The Cornell Seven: Our Women Are Worth More than an Essay
The Cornell Seven: Our Women Are Worth More than an Essay
The Issue
The Cornell Seven: Our Women Are Worth More than an Essay
To the Administration of Cornell University and Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten:
In 2024, a woman attending Cornell University was allegedly drugged and forced into seven hours of sexual assault by seven different men at the Chi Phi fraternity house, a place where she should have felt safe and respected. A piece of evidence later surfaced in September 2026, where a Snapchat message was shared in a group chat, explicitly stating that a woman’s body was “available.”
Despite the severity of these accusations, Cornell took disgustingly small disciplinary action, such as suspensions lasting up to two semesters, and “mandatory essays.” Out of the seven accused men, (Deigo Sarabia, Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar) only two were expelled. This is an extremely dangerous message sent by the campus that the women there are worth a single essay for seven hours of prolonged sexual assault, and about how lightly sexual assault is taken. This puts every woman at Cornell in danger of a man who never learned what the word “no” means.
Furthermore, the criminal charges were denied at first because of the extremely controversial legal loophole, “voluntary intoxication.” Though the woman allegedly took these drugs and alcohol willingly, in no way does this mean that her body was “up for grabs.” Her body should’ve been her choice and these seven men should have respected that. There were 57 men in that group chat and not a single one did anything to stop this horrifying breach of privacy and safety.
A civil lawsuit has forced the District Attorney to reopen the criminal investigation and the Governor to order an independent review. Our sisters, mothers, daughters, women, and the general public demand accountability. This woman walked into what should have been a safe space, but left traumatized, vulnerable, and violated while her school did the bare minimum of requiring an essay from these men that they will care nothing about. Our women are worth far more than an essay.
We, the undersigned, demand the following:
Immediate expulsion of those still enrolled: Cornell University must permanently expel every single individual who is named a defendant in this case, and the 57 in the group chat who did nothing to stop them. An assault serious as this deserves academic accountability.
A Grand Jury indictment: All existing evidence, including the Snapchat messages pointing to conspiracy and acting in concert, must be presented in court to a Grand Jury to secure past criminal charges.
Complete and total transparency: Both Cornell University and local law enforcement must be completely transparent to the public as the trials go on in the future, making sure justice is no longer delayed or hidden.
113
The Issue
The Cornell Seven: Our Women Are Worth More than an Essay
To the Administration of Cornell University and Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten:
In 2024, a woman attending Cornell University was allegedly drugged and forced into seven hours of sexual assault by seven different men at the Chi Phi fraternity house, a place where she should have felt safe and respected. A piece of evidence later surfaced in September 2026, where a Snapchat message was shared in a group chat, explicitly stating that a woman’s body was “available.”
Despite the severity of these accusations, Cornell took disgustingly small disciplinary action, such as suspensions lasting up to two semesters, and “mandatory essays.” Out of the seven accused men, (Deigo Sarabia, Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar) only two were expelled. This is an extremely dangerous message sent by the campus that the women there are worth a single essay for seven hours of prolonged sexual assault, and about how lightly sexual assault is taken. This puts every woman at Cornell in danger of a man who never learned what the word “no” means.
Furthermore, the criminal charges were denied at first because of the extremely controversial legal loophole, “voluntary intoxication.” Though the woman allegedly took these drugs and alcohol willingly, in no way does this mean that her body was “up for grabs.” Her body should’ve been her choice and these seven men should have respected that. There were 57 men in that group chat and not a single one did anything to stop this horrifying breach of privacy and safety.
A civil lawsuit has forced the District Attorney to reopen the criminal investigation and the Governor to order an independent review. Our sisters, mothers, daughters, women, and the general public demand accountability. This woman walked into what should have been a safe space, but left traumatized, vulnerable, and violated while her school did the bare minimum of requiring an essay from these men that they will care nothing about. Our women are worth far more than an essay.
We, the undersigned, demand the following:
Immediate expulsion of those still enrolled: Cornell University must permanently expel every single individual who is named a defendant in this case, and the 57 in the group chat who did nothing to stop them. An assault serious as this deserves academic accountability.
A Grand Jury indictment: All existing evidence, including the Snapchat messages pointing to conspiracy and acting in concert, must be presented in court to a Grand Jury to secure past criminal charges.
Complete and total transparency: Both Cornell University and local law enforcement must be completely transparent to the public as the trials go on in the future, making sure justice is no longer delayed or hidden.
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Petition created on September 30, 2026