# Cornell letter from alleged assault victim not shared with faculty

> Jane Doe's letter saying she felt unsupported by Cornell's president was not distributed to faculty before a no-confidence vote, raising transparency concerns.
- Title: Cornell letter from alleged assault victim not shared with…
- Summary: Jane Doe's letter saying she felt unsupported by Cornell's president was not distributed to faculty before a no-confidence vote, raising transparency…
- Keywords: cornell university, jane doe, michael kotlikoff, sexual assault allegations, faculty senate, no-confidence vote, transparency, news, Cornell, letter, alleged, assault
- Source: CBS News — https://cbsnews.com/news/cornell-faculty-jane-doe-letter
- Author: Mahsa  Saeidi
- Published: 2026-10-20T23:27:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: cornell university, jane doe, michael kotlikoff, sexual assault allegations, faculty senate, no-confidence vote, transparency, news
## Jane Doe's letter to Cornell faculty
On October fourteenth, Jane Doe sent a letter to Cornell faculty leaders saying she felt unsupported and disbelieved by university president Michael Kotlikoff. She asked the faculty be made aware of its contents before voting.

> felt unsupported and disbelieved
## Faculty never received the letter
Three Cornell faculty sources tell CBS News New York they never received Jane Doe's letter from university administration. The letter arrived the same day the Faculty Senate began debating a possible no-confidence vote in Kotlikoff.
## Accusation of silencing her voice
Cornell Faculty Senate member Risa Lieberwitz said the Faculty Senate did not receive the letter from Jane Doe. She said this meant they missed the opportunity to question Kotlikoff directly about it during the meeting.

> What we have is the silencing of Jane Doe's voice to the Faculty Senate
## What the letter said about Kotlikoff
Jane Doe's letter described a conversation relayed by her former sorority president. She said Kotlikoff questioned why she did not come forward sooner, making her feel unsupported and disbelieved by the president.
## Cornell disputes the account
Cornell disputes the secondhand account in the letter. The university says Kotlikoff was questioning why bystanders did not report the incident sooner, not why Jane Doe did not come forward.
## University's explanation for handling
Cornell says the dean of faculty sent the letter to general counsel for verification and then shared it with the independent review. Faculty member Lieberwitz questioned the transparency of an administrator responding through a spokesperson.
## Sally Yates to review Cornell's response
On Tuesday, former Acting U.S.Attorney General Sally Yates, appointed by Cornell to lead a review, sent an email promising to examine the university's response to Jane Doe's allegations and its sexual harassment and assault policies.
## Key takeaway

Cornell faculty say a letter from Jane Doe alleging she felt unsupported by president Michael Kotlikoff was not shared before a no-confidence vote, prompting accusations of silencing her voice.