NEW YORK, United States

(AFP) — An alleged gang

rape at Cornell University,

detailed in a graphic lawsuit

last month, has provoked

fury in the United States

over sexual violence on

campuses and colleges’

failure to stamp out the

behaviour.

The accuser has said that

in 2024 she was drugged

with ketamine, assaulted and

raped by seven members of

the Chi Phi fraternity, a social

club for male students.

Her allegations fell within

what activists call the “red

zone”, a period at the start

of the academic year when

a large share of assaults

happen, often at parties

fuelled by drugs and alcohol.

An estimated one in four

female students and one in

14 male students experience

rape or sexual assault at some

point during their undergraduate studies, according to a

2020 study by the Association

of American Universities.

Mental health nonprofit

Jed Foundation has reported

that men in fraternities —

which are routinely criticised

for shielding sexism — are

more likely to commit sexual

violence.

The accused students in the

Cornell case were members

of the Chi Phi fraternity, one

of several “Greek life” organisations common across US

colleges.

Meanwhile, the accuser was

part of a sorority for female

students. Sorority members

are statistically more likely

than their non-affiliated peers

to suffer sexual assault.

Consent

For Jennifer Freyd, a psychology professor at the

University of Oregon, the

Cornell case and the Ivy

League college’s response

are “so typical of other

universities.”

Following the initial allegations in 2024, Cornell closed

the fraternity and temporarily

suspended the students allegedly involved, several of

whom were later expelled.

Meanwhile, the district

attorney declined to prosecute because he said the

victim’s police testimony did

not establish a lack of consent.

The investigation was

reopened after the complainant’s civil lawsuit fuelled

allegations that prosecutors

and the elite college had failed

to hold the men accountable.

Observers have noted that

severe punishments like

full expulsions are rare for

fraternity members as they

are often connected to elite

networks and represent a

key source of revenue for

universities.

Freyd added that there

should be a wider institutional

approach of respecting whistleblowers when they come

forward with accusations.

“That doesn’t mean they

believe them without investigation, but it means that

they take it seriously, and that

they acknowledge the bravery

involved,” she said.

Sex educati

A further challenge in the

Cornell case is a legal provision that makes it harder to

prosecute rape cases in New

York and several other US

states if accusers were willingly intoxicated.

In response to growing

public anger, New York

Governor Kathy Hochul has

vowed to work with lawmakers to close that loophole.

“Voluntary intoxication is

not a licence for sexual assault

or gang rape. Period,” Hochul

said.

The Democrat has also appointed Attorney General

Letitia James, who has battled

with President Donald Trump,

as a special prosecutor for the

Cornell case.

Shiwali Patel, of the National

Women’s Law Center, said

she backed closing the legal

loophole and added that

better sex education is also

crucial.

“One of the most effective ways of prevention is

to have comprehensive sex

education that is age developmentally appropriate from

a young age, that includes

talking about consent,” Patel

said.

“But we are not seeing these

changes being implemented,

and so this issue is happening

over and over again.”