Ithaca council halts new event permits for Cornell and affiliates after assault lawsuit

Mixed · 2Ithaca's Common Council voted on the evening of Wednesday, Oct 7, 2026, to pass a temporary moratorium on new permits for events at Cornell University and its affiliates. 1 2 Mixed · 2The moratorium covers Cornell, its fraternities and sororities, general student organisations and other university student affiliations. Bloomberg's report also lists off-campus housing tied to Cornell clubs. 1 2 Left · 1CBS News reports that the city will not issue new permits for assemblies, parades, special events and noise. The measure passed 9-1, expires on Nov. 5 and can be renewed monthly by the council. 1

Left · 1The council also amended the measure to call on Cornell to hand investigations of violent sex crimes over to the Ithaca Police Department. 1 Mixed · 2Mayor Robert Cantelmo proposed the moratorium after a civil lawsuit filed in September by a former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe. She alleges she was drugged and raped in October 2024 by fraternity members. CBS says there were seven members, at the Chi Phi house. She also alleges that Cornell, the fraternity and her former sorority failed to protect her. 1 2 Right · 1Cantelmo said Cornell "failed to hold the perpetrators to account" and that the city would act until the university revamps its sexual assault protocols. He said at the meeting that "the onus of responsibility and safety lies with the university". He also said he was negotiating with Cornell for city police to receive more information about alleged violent and sex crimes on campus. 2

Left · 1According to CBS, the woman reported the alleged assault to the Cornell University Police Department about three weeks later. That department gave a summary to the district attorney, who decided not to pursue charges, and Ithaca Police say they were not informed. Cornell's Title IX office found that two men were expelled, two suspended for at least two semesters, one had graduated before punishment, and two were found not responsible. 1 Left · 1After the lawsuit became public, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to review the case. CBS also reports campus rallies, a Monday gathering of over 1,000 people, and a sit-in by more than 100 students at a dining hall on Wednesday. 1 Mixed · 2The council's resolution cited a 2025 Cornell survey in which 49% of respondents reported sexual or gender-based harassment. Bloomberg says 15% reported non-consensual sexual contact. CBS says more than one in three undergraduate women reported non-consensual contact involving force or incapacitation, mostly in residence halls and fraternity houses. 2 1

Mixed · 2Public comment was divided over scope. About a dozen speakers, per Bloomberg, backed the measure as a way to push Cornell to change. A Graduate and Professional Student Assembly representative called it "overly broad", and graduate student Cecily Cox said "Parties do not cause sexual violence". Student Sam Poole said the city must keep it until Cornell makes structural change. Cantelmo said it is not meant to infringe on religion, speech or peaceful assembly rights. 2 1