In Solidarity with Survivors: A Statement from the Survivor Justice Network on Campus Violence and Institutional Complicity
In Solidarity with Survivors: A Statement on Campus Violence and Institutional Complicity
The recent revelations surrounding the alleged gang rape of a female student at Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024, and the alleged sexual assault of a student by a football player that occurred on the campus of Louisiana State University in 2025, represent a profound moral, legal, and administrative catastrophe. The Survivor Justice Network is a collective of 26 organizations who believe that survivors should be the ones who shape the national conversation on sexual violence. Anchored by me too. International, the National Women’s Law Center, and Justice for Migrant Women, our network coordinates, amplifies, and protects this vital advocacy, and we stand in unequivocal solidarity with Jane Doe, Kendall Francis, and every survivor who is absorbing these devastating allegations and the hateful targeting Jane Doe is experiencing for speaking out.
We recognize that this moment can be triggering and deeply concerning for survivors everywhere. To Jane Doe and Kendall Francis specifically: your courage in seeking accountability has shattered a wall of institutional silence. We honor your bravery in coming forward, we believe you, and we are fiercely committed to fighting for the justice you have been denied.
Jane Doe’s legal complaint describes not just an administrative failure by Cornell, but an institutional betrayal. This is familiar to many, many survivors. The violation of trust that comes when schools, workplaces, or other institutions that promise fairness and care instead minimize, dismiss, or excuse sexual violence is often described as comparable in its harm to the violence itself. The trauma of violence is heavy enough; witnessing an institution actively protect abusers compounds that pain immensely. To all survivors carrying this weight: we see you, we validate your rage and grief, and we are fighting alongside you.
This fight is all the more necessary because we are facing ongoing purposeful and systemic attacks on survivors’ rights at the highest levels of federal government, very specifically including survivors’ rights at school. On Monday, the Department of Education formally rescinded Title IX regulations adopted during the Biden administration that had strengthened protections against sexual violence and sex harassment and required schools to take meaningful steps to prevent and address it. The need for these protections is critical. Cornell’s own 2025 Survey of Sexual Assault and Related Misconduct revealed that 35% of undergraduate women at the university experienced nonconsensual sexual contact, and that 52% of Greek-affiliated women reported experiencing a sexual assault–and Cornell is not unique. In the absence of robust enforcement of safeguards like Title IX, experience has shown again and again that institutions will fall short of their moral and legal obligations to meet the needs of survivors, with incalculable costs to survivors’ education, well-being, and futures.
We refuse to look away. This Thursday, October 1st, during our national town hall, we will open the space by naming this violence, holding space for our collective grief, and sharing vital crisis and grounding resources. We will continue to build a sustained, intersectional movement to dismantle the culture of complicity that allows such atrocities to occur unchecked.
We also offer these resources to survivors and institutions navigating this moment:
FAQs on Title IX and Supportive Measures for Students in K-12 and Higher Education
The Legal Network for Gender Equity–for student survivors who want to be connected to a lawyer to better understand their rights and options
Survivor’s Sanctuary – a free offering from me too. International that includes over 30 healing practices and tools for survivors of sexual violence.
‘me too.’ Healing Resource Library – a database of over 1,000 healing, mental health, legal, and direct support resources for survivors
Understanding Triggers Toolkit – a ‘me too.’ toolkit to help survivors recognize, understand and work through moments of activation.
Our Wave – digital support spaces for survivors of sexual violence.
National Sexual Violence Resource Center – information and tools to prevent and respond to sexual violence.
In solidarity,
The Survivor Justice Network
In partnership with me too. International, National Women’s Law Center, and Justice for Migrant Women