Randi Weingarten joins Melinda Person in seeking Kotlikoff's resignation
Randi WeingartenAFT president and Cornell alumna, jointly signing an open letter
In a joint letter with Melinda Person, Weingarten calls for Cornell's trustees to demand Kotlikoff's resignation over his handling of sexual-violence allegations.
“For these reasons, we are calling on the Board of Trustees to demand President Michael Kotlikoff ’s resignation.”
Original text
Where this statement fits
Did Cornell adequately discipline the students named in the Cornell 7 lawsuit?
A former Cornell student alleges that seven Chi Phi members sexually assaulted her in October 2024 and that Cornell mishandled the aftermath. The Cornell Daily Sun's editorial board and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized the university's response. Cornell says its Title IX process resulted in expulsions and suspensions, and that essays were not the sole consequence for any student found responsible. The individual sanctions have not been publicly detailed.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
The two union presidents call for the trustees to demand Kotlikoff's resignation. Person's position is already covered separately.
Before the quotation
Weingarten and Melinda Person jointly sign the open letter, published in edited form by The Sun on October 22. It acknowledges that Cornell disputes the reported characterization of Kotlikoff's remarks.
After the quotation
The letter supports an independent investigation but says trustees must separately assess whether Kotlikoff can continue to lead.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The subject is Cornell's handling of the allegations and disciplinary response. Weingarten and Person call for Cornell's trustees to demand Kotlikoff's resignation over his handling of sexual-violence allegations.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseMelinda Person seeks Kotlikoff's resignation over Cornell's handling
“Today, we called for President Kotlikoff’s resignation and an independent investigation into Cornell’s handling of sexual violence allegations.”Read statement
Sabrina Karim calls for Cornell to acknowledge institutional failure
“Second, rebuilding trust requires institutions to acknowledge failure. That does not mean prejudging every contested fact or assigning responsibility before an investigation is complete. It means recognizing when systems have not worked as they should. In recent weeks, Cornell and the District Attorney’s Office have become involved in reports about where responsibility for different aspects of this case lay. But this does little to rebuild public trust when the larger concern is that the system itself failed. Institutions earn credibility by demonstrating that they are capable of self-examination and correction.”Read statement
Cornell FAQ describes campus police sexual-assault training
Cornell University
“These officers have specialized training in sexual assault investigations, including trauma-informed interview techniques.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Randi Weingarten joins Melinda Person in seeking Kotlikoff's resignation
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/6556-in-a-joint-letter-with-melinda-person-weingarten
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Randi Weingarten joins Melinda Person in seeking Kotlikoff's resignation". First published: 2026-10-23. Last updated: 2026-10-23. https://disputeindex.com/events/6556-in-a-joint-letter-with-melinda-person-weingarten