The ‘Cornell 7’ Lesson: Don’t Do Drugs, Stay In School

Editor’s note: This article discusses mature themes.

We’re wasting an awful lot of time talking about “consent” and sexual regret right now, thanks to a young woman suing several men she had group sex with at Cornell University, when we really should be talking about the powerful effect of not consuming hard drugs.

TMZ this week published newly revealed text messages between who we now know as Cornell’s “Jane Doe” and one of the Chi Phi fraternity members she accused of gang raping her two years ago. “[I]f you have any regrets or anything you want to talk about i am always here to talk about it cause that was a lot,” Doe wrote in one of the messages. “i really do love u and matt and i promise i wont get quiet and weird w u like i did last time.” The name Matt appears to be a reference to another one of the men she is accusing, though public evidence shows she justified and defended their sexual engagement in a similar message to him as well.

And here’s the truly relevant message she sent to one of the accused, as reported by TMZ: “ps. i’m not sure if u remember but i did ket off your d–k at some point?” she wrote. “[A]nd i honestly think that was one of the most insane/jaw dropping moments of the night.” Her use of the word “ket” is apparently a reference to the drug ketamine, which her own lawsuit indicates she snorted an alarming amount of on the night in question.

That brings us to where we should have been all along. College students, ladies in particular, don’t do hard drugs. Especially when it involves a group of men.

We don’t know yet what exactly happened in October 2024 at the Chi Phi fraternity house with Jane Doe. We probably never will. But all public evidence currently indicates a 20-year-old woman got drunk at a sorority house, went to a couple of bars, then went to a frat house where she met a male friend and initially agreed to a threesome that ultimately included drugs and may have included other men.

No one begrudges a college student, whether male or female, drinking underage. If she’s legally old enough to have died for her country, she can have as many drinks as she wants (so long as she’s not caught). But drinking comes with consequences. Everything does. That includes consuming hard drugs.

Jane Doe reportedly said in other text messages days after the night of partying that she could only “sleep and cry all day.” Without concluding whether she was raped, that testimony isn’t discernibly different from any person who has done hard drugs and is on a come-down. Drugs like ketamine create a hyper sense of euphoria while it’s in the system. And once it’s gone, the user crashes. Depression and anxiety are normal. Those feelings are almost certainly heightened when the user engaged in risky behavior while under the influence. That’s true whether it’s ketamine or alcohol or Adderall.

There’s a lawsuit playing out and now, potential criminal charges. Regardless, there’s a big lesson to be learned. Don’t do drugs and just stay in school.