By Sophia Herndon

University of Maryland students have expressed mixed feelings about their safety on UMD’s campus following the new civil lawsuit alleging Cornell University’s mishandling of an alleged gang rape seven fraternity members committed in 2024.

The lawsuit has brought out a range of emotions from students on UMD’s campus, leaving women college students and their safety at the center of the conversation.

Junior public health science and philosophy, politics and economics student Ella Kostovick said she feels relatively safe on campus depending on the time of day and various circumstances. 

She said the Cornell case, “reinforces that this can happen to anyone, under any circumstances, even if you think you’re being careful.”

As of Oct. 6, three cases of fondling were reported at UMD in 2026, according to the University of Maryland Police Department’s Uniform Crime Reports. There are currently no reported cases of rape, statutory rape or sexual assault with an object so far in 2026.

This is a decrease in numbers compared to 2025. There were five reported cases of rape and eight reported cases of fondling in 2025. There were no reported cases of sexual assault with an object or statutory rape in 2025.

Kostovick is also a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority at UMD. Following the recent events at Cornell, she said her perspective on fraternities hasn’t changed much, but her perception of women students’ safety and the response from the public has.

“I would hope that our administration would do a better job on campus, but after seeing the backlash this girl has faced on social media and from Cornell when she initially came forward, it makes me feel less safe,” Kostovick said.

Junior psychology major Maria Gomez said she was shocked by the case at Cornell and agreed with Kostovick’s view that she hopes UMD would handle the case differently. 

Since she isn’t involved in Greek life, Gomez’s perspective on fraternities as a whole and her view on safety haven’t changed much. But there’s been a consistent negative connotation associated with fraternities because of similar incidents, Gomez said.

She also hopes UMD would handle the case differently than Cornell and hold students more accountable for their actions. Gomez recognized that UMD can use this case as a lesson to avoid similar situations in the future. 

“This is the first case I’m seeing as a current college student, so it hits home,” Gomez said.

Featured Image: A blue-light emergency phone near Susquehanna Hall at the University of Maryland on Oct. 6, 2026. Photo by Paige Trendell.