Govind TekaleHow widespread is sexual violence at schools and universities, and why are people protesting now? Hundreds rallied outside a Manhattan courthouse on October 8 under the "I Am Jane Doe" banner, one of dozens of protests across the country. Here is what the rally was about, and what the survey data says about students.
The I Am Jane Doe rally on sexual violence took place outside the New York State Supreme Court building in Manhattan, where a Cornell University student identified in court documents as Jane Doe filed a lawsuit last month. She says she was plied with drugs and alcohol and sexually assaulted by members of the campus chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity while she was incapacitated in October 2024. She named seven Chi Phi members as defendants, along with the fraternity, a local bar, her sorority and Cornell. The men have denied wrongdoing. Some say the sexual activity was consensual, and others dispute their participation. These are allegations in a civil suit, not court findings. Reuters reported that protests were planned in cities including Washington, Philadelphia, Boston, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
For students and families, the case shows how much depends on a school's own policies. Title IX is the federal law that bars sex-based discrimination, including sexual violence, in schools that receive federal funding. Procedures for reporting differ by school, so read your school's Title IX policy and ask what support is available without a formal complaint. Survivors can also seek medical care, a local rape-crisis service or a qualified lawyer.
How Widespread Is Sexual Violence in Schools and Universities?
The Cornell case is one story, and the survey numbers are larger. In the 2019 Association of American Universities (AAU) campus climate survey, 13% of all students who responded reported nonconsensual sexual contact involving physical force or inability to consent since enrolling. Among undergraduate women, the figure was 25.9%. Cornell's own 2025 survey found 35% of undergraduate women who responded had experienced nonconsensual sexual contact during their time there, up from 23% in 2023.
The numbers are not a complete picture. The AAU ended its multicampus survey after 2019, and the federal government does not yet have a comprehensive, standardized national survey of sexual violence among students.
The problem does not start in college. In the CDC's 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 9% of high school students said they had ever been physically forced to have sex when they did not want to. Nearly 2 in 10 female high school students experienced sexual violence in the past year.
Colleges that receive federal funding must publish annual crime statistics under the Clery Act. Those figures count only reported incidents, so they do not capture every assault.
In the Cornell case, the local prosecutor declined to bring criminal charges, according to Reuters. Prosecutors have since reopened the investigation, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed the state's attorney general as special prosecutor. Cornell, which says it conducted a Title IX investigation that resulted in suspensions and expulsions, has hired former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent review.
How common is sexual assault on college campuses? In the 2019 AAU campus climate survey, 13% of all students reported nonconsensual sexual contact involving physical force or inability to consent since entering college. Among undergraduate women, 25.9% did. The survey measured a range of behaviours, and figures differ by school and survey year.
New York's attorney general is conducting a criminal investigation, and Yates' independent review of Cornell is under way. Check back for updates.
Readers can review the Education Department’s Title IX framework and the AAU campus climate survey. For related context, Karmactive has covered student demonstrations over institutional failures and student-led accountability movements.
