SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
There's growing outrage in New York over Cornell University's handling of the alleged sexual assault of a female student in 2024. The mayor of Ithaca, where Cornell is located, has condemned the school's response, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul is calling for an independent investigation. NPR's Brian Mann is in Ithaca, and he was on campus today. And listeners should know there are depictions of sexual assault here. Hi, Brian.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Hi there, Sacha.
PFEIFFER: Brian, what are critics saying went wrong or if something went wrong two years ago after this incident?
MANN: Yeah, we now know there were grave concerns at the time of this incident on campus about a possible gang rape involving seven men. At least some campus officials were aware that the alleged victim said alcohol and drugs, including ketamine, were involved. There was a Snapchat communication where members of the Chi Phi fraternity invited other men to join in. That's according to a civil suit filed this month. Despite the gravity of all that, it was only investigated by campus police. Ithaca's city police say they were never notified, and no criminal charges were filed.
So now Ithaca's mayor, Robert Cantelmo, has issued a statement accusing the school of widespread failures in its handling of the incident. This is a miscarriage of justice, he wrote. And now Governor Hochul has issued a statement today saying there are serious questions about Cornell's response and about the safety of campus culture. Hochul has called for an outside counsel to review the university's response.
PFEIFFER: Brian, since you were on campus today, I assume you were able to talk with some students. What are you hearing from them?
MANN: Yeah, it was a busy fall day on campus, students heading to class. But Omoye Imoisili stopped long enough to talk with me. And she said she was (ph) furious when she learned that some of the men involved were allowed by Cornell University to write essays in order to reduce disciplinary action, and that's outlined in the lawsuit.
OMOYE IMOISILI: I feel like, really disappointed in, I guess, Cornell. I don't know how, like, a whole gang rape can be swept under the rug with essays. They should be, like, in jail, not just expelled.
MANN: And, Sacha, those essays have really become a kind of symbol of what many students say was an inadequate response by Cornell University.
PFEIFFER: Brian, I understand you were also able to talk to a lawyer for one of the male students accused of taking part in this assault. What did that attorney say?
MANN: Yeah, I spoke with Jeremy Saland who represents Scott Kretzschmar, who's accused in the civil lawsuit of snorting drugs off this woman's body while she was incapacitated. Saland confirms that Kretzschmar was there and did take part in that crudely sexual Snapchat exchange.
JEREMY SALAND: Scott, I think, would say that responding to that Snap thread, which people have seen, is regrettable and ugly and terrible.
MANN: But Saland says Kretzschmar did not assault the woman or use drugs around her. Saland describes Kretzschmar's time in the room where the woman says she was raped this way.
SALAND: He introduced himself - not something you do when you're about to rape somebody, if true. And she was fine. He was in the room. He left within a matter of minutes.
MANN: So now this is all facing a new review by the local prosecutor who has said that in 2024, the woman involved gave a statement where she described some of what happened at that party as consensual. We'll have to see what, if any, criminal charges are filed against any of these seven men.
PFEIFFER: And, Brian, in your time on campus today, you also tried to talk to Cornell University officials. If they spoke with you, what are they saying?
MANN: Well, they declined NPR's repeated requests for an interview. Asked about this criticism that keeps growing over the university's actions, a campus spokesperson did send statements saying they are committed to addressing campus culture issues. The school said some students were suspended or expelled as part of their disciplinary actions, but the school hasn't provided specifics, and there's no word yet on whether Cornell will agree to an independent investigation.
PFEIFFER: That is NPR's Brian Mann in Ithaca, New York. Brian, thank you.
MANN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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