It's also kind of scary to think that anyone with a grudge against a student athlete can run to the University, accuse him or her of violating student conduct code, and effectively get that person kicked off a team.
Is there a discovery process here? What evidence is the University privy to that the courts were not? Is the accused allowed to defend him/herself against the allegations through an interview/affidavit etc.?
It looks to me here that someone high up in the ISU administration doesn't like Bubu, didn't believe his version of events, and didn't really care what the court found. I have a problem with this.
There is a complaint/investigation/hearing/appeal process. Both sides have access to the information/evidence. Bubu would have had legal representation throughout the process, in all likelihood.
The "crime" is defined differently under the Iowa criminal code and the ISU student conduct code. Likewise, the burden of proof is different. As someone posted earlier, the analogy to civil/criminal standards is a good one -- OJ is acquitted of criminal charges, but assessed liability under a lower standard of proof in the civil case.
Also, student-athletes at many schools sign a special code of conduct pledge that is unique to the athletic department. It could be that while he was allowed to stay in school under the general student code, he violated the athletic department rules and was dismissed from the team on that basis.
Finally, the US Dept. of Education has been all over colleges and universities for their responses to student complaints of sexual assaut/sexual misconduct. VP Biden gave a speech on this subject a couple years ago and the DOE responded with a "Dear Colleague Letter" (April 4, 2011) that has sent schools scurrying to revise their policies and procedures. The DOE and Univ. of Montana also just entered into a well-publicized settlement agreement relating to sexual misconduct (their case also involved athletes). The terms of that agreement have put schools on notice that they risk Title IX violations if they do not get in line. It is a hot-button issue and some would say that both the government and the schools have over-reacted.