CLAREMONT : College Drops Disciplinary Action in Alleged Rape

Pomona College has dropped disciplinary proceedings against a former student who was accused of rape.

In March, a woman student filed a charge with the school’s disciplinary board, accusing the man--who at that time was a senior--of having raped her 2 1/2 years earlier. The charge carried a possible penalty of expulsion.

The woman never reported the incident to police. Legal experts said a criminal case would have stood little chance because the woman conceded that she never had indicated an objection to having sex with him.

However, rules at the college require that there be explicit consent in order for an act of sex to be considered consensual. The issue split the campus during the last weeks of school, with protesters who supported the woman saying the case typified the problem of date rape.

The man sued the school and won a court decision that postponed the hearing until after commencement, allowing him to graduate in May with the possibility that his degree could be revoked. He later filed a lawsuit seeking monetary damages from the school.

The school dropped the proceedings last week. Pomona spokeswoman Nina Ellerman said the college determined that because the man is no longer a student, the school does not have jurisdiction to discipline him. On Tuesday, Ellerman said, the man’s attorney informed Pomona College that he was dropping his suit.