LAS CRUCES, N.M.

 An associate dean at New Mexico State University has given up the post while officials investigate allegations that he e-mailed pornography to others at the school.

“Larry Olsen, associate dean of the College of Health and Social Services at New Mexico State University, voluntarily relinquished his position as associate dean pending the outcome of the investigation regarding allegations made within the college's department of health science,” the university said in a statement Wednesday.

John Moraros, a faculty member whose contract was not renewed last month, said that shortly before that decision, he confronted an NMSU official about pornographic images the official sent him by e-mail and asked him to stop. Moraros said the official told him he would make Moraros disappear from NMSU.

The Albuquerque Journal reported in a copyright story Thursday that according to the addresses on two e-mails, Olsen was the sender.

Olsen, who has been at NMSU since 2001, said he could not comment.

University Communications said NMSU had no further comment on the ongoing investigation.

The allegations of pornographic e-mails surfaced as part of a controversy over NMSU's decision not to renew the contracts of Moraros and his wife, Yelena Bird, tenure-track faculty members in the health science department.

Moraros said the contracts were not renewed after the couple complained about the e-mails and about another department official making offensive remarks about minorities.

Department head James Robinson has temporarily stepped down amid the allegations by Moraros and Bird, who contend they are the victims of racial discrimination. Bird is a native of England who is Black, while Moraros is of Greek and Hispanic descent.

Moraros said Olsen had been sending him inappropriate e-mails since 2004. Moraros and graduate student Freedom Cheteni said they'd been exposed to a number of pornographic e-mails from Olsen.