17 days ago
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Posted On: September 29th 2026, 10:41 pm
The Cornell case should make all of us stop and ask: What does consent really mean?
A former Cornell student alleges that she was already intoxicated and was then pressured into consuming additional alcohol, marijuana and what she was told was ketamine. She alleges that she became incapable of consenting and was sexually assaulted by multiple men at a fraternity house in 2024. The allegations are now the subject of a civil lawsuit, and prosecutors have reopened the criminal investigation and plan to present the case to a grand jury.
What is especially disturbing is the question surrounding intoxication and consent.
If someone is so intoxicated or drugged that they cannot understand what is happening, communicate a decision, or meaningfully participate, can we really call that consent? A person who is profoundly intoxicated or incapacitated may not be in a position to make a meaningful decision about sexual activity. New York’s legal standard concerning intoxication and incapacitation has itself become part of the renewed debate surrounding this case.
Justice should never depend on whether a survivor was able to tell her story perfectly while traumatized.
We need a system that carefully investigates the evidence, protects due process for everyone involved, and takes seriously the possibility that a person may be unable to consent.
Because when someone cannot meaningfully consent, silence, intoxication, or confusion should never be interpreted as permission.
The investigation is now being reopened. Let the evidence be thoroughly examined. Let the legal process determine and serve justice . #Cornell #CornellUniversity #CornellCase #SexualAssaultAwareness ConsentMatters ConsentIsKey NoMeansNo ConsentEducation BelieveSurvivors SupportSurvivors EndSexualViolence StopSexualAssault BystanderIntervention SpeakUp WomensSafety JusticeMatters CampusSafety SexualViolenceAwareness SurvivorSupport EndRapeCulture
A former Cornell student alleges that she was already intoxicated and was then pressured into consuming additional alcohol, marijuana and what she was told was ketamine. She alleges that she became incapable of consenting and was sexually assaulted by multiple men at a fraternity house in 2024. The allegations are now the subject of a civil lawsuit, and prosecutors have reopened the criminal investigation and plan to present the case to a grand jury.
What is especially disturbing is the question surrounding intoxication and consent.
If someone is so intoxicated or drugged that they cannot understand what is happening, communicate a decision, or meaningfully participate, can we really call that consent? A person who is profoundly intoxicated or incapacitated may not be in a position to make a meaningful decision about sexual activity. New York’s legal standard concerning intoxication and incapacitation has itself become part of the renewed debate surrounding this case.
Justice should never depend on whether a survivor was able to tell her story perfectly while traumatized.
We need a system that carefully investigates the evidence, protects due process for everyone involved, and takes seriously the possibility that a person may be unable to consent.
Because when someone cannot meaningfully consent, silence, intoxication, or confusion should never be interpreted as permission.
The investigation is now being reopened. Let the evidence be thoroughly examined. Let the legal process determine and serve justice . #Cornell #CornellUniversity #CornellCase #SexualAssaultAwareness ConsentMatters ConsentIsKey NoMeansNo ConsentEducation BelieveSurvivors SupportSurvivors EndSexualViolence StopSexualAssault BystanderIntervention SpeakUp WomensSafety JusticeMatters CampusSafety SexualViolenceAwareness SurvivorSupport EndRapeCulture
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