Cornell University students demand accountability

ITHACA, N.Y. (CNN, KYMA) - The allegations of a gang rape at Cornell University two years ago has New York officials calling for changes to the state's rape law.

Lawmakers want to cut a clause that makes it more difficult to prosecute sexual assault cases where a victim becomes incapacitated through voluntary alcohol or drug use.

Meanwhile, students and lawmakers are demanding answers and action.

Cornell University is caught in a scandal over an alleged gang rape in 2024 at the Chi Phi Fraternity house.

Cornell's student assembly held a public hearing Thursday to address the way officials handled the matter.

The alleged victim, a former student referred to as "Jane Doe," filed a civil lawsuit against the school and fraternity members last month. Students expressed their shock at what happened.

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) appointed New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case.

Cornell University closed that chapter of the Chi Phi Fraternity in 2024, and said it established a task force last year.

On Wednesday, the Chi Phi National Fraternity said it condemns sexual assault and drug and alcohol abuse, and three days after Doe filed a police report, the fraternity chapter "voted unanimously to remove the accused members from its rolls."