Of all the evidence I’ve seen from the rape investigation happening at Cornell University, the alleged messages among members of the Chi Phi fraternity on Snapchat have stuck with me the most. The one quoted above isn’t the worst of the batch, but it speaks to the degradation of "Jane Doe" by members of the organization who seemed to see her as nothing more than a body.

At the time of the alleged gang rape in October 2024, Chi Phi had 57 members at Cornell, according to the New York Post. The reactions in the group chat vary. One member replied directly to a message advertising “free (expletive), saying “this is crazy work.” Another response read, “I (expletive) love Chi Phi.”

From what we know, many of the men in the chat stayed silent. Seven men might be named in the lawsuit filed by Jane Doe on Sept. 16, but how many others knew what was happening and did nothing?

I recently spoke with Lauren Mahoney, an adjunct assistant professor of psychology in the City University of New York School of Professional Studies, about the men in the group chat.

“I firmly believe that the presence of 57 people shouldn’t mean that the responsibility is divided 57 different ways,” Mahoney said. “It should mean that there are 57 different........

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