UNC Tarheels Athletics Report Finds 18 Years of Academic Fraud

[superman7515]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/22/us/unc-report-academic-fraud/index.html?hpt=hp_t2


Chapel Hill, North Carolina (CNN) -- For 18 years, thousands of students at the prestigious University of North Carolina took fake "paper classes," and advisers funneled athletes into the program to keep them eligible, according to a scathing independent report released Wednesday.
"These counselors saw the paper classes and the artificially high grades they yielded as key to helping some student-athletes remain eligible," Kenneth Wainstein wrote in his report. He conducted an eight-month investigation into the scandal, which has plagued the university for nearly five years.

Four employees have been fired and five more disciplined because of their roles. One other former employee had honorary status removed, Chancellor Carol Folt said Wednesday.

Wainstein is the former federal prosecutor hired by UNC to independently investigate (http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/21/us/ncaa-athletes-unc/index.html) the academic fraud brought to light by CNN, the Raleigh News & Observer and other media outlets.
In all, the report estimates, at least 3,100 students took the paper classes, but adds the number "very likely falls far short of the true number."

For the first time since the scandal first came to light five years ago, UNC admitted that the wrongdoing went further than academics and involved its athletic programs.

In fact, Folt said, "it was a university issue."...

Part of a much larger article on a very damning report on Chapel Hill. Could be looking at even more NCAA sanctions.

[AshevilleApp2]

Apparently it went well beyond athletics. What I saw in the paper indicated that scholarship students, Greeks and others that needed a certain GPA to maintain their status were funneled into that program. I've never been a Tarhole fan, but I hate to see the flagship university of my home State let this happen.

[mattyice718]

The NCAA has no cajones...trust me if UNC gets any type of sanction or penalty they will just end up saying they have been rehabilitated and will reduce the sanctions. Exhibit A is the PSU sanctions after the Sandusky scandal. Also Miami literally paying players caused no sanctions of substance.

[pokefan02]

UNO (University of New Orleans )better watch out the NCAA might give them the death penalty for forgetting to put a period over that I in a report. On second thought look out University of Northern Colorado

Sent from my HTC M8

[mattyice718]

UNO (University of New Orleans )better watch out the NCAA might give them the death penalty for forgetting to put a period over that I in a report. On second thought look out University of Northern Colorado

Sent from my HTC M8

Well played pokefan. Plus ESPiN would never allow the NCAA to hurt one of their precious ACC commodities. A B1G school or Pac 12 they'd burn at the stake but never an ACC or SEC school.

[citdog]

Can you imagine if the NCAA spent a year at Florida State like they did at Montana? Hell if they spent 15 minutes at Florida State investigating the hostile and abusive nicknamed Seminoles would get the death penalty.

[superman7515]

Much more at the link...

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/25/us/unc-report-academic-fraud/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 (http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/25/us/unc-report-academic-fraud/index.html?hpt=hp_t2)


Chapel Hill, North Carolina (CNN) -- What happens to the 3,100 students who enrolled in fake classes and now have a degree stamped with the seal of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill -- an institution consistently ranked among the nation's top public schools?Likely nothing.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (http://www.sacscoc.org/) is currently reviewing a scathing report, prepared by former federal prosecutor Ken Wainstein, which showed thousands of UNC students took fraudulent classes, some of them multiple times.

But Belle Wheelan, the president of the association -- which is charged with accrediting degree-granting higher education institutions in the South, from Virginia to Texas -- told CNN that her group can't take away degrees.

"UNC has to verify every degree they give all the time. We ask them to make sure all courses really are legitimate," Wheelan said. "All we can do ... is put them on sanction for lack of integrity.

"As far as taking those degrees back, there's nothing we can do."

UNC officials told CNN say they are still deciding how to try to remedy the fact that so many students graduated with credits from the so-called "paper classes" on their transcripts.

Some students earned many credits taking multiple "GPA booster" classes. One student was enrolled in 19 different paper classes, Wainstein said.

"We're considering options on these matters and are working closely with SACS to evaluate possible courses of action," said spokesman Rick White.


Expert: 'Nearly impossible' to take away degrees

Gerald Gurney, president of the Drake Group for academic integrity in collegiate sport and the former president of the National Association of Academic Advisers for Athletics, called the UNC fraud the largest and most nefarious academic scandal in the history of the NCAA.

"The depth and breadth of the scheme -- involving counselors, coaches, academic administrators, faculty, athletic administrators, etc. -- eclipses any previous case," Gurney said.

But, while Gurney believes the NCAA should punish the university, he does not think that the students could lose the legitimacy of their degrees.

"Lifting diplomas from students who were advised to take these classes is nearly impossible," he said.

[bkrownd]

While the NCAA might or might not "punish the university", the real question is when is someone going to truely punish the people who ran and allowed this scheme? Not just fire the few who are left, but to pursue ALL of them individually for at the very minimum the entirety of their earnings/compensation while commiting fraud at the University? Faculty, administrators, staff AND coaches. They should be cleaned out for this.

[mattyice718]

Appalachian State better watch out. The NCAA might just give them the death penalty

[ngineer]

Can you imagine if the NCAA spent a year at Florida State like they did at Montana? Hell if they spent 15 minutes at Florida State investigating the hostile and abusive nicknamed Seminoles would get the death penalty.

+1 Got that right.

[OhioHen]

UNC Tarheels Athletics Report Finds 18 Years of Academic Fraud

...because the investigation didn't look back beyond 1996.

[TheDancinMonarch]

...because the investigation didn't look back beyond 1996.

Now that is funny. And probably also quite true.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

While the NCAA might or might not "punish the university", the real question is when is someone going to truely punish the people who ran and allowed this scheme? Not just fire the few who are left, but to pursue ALL of them individually for at the very minimum the entirety of their earnings/compensation while commiting fraud at the University? Faculty, administrators, staff AND coaches. They should be cleaned out for this.

Why not just punish the department that ran the scandalous courses, since it was only one department that ran them?

Oh yeah, that would be rrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacist.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

...because the investigation didn't look back beyond 1996.

Interesting that 96-97 was Dean Smith's last year....

[TheDancinMonarch]

Interesting that 96-97 was Dean Smith's last year....

Ah yes. Saint Dean. I'm sure his hands were as clean as his heart.