U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez also dismissed claims for breach of contract, due process violations, defamation and violation of the state constitution.
Olson, who was assistant dean of student affairs at the School of Social Work, said he believed that university policies requiring satisfactory completion of 10 credits per semester made it “more difficult for economically poorer students to maintain their financial aid status.”
Most recipients of ghost credits were minorities or had disabilities, he contended, and some faculty members were aware of what he was doing.
He claimed to be following a “university-wide practice of awarding non-degree credits to those students in an effort to lessen the discriminatory effect of the general minimum credit requirement.”
Non-degree credits don’t count toward a degree but count for other purposes, including financial assistance. Graduate students typically receive non-degree credits for field work not requiring specific additional work.
Olson acknowledged that there was no proof the School of Social Work and university did discriminate against disabled or minority students through their policies.
But regardless of Olson’s motives and whether they were “altruistic,” an internal audit showed ineligible students had collected more than $200,000 in financial aid, creating a “significant negative impact” on the school and the university.
He resigned under threat of being fired in 2011. The university later released the internal audit report in response to a freedom of information request, leading to press coverage of the controversy.
