CHARLOTTE, NC — An independent investigation into academic fraud at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill finds the school pushed student-athletes to take phony courses.
The university released a report today that says those athletes were steered into the classes by their advisers, keeping them eligible to play.
An investigation by former Justice Department official Kenneth Wainstein found that more than 3,000 UNC students took classes that they didn’t have to show up for. Classes that required only a research paper that was often given an A or B, regardless of the quality of the work.
Nearly half of those students were athletes. But no coaches were directly involved.
“Did not have a direct relationship with our current coaches is somewhat of a relief,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham. “But it doesn’t mean it’s not a problem. It’s a problem for the institution, and together we need to move forward and say, ‘Okay, how do we fix this, and how do we try to make sure this doesn’t happen again?'”
The report says two people in the African and Afro-American studies program offered hundreds of these irregular classes between 1993 and 2011.
“As an athlete we weren’t really there for an education, we were there to enhance our athletic abilities,” said former UNC basketball star Rashad McCants.
Not all former UNC athletes feel that way. Carolina Panthers’ rookie Tre Boston says he put in the work for his education.
“It’s one of those things where it kind of sucks to hear this come out again, because I have my degree,” said Boston. “I felt like I earned that degree.”
UNC chancellor Carol Folt says the inquiry will help the school move forward.
“When you’re under a cloud like this, not only does it make it difficult to focus fully on the future, it makes it very difficult for you to appreciate the strength of the present,” said Folt.
Nine employees have been fired or disciplined so far, and honorary status has been removed from another. The chancellor did not name any of those employees, citing confidentiality.
