WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 12, 2026) - The lawsuit by "Jane Doe" against Cornell, which alleges that the university did not do enough to protect its female students from rape, raises questions about what steps any university can reasonably take to reduce that risk, and especially whether the so-called rape-prevention or rape-reduction programs used at Cornell and at most other universities are truly effective, says public interest law professor John Banzhaf, whose proposal related to campus date rapes has been adopted by the federal government.

The answer, says the law professor who has written and lectured extensively on this topic, is found in a scientific study which showed that virtually all such campus programs in use in the U.S. had no effect on reducing the incidence of rape or of other forms of sexual assault.

In stark contrast, a program developed by a female professor of psychology, and used at several Canadian colleges, slashed rapes by almost 50%, and attempted rapes by an astonishing 72%.

Banzhaf, whose legal actions helped slash the rate of smoking in the U.S., says that any program which can reduce the rate of harmful consequences - e.g., smoking, obesity, use of illegal drugs, unwanted teen pregnancies, etc. - by even 10% would be regarded as highly successful, and anything above 25% would be regarded as truly remarkable and outstanding.

In the wake of widespread publicity regarding Cornell, students are beginning to seriously doubt - if not outright reject - the effectiveness of rape-reduction programs at U.S. universities, and to demand those which provide significant protection in the form of proven effectiveness in actually reducing the number of campus rapes.

Studies of U.S. campus programs simply showing an increased awareness of issues such as consent, or encouraging bystanders to intervene, are no longer being credited as worthwhile, and are in fact being soundly rejected, says the law professor.

He points to his own George Washington University where the students are demanding that it require "evidence-based sexual violence prevention" programs to replace existing ones. [emphasis added]

Banzhaf notes that, strangely, U.S. programs to reduce campus rapes do not use the common sense tactics colleges have used so successfully to reduce other major campus problems such as bicycle theft, laptop computers stolen when left unattended in libraries, and items taken from dorm rooms when doors are left unlocked during brief absences.

With regard to each of these and similar problems, students are educated about how to take simple steps to protect themselves; e.g. use effective devices to lock bicycles at bike racks, ask a friend to watch laptops in libraries if the owner must briefly step away, always leave dorm rooms locked even during brief absences, etc.

In stark contrast, campus rape programs try to convince students that rape is bad and that they shouldn't do it, that bystanders should intervene (unlikely since most date rapes occur in private), and similar ineffectual advice.

Because they are obviously ineffective, universities don't have programs in which they try to convince students that stealing bicycles is bad, or that they should risk intervening if they suspect a bicycle is being stolen.

Instead, universities typically provide simple, practical, and proven advice about how to take reasonable precautions, he says.

And that's exactly what the incredibly effective Canadian programs do, and why they are so effective in protecting students by actually slashing the number of rapes and attempted rapes, says Banzhaf.

The activist professor has encouraged his own university to adopt rape-reduction programs which have been proven to work; not only to protect students from rape, but also to forestall negligence lawsuits like the one at Cornell.

JOHN F. BANZHAF III, B.S.E.E., J.D., Sc.D.
Professor of Public Interest Law Emeritus
George Washington University Law School
"The Man Behind the Ban on Cigarette Commercials"
FAMRI Dr. William Cahan Distinguished Professor
Fellow, World Technology Network
Founder, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
Inventor of the "Banzhaf Index"
(703) 527-8418
http://banzhaf.net/ jbanzhaf3ATgmail.com @profbanzhaf