I get that, but as a school, you still have to worry about accreditation issues. UNC skated, but it's not worth the bad PR, never mind the overall scholastic risk.
What they risked here was the accreditation of the
program (African and Afro-American Studies) not the entire department (Humanities?) or school, college, or university. It's a pretty slick move when you think about. It's difficult to punish an entire school, college, or university just because one rogue professor chose to be lazy. (And usually big universities have that stratified academic structure, where a program is part of a department, in a school, in turn member of a college, with the university as the umbrella organization. That way accreditation can flow down, and if one item at the bottom fails, then it does not impact other programs or departments.)
Of course everyone believes that this was not the case, that the rogue professor was likely acting on the behest of others, but proving that little item means breaching the Chinese walls that were erected to protect everyone around the activity. Apparently these barriers were well constructed and maintained.
Now if some nice group of people with subpoena power are willing to wander in and take a look, things will change drastically, But as we all know (not just believe) that will not happen.
UNC really should field a ice hockey team. With their skating skills, they will be able to get to the Frozen Four every year.
