Months after acquittal, Yale student suspended in light of new sexual assault allegations

Yale University student Saifullah Khan was suspended from the school on Oct. 7 in light of recent sexual assault allegations, just months after he was found not guilty on four counts of sexual assault. 

The suspension came days after the Yale Daily News published a feature alleging that Khan sexually assaulted Jon Andrews, his former confidant, during an “alcohol-fueled threesome in Washington, D.C., last June and physically attacked him on two other occasions.”

Last March, Khan was found not guilty of raping a fellow Yale student in her dorm room on Halloween in 2015. The case was highly publicized due to both the rarity of college sexual assault trials and the backlash against what was perceived to be “victim-blaming” on the part of the prosecution. 

After his acquittal, Khan was allowed to resume classes at Yale.

Andrews, who was a board member of the nonprofit organization Families Advocating for Campus Equality, a group which works to defend college students accused of sexual assault, was originally an ardent supporter of Khan, helping him develop legal strategies prior to the trial. During their time working together on the case, their relationship evolved into a romantic one.

Now, Andrews has accused Khan of both sexual assault and two other instances of physical violence.

In response to his recent suspension, Khan filed a suit against Yale in the New Haven Superior Court seeking injunctive relief and requesting that he be allowed to attend classes with the protection of a University-funded bodyguard.

In the civil complaint, Khan also claimed that Yale’s University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct does not have jurisdiction over the current case since there was nothing to show that Andrews “had any affiliation whatsoever with Yale.”

Currently, the suspension, ordered by Dean of Yale College Marvin Chun, will remain in effect until the allegations can be investigated. A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 22.

In a statement to the Yale Daily News, Andrews described his reaction to the suspension.

“While I am happy that Yale is taking concrete steps to protect their students from Saif, I stand by my belief that he should be afforded a fair process," Andrews said. "I’m confident that any investigation Yale conducts will uncover the truth.”