US universities are failing to protect victims of sexual assault

In 2024, a third-year Cornell student known as Jane Doe reported that seven men sexually assaulted her while she was incapacitated at a fraternity house. Cornell’s months-long internal investigation did not provide the accountability she sought; she left the university without completing her degree, and no criminal charges were brought against the men she accused. Jane Doe is now suing Cornell over its handling of the case, while the administrators involved have not been named or held accountable. The author argues that confidential university procedures and senior officials often serve to protect institutions rather than support victims.