Ryan said yesterday that some Faculty felt thewoman's behavior had created an ambiguoussituation prior to the assault.

"There might be other forms of communication.It was the kind of non-verbal communication thatmight have caused some sort of confusion in themind of the young man," she added.

Other administrators confirmed that the debatefocused mainly on gradations of consent.

"Most of the main points were not in dispute,"President Neil L. Rudenstine said. "It was reallya question of how to weight the different pieces."

Another senior administrator said that someprofessors still viewed this as a "hazy"situation. "It was friends who were together," theadministrator said. "He may have assumed one thingand she another."

He said that several people supporting therequirement to withdraw held the position "that itwas consensual," the senior administrator added."I think it was a substantial element of [theircase]."

The Court Account

The court's account of the incident is takenfrom the hearing in which Douglas pled guilty toindecent assault and battery. In the courtrecords, the prosecutor reads an account of theincident, after which Douglas is recorded assaying, "I admit to committing the crime."

According to the account, both students hadbeen friends for a year. On April 3, the night ofthe incident, the woman saw Douglas while on adate with another man.

The victim told The Crimson yesterday that shewas "feeling the effects of alcohol" that night.

Court documents state that the three attended aparty together. Afterwards, as her date walked herhome, Douglas began walking along with the pair.

The other man left her at her dorm, but Douglas"told her he wanted to go home with her," andstayed behind, prosecutors told the court.

"She told him that wasn't going to happen andwas attempting to get into her door," theprosecutor told the court. "The defendant wasblocking access to the card key [reader] sheneeded to use."

He followed her into the dorm and up thestairs. "She repeatedly told him that he was notgoing to come in," the document states. "Thedefendant kept telling her that it's his choice;she did not have input into that decision."

Outside her room he threw her against the wall,pushed her dress and grabbed her buttocks. He alsobegan kissing her, the prosecutor said.