Under fire ever since an improper benefits scandal hit its football program in the summer of 2010, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s entire athletics department was hit with a bombshell today, when Kenneth Wainstein, a former Department of Justice official, released a report of his findings after an exhaustive probe into allegations of academic fraud on campus:
Talk about the so-called “paper classes” had been circulating around the rumor mill for years, and it was not until the end of 2012 that the university admitted to widespread academic fraud pertaining to the African and Afro-American (AFAM) Studies program following an internal investigation conducted by former Governor Jim Hunt (UNC Law ’64). Other allegations surfaced in 2013, and indictments were ultimately handed down to former AFAM department head Julius Nyang’Oro.
With the national media picking up interest in the developing scandal, former academic advisor Mary Willingham appeared on CNN and went on record with her revelation that during her time at UNC, she encountered student-athletes who were functionally illiterate yet retained their athletic eligibility.
The school’s response? Shooting the messenger.
“I will make this personal. My conclusion, based on working with the team doing the analysis, is that any claim made based on this data set is virtually meaningless. It has been grossly unfair to our students. Many of you are faculty and have had these students in class. Using this data set to say that our students cannot read is a travesty”
– UNC Provost Jim Dean, January 2014
In April of 2014, the university’s claim that Willingham’s findings were inaccurate appeared to have been vindicated when an independent review agreed with the school’s assertion. One of the reviewers made the statement that the sample size used by Willingham could not have been an accurate representation of the almost 2,000 student-athletes assessed over the past decade. Willingham’s response further manifested the cycle of discrediting sources. At this point, details had devolved into “she-said, they-said”.
Finally, today, Wainstein’s report was released, and the key findings are indicated below:
- As many as 3,100 students – slightly less than half of them student-athletes – were directed by academic advisers towards bogus classes with the intent of retaining their eligibility for play over the past 18 years (1993-2011).
- There was “ample evidence” that AFAM administrator Deborah Crowder (see tweets above) awarded inflated grades in “paper classes” (classes that were either no-show classes, did not require coursework, and where grades were awarded for final papers only).
- Students enrolled in AFAM paper classes finished with GPAs at least .3 of a point higher than other AFAM classes.
- At least 81 students earned a high enough grade from the questionable classes to graduate.
- 47% of the students involved were student-athletes, and more than half of those were football players.
The NCAA and UNC released the following joint statement following the release of the Wainstein report this afternoon:
The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the NCAA enforcement staff continue to engage in an independent and cooperative effort to review information of possible NCAA rules violations as announced earlier this year. The university provided the enforcement staff with a copy of the Wainstein Report for its consideration. The information included in the Wainstein Report will be reviewed by the university and the enforcement staff under the same standards that are applied in all NCAA infractions cases. Due to rules put in place by the NCAA membership, neither the university nor the enforcement staff will comment on the substance of the report as it relates to possible NCAA rules violations.
While the NCAA system itself is not flawless, today’s report provided enough evidence that for a span of time going back almost 2 decades, there has been a system-wide failure by the University of North Carolina in general and its athletics department in particular to ensure full academic integrity. This has the effect of devaluing the piece of paper sought after by students who do not have the athletic skills deemed worthy of full or partial scholarships. A piece of paper that students end up spending tens of thousands of dollars to attain.
A further effect is a huge blow to the reputation of the largest and oldest public university in the state of North Carolina, a school that has styled itself as a “Public Ivy” (Moll, Richard, Public Ivys: A Guide to America’s Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities). A school that former coach Everett Withers once famously referred to as the “flagship school” in the state that all in-state recruits needed to recognize. A school that once prided itself on having its own patented “Carolina way” of achieving success both on and off the field of play.
Where does UNC-CH go from here?
At this point, in spite of the best efforts of its fanbase, denial, stonewalling, and “everyone else does it” are not options for the school. Accountability steps have already been taken, with Chancellor Carol Folt announcing this afternoon at an open town hall meeting following the release of the Wainstein report that termination and disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against 9 university staff members. While this is an admirable step, it can and must only be a first step. Further steps should include:
- A thorough and comprehensive review of the academic curricula and evaluation system within all departments at the school.
- Full review of the transcripts of all the students involved.
- Vacating of all wins and championships in sports that fielded athletes who would otherwise have been ineligible to play.
- Docking scholarships and revenue options (e.g. TV coverage, postseason games) from the programs that retained athletes who were ineligible.
- Full transparency, which Chancellor Folt has (to her credit) already pledged.
The university administration would do well to self-impose such sanctions, as it would not be in their best interests to take inadequate action and force the NCAA’s hand in the matter. Such measures would not be fair to currently-enrolled students and student-athletes, but it has been evident from the Wainstein report that there has been nothing fair transpiring within the UNC-CH system going back almost 2 full decades. Crowder may in fact have been acting as a rogue adviser/administrator, and the evidence seems to indicate that much, but it would also be simply naive to contend that nobody else was complicit. At best, UNC-CH’s athletics department stands to be guilty of a large-scale lack of institutional control, a charge they escaped after the initial NCAA probe resulting from the improper benefits investigation in 2010. They should not be as fortunate this time, and the worst-case scenario would almost justify a “death penalty” from the NCAA.
The university cannot cry over spilt milk, but it can remedy its past sins by returning the spoils of victory earned by using athletes who should never have suited up in the first place and take preventive steps to ensure that an environment which allowed academic fraud of this magnitude to occur is radically altered. If the school is not in fact subscribing to a “win at all costs” mentality, then its actions from here on out need to prove it, up to and including previous success.
UPDATES
- Jan Boxill’s name has been removed from the Director’s position on the UNC Parr Center for Ethics website, fueling speculation that she has been one of the dismissals.
- UNC-CH athletics director Bubba Cunningham has stated that there will be no additional self-sanctions pending the ongoing NCAA investigation.
(Featured image: AP/Gerry Broome)