PUNCH BACK TWICE AS HARD: Student Unjustly Suspended by University of Tulsa Announces Lawsuit.

In 2014, Barnett’s then-fiancé—who was not a TU student—criticized two TU professors and a student in Facebook posts tagging Barnett or written directly to Barnett’s page. Susan Barrett, one of the professors mentioned in the posts, filed a complaint against Barnett, claiming he should be held responsible for his fiancé’s posts.

In September 2014, TU Senior Vice Provost Winona Tanaka notified Barnett of the complaint and imposed eight harsh interim measures against him, including removal from three classes and a theater production he was involved in, as well as a ban on communicating with certain faculty members. Less than a month later, Tanaka found Barnett guilty of harassment without providing him the hearing he was entitled to under TU’s policies. She also found him guilty of retaliation for discussing the complaint with his fiancé, who had provided Tanaka with a sworn affidavit stating that he, not Barnett, wrote the posts. Barnett was informed that, as punishment, he would be suspended until at least January 2016, and that he was forbidden from receiving a degree in his major from TU.

Tulsa is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Its President is Steadman Upham.