Patterson, now 24, testified that when he had sex with the woman in May 2005, it was consensual. The woman, 23, however claimed that on the night in question she went to sleep and awoke to find Patterson on top of her, removing her clothes.
Patterson testified that the woman called him later in the week and said that she did not remember clearly what had transpired. The alleged victim testified in court that she told him that she had sustained internal lacerations from the encounter which required surgery.
"I was completely taken aback," said Patterson. "She said she kept bleeding and if she didn't get medical attention, she'd been told she would have died."
Leonard Cohen, Patterson's attorney, pointed out that the woman initially denied being raped. District Attorney Melissa Doran countered that the woman originally denied the rape for fear of shaming her family.
When asked of his initial reaction to the verdict, Dean of Students Ben Lieber said that he was surprised. "From what I knew in advance of the trial," said Lieber, "I thought that it was a very strong case. But obviously the jury seems to have felt differently."
The incident occurred during Alumni Weekend, following the 2005 Commencement ceremonies, when Patterson and the woman were working for the class reunion. Though the alleged rape took place on the Amherst campus, because neither Patterson nor the woman were Amherst students at that time, the incident was beyond the college's jurisdiction.
If Patterson had been an Amherst student at the time of the incident then the college could have pursued its own internal processes in addition to cooperating with legal authorities.
Amherst's Disciplinary Committee, a group of students and faculty members which holds hearings to determine the outcome of contested disciplinary cases, does not have the power of criminal courts to compel individuals to speak. However, as Lieber pointed out, "Any student here is bound by the provisions of the honor code and therefore is subject to the procedures of that code. We can't compel students to testify; on the other hand, a refusal to testify is something that the committee can make inferences from and can take into account on making their own decisions."
Lieber noted that, while Patterson was acquitted by the Hampshire court, a like outcome may not have followed from the College's own proceedings.
"The standard of proof in the criminal justice system is beyond a reasonable doubt," he said. "The standard of proof in the college's disciplinary system is a preponderance of the evidence, which is the civil standard."
"Because of the difference in standards of proof, it is possible for different outcomes to arise of the same case. Whether or not that would have happened in this case is unpredictable of course."
When asked whether this particular case has impacted school policy, Lieber said that the college treats sexual assault prevention with the utmost seriousness.
"I know that everyone has taken this particular event extremely seriously," he said. "And, among other things, after many years of the same orientation program with Katie Kessner, this year the orientation committee decided to bring in a new event for the orientation to address new issues."
"I can't say that that was a product of this particular rape case but I can say that it was a product of our constant efforts to evaluate and improve how we're doing in preventing sexual assault."
Gretchen Krull, Amherst's Assistant Director of Health Education, encouraged victims of sexual assault to come forward. "As the coordinator of the Peer Advocates of Sexual Respect, I want to encourage anyone who has experienced any form of sexual violation to come forward to discuss what happened with a trusted person on campus. All those resources can be accessed confidentially through the Peer Advocates or me. You have a right to be heard and supported in the decisions you make."
Patterson was contacted by this correspondent via e-mail in request of an interview. He replied, saying that he wished to eventually submit a statement but that he did not have enough time at present to do so.