On September 29, Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York and Bishop Lee Miller of the Upstate Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sent the following letter to Cornell University President Michael I. Kotlikoff regarding the safety and well-being of Cornell’s students.
The letter comes in response to allegations of sexual assault contained in a recently filed civil complaint involving a Cornell fraternity and the university’s ongoing response to sexual violence on campus. Drawing on the shared commitment of our Episcopal and Lutheran communities to the dignity, safety, and well-being of every person, Bishop DeDe and Bishop Lee call on Cornell to examine its policies and institutional responses and to continue implementing the recommendations of the university’s Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault.
We share their concern for the students and wider Cornell community and their commitment to ensuring that survivors know they are believed, loved, and not alone. We invite you to read their full letter below.
The Rt. Rev. DeDe Duncan-Probe, Bishop
The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York
P.O. Box 3520
Syracuse, NY 13220
The Rev. Lee M. Miller II, Bishop
The Upstate NY Synod – ELCA
116 W. Glen Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13205
[email protected]
President Michael I. Kotlikoff
Office of the President
300 Day Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
[email protected]
September 29, 2026
Dear President Kotlikoff,
As faith leaders of the Episcopal and Lutheran (ELCA) communities across Central and Upstate New York we write to you today to express our deep concern regarding the alleged sexual assault reported to have occurred at Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. The survivor’s civil complaint filed this month alleges a horrific night of sexual assault and violence.
Our churches teach that gender-based violence in all its forms is a sinful rebellion against a loving God and a rejection of God’s image in every person. Psychological experts, academics, and governments, have amply documented the wide-ranging and long-lasting destructive effects of this violence on survivors and communities. As faith leaders, ensuring the safety and dignity of those in our care is a moral responsibility intrinsic to our faith. To ensure the safety of each person, and especially the most vulnerable, we have established protocols and mechanisms for accountability and are advocates for the well-being of all people.
In February 2025 you and Provost Bala established a Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault. Your stated outcomes of the proposed recommendations were “Increased knowledge, Improved communication, Student empowerment, and Accountability and behavioral change.” We are deeply concerned about some of the key findings from your 2025 survey, including that 35% of Cornell undergraduate women and 8% of men “reported experiencing a sexual assault during their time at Cornell.” This is even more disturbing when considering that the American Psychological Association reports that as much as 90% of campus sexual assaults are not reported.
In light of these allegations and the renewed criminal investigation, we urge Cornell to examine whether its policies investigative practices, and institutional responses have been sufficient to protect students and uphold the commitments the University has made regarding sexual violence. We also urge the immediate and sustained implementation of the Task Force recommendations, including Increased knowledge, Improved communication, Student empowerment, Accountability and behavioral change.
St. Luke Lutheran Church and The Episcopal Church at Cornell have been caring for students and concerned community members through this and other difficult circumstances. Their care for students and the wider community includes the reminder that each survivor is believed and loved and that they are not alone. We urge your immediate action for the safety and well-being of every student and every person impacted.
We will continue to hold the student body, faculty, staff, wider community, and you in our prayers. We also welcome a response regarding the University’s continued implementation of these commitments as together we work for the safety, dignity, and well-being of all.
Sincerely,
1 “A Social Message on Gender-based Violence,” Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Office of the Presiding Bishop, 2015, accessed September 28, 2026, https://cdn.elca.org/cdn/wp-content/uploads/Gender_Based_Violence_SM.pdf.
2 “Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault: Final Report,” Cornell University, March 10, 2026, Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault Final Report March 10, 2026.
3 Ibid., 9.
4 “Campus sexual assault: Fact sheet from an intersectional lens,” American Psychological Association, accessed September 28, 2026, https://www.apa.org/apags/resources/campus-sexual-assault-fact-sheet.
5 https://provost.cornell.edu/initiatives/task-force-sa/tfsa-final-report-2026.pdf.
