This article includes discussion of sexual assault.
Sept. 21 the Cornell Daily Sun, Cornell University’s independent daily student newspaper, published an editorial revealing the names that became known as the Cornell 7: the seven Chi Phi fraternity members who drugged and assaulted a female student referred to anonymously as Jane Doe. Now, people worldwide are using #IAmJaneDoe to share their own experiences with sexual assault and misconduct on social media.
The editorial followed an article from three days earlier, which reported that a student was suing Cornell, Chi Phi and seven students for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting her. The news was quickly picked up by mainstream outlets, including The New York Times and ABC.
The Cornell Sun’s editorial board is continuing to provide follow-up reporting, including on the disciplinary action taken against the defendants, how the case is affecting student and alumni perceptions of Cornell and a rally in support of sexual assault survivors with thousands of attendees.
When I first joined The Occidental as a layout editor Fall 2023, I eagerly read through the week’s completed articles as I waited in the newsroom for materials to be ready. I was struck by how much I learned about my own campus and peers that, even at a small school like Occidental, I would have likely never known otherwise. Prior to moving into my first-year dorm I had never been to Eagle Rock or even California. Stories about the arts, culture and events in the local community helped me feel like I could build a home for myself here.
I began following the newspapers of colleges my friends attended, at first simply to hear more about the everyday experience at their schools. As the only one of my high school friends to leave Virginia and go across the country for college, it was easy to feel like my friends were continuing to grow up together without me. They could see each other every weekend, while I waited months for holiday breaks to come around.
Over time my social media algorithm showed me more college papers, and I encouraged it. While my love for these papers began because of everyday stories, the more I read, the deeper my appreciation grew as I saw their potential to cover pertinent issues on campus and in the community.
The first time I believed my own work could reveal broader issues was when I wrote an article about challenges to fighting homelessness in Eagle Rock. After attending neighborhood council meetings, I spoke to committee members committed to helping people find housing. Despite following the appropriate procedures, some people were not approved despite the ability of vacant spaces, causing confusion among the committee members working to support them. Last year I saw firsthand how journalism could contextualize history when I edited an article on hazing rituals conducted by Occidental’s 1920s KKK club. In my three years at Occidental I had never heard about this part of the college’s history, and I heard the same sentiment from many people who read the story.
Each time the Cornell Sun requests more information and community data, the paper includes the message: “Cornell didn’t listen. We will.” As a student, it can be easy to feel powerless against issues that seem to be exclusively in the hands of people with decades of work experience. It can feel that I have to wait until my learning is complete to have the chance to make an impact. The Cornell Sun proves that students’ possibilities are not on hold. As a student-run and wholly independent paper, I believe The Occidental shares not only the same obligation but also the same opportunity: to be a voice for our college and community, particularly when no one else will.
As eyes shift toward social media, viewership of local newspapers is drastically decreasing. In the past two decades, almost 40 percent of local newspapers have disappeared. Nonetheless, the Cornell Sun is a perfect example of how this new landscape can be used to amplify local stories. Through #IAmJaneDoe and the Cornell Sun’s reporting, the public response made it clear that not only were people angry about what happened at Cornell, but that the incident should not be thought of in isolation. Whether or not we tend to speak about it, chances are that many people know of similar incidents.
How the Cornell 7 case will end is uncertain. What can be said, no matter what happens next, is that the reporting led to a national reckoning. It is possible that if students had never broken the story, no one else would have.
Before the Cornell 7 editorial was published, Community News Editor Samhita Krishnan was already writing a feature on Occidental’s own Title IX history — which includes reaching national news when the administration addressed a rape case only after it had been reported by local news — and how consent culture has evolved at the college. I knew the idea would be impactful when it was first pitched to me as Features editor. Because of other student journalists, Occidental’s story will automatically be cemented in a broader cultural context.
Regardless of whether they are journalists or students, I hope the Cornell Sun’s reporting inspires young people to believe that, no matter how much it can feel otherwise, our voices hold real weight. As we come of age and reckon with both persisting and new challenges faced by our generation, we must recognize and seize our power to write the first drafts of history.
Contact Diana Trutia at trutia@oxy.edu
