Cornell agrees to outside review of how it handled alleged sexual assault: Governor

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had called for the outside review.

Cornell University agreed Wednesday to initiate an independent investigation into how the Ivy League school handled what an unidentified female former student now alleges was fraternity house gang rape, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told ABC News.

Hochul called for the outside review, saying the allegations raised "serious questions about Cornell campus culture" and whether the university is doing all it can to protect students.

In this Feb. 10, 2026, file photo, New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks to the media in New York.Spencer Platt/Getty Images, FILE"I wanted to make sure they knew how important this was, and they absolutely agreed. And they're acting on this this afternoon. So, they'll be reporting on what the details are, but they will be conducting what I asked for, which is an independent outside investigation of what happened," Hochul told ABC News on Wednesday.

"People need to know the truth and I think it's important for the public, for the victim, her family and the university community to know that their university did everything that they're supposed to do," she said.

Cornell's internal data show 35% of undergraduate women reported experiencing sexual assault during their time on campus, but Hochul said the problem was acute on every campus.

"There's been a culture of this kind of treatment of young women on campuses for as long as I've been in college, and it has to change," Hochul said.

Cornell confirmed the outside investigation on Wednesday but has not yet provided details.

This photo shows the former Chi Phi fraternity house in Ithaca, where a former Cornell University student alleges that she was drugged and gang-raped in 2024.ABC NewsProsecutors in central New York this week announced that they are reopening the investigation of the alleged sexual assault after a former Cornell student filed a civil lawsuit alleging that she was drugged, assaulted and gang raped by seven former and current members of the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell, sparking outrage about the incident.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said in a statement that his office is considering whether to bring criminal charges related to the incident, though he said the allegations in the civil complaint are "dramatically different" than the woman's statement to police two years ago.

In an interview with ABC News, Van Houten acknowledged that he relied on the investigation conducted by Cornell Police and said his office didn't "independently investigate" the allegations.

Cornell's Chi Phi chapter is barred from campus. Trey Robb, the interim executive director of Chi Phi fraternity, said in a statement that all the accused members were kicked out of the Cornell chapter within three days of Jane Doe filing her police report in 2024.

Three of the defendants named in the suit have denied the allegations through their attorneys.

"Any suggestion that the University did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false," Cornell said in a statement Monday, in part.

In an earlier statement, Cornell said it conducted a thorough Title IX investigation of Jane Doe's allegations. "At its conclusion, the hearing panel issued a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell," the university's statement said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.