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An explosive new lawsuit alleging that seven Chi Phi fraternity brothers gang-raped a student two years ago and that Cornell University did little to protect her in the aftermath rocked life on campus this month. The case, now known as “The Cornell Seven,” has also broken containment, quickly becoming a national issue over the weekend.

Students at The Cornell Daily Sun have been there covering every beat of the story. Senior editor Cereese Qusba spent months reporting on the case before breaking the news of the lawsuit on September 18. “What happened to me was horrific and deeply disturbing,” the plaintiff, who is only identified in court records as Jane Doe, told the Sun exclusively. “Almost two years later, I still carry the weight of its impact every day and night.”

For the past two weeks, reporters at the student paper have been relentlessly chasing follow-ups, from the administration’s response to the district attorney’s office reopening its criminal investigation and the larger fallout in Ithaca. The Sun also published a blistering editorial, printing the names of the accused men and taking the university to task for its lack of transparency. Throughout it all, the team has approached this case with care and moral clarity.

“We refuse for this victim to be reduced to just another story. Cornell has failed to protect its students. Cornell has failed to address the growing issue of sexual assault on campus with its pathetic task force,” the board wrote. “Cornell has failed the student allegedly raped by those seven men at Chi Phi in October 2024. Cornell has failed her. Cornell has failed us.”

On Monday afternoon, I called up Qusba and editor-in-chief Sophia Dasser to talk about their work, how the editorial came together, and what’s next in their reporting.