UNC football

[PoconoPony]

BY DAN KANE - [email protected]

Football and basketball players accounted for nearly four of every 10 students enrolled in 54 classes at the heart of an academic fraud investigation at UNC-Chapel Hill, according to figures released Monday.

The classes were all within UNC’s Department of African and Afro-American studies. An internal probe released Friday produced evidence of unauthorized grade changes and little or no instruction by professors. Forty-five of the classes listed the department’s chairman, Julius Nyang’oro, as the professor. Investigators could not determine instructors for the remaining nine.

University officials say they found no evidence that the suspect classes were part of a plan between Nyang’oro and the athletic department to create classes that student-athletes could pass so they could maintain their eligibility. They said student-athletes were treated no differently in the classes than students who were not athletes.

But the high percentages of student-athletes in the classes suggest to some that academic advisers, tutors and others in the athletic department may have guided them to the classes.

"These kids are putting in enormous amounts of time, and in at least some of the sports that are very physically demanding, they are missing a number of classes because of conflicts, and then if they are a marginal student to begin with, you’ve got to send them to Professor Nyang’oro’s class," said former state Supreme Court Justice Robert Orr. "I think the academic counselors realized that and the tutors recognized it and frankly the folks up the food chain for the most part recognized it. But nobody wants to rock the boat because it’s big money."

Orr, now an attorney, helped restore a UNC football player’s eligibility to play amid the NCAA’s probe into financial and academic benefits to members of the football team. The internal academic probe is an offshoot of that investigation.

There were 686 enrollments for the 54 suspect classes. Of those, football players accounted for 246 of the enrollments, or 36 percent, while basketball players accounted for 23 enrollments, or three percent, according to UNC. Together, football and basketball players accounted for 39 percent of the enrollments.

Football and basketball players account for less than one percent of the total undergraduate enrollment - about 120 of the more than 18,500 undergraduate students on campus. On the other hand, many of the suspect classes were held in the summer, a time when many football players are on campus.

Austin case spurred probe

The internal investigation started after The News & Observer obtained the academic transcript of former football player Marvin Austin, who was kicked off the team after the NCAA probe found he had received improper financial benefits from a sports agent. Austin’s transcript showed he had been placed in an upper-level African studies class taught by Nyang’oro in the summer of 2007. At that point, Austin had yet to begin his first full semester as a freshman, and he had not taken a required remedial writing class.

Nyang’oro gave Austin a B-plus in the 400-level class. The university has been unable to explain how Austin ended up in the class. He could not be reached for comment. UNC’s investigation determined it was one of the suspect classes in which there was little evidence that the instructor did much if any teaching.

Questions regarding Nyang’oro’s instruction started after another football player kicked off the team, Michael McAdoo, had made public a class paper that got him in trouble. N.C. State University fans found several plagiarized passages that the university and the NCAA did not catch.

The investigation covered courses offered within the department from summer 2007 to summer 2011, though all but two of the classes were offered from 2007 to 2009. UNC officials said the only two people within the department who appear to have been responsible for the suspect classes were Nyang’oro and his administrative secretary, Deborah Crowder. Some professors interviewed for the probe said they did not authorize grade changes that students taking the classes had received and said their names had been forged on academic records.

Crowder retired in September 2009 and declined requests for interviews by the investigators. Nyang’oro stepped down as chairman last September when the investigation was in its early stages. He is retiring July 1. Investigators found no evidence showing Nyang’oro or Crowder received any financial benefit from offering the suspect classes or for unauthorized grade changes that students received.

Neither Nyang’oro nor Crowder has publicly commented on the report.

On Friday, university officials couldn’t say why no one brought the suspect classes to their attention before last summer. The two UNC academic officials who conducted the probe, Jonathan Hartlyn and William Andrews, did not interview students for the report. But Nancy Davis, a university spokeswoman, said the university’s counsel, Leslie Strohm, and its former faculty athletics representative, Jack Evans, did talk to students. Those interviews were not reflected in the report.

[Digetydog]

I am sure the recruited athletes are placed in the easy classes at every college.

I actually took a class called Music: the Art of Listening at SMU.

[SMU89]

I am sure the recruited athletes are placed in the easy classes at every college.

I actually took a class called Music: the Art of Listening at SMU.

Wonderful class.....I listen to music daily.

[well travelled pony]

I am sure the recruited athletes are placed in the easy classes at every college.

I actually took a class called Music: the Art of Listening at SMU.

Wonderful class.....I listen to music daily.

While that is true, SMU has few "easy classes." And fewer classes designed for special "student-athletes." Heck, when I was at SMU, my Psych TA was Jon Koncack.

Go Ponies!

[ponyte]

There is a difference between an easy class that actually meets and an easy class that only exist on paper. Not all classes at any university or college have to have the difficulty level of Organic Chemistry. And some classes that might challenge one person may be 'easy' to another. The difference is there is an actual class.

This appears to involve fraudulent classes. Whether it is related to sports or not is yet to be determined.

[Alaric]

I'd wager this "model" is pretty widespread

[Digetydog]

THere is a difference between an easy class that actually meets and an easy class that only exist on paper. NOt all classes at any university or college have to have the difficulty level of Organic Chemistry. And some classes that might challenge one person my be 'easy' to another. The difference is there is an actual class.

This appears to involve fraudulent classes. Whether it is related to sports or not is yet to be determined.

From what I have read from other sources, it seems like there was a problem with a specific faculty member who essentially retired while still collecting a paycheck.

[Mustangs_Maroons]

I am sure the recruited athletes are placed in the easy classes at every college.

I actually took a class called Music: the Art of Listening at SMU.

Wonderful class.....I listen to music daily.

Hmmmm. I took a classical music class at the Honors Program, and it kicked my #ss. Took a lot of time to listen and memorize all the composers, time periods, etc.

[ericdickerson4life]

I am sure the recruited athletes are placed in the easy classes at every college.

I actually took a class called Music: the Art of Listening at SMU.

I took it as well thinking it was an "easy" course. Then the teacher bludgeoned us with memorization of music and composers. Not proud of this but sat there with several members of the football team that proceeded to get help from me during tests to keep them eligible. Absolutely kicked my [deleted]. Damn Mozart!

Once again, sure this pretty much happens on every campus.

[ponydawg]

I actually took a class called Music: the Art of Listening at SMU.

Current ponyfan poster Mustangsabu taught that class back in the day. I'm sure he was very impressed by me...........

[SMU89]

Took astronomy - thought it would be a cake walk.......not when the professor designed the space suit for NASA.

[Junior]

Took astronomy - thought it would be a cake walk.......not when the professor designed the space suit for NASA.

yeah, my Thermodynamics professor wrte our textbook, so that kida sucked, too.

[EastStang]

I had a humanities professor who had a stroke and could hardly talk and all the football players were in his class. He died mid semester and the head of the English Department took his place. Players all dropped the class.

[PoconoPony]

I am sure the recruited athletes are placed in the easy classes at every college.

I actually took a class called Music: the Art of Listening at SMU.

Wonderful class.....I listen to music daily.

Hmmmm. I took a classical music class at the Honors Program, and it kicked my #ss. Took a lot of time to listen and memorize all the composers, time periods, etc.

Took a course my last semester called music appreciation thinking I could pick up a good grade especially with a little background in music. Class was small with 24 other people having the same thought about a quick grade. Class ended up with 18 people who ultimately graduated Phi Beta Kappa and it was an absolute dog fight as Mrs. Rae graded on the curve. I have never studied so hard to recognize every instrument in an orchestra and to recognize most of the great music classics based on a test of hearing only 3 notes, identify the principle musical instruments involved, the composer, the cadence time and sometimes the historical event that was represented by the music. Was a great course with a great teacher, but I would defy anyone who ever had her course to consider it a cripple.

[Digetydog]

Took a course my last semester called music appreciation thinking I could pick up a good grade especially with a little background in music. Class was small with 24 other people having the same thought about a quick grade. Class ended up with 18 people who ultimately graduated Phi Beta Kappa and it was an absolute dog fight as Mrs. Rae graded on the curve. I have never studied so hard to recognize every instrument in an orchestra and to recognize most of the great music classics based on a test of hearing only 3 notes, identify the principle musical instruments involved, the composer, the cadence time and sometimes the historical event that was represented by the music. Was a great course with a great teacher, but I would defy anyone who ever had her course to consider it a cripple.

Having tested out of some courses, I decided to take my "CORE" course my first semester. I figured that "[i]f everyone has to take it, how hard could it be?" Unfortunately, my idiot adviser signed me up for the hardest section of the hardest "CORE" course on campus. The first weekend, we had to read three books. In our section, the highest grade awarded was my B-minus.

After that, I never listened to her again.