Menin wants NYC college officials to testify about sex assault probes in wake of Cornell outcry

NEW YORK — New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin wants local university presidents to testify under oath about what their schools are doing to protect students from sexual assault amid outcry over 2024 gang rape allegations at a Cornell University fraternity house. On Tuesday, Menin, D-Manhattan, plans to announce a Dec. 15 Council oversight hearing to probe how 10 universities investigate allegations of sexual misconduct, hold offenders accountable, and oversee fraternities and other campus organizations, as well as the potential need for new laws. Formal letters are going out to New York University, Columbia University, CUNY and Fordham University, among others, according to a Council spokesperson. Across the local colleges and universities called to testify, there were 1,100 sexual misconduct cases in 2024, but only 6 resulted in expulsions and 10 in suspensions, according to New York state data compiled by the City Council. “Campuses in New York City and across the country continue to be plagued with incidents of rape, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, and online abuse,” Menin wrote in a draft letter, shared with the Daily News. “These challenges are not abstract,” Menin said, citing the “recent tragedies” at Cornell and, closer to home, the Fashion Institute of Technology. “These devastating incidents underscore the urgent need to create safer and more supportive environments for students on and off campus.” Last month, federal prosecutors filed superseding indictments alleging a man gave two FIT students fentanyl that he claimed was cocaine, and raped one of the women while she was unconscious in a residence hall. The publicly known victim, Annabel Richter, overdosed on the drug and died, while her friend after treatment was able to regain consciousness. The man was not a student at FIT. The Council is also inviting students, survivors of sexual assault and advocates to provide testimony, the spokesperson said. “This issue is of deep importance to our community and has been a major focus of the University. We’re reviewing the letter and look forward to engaging with the City Council,” said Wiley Norvell, Senior Vice President for University Relations and Public Affairs at NYU. Adam Stephan, a Columbia spokesman, said “the University received the letter from the Council Speaker late this afternoon and is reviewing.” Other schools called to testify are St. John’s University, Pace University, Touro University, The New School, Mercy University and Yeshiva University. Though FIT is located in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea, it is operated by SUNY and therefore not under the full jurisdiction of the City Council, according to the spokesperson. Menin said in the letter that she plans to ask questions about the effectiveness of New York State’s 2015 “Enough Is Enough” law, and the need for additional laws. Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she supports changes to state law to close a “loophole” that makes it difficult to prosecute rape cases if the victim voluntarily became intoxicated. --------------