美国副司法部长萨莉·耶茨承诺，将对康奈尔大学处理性侵指控的方式进行独立调查，其中包括一起发生在2024年、涉及这所位于纽约州的常春藤盟校兄弟会的案件。
US Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates pledged to conduct an independent investigation into Cornell University’s handling of sexual assault allegations, including a 2024 case involving a fraternity at the Ivy League school in New York.
耶茨是金杜律师事务所的合伙人，受康奈尔大学董事会特别委员会聘请，负责审查该校对该案件的回应，并对大学预防和应对性侵指控的机制进行更广泛的审查。
Yates, a partner at law firm King & Spalding LLP, was hired by a special committee of Cornell’s Board of Trustees to examine the university’s response to the case and carry out a broader review of how the university prevents and responds to claims of sexual assault.
耶茨周二在一份声明中说：“我们理解，有人可能会对我们的独立性持怀疑态度。我向你们保证，我们的独立性不是形式主义。”“特别委员会已承诺，给予我们的团队完全的自主权，以及一项如此重要的独立审查所需和应得的资源，以履行其职责。” 自上个月以来，抗议活动在康奈尔大学校园持续发酵，起因是一名前学生指控称，她于2024年在一处兄弟会会所内遭人下药并强奸。
“We understand that some may be skeptical of our independence. I assure you that our independence is not a formality,” Yates said in a statement on Tuesday. “The Special Committee has pledged to provide our team with complete autonomy and the resources an independent review of this significance needs and deserves to fulfill its charge.”Since last month, protests have roiled Cornell in response to a former student’s allegations that she was drugged and raped at a fraternity house in 2024.
此案引发了康奈尔大学位于纽约州北部的校园之外的广泛关注，焦点在于大学和当地执法部门如何处理她的指控——这些指控在一起民事诉讼中被列举——以及为何早前的调查未能导致刑事指控。
The case has drawn scrutiny beyond Cornell’s upstate New York campus over how the university and local authorities handled her allegations — which were laid out in a civil lawsuit — and why an earlier probe into the matter didn’t result in criminal charges.
耶茨的调查将审查康奈尔大学报告和调查不当行为的程序、纪律处分流程、对兄弟会和姐妹会的监管，以及校园警察的角色。耶茨表示，她的团队将花时间在校园内收集信息，并提出改进建议。据耶茨透露，大学董事会计划公开发布调查结果。
The investigation by Yates will examine Cornell’s procedures for reporting and investigating misconduct, its disciplinary process, oversight of fraternities and sororities, as well as the role of campus police. Yates said her team would spend time on campus gathering information and make recommendations for improvements. The university’s board plans to publicly release the findings, according to Yates.
耶茨（Yates）在被时任总统巴拉克·奥巴马（Barack Obama）提名后，成为美国司法部（US Justice Department）的第二高级官员。此前，她曾负责领导一项针对美国女子职业足球运动的调查。2022年，美国足球联合会（US Soccer Federation）公布了调查结果，并表示将根据耶茨的调查建议采取相应行动，以处理该运动领域中存在的虐待行为和性不当行为的指控。
Yates, who served as the second-highest official at the US Justice Department after being nominated by then-President Barack Obama, had previously led an investigation into American women’s professional soccer. In 2022, the US Soccer Federation released findings and said it would act on recommendations from an investigation by Yates into allegations of abusive behavior and sexual misconduct in the sport.