Before and After: How UNC faculty leader dodged the NCAA

tarheelheadasterisk

Does the NCAA care?  Does the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools care? Does anyone care?

Is it an academic issue? Is it an athletics issue?  Is it both?

Ask most folks who wear baby blue and they’ll tell you it’s not an issue at all.  Except, that is, if it’s affecting recruiting.

But at least one person in Chapel Hill was well aware of the issues involved, and what the implications might be.  Thus she “requested” changes in the wording of a report which outlined (at least a few of) the improprieties going on over at “The Hill” (N&O)

Newly released correspondence shows the faculty leader at UNC-Chapel Hill watered down a report into academic fraud to lessen the chances the NCAA would come back to campus.

The correspondence shows that hours before the report’s release on July 26, 2012, Faculty Council Chairman Jan Boxill sent the three faculty authors a last-minute email. It suggested they rewrite a sentence that painted a picture of a department manager creating bogus classes to protect athletes’ eligibility to play sports.

The authors grudgingly agreed to it, and some key information disappeared from the final version.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/07/20/3044746/unc-faculty-leader-pushed-rewrite.html#storylink=cpy

Now, it’s unclear whether Boxill acted alone or whether there was/were request(s) from higher up.  She claims that the “request came from other faculty”.  But frankly, does that really even matter?  Most folks that don’t wear baby blue, and even some that do, don’t seem to think so.

As the elected faculty leader, Boxill is one of UNC’s top academic officials. Rewriting a sentence that carried the suggestion of an athletic motive behind the scandal should not be the mission of a faculty, said the author of a book on college athletic scandals.

“The faculty committee should not anticipate the audience or implications, but rather fulfill the charge they undertook,” said John Thelin, an education professor at the University of Kentucky and author of “Games Colleges Play.”

Jay Smith, a UNC history professor who has been among the most vocal critics of the university’s handling of the scandal, said Boxill’s email confirmed his fears that UNC had not investigated vigorously.

“It seems consistent with what I have taken to be the university’s strategy all along, which is they wanted to come up with findings that seemed frank and candid, but which also carefully exclude any further NCAA investigation,” Smith said.

Is it any wonder why allowing them to self-investigate is no longer trusted by anyone outside of their tight knit circle?  Also, I wonder if history professor Jay Smith has hired a food taster yet?  Word of advice Professor Smith….look under your car before you start it.

FWIW, the major change in the report seems to center upon the deletion of a mention of Deborah Crowder, who is named as an “athletics supporter” in the initial version, and is mentioned as having “used the system” to benefit athletes…..

BEFORE:

“Although we may never know for certain, it was our impression from multiple interviews that the involvement of Deborah Crowder seems to have been that of an athletics supporter who was extremely close to personnel in Athletics, and who managed to use the system to help players by directing them to enroll in courses in the African and Afro-American Studies department that turned out to be aberrant or irregularly taught.”

AFTER:

“Although we may never know for certain, it was our impression from multiple interviews that a department staff member managed to use the system to help players by directing them to enroll in courses in the African and Afro-American Studies Department that turned out to be aberrant or irregularly taught.”

A subtle change?  Perhaps.  But it does seem interesting that Boxill (or someone, at least) appears to have wanted Crowder’s name, as well as a reference to her being an “athletic supporter”, omitted from the report.

You might recall that Deborah Crowder is one of the scapegoats….errrr rogues….named thus far in what can only be termed an isolated instance (sarcasm).  You can refresh your memory here of Crowder and her relationship to the AFAM situation.

And regardless of whether the change in this report was in fact minor (debatable), the fact that someone in a position of authority was interested in changing the report IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER to minimize the chances of a return visit from the NCAA is the key point here.  Don’t you think?

What a cesspool the flagship has become.

But at least they aren’t selling sneakers or comp tickets.  Because then they’d REALLY be in trouble.

World Cup packages

About Wufpacker

A 2nd generation alumnus and raised since birth to be irrationally dedicated to all things NC State. Class of '88 and '92.

UNC Scandal

51 Responses to Before and After: How UNC faculty leader dodged the NCAA

  1. GeneralNuisance 07/22/2013 at 12:35 PM #

    Uh . . .hypothetically of course, let’s say I did. . . I can tell you that I didn’t have 1 1/2 oz in the car and a 9mil while driving a rental that had someone (not related to me) had rented . . . and I was just an average Joe college student

  2. TheCOWDOG 07/22/2013 at 12:49 PM #

    Facts are facts. It was a three-way split. The weapon was for all intents and purpose not pinned to anyone, and driving a loaned rental was not a moving violation.

    If one wants to make a character issue out of it…fine. That’s UNx’s decision. Just sayin’ that charges like these being dropped are a dime a dozen, and detracts from the real meat and potatoes not one iota.

  3. GeneralNuisance 07/22/2013 at 1:00 PM #

    Ok, good point . . . there’s a soup kitchens worth of meat and potatoes if anyone at the NCAA really cared.. .

  4. redcanine 07/22/2013 at 1:24 PM #

    If I had a Skittle for every element of this U*nc scandal, I’d have tasted the rainbow years ago.

    Charges are dismissed. Will their relationship with Fats continue as if nothing ever happened?

  5. compsciwolf 07/22/2013 at 2:03 PM #

    Cowdog is right, the charges being dismissed is a non-issue and doesn’t matter. He produced his license and completed the program required to get the drug charges dropped as is standard operating procedure. He wasn’t treated any differently than anyone else in the eyes of the law, as it should be.

    That said, the issue of the rental and potential NCAA violations are still outstanding, but that has nothing to do with local law enforcement.

  6. JohnGalt78 07/22/2013 at 2:55 PM #

    ^ and apparently it has nothing to do with the UNCAA.

  7. maverick_ncsu 07/22/2013 at 3:18 PM #

    Can some of you more knowledgeable than me help me understand how Hertz isn’t upset at this whole thing? I don’t rent many vehicles, but I thought they are pretty strict on naming the drivers of a rented car, usually involving paying more for more drivers. I know that his rental bill was pretty astronomical, so I didn’t know if there is a way that he payed a flat rate so that it wouldn’t matter who was driving. Usually drivers under 25 cost a lot more. Thanks for your help.

  8. rtpack24 07/22/2013 at 3:21 PM #

    PJ’s problems still are the rental cars and his relationship with Fats. His main problem is the ongoing NCAA investigation concerning PJ’s relationship with Rodney Blackstone who is considered a agent runner by the NCAA. He and PJ do have a relationship and should be interesting if anything comes to light regarding said relation$hip!

  9. redcanine 07/22/2013 at 4:09 PM #

    ^Exactly.

    PJ knows and associates with a criminal. Can’t wait til the point shaving scandal. He earned that stinky bag and those car keys somehow. Everyone else only gets a cell phone.

  10. highstick 07/22/2013 at 4:15 PM #

    The issue with Hertz would be between Hertz and whoever signed the lease agreement and a totally separate issue.

    National Emerald doesn’t charge me anything extra to add my wife or a family member when we travel with a rental..Just have to give them a copy of the Drivers License.

    The “damage” to UnC is hopefully all of those “entanglements” that came to the surface as a result of the stop..

    http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/86731/p-j-hairston-legal-issues-hardly-north-carolina-tar-heels-biggest

  11. redcanine 07/22/2013 at 4:54 PM #

    This character carries weed, a gun, and associates with a known gangster. ” Who is PJ Hairston?”. Sorry, we were looking for ‘who is Jules Winfield?’.

  12. Jediwolf 07/22/2013 at 6:07 PM #

    Swofford is such a homer, told Joe & Adam today he was unaware of this article. Crawl out from under that baby blue rock and pull you head out of your a$$. We need new leadership at the top.

  13. john of sparta 07/22/2013 at 7:03 PM #

    who has ANYthing to fear from the NCdoubleA?
    Ding Dong that witch is Dead.
    this is fixing to git real.
    real soon.

  14. Seawulf 07/22/2013 at 7:20 PM #

    What really shocks me is that we’ve gone the whole day without someone asking if PJ’s Drug Education class was an ONLINE class! Also, did he actually attend or did a tutor take it for him…. It is UNCCH afterall……..
    #wheelsforheels

  15. highstick 07/22/2013 at 7:22 PM #

    I think Slive threw down a gauntlet to the NCAA last week..basically “get with it or we will without you”..

    Lots of folks may not like it, but things will change…but it’ll be curious to see how “rules and enforcement of rules” evolve. I could say more, but then it might be “political”…Either we adopt reasonable rules, enforce the rules equitably, or adopt anarchy!

  16. tuckerdorm1983 07/22/2013 at 7:45 PM #

    Roy is mad, but he will get over it. PJ will play. Youthful indiscretion. He sits out the first six games against Marathon Oil, West Apex High, Monmoth, Northwest Delaware State and the West Pittsboro Allstars.

    Big time college sports is making a mockery of a fine school. (no sarcasm). UNC’s reputation is being tarnished. I just don’t think anyone from Chancellor on down has the balls to kick him off the team. Oh they will rant and rave but come March he is playing and probably in the top five in scoring in the ACC.

    Mark my words when they let him go the next time a Thug is on the team and is really good they will be his bitch.

    In the end winning is more important than the reputation of the school. That is sad. Very sad

  17. TheCOWDOG 07/22/2013 at 8:46 PM #

    ‘Stick.. Slive may have thrown down a gauntlet, but it sure as shit didn’t have any spears in it.

    Recruiting in the age of technology? I almost fell out of the tree on that one. How ’bout a call to arms for cleaning up your backyards?

    F..k. The NCAA will die only because Universities and Sports commerce no longer need a middle man. I don’t blame the NCAA, Jesushchristinasidecar!

  18. BureauOfMines 07/23/2013 at 2:09 AM #

    Sure is funny how this thing snowballed for a time. Then, suddenly, it all got resolved in PJ’s favor.

  19. GeneralNuisance 07/23/2013 at 10:43 AM #

    ^ . . . well, apparently the two PASSENGERS in the car did not have the same fortune. . . I guess they serve as the pound of flesh required . . . very NCAAish if you ask me

  20. NCMike 07/23/2013 at 11:05 AM #

    ^ Their court dates are August 6th.

  21. JohnGalt78 07/23/2013 at 11:49 AM #

    Reminds me of Clinton’s many Bimbo Eruptions….a little flare up, a little gossip, then the spin doctors kill the buzz and its over as fast as it started.

  22. JeremyH 07/23/2013 at 12:21 PM #

    “The lack of a handgun-related charge almost certainly stems from North Carolina state law, where it is not illegal to carry a handgun, even without an ownership permit, provided the gun is not legally “concealed.” ”

    They got this right actually, it was laying on the ground.

    http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/86731/p-j-hairston-legal-issues-hardly-north-carolina-tar-heels-biggest

  23. fullmoon1 07/23/2013 at 3:01 PM #

    Usually when a car load of people is pulled per and a gun and or drugs are found someone has to be charged with it. They should have run the serial numbers of the gun to see if it was a registered handgun. If it was not registered it seems someone would have to be charged. Usually if no one owns up to the contraband the driver is charged.

  24. highstick 07/23/2013 at 7:14 PM #

    There is no registration of handguns in North Carolina…the only requirement you have to have is a permit to purchase. The gun is not registered anywhere. The serial number may be registered at time of purchase, but the gun could have been sold or traded between private owners multiple times without any record.

  25. highstick 07/23/2013 at 7:31 PM #

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2013/07/22/north-carolina-unc-college-football-countdown-2013-preview/2574773/

    I can see it now…from the aluminum bleachers that are half empty comes the cheer…”We’re Number 45″! Rickity, rickity, rass!

Leave a Reply