A former Cornell University student says she was sexually assaulted by several members of the Chi Phi fraternity in 2024 after being pressured into taking ketamine. According to her civil lawsuit, one member even sent a group chat message urging others to join in. Two years later, no one has been criminally charged.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has now reopened the case and plans to bring it before a grand jury. That is an important step, but it only works if every lead gets followed this time.

Her attorney says the Cornell University Police Department took her first report and then went silent. According to the attorney, officers never tracked down who was in the group chat and never interviewed witnesses. That evidence was available two years ago.

The lawsuit also claims some students were allowed to reduce their punishment by writing essays to the university. Cornell disputes that, saying its Title IX process led to expulsions and suspensions. Either way, students and families deserve a clear picture of how a case this serious was handled.

The woman at the center of this case, known only as Jane Doe, is no longer in school. In a statement reported by NBC News, she said the trauma "affects every aspect of my life."

District Attorney Van Houten should pursue every piece of evidence, as he has publicly promised. Cornell University should order an independent, outside review of how its police department handled her report, and make sure no student can write an essay in place of real consequences for sexual assault.

Sign the petition to make sure this case finally gets the full investigation it should have had two years ago.