Why did so many Cornell frat brothers stay quiet?

Plus: Dolly Parton's Imagination Library lives on |

US Edition - Today's top story: Dozens of men failed to stop an alleged gang rape at Cornell – here's the misperception that keeps bystanders from intervening and how to short-circuit it October 2, 2026 US Edition   Top headlines Another failed execution attempt in Tennessee A proposed SEC rule change generates backlash Thinking of quiet quizzing? Just don’t tell your boss Lead story To Amherst College social psychologist Catherine Sanderson, what stood out about the alleged sexual assault at Cornell that’s currently dominating headlines was not the seven men directly accused. It was the 50 other fraternity members who were reportedly on a group chat about what was happening and who apparently failed to intervene. Why do bystanders so often fail to step in and stop bad behavior? Sanderson writes that one big reason is that people often misjudge what others believe to be normal and acceptable. This tendency to “misperceive what others are actually thinking and feeling” is a part of human nature, she writes. But it doesn’t need to be the end of the story. Sanderson points out that understanding these normal psychological factors is a critical first step in learning strategies for how to intervene. Sign up for our newsletter on how AI is impacting society. Every Friday.   Maggie Villiger Senior Science + Technology Editor   People may quash their own beliefs to fit in with what they think the group believes. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis News via Getty Images Dozens of men failed to stop an alleged gang rape at Cornell – here’s the misperception that keeps bystanders from intervening and how to short-circuit it Catherine A. Sanderson, Amherst College People may accept bad behavior – even sexual assault – when they overestimate how acceptable their peers think it is. But there are ways to undermine this thinking and make intervention more likely. 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