2022 email shows a Cornell officer warning that fraternity violations were going unpunished

An email written by a Cornell University police officer in November 2022 has been made public and it suggests frustration inside the department over how the school handled fraternity misconduct.

The message, sent to higher-ups about two years before the alleged October 2024 assault at the Chi Phi house, reportedly came from sources connected to the university's administration.

What the officer wrote

The officer pointed out that certain violations, such as underage drinking and unregistered events, were supposed to trigger a mandatory suspension. He wrote that his department regularly cited fraternities for those violations, yet the administration often did not act, in many cases not even placing a chapter on probation.

Part of the email was redacted at the request of those who shared it. In that section, the officer reportedly suggested that an earlier alleged sexual assault might have been prevented if a particular chapter had been suspended. That claim could not be independently verified.

What happened next

According to reports, the university did not begin enforcing the mandatory suspensions after the email. Instead, it reportedly loosened its rules and removed the language requiring them.

Cornell has faced mounting criticism since a former student filed a civil lawsuit alleging she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven fraternity members, who deny the allegations.