CONWAY — A University of Central Arkansas financial aid employee fired this week acted irresponsibly when he kept authorizing aid for a student who has since become a key witness in the criminal case against ex-Chief of Staff Jack Gillean, UCA records show.

UCA President Tom Courtway agreed to release Andrew Linn’s personnel file late Thursday in response to a request under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

Courtway fired Linn, 28, who was assistant director of scholarships, after Linn refused to resign Monday, Katie Henry, UCA’s interim general counsel, confirmed.

Gillean was charged in October with three felony counts of commercial burglary and other offenses. Authorities say he gave Cameron Stark, a nowformer student, two UCA keys and his key card so that Stark, 24, could burglarize professors’ offices and steal tests.

Gillean resigned June 15, just days after Linn reported that someone had stolen fourpotentially addictive pills from one of Linn’s desk drawers at UCA.

Police said they used security video footage to identify the thief as Stark. Stark was later given limited immunity from prosecution in exchange for his cooperation.

Linn’s personnel file includes recorded interviews with Linn; Cheryl Lyons, director of student aid; Larry Burns, special projects director in the Division of Enrollment Management; and Rob Parrent, vice president of enrollment management.

Also included are notes from and about those interviews as well as several pages of text messages exchanged between Linn and Stark.

Notes written after an interview with Linn say that he questioned another student “about her excess aid and her responsibility to repair her own vehicle when she” sought transportation aid.

“It is our opinion that he acted irresponsible and unethical when he continued to get Cameron additional funds and [cost-of-attendance] adjustments and even sent him back to Jack [Gillean] and to Larry [Burns] for additional funds but counseled the above student about responsibility,” the notes say.

The interview was conducted by Henry and Graham Gillis, associate vice president of human resources.

One new disclosure in the file was that Lyons “admits that she knew that Cameron Stark had the master key to [the] university when she found out he was the one that was arrested for the break-in.”

Lyons stated, “‘Uh-oh. Maybe true that he has Jack’s master key and this [is] going to be a problem,’” the notes say.

“How long had she had knowledge of this information? Did she ever tell her [vice president]? Or President? Very critical information that she was aware of and didn’t pass this information upward in her management line,” they continue.

The notes also say that Lyons knew that Stark “had been harassing her employees and spending a lot of time” in financial-aid offices.

Courtway said late Thursday that Lyons remains a UCA employee.

The total amount of aid Stark received while attending UCA is unclear. UCA has not released that information because of a federal privacy law.

However, records obtained recently by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette show that Stark was offered $30,887.50 in presidential scholarship funds, $28,485 for room and board, $13,795 for transportation, $28,003 for tuition and fees, $13,000 in Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarships, $21,968 in federal Pell Grant funds, plus other aid and loans.

It was unclear if some figures might have overlapped and which items Linn helped approve.

Text messages, however, reflect Linn and Stark’s joking about how much money Stark was getting out of UCA.

At one point, on March 7, 2011, Stark says, “That’s how much excess aid I have without loans?”

Linn replies, “Combination of smart and your military s*.”

The notes also indicate that Linn told UCA administrators the two were acquaintances but that he did not consider them to be personal friends.

Yet, another UCA employeeadvised that the two men had once lived together, the files show, and the text messages reflect extremely casual conversation such as one of them telling the other to meet him at a local restaurant.

Then on April 30, 2011, Stark asks Linn, “Can we increase the budget for summer classes?”

Linn replies, “They will increase it per the regulations. I’ve been out [of] the office all week.”

On May 3, 2011, Stark texts Linn saying, “Was going to see if you had any medicine. I found some though. I’m done w/my exams now though.”

Linn replies, “Sorry man. I was moving like crazy last night. Hardly had my phone on me all evening.”

In March 2010, Linn approved more than $1,000 in transportation aid for Stark because Linn said someone had stolen Stark’s car and damaged the wheels. UCA records, however, show that Stark’s $1,395bill for four wheel rims was dated March 5, 2010, before he even reported his car stolen on March 8, 2010.

Notes in Linn’s personnel file indicate that Stark was the “only student given [a costof-attendance adjustment] for car repair” and that such aid should have been given only for mileage to attend classes.

The notes also say that Lyons discussed this matter with Linn after the Office of Internal Audit “specifically asked her to keep it confidential.”

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 02/01/2013