Gang rape at an elite US university: The perpetrators and those who knew it

I n the Chi Phi fraternity, men are shaped into better men. At least that's what it says on their website. Your local chapter at the elite Cornell University in New York State is now world-famous. But not because of his good men.

A gang rape that is said to have occurred at the university in 2024 was never brought to trial at the time. The public prosecutor's office in Tompkins County, NY, is now starting a new investigation - two years after the person concerned filed a complaint against the university, seven alleged perpetrators and two student associations.

Cornell's internal investigations are said to have been completed in 2024 with two of the alleged perpetrators being expelled from the university and the others only having to write an essay, as the lawyer for those affected told the US broadcaster CBS. The university denies these allegations. All seven men also deny abusing the woman.

What is frightening about the incident is not just the alleged act itself. But also who knew everything about it and refused to act. In the indictment, the plaintiff describes what happened that night:

Seven students from the “Chi Phi” fraternity are said to have raped the then 20-year-old several times over seven hours in the fraternity house. She was already slightly drunk when she arrived there to meet a friend, but was pressured by the men there to drink more and use drugs. It is said to have been ketamine.

Ketamine is a narcotic used in emergency medicine as an anesthetic or pain reliever. As a party drug, ketamine has a mind-altering effect: it can lead to hallucinations, distorted perception of space and time, a reduced feeling of pain, even out-of-body experiences and paralysis at high doses. Perpetrators often use ketamine as a knockout drug because it incapacitates them.

For this reason alone, the plaintiff was unable to give her consent, according to the indictment. At 1:42 a.m., one of the seven students is said to have written a message in the group chat of the connection, according to a screenshot attached to the document. With the words “free pussy” he made the 57 members of the group chat aware that they could also have sex with the plaintiff. “I fucking love Chi Phi,” another alleged perpetrator replied.

57 men knew that a woman was there. And 57 men didn't act, didn't ask if she was okay, if she wanted this. 57 men protected each other and didn't say a word about the fact that what was happening there might not be okay. 57 men did not prevent the crime and perhaps even made it possible.

“Not all men,” say those who think it’s wrong to equate all men. And it's true, "only" 7 of the 57 are said to have become perpetrators. But what women mean when they generalize about men as a danger, they also mean the other 50. Those who celebrated what happened there, even if they didn't take part themselves. And those who read along and remained silent.

The taz is an independent, left-wing and opinionated daily newspaper. We have been arguing in our comments, essays and debate texts since the taz was founded in 1979. We often cannot and do not want to agree on an opinion. That's why you'll find some completely opposing positions here - all part of the very broad left-wing spectrum of opinions.

A man who Dominique Pelicot invited to rape his wife felt uncomfortable because she was drugged and left the house. He didn't come up with the idea of ​​helping Gisèle Pelicot - probably because he saw it as a risk for himself to call the police.

Those who read Dominique Pelicot's online ad inviting the abuse of his drugged wife also failed to act. It took the coincidence of Dominique Pelicot being caught photographing women up their skirts to uncover one of the biggest rape cases of our time.

In the case of the Cornell 7, too, the men who had knowledge of the matter could not be relied upon. Those who read along in the Chi Phi group chat but did not enter the room the student was in will never experience consequences for what they allegedly allowed to happen. They will start families, have daughters, maintain friendships, perhaps even present themselves as feminists.

They will not deal with their complicity. Just like all the other men who live among us now - in our circles of friends, in sports clubs, at our work, in our families: the invisible men who are accomplices because they have remained silent.