Found Responsible Is Not the Same as Expelled: How Campus Sanctions Get Decided
New reporting on Cornell's sexual misconduct outcomes shows that a finding of responsibility is only half the case, and the sanctions stage has its own rules, factors and appeal rights.
October 15, 2026 · 2 min read
By Jocelyn C. Stewart
The Cornell case has put a quiet stage of the Title IX process in the headlines: the sanction. TMZ, summarizing a CNN review of Cornell records, reports that 16 of 51 formal sexual assault complaints from mid-2020 to mid-2024 ended in a finding of responsibility, and two of those students were expelled. If you are accused, the sanction stage deserves as much attention as the finding.
Sanctions are a separate decision. Under Cornell's Policy 6.4 procedures, the hearing panel that decides responsibility then deliberates separately on sanctions and remedies (Section 26.11). Federal rules require every school to publish its range of possible sanctions, 34 C.F.R. § 106.45(b)(1)(vi), and to state any sanction in the written determination, 34 C.F.R. § 106.45(b)(7)(ii)(E).
Related Episodes: S4 H1: Cornell 7 · S4 H2: Cornell 7 Developments: Campus Police Interview & Special Prosecutor · S4 E2: Cornell 7 Case: Call for New Legislation & Using Jane Doe