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Maddie Rosado, Managing / News Editor 

In early October, all four of Manhattan University’s (MU) Greek life organizations publicly addressed the “Cornell Seven” rape case in statements posted to Instagram.  

On Sept. 18, The Cornell Daily Sun, Cornell University’s student newspaper, reported that a former student had filed a lawsuit alleging she was drugged and gang raped in 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house. The lawsuit names Cornell, Chi Phi organizations and seven current and former students.  

Weeks later, records obtained by The New York Times showed that a university Title IX panel had found two of the seven responsible for sexual assault and expelled them, while the others received lesser punishments. The Sun’s editorial board had already called Cornell’s handling of the case “a morbid pattern” and urged for independent criminal investigations.   

The scandal has since reached MU’s Greek life communities. Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE), Alpha Phi Delta (APD), Sigma Delta Tau (SDT) and Alpha Pi Phi (APP) each condemned sexual violence and called for accountability in their posts.  

 DKE was the first to post, sharing its statement on their Instagram story.  

“Condemnation alone is not enough; silence and inaction are simply unacceptable,” DKE wrote. “As fraternity men, we have a duty to hold ourselves and our peers accountable, and to speak out against wrongdoing. We firmly denounce the abhorrent behavior of those involved, as well as Cornell University’s response. Institutions have an absolute responsibility to protect their students.”  

After multiple attempts to contact DKE members, The Quadrangle was referred to Ryan Hayes, the chapter’s vice president of risk management and a civil engineering major, for comment on the statement.  

“It’s a wider problem that, frankly, an Instagram post won’t fix…
Supporting Jane Doe is not about going against fraternities… It’s about holding Greek life to just a higher standard,” Hayes said. “This whole situation, it’s definitely pushed us to be more proactive with [our] education [regarding Title IX misconduct].”    

APD was the second to post, sharing a statement on their Instagram feed.  

“We have ZERO TOLERANCE for sexual assault, harassment, and violence in any form,” APD wrote. “Every student deserves to feel safe, respected, and supported on their campus. As brothers of APD we believe in holding ourselves and those around us accountable. Choosing silence is not an option. We stand with Jane Doe and all those affected by sexual violence.”   

Anthony Jones, president of APD and junior civil engineering major, shared with The Quadrangle that the fraternity felt a responsibility to speak publicly about the case.  

“As RAs, sons, brothers, military and leaders in our community in general, it was our duty to stand up and say something,” Jones said. “As men, it is our duty to hold ourselves and those around us accountable for their words and actions… [Title IX misconduct] is something we don’t want on our campus and we’ll try our best to ensure that everyone feels safe.”  

SDT was the third to share a statement, posting it to their Instagram story.  

“SDT stands against sexual violence of any kind. We are dedicated to empowering women and part of that is fostering a space where women feel safe, protected, and respected,” SDT wrote.  

Allyson Haskins, president of SDT and a senior double major in communication and marketing, told The Quadrangle that the sorority shared campus resources with members and wanted to ensure survivors felt supported.   

“It’s always been super important for us to keep that topic going, so that girls feel comfortable to talk about it,” Haskins said.  

APP was the final Greek life community to post a statement on their Instagram feed, emphasizing its zero-tolerance policy for sexual violence and their commitment to supporting survivors. 

“We are fully committed to making sure our community is a safe space where voices are heard and not dismissed,” APP wrote. “It is important to remember that there is no justice without accountability.”  

Penelope Velazquez, president of APP and a senior finance major, discussed with The Quadrangle that the sorority wanted to publicly express its support for survivors and challenge assumptions about what Greek organizations discuss internally.  

“We stand by Jane Doe, we stand by everyone that is affected by sexual violence,” Velazquez said.  

While MU’s Greek life organizations publicly condemned sexual violence, the university also communicated with students about sexual assault “prevention training.”  

On Oct. 2, MU’s Title IX office emailed all students with the subject line “Action Required: Mandatory Title IX Training for All New Students,” informing new students that they were required to complete an online sexual assault “prevention training program.”  

“All new students, including first-year and transfer students, are required to complete the online Sexual Assault Prevention training by the due date listed in their training assignment,” the email stated.  

Following this email, The Quadrangle contacted Title IX coordinator Kimara Patton to request an interview and was directed to the Title IX  office’s website and the Vector Solutions – Student Platform, where the “mandatory training” and “preventative measures” are available.  

For further support, call RAINN’s hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit rainn.org.