N&O/Charlotte Observer Takes A Look At Marvin Austin’s UNC Transcript

The link to this story from the Charlotte Observer written by the N&O’s Dan Kane showed up late Saturday night on Twitter. You’ll never believe this, but there are some questions about Marvin Austin’s UNC transcript.

Let’s start off with this bit of information:

In a summer 2007 session just before his first full semester on campus, Austin took a 400 level class in African-American studies and received a B plus.

So right out of high school Marvin Austin got a B plus in a 400 level course at UNC. I bet you’re shocked that it was an African-American studies course, but more on that in a minute. UNC spokesman Mike McFarland had this to say about 400 level courses at UNC:

a 400 level course is not necessarily harder than a 200 level course. But its designation as a 400 level course means that it is open to undergraduate and graduate students, suggesting it had a level of sophistication that would pose a challenge to a newly arrived freshman.

Julia Nichols, the student services manager for UNC’s Academic Advising Program also had this to say on the subject of 400 level courses:

it is unusual for any freshman to begin his or her college education with a 400 level course. The exceptions, she said, are freshmen who have demonstrated an aptitude, either through advanced placement classes or other experience and petition the professor to be allowed to take the course.

“As a general, blanketed rule, freshmen are not normally allowed to take 400 or 500 level classes,” she said.

So Marvin Austin must be one of the sharper knives in the drawer to not only handle a 400 level course right out of high school but also get a B, right?

Austin got into the class despite having a score on the written portion of the SAT that was low enough that he needed to take a remedial writing class, which he took in the subsequent fall semester.

Wait, what? Remedial writing?

OK, so he’s not a good writer. What about his other courses?

The partial transcript shows that Austin was carrying a 2.21 grade point average after more than three semesters and three summer classes. A 2.0 GPA, or a C average, is required to remain in good academic standing, according to the North Carolina student handbook.

Austin received grades of C minus or lower in seven of 17 classes and labs, the transcript shows. He failed an introductory geology lab, received D’s for two Portuguese classes and a D plus for a 100 level history class. A D is a passing grade at UNC, and allows students to move up to a higher level class.

Failed Rocks for Jocks but Bioethics in Afro-American Studies was no problem.

I know this is a highly unbelievable coincidence but Julius Nyang’oro, the professor that couldn’t detect the plagiarism in Michael McAdoo’s Swahili paper that Pack Pride found in 5 minutes on Google, is the professor that gave Austin permission to take the 400 level course as well as taught the class. What are the odds?

What about the grade distribution in that course?

a large majority of students taking the bioethics class in the past five years scored an A minus or better. The report showed no students received less than a B minus. Nyang’oro is one of two professors the website lists as teaching the course during that period.

And this brings it all together:

A prominent critic of bigtime college sports said Austin’s transcript suggests he was assigned to a class that was intended to provide him a good grade to maintain his eligibility on the football field.

“You don’t start at the senior level seminar and then work your way down to remedial writing,” said Jon Ericson, a retired Drake University provost who started an organization called The Drake Group that advocates for reforming college sports.

Those are just the choice quotes, you really should go and read the entire article.

Just another fine example of The Carolina Way.

About WV Wolf

Graduated from NCSU in 1996 with a degree in statistics. Born and inbred in West "By God" Virginia and now live in Raleigh where I spend my time watching the Wolfpack, the Mountaineers and the Carolina Hurricanes as well as making bar graphs for SFN. I'm @wvncsu on the Twitter machine.

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55 Responses to N&O/Charlotte Observer Takes A Look At Marvin Austin’s UNC Transcript

  1. wufpup76 08/21/2011 at 12:58 AM #

    “… suggesting it had a level of sophistication that would pose a challenge to a newly arrived arroved freshman.”

    FTFY Mike McFarland.

  2. MrPlywood 08/21/2011 at 1:52 AM #

    Good lord I love this stuff.

  3. PackerInRussia 08/21/2011 at 6:51 AM #

    Hakuna Matata, Marv

  4. Plz2BStateFan 08/21/2011 at 7:12 AM #

    Any BBall players in this class?

    Oh wait, thank you newspaper

    http://blogs.fayobserver.com/accbasketball/October-2010/The-deeper-story-behind-Graves%E2%80%99-dismissal

    “In addition, his academic track record was often less than sparkling as well. As one former teammate noted: “I think he failed Swahili. Everyone on the team takes that class and I’m pretty sure Will was the first one to fail.” “

  5. wolfonthehill 08/21/2011 at 7:25 AM #

    So the question really is… is anything new like this coming out too late? Is the NCAA already done & just waiting to hand out sanctions?

    Now that we’re down to grade fixing, pretty much the only thing left is paying recruits to go to school on the hill. We know it happened… doubt we’ll ever know about it.

  6. wolfonthehill 08/21/2011 at 7:27 AM #

    ^^ Wow – nice find, Plz2B… so pretty much every athlete takes it? That’s…….. awesome.

  7. Clarksa 08/21/2011 at 7:34 AM #

    Marvin Austin – the gift that keeps on giving.

  8. wolfpacker 08/21/2011 at 8:06 AM #

    Need an ‘A’ this semester, sign up for one of this guy’s classes. He’s a really good professor and if you need help, he’s going to make sure you get it. I think the course syllabus even comes with pre-plagiarized papers, so you don’t even need to know how to “cut and paste”.

    http://unc.blinkness.com/professor/unc-nyang'oro-j

    Be careful, there are 2, that’s right 2 classes where more students made a ‘B’ than an ‘A’. And you thought college was going to be difficult?

  9. Pack78 08/21/2011 at 8:46 AM #

    What strikes me about this article (among many other things) is the number of instances where some requested information is ‘not available’ due to people or systems not releasing it; clearly, the coverup is cracking and the wonder is how deeply it will go…the questions are not going away.

    Edit:Freshmen taking 400-level courses? I could not take plant design in my freshmen year (ChE) no matter my incoming record-sounds like BS.

  10. McPete 08/21/2011 at 8:57 AM #

    Couldn’t imagine taking my senior seminar class in poly sci as a freshman. Would’ve been hilarious.

    Marvin Austin is truly the gift that keeps on giving. From man tits, to cupcakes, to Miami beach parties, to fluff classes, he’s just awesome for State fans.

  11. grizzlyman 08/21/2011 at 9:15 AM #

    I bet there are several other “student” athletes whose transcripts would look the same if they were released. UNC stinks, and an independent investigation needs to happen to find all the problems in athletics, academics, the university police, etc… Anyone who isn’t a blind UNC homer or in on trying to hide these things at the university can see the “Carolina Way” is a joke, and that UNC isn’t seriously going to investigate its self.

  12. Mike 08/21/2011 at 9:17 AM #

    So Marv is upset about McAdont and ready to spill the beans???? Maybe he is upset b/c he turned in the same paper provided to him by the same professor? Could it be that paper had been recirculated many times???

  13. Tampa-Pack 08/21/2011 at 9:19 AM #

    Come on you all were taking senior/graduate level engineering classes as a freshman – lol! Man if I could have stomached it – could have graduate with a 4.0 over there – of course I wouldn’t have a job when I got done, but still.

    Wonder if this little story will be the final straw in having ol Marv “spill the beans” he keeps threatening? Its all coming down – slowly but surely – somewhere people are tiring of the cover ups and letting tidbits like this out. Probably too late for the NCAA, but still exposing the carolina way as nothing but carolina bs!

  14. NCSU88 08/21/2011 at 10:09 AM #

    Wow, I remember you had to make a C to advance in the calculus series. That was the undoing in my attempt at engineering. Should have gone to UNX.

  15. Kpackattack 08/21/2011 at 10:19 AM #

    I find it very interesting how a white basketball player from the state of Missouri ended up taking 3 years of Swahili. I wonder what his transcript looks like.

  16. old13 08/21/2011 at 10:40 AM #

    So, going back to previous discussions at SFN, UNC-CHeat is supposedly more difficult to get into than State – sort of like joining a country club. But, apparently, based on this article, once you’re in, your degree is essentially guaranteed. While at State, a higher percentage of applicants are accepted. But they have to actually earn their degrees – kind of like holding, and advancing in a job. I wonder what the accreditation agencies would have to say about this so called “Carolina Way!”

  17. RedRiver 08/21/2011 at 10:42 AM #

    Wow, as I remember it, the 400 level courses I took all required a fairly significant amount of research writing. Almost all of it done independently. That Starvin’ Marvin was able to fulfill the requirements of a 400 level PoliSci class but then had to take a remedial writing class just stretches the imagination.

  18. TruthBKnown Returns 08/21/2011 at 10:43 AM #

    If this stuff, especially when combined with so many other issues, isn’t a blatant call for an independent investigation, then what is?

    Serious question for the BoG: When would it be appropriate for them to call for an independent investigation, if not now?

    Their own task force concluded an independent investigation was needed (although, I think they meant for the whole UNC system, not just the flagship, but still…)

  19. choppack1 08/21/2011 at 11:27 AM #

    Yea – I’m with others…let’s look at all of the transcripts at the Hill.

    Is there not enough evidence flying around right now that this was, at the very least, a football program running out of control.

    And there is zero evidence the university can police itself.

    Come N&O – call for the investigation…

  20. projectwentynine 08/21/2011 at 11:32 AM #

    “…you had to make a C to advance in the calculus series. That was the undoing in my attempt at engineering.”

    C-wall classes such as MA 141 and CH 101 have claimed many a victim. My Freshman year, my girlfriend took supposedly equivalent courses at UNC-CH and I was disgusted as I looked through her course materials and exams. Absolutely no comparison in level of difficulty. She didn’t even have to study as our high school courses had been arguably more advanced. Going to State for undergrad is near suicide for someone with aspirations to go on to professional school, requiring an almost flawless transcript.

  21. VaWolf82 08/21/2011 at 11:54 AM #

    So the question really is… is anything new like this coming out too late? Is the NCAA already done & just waiting to hand out sanctions?

    Here are several key points to keep in mind:

    The NCAA concluded their investiation before releasing the LOI and NOA. However, information is never too late. The NCAA is free to open new investigations at their descretion as new info is uncovered (ref OSU).

    The first several points in UNC’s NOA were those things that UNC reported to the NCAA…which includes all of the academic issues. When you throw in the fact that FSU investigated their academic scandal, you quickly reach the conclusion that the NCAA would prefer that universities police their own academic issues.

    Whether the NCAA thinks that the McAdoo’s plagarism warrants a deeper look is one of those unanswered questions at this point. Unfortunately, UNC’s COI meeting in Oct is closed to the public. I would really like to hear what (if anything) that the NCAA has to say about plagarism and UNC’s internal investigation.

  22. Hungwolf 08/21/2011 at 12:47 PM #

    The evidence as keep it keeps getting pieced together continues to show a system wide environment of promoted cheating and shortcuts for athletes at the Hill. Tutors paying parking tickets, cars provided, trips/benefits paid for, automatic GPA enhancing classes to keep kids qualified with basically a rubber stamped unearned degree, “loyal” police officers to cover up underage drinking/DUI, and money being fueled to UNC via agents, and money being paid to HS coaches. When you put it all together makes the Miami, OSU, and USC problems small in comparison.

  23. wolfpacktexx 08/21/2011 at 1:23 PM #

    I saw the final grade distributions for the 6 main courses in the Africa Studies Program from the fall semester 2010. Statistically – impossible. There were zero “0” D or F’s given in the 6 main courses in this program (over 400 of sets of data). I can’t fandom a department that has a final grade distribution curve with only A, B, C’s. So the Marvin Story fits the curve and is not surprising.

    N&O will not touch this story either will the BOG’s. There are too many basketball players that went through the African Studies Program. UNC just printing paper???

  24. pack76 08/21/2011 at 1:35 PM #

    We love you Marvin!!! You just can’t make this stuff up!!! Yes, the BOG needs to do its job and ask for an independent investigation of UNC academics!!! What are they waiting on??? UNX is not capable of investigating itself! Good ole Marvin! The first one of his family to go to college and no wonder, he makes a B- in a 4oo level course in his freshman year. He makes us all so proud!!! Come on NCAA, do your job!!

  25. bigjohn 08/21/2011 at 1:36 PM #

    So, what’s with the Portugese classes? Remedial reading level, but passes 2 Portugese classes, even if they were D’s.

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