Activists vandalize Cornell admin building over Jane Doe rape allegations

Activists have accelerated their demonstrations at Cornell University in favor of the anonymous accuser known as Jane Doe to the point of property damage. University newspaper The Cornell Sun has reported that a glass door was smashed and graffiti was scrawled on central campus building Day Hall and the security camera was damaged, preventing the identity of the vandalizers from being identified.

The vandalism followed a Sunday night demonstration in "solidarity with victims of sexual violence," where women said they were all Jane Doe. Women shared stories of sexual abuse or assault they said they had experienced. A campus protest has been planned for Monday afternoon.

A week of protests have been planned across campus. Organizers told the Washington Post,"We took it upon ourselves to halt business as usual until justice is attained. Property damage is non violent; condoning rape is."

The damage was done around 3 am on Monday morning. "Both the top and bottom pane of the right hand door were smashed, leaving shards of glass littering the entryway and the floor of Day Hall," the outlet reported. They stated that the messages read "Smash the patriarchy" and "at Cornell rapists are protected protesters are expelled."

Cornell gave a statement, saying, "We understand the frustration and strong emotions being expressed across our community. Those concerns deserve to be heard, but damaging property is not the answer."

Those activists contacted The Cornell Sun, saying, "We wanted to ensure that Day Hall, the center of Cornell's administrative function, was not able to continue business as usual."

They further told the outlet that they are seeking the "abolition of [Interfraternity Council] greek live on campus, resignation or termination of the named administration officials, the replacement of Cornell's Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards with a democratic disciplinary system, and expulsion/revocation of degrees for all Chi Phi members involved in the rape."

Jane Doe brought a suit against Cornell University, the fraternity where she claims the alleged rape happened, and the 7 young men she claims violated her. She has remained anonymous while naming the men, who have faced consequences in their personal and professional lives due to the accusations.

In her complaint, Jane Doe alleges that in October 2024 the university failed to "protect Plaintiff Jane Doe from being sexually assaulted and raped by multiple members of the Xi Chapter of Chi Phi Fraternity at Cornell University, while at the Chi Phi Fratnernity house on Cornell University's campus." She further stated that the school did not protect her from the defendants. She was 20-years-old at the time of the sexual incident.

Jane Doe claims that she was "plied with alcohol and drugs to the point of intoxication by members of Xi Chapter's fraternal organization, which resulted in Plaintiff being sexually assaulted and raped." The document goes on to detail the encounter that night and the events that preceded it.

The complaint states that Jane Doe willingly went out drinking with friends at a few different locations, consuming 10 alcoholic drinks. At 11 pm, she left her friends and went to the fraternity house. She danced with a young man, he propositioned her for sex with himself and another man.

"In her drunken state," the suit alleges, "Plaintiff was incapable of consenting to the proposition." The suit then details that she took ketamine, had more to drink, and engaged in sex acts with multiple men. As part of the encounter, she snorted lines of ketamine off of one of the men's erect penises.

She reported the incident on November 8, 2024, weeks after the events of October 19. In the interim, she exchanged text messages with the men she had been with on that night. One of the men apologized, saying "just wanted to apologize for how things went down the other night."

She told him, "At the end of the day none of the sexual stuff was illegal and honestly i really liked being w u and matt." A few days later, when rumors of the incident were running rampant on campus, she told him via text that it was "RUINING my life temporarily" and that all she could do was "sleep and cry all day," The New York Times reports. She was later disinvited from a Halloween party at the house, which furthered her embarrassment.

It wasn't until she "heard the narrative change that I wasn't a whore and that I was assaulted" that she started to change the way she perceived the October 19 encounter.

In response to the new suit, New York politicians have come out in support of Jane Doe, including Attorney General Letitia James, who has been tasked with investigating the case. New York Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mike Lawler, and Governor Kathy Hochul have all backed Jane Doe against the young men and the school despite the case being in its early stages.