UNC Academic Fraud Investigation

[UConnCat]

Report released today finds bogus classes pushed by academic counselors. More than 3100 students involved, about one-half of them student-athletes.

The report describes a fairly broad group of academic and athletic officials who knew about athletes getting better grades in classes that only required papers, yet taking little or no action.

In comments to reporters Wednesday, Wainstein was reluctant to put a label on the scandal. But Chancellor Carol Folt said it was clearly an academic and athletic problem for the university. UNC President Tom Ross echoed that theme.

“From the beginning I think the university has taken the position that these classes started in an academic department by a person employed in the academic side of the university,” Ross said. “Subsequent to that, athletics took advantage of that.”

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/10...igation-bogus-classes.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

 

[huskeynut]

Very damaging report.

So what's the NCAA going to do besides look the other way?

 

[Adesmar123]

Very damaging report.

So what's the NCAA going to do besides look the other way?

And ask us to cough?

 

[John Glass]

Very damaging report.

So what's the NCAA going to do besides look the other way?

The NCAA has put their best investigator on it, his report will be finished promptly,,,,,, in about 10 years.

 

[j66kicker]

“From the beginning I think the university has taken the position that these classes started in an academic department by a person employed in the academic side of the university,” Ross said. “Subsequent to that, athletics took advantage of that.”

What a load of cr*p. What about this?
"...they concluded that pressure from the tutoring program in the early 1990s prompted Crowder to create the classes."

ESPN's article isn't as complete, but here it is.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...vestigation-says-advisers-pushed-sham-classes

Couple excerpts:

"From the beginning, University has taken the position that these classes started in an academic department by a person employed by academic side of university ... and athletic department took advantage of it," University of North Carolina president Thomas W. Ross said.

"The ASPSA [Academic Support Program for Student Athletes] is not part of the athletic department, but is located in the same offices." (This is the "academic" department where Ross says the sham classes originated)

And Williams didn't know...
The report listed Wayne Walden -- the Associate Director of ASPSA and academic counselor for a number of sports, including men's basketball from 2003 to '09, and who has worked closely with head men's basketball coach Roy Williams at both Kansas and North Carolina -- as one of the counselors who "steered players into these paper classes."

To me it seems the NCAA is totally in cahoots here, protecting the key people at the university and sports programs who stood to benefit, and blaming the lower-level people who apparently dreamed the whole thing up on their own.

 

[Bgillon]

This is a story that many are not surprised happened. The surprise is the depth of the fraud and the lack of interest on the University's part to thoroughly investigate the situation in a timely manner. To conclude that this widespread fraud was not known by senior administrators assumes incompleteness on their part at the very least. As was quoted in an NFL investigation "ignorance is not an excuse".

 

[Sargassoc]

But 18 years of fraud seems . . . powerful.

 

[loneycafe]

Not quite OT. UNC WBB were among the student-athletes in the no-show classes and who benefited from unauthorized grade changes. About 6 percent of the student-athletes in the classes were on the wbb team.

This particular story here is disturbing on many levels and directly ties to WBB http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/10/22/4255051/wainstein-report-says-jan-boxill.html

ETA that it appears Jan Boxill is one of the nine who was fired or disciplined today. She is no longer listed as director of Parr Center for Ethics.

 

[Boreifs]

I am a retired academic who regularly received personal calls from coaches and "academic advisors", but to see one of the "Public Ivies" caught offering bogus courses is insanely terrible. This goes so far beyond any acceptable academic standard; if the world were really fair, NC would lose its certification to function as a university. As is, they certainly could be put on probation, but the donor base will make sure that doesn't happen. As to whether the administration knew?! No one can hide a bogus course for 18 years.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

The NCAA has put their best investigator on it, his report will be finished promptly,,,,,, in about 10 years.

I know noth-ing! Noth-ing!

 

[EricLA]

But 18 years of fraud seems . . . powerful.

Maybe a fair punishment would be an 18 year postseason ban...

 

[MilliniumPrince]

I am a retired academic who regularly received personal calls from coaches and "academic advisors", but to see one of the "Public Ivies" caught offering bogus courses is insanely terrible. This goes so far beyond any acceptable academic standard; if the world were really fair, NC would lose its certification to function as a university. As is, they certainly could be put on probation, but the donor base will make sure that doesn't happen. As to whether the administration knew?! No one can hide a bogus course for 18 years.

Though it will sicken me, I am dying to hear someone explain being ignorant of this scam for 18 years. Thousands of students and almost two decades and no one in administration was aware....that would be gross incompetence of the highest order if you were ever a Dean if that college.

 

[Huskies Rule]

Very damaging report.

So what's the NCAA going to do besides look the other way?

Are you nuts? Academic fraud isn't nearly as repugnant as a congratulatory phone call to a 7th grader.

 

[Huskies Rule]

Maybe a fair punishment would be an 18 year postseason ban...

...or required to play UConn every year

 

[Icebear]

Are you nuts? Academic fraud isn't nearly as repugnant as a congratulatory phone call to a 7th grader.

Dag, there goes another sarcasm meter.

 

[msf22b]

Just the beginning.

If they don't pay off everyone in sight
Someone will stool-pigeon and squeal, especially amidst all the firings.
Also, some muck-wrecker will start an investigation
or the accreditation folks
or the FBI
or even the little ole NCAA
Or the State legislation (led by the minority party)
Or even the (so-called) free press
Some higher ups are toast.

 

[Icebear]

This is, finally, hitting the mainstream evening news.

 

[loneycafe]

This is, finally, hitting the mainstream evening news.

Yes, it is. Brian Williams with this quip: "We've all heard the jokes of athletes taking Basketweaving 101; turns out basketweaving would have been a step up at UNC."

http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/56282940/#56282940

Also, my respect for Diamond DeShields went up. Good for her for transferring from that place. That entire athletic department was in on this. The emails are so revealing and disturbing.

 

[HoopsFan21]

If they can identify the students who participated in these fraudulent classes, I would immediately revoke all of those diplomas and then kick them out of school for violations of the school's code of conduct.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

The notion that this organized, systemic and 18 year cheating system arose like mold on a 2 week old muffin is beyond laughable. UNC has made a calculated gamble that this white(wash) paper report will allow the matter to die. The NCAA will do nothing, of course. State government will do nothing. This calculated mea culpa can surprise no one.

 

[HoopsFan21]

The notion that this organized, systemic and 18 year cheating system arose like mold on a 2 week old muffin is beyond laughable. UNC has made a calculated gamble that this white(wash) paper report will allow the matter to die. The NCAA will do nothing, of course. State government will do nothing. This calculated mea culpa can surprise no one.

If UNC did a Freeh-like report like Penn State did where it basically begged for sanctions, then maybe sanctions would eventually be levied. I suspect nothing will happen since athletes did not get any special treatment since non-student athletes also were allowed in the fake classes.

 

[VAMike23]

The NCAA has put their best investigator on it, his report will be finished promptly,,,,,, in about 10 years.

Don't worry - if he messes up, there will be hell to pay from his boss. And that guy is top notch! Nothing gets by him.

 

[Aluminny69]

UNC Degrees - worthless! In other words the so-called "degree" documented exactly nothing -- and it was not limited to athletes either.

This of course means that for an employer the only thing you can do is treat all degrees from this place as worthless, until and unless they are all revoked, every person involved is identified, those who participated in any way are prosecuted for fraud (since said credentials were then used to defraud employers) and imprisoned.

None of which, by the way, is likely to ever happen.

 

[Aluminny69]

My close friend works at a university. She assured me there is no way this happened with just a few people knowing.
For example they said an administrative assistant conducted testing.

That's fine. My friend tests students for professors. In particular make-up tests where somebody has been sick or otherwise unable to take the regular test.

But she can't ENTER THE GRADES IN THE SYSTEM because she is not faculty.

She was as indignant about this as when I get all upset over economic news that's obvious stupid bunk.
She went on and on about how these things are AUDITED and the resulting transcript is kept very secure.

In short she says a lot of very high end people HAD to know what was going on.

 

[Zorro]

Just the beginning.

If they don't pay off everyone in sight
Someone will stool-pigeon and squeal, especially amidst all the firings.
Also, some muck-wrecker will start an investigation
or the accreditation folks
or the FBI
or even the little ole NCAA
Or the State legislation (led by the minority party)
Or even the (so-called) free press
Some higher ups are toast.

Now that, Michael my friend, is pure poetry. (Although my best guess is that, like Citibank, NC is too big to fail. I fervently hope that you are right and I am wrong.