Board of Trustees evaluates Wainstein fallout

The University development office’s banner year for donations is the latest casualty from the findings in the Wainstein report.

During Wednesday’s Board of Trustees meeting, Vice Chancellor for University Development David Routh reported on donations to the University in the aftermath of the report, released nearly one month ago by independent investigator Kenneth Wainstein.

“I can tell you there was definitely development activity going on in the past month, but it’s also been a little unusual, if you know what I mean,” he said.

Donations given as of Sept. 19, 2014 were 34 percent higher than Sept. 19, 2013. On Nov. 14, 2014, in contrast, donations were only 6 percent higher than they had been on Nov. 14, 2013.

“When we talked about the numbers the last time, we were talking about that top line that was up 34 percent. Trustee (Don) Curtis made me promise we’d be able to hold onto that until the end of the year, and I told him I wasn’t sure we would,” he said.

He said the latest numbers, released Wednesday, show the 2013-14 contrast improving to 9 percent from 6 percent.

The development office carefully tracks the reasons people give for not making donations during nightly fundraising calls. Routh said only about 5 percent have cited Wainstein as their reason in the past three weeks.

Faculty chairman Bruce Cairns called the findings of the Wainstein report unacceptable and said he was disappointed in the faculty implicated in the report.

“As faculty, we let down our students, our University and the people of the state of North Carolina,” Cairns said. “We are sorry.”

Provost Jim Dean reiterated that the academic irregularities took place many years ago, and he said more than 75 reforms to institutional leadership were implemented before the report came out.

“We’ve moved into a different era in terms of our ability to track and monitor what is going on in the classroom,” Dean said.

The reforms included greater oversight of independent study courses. Faculty teaching independent study courses must complete a learning contract, have their syllabuses reviewed and can only teach two students per semester.

Student Body President Andrew Powell said these reforms discourage professors from offering independent study courses.

“I do worry that we become too intrusive,” Dean said.

Many of the reforms concerned oversight of student-athlete academics.

A program called “My Academic Plan,” implemented in 2013, encourages student-athletes to focus on weekly academic goals. In 2012, the Department of Athletics hired a consulting firm to assess compliance and culture within the department.

Trustee Alston Gardner said he worried some professors would look unfavorably upon student-athletes enrolled in their courses due to the findings of the report.

“Student-athletes are a very important part of the University and need to be welcomed here like any other student,” Trustee Charles Duckett said. “I was disappointed in people who chose to blame students, even partially.”

Faculty Athletics Committee chairwoman Joy Renner described the reforms she implemented when she became chairwoman in 2012. Committee members are assigned to monitor a sports team as well as an issue area, such as student-athlete admissions or advising.

Many of the reforms brought up in the meeting occurred before the release of the Wainstein report.

“You’re not going to see anybody doing a victory dance any time soon. We’ve got our heads down working,” Dean said.

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