U.N.C. Investigation Reveals Athletes Took Fake Classes (Guess which department?)

New York Times ^ | 10/22/2014 | SARAH LYALL

[Pan_Yan]

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — It was November 2009, and alarm was spreading among the academic counselors charged with bolstering the grades of football players at the University of North Carolina. For years the players and others had been receiving A’s and B’s in nonexistent classes in the African studies department, but the administrator who had set up and run the fake classes had just retired, taking all those easy grades with her.

The counselors convened a meeting of the university’s football coaches, using a PowerPoint presentation to drive home the notion that the classes “had played a large role in keeping underprepared and/or unmotivated players eligible to play,” according to a report released by the university on Wednesday.

“We put them in classes that met degree requirements in which ... they didn’t go to class ... they didn’t have to take notes, have to stay awake ... they didn’t have to meet with professors ... they didn’t have to pay attention or necessarily engage with the material,” a slide in the presentation said. “THESE NO LONGER EXIST!”

[Mygirlsmom]

others had been receiving A’s and B’s in nonexistent classes in the African studies department

Just what do you have to (not) do to get a B in a non-existent class?

[vetvetdoug]

I once had the opportunity to look at the black history books used by the Mississippi State University's history department. Many of these books were poorly written IMO and I noted many secondary and tertiary references to incidents ignoring the primary reporting by the people on the spot for the incidents. These secondary references were by people many years later and were written by black activists. Its hard to call these studies credible. I understand why many black college graduates are prejudiced because they haven't been given the facts correctly, just spoonfed inflammatory falsehoods.

[denydenydeny]

The “African Studies” part will be ignored in any larger treatment of this story in the media.

[hondact200]

Degrees for Sale - Given a whole new meaning. Come to the UNC - african American Studies - never attend a class, write a paper and get a grade. even if you do not write a paper the grade is an A or B. Graduate with a degree. The Tarheels must really have some great graduates though, and during the 18 years how many went on to play professional football.

[nesnah]

NCAA B-ball Championship banner(s) will come down.

[dennisw]

Black bogus studies

[Cry if I Wanna]

I know I’ll get flamed for this but I think athletes in college on scholarships should be paid a salary. Many are from inner cities and they are not close to being considered scholars. These athletes bring millions of dollars to their universities but in the end most leave with nothing, including an education. I say pay them and pay them well.

[Baynative]

Fake classes? Colleges everywhere are littered with them: African Studies, Ethnic studies and women's studies, just to name a few.

Heck, there are even fake colleges. Just listen to the brilliance that flows from this 'professor' at Goddard College.

[denydenydeny]

A friend who went to Delaware State told me that a professor there told his history class as fact that the Sphinx originally had “the nose and lips of a black man” and the racist Napoleon was so offended by this that he had his men shoot them off with cannon fire.

[1Old Pro]

I guess they will switch the atheletes to another worthless class such as “women’s studies”.

[Pan_Yan]

Yep. And they’ll vacate wins and negate bowl appearances and turn in trophies and take some scholarships and the coaches and administrators will still be paid millions by either UNC or the next college that hires them.

[Pan_Yan]

The question I didn’t see any article ask was “were white athletes afforded the opportunity to take the bogus courses in black studies?”

[Slyfox]

Graduated with two fake degrees:

[lonestar]

You are basically talking minor league football so let the NFL start and finance a minor league and let colleges get back to student athletes.

[pepsionice]

While in the Air Force....back three decades ago...I took a course in logic 101. The professor for this community college was an Italian guy with a terrible accent...his first class teaching in the US. As each week passed, I noticed that there were no tests, no hand-out home-work packages, and he just appreciated that you showed up nightly. Around the last week, the twenty of us in the class were a bit worried because nothing made sense. He had done a fair job introducing us to the subject, but not a single evaluation item. The night for the final test? He showed up with some wine, we all discussed logic for an hour, and he gave all of us who attended faithfully an “A”, the rest a “B”.

I admit that was the exception with forty-odd classes I’ve taken, but it does happen.

[Pan_Yan]

I agree they should be paid but that doesn’t solve the eligibility problem. The uneducated parents, high school coaches and colleges have no motivation to make sure their precious commodity is actually literate before signing them to a top university. As long as he can tote the rock ...

[Still Thinking]

Be the one the prof chooses to get the B to avoid a potentially suspicious string of all A’s. Or maybe be the one doing slightly better in your real classes and thus in less need of propping up.

[mosaicwolf]

"......and during the 18 years how many went on to play professional football."

I wonder what happened to all those that didn't play pro sports? Did they get screwed by the system? I wouldn't be surprised if a few bring a law suit for intentional fraud causing them extreme economic hardship. Then of course a jury will award them hundreds of millions in compensation followed by bankruptcy in a couple of years.

[Still Thinking]

Even if so, that would still be discrimination. You’d have to offer them. The opportunity to take WHITE studies.