Vandals shattered a glass door and sprayed graffiti on Cornell University’s main administration building early on Monday, in a turbulent start to a week of planned protest of the way the university handled allegations of sexual assault at a fraternity. The door to the five-story building, Day Hall, was smashed, with two large holes visible and shards of glass covering the ground. On one side of the door graffiti in red paint read: “At Cornell rapists are protected protesters are expelled.” On the other side, also in graffiti, were the words: “Smash the patriarchy.”
The Cornell administration said the vandalism was under investigation. “We understand the frustration and strong emotions being expressed across our community,” Kyle Kimball, vice president for university relations, said. “Those concerns deserve to be heard, but damaging property is not the answer.”
The middle-of-the-night vandalism was the starkest demonstration of anger on campus since a woman’s lawsuit detailing allegations of sexual assault at a fraternity party ignited outrage around the country. It comes ahead of a “Justice for Survivors” protest planned for Monday by 20 student organizations. The protests follow an emotional week on campus, as students expressed frustration with the way the administration and law enforcement handled the sexual assault allegations. A group whose members referred to themselves as “autonomous activists” released a statement on Monday taking credit for the action and accusing Cornell of using “its power and resources to protect rather than condemn sexual violence.”
The 2024 incident at the fraternity Chi Phi, the activists wrote, was part of a “rampant pattern of sexual assault perpetrated by members of Greek life at Cornell University and hundreds of other academic institutions throughout the country.” Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed a special prosecutor, Attorney General Letitia James, to investigate Jane Doe’s allegations. All the accused students have denied wrongdoing, and none have been charged with a crime.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing