Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house had no live-in adviser on Oct. 19, 2024, when former student Jane Doe said seven members sexually assaulted her.
Cornell required an adult to live in the house
Jane Doe arrived at about 11 p.m., having already had several drinks, and went upstairs. In a lawsuit filed in September, the former student alleged she had been plied with ketamine and sexually assaulted over several hours. University rules required a responsible adult to live in and watch over the fraternity house throughout the school year. The absence of an adviser meant the house lacked the adult supervision those rules called for.¹²
Cornell had required live-in advisers since 2021, after a hazing scandal involving the Sigma Nu fraternity. The requirement was part of reforms enacted by former university president Martha Pollack. She said student-organization leaders had a responsibility to promote campus health and safety. For the academic year in question, the adviser was supposed to move in when the year began on Aug. The failure to hire one appeared to violate rules adopted after earlier fraternity scandals at Cornell.¹
She said student-organization leaders had a responsibility to promote campus health and safety.
Cornell and the fraternity differed over who had accepted the role
Rebecca Valli, a spokeswoman for Cornell, said the university confirmed in writing with Chi Phi members in mid-September 2024 that a recent graduate would live in the house as adviser. The graduate’s lawyer, Adam Ford, said his client, Blake Haberstock, signed licensing paperwork with Cornell but never accepted the job because the fraternity never officially offered it. Ford also said Haberstock was not in Ithaca on the night of the party.¹²
Education & University InsightsThree Democrats Seek House Education Committee Chair
Representative Bobby Scott, a former chair, and Representative Suzanne Bonamici want to raise the maximum annual Pell Grant to nearly $15,000.
Read More →An email sent to fraternity alumni on Feb. 9, 2025, described the missing adviser as “one more major violation and vulnerability to the chapter.” Valli said Chi Phi had not notified the university of any changes to the adviser arrangement. She added that Cornell does not independently verify whether live-in advisers are on campus. The university’s written confirmation and the lawyer’s account of the graduate’s acceptance therefore describe different steps in an arrangement that did not result in an adviser living at the house.¹
A party monitor was listed on the permit
Jonathan Newell was listed as a trained event monitor on the permit Chi Phi filed with the university. The permit allowed the party to run from 10:30 p.m. to midnight. Jane Doe alleged that by 1:45 a.m., Newell was snorting ketamine and having sex with her and another fraternity member, and that she could no longer consent. She also alleged that other Chi Phi members came into the room to take drugs from her body and have sex with her without her consent.¹²
Newell told investigators he did not arrive at the fraternity house until midnight and had been drinking beer and tequila at other parties until he was stumbling. Jane Doe was listed as a sober monitor for a party her sorority held at a downtown Ithaca bar that night. She later said she had taken about ten shots at her sorority before going downtown to drink more. Those details came from accounts of the night; they do not change the allegation that she later could not consent.¹²
The university and prosecutors took separate actions
Cornell suspended the Chi Phi chapter soon after Doe reported being raped to university investigators. About three weeks after the party, university investigators expelled Newell and the other brother involved in the alleged threesome. The other members Doe accused were either suspended or ordered to write essays about sexual harassment. Prosecutors declined to bring charges against any of the brothers, citing Doe’s statements that she had willingly drunk alcohol that night; prosecutors later reopened the case. All the men she accused denied wrongdoing.¹²
Doe also released messages from a fraternity-wide group chat that described “free p–sy” in an upstairs bedroom and invited people to join an orgy. Adam Ford, a lawyer for several former Chi Phi members, said many of his clients, including Haberstock, faced online harassment after social media posts falsely accused them of being active fraternity members on the night of the party. His account distinguishes those former members from the people Doe accused of participating in the alleged assault.¹²
Education & University InsightsPrivate Student Borrowing Rises as Federal Loan Caps Take Effect
Lender figures show increased graduate borrowing, while schools report changes in costs and students’ use of private loans.
Read More →Newell told investigators he did not arrive at the fraternity house until midnight and had been drinking beer and tequila at other parties until he was stumbling.
Verify safety roles before you accept them
If you are offered a job that carries a formal safety or supervisory duty, confirm the offer in writing from the organization that actually controls the role. In this case, a graduate signed licensing paperwork with Cornell but never accepted the position because the fraternity never officially offered it, leaving the house without the required live-in adviser. Before you start, ask who has authority to hire you, and get a signed acceptance from that party, not just from a related institution.¹²
When you take a role with a duty of care, check whether anyone verifies you are actually performing it. Cornell did not independently verify the status of live-in advisers on campus, and the absence was flagged as a major violation and vulnerability. If you are the person responsible, keep your own records of being present and on duty, because the organization may not track it, and a gap could expose you or others to serious consequences.¹
Sources
Written by Career Ahead AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify key facts. Report errors to support@careeraheadonline.com
