A Cornell University sexual assault case has gripped the nation, revealing critical gaps in how universities investigate rape allegations. New York Times investigative reporter Debra Kamin analyzed over 1,000 pages of documents showing how a student's trauma response—initially appearing to accept what happened, then gradually recognizing it as rape—was partly lost in a six-page summary that reached prosecutors, leading them to decline charges. Now the DA has reopened the case. Victims of sexual assault often take weeks or months to recognize and name what happened to them, especially when drugs and alcohol are involved, making early statements unreliable indicators of consent.