Cornell Student Returns to Co-Ed Dorm After Suspension

Corinna Loeckenhoff, a psychology professor at Cornell University, said the university failed to move a suspended student out of a co-ed dormitory quickly enough. The student, one of seven disciplined in a 2024 sexual assault case, returned to campus this fall. Loeckenhoff presented her concerns to the Faculty Senate on Oct. 14.

Housing officials placed the man in a shared room with a female student who did not know about his disciplinary history. The woman filed a lawsuit in September that publicly identified him. According to Loeckenhoff, the university kept him in that room for two weeks after the lawsuit made his identity and location known on social media.

Loeckenhoff told President Michael Kotlikoff that the arrangement posed a security risk. She noted that university records showed the student admitted to taking drugs and having sex with an intoxicated person. She questioned why housing services did not have this information before the roommate requested a room change.

Kotlikoff said the disciplinary panel decided to allow the student back, not his office. He acknowledged the university has a duty to respond to concerns about the student's presence. He pledged to look into what happened if the university did not act appropriately. Debate on a no-confidence vote for Kotlikoff resumes Wednesday.

The student, represented by attorney Andrew Miltenberg, maintains the encounter was consensual. Miltenberg argued that each of the seven accused men should be judged on the evidence concerning him. The woman, identified as Jane Doe, alleged she was given ketamine and raped at a Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024. All seven men have denied the allegations.

Cornell disciplined the men following a Title IX investigation. Two were expelled, two received suspensions and probation, and two completed reflection papers and bystander training. A seventh man had already graduated and was barred from campus. One expelled student enrolled at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, which said it acted after learning of the allegations.

The local district attorney initially closed the case, but the investigation is now with New York’s attorney general. Cornell media relations said students who complete suspensions regain housing eligibility. Kristi Patrickus, an attorney, said privacy laws generally prevent universities from warning roommates about a student's disciplinary history, though schools can restrict access to campus housing.

Loeckenhoff declined to name the student or the roommate, citing privacy. The roommate did not return interview requests. The university said it will review whether concerns were raised with housing and if appropriate accommodations were provided. Noah Tamarkin, an anthropology professor, said students in his class expressed discomfort with the accused students returning.