The University of Southern Mississippi has again defeated a former graduate student’s race, national origin and ethnic discrimination suit.
The 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a lower-court ruling that dismissed the case of Maria Salcido, a part-time student in the university’s marriage and family therapy master’s program.
Salcido initially filed an internal complaint with the university and a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. After the OCR inquiry found no Title VI violations, the university proposed a plan to help her finish her degree requirements even though she had moved out of state, according to the decision.
Salcido rejected the plan and went to federal court instead.
The suit claimed that Salcido was the only student in the program born in Latin America and had been denied the same opportunities as White, U.S.-born classmates to accumulate the required number of clinical hours. It also alleged discriminatory behavior and remarks by faculty members, including one who wanted to assign her to work exclusively with Latino clients.
A District Court judge dismissed the case without trial.
In upholding that decision, the appeals panel found no basis to hold that the university denied Salcido’s due process regarding her access to clinical hours and externships, nor did it violate any grievance-related procedural guarantees included in the student handbook.
