NCAA Charges UNC with 5 Serious Violations

[lawildcat]

NCAA charges North Carolina Tar Heels with five serious violations

 

 

The NCAA has charged North Carolina with five violations connected to the school's long-running academic fraud scandal, including a lack of institutional control for poor oversight of an academic department popular with athletes.

 

The school released a 59-page notice of allegations on Thursday that it received from the NCAA, which uses the document to specify violations uncovered during an investigation.

 

The charges include providing improper benefits in the form of counselors making "special arrangements'' with staffers in the formerly named African and Afro-American Studies (AFAM) department to offer courses or obtain assignments for athletes, as well as a counselor working with the women's basketball program providing improper help on research papers.

 

All five charges are considered Level I violations, described by the NCAA as a "serious breach of conduct.''

 

Chancellor Carol Folt and athletic director Bubba Cunningham issued a joint statement, saying the school takes allegations "about past conduct very seriously'' and noted the school has implemented more than 70 reforms since the end of academic irregularities in the AFAM department ended in 2011. UNC has to file a response to the NCAA within 90 days of receiving the notice.

 

"Although we may identify some instances in the NCAA's notice where we agree and others where we do not, we are committed to continue pursuing a fair and just outcome for Carolina,'' the statement said.

 

The five charges listed in the NCAA's notice are:

 

• There was a lack of institutional control in failing to "sufficiently monitor'' the AFAM department as well as the academic support department for athletes, noting athletes received "preferential access'' to the department's irregular courses.

 

• Academic counselors leveraged relationships from the fall semester in 2002 to the summer session of 2011 with AFAM department faculty and staff to provide athletes with benefits "not generally available to the student body.'' Those benefits included suggesting assignments to the department, turning in papers for athletes and recommending grades.

 

• Academic counselor Jan Boxill, who worked with women's basketball, provided improper assistance by sometimes adding content to athletes' papers. Also, in at least one case, she recommended a grade for submitted work.

 

• Former AFAM office administrator Deborah Crowder, one of two department staffers most directly linked to irregular courses in the department, didn't cooperate with NCAA investigators.

 

• Former AFAM department chairman Julius Nyang'oro, the other staffer most directly linked to the department's irregular courses, also declined to cooperate with the NCAA probe.

 

The NCAA reopened an investigation into academic misconduct last summer connected to the AFAM department. The focus was courses often treated as independent studies that required no class time and one or two research papers, with many operating that way despite being scheduled as lecture classes.

 

An eight-month investigation conducted by former U.S. Justice Department official Kenneth Wainstein stated that Crowder -- not a faculty member -- typically handed out assignments then high grades after only a scan of the work. Wainstein's October report found problems running from 1993 to 2011 and affecting more than 3,100 students, with athletes accounting for roughly half the enrollments in the problem courses.

 

Both Crowder and Nyang'oro cooperated with Wainstein's probe.

 

The arrival of the NCAA notice will ultimately lead to a hearing for the school with the infractions committee, which would then issue a ruling and any potential sanctions within a time frame of weeks to months.

 

The school announced May 22 it had received the notice of allegations, but it didn't release the document publicly until Thursday to redact information to comply with privacy laws.

[BigVMan23]

Oh man...this won't end well for my Tarheels I don't think. With that's said, what was happening shouldn't have been happening, now they will have to pay the fine, whatever that might be. And I'm afraid it won't be a slap on the wrist. 2 people refusing to cooperate? I'd probably throw the book at them myself.

[Jumper_Dad]

IF USC can lose a title over Reggie Bush shouldn't Carolina lose at least a couple of basketball titles and maybe the last three since this started back in 93 when they won their third of five titles.

 

UNC has won 50 Team or Individual National Titles in all sports since 1993...will they lose any of those?

[NKY Bandit]

What will make it hard for the average Joe to understand will be why some schools get mutilated by the NCAA while others (UNC? and Duke?) get off with nothing but a slap on the wrist. They really need to do a better job of making the punishment fit the crime and assigned blame where it belongs.

[Hangman]

What will make it hard for the average Joe to understand will be why some schools get mutilated by the NCAA while others (UNC? and Duke?) get off with nothing but a slap on the wrist. They really need to do a better job of making the punishment fit the crime and assigned blame where it belongs.

 

Shouldn't we wait until the punishment is handed down before going there?

[NKY Bandit]

We can wait. Many are speculating that UNC will get away with little punishment while other schools have received harsh punishment for what many consider to be lesser charges. Look at Memphis, as an example. Vacated because a player cheated to become eligible and was cleared by the NCAA prior to enrolling. UNC is accused of academic fraud to keep players eligible that they KNOW couldn't do the work.

[NKYknowitall]

What will make it hard for the average Joe to understand will be why some schools get mutilated by the NCAA while others (UNC? and Duke?) get off with nothing but a slap on the wrist. They really need to do a better job of making the punishment fit the crime and assigned blame where it belongs.

 

... and if my aunt had a different part, she'd be my uncle

[Hangman]

I feel like the NCAA is going to come down hard on this one or it may be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

[ggclfan]

If Memphis did this, they would be given the death penalty...then let back again after two years...and then be given the death penalty again.

 

I actually like UNC but they need to be HAMMERED on this. This was really bad and went on for decades. The NCAA always talks about lack of institutional control. UNC is the poster child for "lack of institutional control"...

[PurplePride92]

Don't expect much. The men's basketball team and the football team weren't mentioned in the NCAA charges.

Edited June 5, 2015 by PurplePride92

[InItToWinIt]

My favorite part in this mess was when Roy Williams came out and said he was "shocked" to find out it was happening. I mean come on, at least own up to it. There is no way he couldn't have known what was happening.

 

On a side related note, I recently met a lady from a big 4 accounting firm who had hired an intern from Butler. The intern supposedly could not write a simple sentence, and when the lady asked him how he got a degree, he said "Honestly, I was a football player and never took 1 exam in all 4 years." Amazing.

[Voice of Reason]

... and if my aunt had a different part, she'd be my uncle

 

You are going to have to shelf that saying ... not all that unusual nowadays. :stop:

[gold sunrise]

If Memphis did this, they would be given the death penalty...then let back again after two years...and then be given the death penalty again.

 

I actually like UNC but they need to be HAMMERED on this. This was really bad and went on for decades. The NCAA always talks about lack of institutional control. UNC is the poster child for "lack of institutional control"...

 

But it is "The Carolina Way"..........

[Randy Parker]

I've been saying since the beginning that the NCAA won't do anything major to their little darling North Carolina.

[Hellcats]

It seems the NCAA holds the offense of paying players imore serious than cheating in school. So my guess is nothing will happen over a slap on the wrist.

 

IMO this is warped. NCAA allows coaches, players , and staff to undermine academic institutions.