Opinion ID: 171442
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: False Certifications

Text: Defendants in this action are current and former NMSU administrators. [3] Between 1994 and 2000, each of the defendants, with the exception of Ms. Meyer, [4] signed various documents, including proposals, contracts, and solicitations from the DoD, on behalf of NMSU. These documents certified that NMSU qualified for minority-institution status under the DoD's set-aside program. Such certifications, in turn, became the basis for contractual awards to NMSU under the set-aside program. Despite these certifications, relators introduced evidence at the summary judgment stage that NMSU may not have collected or maintained information about their Hispanic students' income levels or whether they were first generation college students. Relators also introduced evidence to suggest that minority students did not constitute 50% or more of NMSU's full-time undergraduate enrollment. Thus, drawing all inferences in favor of relators, as we must for purposes of reviewing the grant of summary judgment, see Selenke v. Med. Imaging of Colo., 248 F.3d 1249, 1255-56 (10th Cir.2001) ([W]e view the evidence and draw reasonable inferences therefrom in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party.), we resolve the issues in this case under the view that: (1) NMSU never met the statutory criteria for a minority institution under the DoD's set-aside program during the relevant time period; and (2) both the DoD and the DoE incorrectly identified NMSU as a minority institution under this criteria.