We use the words “The Carolina Way” to talk about what it means to be a part of UNC. These words mean honor, integrity and pride in our institution. But a series of revelations of academic fraud following the NCAA’s investigation of the football team has stripped them of their meaning.
And the administration, buying into a culture of opacity, disregard for public accountability and deference toward athletics, is largely responsible.
A series of policies have been enacted to prevent something like what happened in the Nyang’oro case, but they fall far short of what we need. If administrators care about the University’s future, they must restore faith by undertaking difficult, meaningful reform.
The University learned of the NCAA’s investigation into its football program in June 2010. Its probe exposed a culture of improper benefits and academic misconduct among some players. The credibility of the athletic department was thrown into question, and administrators, led by Chancellor Holden Thorp, promised to get to the bottom of it.
One year later, irregularities surfaced in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies. The curtains were drawn back on academic fraud centered on privileges for football players provided by the head of an academic department.
The internal investigation led to a series of policy revisions that include tighter regulation of independent study courses and stronger departmental oversight. But these changes only ensure Nyang’oro’s teaching practices in summer session courses and independent studies are not replicated. They only put a finger in the dike — and the water is rising.
The severity of the scandal, with 54 classes and 215 athletes implicated, and the reluctance of administrators to expand the investigation beyond the internal review — or to engage the public transparently — damage the University’s reputation.
The conflict of athletics and academics compromises the Carolina Way.
And this must change if we hope to salvage our reputation.
