Former Baylor Frat President Accused of Rape Now Banned from Current School, Will Still Receive His Degree

Jacob Anderson, the former Baylor fraternity president accused of raping a classmate in 2016, has been banned from the university he is currently attending after some of his fellow students called for his removal.

On Monday, during his criminal trial for his alleged rape of a Baylor sophomore at an off-campus party in 2016, Anderson accepted a plea deal that resulted in nothing more serious than a $400 fine. Shortly after, students at the University of Texas at Dallas, where Anderson is now studying finance, began calling for university officials to remove him from campus, with almost 28,000 people signing a petition calling for him to be kicked out.

The petition, which is hosted on the progressive organization MoveOn’s platform, states:

Following the news of allegations of sexual assault, Baylor removed Jacob Anderson not only from the fraternity over which he presided but also kicked him out of the school. Now, following a plea of no contest, he is a student at UT Dallas. The students at UT Dallas have a right to feel safe on their campus. Anderson submitted a plea of no contest and was sentenced to deferred probation, and will not be made to register as a sex offender. That being the case, the school has a responsibility to ensure that their decision to admit Anderson was fully informed.

On Wednesday, the school’s president responded, and without mentioning Anderson by name, announced that he has (apparently) been banned from campus. “There is nothing more important at UT Dallas than the safety and security of our students,” wrote UT Dallas president Richard C. Benson. “Based on recent court action and other information over the last several days, that student will not participate in UTD commencement activities, will not attend UT Dallas graduate school and will not be present on campus as a student or as a guest.”

Curiously, given the high-profile nature of Anderson’s case, Benson also asserted that the university had no knowledge of what it called Anderson’s “legal history” before admitting him.

It’s worth noting that as with his criminal trial, the consequences here seem like little more than a slap on the wrist. Anderson, who was scheduled to graduate next week, will still receive his degree, according to news reports. And it appears that being an accused rapist hasn’t prevented him from finding a job—the Waco Tribune states that Anderson is also working for a real estate development company in Dallas.