University of Arizona students march for Cornell's Jane Doe, calling for an end to sexual violence

Nearly 100 University of Arizona students, faculty, staff and other community members marched through Greek Row on Thursday, bringing a national debate over campus sexual violence directly to Tucson. The “Stop Sexual Violence” protest was organized to support a former Cornell University student known as Jane Doe, who says she was sexually assaulted by seven men at the Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024. Participants said the demonstration was also about safety and accountability at the University of Arizona, where the Dean of Students Office recently suspended activities for all Interfraternity Chapters after receiving multiple misconduct reports.

The rally began with speeches on the UA campus before demonstrators crossed the Mall and headed toward fraternity and sorority houses concentrated along East First and East Second streets. Students carried signs and chanted messages including “I’m Jane Doe,” “Gender violence we say no,” and “Survivors united, will never be defeated.” The decision to march through Greek Row was deliberate, organizers said, placing the protest in a part of campus associated with fraternity life and sending a warning that students are watching how Greek organizations respond to allegations of abuse.

The Cornell case has drawn attention well beyond Ithaca. Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit last month alleging that she was drugged, severely intoxicated and unable to consent during the 2024 incident. Four of the men involved have said they had consensual sex with her, while three others have denied sexual contact. None has been criminally charged. The lawsuit prompted authorities to reopen the criminal investigation, and the case has fueled rallies, walkouts and vigils at colleges and in communities across more than 40 states.

At the Tucson rally, speakers criticized what they described as a pattern in which universities, police departments and legal systems fail to protect survivors or hold accused people accountable. Arian Chavez, a Students for Socialism member, said Cornell police received a report from Jane Doe but that only two of the seven men were expelled, while others received suspensions or were assigned workshops and essays, according to the account presented at the protest. Chavez said no arrests or criminal charges followed. The demonstration also referenced a separate allegation involving Louisiana State University student Kendall Francis and football player Damien Shanklin. Shanklin has denied that claim and has not been criminally charged.

Cornell has provided a different account of its institutional response. The university says its Office of Civil Rights and Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards conducted a Title IX investigation over several months. A panel of trained faculty and staff heard evidence over multiple days, and both the complainant and respondents were allowed to testify and present evidence. Cornell says the panel issued a range of sanctions, including expulsions and suspensions, but federal privacy law prevents the university from disclosing individual disciplinary outcomes. Cornell also says the Chi Phi Xi chapter was closed in 2024 and remains barred from campus.

The university distinguishes its disciplinary proceedings from a criminal case. Cornell says its process determines whether school policies were violated, while law enforcement and prosecutors decide whether criminal laws were broken. Cornell University Police investigated the incident, provided Jane Doe’s sworn statement and a Snapchat screenshot to the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office in November 2024, and said the matter was handled within the department’s jurisdiction. The university says the district attorney, rather than Cornell, decided not to bring charges in 2024, and that the criminal investigation has since been reopened because of additional allegations in the civil lawsuit. Cornell has publicly supported giving Jane Doe’s account to a criminal grand jury.

For many Tucson students, the case resonated because they see it as part of a broader campus culture rather than an isolated incident. U of A freshman Anj Bailey said Jane Doe was forced to leave her educational program while the men accused of assaulting her faced what Bailey characterized as minimal consequences. Bailey said she should not need to carry a personal alarm and pepper spray to feel safe at the university. Emma Peper, who marched with Bailey and identifies as a survivor of sexual violence, said she wanted institutions to be held to the principles and values they publicly claim to support.

Alissa Birch, a UA student who told the crowd she was recently sexually assaulted, said survivors are repeatedly silenced and that police and legal systems have failed them. Ari Rubio, another freshman, said the Cornell allegations were horrific while acknowledging that not every fraternity is the same. Brandon Rogers, a junior and member of the UA chapter of Iota Phi Theta, said the scrutiny directed at Greek life is warranted and that he was disturbed by reports of other organizations. Audrey Zelinka, a Students for Socialism organizer, described sexism as a system reaching from fraternity houses to the highest levels of government, while emphasizing that individual fraternities must also be held responsible.

The Tucson protest occurred days after the UA announced an interim activities suspension for all 21 Interfraternity Chapters. The university said it had received reports of “egregious” misconduct involving nearly half of the fraternities since the semester began seven weeks earlier. Several chapters had already faced discipline for serious hazing violations earlier in the year, and Dean of Students Chrissy Lieberman said some current allegations and cases are also under criminal investigation. The university has not indicated that this year’s fraternity cases involve sexual assault or sexual misconduct. UA Chief Academic Officer and Provost Patricia Prelock said hazing has no place at the university and pledged continued investment in prevention, education and accountability.

Cornell says it is pursuing similar work beyond individual discipline. In early 2025, the university created a Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault made up of faculty, staff and students. Its recommendations, issued in March 2026, include in-person sexual health and well-being education for new students, additional Cornell Health staff focused on prevention and programming, and a Pathways resource intended to make support and reporting options easier to find. Cornell has also held a town hall and created an implementation committee. In Tucson, organizers said the immediate goal is to replace what they call rape culture with a culture of consent, while reminding survivors that they are believed, supported and not alone. Resources for survivors in Southern Arizona are available through the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault.