Cornell Faculty Set Nov. 6 Deadline to Vote on No-Confidence Motion

Eighty percent of one economics department opposes the measure, yet Cornell University faculty advanced a no-confidence vote against their administration on Wednesday. The electronic vote concludes on Nov. 6.

Faculty members debated the resolution during a closed Faculty Senate meeting. A recording obtained by The Associated Press shows the group rejecting a motion to postpone the vote until an independent investigation is complete.

The dispute centers on the university's handling of a 2024 report. A woman identified in court documents as Jane Doe alleged that seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted or exploited her in October 2024. All seven men deny the allegations.

Anne Marie Brady, a Faculty Senate member and co-sponsor of the resolution, said she felt encouraged by the volume of speakers. Brady, who is not on the tenure track, noted that contingent faculty face professional risks when they speak publicly.

“The more people who speak out, the more we protect each other,” Brady said in a phone interview after the meeting.

Seth Sanders, an economics professor, spoke against immediate action. He argued that faculty need more information before judging the administration. Sanders stated that about 80% of his department members opposed the resolution for now.

“I don't think setting it up as having confidence in the administration or supporting the administration is right,” Sanders said. “I think it's legitimate to think that you don't know whether to have confidence because you don't know what happened or why in the Jane Doe case.”

Inna Zakharevich, an associate professor of mathematics, also supported the delay. She argued that a no-confidence declaration must serve as an indictment rather than a simple expression of displeasure.

Jennifer Colt, a Faculty Senator for the university library, countered that waiting made the Senate bystanders. “It asks us to stand by and do nothing,” Colt said.

The pressure on the administration intensified on Tuesday. Twenty female science and engineering faculty members sent a letter to Cornell trustees calling for President Michael Kotlikoff to resign.

The letter states, “What our community needed was clear leadership; instead, it faced a leadership vacuum.” The no-confidence resolution does not explicitly name Kotlikoff for removal.

Noah Tamarkin, an anthropology professor and co-sponsor of the resolution, said the vote aims to pressure leaders to change how sexual assault is addressed. He said the goal is to give faculty and students a greater role in decision-making, not to force anyone from office immediately. A no-confidence vote is largely symbolic but can influence the university trustees, who ultimately decide university leadership. The criminal investigation by Cornell police stalled after the district attorney declined to pursue charges. In a New York Times interview, Kotlikoff said he never followed up to learn what had happened to the woman or the investigation.