A Purdue University-Calumet professor who challenged the school's anti-harassment policy on First Amendment grounds lost his case in appeals court this week.

But he tells IndyStar that he is not finished with his fight.

"I am dissatisfied with the results and I will appeal," Maurice Eisenstein said in a brief exchange on Twitter.

A tenured political science professor known for his controversial comments in the classroom and on social media, Eisenstein sued Purdue University, the school's chancellor and a handful of professors after complaints were filed against him by students and fellow professors.

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Eisenstein, whose comments touched on blacks, gays, Muslims and Jews, is part of a growing group of professors on both sides of the political aisle who have faced discipline for speech in the classroom. One expert argues that regulating speech on campuses could have a harmful effect on America's democracy.

However, Purdue says Eisenstein's comments outside of the classroom were not conducive to the school's established policy which prohibits retaliatory speech.

Here are some of his comments made in the classroom, according to court documents filed in the legal battle:

“Why is it that there is a problem with lynching a Black, but there is no problem with lynching a Jew?”

“Nothing happened to blacks in the 1960s in the United States. They had an easy time of it. Y’know, a couple of hoses, water sprayed on them, a couple cold showers, not a real problem.”

"For thousand(s) of years, Muslims haven’t contributed anything to society. Oil doesn’t count because it is underground and has nothing to do with being Muslim. Except for raping 4-year-olds, Muslims are not good for anything.”

“The world would be a better place if someone took a gun and shot a bullet into a Muslim’s head.”

Eisenstein's comments came to public attention in spring 2011 when a student spoke to department chairman Richard Rupp.

According to court documents, Eisenstein in response on his personal Facebook page called the student a "Jew hater."

Later, in November of that year, Purdue Chancellor Thomas L. Keon received nine complaints under the university's anti-discrimination policy against Eisenstein over the comments he made in the classroom. The complaints were filed by three students, the Muslim Student Association and five university professors.

Students and faculty also started a change.org petition to have Eisenstein’s employment with Purdue terminated. Two professors filed amended complaints alleging that Eisenstein harassed them.

One professor alleged that after she filed her complaint against Eisenstein, she saw him in a campus hallway and he told her, “Now I know why your son committed suicide,” according to court documents.

Eisenstein filed a lawsuit in Lake Superior Court against the professors who complained about him, as well as against Purdue University and Keon.

Lake Superior Court granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss that lawsuit.

Meanwhile, after receiving a complaint about a blog Eisenstein had written against a fellow professor, Purdue's chancellor required Eisenstein to remove the link to his blog from his Purdue email signature, according to court documents. The chancellor did not dictate what type of content should be in Eisenstein's blog.

Eisenstein contacted the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, an organization devoted to defending the right of free speech on college campuses.

In trial court, both parties then filed motions for summary judgment in their favor, which the court denied. The university and professors then brought their case to the Indiana Court of Appeals.

In his appellate decision, Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Michael Barnes said that Purdue cannot be sued in state court for federal constitutional violations such as Eisenstein’s free speech claims.

"The (school's) Policy specifically provides that it does not apply to speech or conduct protected by the First Amendment."

Referring to a harassment complaint against Eisenstein, the judge ruled that the "conduct here was clearly retaliatory, and Eisenstein admits that it was in response to the complaints."

Further, the defendants were entitled to summary judgment in their favor because Eisenstein failed to tie his request for a final judgment to damages related to free speech claims.

Judges Melissa May and Cale Bradford concurred on the 42-page ruling.

Brian Zink, a spokesman for Purdue University, said the school appreciates "the court’s careful review and thorough opinion."

"We believe this outcome was important for maintaining a healthy environment for dialogue on our campuses," Zink said, "while protecting from retaliation those who participate in university-established grievance procedures."

The debate of free speech on campus has intensified with the rising popularity of provocateurs such as white nationalist Richard Spencer and conservative commentator Milo Yiannopoulos.

In New Jersey, for instance, at least five professors have faced discipline over their free speech claims, two of whom lost their jobs. A third has been suspended.

Professor Cary Nelson, an English professor at University of Illinois, said he is disheartened by the lack of acceptance of various forms of speech in American society today.

Pointing to the volatile political environment, Nelson said that "there has evolved a conviction whereby some people who feel they're in the moral and political right, their feelings somehow trump academic freedom."

"My position for many years, you can have a demonstration, but then they have to let the speech go on."

Nelson, who is a former president of the American Association of University Professors, said, "it's important not to suppress speech that you loathe, even hate speech."

Call IndyStar reporter Fatima Hussein at (317) 444-6209. Follow her on Twitter: @fatimathefatima.