Cornell Hires Yates as Data Shows Just 1% of 25,800 NY Sexual Misconduct Cases Ended in Expulsions
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 7
Cornell Hires Yates as Data Shows Just 1% of 25,800 NY Sexual Misconduct Cases Ended in Expulsions
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 7
Summary
Cornell’s response to the 2024 rape allegations now includes a Sally Yates review and a state reinvestigation after Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James special prosecutor.
State data helps explain the scrutiny: of more than 1,200 Cornell incidents involving students from 2018 to 2024, seven people were expelled or dismissed and 14 were suspended.
Across nearly 300 New York colleges, more than 25,800 incidents over the same period produced expulsions or dismissals in only a little over 1% of cases, with another 2% ending in suspensions.
Most reported incidents never reached police or formal campus disciplinary cases, and experts say trauma, fear of retaliation and informal resolutions often keep complaints from ending in arrests, convictions or severe school sanctions.
Broader surveys suggest official counts understate the problem: a 2019 national study found more than 1 in 4 undergraduate women reported sexual assault, while Cornell’s 2025 survey put that figure at 35%.