-20, 2024, and that she sued the university, the Chi Phi fraternity, her sorority, and seven former Chi Phi members. NPR reported the lawsuit alleges she was plied with ketamine and sexually assaulted at a Chi Phi party in October 2024. NBC News reported attorneys for four of the men said their clients deny sexually assaulting her or coercing her with drugs, that the other three had not responded to requests for comment, and that none of the seven has been criminally charged. NPR reported the Chi Phi chapter was closed in 2024, and that a Cornell panel in March 2025 moved to expel or suspend some of the men and required essays and other sanctions of others. Campus sanctions are a school result. Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James special prosecutor. Her lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, told NBC News that her goal was not solely for herself, that the steps announced Tuesday are helpful but "too late to protect Ms. Doe," and that he hopes they mean there are no more Jane Does. A lawyer's hope for a policy is not a charge. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.