Opinion
By Shilo Alamillo
Guest Writer
(Trigger Warning: This article discusses sexual assault and may be distressing for some readers. Please take care of yourself.)
As a sexual assault survivor, at times it felt hard to even touch my keyboard about what follows, but I strongly feel that today’s news cannot go unspoken.
Recently, a high-profile case resurfaced in September of allegations that seven male students at Cornell University subjected a woman to a multi-hour sexual assault overnight at fraternity house Chi Phi. The allegations date back to 2024. According to reports and legal filings, the survivor was allegedly targeted and drugged with ketamine by multiple members. As details of the case have continued to come out, public and student outrage has exploded across universities worldwide, creating a devastating wave of secondary trauma as other survivors feel compelled and inspired to share their own stories to continue the call to action to the injustices suffered by Jane Doe.
The anger intensified further when the university’s disciplinary outcomes were made public in which only two of the involved students were expelled, while the remaining five were given lesser consequences that included mandatory reflection essays. It was also revealed that fifty-seven men were part of a Snapchat group chat where messages circulated advertising “free pussy” and mocking the victim. When the news broke, people all across many social media platforms exposed a sickening double standard: Cornell is quick to expel students for protesting against injustices in Palestine but they offer reflection essays to alleged rapists.
This past week, I was able to sit down with a fellow SMU student, who would like to remain anonymous, to discuss the current events and recent news that has been shared. Here is the brief conversation:
Shilo Alamillo – “Have you recently heard about the current events at Cornell University? If so, what have you heard? What are your thoughts on the situation?”
Student – “I have heard about the current events that are happening at Cornell. What I have heard from the news is that it was 7 men who raped a girl for 7 hours and they talked about it with 50 other men in a group chat, and what they said is so horrible, like, that is someone’s daughter, that is someone’s family, that is someone’s friend. I can’t imagine, like, that’s my mom, that’s my sister, like, that could be anyone and I feel so terrible that it even happened in the first place. She deserves more justice, and Cornell is not doing enough.”
After this interview I thought about my own question. At first when I heard about the news it was September 23, 2026. I opened Instagram when I was waiting in between classes in the dining hall and all I saw was one headline after another “2 Expelled, 5 Assigned Essays” and “The Cornell 7”. After doomscrolling for a while, I closed the app and closed my eyes and thought to myself, “When does it end?” The next couple of days go by and I see people on social media using the hashtag “IAMJANEDOE”. After doing some more digging I realized this hashtag was used because of the allegations, but also because people were accusing Jane Doe of lying about the rape and were attempting to dox her.
Everyday there is new information about this case. Does it get better? No. One thing is certain, until true justice is meted out, survivors everywhere will keep holding the line because silence is no longer an option.
