bigten_numberone said
Daily Tar Heel: $5 million unaccounted for? Slush fund?

$5 million for advising nowhere to be found

The chancellor said UNC has spent $5 million on restructuring advising.

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When Kenneth Wainstein’s independent investigation revealed the extent of academic advisers’ involvement in a decades-long athletic-academic scandal, Chancellor Carol Folt said she felt comfortable with the steps the University had taken to reform its advising system.

The day after the report was released, Folt told The Daily Tar Heel the University had already spent $5 million to restructure its advising services.

Lee May, director of the Academic Advising Program, said in an email she has no knowledge of the money. Michelle Brown, head of the Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes and member of the Faculty Athletics Committee, said none of the $5 million Folt mentioned is coming to her program.

The Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes now directly reports to the Provost’s Office, which May said might account for the money Folt was talking about.

In the late 1980s, former Department of Athletics Director John Swofford, who is the current commissioner of the ACC, moved the program from the Department of Athletics to the College of Arts and Sciences, but Wainstein’s report said the program’s staff and managers still believed they reported to the Athletic Department’s administrators.

Joel Curran, a spokesman for Folt, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Karen Moon, a spokeswoman for the University, said Folt was referring to a University-wide initiative to improve graduation rates.

 

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As part of the White House summit on college access and success in January, Moon said UNC committed to spending $4 million during the next four years to raise 
graduation rates, focusing on low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students.

In an email, Moon said Provost Jim Dean formed a group of faculty and staff to create a plan to start the initiative. This group made its first annual investment of $459,200 last month, she said.

The Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes has seen a lot of changes in the last year.

In fall 2013, a team of five academic advisers in the College of Arts and Sciences came to the Loudermilk Center for Excellence to advise student-athletes, Brown said.

Since then, student-athletes have had to meet with an academic adviser once per semester instead of following the requirements for specific schools or majors, she said.

Brown said this helps athletes look long-term and plan their schedules with intention as they balance their academic and athletic schedules.

“The benefit is being able to be intentional of exactly how they can plan out their academics and be successful with their academics at the same time while they balance their athletics,” she said.

Brown also started an initiative called My Academic Plan, which provides student-athletes who are struggling with even more academic support.

Incoming student-athletes, transfer student-athletes or student-athletes who have a grade point average below 2.5 are assigned to the program. She said tutors for the program are also open to all student-athletes who are interested.

Brown said My Academic Plan replaced the prior study hall program for student-athletes. She said this program is a lot more specific to the individual and his or her situation.

“There’s lots of initiatives that together improve communication and awareness and all these pieces together hope to build an environment where we hope to reduce the opportunities for any of that to happen again.”

university@dailytarheel.com

Ummm, that alleged $5 million for revamping/enhancing academic tutoring for UNCHeat athletes is surely paying off:

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Perfect.

The Daily Tar Heel channels the News and Observer's Dan Kane:

More evidence emerges on Jan Boxill

Jan Boxill

The Wainstein report was not the new page Jan Boxill expected to turn, she once said.

According to the report by independent investigator Kenneth Wainstein, the sports ethics scholar steered athletes to fake classes in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies to help them maintain eligibility to play and graduate.

In a spring interview with The Daily Tar Heel, Boxill, former chairwoman of the faculty, said she never got the chance to completely push her conversations with faculty beyond the academic scandal.

“We were expecting a new page, but I’m not sure we got it,” Boxill said in April. “There’s not one Faculty Council meeting I had in my three years that athletics isn’t brought up. Either I do, the chancellor does or the Faculty Athletics Committee. With the announcement of the Wainstein review, it was another page but not the kind of page we may have thought.”

Emails show Boxill, a philosophy professor, offered 160 independent study courses between spring 2004 and spring 2012, according to records obtained by The Daily Tar Heel.

Wainstein’s report found employees in the African and Afro-American studies department offered fake paper courses for 18 years — and Boxill encouraged athletes to take the classes. But the Wainstein report, like every report on UNC’s academic-athletic scandal, has found the academic irregularities were limited to the African and Afro-American studies department.

But emails released as supplementary documents with the Wainstein report show athletes were also steered to independent study courses Boxill taught. The philosophy professor and former director of the Parr Center for Ethics did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

Boxill was embedded in UNC and its athletics program. A master lecturer in the philosophy department, she taught a long-standing class on sports ethics and brought in regular guest speakers like men’s basketball coach Dean Smith. As faculty chairwoman, she attended regular meetings with former Chancellor Holden Thorp’s administration.

Her popularity was not limited to undergraduates and colleagues — women’s basketball players emailed her often. Players opened their friendly messages with “Hey mom” and “Hey pal.”

UNC women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell said Boxill completely oversaw the teams’ academics, making herself available for players at all hours of the day. Hatchell said she never saw any red flags.

Hatchell remembers one instance of Boxill discussing the civil rights movement with players on the bus. Boxill, who grew up during the 1960s, told the players stories about Martin Luther King, Jr.

“That’s why she was so good,” Hatchell said. “She had such a connection with the athletes.”

Independent studies under Boxill

Marc Lange, the current chairman of the philosophy department said independent studies are uncommon because the department has wide course offerings. Geoffrey Sayre-McCord, chairman of the department between 2001 and 2011, said more than 150 independent studies is an unusually large number.

“Why would a student take an independent study?” Lange said. “It’s only for extraordinarily well-qualified students for whom the course material is too elementary.”

Public records show Boxill would sometimes offer multiple students independent study courses each semester; for example, in spring 2005 she taught 20. UNC’s Public Records Office would not distinguish how many students enrolled in Boxill’s independent studies were student-athletes.

The emails released by Wainstein show some student-athletes were enrolled and steered to her courses — but his report doesn’t mention it.

In one case, Crowder referred a student to Boxill for an independent study course after the African and Afro-American studies department was no longer able to provide them — but that wasn’t the only instance.

In a 2006 email to Deborah Crowder, the secretary in the African and Afro-American studies department who Wainstein showed was largely responsible for the creation of the paper courses, football counselor Cynthia Reynolds discussed registering her players for new classes.

“Nice call on the Phil 30 (Boxill) correspondence course last semester,” the email said. “Didn’t know Jan was doing those.”

In emails from later that year, Reynolds asked Boxill to take on a student for an independent study on sports ethics.

In another case, women’s soccer counselor Brent Blanton referred a student to Boxill who was looking for an independent study. In an email to Blanton, the student said she didn’t care if the course was “basket weaving.”

As of fall 2012, faculty are only permitted to offer two students independent study courses per semester.

Lange said he can count on one hand the number of independent study courses he’s taught since joining UNC in 2003.

Men’s basketball tutor Janet Huffstelter emailed Boxill in 2007, asking her for advice on an upcoming quiz in philosophy.

“(Redacted) had a tough week,” Huffstelter said. “I’m sorry he waited until the last minute to call me in for help. I guess it’s not unusual, though.”

Boxill responded with at least six specific questions that could be on the quiz, according to the emails.

Almost all of Boxill’s emails that were released were either her talking about, or to, students. “I will do whatever I can to help you obtain your degree,” she said in one email.

In another: “Just talked with Betsy Taylor in Steele Bldg, and she said she is making you a candidate for May, and that we are correct-all you need to do to is to PHIL with an A-!! And THAT will be done!!! This so great.”

One student emailed Boxill, asking why she hadn’t heard from Boxill about the independent study course in a few weeks. Another student was looking for a way to get six hours to keep his or her Pell Grant, and Boxill suggested six hours of a philosophy or African and Afro-American independent study.

Another student asked for an extension on a paper, and Boxill replied: “I have to say this is getting ridiculous! You have had the entire term to do *VERY MINIMAL* work.”

In 2009, Boxill said she might apply for Wayne Walden’s position as a tutor for the men’s basketball team, saying coaches Roy Williams and Joe Holladay “would be grateful” if she did apply — or they would also be comfort able with Mary Willingham.

Philosophy students now must fill out an independent study request form, which is submitted to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, who will send it to members of the Undergraduate Committee.

The only person who would know whether academic irregularities occurred in Caldwell Hall classrooms is Jan Boxill, Lange said.

“It’s only recently that the University required independent studies to have that kind of paper trail.”

That highly autonomous academic culture is exactly what led to UNC’s academic-athletic scandal, according to the Wainstein report.

“This hands-off management approach was laudable as a means of fostering academic creativity but lamentable as a mechanism for detecting and preventing the type of academic misconduct that existed in the AFAM department for so many years,” Wainstein found.

‘Horribly betrayed’

Colleagues, like Coach Hatchell, said Boxill was one of the most ethical people they’d ever met.

The findings of the Wainstein report largely misrepresented Boxill, said Kit Wellman, chairman of the Washington University in St. Louis’ philosophy department. He studied under Boxill and now, even in light of the Wainstein report, considers her one of his heroes and models.

“She feels horribly betrayed by a University she served selflessly for decades,” he said.

After initial reports of academic fraud, Wellman said Boxill was shocked.

“The idea that she was complicit and knew the stuff was going on is utterly implausible,” he said. “The investigators have to come to their conclusions. I don’t believe it.”

Senior Colleen Ciszek said Boxill’s compassionate nature made her a great mentor — she once helped Ciszek when she went through a tough time.

“I definitely don’t think this was ever a giant scheme to push some agenda and undermine the integrity of the University and athletics on campus,” she said. “She’s always been such a good advocate for those who are disadvantaged.”

university@dailytarheel.com

Gerald Gurney, president of the Drake Group, whose mission is "to defend academic integrity in higher education from the corrosive aspects of commercialized college sports," said the findings should provide fodder for the NCAA to levy one of its most severe charges against UNC: lack of institutional control.

"I can safely say that the scope of the 20-year UNC fraud scandal easily takes the prize for the largest and most nefarious scandal in the history of NCAA enforcement. The depth and breadth of the scheme -- involving counselors, coaches, academic administrators, faculty, athletic administrators, etc. -- eclipses any previous case," Gurney said.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/22/.....mic-fraud/

Roy Williams, the Sgt. Schultz of college coaches ("I know notthhhinnggggg"), says he will coach at UNCH for as many as 10 more years!

http://www.newsobserver.com/20......html?rh=1

Probably be lucky to finish this season.

More Felonies-- UNC players use spray paint to deface Duke locker room at Duke. At least $10,000 damage. No class.

http://www.heraldsun.com/news/.....ocker-room

According to sources at both schools, light blue spray paint caused “significant” damage to the visiting team locker room in Duke’s Brooks Practice Facility, which is adjacent to Wallace Wade Stadium.

Interior and exterior walls as well as the carpet were painted, causing thousands of dollars in damages.

The letters "UNC" were also painted on a wall next to a door entering the facility.

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Both Fedora and Bubba have called to apologize, and UNC will pay for repairs.

Damage costs are estimated to be over $10,000.

Fedora claims he only found out the next day.  He also said no players will be disciplined.

keggythekeg said
Now UNC is being investigated for Pell Grant Fraud--probably due to basketball and football players' taking fraudulent classes to stay academically eligible to receive Pell Grant money.

 

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Washington Post column blasts corruption at UNCH sports and education cheating and 20 year system of fraudulent classes:

Sylvia says her team may surprise you.   http://www.wralsportsfan.com/u...../14969302/

Interesting Quote...
“Myself and none of the coaches have been mentioned and women's basketball hasn't been mentioned,” Hatchell said. “It's academic councilors with women's basketball. If there is no allegation how can there be penalties?

Sounds exactly what Roy Williams said:

From the Wainstein Report:
- Over the 18-year period, athletes made up 1,871 of the enrollments in the paper classes. Of the enrollments, the football team accounted for 51.4 percent (963), the men's basketball team 12.1 percent (226) and the women's basketball team 6.1 percent (114). 

- Breakdown of enrollments in the paper classes by men's basketball coach (13 scholarships; often not fully allotted, but using that number for calculation): 

Bill Guthridge - 17 in 3 years (5.7 per year)
Matt Doherty - 42 in 3 years (14 per year)
Roy Williams - 167 in 6 years (27.8 per year; more than 2.1 per scholarship athlete, assuming the full allotment of13 scholarships)

From the NOA:

The AFRI/AFAM department created anomalous courses that went unchecked for 18 years. This allowed individuals within ASPSA to use these courses through special arrangements to maintain the eligibility of academically at-risk student-athletes, particularly in the sports of football, men's basketball and women's basketball.

First of all, the academic advisor for women's basketball was specifically referenced in one of the five allegations.  Second, there is the fifth allegation that emphasizes women's basketball (and men's), which is quoted above

Sylvia Hatchell and Roy Williams seem to believe if their individual names were not specifically mentioned, there are no allegations against them and there is no problem, notwithstanding the fact their programs are mentioned throughout the Wainstein Report and the NOA.