Cornell Faculty Move to Vote No Confidence in Administration

Cornell University faculty have decided to proceed with an electronic vote on a no-confidence resolution against the university administration. The Faculty Senate rejected a proposal to delay the vote until an independent investigation into the school's handling of sexual assault allegations is finished. Voting is scheduled to end on Nov. 6.

The debate took place during a closed Faculty Senate meeting on Wednesday. The discussion centered on whether the university had enough information to judge its leadership. The issue stems from a report that a woman was gang raped at a fraternity house in 2024. Some professors argued for patience, while others insisted that past failures required immediate action.

Anne Marie Brady, a co-sponsor of the resolution, said she left the meeting encouraged by the number of faculty members who spoke. She noted that several participants described fears of retaliation for criticizing the administration. Brady, who is on the contingent faculty, stated that speaking publicly also carries professional risks for her and her colleagues. "The more people who speak out, the more we protect each other," Brady said.

Seth Sanders, an economics professor, spoke in favor of postponing the vote. He argued that faculty needed more details before judging the administration. Sanders said about 80% of faculty in his department opposed the resolution for now. "I think it’s legitimate to think that you don’t know whether to have confidence because you don’t know what happened or why in the Jane Doe case," Sanders said.

Inna Zakharevich, an associate professor of mathematics, also supported delaying the vote. She argued that a declaration of no confidence needs to be airtight to read as an indictment. "But we don’t have that information right now," Zakharevich said. Jennifer Colt, a Faculty Senator for the university library, countered that those advocating for a delay were asking the Senate to become bystanders. "It asks us to stand by and do nothing," Colt said.

The resolution was introduced on Oct. 14 after members confronted President Michael Kotlikoff about the university's response to the allegations. The following day, 20 female science and engineering faculty members sent a letter to university trustees calling for Kotlikoff to resign. The letter stated that the community faced a leadership vacuum instead of clear direction.

The no-confidence resolution expresses doubt about the administration's response to sexual assault on campus. It does not explicitly call for Kotlikoff to resign. Noah Tamarkin, an anthropology professor and co-sponsor, said the goal is to pressure leaders to change how sexual assault is addressed. A woman identified as Jane Doe filed a lawsuit last month alleging seven Chi Phi fraternity members assaulted her in October 2024. All seven men have denied the allegations. In an interview with The New York Times, Kotlikoff said he never followed up to learn what happened to the woman or the investigation.