In 2026, we are still asking how this happened. The Cornell case is not only about the conduct alleged in one lawsuit. It is about a broader failure of prevention, investigation, and accountability—one that survivors of sexual violence encounter far too often, on campuses and far beyond them.
What I have learned is that survivors are often failed more than once: first, by the person who harms them, and then by the very systems that are supposed to prevent, investigate, and respond to sexual violence.
We must start with prevention. Consent is not a box to check. It must be voluntary, informed, ongoing, and freely given. It cannot exist when a person is incapacitated, and it can be withdrawn at any time.
College students need more than a single orientation presentation they forget by October. Schools should provide sustained, practical education about consent, coercion, alcohol and drugs, healthy relationships, and bystander responsibility.
On Sept. 18, 2026, in response to recent community outrage over how the case was handled, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten issued a statement explaining why his investigation resulted in a lack of criminal charges. Jane Doe’s credibility “was never in question,” he wrote, explaining that the initial sworn statement shared with the DA, which was reviewed by “multiple prosecutors and criminal investigators,” did not include the full information provided in Jane Doe’s 2026 civil suit.
Van Houten has since stated that he was never shown the transcript. "If she had said those words, we certainly would want to have explored that more," he told CBS. "Like I said, that wasn't provided to me."
Prosecutors and investigators handling sexual assault cases must receive mandatory trauma-informed training. They must know how to preserve evidence, interview witnesses, assess digital records, and investigate without allowing outdated assumptions about how a “credible” victim should behave to dictate the outcome.
Public accountability also matters. When survivors decide that speaking publicly is right for them, they deserve legal, communications, and institutional support. This creates a powerful transformation. They are no longer isolated voices. Their experiences, amplified through journalism and public discourse, create pressure that institutions cannot ignore. They become part of a movement.
No survivor should have to go public to be believed. No survivor should have to become a national story to receive a competent investigation. And no college should wait for headlines to do what it was obligated to do from the start.
What has been missing is the will to use them consistently.
We cannot continue to let survivors down.
We all must do better—institutions and individuals alike.
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