CHAPEL HILL — The University of North Carolina informed the NCAA in August 2011 about “potential academic issues” involving athletes and courses in the university’s African and Afro-American Studies department, according to a statement UNC released on Friday.
A member of the NCAA’s enforcement staff visited Chapel Hill “several times” in the fall of 2011 and participated in UNC’s internal investigation of the AFAM department. The NCAA staff concluded there were no violations of NCAA rules related to the university’s internal investigation into the AFAM department, which identified 54 problematic courses over a span of four years.
Records released to The News & Observer showed that athletes filled many of those suspect AFAM courses.
Here is UNC’s complete statement:
“In light of continuing speculation about the role of the NCAA in the review of academic issues in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is providing the following information:
The University first notified the NCAA that it had identified potential academic issues involving student-athletes in African and Afro-American Studies courses on August 24, 2011. We asked the NCAA to join us in our investigation of these issues, and they agreed to do that. A member of the NCAA enforcement staff traveled to Chapel Hill several times in the fall of 2011 and participated throughout the investigation.
With the NCAA enforcement staff, our internal working group of University Counsel Leslie Strohm, Senior Associate Dean Jonathan Hartlyn, and former faculty athletics representative Jack Evans interviewed faculty and staff in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies, academic support counselors, and student-athletes who had taken multiple courses in the department.
Based on the joint review, UNC and the NCAA staff concluded there were no violations of current NCAA rules or student-athlete eligibility issues related to courses in African and Afro-American Studies. As a result, the NCAA did not add any allegations or include this issue during the University’s appearance in October 2011 before the Committee on Infractions.
College of Arts and Sciences Dean Karen Gil subsequently commissioned a review of courses in African and Afro-American Studies. In May, the University publicly issued that report and provided it to the NCAA.
On Aug. 23, 2012, University Counsel Leslie Strohm and Senior Associate Dean Jonathan Hartlyn provided an update to the enforcement staff. The NCAA staff reaffirmed to University officials that no NCAA rules appeared to have been broken.
University officials will continue to keep the NCAA informed as developments warrant.”
Comments
The faculty at UNC called
Fri, 08/31/2012 - 14:44 — Woody123The faculty at UNC called for an investigation into this situation! I guess they are fed up with the hubris in the UNC athletic dept.
Faculty?
Sun, 09/02/2012 - 11:53 — tarheeltatman2A faculty asking for an academic investigation is nothing new, innovative, nor an indictment of an atheltic department. In this case, they likely were more concerned about a AFAM head who was being paid for sub par work performance, not comig to work at times and handing off his work load to assistants. It's very doubtful they were worried about the nonexistent NCAA violations, more likely they were concerned about academic integrity and the students.
UNBELIEVABLE!!!
Fri, 08/31/2012 - 15:02 — GDHOP1I am sure in the NCAA rule book there is not a specific rule that states ...."Hey colleges... you can't take innocent boys in the shower and perform sex acts on them either" but by the way this is a huge demonstration of "LACK OF INSTITUTIONAL CONTROL" therefore you get this penalty...etc. Penn State sure missed the boat on that one...oh well, no rule on this so no infraction. An appeal sounds in order... must be a guaranteed win if you do???
Please don't anyone take this as an acceptance to what happened in Happy Valley or as an attempt to compare the severity of the two issues ... just an attempt to clarify that there was no rule written stating the obvious. So it's ok for every college to set up independant study courses with no work and no teacher and no testing and no follow up... wow why don't they all do this then scholarship money can go to building more facilities not have any teachers, no class rooms, no support staffs just a big stadium sports complex and a drive through 24 hour kinkos diploma printing office. What a SCANDAL...oops I'm one that used that word again
Can anyone tell me where I can get a UNC application form... I will be driving through there in the next couple of weeks I want to earn my PHD. I'll drive 15-20 minutes out of the way to go to McDonald's then swing over and pick up my diploma.
Sweet, then maybe I can teach there and do the same for some other poor rascals wanting to make $135k a year and not have to show up to teach them.
I don't know about you but it sounds like a pretty good gig to me... I would be a great professor with office hours and everything, hey guys if you need me,,, "If you want me to review your test scores with you, come on out to the golf course and we will have a beer and talk about it. Tomorrow I will be at the tennis courts and on Monday I will be dove hunting, on Tuesday I will be at the mall buying some new hunting boots to teach in during Deer season."
Super institution, Super NCAA ruling, great job!
Lol
Sat, 09/01/2012 - 14:34 — gvillegatrWho needs a movie theatre or the comedy zone when you got this guy entertaining us right here for the cost of Internet every month! Gonna go pop me some popcorn ...
My opinion
Fri, 08/31/2012 - 13:14 — notaliberalDon't know about everyone else, but frankly I am sick and tired of the N&O and their overuse of the word "scandal." Everything cannot be a scandal and I am also tired of them making up scandals where none exist. Not talking about this issue specifically, but the lack of real reporting by this rag in general. The repeaters (not reporters) at the N&O live for a scandal, they are worse than the National Enquirer.
no scandal?
Fri, 08/31/2012 - 14:32 — notagentpiercethey were giving away grades so that football players could maintain academic eligibility. sounds like a scandal.
Yawn
Sat, 09/01/2012 - 14:30 — gvillegatrWrong. Grades were not just given away as so many ignorant ABCers think. The only issue is that classes were not taught in the manner in which the course indicated. Last time I checked (as well as the NCAA) that wasn't a big deal.
You'll have to forgive
Sun, 09/02/2012 - 11:57 — tarheeltatman2the ABC crowd, esp woofies. The N&O has them so stirred up with their sensationalized stories, they don't know what else to do with their time. Add to the fact their little football team laid a brown egg Friday night on national TV, and they are an especially surly lot right now. Facts are trivial when they see an opportunity to see a conspiracy and give big brother's shirt a tug.
UNC---University of Non-existent Classes
Tue, 09/04/2012 - 19:13 — WunderphilLol
Wed, 09/05/2012 - 09:17 — gvillegatrApparently you did not listen to David Glenn (nor me prior to him) yesterday.
Ignorance is bliss.
UNC---University of Non-existent Classes
Tue, 09/04/2012 - 19:11 — WunderphilUNC---University of No Class
Tue, 09/04/2012 - 18:59 — WunderphilYou surely must have obtained your now supect and watered down UNC degree, as said by many UNC students and alums to be of questionable worth in the future as a rresult of this SCANDAL, in the bogus AFAM depasrtment alongside your UNC "student athletes." tarheeltatman speaks vlumes re your proble abilities as a student. And what was that ?Washington or whatever ranking of students? Come on phantom course and apperently ranking condoner, try US News and World Report, the gold and only recognized standard. Duke is #10, down from it's usual #5 or #6, while UNC-CHeaters is #28. "Yeah, I got my degree from UNC---University of No Class or is that University of No Credibility or University of Non-Existent Classes or University of No Conscience? And, speaking of Tar Heels, the have always been unjustifyably arrogant, now they are world class apologists and whiners. "Boo Hoo, everybody does it." No, they don't and the few who do can't even begin to compete with "The Carolina Way" of unethical cheating.
NCAA fails miserably, turns a blind eye to UNC's academic misdeeds
“Review” translates to “fake investigation to appease the masses but uncover nothing.”
Head in Sand...
Fri, 08/31/2012 - 12:34 — SkippyscotThis does nothing for UNC's credibility. The issue is not whether NCAA rules have been broken. We have gone well past that. Instead, it is about whether a degree from UNC-CH is still worth anything.
I am a non-traditional student, studying at Thomas Edison State College and I had considered taking several courses via the Friday Center to meet degree requirements. This long-running, poorly written Whitehall farce has convinced me to look elesewhere for my education.
And yet.....
Sun, 09/02/2012 - 11:46 — tarheeltatman2UNC just placed 4th on Washington Monthly's ranking of ALL universities in the U.S., just behind Stanford and two poly tech schools, for quality education. d00k was 26th, and state college mid 40's. So yes, feel free to seek your degree requirments elsewhere....we UNC fans would hate to have you devaluing UNC academic credit with your light bulb school association.
Yes
Sat, 09/01/2012 - 14:25 — gvillegatrBc your opinion matters and is heeded.
Well this guarantees.....
Fri, 08/31/2012 - 12:27 — AgentPierceWell this bit of news guarantees that even if TO'B's kids whomp up on the Vols 50-0 tonight...... it will still qualify as "a really bad day" for a forlorn faction of ABCers based in West Raleigh.
Not ALL State fans for sure.... most that I know are quite rational. But there is "that one faction"......
Well, there ya go:
Fri, 08/31/2012 - 12:25 — andy65Well, there ya go: "Nothing to see here -- move on." ;p
End Of Story; For Now
Fri, 08/31/2012 - 12:15 — chicagoThank-you Jesus. We knew we wuz clean as a whistle!