Are Universities Embracing the Spirit of the #MeToo Movement?
The #MeToo movement started as a local grassroots campaign founded by activist Tarana Burke in 2006, and it later became a global viral phenomenon in October 2017 following sexual abuse allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein. Tarana Burke created the phrase “Me Too” in 2006 while working with young survivors of sexual violence, stemming from a 1997 youth camp encounter where she was unable to voice solidarity with a 13-year-old victim. Investigative reports in October 2017 exposed major sexual misconduct allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein was sentenced to 15 years in prison in September 2026 for a 2006 felony sex crime in New York.
The Impact of the #MeToo Movement on College Campuses
The #MeToo movement has profoundly altered how allegations of sexual abuse on college campuses are recognized, reported, and handled. While the foundational framework for addressing campus sexual assault was already established through Title IX, the movement acted as a massive accelerant, bringing unprecedented public scrutiny and student activism to higher education.
I decided to ask AI about the primary impacts of the #MeToo movement on college campuses. AI reported that the cultural shift inspired by #MeToo fundamentally changed how students process their own experiences. Studies show that following the onset of the movement, student survivors became significantly more likely to label behaviorally specific experiences as “sexual assault”.
Title IX offices nationwide reported immediate upticks in filings. For example, Harvard University noted a 20 percent increase in formal and informal sexual harassment complaints shortly after the movement went viral.
In response to heightened scrutiny, universities moved beyond basic compliance to reform internal student life and health systems. Institutions like the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Carnegie Mellon University implemented multi-layered, mandatory online and in-person orientation modules focused heavily on affirmative consent and bystander intervention. Campuses increased funding for specialized mental health resources and survivor support groups. Many campus health centers also added Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) to provide dedicated forensic and expert care.
The Case of Jane Doe
On November 7, 2024, two weeks after the incident at Chi Phi Fraternity at Cornell University, Jane Doe submitted to a sexual assault examination and evidence collection process, according to the police records. In her report of the abuse, Doe recounted being hit and feeling emotionally coerced into sexual activity while intoxicated.
The District Attorney did not review witness statements and other evidence Cornell police collected in alleged gang rape of student. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said he based his decision not to pursue charges on the accuser’s initial six-page statement given to police, which he argued did not allege criminality. Her attorney, Thomas Giuffra, has said authorities failed to conduct a thorough investigation and prejudged the events based on her statement that she had consented to parts of the night.
As far as I am concerned, her admission to consent to parts of the night gave her credibility that should have been pursued. In other words, she was honest! And, therefore, she should have been judged as trustworthy!
Cornell University police spoke to witnesses and received anonymous tips about an alleged gang rape at a fraternity house in the first weeks of its investigation two years ago, but the local prosecutor did not review the additional information before deciding not to bring charges.
Jane Doe filed a lawsuit against Cornell University and seven Chi Phi brothers last month who, she alleges, sexually assaulted her over the course of hours while she was under the influence of ketamine, alcohol, and marijuana.
DA Van Houten, along with police and university officials, have come under intense fire for their handling of the matter. Jane Doe’s attorney has argued that she was failed by authorities who did not conduct a thorough investigation and who prejudged the events based on her earlier statement that she consented to parts of the night.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the appointment of Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to consider whether charges are appropriate. She stated that she had “lost faith” in the DA’s ability to oversee the investigation to determine whether to prosecute any offenses and present evidence to a grand jury.
“In what world does the district attorney not even interview her or anyone else involved or even request the full transcript” of the victim’s interview, Hochul asked at a news conference announcing James’s appointment.
What Did the DA Do?
On November 25, 2024, a police investigator approached Van Houten’s office to tell them about interviews they had done. An investigator in Van Houten’s office, according to the documents, replied that “he and several [attorneys] at the District Attorney’s Office had read [Jane Doe’s] statement … [and] stated that they all agreed that, based on [Jane Doe’s] statement, criminal charges would not be pursued in this case.” Jane Doe was only notified by Cornell police about the district attorney’s determination not to pursue charges two months later, on January. 21, 2025.
Van Houten defended his decision last Monday and said that Jane Doe’s statement did not allege criminality. He also agreed to reopen his inquiry before that role was assigned to the attorney general.
When reached for comment, Van Houten argued “there was nothing to review” in that discussion with police because the interviews flagged “were each of the frat members declining to speak on the advice of their attorney.”
However, the records show that police received a portion of a larger Snapchat thread where one member of the alleged rape group announced there was “free p—-” in the alumni room of the house, where Jane Doe engaged in what she said was initially a consensual threesome.
Was Jane Doe Treated Fairly?
Thomas Giuffra, the attorney representing Jane Doe, said that his client — during that two-month window — believed “they were still investigating.” “I was unaware that they had made the decision to not prosecute in November,” Giuffra said. “If so, that is worse than I thought.”
On November 7, 2024, two weeks after the incident at Chi Phi, Jane Doe submitted to a sexual assault examination and evidence collection process, according to the police records. She had gone to the university health center shortly after the alleged assault to get treatment for a urinary tract infection but was not offered a rape kit at the time, Giuffra said. He called it “the first failure post assault when she was trying to get help.”
The attorney called it “a code or cry for help to say something bad happened” when Jane Doe told them that she “has a [UTI] of a traumatic origin.” Giuffra said the medical staff should have asked her: “What kind of trauma do you think caused this UTI?”
Giuffra noted that if the health center referred Jane Doe to an outside facility for an examination, there might have been recoverable DNA because she was there within 48 hours.
New York Law on Sexual Abuse
New York does not use a single charge called “sexual assault”; instead, the state prosecutes these crimes under Article 130 of the New York Penal Law, breaking offenses down into specific categories like sexual abuse, forcible touching, rape, and aggravated sexual abuse.
A woman in NYC does not need to claim physical incapacitation to sustain a sexual abuse charge. Under New York Penal Law Article 130, a sexual abuse charge can be sustained through multiple independent legal paths. Physical helplessness or incapacitation is just one of several ways to establish a lack of legal consent. It is sufficient to show that the victim did not expressly or impliedly acquiesce to the intimate touching. Another is if the abuse occurred through the use of physical force, or through express or implied threats of death, physical injury, If the claim relies entirely on intoxication rather than physical force, New York law has a specific statutory rule often referred to as a loophole.
Ironically, a Cornell campus police log recorded a drug incident at Chi Phi 22 hours before the alleged assault on Jane Doe. Doe sued the university and seven Chi Phi brothers last month, alleging she was sexually assaulted over the course of hours that night while she was under the influence of ketamine, alcohol, and marijuana.
How Many Women Allege Assault on College Campuses?
Exact annual totals of formal allegations or reports are difficult to pinpoint because organizations like the National Sexual Violence Resource Center note that 90% of female victims do not report or formally allege assaults. However, prevalence and research data from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network show broad statistical impacts on students each year.
According to the Association of American Universities campus climate data cited by organizations like the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, about 1 in 5 women experience some form of sexual assault or misconduct during their time in college. Roughly 13% of undergraduate students experience nonconsensual sexual contact by physical force or inability to consent after enrolling, with undergraduate women facing significantly higher rates (approximately 25.9%) compared to graduate students (9.7%)
Conclusion
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said in a video message last Saturday that what Jane Doe alleges is “deeply disturbing” and raised questions about the investigation that followed. He said the school “must do better” after a Jane Doe alleged she was drugged and raped by a group of men at a fraternity house. Ya Think?
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. The hotline, run by the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN), can put you in contact with your local rape crisis center. You can also access RAINN’s online chat service at rainn.org/get-help.
Blog posted by Steven Mintz, PhD, Professor Emeritus from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, on October 5, 2026. You can contact Dr. Mintz at smintz@calpoly.edu. Visit his website to find out more about his activities.