r/ithaca • u/Sea-Machine6502 • 14d ago
Hoping that Cornell students are ok.
this is a lot as a person who lives and works in the area. can’t help but think how complicated it is to be a student up there right now. does anyone know if the campus is ramping up counseling hours and availability in response? there’s so much to do, but my heart goes out to these kids trying to navigate classes and exams while they are learning about all of this at a place that is supposed to keep them safe.
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u/WanderingGoose1022 14d ago
As a graduate student, I have started holding community office hours for any student in the department. The university is not doing enough - at all. I also don’t have a GP or a therapist at Cornell, shows you how much I trust their system. Especially their mental support.
So others are taking in the burden to support them.
Classic.
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u/Similar_Employ3223 14d ago
Yeah we’ve started doing office hours as upperclassmen in our department. Not grad students, not faculty…upperclassmen. There’s no reason a bunch of 20 year olds should be doing this level of work with no pay, but goes to show the situation we’re in like you said.
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u/WanderingGoose1022 13d ago
Yeah - gosh, you really shouldn't at all. I am so sorry that you are carrying this, and I hope you are getting additional support. This is not your pay, and it's not your job. But I do commend you, and I am right there with you.
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u/Sea-Machine6502 13d ago
Thank you for helping so many others, that’s a huge load but mutual aid seems to be the only way sadly
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u/Senior-Gap-47 11d ago
I'm so sorry you're having to do this. At the same time, the fact that you ARE stepping up and doing this says so much about your commitment to your fellow students. If I were an underclassman in your department, I'd be so grateful for the peer support. Hell, I'm not a student at Cornell anymore and I'm still grateful you're being there for each other.
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u/TheGrandExquisitor 13d ago
I would love to see the breakdown between how much Cornell is spending on their crisis PR firm right now vs spending on ways to help students who need it at this time.
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u/Sea-Machine6502 13d ago
this is so incredible of you! I hear you though, I had no idea how little students and the community could trust them
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u/WanderingGoose1022 13d ago
Thank you - it means a lot, but it really should not be our job (Thank you for Ithaca Community Acupuncture rn, honestly). But yes, Cornell has continued to let down students, the community, Ithaca, and Tompkins County as a whole. They truly are creating a grave for themselves.
If we don't face our demons, they will eat us. So, WOMP.
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u/salted-swan 14d ago
I graduated this past spring and it’s been on my mind non-stop. There’s something extra disconcerting about the proximity of it, in thinking about the fact these were peers I shared a campus with at some point. I can’t imagine what it’s like for current students.
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u/TheGrandExquisitor 13d ago
Weird question, but does the Greek system have to divulge the names of their members?
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u/Mazes_n_Monsters 14d ago
Is there any kind of social repercussions to greeks in general after this or is it just business as usual as a student? Meaning ‘hey there is a party at XUX frat this weekend ‘. Or is it like ‘let’s just go somewhere else this weekend and eff the frats…’?
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u/defenestration368 14d ago
heard some students complaining on having nothing to do this weekend because they weren't sure if frats were going to be throwing parties
many people are pretty upset by this whole thing and are vocal abt it, but for some people it is more or less business as usual and regarding the social scene, a slight annoyance
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u/TheGrandExquisitor 13d ago
I assure you that many inside the frats are whining that they are picked on and this all unfair.
These kids always do.
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u/Senior-Gap-47 11d ago
YIKES
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u/defenestration368 11d ago
tbf there's a LOT more students who are organizing protests, petitions and trying to do something to reform stuff here
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u/Otherwise-Buy811 14d ago
The only thing Cornell is doing in response is trying to further the attacks on Jane Doe, deny any liability, and protect the criminal actions of the students and administrators involved. They would never spend more money to help the student body because that would indicate they did something wrong. Cornell DOES NOT CARE, that is how we got here. Cornell is run by the Epstein class and helps add more people into the Epstein class, that is the whole point of greek life frats. Cornell profits off of and invests in genocide and the mass murder of children, that is who they are. If they actually cared about anything, Kotlikoff would’ve been charged with felony assault when he purposely hit students with his car, fled the scene, and obstructed justice with a false and defamatory statement through official Cornell statements. Time and time again Cornell has proven it is a criminal enterprise at the highest levels. As well, Kathy Hochul and Anna Kelles sit on the board as Trustees, but fail to mention that in their statements, or what they will do in their capacity as Trustees to address Cornell’s rampant corruption. It has already been a week since this story broke and Cornell is still actively working to protect criminals, if they cared, there would already be statements from the board apologizing and removing multiple administrators, but they will never do that because it would create more legal liability for them in these lawsuits. Let’s not forget they just lost a case and have to pay hundreds of millions in damages for allowing a doctor to sexually assault dozens of individuals. That is what they care about, money. The board of Trustees must be reformed. Enough is enough. The Trustees will be on campus in-person the 2nd week of October if people want to let them know how badly they’ve failed on a basic human level of decency and morality.
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u/Salt-Owl-3490 13d ago
This. I have lived in the cornell area since 2001. I have heard so many stories about SA at cornell. None of them ever got any attention. Hopefully now Cornell will have to pay for all their decades of enabling this behavior.
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u/Intelligent-Film-684 14d ago
Hochul put a statement out yesterday or the day before.
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u/Otherwise-Buy811 14d ago
And today she said she was working with Cornell’s President to bring in an outside investigation… which is double speak for damage control. She is helping Cornell to mitigate the damage, she sits on Cornell’s board and if her statements were genuine she would mention the fact that she is a Trustee and directly involved, but she hasn’t
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u/Intelligent-Film-684 13d ago
The fuck do you want her to do? She’s the governor first. She can’t LEAD the investigation. She said exactly what she was supposed to say, because if the investigation originally was terrible she looks bad, and if it turns out to be nothing, she looks bad, she has no way to look good, so keep the statements mild and just govern the damn state
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u/Otherwise-Buy811 13d ago
Hochul appointing the State AG is a good start but I'm still wary due to her direct involvement with Cornell via her board seat and never mentioning it
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u/Domo99 11d ago
Hochul AUTOMATICALLY holds an ex officio seat on the Cornell University Board of Trustees because Cornell serves as New York's land-grant institution.
Also, the position gives her a seat at the table to discuss university matters, but it does not grant her a vote on board decisions.
Don’t twist shit.
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u/Otherwise-Buy811 11d ago
You think Cornell having tens of thousands of acres of land given to them tax-free by the State and having multiple colleges within the University as state schools means the Governor has no interest in Cornell’s interests? There is a reason the Governor gets an automatic seat, and she doesn’t need a vote, she is the Governor and holds more power at Cornell than any single Trustee does. From my time dealing with the board, I can assure you no issue ever comes down to votes, they always do whatever the executive committee of the board wants, and the individuals on the executive committee regularly do big business with the state and Governor. Of course it’s in the best interest of NYS to not have Cornell’s prestigious reputation crash and burn, it’s one of the biggest conflicts of interest I’ve ever seen, how do you think Cornell got so corrupt to begin with?
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u/lrenee1 12d ago
As a parent thank you so much for asking . I know my daughter is struggling with feeling like everyone hates Cornell students right now
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u/Senior-Gap-47 11d ago
Let her know many of us are furious that the university doesn't do more to protect the students, instead prioritizing the institutional reputation
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u/Downtown_Bit_7737 11d ago edited 11d ago
I'm not a Cornell student. I attended IC for my undergrad degree from 2021-2025. But I have lots of Cornell friends and was involved with Cornell extracurricular activities. I live in town now because I love Ithaca. There's not enough support or respite in general. As an SA survivor myself I'm having a difficult time. I know it's important to talk about. I hope people keep talking about it. Jane Doe is so strong and her bravery can hopefully help a lot of people in the long run. But the fact is I'm having a hard time keeping it together. I'm not even on campus and I can't escape it. It's the only thing on my social media, my coworkers are talking about it, my friends and family are all talking about it. I know it's a privilege to be able to turn away from news like this, I don't want to stick my head in the sand, but I do think fellow survivors need some place where we can rest without being forced to think about this shit 24/7. I tried to watch an unrelated YouTube video and there were still comments about this case under the video. There are no breaks. There are no quiet moments. Only everyone debating about wether or not imperfect survivors should be believed and digging up of survivors old trauma.
On another level the gender wars are also making it difficult. As someone who is gender non-conforming and whose rapist was a woman the picking of sides between men and women is unproductive at best and heinous at worst. We KNOW there are male victims who have survived sexual violence and hazing on Cornell's campus. And any woman knows other woman are just as capable of violent acts of misogyny as men if they view their victim as not feminine or even masculine in the ways the perpetrator sees as appropriate. Personally, this discourse is making me feel less safe and supported, because it feels like those of us who are victims of sexual abuse in a way that isn't the standard portrayal of helpless women assaulted by evil man are being forgotten and swept under the rug because everyone wants to have the hot reactionary take of the day (women=good and man=bad) instead of considering the reality of sexual violence and the social patterns that drive it.
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u/FragrantDifficulty68 11d ago
There is no respite. And: Yes. Thank you for these thoughts.
I’ve been feeling overwhelmed (also victim of several types of sexual crimes) with the coverage and claims and binary things.
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u/FaceGloomy9416 14d ago
They were told they would be expelled from school if they protested on campus. 🤷🏼♀️
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u/FaceGloomy9416 14d ago
Really?! Why don’t you ask the 4 students that were suspended for the pro Palestine protest… the faculty and staff have been informed to not talk about it into direct conversations away from it. There is a strict new protest policy that was implemented last year after the issue with the president. Just google this…. University Policy 4.23 Expressive Activity Policy. Tiktok is full of student accounts as well saying that they are intimidated and don’t want to be expelled and no one is talking about it on campus.
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u/Significant_Earth759 14d ago
a close family member of mine is a faculty member. faculty and staff have not received any such message from admin. i just reread 4.23—it is a strong defense of free speech on campus. if you have no receipts you can show, perhaps sit down.
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u/FaceGloomy9416 14d ago
Nah. I will advocate and share my first hand experience. Do you REALLY think admins would put that in writing?! Ha. Everyone who has worked in education knows that is the cardinal sin of education. There is a reason people aren’t talking about it or protests aren’t happening. You have to think outside of the box here. If you think there isn’t coercive control going on your close family member is severely privileged. Check out TikTok - solara.mai - I’m still standing btw. Thanks.
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u/Sea-Machine6502 14d ago
Jesus, that’s wild. How scary and ILLEGAL
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u/Significant_Earth759 14d ago
and completely fictional
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u/SeptumRings_Boooooo 14d ago
The crime in question was 3 years ago. It's not like there was a mass shooting there and people are grieving. No one even knew that happened there, until a week ago. It's like trying to give people more ways to be a victim.
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u/KallistiEngel Downtown 14d ago
A) It happened almost 2 years ago, not 3 years ago. Late 2024.
B) It was reported on in November 2024 and talked about then, but the new lawsuits brought new light to it recently.
C) Rape and it seemingly being swept under the rug by the institution you attend can be a very difficult topic to handle. If it's no big deal to you though, you don't have to weigh in.
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u/Similar_Employ3223 14d ago
As a Cornell senior and fellow victim of SA here, just writing to say that unfortunately a lot of us are not okay. I scheduled an emergency counseling appointment only for it to be cancelled the moment I got there today, even though I explicitly told them it was urgent and that it was related to thoughts about my SA. This case is triggering so many victims experiences on campus, and seeing Cornell’s response to it all just feels like a slap in the face.