A federal magistrate judge in Hammond, Indiana, ruled that Raichell Richardson failed to provide sufficient evidence that the university’s dismissal decision was racially motivated.
According to the ruling, Richardson enrolled in the program in spring 2010 and was placed on academic probation after the spring 2011 semester because she received a D+ in a course that required at least a C and because her GPA in nursing courses fell below the minimum 2.5
The dean’s warning letter cautioned that Valparaiso would dismiss her if her cumulative or nursing GPA again dropped below 2.5.
Although Richardson raised her GPA the next semester, but it dropped again after spring 2013 and the program dismissed her.
An appeals committee found that Richardson hadn’t presented a “clear plan to improve her academic performance, did not show that stressors had subsided or that she had a plan to handle the stressors differently, and had a demonstrated record of academic underperformance,” according to the decision.
The dean accepted the committee’s recommendation against reinstatement.
