The Cornell seven are not unique to the United States

Content warning: This story deals with themes of rape and sexual violence. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, call the Sexual Violence Helpline 1-888-933-9007 or visit sexualviolencehelpline.ca

In September 2026, the world learned about a terrifying crime that allegedly happened at Cornell University: a young Jane Doe was raped by a group of men at the university in 2024.

The accused students are now referred to as the Cornell Seven. These fraternity brothers allegedly decided to rape a drugged woman. What is even more alarming is that the young men published the plan to rape Jane Doe on a group chat with 57 members. And while not everyone accepted the offer to participate in the sexual assault group, not one young man called the police to save the victim at that time.

Obviously, what Cornell’s Jane Doe claims to preserve is horrific. There is a place for robust discussions about whether Cornell’s reaction was sufficient; however, what I want to remind Canadians right now is this: sexual assault on university campuses is not just an American problem, it’s happening right here, north of the 49th parallel.

According to Statistics Canada, 11 percent of women will be sexually assaulted while attending post-secondary school. The total is much lower (but still frightening) for men, at four percent. As the numbers prove, rape culture on Canada’s campuses is a serious problem.

Perhaps the most egregious example in recent history concerns Western University Orientation Week 2021. According to information circulating on social media, approximately 30 young women may be drugged at Western University’s orientation week in 2021. No formal charges were brought, but thousands of Western University students walked out of class to protest a culture of sexual violence on campus. Two inquiries filed, but campus rape has not been resolved.

Here’s a structural barrier to real progress where sexual assault on campus is concerned: Canada’s federal government still doesn’t have a unified strategy for how we should tackle the epidemic of sexual assault on campus. Sure, it funds our universities for billions a year (as it should), but it has not committed to creating a future where all students feel equally safe on campus.

In addition to PTSD and physical injuries can cause sexual assault, research published by Lana Stermac et al. in the The Canadian Journal of Higher Education found that experiencing sexual violence has negative academic outcomes, including worse grades, missing classes, or thoughts of dropping out of school altogether. Not only does this epidemic of campus rape affect the mental and physical health of the victims, but it robs them of their academic potential.

In recent days, many progressive people I know have expressed outrage that one of the key ways the school administration handled Jane Doe’s assault was to force the Cornell seven to write essays reflecting on their actions. In my personal experience with sexual violence on campus, such outcomes usually occur out of concern for the male perpetrator’s bright future. Who wants to end up derailing the young man’s plans to work in private equity or real estate law? What if their life is destroyed by the one time they committed a gang rape? In response, let me scream, “myogynia” at the top of my lungs. Research on the academic achievement of sexual assault survivors shows that their lives are already affected by these crimes. Why do we live in a world where the innocent party is disproportionately likely to face the consequences of sexual assault? You will never convince me that the reason is not rampant sexism. And the answer to sexism—in the United States, as in Canada—is for all of us to expose it and oppose its corrosive effects.

So, if you are angry about what happened at Cornell, please be angry on behalf of Canadian students. Email your lawmakers, calling for a federal strategy and funding specifically earmarked to address sexual assault on campus. Otherwise, we might as well all start saving for a lifetime of therapy bills in addition to our daughters’ RESPs.

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