Days after a woman was allegedly raped at a Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity house, the fraternity voted to eject the accused members, according to a statement released by the group's national chapter on Sept. 30.
New York state prosecutors recently announced they have reopened an investigation
into the alleged October 2024 gang rape at the frat house after a civil lawsuit filed this month by the accuser sparked widespread outrage about the case."Our records confirm that just three days after ‘Jane Doe’ filed a police report, the Xi chapter voted unanimously to remove the accused members from its rolls," Chi Phi Fraternity Interim Executive Director Trey Robb said in the statement. "The chapter also recommended that our national fraternity
permanently expel them, and our Grand Council did so at a subsequent meeting."
"It should not need to be said, but we will say it plainly: Chi Phi condemns sexual assault and drug and alcohol abuse in the strongest possible terms," Robb said in the statement. "Neither has any place in our fraternity or on college campuses."
The Chi Phi Xi chapter at Cornell was shut down in 2024 and is barred from campus, according to the university.
On Sept. 28, Tompkins County (New York) District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office would present the case against seven suspects to a grand jury for a possible indictment. As of Sept. 30, none of the suspects had been criminally charged.
Van Houten said charges were not filed in November 2024, when the woman first gave a statement to university police, because she did not allege at the time that she was drugged or assaulted.
“Once we determine the appropriate charges, the case will be prosecuted in the most objective and impartial means available – by testimony to the Tompkins County Grand Jury,” Van Houten said.
Cornell University on Sept. 28 said it supported the decision to reopen the case and said it conducted "a thorough Title IX investigation" over the course of several months. The investigation is separate from a criminal proceeding.
“During that investigation, temporary suspensions and other restrictive measures were used," the university said.
The accuser in the case and her lawyers named Cornell University, Chi Phi Fraternity, its Chapter House Association and trust and Tri Delta Sorority, among others, in the civil lawsuit. Additionally, seven Cornell University students the lawsuit alleges participated in the sexual assault are named.
Contributing: Saleen Martin with USA TODAY
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fraternity in alleged Cornell rape says accused members were expelled
