1

The parties consented to trial before a United States Magistrate Judge,

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c), with direct review to this court. 

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 01-1725

___________

Ronell Williams, *

*

Appellant, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* Eastern District of Missouri

Lindenwood University, *

*

Appellee. *

___________

Submitted: November 14, 2001

Filed: May 1, 2002 (Corrected: May 6, 2002)

___________

Before McMILLIAN, FAGG and MORRIS SHEPPARD ARNOLD, Circuit Judges.

___________

McMILLIAN, Circuit Judge.

Ronell Williams (“plaintiff”) is a black male who attended Lindenwood

University before being expelled for disciplinary violations arising out of a party held

in student housing. Plaintiff appeals from a final order entered in the United States

District Court1

 for the Eastern District of Missouri granting summary judgment in

favor of Lindenwood University on plaintiff’s claims for breach of contract and racial

discrimination. See Williams v. Lindenwood University, No. 4:00CV00010 (E.D.
-2-

Mo. Feb. 13, 2001) (hereinafter “slip op.”). For reversal, plaintiff argues that the

district court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of the university because

(1) he raised genuine issues of material fact as to whether his expulsion and denial of

readmission was based on his race and (2) he produced evidence that the university’s

proffered explanations for the expulsion and denial of readmission were pretexts for

racial discrimination. For the reasons discussed below, we reverse the grant of

summary judgment and remand the case to the district court for further proceedings.

Jurisdiction was proper in the district court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and

1343. Plaintiff filed a timely notice of appeal pursuant to Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(1)(A).

This court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291. 

I. Facts

The facts herein are presented in the light most favorable to plaintiff, as the

nonmoving party. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c). 

While plaintiff was a student at Lindenwood University, he lived with Chad

Moore, who is also black, in a mobile home used by the university for student

housing (“the trailer”). Lindenwood University students who live in student housing

agree to abide by certain rules, including that alcohol is not allowed on campus (“the

alcohol policy”), visitation by members of the opposite sex is prohibited (“the

visitation rule”), and that students are responsible for the actions of their guests while

on campus. 

On February 16, 1999, plaintiff, Moore, two white female students named

Kristen Bruening and Stephanee Denbow (together, “the students”), and three

unidentified black males who were not students (together, “the nonstudents”)

participated in a party in the trailer. There was alcohol at the party in violation of the

alcohol policy. Denbow’s and Bruening’s presence in the trailer was a violation of
2

For the two white students, this was at least their second violation each for

violating the visitation policy under similar circumstances. For example, Denbow

testified that she had previously been in trouble earlier that same year for

unauthorized visits to a male student’s trailer.

3

Because Stephanee Denbow was under twenty-one years old at the time of the

party, she violated the law by drinking underage in addition to violating the alcohol

policy. Yet, she was readmitted to Lindenwood University while plaintiff was not.

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the visitation rules.2 Williams was responsible for the actions of the nonstudents

while they were on campus. 

Denbow testified in her deposition that she initially went to the trailer that

night on her own accord to do laundry, and that Moore and plaintiff were both present

when she arrived. Bruening testified in her deposition that she accompanied Denbow

to the trailer, and that at approximately 9:00 p.m., both Moore and plaintiff

announced to them that other guests would be coming over. Denbow and Bruening

decided to wait in the trailer to socialize with Moore, plaintiff, and others who would

be arriving later that evening. More than an hour later, the nonstudents arrived at the

trailer. Bruening testified that there was already alcohol present before the

nonstudents arrived. The uncontroverted testimony of the students at the party was

that plaintiff did not ever drink any of the alcohol, while Moore, Denbow,3

 Bruening,

and the nonstudents did drink it. The students all testified that the nonstudents did

not misbehave or act inappropriately during the party or ever cause anyone to feel

unsafe. Moore testified that he did not see anyone in danger at the party and that no

one made any sexual or inappropriate remarks. Similarly, Bruening testified that she

never felt threatened during the party. Bruening testified that, at different times, both

Moore and plaintiff left the party for a little while and returned later. Moore testified

that when he returned to the party, he turned on the stereo in his room. 

At approximately 2:00 a.m., campus security officer Byron Steele, who is

black, and another campus security officer heard noise from the trailer, determined
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that its occupants were in violation of Lindenwood University’s “quiet hours policy,”

and approached the trailer to confront them. Steele testified in his deposition that

when he arrived at the trailer, neither of the women appeared to be in any trouble and

no one asked for any help; rather, everyone was “just partying and running around.”

Steele described the nonstudents’ appearance as “pretty nice.” 

Steele testified that when he and the other campus security officer entered the

front of the trailer, he saw Moore and Bruening trying to run out the back door.

Breuning admitted that she and Moore went out the back door of the trailer when she

saw security coming, and that Steele had to call her at home at 3:00 a.m. to let her

know that he was aware she had been present at the party. Moore, too, testified that

he left with Bruening when the campus security officers arrived, and said that he

found out what happened from plaintiff when he returned to the trailer later, after the

campus security officers had left. Plaintiff testified in his deposition that he was

cooperative with the campus security officers, answered all of their questions, and

told them who the nonstudents were. Steele confirmed that it was plaintiff who spoke

with him and that only plaintiff took responsibility for living in the trailer. 

At approximately 2:20 a.m., Steele wrote out a three-page behavioral incident

report detailing his observations. In the report, Steele did not mention that the

nonstudents acted belligerently or violently, or that they did anything to make Steele

feel unsafe. 

Steele also reported the incident to Joseph Steenbergen, the Lindenwood

University Dean of Students. Dean Steenbergen claimed that he learned from Steele

that the nonstudents were members of a gang, that they said that they were going to

“go through” the campus security officers, and that they were criminals with

outstanding arrest warrants. Dean Steenbergen testified that Steele seemed “pretty

scared” by the incident, that the nonstudents cursed at Steele, that Steele thought they
-5-

were going to fight, and that this was the first time Steele had ever told him anything

like that. 

After speaking with Steele, Dean Steenbergen expelled the students from the

university. Each of the students appealed their expulsion to the Lindenwood

University Dean of Admissions, David Williams. Dean Williams heard all of the

appeals and met individually with each of the four students while the university

investigated the incident. Moore, Bruening, and Denbow were readmitted within

days. Plaintiff was denied readmission ostensibly because he created a dangerous

situation by bringing criminals and gang members to campus and because he

instigated all of the violations of Lindenwood University policy. 

Throughout Lindenwood University’s investigation of the incident, there arose

several instances where (1) university administrators drew conclusions about the

incident which were not corroborated by the students, Steele, or the behavioral

incident report, and (2) university administrators made remarks about plaintiff and the

nonstudents which the students interpreted as racially discriminatory.

A. Disputed Facts about the Incident

Lindenwood University officials said that Steele identified the nonstudents as

gang members because he saw in the trailer a photograph of them in which they

appeared to be “throwing gang signs.” However, Steele testified that he did not know

whether the nonstudents were members of a gang or even if they were “throwing gang

signs” in plaintiff’s photograph; only that that was “kind of what it looked like.” 

Steele also testified that plaintiff was not in the photograph and, when asked whether

the nonstudents were the same individuals that were in the photograph, he answered

“I think maybe one of them.” 
4

The other campus security officer was not deposed and his testimony was not

part of the record. 

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Steele also said that he did not recall plaintiff telling him that the nonstudents

had outstanding arrest warrants. Dean Williams testified in his deposition that he

found out about the alleged warrants from plaintiff only after plaintiff had already

been expelled. However, plaintiff testified that he did not know one way or the other

whether the nonstudents had outstanding arrest warrants and that he did not ever say

that they did. Moreover, even though plaintiff gave Dean Steenbergen the names of

the nonstudents, none of the university administrators were ever able to verify with

law enforcement officials that the nonstudents had outstanding arrest warrants. 

Another allegation consistently raised by Lindenwood University

administrators is that the nonstudents physically threatened the campus security

officers and that Steele was visibly shaken when the nonstudents bragged that they

would “go through” the campus security officers. However, there is no support for

this allegation in the record. Denbow, who was present throughout the entire

exchange, said that she did not see or hear the nonstudents threaten or confront the

campus security officers. She added that the nonstudents did not act belligerently to

the campus security officers, but were rather quite polite to them, and that Steele did

not appear to be scared at any point. Plaintiff testified that he did not hear the

nonstudents ever say that they were going to “go through” the campus security

guards. Even Steele testified that he did not hear the statement about “running

through these guys,” and assumed that the other campus security officer “apparently”

had heard it.4
5

Steele also testified that no marijuana was found in the trailer. In the days

following the incident, Steele apparently told Bruening that Lindenwood University

had been trying to “catch” plaintiff for a while and that they had been suspicious of

him. Steele told Bruening that she had gotten into a bad situation because plaintiff

might have been involved with drugs. Nonetheless, Steele testified in his deposition

that he was aware of no evidence that plaintiff had ever actually been involved with

drugs. 

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B. Racially Discriminatory Remarks

1. Dean Williams’s comments

Bruening testified that she twice met with Dean Williams about the incident.

Bruening testified that during the first meeting, Dean Williams asked her what she

was doing hanging around with “all those black guys” and whether her parents knew

that she was hanging around with those black guys. Bruening testified that, at the

second meeting, Dean Williams told her she should not have been hanging around

with all these black guys. 

Similarly, Denbow testified that during her meetings with Dean Williams, he

told her she could have gotten raped because she did not know plaintiff’s guests,

asked her what her father would think of her hanging around with those black guys,

and used the term “gang bangers” to describe plaintiff and the nonstudents. Denbow

testified that Dean Williams otherwise did not ask anything about the party. Denbow

testified that she got the impression from Dean Williams that he wanted to make her

feel like it was wrong for her be there with black men, and that he did not think she

should be hanging out with any black men, as opposed to the particular people at the

party. Denbow testified further that she believed Dean Williams would have been

less concerned if everything was the same except that the nonstudents were white.

Denbow testified that Dean Williams told her somebody was trying to roll a

marijuana joint at the party, but that she did not see that occurring.5
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Plaintiff testified that, when he met with Dean Williams, Dean Williams took

only ten minutes to read his letter of appeal before denying it, and that Dean Williams

told him that he was not smart enough to attend Lindenwood University. 

2. President Spellmann’s comments

Bruening testified that President Spellmann told her he was concerned about

her personality because she was hanging around with those black guys. Denbow

testified that she got the impression from President Spellmann that he was saying she

was a “floozy” and a whore because she was hanging out with “a bunch of black

guys.” 

3. Dean Steenbergen’s comments

Denbow testified that, on the way to a meeting with Dean Williams, in the

context of explaining to her why the university did not want to readmit plaintiff, Dean

Steenbergen told her that plaintiff previously had been caught selling drugs. 

Moore testified that Dean Steenbergen told him that he did not care about the

party or the girls, only that plaintiff’s “brothers” were present. Moore testified that

Dean Steenbergen used the term “gang bangers” to describe the nonstudents, and that

Dean Steenbergen told him that the nonstudents could “just leave that shit in St.

Louis.” Moore testified that, when Dean Steenbergen came to the trailer to inform

him that he had been readmitted to Lindenwood University but was on probation,

Dean Steenbergen accused Moore and plaintiff of possessing stolen property. Dean

Steenbergen refused to leave the trailer until he had placed numerous phone calls to

independently verify that Moore and plaintiff had not stolen their appliances and

other belongings. 
-9-

Plaintiff testified that he answered every question Dean Steenbergen asked

throughout the investigation, including the identities of the nonstudents and students

present at the party. Dean Steenbergen admits that plaintiff identified the

nonstudents, but said that plaintiff’s cooperation did not change Lindenwood

University’s decision to expel and not readmit plaintiff. 

On January 4, 2000, plaintiff filed this action against Lindenwood University

in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri alleging

violations of 42 U.S.C. § 1981. On February 13, 2001, the district court granted

summary judgment in favor of Lindenwood University, holding that there were no

genuine issues of material fact and that Lindenwood University was entitled to

judgment as a matter of law because plaintiff failed to set forth a prima facie case of

racial discrimination. See slip op. at 9 (stating that plaintiff offered no evidence of

intentional discrimination and no evidence that Lindenwood University’s actions

were pretext for discrimination). This appeal followed. 

II. Discussion

We review de novo a district court’s decision to grant summary judgment. See

Scroggins v. University of Minn., 221 F.3d 1042, 1044 (8th Cir. 2000). Summary

judgment is appropriate where, viewing the record in the light most favorable to the

nonmoving party, no genuine issue of material fact exists. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56.

The moving party bears the burden of proving that the material facts are undisputed.

See Mems v. City of St. Paul, 224 F.3d 735, 738 (8th Cir. 2000). “[T]he evidence

offered by the non-moving party is to be believed and all justifiable inferences

therefrom are to be drawn in the light most favorable to that party.” Raddatz v.

Standard Register Co., 31 F. Supp. 2d 1155, 1157 (D. Minn. 1999). The nonmoving

party “may not rest upon the allegations or denials of its pleadings; rather, the

nonmovant must ‘set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for

trial.’” Id. The drawing of reasonable inferences from the facts is a function reserved
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for the fact finder. See Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 249 (1986)

(explaining that district court should not weigh evidence or attempt to determine truth

of matter on motion for summary judgment).

The purpose of 42 U.S.C. § 1981 is to prohibit discrimination in the

"performance, modification and termination of contracts" and to protect "the

enjoyment of all benefits, privileges, terms and conditions of the contractual

relationship." 42 U.S.C. § 1981(b). Because plaintiff’s discrimination claim is

“based on inferences to be drawn from circumstantial evidence, it is governed by the

familiar burden-shifting analysis.” Carter v. St. Louis Univ., 167 F.3d 398, 401 (8th

Cir. 1999) (Carter). To establish a prima facie claim of racial discrimination under

42 U.S.C. § 1981, the plaintiff must show that (1) he is a member of a racial minority,

(2) the defendant intended to discriminate against him on the basis of race, and (3) the

discrimination concerned an area enumerated by the statute. See Mian v. Donaldson,

Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corp., 7 F.3d 1085, 1087 (2d Cir. 1993). Once the

plaintiff establishes a prima facie case of racial discrimination, the burden shifts to

the defendant to offer a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for its actions to rebut

the presumption of discrimination. See Carter, 167 F.3d at 401. Then, the plaintiff

must demonstrate that the defendant’s proffered reason was a pretext for unlawful

discrimination. See id. The “ultimate question of law [is] whether the evidence is

sufficient to create a genuine issue of fact as to whether the defendant intentionally

discriminated against the plaintiff.” Id., citing Rothmeier v. Investment Advisers,

Inc., 85 F.3d 1328, 1336-37 (8th Cir. 1996). We hold that the district court erred in

granting summary judgment because the evidence is sufficient to create genuine

issues of material fact with respect to plaintiff’s prima facie case and the issue of

pretext. 
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A. 42 U.S.C. § 1981 Prima Facie Case

1. First Element of prima facie case

The first element of the prima facie claim of racial discrimination undisputably

is met because plaintiff, a black male, is a member of a racial minority. 

2. Second Element of prima facie case

Plaintiff alleged that Lindenwood University intentionally expelled him and

then refused to readmit him because of his race. In support of this allegation, plaintiff

offered several specific examples of Lindenwood University officials emphasizing

the race of plaintiff and the nonstudents and showing a discriminatory attitude about

that race in the context of the investigation that led to the university’s decisions to

expel and not readmit plaintiff. See Browning v. President Riverboat Casino-MO,

139 F.3d 631, 635 (8th Cir. 1998) (explaining that evidence of conduct or statements

reflecting discriminatory attitude is sufficient to show that discriminatory attitude was

motivating factor in decision); see also Beshears v. Asbill, 930 F.2d 1348, 1254 (8th

Cir. 1991) (same). 

There is a dispute as to whether reference was made to “black guys” or to

“gang bangers” throughout the investigation. Because the nonmoving party in a

motion for summary judgment is entitled to the benefit of all reasonable inferences,

we assume for these purposes that such comments were made in the course of the

investigation. Consequently, we conclude that the university officials’ repeated use

of racial terms interchangeably with references to criminality, as well as their

accusations that the presence of black people itself created a climate of fear, raises an

inference of a discriminatory attitude. Such evidence of a discriminatory attitude is

sufficient to establish the second element of plaintiff’s prima facie § 1981 case. 
6

The district court also stated that plaintiff’s claim of racial discrimination was

somehow undermined because Moore was readmitted. However, the fact that Moore

was readmitted does not disprove that plaintiff was the victim of racial discrimination

and, therefore, does not influence the outcome of this motion for summary judgment.

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The district court erroneously reasoned that the university officials’ repeated

references to “gang bangers” and “black guys” throughout the investigation were not

evidence of discrimination because “[o]ne would have to assume that all ‘gang

bangers’ are African-American in order to infer any racial discriminatory intent by

defendant.” Slip op. at 6. We disagree. On the contrary, one could infer racially

discriminatory intent merely by showing that the defendant assumed or implied that

all gang bangers are black, because it is the intent and attitude of the defendant that

is relevant and not the intent and attitude of the population at large. As previously

stated, there is ample evidence from which a reasonable factfinder could conclude

that Lindenwood University officials associated the black race with gang affiliation.

Similarly, the district court’s conclusion that intentional discrimination cannot be

established with evidence that the Lindenwood University officials referred to

African-Americans as “black guys” also misses the point – injecting racial language

at all into the decision-making process creates the inference that race had something

to do with the decision-making process. Throughout the investigation, the

Lindenwood University officials continued to focus on the race and racial stereotypes

of plaintiff and the nonstudents.6

Lindenwood University argues on appeal that there is no direct or

circumstantial evidence of intent to discriminate against plaintiff because references

to words and phrases such as “gang bangers,” “rape,” and “black guys” during its

investigation of the incident were used in connection with the three nonstudents only,

and were never used in connection with plaintiff or in a manner exhibiting negative

racial connotations. We disagree. Lindenwood University officials interchangeably

used race to describe people who allegedly were criminals and whose presence

supposedly put the safety of the female students at risk. Race was used in a
7

Lindenwood University also argues that, because it was Steele who assumed

that the nonstudents were gang members and Steele is black, it is “impossible to

equate his conclusion . . . with a negative racial bias towards [plaintiff].” However,

as Lindenwood University itself points out, the decisions to expel and not readmit

plaintiff were made by Lindenwood University based on its own investigation, not

by Steele. Furthermore, assuming for the sake of argument that Lindenwood

University believed that the nonstudents were in fact gang members, its use of the

term “black” as a proxy for “gang member” still reflects a negative attitude about

black people. 

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derogatory manner to the extent that gang-banging, criminality, and dangerousness

is derogatory. It does not matter whether the remarks were made in reference to

plaintiff or the nonstudents because the remarks reflected the attitude about race of

the university officials who decided to expel plaintiff. If the university officials were

more concerned with the factors other than race as they claim, they could have

referred to the nonstudents as plaintiff’s friends, the visitors, the nonstudents, or even

“those older guys” or “those guys”, or any number of terms that were not suggestive

of attitudes about race. Race became an issue when the university kept using race in

its investigation, presumably because race encapsulated everything they intended to

convey.7

Lindenwood University next argues that those statements were at most “stray

remarks,” which do not constitute evidence of racial discrimination because they are

not relevant to the decision-making process. This argument also fails because the

remarks were made by university officials while interviewing the witnesses who it

claims it consulted to decide whether to readmit plaintiff, and in the context of the

investigation of the incident that resulted in plaintiff’s expulsion. Therefore, the

circumstances in which the remarks were made was indistinguishable from the

decision-making process and cannot be said to constitute “stray remarks.” 

Because there is ample evidence from which to infer that the Lindenwood

University officials exhibited a racially discriminatory attitude, we hold that plaintiff
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has established the intentional discrimination element of his prima facie case. See

Carter v. Chrysler Corp., 173 F.3d 693, 701 (8th Cir. 1999) (explaining that plaintiff

need only offer evidence creating inference that racial animus surrounded decision

to satisfy intentional discrimination element). 

3. Third Element of prima facie case

Finally, the third element of the prima facie case is met because the parties do

not dispute that a contract existed between plaintiff and Lindenwood University, and

the university’s decision to expel and not readmit plaintiff is tantamount to the

termination of that contract because it deprived plaintiff of the enjoyment of the

“benefits, privileges, terms, and conditions of the contractual relationship.” 42 U.S.C.

§ 1981(b). 

B. Proffered Non-discriminatory Explanations and Pretext

Having concluded that plaintiff has met his initial burden of establishing a

prima facie case of racial discrimination, we turn to the nondiscriminatory

explanations articulated by Lindenwood University to justify its actions, and then ask

whether plaintiff has raised a genuine issue of material fact that Lindenwood

University’s proffered explanations are a pretext for unlawful discrimination.

Lindenwood University argues that there were “substantial differences in the level of

involvement and seriousness of the violations of the different students” which

justified expelling and then refusing to readmit plaintiff, including that plaintiff was

primarily or solely responsible for (1) instigating the violations of the alcohol policy;

(2) instigating the violations of the visitation rule; (3) violating Lindenwood

University’s respect for campus authority rules; (4) bringing “criminals and possible

gang members” onto campus, thereby endangering the other students; and (5) the

conduct of those nonstudents, including their physical threats to the campus security

officers. Lindenwood University contends that because plaintiff was the primary
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active participant – while the other students were mere passive participants drawn

into a situation created by plaintiff – it was entitled to punish plaintiff more severely.

Reviewing the record in its entirety, we find that there is a genuine dispute in

the facts presented as to whether plaintiff’s conduct was indeed more “active” than

that of the other students with respect to each of the factors listed by Lindenwood

University. Because plaintiff is entitled to the benefit of all reasonable inferences

drawn from the facts, see Fed. R. Civ. P. 56, we conclude that plaintiff has created

sufficient doubt as to whether Lindenwood University’s proffered explanations are

pretextual. Consequently, Lindenwood University is not entitled to judgment as a

matter of law. 

First, a dispute exists as to whether plaintiff’s violation of the alcohol policy

was more serious than that of the other students. Lindenwood University contends

that plaintiff was responsible for the presence of alcohol because the nonstudents

brought it to the trailer. However, the evidence shows that there was alcohol present

before the nonstudents arrived and did not show that plaintiff was otherwise

responsible for the presence of the alcohol. Moreover, the evidence indicates that

plaintiff was the only person at the party who did not consume any alcohol. Hence,

it cannot be said that plaintiff’s conduct with respect to the violation of the alcohol

policy was more serious or active than the students who were readmitted.

Second, a dispute exists as to whether plaintiff’s violation of the visitation rule

was more serious than that of the other students. The evidence is uncontroverted that

all four of the students involved were in violation of the visitation rule, and that, at

the very least, plaintiff and Moore were equally in violation of the visitation rule

because they both lived in the trailer and they both mutually hosted the party. This

situation was not one where plaintiff instigated a violation of the visitation rule by

inviting female students to the trailer; the female students arrived uninvited and

Moore and plaintiff played an equal role in inviting them to stay for the party.
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Lindenwood University argues at great length that the fact that Moore left the trailer

while the party was going on demonstrates that the party must have been instigated

by plaintiff, but the uncontradicted evidence shows that plaintiff also left the party,

so in this respect plaintiff’s conduct is not distinguishable from that of Moore.

Because there is evidence showing that the two white female students initiated the

violation of the visitation rule and that plaintiff and Moore were equally responsible

for inviting them to stay for the party, it cannot be said that plaintiff’s conduct with

respect to the violation of the visitation rule was more serious or active than the

students who were readmitted. 

Third, a dispute exists as to the extent of plaintiff’s cooperation with university

officials as compared to that of the other students. Because there is evidence showing

that plaintiff remained in the trailer and cooperated fully with the campus security

officers while some of the other students who were readmitted fled from the campus

security officers, and because there is evidence showing that plaintiff provided Dean

Steenbergen with all of the information he requested during the investigation, there

is a genuine dispute about whether plaintiff was less cooperative than the other

students. 

Fourth, a dispute exists as to whether plaintiff created a climate of fear on

campus because of the presence of the nonstudents. All of the students testified that

the nonstudents behaved politely and respectfully at all times, and Steele omitted any

allegation to the contrary from his behavioral incident report and his deposition

testimony. These omissions on the behavioral incident report tend to corroborate

plaintiff’s allegation that Lindenwood University used this factor as a pretext for

unlawful racial discrimination. 

Fifth, a dispute exists as to whether the nonstudents acted dangerously or

threatened either the campus security officers or the students. The record indicates

that the nonstudents did not touch the campus security officers and that no violence
-17-

resulted from the interaction between the nonstudents and the campus security

officers. Moreover, no one – including Steele – testified that they heard the

nonstudents say that they would “go through” the campus security officers or say or

do anything to communicate a violent physical threat. 

Additionally, there exists a dispute about whether it was ever Lindenwood

University’s policy to expel and not readmit students for the same violations plaintiff

allegedly committed. Denbow testified that it was commonly known at Lindenwood

that people routinely violated the alcohol policy and the visitation rule under similar

situations, but that they always were readmitted. For example, Denbow and Bruening

previously had been in trouble for visiting with male students. Steele testified that

people “always” exit the trailer out the back when security comes. Dean Steenbergen

testified that he probably has never expelled anyone for disrespecting authority.

President Spellmann also admitted that it is not typical to expel a student for a guests’

actions while on campus. Dean Williams declined to answer the question posed as

to whether it was typical to expel and not readmit a student for these violations. 

Hence, the evidence is sufficient to create genuine issues of material fact as to

whether Lindenwood University intentionally discriminated against plaintiff on the

basis of race. There is ample evidence to permit a reasonable factfinder to conclude

that racial discrimination was a primary reason that plaintiff was expelled and not

readmitted and that Lindenwood University’s proffered nondiscriminatory

explanations were pretextual. Accordingly, the grant of summary judgment must be

reversed. 

III. Conclusion

For the aforementioned reasons, we reverse the judgment of the district court

and remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. 
-18-

A true copy.

Attest:

CLERK, U.S. COURT OF APPEALS, EIGHTH CIRCUIT.