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UNC football scandal prompts honor talk

The Faculty Executive Committee talked Monday about the recent allegations of academic misconduct against the UNC football team and the greater problem of plagiarism at its monthly meeting.

At the meeting, University officials discussed ways to avoid future pitfalls such as those that have befallen the football team this season.

The committee found the problem of the athletic violations to be two-pronged. On one hand, the committee discussed how the players should be disciplined. On the other, they debated how the problem of plagiarism and honor should be addressed.

Honor System

Vice Chancellor and Provost Bruce Carney said he is proud the cases are being handled through the Honor System.

He also highlighted the difficulty the system will have in hearing these cases in time.

Because of the backlog on the Honor Court docket, the football season could be complete by the time the court hears the players’ case, committee members said.

Jo Anne Earp, a professor in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, said faculty members are left wondering if the players’ cases should be expedited or if no preferential treatment will be granted.

Plagiarism

After the committee finished discussing the football team’s alleged plagiarism, they moved to the issue of plagiarism as a whole.

Carney said the issue might be larger than the football players’ cases.

The committee considered that the source of the problem might lie in a misunderstanding of plagiarism.

“It goes back to people not understanding what plagiarism is,” Carney said. “For instance, what is permissible and what is not. We shouldn’t wait for another crisis. We should think ahead and act now.”

The committee considered supplementing plagiarism education at C-TOPS with more classroom instruction on the subject.

Some have criticized Chancellor Holden Thorp’s actions following the violations, but Carney and committee members voiced their support of Thorp.

The committee cited his frankness and honesty as an adept way of handling of the situation.

“People worry about Holden being preoccupied with this, but this is what happens when issues like this arise,” Earp said. “Faculty can understand how this happens. Sometimes focus on an acute disciplinary issue can take inordinate time.”

School of Government professor Joseph Ferrell, who also serves as the secretary of the faculty, gave Thorp additional praise.

“The faculty now have a lot of respect and trust in Holden and Baddour,” he said. “They have been transparent through the whole thing.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.

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