Cornell Professor Says 'I Believe Jane Doe' as She Criticizes Victim Blaming and Support for Accused Frat Members: 'What About Her Bright Future?'

A Cornell University professor has publicly castigated victim blaming and declared alignment with the survivor in the ongoing Cornell 7 case.

Kate Manne, an associate professor of philosophy at Cornell University, publicly declared, "For the record, I believe Jane Doe," during a special October 11 episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast.

Manne, a prominent feminist philosopher, strongly criticized the public and institutional treatment of sexual assault survivors, emphasizing that "r--- is always 100 percent the fault of the rapist, 0 percent on the victim."

"If you go to the worst frat on the worst night and get absolutely s---faced, anything that happens to you is 100 percent the fault of the people who do that bad thing,” she said.

"They acted like they were utterly entitled to take what they wanted from her,” Manne said. You can consent to have s-- with two men but not five men.”

Manne pushed back against the public scrutiny directed at Jane Doe. She questioned why public concern often shifts toward protecting the accused men's futures while ignoring the devastation brought upon the survivor's life.

"So many people worried about him missing out on his bright future. What about her bright future?" Manne asks.

Before the interview, Manne joined hundreds of students and faculty members in on-campus protests, saying Cornell University failed Jane Doe in how it handled the 2024 fraternity house report.

"The mood is pretty grim. I think students are incredibly upset and it's really all anyone can talk about,” Manne said of the campus vibes. "I think a lot of students feel very betrayed. Women and girls are owed safety of a kind that we don't currently have."

“It is just really shocking to draw the contrast between Jane Doe, who dropped out of Cornell, didn't have her tuition refunded, whereas uh five of the seven men were free to graduate,” she said.

The statements arrive amid a national wave of outrage and the viral "#IAmJaneDoe" social media movement.

A former Cornell student filed a civil lawsuit alleging she was drugged and gang-r---- by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024.

The case has triggered a faculty-led no-confidence resolution against the university administration, an independent investigation led by former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates, and a criminal investigation overseen by a special prosecutor appointed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

State Attorney General Letitia James has taken over as special prosecutor to head a reopened, independent criminal investigation.

James has stated that the Cornell 7 case is now "an active criminal investigation" and that her office will pursue prosecutions "if warranted.