A student who was kicked out of class earlier this year has nearly exhausted his options dealing with the university appeals process.

President Gregory Geoffroy denied an appeal claim from Jay Gardner, graduate student in interdisciplinary graduate studies, who was kicked out of a journalism class earlier this year. But Gardner isn’t ready to walk away from the appeals process just yet.

“I am considering all my options, and I’m thoroughly considering them,” Gardner said. “It’s just too unfair to walk away from, and I think setting a precedent of that would be detrimental to other students.”

About a month into class last spring semester, Gardner was kicked out of “Ethnicity, Gender, Class and the Media,” a graduate-level journalism course taught by Tracy Owens Patton, assistant professor in the Greenlee School. His dismissal from the class came with allegations of racism and white supremacy, all of which Gardner denies.

“Dr. Owens-Patton claims that the head of [the Department of Public Safety] told her there were white supremacist groups on campus and that I may be in one of them, and that she should be careful,” Gardner said.

Although Owens-Patton claims Deisinger told her this, Deisinger neither denies nor affirms the allegation.

“I have no knowledge of any white supremacy groups on campus,” said Deisinger, captain of DPS. “It’s really at a point where it’s best handled by administration.”

Gardner said Owens Patton recorded his comments in class on a cassette tape, but doesn’t understand why nobody has asked to hear it.

“Why didn’t any of the ISU administrators ask for the audio tape that Dr. Owens Patton claims she made of my statements in class?” Gardner said. “This is the one thing that will completely exonerate me from any wrongdoing and not one of the administrators – from Dr. Eighmey through Dr. Geoffroy – has asked for this tape. She says in her letter on January 31 to Dr. George Jackson that she made a tape and this is the letter that got me removed from class, and they never asked for [this tape].”

Owens Patton was unavailable for comment.

Paul Tanaka, university legal counsel, said the faculty cannot comment on the issue, because issues regarding students are covered by university privacy policy.

“If a student is not happy with the treatment on the academic matter, they have the right to pursue a grievance,” Tanaka said.

Pete Englin, dean of students, said the appeals process is “pretty clear-cut and pretty simple to follow.”

“There’s a policy called the appeal of academic grievances,” he said. “The policy is really broad to bring issues forward. If a student believes a faculty member has behaved unfairly or unprofessionally, they may have their grievance pursued.”

Englin said there are different levels of appeal, beginning with a letter to the department chair.

“A student must first write a document to the department chair and they must respond within five days to the grievance. The student and department chair can work on that claim,” Englin said.

“From there, you bring it to the dean of the department, or for graduate students, the dean in their graduate college. Once you get beyond the dean and you’re dissatisfied, it can be appealed to the next level, who will review the grievance and make a decision.”

Gardner’s final chance for appeal is with the Board of Regents.